MIAMI -- Former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria reached a lawsuit settlement to reimburse the local government $4.2 million for the cost of building Marlins Park, which opened in 2012.

The payment stems from the $1.2 billion sale of the team in 2017 by Loria to Derek Jeter and his ownership group. In 2009, local government agreed to help pay for the ballpark in exchange for Loria's pledge to share profits if he later sold the team.

Following the sale, Loria claimed a loss on the deal due to taxes, which the county described as "fuzzy math."

The settlement follows months of negotiations. Miami-Dade County will receive $3.637 million, or 87% of the settlement, and the city of Miami will receive $563,000, according to terms outlined on the county website.

The 2009 agreement called for Loria to pay 5% of net proceeds from the sale of the team. Public money covered more than three-fourths of the $634 million cost for Marlins Park.

The county commission will consider approving the settlement at a meeting Tuesday. It was signed by David Samson, who was team president when Loria owned the Marlins.

Samson declined to comment. The Marlins' current owners also declined to comment but have contended the suit had nothing to do with them.

Loria, 80, bought the Marlins for $158.5 million in 2002 and became unpopular because of his frugal ownership and perennially losing teams. Last season, in Jeter's third season as CEO, the Marlins reached the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It may sound strange to say competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be something of a homecoming for a driver who’s spent virtually his entire career racing single-seaters in European-based series.

Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen is hardly a stranger to IMSA given how often he flew across the Atlantic as a youngster to watch his father, Jan – the four-time IMSA champion – race.

“I can’t say exactly how many IMSA races I went to with my father, maybe 10 or 12. But I definitely got a feel for the racing here and for a lot of the tracks,” says Magnussen, who along with Renger van der Zande will pilot the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac in the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class this year, after spending the last seven seasons in Formula 1. “So I was really interested in racing in America when it looked like my time in Formula 1 was ending.”

Several years ago when exploring his options outside F1, Magnussen made the rounds of some of America’s leading race teams to see what opportunities were available, but also to get a sense of how those teams operated. One stop was at Chip Ganassi Racing for an unannounced visit.

“The front desk called one day and said, ‘There’s a guy down here from somewhere in Europe. He asked if you were in the building and if he could come meet you,’” recalls Mike Hull, CGR’s managing director. “Kevin had just walked in the front door and asked if he could meet me and take a look around. So I went down and we ended up spending about 90 minutes together just talking about racing, one on one.”

As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Magnussen hit it out of the proverbial park.

“He was obviously looking for a backup plan if things didn’t work out in Formula 1 and, at the time, we didn’t have a place for him,” says Hull. “But it was a great conversation. Very impressive. And he hasn’t changed.”

Given his open-wheel background, it’s no surprise that Magnussen’s primary interest was IndyCars back then. Although he wound up staying in F1, he again set his sights on America upon learning his services were not required by the Haas F1 Team in 2021. However, by the time he renewed his search for an IndyCar seat, the opportunities were few and far between, particularly since Magnussen was not in position to bring substantial sponsorship support.

Matters took a decided turn for the better when Ganassi cemented an agreement with Cadillac to campaign the DPi in 2021 and beyond. It marked an IMSA homecoming for CGR as well, after a one-year absence following its four-year run with the Ford GT Le Mans program. That came after CGR’s immensely successful Daytona Prototype program that collected five championships and eight Rolex 24 At Daytona wins.

When Ganassi offered Magnussen a seat in the Cadillac, it was an easy decision.

“I was impressed by the professionalism of the organization when I visited the shop in Indianapolis,” says Magnussen. “They clearly have a commitment to winning. Of course, every team wants to win. But in speaking with Mike and Chip, it’s obvious they only race to win. They’re not satisfied with second place or just being on the podium.”

That is a quantum attitude adjustment for Magnussen, given the approach most of the F1 field has no alternative but to adopt.

