Former AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato is set to join Orlando City SC, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

The Lions teased the signing with a pair of Tweets on Friday containing a picture of a duck. (Pato means "duck" in Portuguese.) An announcement could come as soon as this weekend.

Spotted in Orlando today ? pic.twitter.com/QvonuR60ic

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) February 12, 2021

One source told ESPN that Pato, 31, has signed a one-year deal and will not be a Designated Player. His salary will be brought down with General Allocation Money and includes an option for an additional year. Orlando recently sent striker Daryl Dike on loan to English Championship side Barnsley.

The Mane Land were among the first outlets who reported the Pato deal.

Pato's lengthy club career includes stints at AC Milan, Chelsea and Villarreal, as well several Brazilian teams and Chinese club Tianjin Tianhai. He was most recently on the books of Sao Paulo, his second stint with the club, and one where he scored nine goals in 35 league and cup appearances. But he has been without a team since he and Sao Paulo reached an agreement in August of 2020 to terminate his contract.

His most successful spell at club level came with AC Milan, where he played from 2007-13. In that time he scored 63 goals in 140 league and cup appearances, and helped the side to a Serie A title in 2010-11 and the Supercoppa Italiana in 2011.

Pato is an ex-Brazil international, scoring 10 goals in 27 appearances, the last of which came in 2013.

Pato is the latest Brazilian star to join Orlando, the club where ex-Milan and Real Madrid midfielder Kaka played from 2014-17. There are currently four other Brazilians currently on the team's roster in Junior Urso, Ruan, Antonio Carlos and Matteus Aias.

Tottenham Hotspur's first meeting with Manchester City this season left us wondering if Jose Mourinho could mastermind a Premier League title challenge. Saturday's reunion approaches with the Portuguese facing questions over whether his style of football will ever deliver the silverware that Spurs crave.

- Ogden: Everton-Spurs a showcase of great goals, horrid defence
- Stream FA Cup, Serie A, MLS on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

Perhaps nothing encapsulates the changing fortunes this campaign has thrown up quite like the shift between Tottenham and Man City. On Nov. 21, goals from Son Heung-Min and Giovani Lo Celso gave Spurs a 2-0 win that briefly sent them top of the table and dropped City to 11th place. There has been a staggering 22-point swing in City's favour since then.

Pep Guardiola's side subsequently embarked on a 22-game unbeaten run in all competitions, including 10 successive league victories that have helped them establish a five-point lead over Manchester United. By contrast, Spurs have taken just 16 points from a possible 39 since defeating City and fallen to eighth place, lowering their sights from a title tilt to a top-four scrap.

Last weekend's 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion ended a damaging spell of three consecutive defeats, but Mourinho finds himself requiring to orchestrate another one of his tactical "masterclasses" to ease mounting pressure on his position. How did it come to this so soon?

Son-Kane partnership still Mourinho's lifeline

The ebb and flow of Mourinho's 16 months in charge of Tottenham is inextricably linked to injuries. Prior to lockdown last March, Spurs' season was unravelling at an alarming rate with Son, Harry Kane, and Steven Bergwijn all sidelined as they exited the Champions League and the FA Cup inside 10 days, with Lucas Moura forced to play as an emergency striker.

The three-month hiatus caused by COVID-19 benefitted Spurs in the context of recovering these players to rally with a strong finish that secured Europa League qualification, creating a positive momentum that continued into the summer with Pierre-Emerick Hojbjerg, Carlos Vinicius, Gareth Bale, Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon added to the squad.

Mourinho hailed chairman Daniel Levy's work in the market on more than one occasion, particularly during the formative weeks of this season during which Spurs topped the table with a fine 11-game unbeaten league run, the apotheosis of which came against City. Almost any team would struggle if robbed of two of their best players, but the extreme reliance Mourinho has on Son and Kane was exemplified that day and with what followed. Spurs had four shots in 90 minutes against City, scoring with their only two on target. Tanguy Ndombele fed Son for the first, and Kane played in Lo Celso for the second.

Son was outperforming his expected goals (xG) to a frankly ludicrous level; the same is true of Kane and his expected assists (xA). Statistics compiled in early January showed that Son's 61 goals for Spurs to that point came at a rate of 44% above his xG -- the highest differential in world football. Next best was Kane, whose 104 goals in the same period were 21.33% above his xG.

The success of Mourinho's plan to prioritise defensive stability depends on Son and Kane maintaining such stunning numbers, punishing opponents on the counter-attack with optimum efficiency. Therefore, their absence is more keenly felt, as has been the case when Kane left the pitch at half-time against Liverpool on Jan. 28. Spurs lost that game, and the two matches that followed, with insipid displays bereft of any real potency. Son looked lost without his partner in crime. Mourinho tried to change things with Bale, a different profile to Kane, drafted in at Brighton & Hove Albion but then switched to asking Carlos Vinicius to play in the same mould as Kane against Chelsea. Neither was successful, and Kane was rushed back for Sunday's 2-0 win over West Brom, in which he and Son both scored.

