Cucho Hernandez insisted that Columbus Crew's Leagues Cup triumph is now in the past as they return to MLS action to face Philadelphia Union in midweek. 

Hernandez, who scored twice in their 3-1 win over LAFC in the final, was named the tournament's MVP for his impressive displays throughout the competition. 

The Colombian registered seven goal involvements (four goals and three assists) during the Crew's run to the final, including a strike against the Union in the semi-finals.

But sitting third in the Eastern Conference table, five points behind Cincinnati with three games in hand, Hernandez said the mentality of the team has already switched.

“We are so proud of doing this,” Hernandez said on his sides Leagues Cup win. “We work every day to do this. It’s not lucky; it’s work.

"We are always thinking about what’s coming [next]. That’s the mentality of this team.

“Now, we enjoy ourselves. Of course, we deserve it. But tomorrow we have MLS, and that’s the mentality.”

Philadelphia, meanwhile, will be aiming to exact revenge on their Leagues Cup foes as they look to mount a push for the playoffs in the final stretch of fixtures.

The Union were beaten 3-1 by Columbus in the semi-finals of the tournament and lost on penalties to Colorado Rapids in the third-place match. 

Ahead of the Leagues Cup, Jim Curtin's side had won consecutive MLS games, propelling them into the playoff picture and currently sit 10th in the Eastern Conference table, a point behind Atlanta United with a game in hand.

And the Philadelphia head coach said his players acknowledged the task ahead of them, emphasising the importance of taking every opportunity coming their way. 

"The players are looking forward to returning to league play," Curtin said. "We recognise now we are not where we want to be in the standings this year. 

"We have an opportunity to maximise the amount of points we take down the stretch and make things right and find a way to get into the playoffs. 

"It's a difficult test for sure, it's not a lot of rest, but we are on the same amount of rest as Columbus, so we have to have a good reaction in our building."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Philadelphia Union – Daniel Gazdag

Daniel Gazdag scored a hat-trick in the Union’s last regular-season match, taking the Hungarian's tally to 14 goals in 21 MLS appearances.

It was Gazdag’s third career MLS treble, surpassing Julian Carranza (two) for the most in team's history.

Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez

Hernandez will be hopeful of continuing his electric Leagues Cup form upon his return to league action. He has recorded 60 goal contributions (38 goals and 22 assists) in 61 career regular-season MLS matches.

Since the beginning of June, the Colombian has been involved in 16 goals (nine goals and seven assists) in nine league matches.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Columbus suffered a 2-1 defeat at Atlanta United in the club’s final regular-season match before the Leagues Cup break. The Crew haven’t lost consecutive regular-season matches in over a year, since defeats at Cincinnati and Nashville in May 2023.

Philadelphia have won their last two league matches before the Leagues Cup break after a run of 10 MLS games without a win (D4 L6). In fact, the Union had won just one of its previous 17 regular-season encounters (D5 L11) before winning the last two.

The Union are unbeaten in eight straight home fixtures against the Crew (W7 D1) including winning the last five in a row. Only one team in the last 20 years has won six straight regular-season home matches against Columbus – Orlando City (six) from 2018-23.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Philadelphia Union – 35.5%

Draw – 26.1%

Columbus Crew – 38.5%

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler is excited to welcome Ferdi Kadioglu to his ranks after his move from Fenerbahce was confirmed on Tuesday. 

Kadioglu, who featured in all Turkiye's fixtures in their quarter-final run at Euro 2024, has signed a four-year contract for a reported £25million plus £4.2m in add-ons.

Ahead of their 4-0 victory over Crawley Town in the EFL Cup, Kadioglu was officially unveiled as a Seagulls player to those in attendance at the AMEX Stadium. 

The 24-year-old offers Hurzeler another option at left-back following the departure of Valentin Barco, who joined Sevilla on a season-long loan last week. 

He departs the Turkish Super Lig side after six years, making 204 appearances in all competitions, scoring 18 goals and adding 22 assists in that time.

Kadioglu has already made five appearances for Jose Mourinho's side this season, netting once in their Champions League qualifying fixture against FC Lugano.

"I'm very excited because we are getting an excellent player and a great character," Hurzeler said upon his arrival at the AMEX Stadium. 

"He has great ability, is a strong runner and very good at passing."

Kadioglu becomes the Seagulls' ninth arrival during the transfer window and will be hoping to have an instant impact in the Premier League this weekend. 