“When I started racing and through the early parts of my career, I did it to win. That’s why I wanted to race and also how you progress in your career: by winning races,” Magnussen says. “(But) in Formula 1, unless you are with the top team or maybe the second team, you have no chance of winning. Your goal is to finish in the top 10 and earn points.”

That is most assuredly not the case in the WeatherTech Championship DPi class where, for example, four teams won races and all but one regular competitor earned at least one podium finish during the 2020 season. Magnussen is also reveling in the opportunity to work with CGR teammates van der Zande and, in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events, Scott Dixon.

“In Formula 1, your biggest opponent is your teammate,” he says. “The best way to advance to one of the top teams is to beat your teammate, so you do not want to help him in case by helping him you will hurt your career. This is different. I’m really enjoying working with Renger and Scott. If you have questions or if they see something that can make you better, make you faster, they will do their best to help you. The same goes for me. It’s a real team effort.”

And from a selfish viewpoint, a most enjoyable one.

“I’m really enjoying the Cadillac,” Magnussen said. “I feel like I’m getting back to the things that got me excited about being a race driver in the first place. This might sound odd, but the car is not easy to drive and that’s good!

“Formula 1 cars are fantastic, obviously the fastest cars in the world, and I’m very thankful I achieved my dream of racing in Formula 1. But the cars are actually easy to drive. If you put any good race driver in a Formula 1 car, they would say the same thing. The electronic systems control most of the car’s performance. With the Cadillac there is much more that you control as the driver. And the sound. The Formula 1 engines sound kind of ‘blah’ these days. Hearing the engine behind you in the Cadillac, you know you’re in a race car.”

Magnussen gained valuable track time this weekend in the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, qualified the No. 01 for the Motul Pole Award 100 qualifying race and combined with van der Zande to finish seventh.

He’ll get more time when Rolex 24 practice begins Thursday, with the 59th running of the 24-hour race starting Saturday afternoon.

DAYTON, Ohio – Bobby Jacks, whose ARCA Menards Series career included four wins, seven pole awards and six top-10 finishes from 1979-88, died at age 75 on Jan. 18.

Jacks raced out of the Dayton, Ohio, suburb of Huber Heights and drove primarily for owner Mike Redfern and the Combined Racing team, driving red, white and blue No. 71 Oldsmobiles that were meticulously prepared and won numerous ARCA awards for best appearing car and crew.

Jacks won at Flat Rock Speedway in Michigan in 1982, at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield in 1984 and at Pocono Raceway and Kil Kare Speedway in Xenia, Ohio, in 1986, a year in which he led 793 laps in 24 races.

In 96 career starts, he had 24 top-five and 44 top-10 finishes, plus finishes in the top 10 in ARCA Series points consecutively from 1981-1986 with a best points finish of fourth in ’82.

His seven pole qualifying runs came at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Springfield, Zanesville, Ohio and four poles at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds dirt mile, including three straight from 1984-86.

Jacks also raced ASA late models, SCCA sports cars and USAC Stock Cars, where he won in the 4 Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway.

After retiring from driving, he built race engines for all disciplines including road course, drag and paved and dirt oval track, as well as antique engines.

Jacks resided in Dayton, Ohio, at the time of his passing and is survived by children Robert “Robby” Jacks Jr. and Connie Jacks; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

CONCORD, N.C. – A fixture for more than two decades at Speedway Motorsports, executive Jason Bowling has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Ticket and Marketing Information.

In this role, Bowling is responsible for overseeing all consumer experience platforms including; CRM, ticketing, email and mobile applications for Speedway Motorsports facilities.

“Jason’s leadership and experience through the years have been pivotal to keeping Speedway Motorsports at the forefront of the entertainment industry,” said Speedway Motorsports Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Mike Burch. “Under Jason’s direction, Speedway Motorsports has been able to combine previously separate data sources, implement new technologies, and gain deeper insights of our customers, resulting in the best possible end-user experience for our fans. I look forward to his continued leadership in the future.”