Normal service, then, was resumed. Mourinho will hope the knock-on effect is that his defenders refocus their efforts to cut out the individual mistakes that have cost them in recent weeks, knowing they've got enough potency at the top end of the pitch to snatch a goal if they stay in the game. Wednesday's FA Cup fifth round exit to Everton, 5-4 after extra-time, suggests there is still a long way to go in that regard, but Spurs will surely target greater discipline at the Etihad Stadium.

Mourinho's lack of an alternative plan was exposed in Kane's absence, just as it has been when they have fallen behind or conceded in matches even with the England captain on the pitch. Too often, they have been passive even when in the lead, trying to see out games rather than pursuing a bigger advantage.

Guardiola's changes have paid dividends

Meanwhile, Guardiola went about things very differently. He signed a new two-year contract extension in the days before City lost at Tottenham in September. A major rebuild appeared ahead with Sergio Aguero fighting ongoing injury problems, Gabriel Jesus ineffective, David Silva's departure keenly felt and a leaky defence. Kevin De Bruyne still held the conductor's baton, but the orchestra was missing too many parts. Yet their transformation has been remarkable since that day in north London. They are yet to lose since in 22 games across all competitions, keeping 16 clean sheets in that time and setting a new record for an English top-flight side of 15 consecutive victories with Wednesday's FA Cup win at Swansea.

Ruben Dias, a £65 million acquisition from Benfica in September, has few rivals for the signing of the season, forming an extremely assured partnership with the rejuvenated John Stones at the back. But Guardiola, often criticised for over-complicating his approach in certain games, deserves great credit for the tactical alterations that have seen City thrive without Aguero and, arguably as impressive, bereft of De Bruyne who for so long was carrying the creative burden almost by himself.

Guardiola's use of full-backs coming into midfield positions is no surprise, but Joao Cancelo has thrived in the role, freeing up Ilkay Gundogan to push forward and add goals to his game from midfield. With nine to his name, has already scored twice as many goals as in any previous Premier League season.

Either with Jesus, a false No. 9 or Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva playing a strike duo in the second half of their 4-1 win at Anfield last weekend, City have rediscovered their ability to overwhelm teams with a blur of movement and magic. There is a bravery about them again which is now being rewarded. Guardiola cited a desire at Anfield to shorten their passing to avoid being caught by "the best team in the world on transitions."

Spurs will pose a very similar threat on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium. This will be the 25th meeting between Mourinho and Guardiola. Mourinho has seven wins, Guardiola 11. The 26th will come at Wembley in April when Mourinho aims to end Tottenham's 13-year wait for a trophy in the Carabao Cup final, a match he is already pointing to in rebuttal to questions over his future. He needs Spurs to produce a more immediate answer this weekend.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have lost three games in a row at Anfield. For so long, Anfield was a fortress as they went on a run of 68 games without losing at home. But with the Kop still standing silent as the coronavirus pandemic continues to necessitate games without fans, and following defeats to Burnley, Brighton and Manchester City, the fear factor is at an all-time low.

Speaking before playing Pep Guardiola's City on Sunday, Klopp said: "Our situation is not talking about supporters being in or out because we know how much they can help. We knew that always and for a long time we could ignore that, at least results-wise. Now we can't in the last few weeks."

Liverpool went on to lose that match 4-1. "For many years we were not able to win here, hopefully next time we can do it with people," Guardiola said. "Anfield is so intimidating. Anfield is always impressive, but with people it is much more."

Liverpool are far from an isolated case in the Premier League this season. Of the 17 sides still in the top-flight from last season, only five teams (Chelsea, Aston Villa, Southampton, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur) have seen their home form improve when playing in front of empty stands, compared to their pre-coronavirus form surrounded by fervent support.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

"It is quite clear without supporters at the stadium, the home team doesn't have the advantage with the supporters behind their shoulders," Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said when asked by ESPN. "It's quite simple, the teams had more difficulties at home than away -- this is the only reason."

But for each team and player, the impact is different. It's prompted talk of testosterone levels, behavioural shifts and motivational shortfalls. It's also potentially cost managers their jobs. With fans still locked out of the grounds in the pandemic era, we spoke to managers, players, psychologists and statisticians to find out whether playing at home is no longer an advantage.

