New York RB momentarily secured a three-way tie atop the Eastern Conference in the MLS, defeating Toronto FC 2-0 on Saturday.

Goals from Lewis Morgan and Luquinhas secured the three points for NYRB, with Morgan scoring his seventh for the season, heading in from a corner in only the second minute.

Luquinhas assured the three points in the 56th, spectacularly chipping over Quentin Westberg from outside the penalty area after Tom Barlow was initially denied when put through one-on-one.

With only one win in their previous six games, the three points were critical for Gerhard Struber's side.

The Philadelphia Union could only secure a 1-1 draw at home to Cincinnati, meaning they join New York City on 26 points at the top of the Eastern Conference, but City are still to play on Sunday against the Colorado Rapids.

An Ercan Kara brace helped Orlando City move into fourth position in the East, backing up from Wednesday's draw in New England to beat Houston Dynamo 2-1.

They leapfrogged CF Montreal, who lost 1-0 to a ten-man Austin FC, following Maxi Urruti's goal in the 67th minute.

Elsewhere in the East, Chicago Fire defeated DC United 1-0 in the battle between the conference's bottom-placed teams, while Columbus Crew and Charlotte played out a 1-1 draw.

There were also stalemates at the top of the Western Conference, with Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders managing a 1-1 draw, as well as Los Angeles Galaxy and Portland Timbers.

It allowed Real Salt Lake to move two points from LAFC, following their 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in Saturday's final game.

Salt Lake captain Marcelo Silva opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after Jefferson Savarino's flick-on from a corner, and Savarino doubled the margin in the 81st with a fine solo effort.

The Vancouver Whitecaps stayed within touching of the West's playoff spots, meanwhile, defeating FC Dallas 2-0.

A late penalty from Jahmari Clarke saw Jamaica’s U-20 Reggae Boyz secure a 1-1 come-from-behind draw and share of the points against Costa Rica in Group D of the CONCACAF Under-20 Championships, in Honduras, on Saturday.

After a scoreless first half, which saw both teams unable to take advantage of limited opportunities to find the back of the net, Dorian Rodríguez gave Costa Rica the advantage with a well-placed header in the 58^th minute.

The Jamaicans missed a golden opportunity to get back on level terms when Julián González brought down livewire substitute Chad James in the area.  Duncan Mckenzie, however, missed the resulting penalty, with Costa Ria custodian Bayron Mora diving sharply to his left to stop the effort.

Los Ticos seemed destined for all three points but Andrey Salmerón’s 87th-minute shot came crashing back off the crossbar as the Jamaicans held on.  In a hefty chunk of time added on, however, Clarke was wrestled to the ground by Brandon Calderón for another penalty.  This time the forward did make use of the advantage, sending Mora the wrong way to bring the team back on level terms, only just seconds before the final whistle.

In the day’s other encounter, Cuba scored a 1-0 win over Canada in Group E.  Kevin Martín got the winning goal in the 42^nd minute.

Mexican club Toluca confirmed they had been targeted by a hoax after a statement appeared online claiming legal action against Luuk de Jong was being considered.

De Jong has reportedly ruled out the idea of a move to Liga MX, and Toluca have said he will not be joining them.

The 31-year-old Dutch striker spent last season on loan at Barcelona from Sevilla, largely featuring as a fringe member of the Camp Nou giants' squad.

A statement was published on social media that was purported to have come from Toluca, in which it was claimed that a deal for De Jong had been agreed with the player and Sevilla.

It went on to claim that De Jong subsequently did not travel to Mexico, was not answering the calls of club owner Valentin Diez, and had decided against making the move.

The same statement said that Toluca, supported by Liga MX officials, were looking at what legal options were available to them, signing off with the remark: "Nobody is going to make fun of Toluca and Mexican football."

Toluca stressed on Saturday the statement was a fake, issuing a rebuttal through the club's Twitter account that stated: "Our fans and the general public are informed that official announcements will always be published on our official Toluca FC accounts and website."

It contained a picture of the statement, with a thick red line running through it and the word 'FALSO!', which translates as 'fake'.