A native of Lancaster, Ohio, Bowling attended High School in Grapevine, Texas before earning his Bachelor of Science in Sports Management degree from The University of Texas at Austin. Following internships with the Texas Rangers, Bowling began his career in sports with the Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas), before joining Texas Motor Speedway as its credential coordinator in 1999. He spent 10 years in the role of Director of Tickets for Texas Motor Speedway before being named Speedway Motorsports’ Vice President of Ticket and Marketing Information in 2014.

“I have been fortunate to be a part of the Speedway Motorsports family for most of my career,” Bowling said. “Not only has this allowed me to work with some of the best people in the sports and entertainment business, but it has also afforded me the chance to be involved in motorsports during dynamic years requiring new and creative solutions. I am excited to continue my career in this new role with Speedway Motorsports as we continue to drive innovation in motorsports to improve the fan experience.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Following an incident in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge practice on Wednesday afternoon, Wright Motorsports officials have made the decision to retire the No. 16 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport for the remainder of the weekend.

As a result the Wright Motorsports car’s leading driver, Ryan Hardwick, will also withdraw from the Rolex 24 at Daytona Int’l Speedway this weekend.

Hardwick’s condition is stable and the driver was kept overnight at a local hospital for observation, but due to a concussion he will not be able to drive the No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R in Saturday’s Rolex 24. The 1st Phorm entry will still compete in the event, with Trent Hindman joining the existing Wright Motorsports roster of Patrick Long, Jan Heylen, and Klaus Bachler.

“It’s unfortunate that I won’t be able to join the team for the big race,” said Hardwick. “I wish I was driving with them, but sadly that won’t be possible. When I first learned I wouldn’t be able to drive, Trent was immediately one of the first drivers I thought of to step in. I want the team to continue and our 1st Phorm car to be on track to compete in this event. I’ve followed Trent’s career for the last few years, and I think he’ll be a good fit. Trent is joining a really great team, and I wish them the best of luck this weekend. He’s in the best hands.”

Already at the circuit, Hindman was able to begin getting settled with his new team on Thursday morning, immediately beginning the team introductions, seat fittings, and team procedure reviews, in preparation for the first practice later in the morning.

The 25-year-old American has several sports car racing championships under his belt, most recently winning the 2020 GT World Challenge America Silver Championship, as well as the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship GTD class title.

“First and foremost, what’s most important is that Ryan is okay,” said Hindman. “Filling in for the Rolex 24 under these circumstances is never ideal, but I am grateful to John, Ryan, and the Wright Motorsports team for trusting me with this opportunity. The No. 16 Porsche looks to be a strong contender for victory come Sunday, and I certainly look forward to doing everything I can to make it happen.”

Jim Rutherford resigned as Pittsburgh Penguins general manager just seven games into a 56-game season. It was stunning, unanticipated and, given the circumstances, unheard of in the National Hockey League, especially given the work Rutherford did to retool this team.

His motivations are a mystery. His future is as unpredictable as it is for the team. Let it never be said Jim Rutherford doesn't know how to pull off a shocking transaction.

"He's a true Pittsburgher. He says what he means and he means what he says," said Penguins CEO David Morehouse on Wednesday.

On Tuesday night, Rutherford said he was done and he meant it, as evidenced by the reiteration of his intentions the following morning, when Morehouse checked to see if the 71-year-old architect of back-to-back Penguins Stanley Cups had reconsidered.

He had not.

"It's a personal decision that Jim made. Shocking? I'm not sure shocking is the right word. I think he's accomplished a lot here. I think he still has things he wants to do," said Morehouse.

Things that apparently don't involve the Penguins. Reports are that Rutherford plans to wait out the end of his contract in the summer and then reevaluate his career. It could end in retirement. It could continue with a team other than the Penguins.

As the franchise scrambles to understand what just happened, the clock at which the Penguins have been staring is now ticking at ear-pounding decibels. Sidney Crosby is 33. Evgeni Malkin is 34. They have one postseason series win between them in the last two seasons. If the window hasn't closed -- and there's evidence that it has -- who is the right person to prop it open?

