Enzo Maresca accepted Chelsea are likely to concede goals through playing out from the back after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Wrexham in his first match in charge.

Chelsea took on the League One side – who are owned by Hollywood actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds – at the Levi's Stadium in San Francisco, fighting back from 2-1 down to claim a draw.

Christopher Nkunku put Chelsea ahead after 35 minutes, but two defensive errors from the Blues were punished in the second half as Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott netted for Wrexham.

Bolton turned home after Lesley Ugochukwu failed to cut out Seb Revan's cross, before Josh Acheampong's error led to Marriott giving Wrexham the lead with a low drive.

Ugochukwu levelled eight minutes from time as Chelsea avoided an upset, and Maresca refused to criticise his team for playing out from the back in a post-match interview.

"It is one of the risks that you have trying to build from behind," he said. "You are going to concede in different ways, so you need to decide in which way you need to concede a goal.

"Sometimes teams that try to build from the back concede goals, but I think you are going to score more than you concede.

"For sure, we did many things we can improve, but we started just two weeks ago. Tonight was important to start seeing the identity of the team and the identity is there."

Arsenal needed penalties to overcome Bournemouth following a 1-1 draw in the first match of their pre-season tour of the United States.

Fabio Vieira's volley put Mikel Arteta's unfamiliar XI ahead after 18 minutes at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Portuguese powering Reiss Nelson's cross into the far corner.

Karl Hein denied Dominic Solanke one-on-one but Bournemouth would level 17 minutes from time, Antoine Semenyo's shot deflecting off Omar Rekik to wrong-foot the young Arsenal goalkeeper.

Both teams had agreed to a shoot-out should the game finish all square, and it was Ryan Christie's miss that proved decisive as Arsenal stayed perfect from 12 yards.

Martin Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, Gabriel Jesus and Jakub Kiwior all converted from the spot for the Gunners, who are next in action against Manchester United at the SoFi Stadium on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Wasteful Cherries beaten

Facing a young Arsenal XI, Bournemouth could perhaps have made more of their chances as they finished with 1.33 expected goals (xG) to their opponents' 0.51.

Solanke, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season, failed to score – or even hit the target – from a game-high four shots totalling 0.54 xG. 

The MLS All-Stars were routed 4-1 by their Liga MX counterparts in Wednesday's All-Star Game in Columbus, with two goals in two second-half minutes taking the game away from them.

Without injured Inter Miami duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the MLS All-Stars fell behind after 16 minutes. 

Jonathan dos Santos was allowed far too much time to cross from the right, and German Berterame steered his header past the despairing dive of Roman Burki.

The MLS side levelled almost immediately, with Columbus Crew star Cucho Hernandez a popular scorer at his Lower.com Field home, sweeping Diego Rossi's low cross home.

The Liga MX All-Stars would re-establish their lead four minutes before half-time as Oussama Idrissi drove infield before crashing a shot into the bottom-right corner, and they would pull clear in the second half.

After Hany Mukhtar and Riqui Puig both struck the woodwork, Juan Brunetta doubled Liga MX's lead in the 67th minute, tapping home after Gustavo Ferrareis headed across goal.

Brunetta was also involved as Liga MX killed off the contest one minute later, his incisive pass allowing Maximiliano Meza to spin and tuck a left-footed finish into the bottom-right corner.

Data Debrief: Third time lucky for Liga MX

This was the third time a team made up of Liga MX's finest had provided the opposition for the MLS All-Star Game, with the MLS side having won the previous two in 2022 and 2023, the latter via a penalty shoot-out.

The MLS All-Stars have now won just two of the last eight editions since beating Bayern Munich and Tottenham in back-to-back All-Star Games in 2014 and 2015.

Aston Villa's Moussa Diaby has completed a reported £50million move to Al-Ittihad, the Premier League club confirmed on Wednesday. 

Diaby, who became Villa's record signing following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, helped Unai Emery's side secure Champions League football last season.

The 25-year-old made 54 appearances in all competitions, scoring 10 goals, three of which came during their semi-final run in the Europa Conference League. 

Diaby joins fellow compatriots Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante at the club, although the latter has been linked with a return to the Premier League.

Al-Ittihad finished fifth in the Saudi Pro League last season, losing four of their last six games to miss out on qualification for the AFC Champions League Two group stage.

Diaby thanked fans on social media, writing: "Villans, thank you for everything. It's time to say goodbye. I'd like to thank the club, the team members, the staff and everyone working at Aston Villa.

