Corey Perry, once one of the most feared wingers in the league, had the two remaining years of his contract bought out, the team announced.

Terms of the buyout were not released.

"This is one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make in my 44 years in the NHL," Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in a statement. "Corey gave everything to this franchise for 14 years, never giving an inch to his competitors. While his scoring touch is undeniable, his will to win became his greatest attribute.

"We thank Corey for everything he's meant to the Ducks organization. No matter what he elects to do from here, Corey, his wife, Blakeny, and his son, Griffin, will always be part of the Ducks family."

Perry, 34, signed an eight-year, $69 million contract in 2013 that had a cap hit of $8.625 million. After having knee surgery in September, Perry played in only 31 games last season, registering 10 points.

That was a far cry from his glory days when he made four All-Star Games. Having played his entire 13-year career with Anaheim -- going back to their Mighty Duck days -- Perry won a Stanley Cup with the team in his second season in the league as a 21-year-old in 2006-07.

He led the league with 50 goals in 2010-11 and won the Hart Trophy -- the only MVP in team history. After signing his contract, Perry came out the next season and posted 43 goals and 39 assists. The Ducks lost in the second round of the playoffs that season but went to the conference finals in two of the next three seasons and always looked like a Cup contender.

Since 2016-17, however, his production has fallen. He had just 19 goals that season and 17 the next year before this past injury plagued campaign.

"On behalf of the entire Ducks organization, we want to thank Corey Perry for his tremendous contributions to the franchise," team owners Henry and Susan Samueli said in the statement. "For many years, Corey has epitomized what it means to be a Duck, playing an aggressive, relentless game while being a compassionate and giving member of the Orange County community."

Perry's contract isn't the only problematic one on the Ducks' books. Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler are also 34 and have each battled significant injuries the past two seasons. Getzlaf also has a cap hit above $8 million and is under contract through 2020-21. Kesler, with a $6.875 million cap hit, is under contract through 2021-22. Both have no-movement clauses, like Perry.

The Ducks recently hired AHL coach Dallas Eakins as their new head coach. Anaheim missed the playoffs last season and was eliminated in the first round the year before.

LAS VEGAS -- The NHL Awards are this week in Las Vegas, giving the hockey world a chance to honor the best players the regular season had to offer, while trying to forget how the majority of them lasted about as long in the playoffs as the casual fan's interest.

The awards are a good snapshot of the NHL season, but not the most comprehensive one. To that end, ESPN once again presents its Alternative NHL Awards, from the ridiculous to the sublime. Enjoy!

Team of the Year: Tampa Bay Lightning

The Team of the Year shouldn't just be the one that hoists the Stanley Cup. It should be the one that, in essence, provides a time capsule look at the NHL in 2018-19. To that end, the Team of the Year was the Tampa Bay Lightning. No other team in the NHL personified the offensive velocity of the current incarnation of the game, or the meticulous asset management used to construct it.

But also, no other team better exemplified the preposterous parity of today's league or the irrelevant nature of regular-season dominance. And no other team provided the antithesis of what the St. Louis Blues did to capture their first Cup: fundamental bludgeoning rather than risky flourish, and the innate ability to process adversity instead of melting down because you walked into Game 2 on home ice thinking you were owed a win and then fell apart when the Columbus Blue Jackets embarrassed you.

Flop of the Year: Los Angeles Kings

In its preview of the Kings' season, The Hockey News wrote: "The Kings are no longer the class of the division, but they're not a basement team, either." Well, guess what? They were both! No longer the class of the Pacific, and a basement team in the entire Western Conference as well.

Anze Kopitar went from being a Hart Trophy finalist to the worst offensive season of his career, joining Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli and 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk in that latter category. Drew Doughty went from second for the Norris Trophy to a minus-34. When Jonathan Quick did play, it was to an astounding minus-29.21 goals saved above average. John Stevens was fired after 13 games. Jake Muzzin was traded after 50 games. They couldn't even succeed in the lottery, finishing with the second-lowest points in the NHL and yet picking fifth. Yuck.

Meme of the Year: Crying Brad Marchand

And now, for your entertainment pleasure, I present to you some crying Marchand memes. pic.twitter.com/8oznnwdPzP

- MJ (@mjizzle03) June 13, 2019

Look, in a way it's an honor. Brad Marchand has so infuriated opposing fan bases that his moment of raw grief following the Bruins' Game 7 loss to the Blues was immediately propagated for comedic purposes. And while admittedly inhuman and cruel ... look, the one where he's licking his own tears is kind of ingenious, if we're being honest.

Feud of the Year: Don Cherry vs. The Storm Surge

Canada's preeminent curmudgeon unleashed several unhinged rants against the Carolina Hurricanes' choreographed victory celebrations, claiming that they were an embarrassment to hockey and that the Hurricanes were "a bunch of jerks." Carolina got the last laugh, turning that line into a best-selling T-shirt and de facto rallying cry for its incredible run to the Eastern Conference final.