Additional reporting by Lewis Holman, Mark Ogden, James Olley, Rob Dawson, Eduardo Fernandez-Abascal and Sam Porskamp

What the statistics say

In short, the data show both a "levelling" of home-away advantage and a swing in disciplinary trends. ESPN's Stats and Information Group analysed 288 Premier League games pre-lockdown from the 2019-20 season, and then the 317 matches since the restart (the remainder of 2019-20 and the 20-21 season so far). The resulting stats saw a drop in goals scored at home (from 1.5 to 1.4 pre- and post-lockdown) and an 18% increase in away goals after lockdown.

Away teams have also come away with better results: home wins have decreased by 2%, but away wins are 26% up from pre- to post-lockdown. Away team yellow cards have also decreased from an average of 1.9 per game to 1.5 per game in front of empty stands, even as fouls committed have stayed roughly the same. This also speaks to referee pressure, which we analysed in June.

The "impact" of empty stands

"Home and away is different, not like it used to be," Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said in December. "It's a different sensation now playing without the fans behind the goal at the Stretford End -- they normally score a goal for us." The same is said for other intimidating stands, like Liverpool's Kop end or Crystal Palace's Holmesdale Road Stand.

"The intimidation factor is taken away from the opposition," Michael Caulfield, one of the UK's leading sports psychologists, told ESPN. "To a degree, they are almost preseason-like friendlies with nobody there."

When the Premier League returned on June 17, after the first lockdown, the stands remained empty. Some supporters were allowed back in over December in various grounds -- numbers were dependent on government regulations relating to the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak in that part of the country -- but the numbers were capped at 2,000 per game. Even though there were still swathes of empty seats, the players felt the benefit.

"Unfortunately these times are hard for everyone and of course we'd love to have the supporters back because we know they would be a really big help for us, especially at Anfield," said Liverpool's Fabinho. "If they had been here for the games against [Manchester] United and Burnley, I'm sure the results would have been different with that support. Even when we had 2,000 fans here for the games against Wolves and Tottenham, we could feel the big difference that it made."

Liverpool have been hit hardest by the "empty stands effect," but Brighton, Newcastle and Sheffield United's home form has also disintegrated without fans. Liverpool's form also marries with their injury crisis as their three first-choice centre backs are all absent with long-term injuries and the squad is battling "mental fatigue," as Klopp puts it. They've won 10 of their 16 homes games since lockdown -- winning an average of two points per match at Anfield -- compared to last season's remarkable record of 100% until the season was put into hiatus.

"Anfield without fans is just Anfield; Anfield with 60,000 Liverpool fans chasing a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona literally rocks with noise and encouragement," Caulfield said.

"Taking the crowd out of it is a huge detriment to performance; it doesn't frighten the opposition, and it has leveled a lot of things up. The data proves that. Taking that out of it has leveled things to an extraordinary degree."

Sean Dyche's Burnley were the team who broke Liverpool's unbeaten record at Anfield, when they won 1-0 there on Jan. 21. When asked by ESPN what he felt were the reasons behind a growing trend of teams winning fewer games at home, Dyche also pointed to the eeriness of empty grounds.

"The most obvious thing is the home crowd," Dyche said. "Certain crowds, certainly the Liverpool crowd who stick with their team a bit longer if things aren't going well -- there was that old saying of the crowd sucking the ball into the Kop end."

Dyche also pointed to some clubs where they may be benefiting from not having fans. "Obviously there's a handful of clubs where the home crowd can be effective for the opposition, as the home crowd can be more demanding of players than others -- that can go against the home team sometimes -- what kind of season and form they're having," Dyche said. "Generally speaking, home crowds make a big difference."

West Ham, sixth in the league, have benefited the most from having empty stands -- they've won 29.73% more points than prelockdown. Aston Villa, Chelsea and Southampton have also seen an increase in points picked up at home postlockdown. There are other factors here, of course: Villa have markedly improved on last season's form, while Southampton have also taken strides forward under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Since Thomas Tuchel took over at Chelsea, they are unbeaten in their two home games, drawing 0-0 against Wolves and then beating Burnley 2-0. In previous manager Frank Lampard's last match in charge against Luton Town, there was a banner at the Shed End that read "In Frank We Trust: Then. Now. Forever." The absent fans still wanted to show their support for Lampard. Sources close to Lampard told ESPN he felt he would have got more time had Stamford Bridge been full every week, though their record actually improved at Stamford Bridge without fans, with Chelsea winning 20% more points from their home matches postlockdown than they did before the pause.

Arsenal's record is much the same with and without fans: they have picked up 2.23% fewer points at home postlockdown, than before last season. But sources told ESPN that Mikel Arteta feels his work at Arsenal has been made more difficult by the absence of fans. The disconnect between the team and the supporters became really bad under previous manager Unai Emery, and Arteta feels he has largely been robbed of the chance of rebuilding that relationship. There's also a view from sources near the club that the squad is mentally fragile and would benefit significantly from fan support to get them through difficult moments in close matches.