Addressing transfer reports, Toluca technical director Ignacio Ambriz was quoted by local media on Friday as saying: "Doors were knocked on, but there are no contracts signed with any of them."

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez thinks Kylian Mbappe will already be regretting staying at Paris Saint-Germain.

Mbappe was widely expected to move to Madrid when his PSG contract expired in June, but agreed to a three-year extension in the French capital.

Perez previously stated the Mbappe who snubbed the LaLiga and European champions is not the same character he wanted to bring to Los Blancos.

The Madrid chief, speaking during a meeting with the club's fans, again commented on Mbappe's decision as he declared the World Cup winner will be wishing he had moved to Los Blancos.

"The poor guy, Mbappe must already be sorry," Perez said when signing autographs after a fan had asked him about the France international.

Mbappe was in scintillating form in the 2021-22 campaign as he scored 28 league goals, a tally only bettered by Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski (35) across Europe's top five divisions.

The 23-year-old also added 17 assists, with no player in Europe's biggest leagues managing more direct goal involvements (45) – France team-mate Karim Benzema ranked second with 39.

Mbappe will hope to deliver further success for PSG in the 2022-23 season as the French giants bid for their ninth Ligue 1 title in the last 11 seasons.

Ousmane Dembele intends to stay at Barcelona and dismissed the Chelsea transfer links as "just rumours" – in an impromptu interview while waiting at traffic lights.

Barcelona paid an initial €105million to sign Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, but the five-year contract he signed is set to run out at the end of June.

Bayern Munich and Chelsea are reported to be keen on the World Cup winner, who was told publicly to leave Barca by the club during the January transfer window after contract talks broke down.

However, with no move having materialised before the end of January, Dembele was reintegrated into Xavi's squad and rediscovered his form.

The 25-year-old finished the season with more assists (13) and expected assists (9.2) than any other player in LaLiga, recording his best tally in both metrics in a single campaign in Europe's big five leagues.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reiterated his desire to keep Dembele at the club, and the Blaugrana chief has seemingly been granted his wish.

Stuck in traffic, Dembele was quizzed by a fan in the next car along, with footage of the exchange then posted to social media.

Asked if he would stay at the club, the winger simply responded "yes".

When pressed on the links to Chelsea, Dembele labelled the speculation as "just rumours" and added he "felt good in Barcelona".

Those comments from the France international will come as a boost to Barcelona as Xavi looks to improve on his side's second-placed finish in the upcoming 2022-23 campaign.

Barcelona have signed England defender Lucy Bronze after she announced her departure from Manchester City last month.

Bronze, named The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2020, had been linked with a move to the United States but has instead made a shock switch to Champions League runners-up Barca.

The 30-year-old won five trophies during two spells with City, having been a European champion in three successive seasons with Lyon between 2017 and 2020.

And the full-back will be confident of adding to those successes with the Blaugranes, who have won three consecutive Spanish top-flight titles and lost out to Lyon in last month's Champions League final, having thrashed Chelsea to claim the European crown in 2021.

Barcelona Femeni's official twitter account posted an image of Bronze alongside the caption "welcome to your new home" on Saturday, before the club's website revealed she had signed a two-year deal.

Bronze told the club's media channels: "I'm very happy to play for a club like FC Barcelona, one of the biggest teams in the world. I really want to start working with the team.

"After a couple of conversations, you can't say no to Barca."

Barcelona beat their own world-record crowd for a women's game in April, hammering Wolfsburg 5-1 in front of 91,648 spectators at Camp Nou.

Before joining up with her new club, Bronze will play a crucial role in England's bid to win the European Championship.

The Lionesses will get their campaign underway against Austria at Old Trafford on July 6, looking to reach their first major final since Euro 2009.

Gleison Bremer has confirmed he is set to leave Torino amid reports Inter are among the clubs trying to sign him.

The Serie A Defender of the Year is keen to play in the Champions League and push for an international call-up with Brazil ahead of the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Bremer has admitted he first expressed his desire for a transfer last year before being persuaded to remain for another season, but now says it is only a "matter of time" being he moves.

"I told the coach and the management 'I want to change now.' So they told me: 'Stay this year, help us. Next year, you can take the next step'," he told ESPN.

