分类： sports

ATLANTA, Ga. – European champions Spain kicked off their 2024 FIFA World Cup campaign with an underwhelming goalless stalemate against World Cup debutants Cape Verde on Monday, yet manager Luis de la Fuente remains adamant his side is still poised to make a deep run in the tournament.

Playing in front of nearly 70,000 fans at Atlanta Stadium, La Roja struggled to generate meaningful offensive chances against the 67th-ranked underdog, with the absence of a fully fit Lamine Yamal weighing heavily on their attacking output. The 18-year-old Barcelona star, returning from a recent injury, was only deemed fit enough for a second-half substitute appearance, and his introduction immediately injected much-needed energy into Spain’s flat attacking play. Even so, Cape Verde neutralized Yamal’s impact by deploying multiple defenders to mark him whenever he touched the ball, cutting off his space to create danger.

Another of Spain’s high-impact attacking threats, Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao, was also held in reserve until the 87th minute, as the winger has worked through an injury-interrupted club season. De la Fuente acknowledged after the match that his side lacked sharpness and dynamic energy in the opening fixture. “We lacked freshness and precision,” the manager told reporters. He added, “We are completely calm, convinced that there is a long way to go. As we see it, we have seven games left.”

The underwhelming performance echoes painful past disappointments for Spain at the World Cup: the side exited in both 2018 against Russia and 2022 against Morocco, falling on penalties after dominating possession but failing to find the back of the net. Even with the underwhelming start, the result extended Spain’s impressive unbeaten streak across competitive matches to 32, a run that dates back to March 2023. When asked about the streak, de la Fuente downplayed its immediate relevance, joking “Tomorrow I’ll bring up that magic number.”

The manager emphasized that Spain will remain committed to their possession-based playing philosophy, and that once key injured players return to full fitness and sharpness, the side will find its rhythm as the tournament progresses. “They are two game-changing players, but the ones we’ve had on the pitch are too. They bring different qualities to the table,” de la Fuente said of Yamal and Williams. “They will provide new options and the team will continue to grow. What we need to do is find our rhythm and the decisive touch required for this type of competition, which I have no doubt we will acquire.

“Lamine showed exactly what he’s capable of the moment he stepped onto the pitch, forcing the opposition to change their approach, but that was the amount of playing time we felt was right for him,” he continued. “Once we regain our chemistry and competitive edge, the team will be even better.”

Spain will stay in Atlanta for their second Group H fixture against Saudi Arabia this coming Sunday, before wrapping up group stage play against Uruguay in Guadalajara.

Two major coaching and leadership changes have shaken up Jamaica’s top-tier football landscape this week, bringing sudden adjustment to two competing clubs ahead of the upcoming domestic season.

On Tuesday, Kingston-based Waterhouse FC, a former Jamaican national club champion, confirmed in an official statement that head coach Javier Marcelo Ainstein has stepped down from his post with immediate effect. The Argentine becomes the second top-flight head coach to resign in the span of a week, following former Chapelton Maroons head coach Donovan Duckie, who vacated his role last week.

Ainstein’s tenure at Waterhouse was short but eventful: he took the helm at the club back in January, after the organization dismissed long-serving manager Marcel Gayle. Under his leadership, the club secured a spot in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) playoffs, though their run ended in the quarterfinals with a defeat to Cavalier SC. The club’s statement expressed gratitude for Ainstein’s contributions during his time in charge, acknowledging the effort and dedication he brought to the role, and extended well wishes for his future career projects.

Far from waiting to address the sudden vacancy, Waterhouse’s governing board has already begun the process of finding a replacement to keep the club’s operations on track. “The Board of Management has already initiated plans to ensure continuity within the club’s football operations as preparations continue for the upcoming season,” the statement read, signaling the club’s priority on maintaining stability through the transition.

In a separate leadership restructuring move, Montego Bay United (MBU) has announced that current head coach Xavier Gilbert will be promoted to the newly created position of technical director, effective July 1. Unlike his previous role, Gilbert will report directly only to the club’s chairman and board of directors.

Though MBU fell short of its stated seasonal goals — claiming the JPL title and qualifying for regional CONCACAF club competition — the club framed the restructuring as a strategic step to streamline its program. The new role will create a centralized, unified leadership structure for all of the club’s football activities, with clear accountability at every operational level.