Three-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka of Japan has invested in the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) to become a team owner, the U.S. top-flight club said Thursday.

"The women who have invested in me growing up made me who I am today, I don't know where I would be without them," Osaka, the world No. 3, wrote on Twitter.

"Throughout my career I've always received so much love from my fellow female athletes, so that's why I am proud to share that I am now an owner of the NC Courage."

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Osaka, 23, was named Forbes' highest-paid female athlete in May last year when she surpassed her idol Serena Williams, raking in $37.4 million in prize money and endorsements over 12 months.

The Courage won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 after moving to North Carolina.

Stephen Malik, chairman and founder of the club in 2017, said: "I am thrilled to welcome Naomi as an owner of the North Carolina Courage.

"She brings an invaluable viewpoint on topics beyond sports. I cannot think of anyone better to help us as we continue to make a difference in our community and inspire the next generation of women."

Osaka, who won the US Open last year, has used her standing in the sport to fight for racial justice. At every round of the tournament in New York, she wore masks bearing the names of Black Americans who died as a result of racial injustice and police brutality.

Julian Green's career began almost perfectly. Just weeks after his 19th birthday, he checked two huge items off of his career bucket list: (1) sign with Bayern Munich, and (2) score in a World Cup.

Green committed to playing for the United States over Germany in the spring of 2014 and was quickly selected for the USMNT's World Cup squad in somewhat controversial fashion -- manager Jurgen Klinsmann chose him on the wing but didn't choose legendary 32-year-old forward Landon Donovan. But Green did his best to justify the decision, scoring and creating two chances in a 16-minute, round-of-16 cameo against Belgium.

He kept producing for the national team, too, even as its fortunes flagged -- he scythed a wicked ball past France's Hugo Lloris, for instance, in a 2018 friendly. In 15 matches and 748 minutes with the national team, he has scored four goals on 25 shots, created eight chances and logged 39 ball recoveries while playing central midfield, left-midfield, left winger, attacking midfield and center-forward.

Since 2014, only four other players have averaged at least 0.5 goals and 1 chance created per 90 minutes for the U.S. team (minimum 500 minutes): Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Christian Pulisic and Jordan Morris. That's good company, and Green put his production together without a clear position or role.

Now with Greuther Fürth, he's not only a full-time midfielder -- a potential position of need for the U.S. -- but he's also perhaps the best midfielder in the entire German second division.

"In all the youth teams, I played in the midfield," Green said, "but also sometimes on the wing and sometimes as a striker. I've not ever had a real position. And at Bayern I played as a striker, as a winger, and there really wasn't a position for me. But then I came to Fürth and started playing in the middle, and I think that was a very good decision. That's my favorite and best position. With [Fürth manager Stefan Leitl, himself a former Bayern prospect-turned-second division star] our game also changed -- we have the ball a lot, we want to dominate the game, and that's what's good for me."

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Despite a solid showing at the 2014 World Cup, the Klinsmann era faded pretty quickly. The USMNT finished only fourth in the 2015 Gold Cup and the 2016 Copa America, and Klinsmann was fired after a 2-1 loss to Mexico and a 4-0 pounding against Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying.

All the while, Green was struggling to find his place in club soccer. He scored 25 goals for Bayern's junior team, but only once for the senior team, and both a 2014 loan to Hamburg and a 2016 transfer to VfB Stuttgart failed to bear much fruit. He was loaned, and then sold, to Fürth.

Every manager Green had seemingly viewed him as something slightly different. He said Bayern's Carlo Ancelotti envisioned him as a striker (Green netted a hat trick in a U.S. exhibition against Inter Milan in 2016). Klinsmann deployed him primarily on the left wing, though U.S. interim manager Dave Sarachan played him just about everywhere in 2018.

