Jonathan Grant High took the early lead in Zone B of the 2024 ISSA Manning Cup thanks to a 9-0 hammering of Gaynstead High at the Papine High School field on Monday.
The 1999 Walker Cup champions lead defending Manning Cup title holders Mona High by two goals on goal difference after the first round of matches in Zone B.
In the other Zone B game on Monday, three-time Manning Cup champions Charlie Smith defeated Tarrant High 4-0 at Jacisera Park.
In Zone C, 16-time winners Kingston College had a disappointing start to their season with a 2-2 draw against Penwood High at Maverley Field.
Campion College took the early lead in Zone C thanks to a 4-0 win over Cumberland High at Cumberland while Jose Marti scored a big win of their own, 5-2 over Meadowbrook at Meadowbrook, to slot in at second on goal difference.
Tivoli Gardens High took the early lead in Zone D thanks to a 4-1 win over Denham Town High at Tivoli.
10-time Manning Cup winners Wolmer’s Boys also opened their season with a win, 3-1 over St. Jago High at St. Jago.
St. Mary’s College and Edith Dalton James High played out a 1-1 draw in the day’s other Zone D encounter.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Ronaldo backs Mbappe to beat Haaland and Bellingham to Ballon d'Or
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has backed Kylian Mbappe to win the award this year, tipping Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal to provide his competition.
Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo, like his great rival Lionel Messi, was left off the 30-man shortlist for the 2024 edition of world football's most prestigious individual honour.
It is the first time since 2003 that neither man has featured among the nominees, having shared the prize among them exclusively from Ronaldo's first triumph in 2008 to his last in 2017.
With a first-time winner guaranteed, Ronaldo has provided his backing to Mbappe, who finished third in the voting last year, behind Messi and Haaland.
Mbappe scored 44 goals and provided 10 assists in all competitions throughout his final season with Paris Saint-Germain in 2023-24, before completing his long-awaited move to Real Madrid.
Ronaldo – Madrid's all-time leading scorer with 450 goals for Los Blancos – believes everything at the Santiago Bernabeu is set up to make Mbappe's tenure a success.
"I think he will do well. The structure of the club... it's nice, it's good," Ronaldo said on his YouTube channel.
"They have a great coach and the president, Florentino [Perez], who has been there many, many years.
"I think it won't be a big problem because of his talent. Mbappe can be the next Ballon d'Or winner. Him, [Erling] Haaland, [Jude] Bellingham or Lamine [Yamal]."
Madrid won their record-extending 15th European Cup/Champions League crown last season, coming through dramatic ties against Manchester City and Bayern Munich before beating Borussia Dortmund in the final.
Their knockout success has led some to suggest fortune tends to favour them in the big moments, but Ronaldo says they make their own luck.
"Madrid is the kind of team where they don't rush under pressure. People say they're lucky in the Champions League," he said.
"No, they are not lucky. They're prepared for this kind of moment. The Bernabeu has that different aura.
"Now, if you say that Madrid are going to be better or not, we don't know. Mbappe is there now, I think Madrid will stay strong, but I don't know if they will be better than last year. Only God knows."
Arnett Gardens join forces with Dream Entertainment to enhance club's brand
Arnett Gardens FC and Dream Entertainment have announced a groundbreaking partnership that will see the Dream Team providing strategic and managerial guidance to the club for the upcoming Jamaica Premier League (JPL) campaign and beyond.
Member of Parliament and chairman of Arnett Gardens, Mark Golding, explained that the partnership is aimed at providing financial stability and a more sustainable future for the club. This as the Dream Team’s expertise is expected to boost the brand and image of the South St Andrew-based club.
“I was seeking a commercial partner to guide strategy and manage the club forward to new revenue and achieve financial sustainability. Arnett has been a leading brand in football, a much-loved and much-supported club not just in the community where it is based, but the wider Jamaica and indeed the diaspora and beyond,” Golding said during a press conference on Monday.
“We were very happy to have met some like-minded business people at Dream Entertainment who have established themselves in the field of entertainment as innovators,” he added.
Like Golding, Scott Dunn, group managing director of Dream Entertainment, pointed out that the partnership will be mutually beneficial, as it provides a greater platform for Arnett to reap success on and off the field of play, as well as an avenue for the Dream Team to expand their influence.
“Football is entertainment, and we believe we can improve upon that entertainment product. The entertainment value of coming to an Arnett Gardens football match is going to be bigger and better.
“Anything I do, I am all in, and my team is definitely the same way. This is not something that is periphery or a side thing for Dream Entertainment, this is now a primary part of our business,” Dunn shared.
He continued: “Arnett Gardens is an iconic community. From Junior Reid singing about Jungle to a million artists thereafter, it is a big community and the surrounding communities as well. Trench Town, in terms of tourism, is a bigger brand than Kingston.
“For the fans in the community, this is something that is going to build the community. For the fans internationally and those who are already with Arnett, this is going to rebuild that excitement and bring in a whole host of new fans.”
Indonesia 0-0 Australia: Wasteful Socceroos play out stalemate
Australia's wastefulness in front of goal cost them in World Cup qualifying once more as they drew 0-0 with Indonesia on Tuesday.
Nestory Irankunda came closest for the Socceroos, hitting the woodwork, as Graham Arnold's side failed to pick up their first win in the third round of the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers.
Indonesia had an early flurry of chances, with Sandy Walsh and Rafael Struick both testing Mat Ryan inside the opening 17 seconds.
Australia dominated after that though, with Harry Souttar seeing a couple of efforts saved in quick succession before Irankunda struck the woodwork from range just after the half-hour mark.
The visitors pushed for an opening in the second half but struggled to create many chances of note as Craig Goodwin had Australia's only shot on target after the break.
Witan Sulaeman almost snatched it at the end, but missed a glorious chance in the dying seconds, poking a close-range shot wide of the near post under no pressure.
Data Debrief: Socceroos fire another blank
Australia suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain in their last match, with a Souttar own goal compounding their misery that day.
And their lack of a clinical edge cost them once more against Indonesia, as they had 19 shots (five on target); they last recorded more without scoring against the United Arab Emirates in January 2019 in the Asian Cup (22).
Meanwhile, Indonesia's defence stayed resolute, but they offered little in terms of attacking threat, managing only two shots on target, which both came within a second of each other.
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