Lucy Bronze feels her and Keira Walsh’s time with Barcelona has seen them “drive a different kind of standard” in England training.
Right-back Bronze and midfielder Walsh both left Manchester City and joined the Catalan outfit last summer, the former before and the latter after they helped England win the Euros.
They have subsequently been part of a Barca team that swept to a fourth-successive domestic league title and, last month, won the Champions League – something Bronze admits has given her and Walsh “massive confidence” heading into the World Cup that starts next week.
The 31-year-old said: “My role at Barcelona is different to what it’s been in previous teams.
“Every single Barcelona player only wants to play with the ball, so the responsibility of defending falls a lot more on my head than it does elsewhere, which is different to England.
“It’s given me a different outlook on how to play football. I think Keira is the same. And I think the pair of us drive a different kind of standard now at England training that has never been there before.
“I think we’ve been able to add that when we’ve come back into camps, not the style of play necessarily but the expectation and the kind of quality you expect from a team that wins trophies like Champions Leagues and playing with the best players in the world.
“(Winning the Champions League) gives myself and Keira massive confidence – it was her first, even being my fourth (after three with Lyon) it’s something that gives you a lot of confidence going into the World Cup.”
This summer’s showpiece in Australia and New Zealand will be a third World Cup for 105-cap Bronze, having previously played in two runs that ended in the semi-finals.
At Canada 2015 – where Bronze scored in last-16 and quarter-final victories, having what she describes as her “Chloe Kelly moment” – England went down to a 2-1 last-four loss to Japan, before securing third place.
And it was then the same score in the semis of France 2019 against the United States, the winners of both tournaments.
There was also a semi-final defeat to hosts and eventual champions the Netherlands at Euro 2017, before England claimed the first trophy in their history with last summer’s Euros triumph on home soil.
Bronze has spoken previously about having not watched the finals from those World Cups due to being “heartbroken”, a feeling she says she still has.
“(It’s) because every World Cup that I’ve played in, we’ve been so close,” Bronze said.
“The difference between us and the US on the day that we played them was a VAR decision, a penalty save. That’s two things in one game, it was crazy, crazy close.”
While she now has international silverware on her CV, Bronze has stressed her “mentality has always been the same – I think I’ve always known that I’ve been capable of being in an England team that could win something”.
On the United States, who England beat 2-1 in their most recent meeting, a Wembley friendly last October, Bronze added: “I don’t even think at the time (at the 2019 World Cup) there was a difference between us.
“I think they had a really good run of form in that tournament, similar to what we had in the Euros.
“I think that’s the way World Cups and Euros work, the team that’s in form tends to have, I wouldn’t say luck, but that slight edge.
“We had that over every team in Europe last year. I think the US had it in many tournaments before.
“Early on we’ll be able to see who is in good form and I don’t think it will just be the US and ourselves that people are talking about.
“There’s a number of teams with a lot of talented players and I think we’re with those sets of talented teams.”
Nashville SC v Atlanta United: Long-time coach Smith departs in shock move
Gary Smith has left Nashville SC, with the team confirming they have parted company with their long-serving head coach.
Nashville beat Toronto FC on Wednesday, moving up to 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Yet on Thursday, the team confirmed they had decided to part ways with Smith, who had been in charge for seven seasons.
Smith won 52 MLS games during his spell in charge, while also leading Nashville to the Leagues Cup final in 2023.
Nashville face Atlanta United on Saturday, with ex-player and now player development coach Rumba Munthali stepping in as interim head coach.
No reason was provided for Smith's departure. He has been joined in leaving the club by assistant coach Steve Guppy.
A Nashville statement read: "Nashville SC extends its gratitude to Smith and Guppy for their dedication and contributions to our team and wishes them and their families all the best in their future endeavours.
"Under Smith's leadership, Nashville SC emerged as a very organised and hard-to-beat team in both leagues.
"In the USL Championship, Smith guided the team to a 32-win record over two seasons, including two playoff appearances and a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2019.
"His transition to MLS with the club was seamless, leading Nashville to four consecutive MLS Cup playoff appearances, a feat only achieved by two other teams in the league's history."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nashville SC - Hany Mukhtar
Mukhtar has scored five goals in nine career regular-season matches against Atlanta. Only Luciano Acosta (nine goals in 17 games) has scored more times against the Five Stripes.
Atlanta United - Thiago Almada
Almada has scored in all three of his career MLS matches against Nashville. No player has ever scored in four consecutive regular-season meetings versus Nashville, though Daryl Dike did score in four straight for Orlando City, including playoff games.
