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Inter are pondering altering their deputies in the midfield next summer but might have a readymade reinforcement, as Aleksandar Stankovic has flourished at Luzern and might be ready for a first-team role, La Gazzetta dello Sport relays.
The Nerazzurri could put Kristjan Asllani up for sale and take one of the offers for Davide Frattesi. If that were the case, they’ll need more additions on top of Luka Sucic, whom they have already acquired from Dinamo Zagreb.
Inter have been impressed by Stankovic this campaign. They’ll think twice about it before potentially sending him out again. He has tallied 3 goals and 2 assists in 33 matches in the Swiss Super League. He has two caps with Serbia U-21.
If Asllani departed, finding a reliable Hakan Calhanoglu deputy would be the first order of business for the management, unless Simone Inzaghi decided to use Piotr Zielinski there full-time. The talent is tight with the Turk, who often offers him advice.
The management envisions for him the same path as Federico Dimarco. The wing-back spent time at Sion before fully blossoming at Parma and Verona and becoming an integral part of the squad. His turn is going better than anticipated given his team’s success.
Our Take on Inter and Stankovic
They have a few starlets in their system, considering also his brother Filip, the two Espositos, as Sebastiano might head back if Empoli got relegated, but it’s been years since they have trusted one of their youth products. They should bring some to the United States for the Club World Cup, not to field them but so Simone Inzaghi, who can improve in this particular area, can take an extended look at them.
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USMNT vs. Uruguay: Key takeaways from Americans' decisive win
Tampa, Florida — The U. S. Men's National Team beat Uruguay 5-1 in Tampa, Florida, to close out 2025 with a five-game unbeaten streak. It was a rollicking, stylish performance against one of South America's best teams — one that will define coach Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT era for years to come. The win was driven by the USMNT's "depth" players. The majority of the team's presumed starters, from Christian Pulisic in attack to Chris Richards in defense, were unavailable for selection in this match. Here are the key takeaways from the USMNT's chest-thumping win: If you're still doubting MLS's quality, you're not paying attention When the USMNT posted its lineup for this match on its socials, the comments ranged from puzzled to furious. What could Pochettino possibly be thinking, they said, fielding all these Major League Soccer guys against a two-time World Cup winning team? It hardly looked fair on paper. Vancouver's Sebastian Berhalter versus Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte? Orlando's Alex Freeman versus Barcelona's Ronald Araujo? Salt Lake's Diego Luna versus Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur? Surely there had to be some mistake. Nope. Pochettino put an immense amount of faith in his MLS players, and they paid him back in goals. Berhalter's strike came first after a beautiful free-kick one-two with Sergiño Dest; Freeman's brace came next, first a well-worked header at the far post, then a solo run in which he beat Uruguay's center-backs like it was nothing. Luna scored his with a daisy-cutter to the near post. This right here? This is MLS. It's not a retirement league. It's not an embarrassment. It's a diverse, fast-growing competition churning out high-quality athletes at a rate that should have other nations taking notice. Pochettino saw it from his first day with the USMNT. Now, fans are finally seeing it too. Mauricio Pochettino's fitness fanaticism is paying off Pochettino has brought many changes to the USMNT, but few have had a bigger impact than his focus on fitness. He doesn't care if his players are only with him for a short time: he wants them working, hard, from the moment they join the USMNT camp to the moment they leave it. Players have admitted that Poch's intense training was difficult to get used to, but in this crucial match against one of the most physical teams on earth, it paid off. Uruguay is no slouch. It's one of South America's most storied teams, and it has a well-deserved reputation for physicality. You wouldn't have known that in this game. The USMNT ran circles around it and won nearly all of its one-on-one duels. It also held up brilliantly to Uruguay's infamous gamesmanship. No tackles were too strong, no words were too sharp, no fights were too hot. Uruguay worked themselves into a lather while the USMNT swatted them away. Competition breeds competence...and it's easy to see which Americans aren't competing anymore There are many reasons why this second-tier USMNT looked strong against Uruguay, but one of the biggest is the fact that everyone out there was competing for their spot in the World Cup roster. Everyone, that is, but one. Goalkeeper Matt Freese dropped into the USMNT in January after previous starter Matt Turner fell out of favor with his club team; he's been unchallenged in that position since, and it shows. He was a little too relaxed against Uruguay, and his mistake kept the team from pulling off a clean sheet. Competition is a good thing; it feels like Freese would benefit from a little bit more pressure. The USMNT will break for the winter and return to action in March 2026 in friendlies against Portugal and Belgium.