"The fans already know that I have this desire to play in the Champions League, to go there to earn a call-up to the Brazilian national team.

"I need to play at a much better level, so I think it's a matter of time. I'm analysing some proposals but I think that next season I will no longer play for Torino."

Inter are widely regarded to be leading the hunt for the 25-year-old's services, but city rivals Milan along with Premier League clubs Tottenham and Chelsea are also said to be keen to land him.

Bremer could be a direct replacement for Inter defender Milan Skriniar, who is heavily touted for a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Inter are set for a busy window as they seek to regain the Scudetto from Milan, with the free transfer of Paulo Dybala from Juventus thought to be imminent and Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku a prime target.

Milan president Paolo Scaroni has criticised the state of Italian football, saying it must commit to change to begin competing with the top European leagues.

Speaking to newspaper Il Foglio, the chief of the reigning Serie A champions said: "You need to propose a product that you like, because football is not only sport but also entertainment."

There has not been an Italian winner of the Champions League since the 2009-10 season, when Milan's city rivals Inter overcame Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final.

Since that campaign, all trophy-winning teams in the competition have hailed from Spain, Germany or England.

"Our Serie A has become a Serie B when compared with the other major European leagues," said Scaroni.

Scaroni pointed to clubs struggling to sell out their games in stadiums that are ripe for renovation.

He said: "Our stadiums are outdated and without fans, our combined earnings are lower than those of Premier League teams individually.

"We are discussing how to sell our rights abroad, but we must be aware that the product must be improved."

Scaroni also spoke about Milan's proposed move away from San Siro to a new home, saying: "Whoever gives us the go-ahead will find us ready."

Eddie Jones finds it laughable to hear Gareth Southgate coming in for heavy criticism after the England football team's poor Nations League results.

England rugby union head coach Jones says those rushing to judge Southgate's aptitude as boss of the Three Lions are showing they have short memories.

Southgate led England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and to the Euro 2020 final, but two defeats to Hungary either side of draws with Germany and Italy have led to a backlash.

There has been a clamour among some impatient supporters for Southgate to be replaced before the World Cup gets under way in November.

Jones said he "100 per cent" understood the position in which Southgate finds himself, having faced flak himself over England's rugby results.

He also pointed to the upturn in English cricketing fortunes this month as another sign of how fickle England fans can be, with the team emerging from a desperate rut in the Test game and suddenly being hailed as world-beaters.

"I find English sport amusing in that way," Jones said.

"English cricket two weeks ago didn't know what they were doing, complete debacle. They win two Tests, and now where can they go? They can go to Australia and they can beat Australia in the Ashes with 10 men, they're that good now.

"And English football, they were the darlings, and they lose a couple of games and you can see their players are probably struggling after a hard season, and now they're the worst thing since sliced bread.

"So everyone takes a turn in the chair. We've had our turn in the chair, and hopefully we'll move to a chair on the more comfortable side now."

Jones and Southgate have previously met to exchange coaching ideas, and both will hope those pay off in the big tournaments that lie ahead.

England's rugby side suffered a dismal Six Nations at the start of the year and travel to face Australia in three Tests next month.

Speaking on BBC 5 Live Sport, Jones said his team were in a rebuilding process, with the focus on shaping a unit to be competitive at the Rugby World Cup next year in France.

"There's always criticism when you don't win – particularly when you're with England there's a lot of criticism – but we know we've got to go through the process of rebuilding the team and sometimes that's a bit uncomfortable," Jones said.

He said the Australia series was an "opportunity to create new history", but there will be a poignant reunion Down Under for Australian Jones, too.

"I haven't been back to Australia since 2019, so I get to see my mother, who's now 97, and she rang me this morning and said, 'Make sure you win'," Jones said. "So you can see where I get my competitive spirit from."

Rodrygo has revealed that international team-mate Neymar wants him to inherit Brazil's famous number 10 shirt when the Paris Saint-Germain star retires from international football.

The Selecao are seeking to win a first World Cup title in 20 years in Qatar, where an impressive forward line is set to include Neymar, along with Real Madrid duo Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior.

