LA Galaxy and U.S. youth international full-back Julian Araujo would consider a move to the Mexican national team if the right opportunity presented itself.

The 17-year-old dual national right-back was part of the United States' Under-20 squad that reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Poland in June, but didn't see the field. He has excelled with the Galaxy since making his MLS debut in April.

"My options are always open," Araujo told The Scuffed Podcast. "It's always about opportunities, who is going to give me better opportunities."

Lompoc, California native Araujo was in the U.S. U20 squad that defeated Mexico 2-0 in final of the CONCACAF U20 Championship last November and has started seven games so far in MLS.

"I'm not going to close the door on Mexico and I'm not going to close the door on the U.S.," he continued. "If Mexico comes at me, giving me opportunities, I'm going to have to take it, you know."

Araujo stated that working hard to continue to establish himself in MLS is his immediate concern, but he stressed that he'll keep his options open as to which national team presents the best opportunity.

"I haven't heard anything from [U.S. head coach Gregg] Berhalter or anybody else, you know, it's all about opportunities," he said. "I wouldn't give up on any of the teams because I grew up in a Mexican household, I watched Mexico throughout my life, I always watched the U.S. throughout my life and I have dual citizenship so I can play for both."

Galaxy teammate Efrain Alvarez is also a dual Mexico-U.S. international and is set to compete for El Tri at the upcoming Under-17 World Cup.

Monterrey midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez made headlines when he switched from the United States to Mexico in early 2018 in an ongoing battle between the federations over dual national players.

NEW YORK -- Soccer star Megan Rapinoe has scored again, this time with a book deal.

Penguin Press announced Thursday that Rapinoe's book, currently untitled, will be published in Fall 2020. Penguin is calling the book a "perfect vehicle" for an "honest, thoughtful, unapologetic" take on everything from soccer to nationalism to gay rights. Meanwhile, a division of Penguin Young Readers will work on a Rapinoe book for middle graders.

Rapinoe became an international celebrity this summer after she helped lead the U.S women's soccer team to a World Cup championship. She openly denounced President Donald Trump and said she would refuse to attend a White House celebration if invited. Trump tweeted in response that Rapinoe should "never disrespect our country, the White House or our flag."

United States international Geoff Cameron has joined Queens Park Rangers on a one-year contract with the option of a second year.

Cameron, 34, spent last season on loan to QPR from Stoke City making 19 appearances and scoring one goal.

"It's great to be back," Cameron said. "I really enjoyed my time here last year -- it's a family-orientated environment and this move is the best fit for myself and my family.

"The manager [Mark Warburton] wants to get the ball down and play good football. Hopefully myself and Angel [Rangel], who has also come back, can use our experience to help what is a young squad.

"I'm here to help the team in any way that I can -- whether that's leadership on the pitch or off it as well.

"For me, I'm excited for this role and I'm excited to be here. I just want to enjoy my football, like I did here last season."

"He is well-known by both the fans and the players, and his physicality is an asset as well.

"We're delighted to welcome Geoff back to QPR."

LAFC forward Carlos Vela has been voted captain of the MLS All-Stars for the second year running.

The vote was conducted on Twitter with the hashtag #CaptainVela representing one vote. Orlando City SC forward Nani, D.C. United midfielder Wayne Rooney and San Jose Earthquakes striker Chris Wondolowski were the other nominees.

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LA Galaxy superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who engaged in a war of words with Vela before and after his hat trick led the Galaxy to a 3-2 win in the "El Trafico" derby last week, was not nominated.

The MLS All-Stars will take on Atletico Madrid on July 31 at Orlando's Exploria Stadium.

The Mexico international is the runaway leader in the league MVP race this season, with 21 goals and 12 assists. His combined total of 33 goals and assists is already tied for the fourth-most in league history.

With 13 games remaining in the regular season, Vela has a chance to break the regular season goal-scoring record of 31 set last season by Atlanta United's Josef Martinez.

ATLANTA -- In the 40th minute of a match in late June involving Atlanta United and the Montreal Impact, midfielder Saphir Taider sent a pass toward center back Zakaria Diallo. Gonzalo "Pity" Martinez got in the passing lane, deflecting the ball into the air. As Diallo received the now-bouncing pass, United forward Brandon Vazquez arrived, stretching a raised foot to the ball, appearing to catch it and then follow through into Diallo's ankle. The defender went down, and referee Ramy Touchan blew his whistle.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," assistant referee Corey Rockwell, located on the sideline near the play, yelled into his headset. "Card if you want it. Card. Card. Let's do it. Let's do it. Yeah." Touchan ran over to the point of contact, reaching into his pocket and showing Vasquez a yellow card.

In a small room high above the field, Tim Ford leaned forward in his chair, peering intently into the large monitor in front of him. It showed the play as seen from four different angles.

"Did he get the ball? I'm going to check it again, to make sure," Ford, the video assistant referee (VAR) for the match, said to himself and assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) Kyle Longville seated next to him. If Vasquez didn't get the ball before clattering Diallo's ankle, the laws of the game would allow for a potential red card.