Hurzeler's side are one of four sides who have won both of their fixtures of the 2024-25 season, and they travel to the Emirates to face Arsenal on Saturday in hopes of maintaining their excellent start under their new manager. 

Dani Olmo was delighted to help Barcelona end their Rayo Vallecano hoodoo after scoring the winner in their 2-1 win at the Estadio de Vallecas on Tuesday.

Olmo's strike eight minutes from time saw him become the first player to score on his LaLiga debut for Barcelona away from home since Sandro Ramirez did so in August 2014 against Villarreal. 

Unai Lopez had given the hosts the lead in the ninth minute, only for second-half goals from Pedri and Olmo helping Hansi Flick maintain his unbeaten start to the season. 

It also marked Barcelona's first league triumph at the home of Los Franjirrojos since a 3-2 win back in November 2018. 

Having starred for Spain at Euro 2024, Olmo was forced to miss Barca's first two league games until he was able to be registered due to LaLiga's strict financial control rules. 

But his return to the club where he spent seven years in the youth academy was worth the wait, according to the 26-year-old after full-time. 

"I've been looking forward to my debut since for a long time and it couldn't have been in a better way," Olmo told DAZN.

"It's been many years since Barcelona won here, it's such a tough place to play so the end result is just unparalleled.

"I've felt very good, I was really looking forward to it. Today it finally happened, I'm very happy to have helped the team and even better to have scored. I'm delighted."

Barcelona top the standings on nine points from three games, two ahead of second-placed Villarreal. They next host Real Valladolid on Saturday. 

Liam and Noel Gallagher have finally settled their differences to reunite Oasis next year, though their allegiances towards Manchester City have never altered.

Manchester's great duo are, after years of wait, heading back to England's biggest stages, with the news announced on Tuesday to confirm their comeback as definitely, not maybe.

Having last played at V Festival in late August 2009, the pair split just before their beloved City fired to centre stage, rising from the third tier to dominate the Premier League since the brothers' ill-tempered farewell.

With eight Premier League titles, one Champions League crown, three FA Cup wins and six EFL Cup successes, City have transformed their fortunes since Oasis' split.

Here, we unpick the data behind City's success, watching rivals Manchester United Slide Away from the top spot for the city's bragging rights since the Gallaghers parted ways on August 22, 2009.

Champion Supernova

City have lifted eight Premier League titles since Oasis' final performance, winning a massive 1,252 points across that period – 152 more than nearest challengers Liverpool in the same timeframe.

That points tally is also 163 more than neighbours United, with Supersonic City's 385 top-flight wins (219 at home, 166 away) in the aforementioned span far greater than second-placed Liverpool's 322.

The four-in-a-row champions have also managed 1,306 goals, a total that Liverpool (1,112), Arsenal (1,074), Chelsea (1,044) and Man Utd (1,008) can get nowhere near.

Pep's Masterplan

Pep Guardiola may be the only man in Manchester able to rival the Gallagher's fame, with the City boss leading his side to unprecedented heights since his arrival in England eight years ago.

In the same Oasis-less period, Guardiola's 227 Premier League wins are the most of any City manager, ahead of Roberto Mancini (82), Manuel Pellegrini (70), Mark Hughes (five) and caretaker Brian Kidd (one).

That dominance owes to the fact Guardiola is the longest-serving City boss of the span, though his winning percentage of 74% is once again greater than nearest rivals, Mancini (62%) and Pellegrini (61%).

Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Newcastle

Some Might Say no team can keep up with City in the Premier League, but Newcastle United are the side to have struggled most with the Oasis-stricken blues.

Man City have defeated Newcastle 22 times in the Premier League since that fateful last Oasis performance in 2009, suggesting the Magpies are at least Half The World Away from the Citizens' quality.

As Newcastle's hopes of a rare win over City appear to have faded away Little by Little, West Ham have also lost 21 games in that period against the Manchester club, with Villa third on 18 defeats.

Whatever the other teams have struggled with, Middlesbrough – now in the Championship – have suffered no such issues, remaining as the only Premier League side to have not lost against City in the period (two draws in two matches).

Gundowall

Ilkay Gundogan was, at least in jest, said to have played a part in Oasis' reunion after the same Gallagher brothers attempted to lure the Germany midfielder back to the Etihad Stadium.