Player of the Year: Ryan O'Reilly

To go from having your joy of hockey sucked from your body during a disastrous season with the Buffalo Sabres -- to the point where you question whether you are, in fact, the source of all of these losing seasons in your career -- to hoisting the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy in just over a year's time ... that's just like a hockey fable right there. When the Blues were bad, O'Reilly was good. When the Blues were good, O'Reilly was great. A revelatory season for the hirsute center, and the best of the year.

Least Valuable Player: Jori Lehtera

The Philadelphia Flyers center had a minus-27.73 goals-for percentage relative to his teammates, had three points in 27 games and was demoted to the AHL in February before leaving for the KHL after the season. Oh, right: He was also charged with drug offenses in Finland, allegedly buying more than 8 grams of cocaine from a drug ring in 2018. So, no, not the best season!

GM of the Year: Jarmo Kekäläinen

He shot his shot, the Columbus Blue Jackets stunned the Lightning and made it to the second round for the first time in franchise history. Given where the bar was set, that's a success. If nothing else, we honor a GM who felt fortune would favor the bold, and we salute that.

Fan of the Year: Laila Anderson

"I couldn't thank them enough for helping me get through my fight." @StLouisBlues fan Laila Anderson is a #StanleyCup champion in our eyes. She spoke to @Jackie_Redmond on the ice after Game Seven. pic.twitter.com/rxZagRooQt

- NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) June 13, 2019

This young St. Louis Blues fan became an endearing (and enduring) part of their Stanley Cup journey. Laila has been battling hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH, a life-threatening immune disease. Only 15 other children in the world have been diagnosed with it, according to media reports. The Blues were her inspiration during her recovery from a bone marrow transplant.

When she was healthy enough, Laila's mother surprised her with tickets to Game 3 of the Western Conference final. She would attend every playoff home game after that and was on the ice after the Blues' Game 7 win in Boston and at the victory parade in St. Louis. For inspiring her favorite team, and being a heck of a postgame interviewer, Laila Anderson is our fan of the year.

Quote of the Year

"They are f---ing horses---. I don't know how else to put it. The team was OK. But [Tyler] Seguin and [Jamie] Benn were terrible." -- Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites in a profanity-laden tirade about his star players in December 2018. The Stars would end up making the playoffs and winning a first-round series.

Best Place to Hold a Hockey Conversation

The urinal in the visitors' locker room at TD Garden in Boston, where Carl Gunnarsson vowed to Blues coach Craig Berube that he'd score the overtime game-winner in Game 2 if he had one more shot in the game. He got one, and he did, making quite a splash in the Stanley Cup Final.

Worst Place to Hold a Hockey Conversation

In the back of an Uber in Phoenix, trashing your special-teams coach, as the Ottawa Senators can tell you with some insight.

Event of the Year: John Tavares Night at Nassau

Last summer. John Tavares turned his back on the New York Islanders to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his favorite team as a child. On Feb. 28, Islanders fans let him know how they felt about that when the Leafs came to Nassau Coliseum.

Jerseys were defaced with nameplates made of electrical tape that read "LIAR" and "JUDAS" -- and many other Tavares sweaters were burned in effigy or laid down on the road so cars could run them over. Islanders fans chanted "We don't need you" -- as well as more anatomically specific chants -- during warm-ups.

The Islanders would rout the Leafs 6-1. "They always made it tough on the opponent when I played here," Tavares said. "They have their feelings, and that's out of my control."

Best PR Moment for the NHL: Gritty

Who is the current face of the NHL? Sidney Crosby? Alex Ovechkin? Connor McDavid? No, it's definitely Gritty.

The Flyers' ubiquitous mascot appeared everywhere from "The Tonight Show" to "Good Morning America" to political rallies. Other mascots dogged the Flyers' Orange Nightmare Fuel, saying his antics were old tricks in a new package. But that didn't faze Gritty, a mascot who was so bold in his first NHL season that he went streaking at the Flyers' Stadium Series again against Pittsburgh.

I've since been ejected. pic.twitter.com/6ims2CQpsc

- Gritty (@GrittyNHL) February 24, 2019

Worst PR Moment for the NHL: Playoff Officiating

It wasn't just the major penalty call in Game 7 of the San Jose Sharks-Vegas Golden Knights. Nearly every series had its moment of officiating controversy, from pucks off the netting that were still in play to the infamous missed hand pass in the Western Conference final to majors that should have been minors to minors that should have been majors to an offside call in the Sharks vs. Avalanche series that was so myopic that the entire notion of using replay for offside came under fire.

An embarrassing postseason of refereeing for the NHL -- so bad, in fact, that expanding video review for officials is likely going to be the solution.

Goal of the Year

Anthony Duclair with a highlight reel goal.... ������ pic.twitter.com/0tj8DpjKQi

- Robert Söderlind (@HockeyWebCast) October 19, 2018

Even after docking him points for doing this against Robert Hagg and non-Carter Hart Flyers goaltending, Duclair's incredible effort to collect the puck after falling down and then scoring was one of the wildest goals of the season.

Save of the Year

Game recognizes game. pic.twitter.com/FXYx8eSGkx

- NHL (@NHL) November 20, 2018

Not only does Carey Price make this incredible save in the dying seconds of regulation -- he makes a save that literally has Alex Ovechkin applauding the effort for preventing a goal. Incredible.

