Chicago Fire have extended the stay of two of their executives.

Ollie Watkins is the man of the moment: seven goals and four assists this season in a free-flowing Aston Villa side, including a recent hat-trick against Brighton in front of Gareth Southgate, meant it wasn’t a surprise when he was called up to play for England last week, 18 months after his last cap. Except that three weeks ago, he wasn’t the man at all. He still hadn’t scored in the Premier League. He was struggling to take chances and he was getting some stick, which is why he celebrated his first league goal of the season, against Chelsea in late September, with his fingers in his ears. Zoom out and his form has been exceptional for a year, but criticism is never far away. “I think all fans are quite fickle,” Watkins says. “If you go a few games without a goal, people will be saying, ‘he’s on a drought, he can’t score’. Then I score four goals in two games and everyone kind of loves you.” Watkins is sitting in a quiet room at St George’s Park, at ease with his surroundings at England’s headquarters. He is 27 and has just signed a new long-term contract with Villa. After a sporadic international career to date, he seems ready to add a lot more to his seven England caps, and is striving to make a first major tournament at Euro 2024 in Germany next summer. But getting there isn’t necessarily a given. Since Unai Emery took charge of Villa 12 months ago, no English player has recorded more than Watkins’ 25 Premier League goal involvements, yet he has not played for his country all year. “I think I go under the radar, maybe,” he concludes. “I don’t know if I’m not talked about enough, profile-wise.” Watkins is up against a truism of international football, certainly when it comes to England, that established names playing for renowned clubs find it a little easier to get in the team. It only takes a glance at the current squad to see that. And when there is a manager at the helm who has built up loyalties to long-serving players, they can be hard to dislodge. I’m content with where I am. The fame, the followers on Instagram – if it does come, it does. If it doesn’t, I’m not bothered really Ollie Watkins So perhaps players like Watkins need to do something special, like his role in thrashing Brighton, to get the same recognition as more experienced internationals who can rely on Southgate’s faith through rocky form. “I know I need to be scoring as much as them, if not more, to get into the team,” he says of his fellow strikers. He’s also conscious that his name does not carry the cachet of other England players. This is a curse of the modern game, a place where sporting talent meets celebrity hype, where players are scrutinised for what they do off the pitch as much as on it. It is a world Watkins has largely shunned, perhaps to his detriment. He doesn’t have Twitter, and his 374,000 followers on Instagram are dwarfed by teammates like Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, who have online audiences of 16 million. A commercial guru at his agency has encouraged Watkins to use social media, to raise his status a little, but it doesn’t come naturally. “I wouldn’t want to put anything out there that’s not authentic and not myself,” he says. “You see how much money you can make on Instagram. But my saying has always been just be good at football and the rest will take care of itself. If I’m scoring 30 goals a year and someone wants to do a sponsorship deal with me then they are going to want to do it because I’m doing well on the pitch. “I’m content with where I am. The fame, the followers on Instagram – if it does come, it does. If it doesn’t, I’m not bothered really.” Being a Premier League striker at a historic club still brings its fair share of attention, something Watkins admits he doesn’t revel in. Life was different playing in the Championship for Brentford. “I used to just go and shop in Sainsbury’s, normal, and I came to try and do it at Villa and I couldn’t,” he laughs. “I had my earphones in and people took two looks and went, ‘Is that him?’. Once one person asks for a photo, then maybe it’s two or three, and then it’s hard to do shopping... I came home and I was fuming. I said to my missus, I’m never going out again. And since then I don’t do the shopping.” But he appreciates living at the gentler end of the mania scale, and cites Jack Grealish as an example. “I can imagine for Jack, it’s 10 times worse. He’s on another level, he’s like a superstar.” Out of the spotlight, Watkins has been playing some of the best football of his career. He credits his form to his demanding Spanish manager, who has given him direction to be a pure goalscorer after his struggles under Emery’s predecessor, Steven Gerrard. “It wasn’t down to him but I was just falling into a rut. I feel like I’ve gone on to a different path and really focused on being a striker. Before I’d be trying to cross it and then get on the end of my own cross and head it. Now I’m focused on being the main man.” This is his fourth season at Villa and he is producing his highest numbers so far. His expected goals and actual goals per 90 minutes are up on previous seasons, he is shooting a yard closer to goal, on average, and he is taking more than three shots per game under Emery, compared to only two under Gerrard. Those numbers are translating into eye-catching performances. He has set a target of 20 goals this season and it is a sign of his form over the past year that it almost sounds unambitious. But if he keeps delivering for Emery on the pitch, slowly but surely, the recognition will come his way. “I'm confident I'm gonna get to that number, and then I think people start talking and you get put into a bracket of the top players. I've got to where I am today from doing everything I believe in – the social media element is not my No 1 priority at the end of the day, football is – so I’ll just keep doing what I'm doing.” Read More Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen make England return but Raheem Sterling left out England squad announcement LIVE: Southgate names players for international break Josh Magennis determined to keep giving his all for Northern Ireland Josh Magennis determined to keep giving his all for Northern Ireland How Scotland became the one team Rodri could not defeat Charlie Savage impresses Rob Page during his Wales debut