"I've always given my best to help the club and the team, we've had some great moments that will stay in my memory. We've had a fantastic season, with moments of joy and happiness.

"Together, we've achieved our objectives. The club will be playing in the Champions League next year and I wish them success. It's a season I will remember forever. Villans, I won't forget you."

Javier Mascherano labelled Argentina's controversial defeat to Morocco as "a scandal" in their opening game at the Paris Olympics. 

Argentina looked to have rescued a point having come from two goals down when Cristian Medina headed home in the 16th minute of second half injury-time. 

However, crowd trouble in the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard halted proceedings, with referee Glenn Nyberg taking both sets of players off the pitch. 

The game was subsequently suspended for nearly two hours and once it resumed, the controversy and confusion continued. 

Following a VAR review, Bruno Amione was adjudged to have been in an offside position in the build-up to the potential equaliser as Morocco's advantage was reinstated.

The remaining three minutes of the contest played out in front of an empty stadium, with Tarik Sektioui's side able to hold on for an unlikely triumph. 

The game finished more than four hours after it started, leaving Mascherano furious at full-time, describing the outcome as not befitting an event as prestigious as the Olympics.

“The match was suspended for security and safety,” Mascherano began. “At no moment did we talk about the review. The official Olympic page put the match at 2-2.

“The match was suspended for security. At no moment did we talk about the review. Then after we were not told anything new, we started to hear things.

“The referee never came, he never gave us an explanation.”

He added: “We turn the page and stay with the positive things from the team in the second half and look for the two wins we’re going to need.

“What happened on the pitch was a scandal. This isn’t a neighbourhood tournament, this is the Olympic Games.

“How are they going to stop the match seven times in the second half because someone comes onto the pitch?

“The second and third time you have to take a decision. Seven times people came onto the pitch.”

Lionel Messi, who won gold for La Albiceleste in Beijing in 2008, also shared his frustrations with his former Barcelona team-mate. 

The 37-year-old kept it to the point, posting “Insolito” on his Instagram story, which translates to “unbelievable".

Argentina face Iraq in their next game in Lyon on Saturday, concluding their group campaign against Ukraine on July 30. 

Hosts France recovered from a slow start to ease to a 3-0 opening win over the United States at Paris 2024 on Wednesday.

There has been plenty of excitement around the home nation heading into the men's Olympic tournament, with coach Thierry Henry selecting a strong squad even with superstars like Kylian Mbappe absent.

Yet it took more than an hour for the match in Marseille to spark into life, and even then France were reliant on a moment of magic from captain Alexandre Lacazette.

The United States were the better side up until Lacazette's breakthrough goal, with Djordje Mihailovic thundering against the crossbar shortly before the veteran striker went up the other end and picked out the bottom-left corner.

A frantic spell followed in which France twice could have been pegged back, grateful first to Guillaume Restes for a superb save from Paxten Aaronson and then to the goal frame as John Tolkin headed against the post.

Instead, a second goal against the run of play settled the nerves in the stands as Bayern Munich new boy Michael Olise curled a fine finish around Patrick Schulte from outside the box.

And Loic Bade added further gloss with a header from a Joris Chotard corner five minutes from time, while Griffin Yow saw a late consolation goal struck off for offside.

Data Debrief: Belated home comfort for Les Bleus

On paper, the gulf between the two teams was evident in the scoreline, but for those home fans in Marseille who grew audibly agitated early in the second half, this was far from easy viewing.

Although France finished with three goals, they only created chances worth 0.43 expected goals (xG). The strikes by Lacazette and Olise were inspired individual efforts rather than the result of fine team play.

Winning gold as the hosts is not easy in this event – only four nations (Great Britain in 1908, Belgium in 1920, Spain in 1992 and Brazil in 2016) have done so previously in 27 attempts – but more will be expected of Henry's outfit going forward.

The Canadian Olympic Committee have confirmed that two members of the women's coaching staff have been sent home from the Paris Olympics following a drone incident ahead of their opening game against New Zealand. 

Head coach Bev Priestman, who led Canada to their maiden gold medal success in Tokyo, has also voluntarily withdrawn from coaching her team’s Group A opener in Saint-Etienne on Thursday. 

Fifa said it has opened disciplinary proceedings against Canada Soccer after New Zealand's women's team said their training session on Monday had been disrupted by a drone ahead of their encounter. 

Jasmine Mander, Priestman's assistant, was sent home along with "unaccredited analyst" Joseph Lombardi following the incident.

Lombardi is the director of the National Development Centre Ontario and Women’s U-20 program. Mander was Priestman's assistant at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the World Cup last summer.