"For Julian, I felt he could play a variety of roles in the attacking third," Sarachan said. "We saw him as sort of a guy who could play in one of four roles -- he could play underneath the No. 9 [center-forward], in the No. 10 [attacking midfield] role, he could play on the right and the left in what you'd call a 7 or 11 role [wings], and he could play in sort of the No. 8 role [box-to-box midfield]. So, 8, 10, 7 or 11 -- he's got qualities that can create chances."

The downside of being a jack of all trades, however, is that you risk being seen as a master of none. As Green was attempting to get his footing in Fürth, he lost his spot with the national team, a symbol of a divisive manager and failed era. He hasn't made an appearance since manager Gregg Berhalter was appointed in December 2018.

Off the radar at Fürth, he has found himself again. Let's do some whittling.

Of the 442 players who have played at least once in the 2. Bundesliga this season, 73 have logged at least two assists.

Of those 73, 17 have also recorded at least 75 ball recoveries.

Of those 17, eight have won more than 50% of their duels.

Of those eight, only Green has also scored at least five goals.

It's admittedly difficult to properly measure midfield play with statistics, as a midfielder can be asked to do a little of everything. But passing well, snatching up loose balls, winning one-on-ones and scoring seems to be a sign that you're pretty good at your job, and Green has been better at this combination than anyone. The graders at WhoScored.com have noticed his play as well -- he's in their 2. Bundesliga's Best XI.

Fürth is, in itself, a fascinating story. In their own sort of Moneyball fashion, the Kleeblatter ("Cloverleaves") have compiled a young roster -- of the 20 players to see the field this year, 15 are 25 or younger -- full of former big-club prospects from Bayern, Wolfsburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, etc. They play an almost recklessly optimistic style, relying on both full-backs and wide midfielders to push upfield and create numbers advantages in attack, while midfielders from the other side can flood the box. Green has scored from close range in back-to-back matches.

They attempt more shots per possession than anyone in the league (they're also sixth in average xG per shot), and because they've got players upfield, they're also in prime pressing position: they're fourth in the league in starting 8.7 possessions per game in the attacking third. On paper, they are stylistically similar to teams like the Bundesliga's Borussia Dortmund, Portugal's league-leading Sporting CP, Ligue 1's Monaco or Major League Soccer's LAFC.

This approach suits Green perfectly.

"I think my style of playing just fits in this team and in our group," he said. "That's always important. If our coach would like to play just long balls and make counter-attacks, maybe I wouldn't be the perfect player for that. But we want the ball, we want to play between the lines and go forward."

"He's got a real fluid comfort level receiving balls, [even] under pressure," Sarachan said. "At the highest levels, as you move along, there's less time and space and more pressure, but he's got good technical speed and a willingness to show up in tough spots."

"Our coach always says the middle of the team is the heart of the team," Green said. "If the midfield is working well, most of the time the games are going well."

And Green is at the heart of it. His primary jobs have been (a) to work with left-back David Raum in advancing the ball from level to level and (b) to serve as a set-piece whiz. He's on pace for 11 goals and 45 chances created this season after averaging four and 31, respectively, the last two years. He's Fürth's primary corner-taker, and on free kicks he's capable of nastiness like this:

???? #USMNT pic.twitter.com/3JxWCVmEzz

— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) November 22, 2020

Fürth is in a ferocious battle to attain promotion to the Bundesliga for what would be only the second time. They briefly reached first place in the 2. Bundesliga in December, and beat top-division Hoffenheim in Germany's DFB-Pokal as well. (Hoffenheim responded by arranging to pluck Raum from Fürth this coming summer.) They've leaked some points in January, however, winning just one of their last four matches to fall to fourth place, one point off of promotion pace. There's still quite a bit of work to be done.

