Cheers ring out as the four women take to the stage and launch into a synchronized dance routine in front of giant speakers blasting music.

Texas football has enormous expectations for the 2023, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has a clear message for the Longhorns and fans.Leading up to a huge season for the Longhorns, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has been preaching a message of confidence amid lofty exactions for his program hea...

The upsets at the Women’s World Cup group stage started on the opening day and ended with the biggest of all. Germany, the two-time champions and among the tournament favourites, are out before the quarter-finals for the first time in their history, a result that ranks as both the most stunning shock the tournament has ever seen, while also simply continuing the theme of the greatest group stage ever played at the Women’s World Cup. After all, hadn’t we learned to expect the unexpected? A 1-1 draw against South Korea sealed Germany’s fate, following their dramatic 2-1 defeat to Colombia earlier in Group H. It meant Morocco, making their Women’s World Cup debut, progressed ahead of the side who thrashed them 6-0 in the opening round. The first-ever 32-team Women’s World Cup and the decision to expand from 24 teams has been a resounding triumph: rather than creating a more predictable group stage, it has done the opposite and led to wonderfully chaotic, thrilling tournament football. Germany, Canada and Brazil, all sides ranked in the top 10 in the world, are out, while Jamaica (43rd), South Africa (54th) and Morocco (72nd) are through to the last-16. It can no longer be said that the group stages of the Women’s World Cup are a foregone conclusion and that the tournament only starts when the knockouts begin. New Zealand’s opening victory against Norway set the tone, with Colombia’s last-second win against Germany standing out as the highlight of a tournament that has so far had it all. To add to that, Jamaica reaching the last-16 with their draw against Brazil, Nigeria’s stunning victory against Australia, and South Africa’s dramatic comeback against Italy were all brilliant moments from a group stage that delivered the unpredictability and drama of knockout football. The number of shocks and upsets throughout illustrated that the progress and development of women’s football since the last World Cup has been felt just as much throughout the world than its traditional powers. The gap to the top has closed: the professionalisation of top European leagues and beyond has improved standards at the biggest clubs, and is providing more opportunities to players from across the globe. Several countries that do not have a strong domestic league, such as Colombia and Jamaica, instead now feature a core of players who are based in Europe. It means that even if playing conditions are lacking within their national organisations, players such as Colombia and Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo, Nigeria and Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala, and Jamaica and Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw are able to raise standards and expectations when they return to their national teams. The level of coaching has also improved, with teams who are not among the traditional powers now confident in setting up organised, defensive structures in order to restrict the attacking talents of their more favoured opponents. The goalkeeping at this World Cup has also taken another huge step forward, which has been proved by player-of-the-match displays from Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie, Philippines’ Olivia McDaniel, Ireland’s Courtney Brosnan and Jamaica’s Rebecca Spencer. Strong defensive bases have made teams more resilient, and upsets possible. The World Cup needed this, too, and the decision to increase the field to 32 teams has paid off more than anyone expected. There were some fears that the expansion had come too soon, and that certainly would have been the assessment had the seeded teams all coasted through unopposed, as they did in 2019. But that was not the case and there were only a handful of one-sided contests, with the majority of groups going down to the final round, setting the stage for classic World Cup drama. Morocco led the eight teams making their debuts at the World Cup, but most of the others had moments to celebrate. Haiti deserved more from Group D but shone in their display against England. Ireland were also unlucky to only come away with a point, but their performances against Australia and Canada made an impact back home and there will be a homecoming parade in Dublin. Portugal were one of the most tactically and technically interesting sides at the tournament and were inches away from knocking out the USA. Philippines and Zambia, who were ultimately a disappointment, both had historic wins and sparked moments of national celebration. The question, and obvious hope before the World Cup, is how those moments inspire further progress and, crucially, investment. Many of the debuting countries did far more than that at their first World Cup, offering competitive performances, and they can look at how Jamaica and South Africa have battled against the odds to improve from four years ago. Both Jamaica and South Africa lost every game when they made their debuts in France, but have now advanced to the knockout stages four years later. But what also makes Jamaica and South Africa’s success even more remarkable is what they have had to overcome. Their success is owed to the players and the work of their immediate support staff, and that alone. Along with Nigeria, they have reached the knockout stages despite their federations, not because of them. Before the World Cup, Jamaica’s players said their preparations for the tournament had been disrupted by a lack of financial support, planning and communication from the Jamaica Football Federation. They went public with their grievances in an open letter to the JFF, where they expressed their “utmost disappointment” that training camps and warm-up fixtures had not been organised before the World Cup. At the same time, Jamaica have relied on two separate crowdfunding campaigns to help cover the costs of their travel to Australia and New Zealand. After their historic qualification to the 2019 World Cup, which was also supported by crowdfunding campaigns, led by Cedella Marley, the daughter of Bob Marley, it felt like Jamaica were back to square one as the progress they had fought for off the field had not been matched by meaningful change off it. Yet the response of the players has been to aim higher and further, despite the lack of support or respect they have been shown. After knocking out Brazil, Jamaica’s progress was hailed as “undoubtedly the proudest moment in Jamaica’s football history” by the country’s sports minister Olivia Grange. However, it should also come as a moment of huge embarrassment to the country’s federation, with Jamaica’s success actually creating a spotlight for the lack of support they have received. “We put the dispute to bed for the tournament but the better we do, the more pressure it creates,” said Jamaica’s goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer after keeping a famous clean sheet against Brazil. "We hope they’re looking at us and do what they should be doing." The federations of South Africa and Nigeria are under the same spotlight. South Africa’s first-ever World Cup win against Italy to seal their spot in the last-16 capped a stunning turnaround after their players went on strike before the tournament, boycotting their final warm-up game against Botswana over bonus payments and player contracts. The dispute centred around Fifa’s prize money for the World Cup and a guarantee that it would be distributed to the players. Before the World Cup, Fifa announced an increase in its total prize money to $152m (£126m), which included a payment of £30,000 (£24,000) for each player at the tournament. For the players representing South Africa and Nigeria, that is set to double after reaching the last-16, a life-changing sum, but the prize money will only be distributed to the players by the federations, it does not mean players are guaranteed to receive it. It created uncertainty for South Africa, who only reached an agreement with their federation that their money would be released days before the tournament. The picture looks less certain for Nigeria, who were locked in their own pay dispute with the federation before the World Cup. Nigeria’s head coach Randy Waldrum has said he hasn’t been paid in seven months, and that some players had not been paid in two years. After Nigeria stunned Australia in the group stages, former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright simply tweeted: “Pay them”. There may be people within some of the federations who point to the success stories of the Women’s World Cup as evidence that developments in the game are creating an equal playing field, and that further financial support is not merited. The reality and the lesson throughout this brilliant group stage is that if this is what can be achieved despite the lack of support, imagine what could be done if there was. With that in mind, there is no reason why any team inside the top-50 in the world shouldn’t be capable of the same if the right foundations are built. For now, those teams who have stunned the World Cup and remain at the tournament can continue to show why it was wrong not to support them before their unexpected success. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s World Cup golden boot: Who’s leading the top-scorer standings? When do England play next? Women’s World Cup fixtures and route to the final Brazil and Marta exit World Cup as Jamaica makes history When does USWNT play next? World Cup schedule and route to the final Germany suffer Women’s World Cup elimination after South Korea draw

