Reigning MLS Cup champions New York City slumped to their fifth loss from their past six games as Christian Benteke debuted for DC United who claimed an upset 2-1 win on Wednesday.

City had ended a three-game losing run with a 2-0 win at Chicago Fire 10 days before losing to Orlando City on the weekend but their poor form continued at Red Bull Arena.

Ola Kamara tapped in from point blank range to give the visitors at 24th-minute lead, but Heber side-footed in an equalizer three minutes later.

Steven Birnbaum restored United's lead with a header from a Martin Rodriguez free-kick in the 57th minute and City could not find a response with David Ochoa palming away Gedion Zelalem's 95th-minute effort.

The win is Wayne Rooney's second since taking over at United who are still last in the Eastern Conference, while it sees City slide down to fourth in the east.

Riqui Puig scored a spectacular late equalizer with a long-range curler after a give-and-go to earn LA Galaxy a 2-2 draw away to Toronto.

Douglas Costa had put the Galaxy into a 24th-minute lead before Toronto hit back with second-half goals to Jesus Jimenez and Filippo Bernardeschi before the Spaniard's 89th-minute strike.

Riqui Puig was making only his third appearance for the Galaxy following his August move from Barcelona.

The result dents star-studded Toronto's playoffs aspirations, leaving them 10th in the east, while the Galaxy are eighth in the west.

Philadelphia Union became the second team behind LAFC to book their postseason berth with a 4-1 home win over Atlanta United.

Julian Carranza, Mikael Uhre, Daniel Gazdag and Nathan Harriel were all among the goals for Union who are eight points clear in the east.

New York Red Bulls moved up to third in the east with a 1-0 win at second-placed Montreal with Lewis Morgan hitting the winner in the 43rd minute.

LAFC suffered a shock 2-1 loss to lowly Houston Dynamo, who condemning the Western Conference leaders to their third straight defeat.

Inter Miami slumped to back-to-back losses with a 1-0 defeat at Columbus Crew, while New England's winless run extended to four games after a goalless draw with struggling Chicago Fire who snapped a three-game losing run.

Hany Mukhtar netted a hat-trick as Nashville beat Colorado Rapids 4-1, while Orlando City came from two goals down to defeat Seattle Sounders 3-2.

Real Salt Lake proved too good for Minnesota United 3-0 and Portland Timbers moved into the west's top seven with a narrow win against second-placed Austin 2-1.

After years of coming up short, an insatiable hunger drove Ashley Khalil to her first ever Caribbean Senior Squash Singles title in Jamaica last week.

Jamaica Reggae Girlz coach Lorne Donaldson says the team will use its upcoming fixture against South Korea and others this year to trim down a highly competitive squad ahead of next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.  

The Jamaicans will play their first match since qualifying for the tournament two months ago when they South Korea on Saturday.  Donaldson will, however, field somewhat of a changed line-up, partly through necessity but also with half a mind on looking at potential additions to the team.

“This window going into South Korea and the next two windows is to look at some new players and give the older players that have been in the squad another chance, so they can put themselves in position for next year to be part of the World Cup squad,” Donaldson said.

“It gives us coaches a deeper squad to choose from and ensures that we do not leave any stone unturned.  So, this team going into South Korea will be the start of that, and expect the team to be very competitive.  There are a few familiar names that are missing but that’s what we want…it’s good for us to have a deeper pool of players,” he added.

Four new players have been called to Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz 23-player squad for the friendly.

For Alwyn Williams from St Mary, the match that sparked his love for cricket was one he played as a boy in the streets with his friends and elder brother, Adrian Silvera.

Jamaica international Andre Blake insists will be business as usual but acknowledges the significance of the moment as he prepares to make a 200^th appearance for Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise.

Should the player make the starting line-up, as expected, against Atlanta United on Wednesday it should mark his 200^th appearance for the club, the second most in franchise history and most for a goalkeeper.

The goalkeeper was the first overall signing of the Union in the 2014 MLS Superdraft and 9 years later has gone on to be one of the club's most consistent and recognizable players.  The goalkeeper who led the team to the MLS Supporters Shield in 2020 and second place in the U.S Open cup in 2014, 2015, and 2016 was also named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016 and 2020.

“In a sense, it’s just another number, just another game,” Blake told the Daily Times. “That’s what keeps me humble. But in another sense, it’s a great achievement. You’d have to be in the league for quite a number of years to be able to have 200 starts. It’s a big deal, obviously, but it’s how you look at it. I’m very happy for that moment, but the show must go on.”

Blake has recovered from an early tumultuous spell in 2015 after injuring his right then his left knee.

When Chris Binnie won his 10^th Caribbean Senior Squash singles title last week, it felt a little more special than the nine others he had won. When the 33-year-old Jamaican dispatched Khamal Cumberbatch of Barbados 14-12, 11-5, 11-5 to win the 2022 title, it was the first time he was winning a singles title on home soil.