"We know that home form is going to be vital for our success and we have to change that immediately," Arteta said in December after picking up 13 points from their first 10 league matches. "If we want to have any hope of doing something important and relevant this season it has to be by winning the games at home."

Jose Mourinho, the Tottenham manager, has also seen a difference in the FA Cup experience. His Spurs side traveled to eighth-tier Marine in the third round and though they had supporters peeking through their garden fences at the game, he feels the empty stands have robbed the competition of its uniqueness.

"The FA Cup is a special competition that even with a full stadium, normally weak teams would take much more supporters than in the Premier League," Mourinho said when asked by ESPN about the differing trends in home advantage.

"In the Premier League, I have to admit that it's one thing to play with full stadiums, and another to play with empty stadiums.

"I believe that has an impact in some of the results. Let's just give an example. We were losing against Chelsea 1-0, we were playing much better in the second half than first half. The last 20 minutes the team started pressing a lot and being closer. I believe, I believe that stadium full could make an impact on the team and I think this happens in every stadium. So the public makes a difference, I believe so."

Dyche feels that "broadly speaking, home fans do have a say in how their team operate and that's the most likely thing that's affecting home and away form this season," but he has also looked to the effects empty stands are having on his players, with psychologists and statisticians finding testosterone levels are impacted, concentration affected and players unable to draw on fear as impetus when the grounds are empty.

The effect it has on the players

Klopp's Liverpool have experienced some lopsided scores this term. They had the 7-0 win at Crystal Palace, but also the 7-2 defeat at Aston Villa back in October. That heavy defeat was in the midst of a spate of high-scoring games up and down the Premier League (Manchester United lost 6-1 at home to Tottenham while Leicester won 5-2 at Man City) and back then, Klopp put this down to the players' wavering concentration levels.

"The audience, or the crowd, they sharpen your focus -- that's normal. And you have to do that yourself constantly, but it's no excuse," Klopp said.

The experience has been jarring for Klopp's players, and their silent Kop.

"It's difficult because you don't realise how much fans influence game plans, like with momentum and the sounds you can hear... I miss the fans so much," Trent Alexander-Arnold told Ian Wright in December. A player from another top club told ESPN they are struggling to find their usual urgency late in a game when chasing a key goal. They saw the team slipping into sideways passes in the final throes of the match whereas before, with fans, they'd have been shouted at for playing conservatively and would have gone route one.

Dyche also turned to previous scientific studies on a difference in testosterone levels in players as another contributing factor to the widespread dip in home form.

"There was a test years ago -- football and rugby -- in testosterone levels and home players have a higher testosterone level because of the backing of support, feeling of the home crowd," Dyche said. "If you're talking about small margins, small margins amongst 11 players and subs -- that adds up."

The players' emotional behaviour has also changed in behind-closed-doors matches, according to a study published in journal 'Humanities and Social Sciences Communications' by Michael Leitner and Fabio Richlan.

The study looked at the effect "geisterspiele" (ghost games) had on players, staff and officials through their own "Analysis System for Emotional Behaviour in Football." Using their own criteria and scoring system, they video analysed 20 RB Salzburg matches in the Austrian Bundesliga and found "the absence of supporters has a substantial influence on the experience and behavior of players, staff and officials alike."

Research showed an increase in "Fair Play behaviour" (good sportsmanship) and referees becoming less involved in "emotional situations" (arguments, altercations, disagreements) on the field. They saw players becoming "less carried away with longer-lasting and extensive 'word fights' and 'discussions.'" Instead, it saw a rise in "self-criticism," with players more likely to reproach themselves rather than others after missing a chance, and "protest," where players would shake their head or gesticulate at decisions, rather than respond verbally.

Caulfield believes the impact of empty stands on players is subjective. Some may flourish without the "threat or fear" of crowds, "but for a lot of players, because they are competitive animals who want to perform well in front of a ground, they find a challenge because they enjoy the thrill of the crowd," he told ESPN. "The crowd is their feedback -- you think of the greatest stand-up comedians of the moment, their feedback is the laughter or silence from the crowd. Football is the same, the cheer, roar and the excitement.

"How many times have you heard: the crowd kept us going and scoring in front of them is the best feeling ever. That is not there anymore, don't be surprised if now and again if levels dip because there is nothing coming back to you."

Is the same thing happening elsewhere in Europe?

Economics professors (Carl Singleton, James Reade both from the University of Reading, and Dominik Schreyer, WHU, Otto Beisheim School of Management) have been analysing home advantage across Europe. Their paper "Eliminating Supportive Crowds Reduces Referee Bias" saw home advantage decrease by 3% in games played without crowds, which included analysis of matches dating to 2002.