Priestman apologised for what had happened and said the ultimate responsibility lay with her.

"I first and foremost want to apologise to the players and staff at New Zealand Football and to the players on Team Canada," Priestman said.

"This does not represent the values that our team stands for. I am ultimately responsible for conduct in our program."

The COC confirmed on Wednesday that a "non-accredited member of the Canada Soccer support team" was detained by authorities.

"The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play and we are shocked and disappointed," it added in a statement. 

"We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee."

Morocco upset Argentina for a 2-1 victory in the teams' opening match at the Olympic Games, with the contest ending in chaotic fashion after a two-hour delay caused by crowd trouble.

Morocco were on course for victory when Al Ain striker Soufiane Rahimi scored twice in a five-minute spell either side of half-time, before Giuliano Simeone halved the arrears for Argentina.

Cristian Medina appeared to have equalised deep into stoppage time, but crowd trouble caused referee Glenn Nyberg to take the teams off the pitch before a VAR review could take place.

It was ruled that Bruno Amione was offside in the build-up, and with the goal chalked off, the teams returned to play three further minutes in an empty stadium two hours later, Morocco holding on for a memorable win.

Morocco inched ahead two minutes into first-half stoppage time, Ilias Akhomach bamboozling the Argentina defence with a wonderful backheel that allowed Bilal El Khannouss to cross for Rahimi to tap home.

Within four minutes of the restart, Morocco had a chance to double their lead as the tricky Akhomach was pushed inside the area by Julio Soler. Rahimi stepped up to the spot and made no mistake, stroking his kick into the bottom-left corner.

Javier Mascherano's team dragged themselves back into the contest with 22 minutes to play, though, as Soler's cross-shot was prodded in by the stretching substitute Simeone.

It looked like Argentina had levelled 16 minutes into stoppage time as both Amione and Nicolas Otamendi struck the crossbar before Medina nodded home from almost on the goal line.

However, some spectators then threw cups, bottles and pyrotechnics at the celebrating Argentina players, causing the teams to leave the field for almost two hours as fans were told to leave the stadium.

With a VAR review ruling Amione was offside in the build-up to Medina's header, the game restarted at 2-1 to Morocco and the Atlas Lions clung on for a huge win.

Morocco were 2-1 winners over Argentina in their opening match at the Olympics, with Cristian Medina's potential equaliser disallowed as crowd trouble caused a two-hour delay. 

Argentina looked to have salvaged a 2-2 draw from 2-0 down in Saint-Etienne, with Soufiane Rahimi netting twice before Giuliano Simeone pulled one back for La Albiceleste.

Medina appeared to have equalised when he nodded home following a goalmouth scramble 16 minutes into second-half stoppage time, but crowd trouble then broke out with cups, bottles and pyrotechnics being thrown at Argentina's players by spectators.

The referee took the teams off the pitch, and amid confusion over whether the final whistle had sounded, it was reported another three minutes would be played in an empty stadium.

It was subsequently announced Argentina's potential leveller had been ruled out after a VAR review showed Bruno Amione was offside in the build-up.

Another three minutes of stoppage time were then played out around two hours after the players had been taken off, with Morocco holding on to win 2-1.

While Morocco now sit top of Group B with three points, Javier Mascherano's side – who were among the pre-tournament favourites – remain on zero. 

Erik ten Hag has included Jadon Sancho in his 29-man squad for Manchester United's pre-season tour of the United States. 

Sancho, who spent the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan with Borussia Dortmund, played 45 minutes in United's 2-0 win over Rangers last Saturday. 

The 24-year-old made three appearances for Ten Hag last season after an argument over his performances in training saw him banished from the first-team squad. 

Sancho has since been back in training at Carrington, with the pair drawing a line under their drawn-out disagreement after holding a positive meeting earlier this month. 

United travel to America as they continue their preparations ahead of the new season where they will play three matches stateside. 

Ten Hag's side face fellow Premier League opposition Arsenal in Los Angeles on July 28, followed by fixtures against Real Betis and Liverpool. 

Andre Onana, Harry Maguire, Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund are among the other senior players included in the travelling squad. 

Hojlund, who scored 10 Premier League goals in his debut campaign at Old Trafford, will sport a different shirt number for the 2024-25 season. 

The Denmark international wore the number 11 last term, but will replace Anthony Martial, who left the club following the end of his contract, as United's new number nine. 

Cristian Medina equalised 16 minutes into second-half stoppage time as Argentina fought back for a 2-2 draw with Morocco in their opening game at the Olympic Games in Saint-Etienne.