The Orioles and Mariners were stuck in a rain delay on Friday evening in Baltimore. When will the game resume? Check here for updates.For the first time in 2023, Orioles fans have to wait on the rain in Baltimore.Friday's game between the Orioles and Mariners officially entered a rain d...

Sam Allardyce hopes West Ham, having reached the Europa Conference League final, will play safe when they face his relegation-threatened...

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Apart from her performance, Mariah Carey will also be honored for her song, 'All I Want For Christmas Is You', during the 2023 Billboard Music Awards

Tropical Cyclone Biparjoy has made landfall in India's western Gujarat state, close to the Pakistan border, unleashing powerful gusts of wind that ripped up trees and toppled electricity poles.

Tottenham acting head coach Ryan Mason has defended Daniel Levy and insisted the under-fire chairman has been let down by other people. Levy has faced growing criticism this season and repeatedly had his name chanted at games with a section of supporters eager for the long-serving board member to depart. Eighth-placed Spurs are currently searching for a new permanent head coach and managing director of football while they could find themselves not in Europe for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Meanwhile, record goalscorer Harry Kane is about to enter the final year of his contract, but Mason leapt to the defence of Levy before the last match of the club’s season at relegation-threatened Leeds on Sunday. He said: “It hurts him, it hurts everyone committed to this club and everyone who really cares and wants this club to be successful. “One thing I will say is he’s spent money, he’s tried and I just think ultimately he has probably been let down by other people but that’s football. “That happens and hopefully we can get things right quickly, make good decisions and it can turn around.” Optimism was rife at the beginning of the campaign, but Spurs have lost 14 times in the Premier League, conceded 62 top-flight goals – their worst against tally since the 2002-03 term – and seen their trophy drought extend into a 15th season. Mason pulled no punches when asked about positives, adding: “I think the biggest positive will be the future. For anyone who's lucky enough to represent us next season, first of all they need to be committed to the football club Tottenham acting head coach Ryan Mason “And if we’re clever and if we do it right, then I think we’ll look back on this season and say it was tough, disappointing but ultimately it made us realise what we want to be. “It made us realise who we are, what our history and DNA probably suggests we are, what our fans want, what our fans demand and hopefully there is a connection very soon where we look back and say disappointing season, absolutely yes, but it helped us.” It was just over two months ago when Antonio Conte had his post-match outburst at Southampton and accused his own “selfish players” of not being a team or wanting to play under pressure. Spurs have won only twice during the ensuing nine matches but Mason rejected any notion his old boss was right given the games in hand Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton held over a club that were fourth at the start of April. “We haven’t won an away game since January, conceded 60+ goals this season so this isn’t something that has just happened in recent weeks,” ex-Tottenham midfielder Mason stated. “Obviously we were left in a position in the league table that was probably false, in terms of other teams had games in hand. “When you level them out, I think the first game we had against Man United (on April 27) we might have been seventh in the table so there were a lot of things that were probably false. “One thing I will say is I respect everyone that I have worked with and I have learnt off a lot of people, but at the same time I am my own person and believe how not only this club, but how any football club I am at in the future, should work and operate.” Mason will have a decision to make on his own future after the clash at Elland Road with the 31-year-old firmly of the belief he is ready for management following this latest caretaker spell. He has consistently referenced the importance of “committed people” being at the club next season in recent weeks and hinted unspecified players could miss the trip to Leeds if they are not motivated to secure Tottenham a spot in the Europa Conference League with a seventh-placed finish. “I am looking forward to it. I hope my players are looking forward to it too,” Mason said. “I have made it very clear that if anyone isn’t up for the fight and doesn’t want to play in this type of game, then it is probably best we don’t play with them. “I just think going forward that (commitment) is really important. That is probably the first thing we need to address. “Whether it’s a cleaner, groundsman, members of staff, players here, coaches here, they need to be committed to this football club. “It’s an honour to work here. I’ve played here, I felt that pride whenever I put on the shirt and for anyone who’s lucky enough to represent us next season, first of all they need to be committed to the football club.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Erik ten Hag confident Marcus Rashford can score 40 goals in a season I’ll stay at Newcastle as long as I’m wanted – Eddie Howe Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui feels second-placed Arsenal do not deserve criticism