In the Dutch Eredivisie -- which has seen the biggest swing in favour of the away teams with home teams winning on average 55% of home matches prelockdown, to 38% postlockdown -- Feyenoord manager Dick Advocaat told ESPN before their trip to Ajax in January: "As a football player, you want to play in a full stadium, and the passion and emotion that comes with it. But the fact that there is no audience in the Johan Cruijff Arena is to our advantage: you have to be honest about that."

For those teams further down the league like FC Emmen -- dead-last in the Eredivisie, with no wins from 21 games -- they are lamenting the lack of their 12th man. "We miss the audience, 100 percent," FC Emmen manager Dick Lukkien told ESPN. "If you look at the past years, that was a perfect collaboration. We are now the victim of that. I think it cost us a lot of points. The lack of the audience is very important to us."

In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund's home record is poor this term compared to last prelockdown. Before the break last season, Dortmund were undefeated at home. Postlockdown, they have lost six of 14 home matches in the league. The players miss their fabled "Yellow Wall" of support in the Sudtribune. Interim boss Edin Terzic told Sky after the win at Leipzig on Jan. 9: "Sure, we miss our fans. Whenever we take to the pitch they sing 'Let's go Dortmund, fight and win,' that's the slogan we work hard for."

Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc told Bild following the Mainz draw on Jan. 16: "We miss the Südtribüne. When we have fans behind us, it just helps us extremely."

In La Liga, Real Madrid have lost a total of eight games across all competitions this season and four of those have come at home, all against so-called "lesser" teams (losses to Cadiz, Alaves and Levante in La Liga and the 3-2 Champions League defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk). ESPN sources say there's a recognition in the club that there's a huge difference between playing in front of a full house in the Santiago Bernabeu and at an empty Alfredo di Stefano stadium at the training ground on the outskirts of Madrid.

The players' routines have changed too. Take big European games at the Bernabeu: you'd usually get thousands of fans greeting the team bus on its arrival at the stadium prematch. Now, playing at Valdebebas, the team don't even get on a bus at all; they just stroll over from the residence nearby after the team meeting. "I don't like playing without fans," Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane said in June.

Over at Barcelona, one source told ESPN that playing in stadiums like Osasuna, which are traditionally considered very tough and claustrophobic, is a lot less stressful without fans. (Six La Liga sides have more home wins than draws and losses this season, with three of them -- Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid -- joining Sevilla in being as good away from home.) Though the players do miss the supporters.

"It's horrible to play without fans, it's a very ugly sensation," Leo Messi said in December. "Seeing no-one [in the stands] is like a training session, and it is very tough to really get going at the start of a game.

"The truth is, it's very ugly and that's why we are seeing such evenly matched games. It's very difficult to win, regardless of who you are playing against the pandemic has caused football to change a lot, and for the worse. You can see it in the matches, and I hope this all ends soon and we can get fans back into the stadiums and return to normality."

Bangladesh went into the second Test against West Indies with a spin-heavy attack, but two days into the game, the tactic hasn't worked, with the home team finding themselves 105 for 4 in reply to West Indies' 409 all out.

Tamim Iqbal, who was dismissed in the last session of the second day for 44, said that the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium hasn't matched his side's all-out spin plan, and although the surface couldn't be blamed for the four wickets Bangladesh lost on the second day, the mismatch has had a bearing on their overall strategy going into this game.

"The wicket is extremely good even when we went out to bat today," Tamim said. "None of our batsmen got out to great deliveries or due to something out of the wicket. All four were errors by the batsmen. If we were two down, we would have felt that we were in a better position. Since we lost four wickets, they are on top. We will get back into the game if we can have a 100 or 150-run partnership."

Like they have done in the past five years in home Tests, Bangladesh picked an XI with three spinners and one pace bowler in this game too. But over the first two days, they have only found slow turn with a bit more bounce than the pitch at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium where the first Test was played.

"Our plan wasn't for this wicket," Tamim said. "When a home team is picking three spinners, it is not rocket science to know that we expected from the wicket. We went ahead with a plan, but now that the wicket didn't support the spinners, there's bound to be talk about it. We went with the same combination against West Indies in 2018, and we were very successful."

The opener also credited West Indies' batting, which has been on an upswing since a remarkable chase of 395 to win the first Test.

"We wanted to take early wickets today but the wicket was really good," he said. "It didn't help our spinners. They also batted exceptionally well. (Alzarri) Joseph played well for his 80-odd, and the wicketkeeper (Joshua Da Silva) did well. Not everything happened because of our mistakes. Credit where it's due.

"They played some exceptional cricket on the last day in Chattogram, otherwise we were on top for the first four days. However, they have played better cricket than us in this Test."