In his new capacity, Gilbert will own full responsibility for the club’s overall football strategy, and take oversight of every football-related department: that includes the senior men’s and women’s squads, the youth academy covering age groups from under-5 to under-18, scouting and recruitment across local, regional and global talent markets, and the club’s official representation with both Professional Football Jamaica Limited (PFJL) and the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

Reporting by Paul A Reid

Two years after their last home T20 International series victory, the West Indies men’s cricket team has broken their drought, defeating Sri Lanka 2-1 in a dramatic three-match series that head coach Daren Sammy calls a critical stepping stone toward the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup hosted in Australia.

The deciding third match at Kingston’s Sabina Park on Sunday delivered all the tension and drama that has become synonymous with elite T20 cricket. After young fast bowler Shamar Joseph delivered a sensational maiden five-wicket haul to bowl Sri Lanka out for just 169, the Windies found themselves in deep trouble early in their chase, slumping to 54 runs for the loss of four top-order wickets.

What followed was a controlled, match-saving stand that turned the tide of the game. Jamaican captain Rovman Powell and all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford forged a crucial 81-run partnership that steadied the West Indies innings and brought the target back within reach. With late runs still needed, veteran all-rounder Jason Holder delivered a blistering finish, smashing 21 runs off only five deliveries to guide the Caribbean side across the line with two full deliveries remaining. Rutherford closed the innings unbeaten on 54, while Powell contributed a steady 33 to the match-winning effort.

In a post-match press conference, Sammy praised the team’s disciplined, intelligent approach to the pressure game, singling out the match-winners for special credit. “It was a lot more thoughtful and smarter cricket, especially by Rovman and Sherfane and followed by Jason Holder,” he said. “But I think the game was set up front when we bowled — Shamar Joseph, he continues to impress. We needed a victory. It’s been a while since we won a T20 series at home in front of the Jamaican fans, I know they wanted a victory for us so I’m glad that we could finish the series on a high.”

Joseph, who was honored with both player-of-the-match and player-of-the-series honors after finishing the three matches with a stunning 11 wickets, said he was just focused on doing his job for the team. “I just enjoy taking wickets, I cannot ask for better coming out here, that’s my job,” he said. “Bowling in the death is one of the hardest overs to bowl in any T20 game so coming and executing and getting wickets, I enjoy it. Sometimes we fall short but we always bounce back. It’s the West Indies at the end of the day, we play good cricket and T20 is our game.”

This series win marks a key milestone for the West Indies program: it is their first T20I series victory since their quarter-final exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup in March, and their first home T20I series win since they defeated South Africa at Sabina Park earlier in 2024.

Sammy acknowledged that the team still has room to improve as they build toward the 2028 World Cup, but emphasized that the win and the manner of the comeback is a promising foundation for future progress. “You could have a plan in the dressing room, but you’ve got to go out there and be able to execute the plan, and today we did that more often than not and it was enough to win the series,” he said. “Still areas and skills we’ve got to develop, but it’s something that we as the coaching staff and players will continue to work on. Getting a series win after, I think, almost two years is something to be proud especially after a World Cup and building for Australia 2028. Being under pressure today and having the nerve and the calm and the cricket smarts to do what it takes to come out over the line, that was special.”

Following the win, most members of the squad departed Jamaica on Monday to shift focus to the next stage of the tour: a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka hosted in Antigua. The first Test is scheduled to get underway next Thursday.

In a sun-drenched World Cup Group I clash played in front of 80,545 spectators with Manhattan’s iconic skyline glinting in the distance, two-time World Cup champions France kicked off their quest for a third global title with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over 2021 Africa Cup of Nations winners Senegal on Tuesday.

The match carried echoes of 22 years ago, when a heavily-favored French side suffered a humiliating opening-round defeat to Senegal at the 2002 World Cup that sent them crashing out in the group stage without a single goal. This time, Senegal looked set to repeat history after dominating the opening 45 minutes, but a half-time tactical adjustment from France head coach Didier Deschamps unlocked the game, turning the tide in the European side’s favor.

Senegal, led by veteran star Sadio Mane and fielding four starting players born in France, entered the clash fresh off a controversial end to their Africa Cup of Nations title defense. Pape Thiaw’s side lifted the AFCON trophy in extra time earlier this year, only to be stripped of the title after a player walk-off protest mid-match; an appeal against the decision remains pending, and the side showed little rust in their first competitive match since the final.

The African side dominated the first half, coming inches from taking the lead just 25 minutes in. Nicolas Jackson broke clear on a counter-attack, fired a shot that crashed off the post, and the deflection bounced off French goalkeeper Mike Maignan before rolling narrowly wide of the goal. Ismaila Sarr then wasted a golden chance to open the scoring in first-half stoppage time, sending a clear effort over the crossbar – misses that would come back to haunt Senegal later.