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Ford hit a large red button in front of him, marking the start of his review, then hit another switch that opened a communication channel with Touchan and the other on-field referees. "I'm gonna double check this," Ford said to group. To do so, he needed the best views. The operator sitting next to him, who was looking at a screen with all 14 camera angles, dropped the "low-mid" camera view onto Ford's monitor. The VAR used his fingers to enlarge the image, then asked the operator if there was anything better.

Down on the field, only a few seconds had elapsed. As Diallo recovered, Touchan told a player that VAR was checking the play. "I had point of contact top of foot, top of foot," Rockwell said into his mic. To another player, he explained: "They're checking right now, too. They're checking. It's a yellow, but they're checking, OK?"

In the booth, Ford continued looking at the play. Twenty seconds had gone by since he started his check, and while he was beginning to feel that the call on the field was correct, he wanted to make sure. "I'm fine with it, but I want to see it in full speed, please," he said to the operator. "Playing full speed," the operator responded as the clip streamed on Ford's screen.

"We're still holding up play here," Longville noted for Ford, who was too consumed with replays to see that Touchan hadn't given the Impact the go-ahead to take the free kick. Seconds later, after one final full speed replay: "Ramy, this is Tim. Check complete." As soon as Touchan heard those magic words, he blew his whistle and the match continued.

It took 40 seconds from foul to "check complete." There was no need for Touchan to go to the pitch-side monitor; he had gotten it right originally. Another play reviewed efficiently and accurately.

Welcome to the world of VAR.

Major League Soccer's stated goal is to become one of the best leagues in the world. One way it hopes to achieve this end is by embracing new technologies like VAR. "This is something that's at the very heart of MLS: to be a world leader, to be innovative," Jeff Agoos, MLS senior vice president, says.

In 2014 and 2015, MLS ran experiments in three different venues to test whether there was time to conduct video reviews. A year later, bolstered by this experience, the league tested the review system on behalf of the IFAB and FIFA and became the first league in the world to put VAR in every game in late 2017. It hasn't been a perfect rollout -- players like Toronto FC's Jozy Altidore and Atlanta's Leandro Gonzalez Pirez have criticized the system and mocked the officials this season -- but VAR is here to stay in MLS and the wider soccer world. It was used in all the major summer tournaments, including the 2019 Women's World Cup, and will make its Premier League debut on Aug. 9 when Liverpool hosts Norwich to open the 2019-20 season.

VAR does improve accuracy. According to league officials, 94.4% of calls would be correct in the absence of video review. With video review, that number jumps to 98.4%. Better, yes, but still not perfect. Therein lies the rub. Video review takes time and alters the flow of the game. Fans, then, expect it to be correct 100% of the time. But it won't be, for reasons that are both technical (camera angles didn't catch the action) and subjective (the interpretation of different rules varies from ref to ref and league to league).

In an interview about the present and future of VAR, Professional Referee Organization (PRO) general manager Howard Webb talked about the latter issue. "I think [VAR] will evolve with the culture of how the game is played across the world for the more subjective manners," he says.

"Interpretation of a handball in the Premier League is different from what it is in La Liga. VAR should reflect that."

In short, it's very much a work in progress. Rules and regulations will be developed and refined so VAR becomes as accurate as possible. It will never be perfect, meaning communication is key both for fans and referees. MLS launched a Twitter feed to explain what is being reviewed, why and the outcome in real time. According to Webb, unlike some other leagues and tournaments (the Women's World Cup), MLS head refs always go to the monitors to look at a call. "Fans said it wasn't clear why that was happening," he says of the reason for the decision.

In the chaos of a video review, it's essential for the VAR to be a good communicator, too. PRO refs participate in simulators and try to standardize their language to facilitate this back and forth. "When you're on the field and you're in a delay situation, you're listening for one of two things: Check complete or on-field review," Mark Geiger, PRO director of senior match officials says. "When the VARs start explaining everything, it gets lost."

It was easy to see this in practice in the booth in Atlanta as Ford calmly and cooly explained to Touchan what he was checking. The VAR and his operator worked seamlessly to get the right views on the four-panel screen. Ultimately, Ford saw that the on-field call was correct and that there was no need for an on-field review.

After the match, Ford sat in the ref locker room in the bowels of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and talked about those moments. "We checked the yellow card to make sure it wasn't over the line," he said. "[Vasquez] gets the ball and follows through, but he actually plays the ball."

"It's cool," he said, of working as a VAR. "To be honest, I think it's good for the game. That's why I enjoy it. It saves everybody from the headline."

In a surprise development, OPPO, the Chinese mobile manufacturing company that paid a record sum in 2017 to secure the sponsorship rights of the Indian cricket team, has bailed out of their contract nearly three years before it ends. On Thursday, the BCCI said OPPO was being replaced by Byju's, a learning app, which will now be the Indian team's sponsor till March 2022.

As part of the deal, the Byju's logo will be on the shirts of the Indian players, both men and women, in all three formats starting with the series against South Africa in September.

OPPO had originally paid INR 1079 crore (approx USD 162 million) for their five-year deal, which was double the base price of INR 538 crore (approx USD 81 million) set by BCCI in 2017. As per the deal OPPO would pay INR 4.61 crore (approx USD 693,000) per match for bilateral series and INR 1.51 crore (approx USD 227,000) per match for ICC sponsored tournaments.