Game of the Year: Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks, Game 7 (4/23/19)

One of the most remarkable rallies in NHL history. The Knights had a 3-0 lead with 10:47 left in regulation of Game 7. That's when Joe Pavelski was cross-checked by Cody Eakin, collided with Paul Stastny, fell to the ice head-first and began bleeding profusely. Eakin was given a (controversial, then and now) five-minute major.

The Sharks scored four power-play goals in 4:01 to take a 4-3 lead, and you'll not find an arena louder than the Shark Tank when that happened.

But wait! The Golden Knights scored at 19:13 of the third period to send the game into overtime, until unlikely hero Barclay Goodrow sent San Jose to the second round, and Vegas packing.

Jonathan Marchessault claimed the refs stole the game from his team. The NHL would later apologize to the Golden Knights for the officials blowing that call, and they didn't work another playoff game. Which, in a way, perfectly captured the playoff season as a whole.

Patrik Stefan stands on the bench, watching the final seconds tick down on the game clock. The scoreboard above a sea of blue seats broken up by splotches of friends, family and the odd scout reads, "Home 4, Guest 0." As the buzzer sounds, a flurry of orange, white and powder blue debris goes flying in a whirlwind of youthful exuberance as the 15-year-olds clad in white jerseys pile over the boards, grabbing anyone they can find. They are USA Hockey national champions.

Among the blur of bodies tumbling across the ice is a jersey with "Stefan" across the top and a familiar No. 13 below. After the dog piles subside, Patrik wraps his arms around his 15-year-old son, James, and tells him he had a good game and that he is proud of him.

Patrik Stefan spent the past four years with this group of kids at the Detroit-based Little Caesars hockey club, coaching and developing them. But his life had a much different trajectory 20 years ago, when he was called to the stage as the first overall -- and first-ever -- pick of the Atlanta Thrashers at the 1999 NHL draft.

Stefan, now 38, knew his life had changed that day, but he didn't know how things would play out. He didn't know that infamy is easier to come by than fame, that YouTube was going to be a thing, and one of his worst on-ice moments would be replayed in perpetuity. Or that he'd suffer a life-altering injury, forcing retirement before he even hit his 30s.

As the 2019 NHL draft in Vancouver, British Columbia, approaches, it's easy to think back to that '99 draft, which defined the past two decades for the host city's team, thanks to the picks that happened immediately after Stefan was taken at No. 1. Canucks general manager Brian Burke swung what might be his greatest move as an NHL executive -- rearranging picks and moving out players over three separate trades to select twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin second and third overall, respectively. The Sedins went on to Hall of Fame-worthy careers, complete with Hart Trophies, scoring titles, a trip to the Stanley Cup Final and a combined 2,111 points, all with Vancouver.

If not for Burke's wheeling and dealing, Stefan likely would not have been the top pick. In his third trade of a 24-hour period, Burke got the Thrashers to agree to swap picks with the Canucks so he could select the Sedins at the same time with pick Nos. 2 and 3.

"I knew I was going to Atlanta," Stefan said in a phone conversation with ESPN. "They had the second pick, then right before the draft, they announced [the trade] and all of the sudden Atlanta was making the first pick. And I'm like, 'OK, I think that may be me.' Then you're like, 'Holy s---.'"

Stefan had been the No. 1-rated player by NHL Central Scouting. He had spent the previous season and a half with the Long Beach Ice Dogs in the old International Hockey League, then considered the second-best league in the world. And although concussion issues in his draft year limited Stefan to 35 games, he was still an all-star and produced over a point per game in a big-time pro league at just 17 years old. The Thrashers took on that risk, and a wild ride commenced.

A skipping puck

As a rookie, Stefan played in 72 games and registered 25 points, the sixth most on a team that won just 14 games all season. In total, Stefan played 414 games for the Thrashers. His best season was a 40-point run in 2003-04, which was followed by the lockout-canceled 2004-05 season. Stefan finished his Atlanta career with 177 points and was traded to the Dallas Stars in 2006.

During his lone season with Dallas, injury limited him to 41 games, in which he garnered 11 points. But his Texas days will be remembered more for what appeared to be an easy empty-net goal to give the Stars a road victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Instead, the puck skipped over his stick and he missed, before losing his footing while trying to collect the unsettled puck and allowing the Oilers to go all the way down and score the tying goal with 2 seconds left on the clock. The most popular YouTube video of the incident has been viewed nearly 1.5 million times. History tends to forget that the Stars ended up winning that game in a shootout.

History tends to forget a lot, but as Stefan notes, no one is going to feel sorry for you in hockey. The first overall designation is a special one, if you can live up to the billing. If not, it's a boat anchor that drags you down, and everyone gets to take their shots as you sink.

Nuance doesn't tend to travel over time, either. Like the 1999 draft not being particularly strong, with only 37 percent of the players selected in the first three rounds appearing in at least 100 NHL games, putting it among the least effective at placing NHL regulars of the past 20 years. Or the fact that had Atlanta taken Stefan with the second overall pick it originally had, rather than in the spotlight of that top spot, the glare might have softened over time. Or that Stefan's injury luck was nil, having managed to appear in all 82 regular-season games just once over a seven-year career.