Cowboys' Jerry Jones has made a decision about George Pickens
The Dallas Cowboys made a big gamble in the offseason. On paper, adding George Pickens to the mix was going to work wonders for the passing game. However, Pickens had a long history of character issues, and watching Mike Tomlin essentially give up on him wasn't an encouraging sign. Fast forward to today, and the Georgia product has finally shown what he's capable of. That's why he may not be going anywhere. Jerry Jones wants to keep George Pickens around Cowboys insider Jon Machota of The Athletic reported that Jones affirmed that he's willing to spend big bucks to keep Pickens around, even though he's already committed more than $60 million a year to defensive tackles. Jones had previously been more tight-lipped about this situation, claiming that money would obviously be a factor to consider. But after watching Pickens haul in nine receptions for 144 yards and one touchdown in the 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, he may have changed his stance. Jerry Jones gushes about George Pickens' performance Following the win, the Cowboys owner/GM had nothing but praise for the former second-round pick. "Pickens was — I’ve never seen a performance like that. It was poetic the way that he was making those moves out there. It was like he was in an opera or something out there. A ballet," Jones said, per Pro Football Talk. Character concerns aside, Pickens has all the talent in the world, and his tandem with CeeDee Lamb is one of the most explosive in the league. He's up to 58 receptions on 83 targets for 908 yards and seven touchdowns in his first 10 games with the Cowboys, and he's looking at a big payday this offseason.
CFP rankings: SEC in great shape after third reveal
The third College Football Playoff rankings of the 2025 season were released on Tuesday night with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A M, Georgia and Texas Tech making up the top five. The Bulldogs and Red Raiders each move up one spot with Alabama falling down to 10th after a 23-21 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. Ole Miss, Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama round out the top 10. The Big Ten and SEC continue their dominance by claiming eight of the top-10 spots, but the SEC looks to be in the best position of any league with five teams in the top 10, even with Alabama's second loss of the season. Alabama clings to playoff spot as SEC's outlook only grows stronger Here is a look at what the 12-team bracket would look like as of Tuesday: The biggest takeaway from this week's rankings is the position the SEC finds itself in. Texas A M, Georgia and Ole Miss appear to be in excellent shape, while Oklahoma and Alabama still find themselves in the projected field. Texas was the biggest loser, falling seven spots to No. 17 after its loss to Georgia. Even for Alabama, which suffered its second loss on Saturday, it could still find itself in the SEC Championship game depending on how everything plays out over the final two weeks, which could only strengthen its case even more. Miami remains the highest-ranked ACC team at No. 13, ahead of No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 19 Virginia. With the five highest-ranked conference champions guaranteed to make the 12-team field, Miami would inherit the 11-seed as things currently stand. Following South Florida's loss to Navy, Tulane moves up to No. 24 and the 12th-seed as the highest-ranked Group of Five team. No. 11 BYU would be the first team out following the third reveal. There are two ranked matchups this weekend as No. 8 Oklahoma hosts No. 22 Missouri and No. 15 USC takes on No. 7 Oregon. With only two weeks of regular-season play remaining, time is running out to add quality wins to resumes, something each of these two games will certainly do. Assuming there are no more hiccups, the SEC has a realistic shot at getting five teams in the field. Week 12 presented an opportunity for other teams to move up, but after Texas A M completed its remarkable comeback over South Carolina and with Alabama remaining in the top 10, that does not bode well for the rest of the field.
Did Andy Reid throw Patrick Mahomes under the bus?
The Kansas City Chiefs haven't found much consistency this season. They lost their first two games of the year, then won five out of six. And just when it seemed that their offense was regaining its form from the early days of the dynasty, they regressed again. They've now dropped two games in a row to fall to 5-5, and their division-title aspirations may have already slipped through their fingers. Some of that has had to do with their lack of success in the running game. However, it's not because of head coach Andy Reid. Did Andy Reid take a subtle jab at Patrick Mahomes? In his weekly virtual media availability Monday, Reid stated that the Chiefs are still trying to run the ball. “We’re calling quite a few of the RPOs. Yesterday, they were giving us opportunities to throw the football, so we utilized the opportunities there, and those things ended up being as good as a run; we’re getting four-plus yards, and you go with it," Reid said. Then, he turned some heads with his follow-up comments, which some took as a subtle dig at quarterback Patrick Mahomes. "But the runs are being called; it’s just sometimes they get turned into passes in today’s world, you know, that’s how it goes," Reid continued. "But we are getting them in, and we have some hard runs where you just get up, line up, and go. Probably could call more of those.” Of course, that might not necessarily be a dig at his future Hall of Fame quarterback, but it's a testament to the disconnect within the team. The Chiefs have averaged 20 points per game in their last two games, all while rushing for 79 and 62 yards, respectively. Clearly, they will have to change that approach to salvage a season that has some fans thinking the dynasty is officially over.
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