It was a big deal that Green chose the United States

U.S. soccer fans have been a bit spoiled of late. The country suddenly boasts a ferocious collection of exciting young talent on many of Europe's best clubs -- Chelsea (Christian Pulisic), Barcelona (Sergino Dest), Juventus (Weston McKennie), Borussia Dortmund (Gio Reyna), RB Leipzig (Tyler Adams), Manchester City (Zack Steffen), Bayern (Chris Richards) -- plus solid second-tier or mid-tier clubs like Wolves (Owen Otasowie), Newcastle United (Deandre Yedlin), Lille (Tim Weah), Werder Bremen (Josh Sargent), Valencia (Yunus Musah, if he officially ends up choosing to represent the U.S.), Salzburg (Brenden Aaronson), Leicester City (Chituru Odunze), Schalke (Matthew Hoppe), Borussia Mönchengladbach (Joseph Scally), etc.

The 2014 squad was not devoid of a European presence -- Michael Bradley had just left Roma, for instance, and Fabian Johnson was about to join Borussia Monchengladbach -- but the fact that Green was already with Bayern when Klinsmann selected him was intriguing. So was the fact that, as a dual national, he chose the United States at all.

"I talked with [then-Bayern manager] Pep Guardiola about it and asked him what he thinks," Green said about the decision. "He told me you have to hear from your heart and what your heart is saying. I remember my first camp was in Germany, actually, and after two minutes in this camp, I knew I wanted to play for America.

"I remember Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley, they were all so nice to me, and I knew exactly that I wanted to play for this country. It was an easy decision in the end."

Something you might have forgotten: he's only 25

Granted, that's suddenly old by USMNT standards, as most of the major-club players listed above are 22 or younger. Many are cutting their teeth in the Bundesliga, while Pulisic, McKennie, Steffen and others spent developmental time there as well.

Germany's prevalence in youth development isn't a surprise to Green. "I can just speak for myself, but Germany's a pretty good place for young players," he said. "To play here, you get nothing for free. You have to show your quality in training on the pitch, and [if you earn it] you get the chances. So all the young Americans who are playing right now in Germany, they deserve it."

Still, maturity tends to matter as far as World Cup success is concerned -- the more peak-age talent you've got on the roster, the better your team tends to fare. Players like Steffen, Brooks, Yedlin, attacker Jordan Morris, midfielder Paul Arriola and defender Matt Miazga could be heavily involved when it's finally time to begin World Cup qualification for 2022. But the team could still benefit from Fürther peak-age production; it could also use a progressive midfielder to go with McKennie and the more defensive-minded Adams, plus maybe the best set-piece catalyst in the player pool.

In other words, it could still potentially use Green.

Let's compare Green's club-team output over the past two years with that of some of the other primary midfielders in the U.S. player pool.

USMNT midfielder club stats (per 90 minutes), last two calendar years:

(NOTE: Younger players like Richard Ledezma and Alex Mendez are also intriguing prospects, but have only begun to play at the senior club level.)

If you're under the fair assumption that McKennie and Adams are atop the heap at the moment and take them out of the pool, then even acknowledging the variety of midfield duties in a given system, there's a fair case to make that Green has been the most productive of the bunch. And while he is indeed playing in the German second division, the small size of the Bundesliga (18 teams) means that Fürth are basically the 21st- or 22nd-best team in a soccer-friendly country. This is by no means the minor leagues; for comparison, FiveThirtyEight's club rankings place Fürth between MLS sides Orlando City (sixth in points per game last season) and the Colorado Rapids (10th).

Green's case for inclusion is strong even before you factor in how similar Fürth's style is to what Berhalter deploys. Over the past two years, the USMNT has posted a 56% possession rate, averaged 5.9 passes per possession (Fürth averages 4.7) and began a Fürth-like 8.0 possessions per match in the attacking third.

"I think the style of playing, how [Berhalter] wants to play, is also my style," Green said. "They want to have the ball, and I'm a player who's very good on the ball and very safe on the ball. I'm good between the lines. It's the style of playing I prefer."

When's the last time he heard from Berhalter? "I wrote him a text message before the Gold Cup, I remember, so that was the last time I was personally in contact with him. Since then, my management has been occasionally in contact with him."