Deschamps’ critical half-time switch saw Michael Olise shift infield from the right wing, swapping positions with Ousmane Dembele, and the tactical change immediately transformed France’s performance. The reigning champions burst into life after the break, with Olise testing Senegal keeper Edouard Mendy before setting up Kylian Mbappe for a close-range attempt that was turned away. A potential penalty on the hour mark, when Mbappe went down under a challenge from Mane, was waved away by referee Alireza Faghani after a VAR review, but France would not be denied.

In the 66th minute, Olise slid a pinpoint pass across the penalty area, and Mbappe darted into space to convert the opening goal, breaking the deadlock in a tightly-contested contest. Les Bleus doubled their lead late when Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, brought on as a second-half substitute, ran onto a through ball from Adrien Rabiot to slot home France’s second. Senegal struck back in stoppage time, with PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye pulling a goal back for the African side in the 95th minute, but Mbappe had the final say. Just a minute later, the 27-year-old Real Madrid striker hammered a long-range effort into the back of the net to seal the three points, capping a historic night for the French captain.

Mbappe’s double saw him rewrite multiple record books: he moved past Pele (12 goals), Lionel Messi (13) and French legend Just Fontaine (13) to take his career World Cup tally to 14, level with Germany’s Gerd Muller. Only all-time leader Miroslav Klose (16) and Brazil’s Ronaldo (15) sit above Mbappe in the global scoring charts. The brace also pushed the 27-year-old past all other French internationals to become France’s all-time leading men’s goalscorer with 58 goals, in just his 99th appearance for the national side.

The result continues Mbappe’s extraordinary legacy on the World Cup stage: he scored in France’s 2018 World Cup final victory over Croatia, and netted a stunning hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina, where France fell on penalties after a dramatic draw. Pre-tournament favorites France will now look to build on their opening win, with their next group stage match against underdogs Iraq, followed by a final group clash with Erling Haaland’s Norway, as they target progression to the knockout round.

For Deschamps, who will step down as head coach after 12 years in charge following this tournament, the narrow win served as a reminder of the threat his side faces, reinforcing his long-stated warnings against overconfidence in a squad packed with elite talent. Senegal, meanwhile, proved they are a force to be reckoned with in Group I, and will look to bounce back in their upcoming matches to keep their own World Cup dreams alive.

KANSAS CITY, U.S. – As defending World Cup champions get set to kick off their 2026 tournament campaign against Algeria on Tuesday, all global eyes are fixed on Argentine icon Lionel Messi, according to head coach Lionel Scaloni. The 38-year-old legend is on the cusp of making history, set to become the first player in modern history to compete at six men’s World Cup tournaments, a full four years after he lifted the iconic golden trophy in Qatar to deliver Argentina’s third world title.

Last month, a wave of concern washed over the Argentine camp after Messi was forced to exit Inter Miami’s 6-4 victory over Philadelphia Union early with muscle fatigue, sparking fears over his fitness ahead of the expanded 48-team World Cup. Those worries have since been put largely to rest, however: Messi made his successful return to the pitch last week during Argentina’s final pre-tournament warm-up friendly against Iceland, coming off the bench to turn in a sharp 20-minute performance that included a converted penalty goal in a winning effort.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on the eve of the opening group stage clash, Scaloni emphasized that Messi’s appeal stretches far beyond Argentina’s borders. “Everyone wants to see him out on the pitch, not just Argentinians, because of the impact he has on people,” the coach said. “He has always been crucial for us and now he will be even more so. He looks good.”

Veteran center-back Nicolas Otamendi, who will be playing in his fourth World Cup alongside Messi, echoed that sentiment, highlighting the captain’s relentless competitive drive that has lifted the national team for more than a decade. “He’s a competitive animal,” Otamendi said of Messi. “He makes you keep trying, he doesn’t let you relax. We enjoy every moment with him. He is a humble person who enjoys the team gatherings and training sessions.”

While Messi’s fitness is no longer a major question, Scaloni did face other last-minute injury concerns surrounding starting goalkeeper Emi Martinez and star forward Julian Alvarez. According to the coach, both players have recovered sufficiently and are cleared to start Tuesday’s matchup in Kansas City.

Argentina enters the opening match with hard-won perspective from their 2022 Qatar run, when they suffered a shocking opening group stage defeat to Saudi Arabia before rallying to claim the title. Scaloni stressed that the opening result is not the final word on a team’s tournament hopes, even as he acknowledged its importance. “The last World Cup taught us that the opening game isn’t decisive. It’s important, sure, but we have the peace of mind of knowing it doesn’t end there,” he said. “We’re about to face a very good team with great players, but we’re in good shape, we’re confident and we’re arriving in good form.”