There were concussions, but the final straw was his hip. He wanted to play, but physically could not. His career quietly ended after three games with SC Bern in Switzerland when pain and a lack of mobility robbed Stefan of anything that was left of his hockey abilities.

After years of gritting through the pain, not wanting to endure the lengthy recovery process and limiting aftermath as a younger man, Stefan is due to finally have his hip replaced later this summer.

"I'm about eight years too late," Stefan said. "I tried to hold on as long as I could. There aren't many guys at 38 that need a hip replacement. I remember going to the hospital, when I was 30 or 29. I'm sitting there with my bad hip and the next-youngest person is 65 or 70. 'What am I doing here?' It's been a struggle. With coaching, being on the ice so much, it's a struggle."

Life after the NHL

Despite the way the outside world might perceive how Stefan's career went or how he should feel about it, the struggles and ridicule he endured made him no less passionate about the game. He couldn't stay away.

"I look at my career and what I've been through, I've been through a lot," Stefan said. "I grew up playing in Czech. Moved to the U.S. when I was 16 to play in the IHL. Got drafted first overall and didn't have the career that I wanted to. All these things, you can look at it as a failure, but I was looking at as, 'What can I do about it?' I can sit at home and feel sorry for myself or I could transfer that experience and get into this business."

The business Stefan got into was forming his own player agency, which he still operates. His first NHL-drafted and -signed client was Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michal Neuvirth, who remains with Stefan. New Jersey Devils forward Pavel Zacha and a host of prospects are among those Stefan advises. He keeps his client list tight so he can be hands-on.

His unique and trying experience in the NHL gives him perspective when speaking with clients and the gravitas necessary for them to listen.

"This is a tough business to be in, there's no question about it," he said. "But when you start working with players and you guide them through their ups and downs -- because I've been through that -- it's been very rewarding. I wish that I could still play -- when I was working with young kids, it was like I was living through it. It's kind of like you're playing. You look at the games, you start looking at video and obviously, I understand the game a lot better and I look at the game differently now than when I was playing."

Beyond the busy life of being an agent, the coaching bug bit Stefan hard when he was asked to help run a practice for his nephew's team in the place of an absent coach. Soon, he was on the bench for the two teams sons James and Wyatt play on.

"I thought travel was busy when I was playing, but it's nothing compared to now," said Stefan, who moved his family to Michigan to make travel to clients easier, while also giving his boys a chance to play at a high level among their peers.

Family is clearly at the heart of so much of what the Stefans do. Carolyn Stefan, a self-described surfer girl from Southern California who met Patrik while he was playing in Long Beach, makes it all go. She has seen her husband through it all, from having his face on billboards in Atlanta to needing her help tying his own shoes on days when his hip made it impossible to bend.

"She holds the house together," Stefan said of his wife of 18 years. "I'm tough. I'm strict and she's the fun one, so there's nice balance to the household."

Patrik has preached never being too high or too low in hockey or in life to his boys and his clients. That was put to the test for the Stefan family not long after Patrik retired, when Carolyn was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer. She went through two grueling years of treatment, including numerous operations.

"That rattled us. We can get through anything, but that was a tough one," Carolyn said. "You look back at the things where you missed the net and all that stuff, and then your wife's got cancer. Perspective happens real quick. Now I'm healthy and grateful. It changes you forever and I'm just grateful for every day."

Carolyn went into remission after about a year and a half. Had Patrik's playing career not ended when it did, he might not have been able to be there as much as he ultimately was. But Patrik and their sons were by Carolyn's side as she tackled the fight of her life.

"I feel like I'm in good hands," she said. "We got a great little group here in this family. We all got each other."

Another generation

Standing among the scattered gloves, sticks and helmets on the ice after Little Caesars' 4-0 championship win, decades after his name was called as the Thrashers' top pick, there's no better place to be today for Stefan. But amid the celebration, another roller-coaster chapter commences for the family.

Next season, for the first time in some time, James Stefan will play for someone other than his father. Filled with NHL dreams of his own, the 15-year-old is bound for the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks after signing as a free agent in November.

James had what one junior hockey scout described as a "breakout season," posting 95 points to lead Little Caesars in scoring. The scout noted that the younger Stefan had grown a bit since the previous season and started to improve his skating, leading to more success.

"My decision-making, my hockey IQ, the skill ... I think took a lot of that from him," James said when looking at his father's playing style. Patrik agreed: "I think I was quick, had good hockey sense, good passer. That's what you see in the game now. It's fast."

It's too soon to say where James' career will go next, but Patrik will be there guiding him. He moved to Oregon to be with James through his journey. The Stefans know the next steps are hard. It's something Carolyn thinks about, having seen the meat grinder that this career can be for anyone, even a No. 1 pick.

"I just hope he has a bit of what his father has in that he can let [pressure or criticism] just go right off his shoulders," she said. "He trusts his dad so much so I'm super grateful for that. But it's a different thing, watching your husband versus watching your kids."