Morocco looked set to open their Group B campaign with a memorable win when Al Ain striker Soufiane Rahimi scored twice in a five-minute spell either side of half-time.

However, substitute Giuliano Simeone halved the arrears for Javier Mascherano's men, who twice hit the woodwork before Medina nodded home with the final contribution to an incredible game.

Morocco inched ahead two minutes into first-half stoppage time, Ilias Akhomach bamboozling the Argentina defence with a wonderful backheel that allowed Bilal El Khannouss to cross for Rahimi to tap home.

Within four minutes of the restart, Morocco had a chance to double their lead as the tricky Akhomach was pushed inside the area by Julio Soler. Rahimi stepped up to the spot and made no mistake, stroking his kick into the bottom-left corner.

Mascherano's team dragged themselves back into the contest with 22 minutes to play, though, as Soler's cross-shot was prodded in by the stretching substitute Simeone.

The Albiceleste struggled to carve out clear-cut chances to equalise, but Medina saved the day in dramatic circumstances with 116 minutes on the clock.

Munir Mohamedi spilled Thiago Almada's long-range shot then tipped Bruno Amione's follow-up onto the woodwork. Nicolas Otamendi then looped his header against the crossbar but Argentina made sure at the fourth attempt as Medina nodded into an unguarded net.

Data Debrief: Albiceleste leave it late

Medina's leveller was officially timed at 105 minutes and 24 seconds, the lengthy period of stoppage time a result of several heavy challenges and a number of supporters encroaching on the playing field throughout the match.

Few could argue they did not deserve their point, though, having ended the game with a tally of 2.41 expected goals (xG) to Morocco's 1.46.

Jamaican superstars Leon Bailey and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw have both been shortlisted in the male and female categories for the Concacaf Player of the Year Awards, following their exploits for both club and country in the 2023–24 campaign.

The nominees, who were selected for the coveted Confederation Award based on performance statistics and the input of football experts, were announced on Tuesday as fan voting also opened to allow football enthusiasts to vote for their favourite players.

To be eligible to be shortlisted, players must have played for a Concacaf Member Association's senior Men's or Women's national team in eligible Concacaf and FIFA competitions and matches. Additionally, regardless of nationality, players must have represented a club in the 2023–24 season in a Concacaf and FIFA-sanctioned top division Men’s or Women’s professional league in the Concacaf region.

Bailey, 26, had a superb season with English Premier League (EPL) outfit Aston Villa last season, in which he earned a few Player of the Month awards. He scored 10 goals and registered nine assists to help the club to a fourth-place finish in the league.

Though his appearances, or lack thereof, on the international scene were marred by controversy, the dynamic winger did enough to make the shortlist, which also includes Adalberto Carrasquilla of Panama and Houston Dynamo.

Jonathan David of Canada and French club Lille; Canada’s and Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies; Santiago Gimenez of Mexico and Feyenoord; and American Christian Pulisic, who also represents AC Milan, are the other nominees.

Meanwhile, Reggae Girlz and Manchester City striker Shaw, had an unforgettable 2023–24 season in which she was named the 2023–24 Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) Player of the Season and was named the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Women Footballer of the Year.

The 27-year-old, whose season was cut short due to a broken leg, registered 21 goals in just 18 appearances and also provided three assists.

Shaw was the first player to score three WSL hat-tricks in a calendar year last year, and between November 2023 and January 2024, the forward again registered three trebles in just four matches.

Finding the net in both WSL Manchester derbies, the Jamaican’s clinical finish at the Etihad Stadium in March also saw her become City’s record goalscorer, as she swept past Georgia Stanway in the process.

By all indications, Shaw, who won the Concacaf Player of the Year award in 2022, seems set to repeat the feat on this occasion, but she will have five other nominees to contend with.

They are Charlyn Corral of Mexico and Pachuca Femenil; Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay of Olympique Lyonnais; Adriana Leon of Canada and Aston Villa women; Mexico’s Jacqueline Ovalle of Mexico and Tigres Femenil; and American Sophia Smith of Portland Thorns.

The voting process, which includes players, coaches, media, and fans, will determine the winners.

A total of 100 votes will conclude the process, with 41 votes to be cast by Men’s national team head coach—one for each Concacaf Member Association—and 41 Men’s national team captain with the same stipulation.

One vote each for the nine representative members from the Concacaf region will make up the nine media votes, while the remaining nine van votes will come through www.concacaf.com/awards. The player with the most fan votes will receive four votes in the overall voting process, second place three votes, and third place two votes, regardless of how many people vote online.