Fox News host Mark Levin delivered an eight-minute on-air rant after news broke of Donald Trump’s indictment over his alleged mishandling of classified papers. Appearing on Sean Hannity’s segment on Thursday night, Mr Levin became irate as he accused the Biden administration of weaponising what he called the “Department of Injustice” to advance a criminal case against Mr Trump. None of the key players at the centre of the Palm Beach, Florida, case against the former president escaped the vicious rant. The radio personality especially honed in his criticism against US Attorney General Merrick Garland and Special Counsel Jack Smith, who Mr Levin branded a “mob lawyer” and a “Soviet star prosecutor,” respectively. “This is a disgusting mark in history by these bandits in the White House,” Mr Levin yelled to the camera. “Joe Biden is the crookedest crook that has ever been in the oval office... What’s going on here is a disgusting disgrace and it is a war on Trump, a war on the Republican party, and a war on the Republic” Mr Levin went as far as claiming that Thursday, 8 January, was the “real insurrection,” not the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol — which put the lives of elected officials in danger and left five people dead — all while unchallenged by Hannity. The host of Life, Liberty & Levin, who once claimed he would “never” support Mr Trump, continued to spew more accusations against the FBI, the DoJ, and the Biden administration. He noted he “[doesn’t] want to hear about the technicalities [in Trump’s case] and his [alleged] obstruction,” because it is a “documents” case and it should have never been criminalised.” “For what? For what? And they indict him today? And they indict him today in Miami?” a flustered Mr Levin said. “Don’t be bamboozled by these cable channels and these fools telling you, ‘He’s not above the law,’ Are you kidding me?” Mr Trump faces seven criminal charges, including the willful retention of national defence information, obstruction of justice and conspiracy related to his alleged unlawful retention of national defence information at Mar-a-Lago. The scope of the evidence remains unclear as the indictment is under seal. Mr Trump has already been indicted in New York in connection to hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels. He faces more potential indictments in Georgia and Washington, DC, a prospect that could see him facing trial in four separate jurisdictions while running to return to the highest office in America. Read More Trump indictment: Ex-president kept nuclear and military papers and showed some to unauthorised people Kevin McCarthy says Trump indictment will ‘disrupt the nation’: ‘We’re not going to stand for it’ Florida man: Why prosecutors charged Trump in the Sunshine State, and what it means for the judge and jury Ivanka reveals why she snubbed Trump’s 2024 campaign Loser Trump will gift Democrats the White House in 2024 Trump’s 2024 announcement proves it — he’s the weakest he’s ever been

St. Louis Cardinals fans were furious with Pete Alonso for throwing away Masyn Winn's first hit to the crowd. It turns out, Alonso felt horrible after the fact.Thankfully, Masyn Winn did eventually get his first MLB hit ball back, as Cardinals fans were nice enough to lend it to the rookie ...

Ben Stiller has opened up on his 2016 prostate cancer diagnosis, and how his life-saving surgery affected his sex life. Appearing on Howard Stern's radio show, the actor, alongside his surgeon, Dr Ted Schaeffer, noted that it was 'rare' for his sexual function to return so quickly. "When the first erection happened post surgery, we all celebrated,” he joked. "It all came out of the blue for me." Meanwhile, Schaeffer quipped that it was 'because he's a movie star' that he got his groove back almost immediately. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 12, 2023--

Rachel Bilson's controversial remarks on men's sexual history attracted Whoopi Goldberg's attention before she retracted the statement

Angelina Joline emphasized that for victims of abuse, 'evidence of injury' is often critical to accessing health care

Lazard Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Ken Jacobs plans to step down from the top job as the investment

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 25, 2023--

By Valentina Za MILAN (Reuters) -The Italian arm of France's Credit Agricole has started offering fixed-term savings accounts to win