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• New York City v Columbus Crew: Cushing pleased with preparations for MLS return

  Nick Cushing has been impressed with New York City's preparations for their MLS return against the Columbus Crew on Saturday. 

  NYCFC headed into the international break having achieved their longest winning run in a single domestic campaign since 2019 (five games), leaving them third in the Eastern Conference and six points behind Inter Miami with two games in hand. 

  Cushing explained the break in play halted his side's momentum, but was pleased to see a renewed focus among the players upon their return to training. 

  “You can look at the break in two ways,” Cushing said. “It wasn’t the perfect timing because we had momentum and results, but at the same time, you have to take the rest when you get it because the schedule is so brutal.

  “It was a great opportunity to rest and recover and give the players some family time as well as refresh and regenerate. I was really pleased with the focus they came back with.

  “We know Columbus is going to be difficult, but I’m really pleased with the way the players have prepared this week.”

  Columbus come into the fixture on a winning streak of their own, beating Orlando City 2-0 away from home to secure a third straight away success last time out in MLS.

  The Crew have had two weeks to recover from their CONCACAF Champions Cup defeat against Pachuca, in which many of their players spent the two days leading up to the match suffering from food poisoning. 

  "It’s true that something happened over there," head coach Wilfried Nancy said. "We were all good, and suddenly when we woke up, we were all sick.

  "So, it was difficult for me, during the game also, to assess and to do changes and to help my team to get better because they weren't in a normal state."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  New York City – Alonso Martinez

  Martínez came off the bench to score a hat-trick in nine minutes and 57 seconds in the second half of NYCFC’s win over San Jose Earthquakes last time out.

  In doing so, Martínez became the seventh player in MLS history to score three goals from the bench.

  Columbus Crew – Diego Rossi 

  Rossi has scored four goals in his last three MLS games, the fourth time he has managed to do so in his career. 

  New York City are one of only seven teams in MLS that Rossi has failed to score against since his move to America in 2023. 

  MATCH PREDICTION – COLUMBUS CREW WIN

  The Crew have won their last three regular-season matches, all on the road, including a 2-0 win at Orlando in their last MLS match on May 25. Columbus have won four straight regular-season road matches just once before in club history, doing so in August-September 2015.

  Columbus are unbeaten in their last three encounters against NYCFC, last tasting defeat against Saturday's opponents in August 2022. 

  But, New York have lost only one of their last 10 home matches against the Crew (seven wins, two draws, including playoffs) after losing the first meeting in 2015, also scoring in all 11 home matches against them. 

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  New York City – 34%

  Draw – 25.8%

  Columbus Crew – 40.3%

• Terzic resigns as Borussia Dortmund head coach

  Edin Terzic has resigned as coach of Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga club confirmed in a statement on Thursday. 

  Terzic departs after leading his side to the Champions League final, which they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley earlier this month. 

  The 41-year-old, who was in his second spell in charge of Dortmund, asked Die Schwarzgelben to terminate his contract, which was due to expire next year.

  "Even though it really hurts, I want to inform you that I will leave BVB today. It was a huge honour to lead this club to a DFB Cup final and recently a Champions League final," Terzic said in a club statement.

  "After our final at Wembley, I asked the club bosses for a talk, because I've been at BVB for over 10 years now, with five as a coach and two-and-a-half as head coach, and I have the feeling that our new beginning should also come with someone new on the touchline.

  "After intense discussions, my feeling hasn't changed. I wish Borussia Dortmund all the best. It's not goodbye, but till next time."

  The German had previously been interim boss for seven months in the 2020/21 season, guiding Dortmund to their fifth DFB-Pokal title. 

  Terzić oversaw 96 competitive fixtures during his two seasons at the helm, having stepped into the role on a permanent basis before the 2022-23 campaign, winning 55 matches and averaging 1.93 points per game. 

• Messi rules out Olympics participation with Argentina

  Lionel Messi has ruled out the possibility of participating in the Paris Olympics, conceding "it would be too much to play two straight tournaments".

  Messi is gearing up for Argentina's Copa America title defence, which begins against Canada on June 20, while they will also face Chile and Peru in Group A.

  The final takes place on July 14, with the Olympic tournament beginning in Paris 10 days later. 

  With three overage players allowed per team in the primarily under-23 event, leading to speculation that Messi could feature for La Albiceleste.

  However, the 36-year-old, who was a gold medallist in Beijing 16 years ago, revealed he would not be partcipating following a discussion with Argentina under-23s coach - and former team-mate - Javier Mascherano.

  "I talked to Mascherano and the truth is we both understood the situation," Messi told ESPN.

  "It's hard [to think about the Olympics right now] because we're in Copa America. It would be two, three straight months of not being with the club, and more than anything, I'm not at an age to be in everything.

  "I have to choose carefully, and it would be too much to play two straight tournaments. I've been very lucky to play in the Olympics, and win it together with [Mascherano].

  "It was a wonderful experience on a football level. Olympics, under-20s, memories I'll never forget."