"I had my career and I was only 27 years old [when I retired]," Patrik said. "But this gave me an opportunity to be around my kids, to help them out, to be around their hockey careers. That goes quickly. That age, 7 or 8 to 15, it's gone and you're never going to get it back. This injury happened and I wish I was still playing for sure, but I can do all these things here that make me really happy."

No, Patrik Stefan didn't go where he was supposed to. But he ended up exactly where he needed to be.

Juan Mata has signed a new contract with Manchester United, the club have confirmed.

The midfielder, who would have been available on a free transfer from June 30, has put pen-to-paper a new two-year deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2021 with the option of another year.

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"It is a real honour to continue to represent this amazing club and our incredible fans," Mata said. "I have been at Manchester United for five years and I am proud to call Old Trafford my home.

"I am looking forward to working with Ole and his fantastic coaching staff; the vision that they have for the club is truly exciting and I am so happy that I will be a part of that."

Talks between the 31-year-old and United stalled with the club reluctant to offer more than a one-year extension.

A longer agreement has now been reached and Solskjaer has stressed the importance of Mata's experience in coming to the decision.

"Juan is the ultimate professional and one of the most intelligent players I have worked with," Solskjaer said. "He is a great example to our younger players in his approach.

"He understands what it means to be a Manchester United player and has embraced everything about this great club.

"As well as everything he brings on the pitch, we have some fantastic young players here and I know that Juan's vast experience will help them to reach their potential over the coming seasons.

"I am delighted that he has signed a new contract, as I know that his talent and mentality will be invaluable to the squad."

Crystal Palace are growing frustrated with Manchester United as talks continue over the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, sources have told ESPN FC.

United have seen two bids for the defender, who scored an own goal for England's Under-21s during their 2-1 defeat to France on Tuesday, rejected because Palace are seeking more cash up front.

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The two offers, according to sources, have centred around a structured payment plan and a series of add-on clauses to push the proposed deal close to Wan-Bissaka's valuation of between £50 million and £60m.

Palace are prepared to let the 21-year-old leave but want a larger proportion of the fee to be guaranteed.

United are expected to return for a third time with an improved offer. Wan-Bissaka is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's top target at right-back as he looks to bolster his defence.

The Norwegian is also keen to sign a centre-back after United conceded 54 league goals last season with Leicester's Harry Maguire among the options.

Solskjaer has already secured the signing of £15m winger Dan James from Swansea and, after bringing in defensive reinforcements, is set to turn his attention to strengthening his midfield.

Solskjaer wants at least one midfielder ahead of next season after Ander Herrera opted to leave the club on a free transfer. Newcastle's Sean Longstaff, Sporting Lisbon's Bruno Fernandes, Monaco's Youri Tielemans and Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez are all on the list of targets.

Solskjaer's transfer window has complicated by the potential departures of Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku.

The United manager was keen to keep both at Old Trafford this summer but Pogba has publicly declared he wants a "new challenge" amid interest from Real Madrid and Juventus while sources have told ESPN FC that Lukaku wants to move to Inter Milan to link up with Antonio Conte after falling behind Marcus Rashford in the pecking order at United.

Spain announced on Wednesday afternoon that Luis Enrique has stepped down as coach of the national team because of personal reasons.

Enrique, 49, has been on a leave of absence since March 26, with his assistant Robert Moreno having guided La Roja in their past three Euro 2020 qualifiers. Moreno will replace Luis Enrique as head coach, Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales announced.

"Luis Enrique has announced he will not continue as coach," Rubiales said in a news conference on Wednesday. "It is his decision and we have to respect it.

"We have to thank Luis Enrique. We've learned a lot from him. We will continue to support him. He will always have the doors open in this federation. I ask the press to continue to respect him during this difficult time which is down to a personal issue.

"The decision of the RFEF is to put its trust on Robert Moreno, who will lead us at Euro 2020. We are convinced he is the best choice in view of the situation we are in."

A statement given on behalf of Enrique was read at the news conference: "Due to the reasons that prevented me from carrying on my duties as coach since March and because they continue, I've decided to step down.

"All my gratitude to the RFEF for their confidence and the understanding shown. I want to thank especially all the people that are part of the staff and the players for their professionalism. I cannot forget the media for your discretion and the respect shown in view of the situation."

The RFEF had expressed last month their "total commitment" to Enrique and hoped to have him for "many years in charge."

Enrique was contracted to the RFEF for a further year, but his spell in charge has lasted 11 months.

Spain have gone 8-2 since the former Barcelona coach replaced Fernando Hierro at the helm following the national team's last-16 exit to Russia at the 2018 World Cup.

"It's a mixed feeling," Moreno said Wednesday at the news conference. "I'm sad but I feel the responsibility.

"It's special circumstances and Luis Enrique wanted me to accept this role. I'm certain Spain will qualify for Euro 2020."

Spain play at Romania on Sept. 5 before hosting the Faroe Islands three days later as part of their European qualifying campaign.

La Roja lead Group F with four wins in as many games.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Tuesday's Gold Cup opener against Guyana was always going to be one of those no-win situations for the United States men's national team.