The first matches of the expanded 48-team World Cup have already served as a warning to top European and South American sides, as African nations have proven their ability to compete with the world’s elite. On Monday, tournament debutants Cape Verde held 2010 World Cup champions Spain to a goalless draw, while 2022 semi-finalists Morocco secured a 1-1 draw against five-time World Cup winners Brazil.

Scaloni drew a direct parallel between Algeria and Morocco, noting that the African side poses a similar tough test for the defending champions, and warned his squad against complacency. “Algeria is an opponent similar to Morocco. They have great players and a great coach. The Brazil-Morocco match is a good example of why we can’t be overconfident. We’ve already seen with Spain that there are no easy opponents. Those teams have earned their place at the World Cup, and Algeria concerns us because they are a great team.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a dominant display of youth cricketing talent on Saturday, Kingston College (KC) successfully defended its Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Urban Under-14 cricket crown, securing a lopsided victory over Excelsior High, powered by a historic all-round performance from budding star Rajae McGeachy.

Winning the toss and opting to bat first, KC posted a solid total of 132 runs for the loss of six wickets across its 30 allotted overs. The innings was anchored entirely by opening batsman McGeachy, who blasted an aggressive 76 runs off just 61 deliveries, decorated with seven boundaries and four towering sixes. By the time McGeachy departed as KC’s first wicket, the side had already reached 82 runs, putting them firmly on course for a competitive total. Middle-order batsman Marcus Bryan chipped in with a valuable 36 runs, including six fours, to push KC to its final match-winning score. For Excelsior, Nathan Laing claimed three wickets while conceding 44 runs, and Jqune Morales picked up two wickets for 16 runs to cap the bowling effort.

What followed was a devastating bowling display from McGeachy that left Excelsior’s batting line-up in tatters. Starting from the first over, the Mountain View-based school’s chase got off to a catastrophic start when its top batsman Ricardo Clarke was bowled by McGeachy for a golden duck. Excelsior never recovered from the early blow, collapsing to a measly total of just 21 runs all out. McGeachy finished with astonishing bowling figures of seven wickets for only six runs, completely dismantling Excelsior’s order, with supporting spinner Jaydon Miller chipping in with three wickets for 13 runs to wrap up the innings.

The player-of-the-match performance from McGeachy was no outlier, however. Across the entire Under-14 tournament, the all-rounder claimed the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after posting staggering batting statistics: 636 runs scored across just six innings, for an unthinkable average of 212. His tournament included a 196-run knock against Excelsior in an earlier group stage match, a 146-run innings against Campion College, and a 168-run score against Innswood High. With the ball, McGeachy finished second across the tournament with 44 wickets, just behind Bridgeport High’s Keyrani Beckford, who took 52.

Remarkably, this title win is just one of two MVP honors McGeachy earned this season for KC. He also picked up MVP honors in the ISSA Urban Under-16 competition, which KC also won for the second consecutive year. In the Under-16 semi-final against Wolmer’s Boys’, McGeachy scored an unbeaten 224 runs to lead KC to a 266-run victory, securing their spot in the final.

KC head coach Shane Brooks credited the program’s year-round commitment to training and development for the school’s back-to-back double titles in both the Under-14 and Under-16 age groups. “We defended our U-14 and U-16 titles. I think we have been doing a lot of work. This programme is going non-stop for the last two years,” Brooks explained to local outlet Observer Online. “Having joined the KC programme in 2022, we have not stopped. We have been going right through the summers with different programmes that we put in place. We have been going through all the holidays while other persons are resting and relaxing.”

Brooks added that the program maintains consistent momentum even outside peak competition seasons, prioritizing ongoing experience for developing players. “We are pushing these boys. We are continuing the work because we don’t think we are where we want to be as yet. But, you know, everything comes with time. We might lower the intensity during certain periods, but we never come to a standstill. We ensure that our boys are involved with clubs. We ensure that our boys are involved with whatever teams that they can get some experience from. We are open to training right through the year. We have planned properly. These guys have executed perfectly. The KC, rightfully, are champions again, Under-14, Under-16.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first edition of the global football showpiece co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, kicked off this week with a packed slate of opening matches that featured returning superstars, historic debuts, stunning underdog performances and unexpected off-field controversy.

Tuesday’s headline fixtures bring the most anticipated names in global football back to the world’s biggest stage, starting with 2022 champions Argentina, who face off against Algeria in Kansas City. Four years after delivering what is widely regarded as the most dramatic World Cup final in history, a 3-3 draw that Argentina won on penalties against France in Doha, the South American side enters the 2026 tournament with its iconic captain Lionel Messi poised to make history as the first player to compete in six World Cup finals.