ESPNcricinfo understands OPPO has opted to assign the remainder of the sponsorship to Byju's, which is allowed under the terms of the original contract. However, Byju's would need to pay the BCCI an additional 5% over the balance amount as re-assignment fee.

According to a board official, if it were to put out a tender to sell the sponsorship rights for the truncated period of 19 months, it might have received a smaller bid since the market is currently "soft". With Byju's picking up the contract from OPPO, the official said BCCI had actually managed to generate a profit.

Byju Raveendran, Byju's founder and chief executive officer, said the deal would have a positive impact for his company. "We are proud to be the Indian Cricket Team sponsor. Cricket is the heartbeat of all Indians and we are thrilled to be an integral part of our much loved team," Raveendran said in a media release issued by BCCI. "As a learning company, BYJU'S has always recognised the critical role that sport plays in a child's development. Just as cricket inspires a billion budding dreams across India, we too as a learning company hope to inspire the love of learning in every child's heart."

Hick XII 120 and 156 for 5 (Bancroft 93*) beat Haddin XII 105 and 170 by 6 wickets

Cameron Bancroft inched his way to the defining innings of a low-scoring scrap in Southampton to give himself the best possible chance of being named in Australia's Ashes squad on Friday, and also help the Hick XII to victory over the Haddin XII in an internal trial match played on a dicey pitch.

All the qualities that saw Bancroft first picked for Australia in 2017 - dogged defence, absorption of quality bowling and a limited game around which others can blossom - were on display as he posted the highest score of the match, an undefeated 93 from 194 studious balls. David Warner, who may now be reunited with Bancroft as openers, made the only other half century, while Marnus Labuschagne's 41 on the first day was also noteworthy.

Thanks to Bancroft, the chase was negotiated effectively, as Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Jon Holland were unable to force their way through, and the Test captain Tim Paine was at the crease to help knock off the last 22 runs required. Pat Cummins, having bowled so well on the first two days, was spelled from the attack ahead of the first Test against England in Birmingham next week.

Mitchell Marsh also made a useful partner for Bancroft in a stand worth 54, with scores of 29 and 23 plus 5 for 34 amounting to a significant allround contribution. Bancroft, Labuschagne, Marsh James Pattinson (4 for 35 from 23 overs for the match) and Peter Siddle (5 for 45 from 24) were the fringe players to acquit themselves best in this fixture, providing the selectors Trevor Hohns and Justin Langer with the final pieces of information for their squad deliberations.

At the same time, Kurtis Patterson, Joe Burns, Matthew Wade and Pete Handscomb would have been disappointed not to make their mark in what were admittedly very difficult climes for batsmen. Any umpire marking the surface were it a formal first-class fixture would have been hard-pressed to give the pitch a passing grade. Low scores for Steven Smith and Travis Head compounded the sense that Australia's batsmen will be undercooked for Edgbaston next week.

Even so, the match figures returned by Starc (1 for 79 from 22 overs) and Hazlewood (2 for 56 from 24) will cause further contemplation by Hohns and Langer as to the best balance of the Australian bowling attack for Edgbaston. Starc, who was taken for a precautionary knee scan on Wednesday, bowled with high pace at times, but was blunted consistently by Bancroft, only taking his first wicket of the game when it was very near the finish.

Ticket sales have soared for the early rounds of the Vitality Blast, with several counties reporting record attendances as they look to capitalise on a post-World Cup final buzz.

Lord's, The Oval, Taunton, Chesterfield, Cheltenham, Hove, Headingley, and Chelmsford have all seen at least one game sell out, while other counties have seen various records broken.

Nottinghamshire's game against Northants on Wednesday night attracted 13,691 fans - a record for a midweek T20 at Trent Bridge - while Lancashire's game against Durham on Sunday saw 13,710 tickets sold, a record for a non-Roses T20 at Old Trafford.

Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire's director of cricket, said that the club sold 2,800 tickets for their opener against Worcestershire in the three days after England's World Cup final win.

Durham's game against Northants on Friday was their highest T20 attendance for a fixture against a team other than Yorkshire, with the gate exceeding 6000 at a ground that has historically struggled to sell tickets for domestic cricket.

Somerset's sales are up 33% on the equivalent time last year, and their first three home games are all sell-outs.

Surrey announced that their sales were up 18% in the week before their first game at The Oval, despite the fact only one of their home games is in their favoured Friday night spot.

Sussex sold out their first two home games, as well as their 'Blast Pass' season tickets which secure a seat for all home matches, while Hampshire's game against Kent on Sunday drew a crowd of 10,000, the highest domestic crowd at the Ageas Bowl for two years.

The strong sales will inevitably raise questions as to how counties that are not host venues for The Hundred will continue to draw fans next year, with the Blast's group stage likely to be finished before the start of the summer holidays.

That said, with the exceptions of Cardiff and the Ageas Bowl, tickets for Blast games at the competition's host venues have been strong, and will be expected to grow for The Hundred after an ECB marketing drive next summer.