It was a bit of a surprise last fall when Berhalter didn't include Green in a Europe-only USMNT camp that included friendlies with Wales and Panama and offered debut opportunities for players like Musah.

"For me personally, I thought maybe I had a chance to get invited because I think my performances in the [2. Bundesliga] with my club were strong," he said. "But the coach decided differently, and that's okay -- that's his decision. But my goal is to play again for the national team, and I will keep working hard and do my best here with Fürth, and that's the only thing I can do."

Keep kicking butt until they notice you: generally, a pretty solid plan.

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"I think back in the early part of [Green's career], there was a certain perception with the European players, the German-based players," Sarachan said. "I've been told sometimes, certain players, they kind of are in the national team, maybe it isn't as important to them, but I didn't get that impression with Julian -- throughout [2018], Julian was a good pro, very engaged and excited to be a part of the national team. He's quiet, not a guy that's gonna command the room, and he sometimes has a little more of a comfort level with being with his compatriots from Germany, but that didn't interfere with the team trying to accomplish our goals during the week or 10 days we would be together."

However you felt about Green during the Klinsmann era and the years that followed, it's easy to make the case that he's become maybe the most underrated player in the U.S. player pool. Sarachan remains a fan. "If you're a guy that can create, whether it's those slip-in balls or finishing, assists, goals, you've gotta keep those guys a part of things! We don't have enough of them, and I still think Julian is in the conversation."

It would certainly help Green's cause, however, if Fürth were to earn promotion. (Beating Sargent's Werder Bremen in the next round of the DFB-Pokal on Feb. 2 wouldn't hurt, either.) But whether or not Berhalter ever looks his way, his career appears to still have an awfully high ceiling -- it's only about halfway done, after all. There will be more plot twists to come.

"I just love this game, and I just want to get the best out of my career," Green said. "It's normal that you sometimes have [setbacks], but you're getting stronger and more fit and ... at the end I think I will have [had] a pretty good career, and I can be happy about it."

Former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is "stable and under close observation" after undergoing another angioplasty, this time at the Apollo Gleneagles hospital in Kolkata, on Thursday. Ganguly had been admitted to the hospital on Wednesday after complaining of "chest discomfort".

"Dr. Aftab Khan and the team comprising Dr. Ashwin Mehta, Dr. Devi Shetty, Dr. Ajit Desai, Dr.Saroj Mondal and Dr. Saptarishi Basu successfully performed angioplasty on Mr. Saurav Ganguly at the Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata on January 28, 2021 and two stents were placed," a statement from the hospital said. "The procedure was uneventful. Mr. Ganguly is stable and under close observation."

Earlier in the month, Ganguly had been admitted to the city's Woodlands Hospital for treatment for a similar complaint, later described as a heart attack by doctors. He was said to have recovered after the first angioplasty.

The MD and CEO of Woodlands Hospital, Dr Rupali Basu, had said at the time that Ganguly had no known comorbidities, but a family history of heart diseases, and that he had tested negative for Covid-19. His brother, former Bengal cricketer and current Cricket Association of Bengal joint secretary Snehasish Ganguly, underwent a successful angioplasty last week, also at the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital.

One of the expert consultants, renowned cardiologist Dr Devi Shetty, had said during the discharge that Ganguly had no heart damage.

"Did he have a heart damage? No. He had a blockage and he was getting some discomfort, but at the right time he landed in the right hospital and he had the right treatment," Shetty had said at the time. "His heart is today as strong as it was when Sourav was 20 years old. I want everyone to understand that he didn't have a major cardiac event which has damaged his heart. He has a very, very strong heart."

If ever there was proof that cricket is a mental game, then Rory Burns is banking on showing it in the coming weeks in India, as he prepares to make his case for a return to England's Test team following the birth of his first daughter Cora, despite not having played a first-class fixture since the beginning of September.