The process is the same for the Women’s award.

At the conclusion of the voting period, on August 2, the player in each category with the most votes out of the 100 available will be named 2023/24 Concacaf Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year.

Sergio Gomez led Spain to a winning start at the Paris Olympics, making amends for his penalty miss to score the winner in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Uzbekistan. 

La Roja took the lead through Marc Pubill, only for Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov to level from the spot before the break. 

Gomez would see his own spot-kick attempt saved, but dusted himself down to net the decisive goal for Santi Denia's side.

A teasing free-kick delivery from the left-hand side was flicked on at the near post by Abel Ruiz, with Pubill providing the telling touch to give Spain the lead in the 28th minute.

However, Timur Kapadze's side drew level in the third minute of injury time when a VAR review saw Pau Cubarsi penalised for a pull inside the box, with Shomurodov firing beyond Arnau Tenas. 

Spain were rewarded for a bright start to the second half when Aimar Oroz was tripped by Abbosbek Fayzullaev. 

Gomez assumed responsibility but saw his effort brilliantly saved. However, he atoned for his error three minutes later as he swept home from Juan Miranda's inviting cutback.

Uzbekistan had the opportunity to snatch a first point at the Olympics late on, only for Umarali Rahmonaliyev to slice his shot wide in the sixth minute of injury time. 

Data Debrief: A mixed bag for La Roja

Former Manchester City defender Gomez was the standout for Spain, registering more shots (three), more shots on target (three) than anyone on the pitch, finishing the encounter with an xG of 1.01.

Barcelona youngster Cubarsi endured a difficult afternoon having given away a penalty, but was strong in possession, completing 54 of his 57 passes (94.7%). 

Despite registering six shots on target from the eight they attempted, Spain underperformed their expected goals (xG) by 0.60, something that will need to improve should they want to win a second gold medal. 

Barcelona forward Ansu Fati has suffered a foot injury during a pre-season training session after returning from an underwhelming loan spell at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Hopes were high for Fati when he enjoyed a breakout 2019-20 season, eventually being handed the Blaugrana's iconic number 10 shirt when Lionel Messi departed in 2021.

However, he has struggled with injuries in the ensuing years, making a total of 21 starts in La Liga from the start of 2020-21 to the end of 2022-23.

Fati joined Brighton on loan last season in a move widely viewed as a coup for the Seagulls, but he only started three league games for the club, totalling 514 minutes across 19 appearances and scoring twice.

He has now been prevented from travelling to the United States for Barca's pre-season tour, which features fixtures against Manchester City, Real Madrid and Milan.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the club said: "In Tuesday's training session, first-team player Ansu Fati suffered a foot injury. 

"He will undergo conservative treatment in Barcelona and his return to training will be determined by his recovery time."

Fati has expressed a desire to stay with Barca, where he has a contract until 2027, though he has been linked with a move to Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce in recent weeks.

Reece James says his only goal for 2024-25 is to "stay on the pitch" as the Chelsea captain looks to bounce back from two disjointed campaigns.

James only made 16 Premier League appearances in 2022-23 as he battled a series of injuries, also missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

A troublesome hamstring injury then limited him to just 10 outings last term, and his season ended in disappointment when he was sent off in the Blues' penultimate Premier League game versus Brighton and Hove Albion.

That dismissal means he will be suspended for their first three league games under Enzo Maresca – against Manchester City, Wolves and Crystal Palace.

The right-back last managed more than 2,000 minutes in a Premier League season in 2020-21 (2,367), playing 1,865 in 2021-22, 1,244 in 2022-23 and just 421 last term.

Speaking as the Blues prepare to kick off their pre-season tour of the United States, James assured he is in a good place and is hopeful of a more fulfilling 2024-25.

"I have one goal – to stay on the pitch," James said on the eve of Chelsea's first friendly versus Wrexham. 

"I am one to push the boundaries and sometimes that has caused problems for myself and the team, but that is something I'm trying to get better at.

"I don't want to make mistakes and put my team at risk. I would like to think I'm in a good place now. 

"I had a long off-season and I've got a long pre-season because I'm serving a four-game ban, but I'm in a good place.

"There are a lot of adjustments to make in the new system. Whenever a new manager comes in, there is a lot to take on board but we are excited and I can't wait to get started."

Chelsea face Wrexham at the Levi's Stadium in San Francisco on Wednesday before taking on Celtic, Club America, Manchester City and Real Madrid in their other matches in the US.