Related items

• Inzaghi gets 'all answers needed' after Inter humiliate Frosinone

  Clinical Inter returned to winning ways with a 5-0 thrashing of relegation-threatened Frosinone on Friday, and coach Simone Inzaghi admitted he had no questions left following his side's stellar performance.

  Champions Inter stumbled to a 1-0 loss at relegation-battling Sassuolo last weekend but bounced back at Frosinone when five different players were on target to further hamper Frosinone's hopes of steering away from the relegation zone.

  "I got the answers I wanted even though there was no need [for them]," Inzaghi told a press conference.

  "A lot of guys who have played less answered and even contributed with a goal, I'm thinking about [Tajon] Buchanan and [Marko] Arnautovic.

  "Important answers also came from [Kristjan] Asllani, who has grown a lot and has also played parts in important games."

  Inter, who remained on track to beat the club record of 97 points set in the 2006-07 season, have also equalled the 15 away wins recorded in that season and maintained their 10th clean sheet, previously seen in 2007-08.

  "I have a club that has been working for some time to ensure that the team improves because we always have to grow," Inzaghi said when asked if the team would be able to keep up the pace next season.

  "Now we have two matches in which we will do our best, and then we will think about next season.

  "The celebration? What our fans did to us will always remain within each of us. It's the shield of joy. I will always thank the fans."

  Inzaghi is set to remain at Inter, with Italian media reporting he has already agreed to a new deal which puts him at the helm of the club beyond 2025.

  He added: "You know what relationship I have with the club. We will all sit down and talk, but we are already in contact every day."

• Portland Timbers v Seattle Sounders: Neville calls on hosts to put foot down in derby

  Phil Neville believes the Portland Timbers have not picked up the points their performances have warranted this season, but he knows the time has come for them to put their foot down ahead of Sunday's Cascadia Derby against the Seattle Sounders. 

  Portland sit 12th in the Western Conference standings, below the Sounders on goal difference, after going eight MLS matches without a victory.

  Their 10 points through 11 games in 2024 represents their joint-worst return at this point of any MLS campaign (alongside 2014).

  Neville, however, believes they have deserved more as they prepare for a run of three home games in their next four.

  "I think the first thing to say is we are not making any excuses – the results have not been as good as we wanted," he said.

  "We've not got our just rewards but now we look forward to a stretch where we've got to perform better and get better results, we've got to put our foot down on the gas." 

  The Sounders have also struggled this term, though they have taken four points from their last two MLS games against the Philadelphia Union (3-2) and LA Galaxy (0-0).

  They then overcame Louisville City on penalties in the U.S. Open Cup in midweek, and coach Brian Schmetzer hopes they can carry on their momentum from that game on Sunday. 

  "This club has had a long history in the U.S. Open Cup, I like the tournament. It was certainly a challenge against a good, well-coached Louisville team," Schmetzer said.

  "We came out on top and hopefully this propels us a little bit in our league play."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Portland Timbers – Maxime Crepeau

  Portland have conceded at least once in a club-record 17 successive regular-season matches, allowing 37 goals in that time.

  Goalkeeper Crepeau has faced 41 shots so far in MLS this term, preventing 1.13 goals according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model, conceding 14 times from 15.8 xGoT faced.

  Seattle Sounders – Raul Ruidiaz 

  Ruidiaz has 12 goals in 16 previous MLS matches against Portland (including playoffs), the most goals scored by any player against the Timbers in MLS play. 

  It's also the most goals scored by any MLS player against a single opponent since Ruidiaz made his debut in the competition in July 2018.

  MATCH PREDICTION – PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN

  The Timbers are unbeaten in six straight matches against the Sounders (four wins, two draws), the longest streak in all competitions by either team in the MLS era of their rivalry. 

  Portland have also won their last two home matches against Seattle after the Sounders won four of the previous five meetings at Providence Park.

  Seattle's 10 points through 11 matches this season are tied for the second-worst start in club history, having only collected eight points at this stage in 2018. Though the Timbers have been in dismal form themselves lately, this fixture could come at a good time for them.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Portland Timbers – 41.5%

  Seattle Sounders – 30%

  Draw – 28.5% 

• Busby Jr. reappointed as Reggae Girlz head coach; eighteen members of historic World Cup squad return for Brazil friendlies

  Hubert Busby Junior has been reappointed as Head Coach of the Jamaica Senior National Women’s Team, the Jamaica Football Federation announced in a statement on Friday.

  This is Busby's second stint with the team, having held the position from 2020 to 2021.

  He was removed from the position when the JFF requested FIFA to investigate unsavory media reports originating in Europe. FIFA subsequently cleared Busby.

  “The Jamaica Football Federation is pleased to announce that after careful consideration and due process, our technical committee has recommended the immediate reappointment of Hubert Busby as head coach of the Senior Women's National Team,” the JFF said in Friday’s release.   

  “Based on his vast experience and knowledge of the squad, we think he is the perfect individual to take the team through the next stage of its development,” it continued.

  Xavier Gilbert, who was acting in the role of Head Coach since October 2023, will revert to his previous role as assistant coach.

  Busby's first task will be to take charge of the 23-member squad which will play two international friendlies against Brazil on June 1 and June 4 in Brazil.    

  Eighteen members of the group for the two games were members of Jamaica’s history-making 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup squad, while former Liverpool midfielder Jade Bailey makes a return to the team which is missing prolific striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw and Kalyssa 'Kiki' Van Zanten due to injuries.

  The squad is set to depart for South America on May 26. 

  Squad: Chantelle Swaby, Konya Plummer, Jade Bailey, Denesha Blackwood, Kayla McKenna, Allyson Swaby, Drew Spence, Atlanta Primus, Vyan Sampson, Peyton McNamara, Page Bailey-Gayle, Trudy Carter, Kameron Simmonds, Tiffany Cameron, Sydney Schneider, Rebecca Spencer, Niya Cardoza, Liya Brooks, Amelia Van Zaten, Jody Brown, Israela Groves, Davia Richards, Lauren Reid