Win big, and the response was always going to be: "Well, it's Guyana." Win by a less-than-flattering scoreline -- or, God forbid, fail to secure maximum points -- and the worst assumptions about Gregg Berhalter's team that have accumulated over the past 20 months would be confirmed.

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As it turned out, the U.S. cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Golden Jaguars, with two goals from Tyler Boyd, and the performance was about what was expected. The home side dominated possession, created the vast majority of chances and might have won by a bigger margin had it been sharper in terms of crossing and shooting. Defensively, the U.S. looked solid, with goalkeeper Zack Steffen forced to make just one sharp save over the 90 minutes.

The effect the win had on the team's collective psyche is open to debate. Outwardly, the win did more than just land three points in the Group D standings; it allowed the U.S. to exhale a bit after two difficult results leading into the tournament. The Americans aren't exactly walking with a swagger at the moment, but they have more momentum than they did two weeks ago.

Yet to hear winger Paul Arriola tell it, even after the U.S. stumbled to friendly defeats against Jamaica and Venezuela, the team's overall demeanor remained unchanged.

"One thing I'll say about the team, on the inside, it's been nothing like it's been on the outside," he said. "[We're] extremely confident. When we looked back at the games, we saw where we could improve, and we saw what worked and what didn't work. I give a lot of credit to the coaching staff and what they do. The positivity around the team helps us when it's a low time, like after Venezuela."

There were certainly some shortcomings in the Americans' game against Guyana, though some of that had to do with the determined opposition. While the U.S. dominated possession, there was a lack of cohesiveness that showed their attack remains in its early stages of development. Christian Pulisic, while looking dynamic with the ball at his feet, went long stretches without seeing much of it; Gyasi Zardes continues to squander decent chances and then score on absolute flukes, including Tuesday's tally when Arriola's shot deflected off the head of Guyana defender Terence Vancooten, then ricocheted off Zardes' head and in.

Yet other aspects of the U.S. attack seemed to perk up. Weston McKennie was impactful in the final third during the opening 45 minutes, and it was his deft pass that set up Arriola's 28th-minute opener. (McKennie was later subbed out with an apparent hamstring injury, though he told reporters that while the hamstring is still being evaluated, "It's looking good" in terms of him getting back on the field soon.)

Most impressive of all was the effect that the Americans' flank play had on the match. While Arriola put in an impressive shift with a goal and an assist, it was Tyler Boyd's night as he scored twice to give the U.S. some breathing room in the game and pad the team's goal differential.

Boyd is the latest U.S. player to wear the mantle of "The Best American You've Never Seen." His numbers while on loan with Turkish side Ankaragucu -- six goals in 14 appearances -- caught the eye, but how he would fit in with the U.S. side, and how impactful he could be, remained an unknown.

Tuesday's match gave U.S. fans more to hold on to. Boyd showed off some sharp finishing, firing home in the 51st minute from Michael Bradley's diagonal ball -- the 1,000th goal in U.S. men's national team history -- and then converting with a heavy shot from just outside the box in the 81st minute. He also created three chances and generally linked up well with his teammates.

"It's what we've been talking about," said Berhalter about Boyd's performance. "The verticality, the finishing, the work rate, all those things are what we've been discussing, and I think it was a good start for him."

For Boyd, it was a night to remember beyond the goals. His parents had flown in from New Zealand to watch him play and were treated to his first two goals in a U.S. uniform.

"It was an unbelievable moment for me, and to share that with my parents and give my mum my jersey after the game," he said. "But I bring it back to the team. Without my teammates giving me the ball, I can't score goals. It's a team effort, and that's what I put it down to."

The task for Boyd and his teammates is to do it again. Their next opponent, Trinidad & Tobago, will make for a psychological challenge as well as a footballing one give that the Soca Warriors eliminated the U.S. from World Cup qualifying some 20 months ago. Given all that has transpired since then, overconfidence shouldn't be an issue -- even as T&T delivered a tepid performance in a 2-0 defeat to Panama.

"We're not going to go overboard because [this was] a game that we should win [vs. Guyana], and we did win," said Bradley. "I thought we handled things in a pretty solid way. We scored some good goals; we didn't give away a ton defensively. Three important points, and we'll continue to build and continue to get better as the tournament goes on."

In an age of metrics and audience engagement, some see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the lowest of low-hanging fruit. They are box office talents because they generally turn the incredible into routine. Most of us understand and appreciate them. Perhaps not equally, but with a massive underlying respect for what they do in the football-sphere, and they rightly generate more conversation than just about anybody in sport.

But there's a part of that conversation that is dark, vicious and puerile. One that is based on one-upmanship, loathing and vitriol, that weaponizes statistics and trophy hauls, private lives and photo shoots as if keeping score in an imaginary game of "mine's bigger than yours" where the two -- or, better yet, their feats -- become surrogates for their fans.

This isn't a knock on those who care a little too much. It's simply the price you pay for the things that make it great. Passion, tribalism, release from the quotidian ennui by allowing a bunch of people you've likely never met play a game to determine your mood: team sports is all of the above. We all know (or should know) the etymology of the word "fan" from fanatic, a person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal.