His 44 goals for City in the period without Oasis rank him 11th on the list of Premier League scorers for the club, which is headed by Argentina's Rock 'N' Roll Star Sergio Aguero, on 184.

The striker's tally is more than double his nearest competitor, Raheem Sterling (91), who makes up the top five with Kevin De Bruyne (69), Erling Haaland (67) and Yaya Toure (62).

As for appearances, former midfielder David Silva answered City's call the most to Stand by Me, racking up 309 league appearances – ahead of Aguero, who is just behind on 275.

Galatasaray were sent crashing out of Champions League qualification after Young Boys' 1-0 away win secured a 2-0 aggregate victory on Tuesday.

Carrying over a slender advantage from the first leg in Switzerland, Young Boys confirmed their passage to the new-look 36-team competition with the play-off success.

Alan Virginius scored the only goal in the 87th minute before Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was sent off for kicking out at the Young Boys substitute as he celebrated.

RB Salzburg are also set for their sixth straight appearance in Europe's top club competition after a 1-1 draw at home to Dynamo Kyiv wrapped up the tie 3-1 on aggregate.

Adam Daghim struck after just 12 minutes for the hosts before Vladyslav Vanat equalised for Kyiv, who were unable to overturn a 2-0 deficit from their first leg at home.

Sparta Prague were the other side to make it through Tuesday's qualifying, thanks to a 2-0 win over Swedish side Malmo that completed a 4-0 triumph on aggregate for the Czech champions.

Anders Christiansen missed a first-half penalty for Malmo before a late spot-kick from Lukas Haraslin and a goal for Albion Rrahmani sealed progression.

Wednesday will see four more sides fight for a place in the Champions League group stage.

Barcelona debutant Dani Olmo struck a late winner to steal a 2-1 comeback victory at Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday, as the LaLiga leaders continued their perfect start to the season with a third consecutive win.

Rayo dominated proceedings in the first half and took the lead with a strike by Unai Lopez in the ninth minute, but Barca were livelier after the break, with Pedri levelling from a counter-attack in the 60th minute.

Olmo, introduced as a substitute for his first outing since leaving RB Leipzig, scored the winner with a curling strike in the 82nd minute, snatching Barca a deserved win to maintain their momentum.

Barcelona top the standings on nine points from three games, two ahead of second-placed Villarreal, while Rayo are eighth on four points.

Data Debrief: Olmo impresses on maiden bow

Olmo is the first player to score on his debut for Barcelona in LaLiga away from home since Sandro Ramirez in August 2014 against Villarreal.

Yet a familiar face paved the way for the leveller, too, with Raphinha setting up Pedri for his 17th assist in 67 LaLiga outings.

Since his arrival at Barca in the 2022-23 campaign, only Antoine Griezmann (24) has provided more assists than the Brazilian in the competition (also 17 for Alex Baena).

Premier League sides cruised into the EFL Cup third round on Tuesday, but there was concern for Brighton over new signing Matt O'Riley.

Denmark midfielder O'Riley arrived from Celtic this week but lasted just nine minutes of his Seagulls debut, hobbling off with an apparent ankle injury against League One side Crawley Town.

That issue will leave Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler worried, though the performance from the rest of his side left little concern after a 4-0 victory.

Simon Adingra got things going in the first half before Jeremy Sarmiento, Julio Enciso and Adam Webster were on target after the interval in a routine second-round win.

In stark contrast to Brighton, Sean Dyche's Toffees are yet to win – or score – in the Premier League this season but dispatched League Two's Doncaster Rovers 3-0 at Goodison Park.

Tim Iroegbunam and Iliman Ndiaye both scored their first competitive goals for Everton before backup striker Beto sealed a routine victory, which came in similar fashion to Palace's 4-0 win over Norwich City.

Oliver Glasner's side are without victory in the top flight this campaign, too, but eased into the third round after Jean-Philippe Mateta scored twice, along with goals for Eberechi Eze and Daichi Kamada, at Selhurst Park.

Leicester City, another side without a point to their name in the top division yet, also overcame Tranmere Rovers 4-0 thanks to goals from new signing Jordan Ayew, Stephy Mavididi, Wilfred Ndidi and Harry Winks.

Jay Stansfield was on target against former club Birmingham City as Fulham swept aside their League One hosts with a comprehensive 2-0 victory in the EFL Cup second round.

Marco Silva's side fell short against Liverpool in the semi-finals of this competition last season, but made another good start to the new cup campaign on Tuesday after easing to victory at St. Andrew's.