Neymar had already hinted that the 2022 tournament could be his last and appears to have relayed that message to his compatriots, with Rodrygo apparently in line to inherit the iconic number 10 shirt.

"Neymar said to me 'I'm already leaving the national team and the 10 is yours'," he told Podpah.

"I didn't even know what to say to him. I was embarrassed, I giggled and didn't even know what to say properly.

"I told him that he must play some more, that I didn't want [him] to [do so] now. And then he laughed."

Neymar is the latest in a long line of greats to grace the famous shirt for Brazil, following the likes of Zico, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Pele – while he sits just three goals shy of the latter's goalscoring record for his national team.

Expectations are high for Rodrygo, who has been capped five times, and the 21-year-old revealed that Zinedine Zidane has also touted him to become the best player in the world.

"Zidane said that one day I would be the best in the world," he added.

"Carlo Ancelotti also spoke about me. I try to train and evolve every day to get there. I was very happy. 

"I have this dream and I know that if I dedicate myself every day, I can get there."

Brazil open their World Cup campaign on November 24 against Serbia, with Switzerland and Cameroon also in Group G.

Nicolo Zaniolo has apologised for Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar as he pledged to become a key part of Roberto Mancini's next Azzurri side.

Italy will miss a second successive World Cup this year after falling to a stunning play-off reverse to North Macedonia in March, and their misery was compounded this month when they were beaten 3-0 by Argentina at Wembley in the Finalissima.

They also won just one of their first four Nations League games, losing 5-2 to Germany last time out.

Zaniolo was absent as Mancini's men beat England on penalties to win the rearranged Euro 2020 tournament last July, and made just one appearance throughout Italy's unsuccessful World Cup qualification campaign.

The creative midfielder is desperate to become a key part of Mancini's next side, and hailed the job the former Manchester City boss has done with the national team.

"I'm sorry, because we have to wait another four years," he told Sportweek. "But let's go on. I'm used to chasing. There will be other goals in between.

"The first time Mancini called me I was very young... He came there to talk to me, to make me feel immediately at ease. Great person, professional. I will do everything to convince Mancini."

Moving forward, Italy will be without defensive stalwart Giorgio Chiellini, who won his 117th and final international cap in the Argentina defeat – matching Daniele De Rossi as his nations' fourth-most capped player.

And Zaniolo thinks the former Juventus man will be difficult to replace.

"[Chiellini] has always been the most difficult to overcome," he said. "He is physically strong and off the pitch, he is an exceptional person."

At club level, Zaniolo enjoyed a successful campaign under Jose Mourinho at Roma, making 30 appearances in all competitions as the Giallorossi won the Europa Conference League, and scored the only goal of last month's final win over Feyenoord.

The 22-year-old says he has learnt a lot from playing under Mourinho.

"He's a winner," he said. "He taught me how to get into position in the defensive phase, where we had to improve and I still have to do it. 

"He helped me to manage certain situations, in the past I would have reacted badly or worse due to exclusion from games that were very significant for me. 

"He taught me to bite my tongue, [to be] mute and work more in the field."

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has committed to giving Lionel Messi some sort of tribute at the club, stating he deserves "eternal recognition" for his illustrious career.

The club's all-time record goalscorer left on a free transfer to join Paris Saint-Germain last year upon the expiration of his contract, with Barcelona unable to secure a renewal due to the club's financial issues.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Messi could not bid farewell to Barcelona fans in person and admitted in November he was "hurt" following his exit.

Laporta admitted during Barca's Extraordinary General Assembly that he was "sad" at the sequence of events but vowed to still pay tribute to the club legend somehow, who won 45 trophies during his stint with the Blaugrana.

"I will support, lead and back anyone that finds solutions that lead to a tribute to Messi, for all that he has given to Barca," he said.

"We have to give him an eternal recognition for all that he has done.

"For me, Leo will always be at Barca. Circumstances made us do what we did but that can't spoil the recognition we have to give him and sooner or later, I hope sooner, we can pay tribute to this player who has given us so many years of glory.

"Without him, the last 20 years of Barca would not be understood."