The nature of the surface offered hope for Bangladesh's middle order to rescue the team, with the team relying on the fifth-wicket pair of Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Mithun to stitch a substantial partnership together.

"The wicket hasn't behaved in a way that should worry us," Tamim said. "Our first session is very important. We have lost four wickets, and we don't have much batting left. A lot depends on this partnership, which will have a bearing on the rest of the game for us.

"You must have the belief. Liton is a very capable batsman. Mehidy had a good first Test. It is our fault that we are in this situation. We are in this position because of our errors."

Tamim, who blamed himself for playing an uppish drive off Joseph after he had been set on 44 off 51 balls, said that positive intent was the way to go for the Bangladesh batsmen.

"I didn't think I was aggressive. I had good intent," he said. "Apart from the shot that I got out, I probably didn't play too many false shots. I thought we shouldn't go into this innings with a very defensive mindset. If you keep on playing to the merit of the ball, you are going to be fine. But the shot that I played, was not on."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

No Irish first-class cricket will be played for a second consecutive season, after Cricket Ireland announced a revamped inter-provincial structure for 2021.

The Inter-Provincial Championship, the Irish domestic multi-day competition, has had first-class status since the 2017 season, paving the way for Ireland to become a full member of the ICC, but the tournament was not staged last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and will not be held in 2021 as Ireland focus their efforts on limited-overs cricket.

Ireland have not played a Test match since July 2019, when they threatened to cause an upset against England at Lord's, and are not due to play another until December, when they have a one-off fixture scheduled against Sri Lanka. Their 'A' side, the Ireland Wolves, will play a four-day game in Bangladesh later this month, but further red-ball development opportunities will continue to be limited.

"With regards to the red-ball format, with no summer Test scheduled in 2021, Cricket Ireland has prioritised white-ball cricket due to there being three white-ball World Cups over the next three years," a statement said. "However, [we] will be exploring ways to reintroduce the Inter-Provincial Championship when both the pandemic and consequential financial situation permits."

After Leinster Lightning's domination of the inter-provincial tournaments since their introduction in 2013, Cricket Ireland has overhauled the domestic system to maximise the possibility of "best v best" competition.

Previously, talent has been concentrated in Leinster to the extent that players on the fringes of the national set-up have struggled to make their XI, while the other teams - North West Warriors, Northern Knights and, in T20, Munster Reds - have not competed at the same standard.

Under the new system, Graham Ford and Andrew White - the national team's head coach and chair of selectors respectively - will be involved in selecting core squads, rather than provincial union coaches and selectors. "The selectors will adopt a selection policy that, as far as possible, balances the need to strength the tournament via best v best against ensuring the strength of provincial union identity," the statement said.

A new loan system will also be introduced in 2021 to make squads more flexible, while the Munster Reds will also compete in the 50-over competition, though their coaching hub will be based in Dublin with guidance from Cricket Ireland.

The 50-over competition will be played in a double-round-robin series, with each team playing six games in total, while the T20 tournament will be played as a series of three-day festivals. The season will run from May to September, and a new emerging team competition will also be staged.

"It is widely acknowledged that more cricket is needed and there is a burning desire for more rounds of both white-ball formats to be played, as well as eventually returning to red-ball three- or four-day first class cricket," said Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland's high performance director.

"This is an exciting day for domestic representative cricket across Ireland, as we start to move forward with some substantial reforms to the men's game. A viable and sustainable inter-provincial structure feeding talent into the international set-up is crucial for the competitiveness of our senior side on the world stage."

"The 'best v best' philosophy seeks to ensure we don't have a host of talented players sitting on the sidelines, and that they are getting proper competitive cricket. Balancing this with the need to maintain a sense of regional identity was an important piece of these improvements - and will be one of the main components of ensuring that regional coaches are working closely with national coaches."

Ireland are due to play men's international fixtures against Pakistan, South Africa and Zimbabwe in their home 2021 season, as well as a three-match World Cup Super League series in the Netherlands. They were beaten 3-0 by Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi this month, having drawn 1-1 with the UAE immediately before.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra will replace Saba Karim as the BCCI's General Manager. He will be in charge of game development and operations.

Malhotra, who has been in the cricket industry for more than two decades, has also held senior positions at the ICC and has been responsible for overseeing cricket operations of various ICC events.

"Yes, Dhiraj Malhotra has been formally appointed as GM (Game Development). He will be joining from Monday, February 15," a senior BCCI source told PTI on Friday.

Karim's three-year stint had ended last month after being on six-month notice period.

Malhotra will be responsible for determining and monitoring the match playing regulations, standards of venues, including pitches and outfields, besides the administration of the Domestic Tours Programme. The BCCI brass is confident that Malhotra's extensive work in ICC operations and as Delhi Capitals chief executive will come in handy.