MATCH PREDICTION: NASHVILLE WIN
Despite Smith's departure, Opta's model still predicts a positive outcome for Nashville.
Atlanta are winless in 11 straight MLS away matches (D5 L6 incl. playoffs) dating back to last September. It is the longest active road winless run in MLS.
Nashville have won two straight home matches, their first regular-season home winning streak since a run of six straight last April-July. They managed just two wins in 12 home league games between the two streaks (D6 L4).
Atlanta's 4-0 home win over Nashville last August ended a seven-match winless run for them in the series (D3 L4). Atlanta won their first visit to Nashville, 2-1, in the latter's inaugural match in March 2020, but the Five Stripes are winless in five visits in all competitions since (D2 L3).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Nashville SC - 46.2%
Atlanta United - 25.5%
Draw - 28.3%
FC Cincinnati v St. Louis City: Noonan looking for improved performance despite Atlanta win
Despite watching his side beat Atlanta United in midweek, FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan still wants more from his side when they host St. Louis City this weekend.
Kevin Kelsy's seventh-minute strike was enough to earn Cincinnati a 1-0 win over Atlanta to make it five straight MLS victories.
Cincinnati currently sit second in the Eastern Conference, but Noonan is still demanding more from his side than Wednesday's performance.
"I wouldn't say 'negatives' but [there are] things we could have done better, and here we are with the guys keeping a clean sheet and winning the game," Noonan told reporters.
"They deserve credit and to be proud of the fact that they're still walking off the field with a win tonight."
St. Louis saw a five-game unbeaten streak end as they lost 2-0 to Los Angeles FC in midweek.
The defeat leaves St. Louis ninth in the Western Conference, though they are just three points off sixth-placed Austin FC.
Bradley Carnell is looking to get players back fit and raring to go for the visit to Cincinnati at the weekend, saying: "It's about how we manage over the next couple of days to get a solid, fit line-up for Cincinnati.
"We don't have much time to sit and dwell, and we have to be brave and positive to head to Cincinnati."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Cincinnati – Kevin Kelsy
In his first MLS start, Kelsy scored Cincinnati's lone goal on Wednesday. The 19-year-old has scored in consecutive games, making him the first teenager to score multiple MLS goals for Cincinnati, and if he gets the nod from the off again here, he will once more hope to mark it with a goal.
St. Louis City – Joao Klauss
Having netted four in his previous four games, Klauss drew a blank against LAFC as St. Louis slumped to defeat. He is clearly a key man in St. Louis' attack, and he will hope to get back among the goals this weekend, and with a win too.
MATCH PREDICTION – CINCINNATI WIN
St. Louis beat Cincinnati 5-1 in the lone previous meeting between the sides last April. The four-goal margin is Cincinnati’s largest defeat since the start of last season and equals St. Louis' largest ever margin of victory.
But St. Louis are winless in eight straight away matches in all competitions (four draws, four defeats). St. Louis have won three of their last 23 on the road after winning the first three away matches in club history.
Cincinnati have won five straight regular season matches with all five wins coming by one-goal margins, the first team to do so since the Red Bulls in 2012, and though it may be a tight game again this weekend, the hosts will fancy their chances of coming out on the right side of the result and collecting another three points.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Cincinnati: 44.3%
St. Louis: 28.2%
Draw: 27.5%
Al-Ittihad pegged back as winless run rolls on
Mohamed Sherif scored late on as Al-Ittihad's winless run in the Saudi Pro League stretched to four games after a 1-1 draw with Al-Khaleej.
Al-Ittihad have endured a miserable title defence, and with just two games remaining, the highest the big-spending, PIF-backed club can finish is fourth.
Muhannad Al Shanqiti put them ahead on the stroke of half-time, yet despite having a further eight shots and accumulating 1.07 xG in the second half, Al-Ittihad could not add another.
Their profligacy proved costly in the 81st minute, with Egypt international Sherif snatching an equaliser for 11th-placed Al-Khaleej.
Al-Tai moved out of the relegation zone with a surprise 3-1 win over seventh-placed Al-Fateh, with Bernard Mensah scoring twice.
Al-Raed, meanwhile, claimed a 1-0 win at Al-Wehda.
Data Debrief: Kante the creator?
On the day he received a surprising France recall, N'Golo Kante created three chances for Al-Ittihad, leading the team.
On the flip side, Kante only attempted one tackle, with the midfielder showing a different side to his game, not that it proved fruitful for his team.
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