Raul Jimenez opened the scoring with a 10th-minute penalty, awarded for handball against Alex Cochrane, before Birmingham were undone by a familiar face just four minutes later.

Striker Stansfield spent last season on loan with the Blues and, owing to that spell, refused to celebrate after profiting from Joachim Andersen's long pass before finishing with a clinical edge.

Birmingham could find no second-half response as Fulham progressed into Wednesday's third-round draw, with the Cottagers' next task a trip to Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Cup control for Cottagers

Fulham have progressed from 12 of their last 15 EFL Cup ties against sides from a lower division, including Tuesday's win and both such matches last term against East Anglian duo Norwich City and Ipswich.

This outcome was somewhat expected, considering Fulham have won their last six games in all competitions against Birmingham by an aggregate score of 16-3.

Birmingham, meanwhile, have lost at this stage in their last four attempts (2017-18, 2021-22, 2023-24 and this season).

Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia, with the goalkeeper immediately loaned back to Los Che for this season.

The Georgia international impressed at Euro 2024 with his country and has subsequently earned a move to Anfield, becoming the first major signing of Arne Slot's Liverpool tenure.

Mamardashvili will stay in Spain with Valencia for the remainder of the LaLiga campaign before moving to Merseyside ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Widespread reports suggest the Reds have agreed a €30million deal (£25m), including add-ons, to sign the 23-year-old, who will be expected to challenge Alisson for the starting spot in goal.

Mamardashvili's move comes off the back of an impressive European Championship showing, managing 21 saves during the three group-stage games, the joint-most of any goalkeeper in the tournament's history.

He has recorded 102 appearances for Valencia, keeping 31 clean sheets in all competitions and starting both of their fixtures so far this term against Barcelona and Celta Vigo.

Goalkeeping rival Alisson has two years and the option of a further year left on his Liverpool contract, but is expected to remain as the first-choice option, with Caoimhin Kelleher also among the Reds ranks.

Slot's side are said to be interested in Juventus' Federico Chiesa, too, before the transfer window closes on Friday in England.

Roma have signed Saud Abdulhamid from Saudi Pro League champions Al Hilal, the Serie A club announced on Tuesday.

Reports in Italy suggest the deal for the 25-year-old defender was worth €3million.

"Roma are pleased to announce the signing of Saud Abdulhamid on a permanent deal from Al Hilal," the club said in a short statement.

The Saudi Arabia international was a key player for Jorge Jesus' side last season, netting four times and providing nine assists in all competitions to help Al Hilal win a domestic treble.

Manchester City's Joao Cancelo joined Al Hilal to replace Abdulhamid, who will be the first Saudi Arabian player to compete in Serie A.

Al-Hilal have confirmed the signing of Joao Cancelo from Manchester City.

The right-back has reportedly signed a three-year contract after joining the Saudi Pro League club for a fee of £21million.

Cancelo originally joined the Citizens in August 2019 in a deal worth £60m, making him the most expensive right-back in history.

He made 154 appearances for City, winning three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the EFL Cup.

Cancelo spent last season on loan at Barcelona after a falling out with Pep Guardiola, and led the club's defenders in chances created (35), crosses (82) and shots (32), but the Catalan side opted not to extend his stay.

In his last full campaign at City in 2021-22, he played the most minutes of any outfielder for the team, while he was also involved in more attacking sequences than anyone else in the league (244).

"I would like to wish everyone at City continued success in the future," Cancelo said before completing his move.

"I had many very special moments during my time here at this great club.

"I would like to thank my team-mates, the coaches, all the staff at City and the fans for everything during my time here."

Manor Solomon has joined Leeds United on a season-long loan from Tottenham.

The 25-year-old joined Spurs last year following his departure from Shakhtar Donetsk but only played six times before suffering a season-ending knee injury in October.

He featured in pre-season for Ange Postecoglou's side but was not included in either of his matchday squads in the Premier League this season.

Solomon signed for Spurs after a successful loan spell with Fulham in 2022-23 in which he scored in four successive top-flight matches.

His other goal for the Cottagers came in the FA Cup, as he netted in a 2-0 win over Leeds in the fifth round.

This is the third piece of business between Tottenham and Leeds in this transfer window, with Archie Gray joining the north London side and Joe Rodon going the other way. 

Rui Patricio has signed for Atalanta on a one-year deal as a free transfer following his departure from Roma.