"Dhiraj's joining Delhi franchise coincided with two of their best seasons, including a playoff and a second-place finish," the source said. "Also, when he was with DC, he was asked to help out at the ODI World Cup in England due to his vast knowledge."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Fritz Pollard Alliance blasted the Jacksonville Jaguars and head coach Urban Meyer for hiring Chris Doyle, a former strength coach at the University of Iowa who was accused of making racist remarks and belittling and bullying players, to be the team's director of sports performance.

Fritz Pollard Alliance executive director Rod Graves released a statement on Friday that called Doyle's hiring unacceptable and Meyer's defense of the hire an example of the problems minority coaches face in the NFL.

"At a time when the NFL has failed to solve its problem with racial hiring practices, it is simply unacceptable to welcome Chris Doyle into the ranks of NFL coaches," Graves' statement read. "Doyle's departure from the University of Iowa reflected a tenure riddled with poor judgment and mistreatment of Black players. His conduct should be as disqualifying for the NFL as it was for University of Iowa.

"Urban Meyer's statement, 'I've known Chris for close to 20 years' reflects the good ol' boy network that is precisely the reason there is such a disparity in employment opportunities for Black coaches."

The Fritz Pollard Alliance is an organization devoted to championing diversity in the NFL. It comprises scouts, coaches and front office personnel in the NFL as well as other sports professionals.

Doyle's hiring drew immediate backlash on Thursday, when the team announced the move as part of Meyer's complete coaching staff. Doyle had been Iowa's director of strength and conditioning from 1999 until last summer, when he and the school reached a separation agreement after numerous former Iowa players spoke out about mistreatment within the Iowa program.

A number of the allegations came from Black players and concerned the way Doyle treated them and his use of racist language. Meyer said he researched Doyle, had some intense conversations with him and is confident that there will not be problems in the future.

"I vet everyone on our staff and like I said, the relationship goes back close to 20 years and a lot of hard questions asked, a lot of vetting involved with all our staff," Meyer said. "We did a very good job vetting that one.

"... I met with our staff and I'm going to be very transparent with all the players like I am with everything. I'll listen closely and learn, and also there's going to have to be some trust in their head coach that we're going to give them the very best of the best, and time will tell. ... The allegations that took place, I will say [to the players] I vetted him. I know the person for close to 20 years and I can assure them there will be nothing of any sort in the Jaguar facility."

Some of the issues raised by the numerous former Iowa players who spoke out on social media last year were: Black and white players were held to different standards; Black players were mistreated; Doyle and other assistants made racist remarks; and Black players felt they had to conform to specific ways of dress and behavior. Their complaints sparked the university to hire a Kansas City law firm to conduct an external investigation into the football program.

The issues were not strictly related to race.

Former Iowa offensive lineman Jack Kallenberger said last June on Twitter that he retired from football in January 2019 after he became despondent because of what he described as bullying related to a learning disability. Doyle was among the coaches he named who harassed him.

The university placed Doyle on administrative leave on June 6 in the wake of those allegations. One day later, Doyle defended himself in a statement posted to Twitter that read, in part: "At no time have I ever crossed the line of unethical behavior or bias based upon race. I do not make racist comments and I don't tolerate people who do."

On June 14, it was announced that Doyle was out at Iowa. Doyle, who was the nation's highest-paid strength coach at $800,000 annually, received 15 months' salary (roughly $1.1 million), and he and his family were awarded benefits from Iowa for 15 months, or until he found employment elsewhere, which he did this month with the Jaguars.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith informed the team that he and his family were robbed at gunpoint Tuesday after being followed from Los Angeles International airport.

"We are aware of the situation involving Jimmy Smith," the Ravens said in a statement. "We have spoken with Jimmy and he and his family are safe.''

No other details were given by the team.

Spokesmen for the Los Angeles Police Department and the L.A. Sheriff's Department said they were unaware of the incident and did not have a police report. The LAX police did not immediately return a phone message from ESPN.

The Athletic first reported the incident involving Smith and his family.

Smith, 32, has spent his entire 10-year career with Baltimore after being a first-round pick in 2011. He signed a one-year, $2.5 million extension with the Ravens on Jan. 1.

HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans on Friday released star defensive end J.J. Watt, granting his request.

Watt was drafted by the Texans in 2011 with the No. 11 pick and became the face of the franchise, winning three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2012 to '15. He is one of three players to win that award three times.

"I have sat down with the McNair family and I have asked them for my release, and we have mutually agreed to part ways at this time," Watt said in a video posted to Twitter. "I came here 10 years ago as a kid from Wisconsin who'd never really been to Texas before. And now I can't imagine my life without Texas in it. The way that you guys have treated me, besides draft night. I mean, you guys booed me on draft night. But every day after that, you treated me like family. And I truly feel like you're my family.