Barcelona may choose to honour Messi in 2024, the club's 125th anniversary, which could also coincide with the player's exit from PSG as he penned a two-year deal with the option of a further year in the French capital.

Bayern Munich have confirmed the sale of defender Lars Lukas Mai to Swiss side FC Lugano.

Mai spent eight years at the Bavarian club after joining as a youth player from Dynamo Dresden in 2014 and made two Bundesliga appearances in the 2017-18 season.

The 22-year-old centre-back spent the past two seasons on loan at Darmstadt and Werder Bremen, and he has now sealed a permanent move to Lugano. 

Hasan Salihamidzic, Bayern's sporting director, said in a statement on Saturday: "Lars Lukas joined FC Bayern at the age of 14 and is a good example of the excellent youth development work in our academy.

"He gained two years of experience in our first-team squad, then match practice in Darmstadt and Bremen, and he will now show his qualities in the Swiss top flight.

"Our aim is always to devise a suitable career plan for our youth players. We've succeeded in doing so with Lars Lukas, and Lugano can look forward to a very accomplished defender. We wish him all the best and much success."

Bayern also confirmed the sale of midfielder Marc Roca to Leeds United on Friday for a reported fee of €11.6million (£10m).

Monaco have confirmed that midfielder Cesc Fabregas will leave the club at the end of this month.

The former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea star has been troubled by injuries during the 2021-22 season, playing just twice in a Ligue 1 campaign in which Monaco finished third behind Marseille and champions Paris Saint-Germain.

A statement from Monaco on Saturday confirmed the 35-year-old's imminent departure.

"The midfielder with more than 830 career games, whose contract is coming to an end, leaves the principality club three and a half years after his arrival," the statement read.

"AS Monaco thanks Cesc Fabregas for his [time] at the club and wishes him the best for the future. Moltes gracies, Cesc!"

Fabregas joined Monaco in January 2019 and had already revealed his intentions in May to leave the Stade Louis II, but he does not intend to retire from the game.

"It's sure that it's over between Monaco and me," Fabregas told French outlet So Foot last month. "My contract expires in June, and I'm looking for a fresh start. My head needs a fresh start elsewhere.

"It's the worst year not only in my career, but also in my life, because when I'm not happy in football, I'm not happy in my life. I suffered a lot this year, and it was hard mentally. You just have to stay strong."

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly assessing his options for next season as he does not feel he fits in the aggressive press-from-the-front system expected to be implemented by incoming manager Erik ten Hag.

The 37-year-old showed he is still more than capable of contributing at the highest level in 2021-22, scoring 18 goals in 30 Premier League appearances and six in seven in the Champions League.

With one year remaining on his contract, the Portugal icon would demand a fee, but there are reportedly some familiar faces interested in acquiring his services.

TOP STORY – RONALDO SHUNS TEN HAG, WANTS OUT OF OLD TRAFFORD

Jose Mourinho is said to be enquiring about the possibility of bringing Ronaldo to Roma, with the Italian club hoping the legendary coach can move the needle and convince him to return to Serie A, according to La Repubblica.

Mourinho will reportedly have to compete with the nostalgia factor as Sporting CP have also thrown their hat in the ring, with the thought Ronaldo may want to finish his career where it began at the Primeira Liga club he called home before he was first picked up by United in 2003.

If the five-time Ballon d'Or winner truly decides his time with United is up, as the report from the Italian outlet claims, there will undoubtedly be a bevy of suitors willing to bring in one of the game's most marketable superstars.

ROUND-UP

– Arsenal are said to be "cautiously optimistic" of signing Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus, although Sky Sports is reporting the club are hoping to pay closer to £30million, rather than the £50m asking price.

– According to The Athletic, Arsenal are also targeting Leeds United winger Raphinha and Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.

– ESPN is reporting Chelsea are investigating whether it is possible to replace Romelu Lukaku with Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski. 

– United are expecting Barcelona to lower their asking price for Frenkie de Jong due to their financial problems, according to the Guardian.

– The Daily Mail is reporting Everton view Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis as a potential replacement for Richarlison if he leaves during this transfer window.