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We've all been there. Nothing new. Fans talk smack. For many, it's part of the ritual. But we've moved into a slightly different territory with the perpetual Cristiano Ronaldo/Lionel Messi debate. Among the most passionate (often vicious and/or paranoid too) commenters are folks who don't appear to be supporters of the teams for which they play or, in Ronaldo's case, have played, whether at club or international level, at least according to basic timeline snooping. And this is where we enter, at least in football, a situation that's unprecedented and uncharted.

The likes of Pele, Diego Maradona or Johan Cruyff were idolized and were global superstars too, but it was usually through the lens of the teams for which they played. As popular as Maradona was, it's not as if a gaggle of Barcelona supporters became Napoli fans when he moved to Serie A. Pele is identified with arguably the greatest World Cup team ever (Brazil 1970), a hugely iconic Brazilian club (Santos) and the New York Cosmos, with all the 1970s hype that represented. Cruyff was the centrepiece of Rinus Michels' "Total Football" at Ajax and the Dutch national side, before moving to the Camp Nou and becoming intrinsically linked with the Barca brand (a relationship that would only grow once he became manager).

I'm not sure the same applies to Messi and Ronaldo, at least as far as this particular sub-section of supporters, who seem thoroughly obsessed with them, is concerned. Messi has spent 18 years at Barcelona, winning everything there is to win at club level and yet he hasn't taken over the club brand the way Maradona did in Naples or Pele with Brazil and Santos, or even Cruyff with Ajax and Barca. You can make a similar point about Ronaldo in his nine seasons at Real Madrid.

Part of this may be that the game has globalized and changed. Superstars are now brands of their own to a degree that they weren't in the past and sponsors market the individual as much as (if not more) than the team. In that sense, we're going down the NBA route: wherever LeBron goes, eyeballs and dollars follow.

Part of it may be that while it's still a team game (arguably now more than ever before), the way many experience it has changed. There were no highlights appearing in real time on social media in previous era; if you wanted to watch Maradona or Cruyff, you had to sit through entire games. There were no Facebook-friendly memes outlining their goal-scoring exploits and ready to be shared. And there was no Instagram. All of this lends itself to the celebration of the individual more than ever before, particularly among a certain global cohort.

Part of it may also be that communication has changed. As has been pointed out before, social media allows anybody with a smartphone to be his own publisher or media entity. Equally, there is more mistrust and questioning of legacy media in a multichannel landscape than ever before. Pele and Cruyff were before my time and I was a kid during the Maradona era, but looking at past coverage I get the distinct impression that whatever the "expert" on TV or in the paper said was gospel to most.

As mass audiences have learned to think more critically, and as the game has expanded to parts of the world where there are fewer legacy media institutions, that deference has waned. Perhaps not coincidentally, one of the most frequent themes in the Messi/Cristiano "Trollosphere" (after putting down the other in the most vicious way) is pointing out how the media is responsible for under-appreciating one side and relentlessly hyping the other.

Of course, it's a vast conspiracy.

The other element setting this apart is that there is a natural rivalry. One is the yin to the other's yang. While we've had great sporting rivalries in the past -- think Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird in basketball, or Roger Federer vs. Rafa Nadal in men's tennis -- it's exceedingly rare to have two legitimate G.O.A.T. candidates in the same era. And none have reached the heights of acrimony among fans of the individuals. (Let's face it: Roger is such a nice guy that you'd feel pretty bad about yourself if you were a Federer SuperFan and not emulating your hero's unbreakable niceness.)

For many, there is a natural tendency to take sides and this may be augmented by the fact that these are very visual, non-verbal superstars. Pele, Maradona and Cruyff were fun to watch, but they were also often interesting and entertaining to hear. Messi and Ronaldo interviews are as much fun as a trip to the dentist. It's not necessarily because they're less intelligent or interesting than their predecessors, it's just that we live in a world where athlete messaging is all about visuals and image first. (That and the fact that many athletes figured out long ago that saying nothing is generally in their interest in a commercial and sporting sense.)

In fact, both are helped in their visual messaging by the fact that they look more like cartoon characters than normal people. Messi is small. Ronaldo looks like a Greek statue come to life. Put them in their Sunday best suits and they still look like Messi and Ronaldo. Stick Pele or Cruyff in business attire and they look like guys you might see on Wall Street. (Maradona, of course, is different because he's Maradona...)

This branding helps explain their marketing success. It's easy to "get them" in the same way it's easy to get a Hollywood blockbuster with lots of explosions rather than some brilliant but dialogue-driven indie film. It's why one sells easily around the world and the other often gets lost in translation.

So put all the ingredients together. You have two superstars who hardly ever speak, who look like X-Men and who achieve supernaturally great things on the football pitch. It gives you licence to project not just your love and admiration upon them, but whatever qualities you want to attribute to them. Doting father? Hard-working, self-made superstar? Righter of the world's wrongs? Almost anything flies, and the only reason I say almost is that even Ronaldo's biggest acolytes would struggle to describe him as humble and understated. (They'd point out, correctly, that to paraphrase Kid Rock, it ain't bragging if you back it up...)