"... I'm excited and looking forward to a new opportunity, and I've been working extremely hard. But at the same time, it is always tough to move on. And I just want you guys to know that I love you. I appreciate you. I appreciate the McNair family for drafting me and giving me my first opportunity in the NFL."

Watt had one year remaining on the contract he signed in 2014. He was owed $17.5 million in 2021, but his salary was not guaranteed. He is now free to sign with another team.

League sources told ESPN's Ed Werder that approximately a dozen teams initially had shown interest in Watt since his release, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans. Sources said Watt's priority in determining his next team will be his belief that he can play in a Super Bowl with that team based on its supporting cast; he has never reached a conference championship game.

Watt's brothers, T.J. and Derek, both play for the Steelers. T.J. took to Twitter after J.J. Watt announced his release Friday, showing he wants his brother to join them in Pittsburgh.

J.J. Watt is coming off just his second 16-game season since 2015, as he has dealt with several season-ending injuries since then.

"Change is never easy, especially when it involves the ones you love. J.J.'s impact on not only our organization, but the entire Houston community, is unlike any player in our franchise's history," Texans chair and CEO Cal McNair said in a prepared statement. "I told J.J. earlier this week that we will forever consider him a Texan. We take solace in knowing that this is not a goodbye but a 'see you soon.' For now, we will build upon the foundation that J.J. created here and forge ahead with our unwavering mission to bring a championship to our city, create memorable experiences for our fans and do great things for Houston."

In 2020, Watt ranked 15th out of 119 qualified pass-rushers in pass rush win rate, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He finished the season with five sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception that he returned for a touchdown.

Watt is by far the most productive pass-rusher in Texans history with 101 career sacks. There have been only two players in team history with more than 30 career sacks (Whitney Mercilus with 54 and Mario Williams with 53) since the franchise's first season in 2002.

"He's one of the best defensive players in history," McNair told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "It's hard to put in a sentence or two because he has meant so much to the team and city. His legacy will be with us for years. It's bye for now, but not bye for good. My kids grew up with him. He's played with them on the sidelines. One of my kids shares a birthday with him. Mom is a big fan of his. He's just meant so much to all of us. This is doing right by him, and this gives him time to pick his next stop."

During the season, Watt made it clear he was not interested in playing for a team going through a "rebuild."

"I don't think it's any secret that I don't have 10 years left in this league," Watt said in November. "I personally believe that I do have a few more great ones left in me. But you also can't ... I'm not looking to rebuild. I'm looking to go after a championship, and that's what I want to do."

When asked at the end of the season whether he felt the 2021 Texans would be in rebuilding mode, Watt said there are "so many unknown factors to that situation right now that you can't definitively say that."

"Change is going to happen. It's part of the NFL," McNair told Schefter. "It's inevitable but not always easy. It's bittersweet. That's my word of today for J.J. We have gratitude for J.J. Giving him plenty of time to pick his next destination is the right move."

While one player is leaving, another remains locked in a stalemate with the team, as Deshaun Watson has requested a trade despite the Texans reiterating they have no intention of dealing the star quarterback.

"There is a lot of misinformation out there," McNair told Schefter. "I'll leave it at that. Today we want on focus on J.J. Deshaun is our QB, he is a Texan, and we expect him to remain a Texan, and we'll leave it at that."

Watt's departure comes in an offseason in which the Texans have hired coach David Culley and general manager Nick Caserio to replace Bill O'Brien, who held both jobs and was fired after the team opened the season 0-4.

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson suffered a fractured right hand during Friday night's 109-91 win over the Wizards in Washington, D.C., the team announced.

Robinson was dominant in the first half, finishing with 10 points, 14 rebounds, an assist and two steals while going 5-for-6 from the field. It wasn't clear when Robinson injured his hand, though he was grabbing at it after the buzzer sounded to end the second quarter.

A short time later, the Knicks announced Robinson wouldn't return to the game. The fracture was announced at the end of the third quarter, and the team said he would be reevaluated Saturday in New York.

Robinson, 22, entered Friday's game averaging 8.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in a career-high 29.6 minutes per game for the Knicks, having firmly entrenched himself as the team's starting center under new coach Tom Thibodeau. After Nerlens Noel, who presumably will take Robinson's spot in the starting five, started in the preseason, Thibodeau made him the starter to begin the year, and Robinson started all 27 games the Knicks have played this season en route to a 12-15 record.

The Knicks have an option on his contract for next season that they can either exercise, keeping him under contract for $1.8 million, which would make him an unrestricted free agent after the 2021-22 season, or decline and make him a restricted free agent after this season.