Questions have swirled around Messi’s fitness after he picked up a hamstring injury during a Major League Soccer match with his club Inter Miami in late May, but Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni offered an encouraging update ahead of the team’s opening match. The 38-year-old Argentine legend “looks good”, Scaloni told reporters at his pre-match press conference, noting that Messi’s impact extends far beyond the Argentina dressing room, capturing the attention of football fans across the globe.

“Everyone wants to see him out on the pitch, not just Argentines, because of the impact he has on people,” Scaloni said. “He has always been crucial for us, and now he will be even more so. He looks good.”

Messi has already proven he is match-fit after coming off the bench to score in a pre-tournament warm-up fixture against Iceland last week, and his Argentina teammate Nicolas Otamendi said the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s relentless competitive drive lifts the entire squad. “He’s a competitive animal,” the centre-back said. “He forces you to keep trying; he doesn’t let you relax.”

In a rematch of the 2022 final’s two protagonists, France kicks off its 2026 World Cup campaign against Senegal in New Jersey on Tuesday, boasting one of the most dangerous attacking lines in the tournament led by Kylian Mbappe, 2023 Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and dynamic winger Michael Olise. For Les Bleus, the opening match carries extra historical weight: the 2002 World Cup saw the then-reigning defending champions suffer a shocking opening-day defeat to Senegal that saw them crash out in the group stage, a result France is desperate to avoid repeating this time around.

France head coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged the stakes of the first group stage fixture but urged his side to keep the match in perspective. “The first match is very important, but it’s not decisive. Starting with a win in a four-team group is ideal and always the objective,” Deschamps said Monday. He added a warning, however, that the emotion and hype of World Cup football can impact even the most experienced players: “But the one thing we can’t measure or quantify is the emotional aspect. Some players might tense up with the atmosphere around the match.”

France enters the tournament with an impressive recent track record, having reached four World Cup finals in the last seven tournaments, lifting the trophy twice and dropping two other final decisions on penalties.

One of the most anticipated debuts of this tournament comes Tuesday, when Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland takes the field for his first ever World Cup finals match, leading Norway against Iraq. Norway has not qualified for the World Cup since 1998, making this year’s appearance a long-awaited return for the European nation. Haaland enters the tournament in red-hot form, having just finished his third Premier League top scorer campaign in four seasons with Manchester City, and holds a staggering 55 goals in 50 caps for the Norwegian national side.

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken, who was a midfielder in the 1998 Norwegian World Cup squad, said he expects Haaland to be a difference-maker at the tournament. “Hopefully he’ll have a very big impact,” Solbakken said.

Iraq, led by Australian head coach Graham Arnold, is not heading to North America just to make up the numbers, with Arnold saying his side is targeting a massive upset. “We’ve got to perform to our best and try to shock the world,” Arnold said. “Qualification is not enough. I want more. We’ve only got everything to win and not to lose.”

Before Tuesday’s high-profile fixtures, Monday’s opening round of matches already delivered plenty of surprises and drama. Pre-tournament title favourite Spain was held to a shock goalless draw by Cape Verde, a tiny island nation making its World Cup debut this year. Even the introduction of 16-year-old Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal as a second-half substitute failed to break the deadlock or spark a Spanish winning goal.

In Los Angeles, Iran and New Zealand played out a 2-2 draw, but the match was overshadowed by off-field chaos for the Iranian side, which is competing at the 2026 tournament under the cloud of ongoing diplomatic tensions between Iran and co-host the United States. After the match, Iranian players were unexpectedly ordered to travel back to Mexico immediately, with head coach Amir Ghalenoei calling Iran the “most oppressed team in the World Cup.” Iranian state media later clarified that winger Mehdi Torabi had been issued a single-entry U.S. visa instead of the multiple-entry visa granted to the rest of the squad, leading to the last-minute travel order. It is the latest logistical headache for Iran, which was forced to move its pre-tournament training base from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico just weeks before the tournament kicked off. Tens of thousands of Iranian diaspora members based in California were in attendance for the match.

Two other opening matches on Monday delivered late equalisers for established sides against underdog opponents. In Seattle, Egypt jumped to a first-half lead through Emam Ashour against Belgium, and looked set to hold on for an upset win until veteran Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku came off the bench in the second half. Lukaku’s physical presence in the penalty box forced Egypt defender Mohamed Hany to turn the ball into his own net, earning Belgium a 1-1 draw and a single point. In Group H, Uruguay also had to fight back from an early deficit to snatch a draw against Saudi Arabia.