The 36-year-old left the Italian capital after the expiry of his contract, being replaced as first-choice keeper by Mile Svilar when Daniele De Rossi took over as manager.

Patricio joined Roma in July 2021 and made 129 appearances, keeping 48 clean sheets in all competitions. He won the inaugural Europa Conference League title with the club.

At international level, he earned 108 caps for Portugal and was part of the team that won the 2016 European Championship.

Atalanta announced the signing hours after goalkeeper Juan Musso moved to Atletico Madrid on loan until the end of the season.

Musso was limited to just 24 appearances for Atalanta in all competitions last season but played a huge role as the club claimed just the second trophy in their history by beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.

In 11 Serie A appearances last season, Musso made 23 saves and conceded 12 goals, keeping six clean sheets.

After a topsy-turvy week in which they lost their opening Concacaf Caribbean Cup encounter, sacked Harold Thomas, and brought back Theodore ‘Tappa’ Whitmore, Mount Pleasant FA will be hoping to ride a more positive wave when they engage Arnett Gardens on Tuesday.

While it will be Mount Pleasant’s second Group A outing, having lost 0-2 to reigning Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions Cavalier last week, Arnett Gardens will be wetting their feet in the tournament for the first time since winning the Caribbean Club Shield, and they will be intent on maintaining their rich vein of form.

Sabina Park should be abuzz for the 5:00pm encounter, which has mouth-watering prospects, as Arnett Gardens and Mount Pleasant have met several times in the JPL with both teams securing six wins apiece while drawing another five. However, this will be their first ever meeting in this tournament.

With both teams hunting their first point to stay in touch with group leaders Cavalier (three points), as well as Trinidad and Tobago’s Police FC and Haiti’s Real Hope on a point each, it is anybody’s guess where the points will go, if not being shared.

Though targeting victory on return to the St Ann-based club, Whitmore is by no means grandstanding against a high-riding Arnett Gardens.

“Arnett Gardens are just coming out of a tournament, which they won. So they will be upbeat. Our players know the task at hand. They know it’s going to be a difficult game, but I think this unit is up for it,” Whitmore said in a pre-game conference.

“It’s for us to put ourselves out there and give 110 percent. But there is one other thing, and that is to get a positive result. We have not spent a lot of time with the players, so we are still trying to put the pieces together. Hopefully, come match day, we will be ready,” he added.

For Arnett Gardens Head coach Xavier Gilbert, this encounter represents the start of their quest to cop a coveted double-title feat, much like last year’s winners, SV Robinhood of Suriname.

“It would be nice to win the double, but we just want to take it one step at a time and not think too far ahead. This first game is going to be extremely tough because Mount Pleasant are coming off a loss, and I am sure they will want to ensure that they stay in the hunt,” Gilbert stated.

“They are a quality team, and they have acquired some good players, so it is going to be tough, but we are going to put our best foot forward and ensure that we get something out of the game. We anticipate that Whitmore, who coached them last year, knows the players well, and he will probably put the pieces together despite not having a lot of time,” he noted.

Elsewhere in Group B on Tuesday, Dominican Republic’s Moca FC will host Trinidad and Tobago's AC Port of Spain at the Estadio Moca 85.

Both are on a point each, same as another Dominican Republic outfit, Cibao FC, who will also host Antigua and Barbuda club Grenades FC at the Estadio Cibao.

Grenades FC, who were runners-up to Arnett Gardens in the CFU Club Shield, will be out for the first time in this tournament.

Meanwhile, Group A leaders Cavalier will be back in action on Thursday against Police FC at Sabina Park.

Arsenal have announced the signing of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad on a four-year contract.

The midfielder has joined in a deal worth up to £31.6million, with the option to extend his stay for an extra year.

Merino is returning to the Premier League, having signed for La Real from Newcastle United in 2018.

He made 242 appearances for the Spanish side in all competitions, scoring 27 goals and registering 30 assists.

Last season, he won 326 duels, the most of any player in the top five European Leagues, while his 197 recoveries in LaLiga were the most of any outfield player for La Real.

"Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility," Mikel Arteta said of his new signing.

"He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now. Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.

"As we all saw in the summer, Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament. We are delighted to welcome Mikel and his family to the club and can't wait to start working with him."

Merino is the fourth signing by Arsenal during this transfer window, after Tommy Setford, Riccardo Calafiori, and the permanent move for David Raya.