Burns and his fellow late arrivals, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, touched down in India on Monday, just as their England team-mates were wrapping up their 2-0 series win in Sri Lanka. The trio are expected to get their first opportunity for outdoor training at Chepauk Stadium on Sunday, five days out from the first Test against India - a team whose recent victory in Australia underlines the magnitude of the challenge that England are set to face.

It's hardly ideal preparation, but then there's little about the current Covid-influenced climate that is. And until his mandatory six-day quarantine period has elapsed, Burns accepts he will have to make do with shadow-batting in front of his hotel-room mirror, while keeping his mind active with some exploratory dabblings in a psychology course - one that he says may or may not form the basis of a post-cricket career.

"Psychology in cricket has always been an interest of mind, so I'm just dipping my toe in to see if I want to pursue it further," Burns said during a media Zoom call. "It helps to keep you fresh and get your mind away from cricket, so that I don't just sit there and stew about the game and things going on in the world. Because if 2020 wasn't a humbler for people, then I don't know what will be.

"But I can't wait to get going," he added. "I've literally got a bat in front of the mirror. I've not gone the full Steve Smith and whited up yet, but just having the bat in hand makes me hungry to get going. It's coming down alright, so hopefully that translates.

"It's obviously a challenge, but there's not much we can do about that schedule. If you waste time thinking about that, it's probably not going to do you any good."

And while Burns acknowledged that sitting out of the Sri Lanka tour for the birth of his daughter had been a "double-edged sword" in terms of asserting his status as England's first-choice opening batsman, he added that the sense of perspective that comes with becoming a father for the first time was something that he would not swap.

"It's a strange feeling, but if you're going to miss it for anything, the birth of your first child is one thing you would do it for," Burns said. "It's a pretty momentous occasion, isn't it? She just makes me emotional looking at her, so the fact I've got a little girl to go and play my cricket for now, it's a nice little perspective difference."

Even so, his paternity leave does now mean that Burns - until recently considered to be England's most bankable opening batsman since the retirement of Alastair Cook - has missed each of England's run of five consecutive overseas Test wins.

His absences began at Cape Town last year, when he suffered ankle ligament damage during a warm-up game of football ahead of the second Test against South Africa, and though he returned to the side for the English summer - and contributed a crucial pair of half-centuries to help turn the series against West Indies - his most recent England scores are a run of 4, 10, 0 and 6 against Pakistan in August.

"Covid lent itself to that," Burns said. "It's been a stop-start year for everyone, not just myself.

"I jumped back in with Surrey straight after the England summer and we had a decent T20 run," he added, after helping his club to the final of the T20 Blast at Edgbaston. "It was good fun just to hack into the white ball and not worry about the red ball as much. But the break and refreshment, and new perspective, that fatherhood brings, it's been nice to have a bit of time at home to spend with the wife, and then come back and be ready to go now."

Due to the demands of new parenthood, Burns found himself watching more of India's Test series in Australia than England's early-morning exploits in Sri Lanka, but he saw enough from two of his team-mates in particular, Joe Root and Dom Sibley, to know what combination of technical and mental prowess he'll need to find to succeed on such a tough tour.

"Joe obviously leads from the front," Burns said, after his haul of 426 runs in Sri Lanka, including two big hundreds in each Test. "Some of the sessions I saw him bat, it was pretty incredible watching him go about his business.

"He's a leader by example, in terms of how he captains the team and how he wants people to go about their batting, so he's an easy bloke to follow. We're very fortunate that we've got Joe and Stokesy, people like that. You can't help but learn from them."

And that is very much what Sibley set out to do in Galle, where he overcame a grim haul of six runs in three innings by tweaking his technique mid-match and grinding out an invaluable unbeaten half-century.

"I messaged Sibs straight away, and told him how well he played," Burns said. "We've got three days [in India] to put in our work and try and get used to conditions, so it's a mental switch really, like Sibbers from innings one to innings two in that last innings in Sri Lanka.

"He managed to switch his mental approach and it worked out for him, so I guess that's the challenge. Fortunately, I've been around a little while now so I've got some experience to draw on."