It is a feeling he will not forget.

“This is definitely up there for me because I haven’t won a title in Jamaica at the Caribbean level. I have always been winning them abroad,” he told Sportsmax.TV following his record-extending victory.

“All those times I had crowds cheering against me, my followers have just been watching through screens, so it’s great to actually win one here and to have the home support not matter what else was going on, they were so loud and getting behind me. It was great.

“I was super-excited about winning this 10^th title. I am just grateful to everyone and this great support system I’ve had throughout the years to actually get 10 titles. It’s been a long journey. When you start, you just think about winning one at a time and then all of a sudden as the years have gone on they have just accumulated so being able to show up every year, play at a high level still I am just thankful for all of that.”

That said, Binnie revealed that playing at home did not make it any easier as the quality of his opponents has been consistent over the years.

“Every year it’s difficult. I don’t think this was any different. You have players who come through always ready to challenge you, ready to keep you on your toes and so,” he said.

 “I was always ready. I was getting ready to play, getting ready to win and treat every game as if it was difficult and as a result, I was prepared and ready to get some good results.”

His opponents were tough from the get-go and it speaks to the depth of talent across the region.

“From the quarter-finals on, there were always difficult matches. Playing Chase McQuan from Trinidad and Tobago, a very good player; Alex Arjoon from Guyana in the semis and Khamal Cumberbatch from Barbados in the final, it shows that there is talent all over the Caribbean,” he said.

“In each of those matches, I had to do different things to win. I was happy to get through them.

“This is a strong region. We missed a couple of players this year due to different things but this was like a stronger semis of players that you would get. We continue to see young players come through like Khamal. He is one to watch for the future. I just hope I can hold him off for another year.”

Barbados are winners of the West Indies Rising Stars U-15 Championship after they defeated Leeward Islands in the final round of matches at the Grenada National Stadium on Friday. The Bajans won the 15-over-per-side match by 16 runs to top the table with 18.4 points. They finished the tournament unbeaten.

Barbados batted first and made 73-0 off 15 overs with solid knocks of 31 from Shem Sargeant and 29 from Kemar Dixon.

In reply, the Leewards ended on 57-8 with the top score of 22 from Tanez Francis, which came off 26 balls. Jakeem Pollard (2-7), RJai Gittens (2-9) and Akobi Crichlow-Byer (2-6) led the way with the ball for the Bajans.

Speaking after the match, Coach Rohan Nurse said he was pleased with the team-work which led to the side’s triumph.

“We are very happy with the way the team played throughout the entire tournament. Over the past two years we didn’t have any competitive cricket at this level, due to the pandemic. In that time, they (players) worked really hard to maintain their skills, and we had a very good build-up leading up to the tournament. It was the first time for all of them at the regional level, but they were able to adapt, and they did very well to come out and win. We are very proud.”

A day of tremendous momentum swings ended with Leeward Islands holding on with one wicket remaining to win the West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 championship in a roller coaster three-day final against Barbados at Arnos Vale in St. Vincent on Saturday.

Nathan Edwards, the left-handed allrounder ended unbeaten on 11, which came off 55 balls in over 90 minutes at the crease, played a defensive masterclass for to help Leewards hold on in their second innings on 51-9 (28 overs) to avoid being bowled out, to deny Barbados the title in dramatic fashion.

The day’s play began with Leeward Islands batting in their first innings on 172-4, 107 runs behind Barbados's first innings total of 279-8 declared.

 Overnight batsman Carl Bowen-Tuckett showed his experience during a crucial composed knock of 68 off 200 balls with two boundaries to anchor the Leewards before he was dismissed in the 98th over, ahead of the team tactical declaration on exactly 250-8 (110 overs), to receive key batting points for scoring 250 and facing that number of overs.

Although Barbados held a 29-run lead, Leewards had closed the points gap due to the fast bowling and batting points accumulated. So, when Edwards, bowling his left-arm medium, trapped Barbados opener Achilles Browne without scoring with the second delivery, that lead quickly became insignificant. Right-hand medium pacer Chamiqueko Landerfort took 4-16 as Barbados collapsed to 76-9.

The final equation to win the final meant Leewards either could chase down the 106 to win or just bat out the final session. While Barbados had to get all 10 wickets. When pacer Johan Layne struck in the first over of Leewards run chase, they started to wobble. Left-arm spinner Nathan Sealy with an inspired spell (14-8-10-6) was seemingly bowling Barbados to victory, but one final twist would occur.

Sealy unfortunately dropped Edwards at first slip with off fellow left-arm spinner Devon Stevenson which would have won Barbados the title. In the end Edwards and last man Onaje Armoy survived the final stages to win the championship for the Leeward Islands.