Maybe all of this is at the heart of why a minority -- and it is very much a minority -- of Ronaldo and Messi superfans behave like this. Or maybe it's just the simple fact that turning every man, woman and child on Earth with a smartphone into a media outlet has simply given a platform to a dark side of human nature that was always there.

In the meantime, at the risk of sounding naive, let's take heart in the fact that most of us genuinely appreciate existing in an era with two of the greatest sportsmen in history who, if anything, drive each other to new heights year after year.

Big Picture

The tournament has so far run more or less to expectation of organisers wishing to see as much of the game's biggest financial drawcards as possible. Bangladesh's presence as the most likely usurper of an otherwise entrenched top four teams has been underlined by their beatings of South Africa and the West Indies. To now face Australia is a tantalising prospect, for it is likely that the Tigers will need to beat one of either Aaron Finch's team or India, alongside Afghanistan and Pakistan, to be able to progress to the semi-finals.

It was 14 years ago in Cardiff that Bangladesh pulled off one of their most celebrated early victories over Australia in an ODI infamously remembered for Andrew Symonds' ouster after too big a night out beforehand.

More recently, each of the past two ODI encounters between the teams have been abandoned due to poor weather, at the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2015 World Cup. This means that both teams will circle each other a little uncertainly, although Bangladesh will have an element of something to prove against opponents who cancelled a scheduled Test series against them at home last year for reasons known best to Cricket Australia and its broadcasters.

At the same time, Australia are still seeking their best balance and form, having rather struggled through so far without playing in a complete manner. They came close against Sri Lanka, save for an underwhelming final 10 overs with the bat, and with Marcus Stoinis close to returning to full fitness may also be able to find the sort of team line-up that caters more evenly in terms of batting, pace and also spin bowling. Victory for Australia would more or less seal a semi-finals berth.

Form guide

Bangladesh WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWLWW

In the spotlight

As the tournament's leading run-maker Shakib Al Hasan is a clear threat to the Australians, and his left-arm spin bowling will also be a source of concern, as evidenced by the call-up of Ashton Agar to bowl to Finch's team in the nets at Nottingham ahead of the match. Though his qualities are well known and appreciated by the Australians both at international and BBL levels, it is Shakib's ability to bring others into the game, whether tightening up his end to bring wickets at the other or forming partnerships such as that with Liton Das against West Indies that makes him a still greater danger to any opponent.

So far Glenn Maxwell has arguably played a more critical role for Australia with the ball than with the bat, taking up a great deal of responsibility as the fifth bowler and only spinner after Adam Zampa was dropped following an expensive outing against India. Bangladesh may look to attack his spin as they did Chris Gayle for the West Indies, while Maxwell can also expect to face pace early in his innings, something that Pakistan waited too ling to do at Taunton and Sri Lanks did not get right at the Oval.

Team news

Liton Das should hold onto his spot after a match-clinching turn against the West Indies.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Shakib Al Hasan, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Liton Das, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Australia have a few variables in their selection, including Marcus Stoinis' imminent return to fitness and also the question of whether a spin bowler is included - Nathan Lyon has enjoyed Test match success against Bangladesh in the past. Nathan Coulter-Nile is also in line for a recall after being rested against Sri Lanka.

Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Shaun Marsh/Marcus Stoinis, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Kane Richardson/Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

The Trent Bridge surface was on the dry side for England versus Pakistan and West Indies versus Australia, but rain in the interim caused India versus New Zealand to be abandoned and may also have freshened up the square somewhat. Forecast weather is cool and cloudy with scattered showers.

Strategy punt

• Australia will have noted how Bangladesh attacked the West Indies' short-pitched assault with relish but also plenty of good fortune on a small ground at Taunton. Given Trent Bridge's somewhat bigger dimensions there may be the temptation to try it once more in the expectation that Mashrafe's men will not be quite so fortunate again. Equally, a liberal diet of bouncers would help push the Bangladesh batsmen back on the crease, where they will be still more vulnerable to Mitchell Starc's yorkers.

• Bat or bowl first is another conundrum, given Bangladesh's recent penchant for chasing with increasing confidence and brio, while the Australians have shown themselves very adept at defending even a mediocre target with their pace bowling power and alert fielding. Bat-first teams have won the majority of matches at the tournament to date, despite the impression that early orning conditions will suit fast bowlers.

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh are yet to win an ODI at Trent Bridge, having twice lost to England in 2005 and 2010.

• Tamim Iqbal (281 runs in eight matches) needs nine runs to surpass Habibul Bashar (289 in 11) as the highest run maker for Bangladesh in ODIs against Australia. Adam Gilchrist is the leading Austrlaian run-maker with 444 from 12 games.

Quotes

"We said at the start of the tour that we've got lots of options, very adaptable and that's our strength not our weakness. I get the sense some people think that's our weakness. I actually think it's our strength that we can play according to our opposition, we can play accordingly to grounds, we can play accordingly to managing players. That's a strength, not a weakness."
Justin Langer