In an era of rampant price increases, the cost of Costco's meal combo hasn't changed in nearly 40 years.

With the release of the Barbie movie coming up, Margot Robbie gave an inside look into the Mattel doll's Dreamhouse with Architectural Digest - and it's just as iconic as you would expect. Of course, the one particular colour that is synonymous with Barbie and fuchsia pink is everywhere on the set - tables, chairs, walls, cars you name it. While the aesthetic took inspiration from Palm Springs's midcentury modernism, with furniture from the 1950s and 1960s, back to when Barbie was first created in 1959 by Ruth Handler as well as products that would be included in Dreamhouse today. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spence worked with director Greta Gerwig to recreate the childhood nostalgia on-screen, and the set was first made in a miniature format before it was actually created for the set. “I wanted to capture what was so ridiculously fun about the Dreamhouses," Gerwig told Architectural Digest. In terms of scale, the proportions were adapted to be 23 per cent smaller than human size for the set, Gerwig described how this created an "odd effect of making the actors seem big in the space but small overall." Some of the fun elements of the design include a slide to replace the stairs that goes from the bedroom to the pool - "Not super practical but nothing is for Barbie," Robbie said. (Though the pool is fake as there is no actual water in Barbie Land). Despite there being no water, Barbie still showers - but nothing comes out. Nonetheless, Robbie pretends to shower and recalled how she would "look up the old Radox commercials and try to replicate that." In the kitchen, Robbie explained how there is "a mixture of things that a physically there but then also decal (a picture, design, or label made to be transferred (as to glass) from specially prepared paper)," such as the oven and cooker. This plays into the world of toys and "how it would look if it was a Mattel product" as Robbie opened the fridge to show that the back is intentionally 2D with groceries painted onto the decal while the fridge shelf had physical products stocked. "I want everyone to feel like they can reach into the screen and touch everything," Gerwig said, as she recalled standing in Toys 'R' Us looking at Barbie dolls with the plastic sheet over them and wanting to take and touch everything. This is what inspired Barbie's wardrobe with clear doors to the doll's neatly hung up outfits and accessories, with her outfit already magically set out in her wardrobe. When it comes to getting from her bedroom to her car, Barbie impossibly floats down as Robbie said: "Greta said no one actually walks their Barbie down the steps to get into the car." Here's what fans had to say about the Dreamhouse tour: The Barbie movie is set to be released next month on July 21. Elsewhere, the new Barbie movie has caused a worldwide shortage of pink and a new version of 'Barbie Girl' will feature on the movie’s soundtrack. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The NHL is reportedly asking teams for their thoughts on a prospective change to make the NHL Draft decentralized, akin to the NBA Draft and the NFL Draft.

Get the latest update on the SEC standings after Week 7 of the college football season. Find out which teams are leading the East and West divisions, both by record and Offensive EPA per play.