Fabian Allen has made himself available for international selection again ahead of the T20 World Cup, six months since his last appearance in a West Indies shirt.

Allen, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder, declined a retainer contract with Cricket West Indies earlier this year and has been absent for "personal reasons" throughout West Indies' home season.

He revealed in a statement that he had lost his father to cancer earlier this year, thanking CWI for their support throughout "a very difficult time for me and my family", and confirmed that he is available for international selection.

"I'd like to thank my family, friends and fans for their support over the past four months," Allen said.

"As some of you may know, I recently lost my father to cancer this year and it has been a very difficult time for me and my family. He was my biggest fan and I'm happy he got [to] see me live my dream as a professional cricketer. I will continue to make him proud,” he added.

Allen also thanked Cricket West Indies for their support while reiterating his desire for an international return.

"Cricket West Indies has been supportive throughout the entire process and I really want to thank Johnny Grave [chief executive] and Jimmy Adams [director of cricket] for their consideration. I want to use this opportunity to make it clear, I'll always want to represent my country and the West Indies,” he said.

"Even though I did not necessarily make it clear why I made myself unavailable for selection during the recent summer schedule, it was important for me to finish my grieving process and spend some time with my family. Most importantly, I've been getting myself physically and mentally ready for the CPL and hopefully the T20 World Cup (if selected) later this year. The best of Fabian Allen is yet to come. I know I have the ability to be one of the best batting allrounders in the world and I look forward to showcasing it for all to see," he added.

Allen was the leading run-scorer in the inaugural season of the 6ixty last week and he will represent Jamaica Tallawahs at the CPL, where he will hope to push for a place in West Indies' T20 World Cup squad.

Jamaican Olympian Simone Facey is now a certified coach of athletics.

The semi-finalists in the 2022 Kingston Wharves U15 Cricket Competitions will begin vying for spots in the final on Tuesday.

Kingston Cricket Club will take on St. Elizabeth Cricket Association at Sabina Park in Kingston while Kensington Cricket Club do battle with the St. Mary Cricket Association at Kensington Cricket Ground, also in Kingston.

St. Mary is the only unbeaten team left in the competition having won three of its preliminary round matches with the other being rained out. 

Kingston's quarter-final match against Boys Town last Thursday at Sabina Park was a low-scoring affair.

Boys Town was bowled out for just 52 in 20.2 overs. Rajae McGeachy, who scored 10, was the only batter in double figures as the Boys Town lineup wilted before the Kingston attack led by Quewayne Anglin had remarkable figures of 5-5 from 5.2 overs.

Mekanel Palmer and Keanu Henry each took two wickets.

 Kingston achieved their target for the loss of three wickets, reaching 57-3 from 16 overs. Thirty-three of those runs came from extras.

McGheachy took two for 19 and Samuel Burgher got the other for seven runs.

Meanwhile, Kensington walloped St Catherine by 174 runs in their match played at Chedwin Park in St Catherine.

Led by Joziah Neil, who made 99 and David Dewar, 77, Kensington racked up 286-8 from their 50 overs.

Vitel Lawes took 3-36 and Danza Hyatt 2-53.

The score proved too steep a hill to climb for St Catherine Cricket Club as they slumped to 102 all out from 25.5 overs. Lawes 34 and Antwon Robinson 19 were the main scorers in the losing effort.

Bowling for Kensington Jevon Golding took 3-9, Dewar 2-13 and Joziah Neil 2-18.

Over at Manley Horne Park in St Elizabeth, the St Elizabeth Cricket Association side beat St Catherine Cricket Association by 103 runs.

St Elizabeth CA made 155-7 seven in the match that was reduced to 28 overs because of rain. Davian Mason got 41 and Jalil Smith, 23.

Oneil Bonner took 4-14 and Lamar Savage 2-36 for St Catherine CA.

In reply, St. Catherine CA crumbled to 52 all out in 19 overs. Smith was the standout bowler with 5-9 and Kevaughn Brown took 2-10 in the rout.

 Westmoreland lost by 18 runs to St Mary in the match played at Boscobel.

Batting first, St. Mary made 113 in 22.2 overs.

Jaquain Jackson scored 21 and Jevaughny Shim, 18, of the paltry score as Delante Scott took 3-25 and E-Jay Spence 3-30.

Despite the relatively easy target, Westmoreland was bowled out for 97.

Rasheed Palmer, 30, and E-Jay Spence, 19, were the main scorers in the losing cause.

Rushawn Bell took 5-27 and was supported by Devonte Miller who snagged 2-19.

The final is set to be played on Thursday, September 1.

Guyana won the overall team title at the 2022 Caribbean Senior Squash Championships that concluded at the Liguanea Club in Kingston on Saturday.