Gaga Slonina has joined Chelsea on a six-year contract before returning to the Chicago Fire on loan until January.
The 18-year-old has established himself as the most exciting young goalkeeper in MLS since making his Fire debut last August.
Then 17, Slonina became the youngest goalkeeper to start a match in MLS history as he kept a clean sheet in a draw with New York City FC.
Slonina has gone on to keep 13 clean sheets in 34 appearances and is Chicago's first-choice keeper, playing every minute of the 2022 campaign.
The United States youth international, who rejected a senior call-up from Poland in May, will play out the rest of the season in Illinois ahead of joining a pool of Chelsea goalkeepers that includes Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea have reportedly paid an initial £8.2million ($10m) for Slonina, although that fee could increase to £12.3m ($15m).
Fire sporting director Georg Heitz said in a statement: "We're very proud and happy to see Gaga reach this milestone moment in his career.
"Since joining the club, Gaga has embodied what it means to be a Chicago Fire player.
"In addition to his incredible talent, he is mature beyond his years, extremely hard-working and a fantastic team-mate.
"Gaga is a role model to many young aspiring footballers in Chicago, and this transfer demonstrates that a player can progress to the first team from our academy before joining one of the biggest clubs in the world."
Slonina added: "I joined this club [the Fire] with ambitions of playing at the highest level, and it's been a dream come true to wear the Chicago Fire jersey.
"This club has become my second home, my second family, and there are so many people that have played a big role in helping me get to where I am today.
"I'm so thankful for all the support that I've received from my family, coaches, team-mates and everyone associated with the club. It's been an incredible honour to work alongside each one of you."
The Colorado Rapids came from behind on the road to defeat the New York Red Bulls 5-4 in a thriller on Tuesday.
Within 10 minutes New York led by two goals, with Dru Yearwood finding the back of the net first when his shot from outside the box caught a deflection to wrong-foot the goalkeeper, before Aaron Long headed home Lewis Morgan's indirect free kick.
A costly mistake deep in defence gifted a goal back to the Rapids in the 21st minute, with Diego Rubio curling his right-footed effort into the far post, but the Red Bulls seemed to have all the answers, with Morgan scoring from the penalty spot seven minutes later to lead 3-1 after a half-hour.
Colorado ensured they would go into the break only trailing by one after a well-worked move from a throw-in resulted in a powerful low drive from outside the box by Keegan Roseberry in the 38th minute.
There were over 30 minutes of scoreless action to start the second half, before the Rapids seized control of the contest with two quickfire goals. Collen Warner equalised in the 77th minute, before substitute Michael Barrios put the visiting side in front three minutes later off a Rubio assist.
Dantouma Toure completed the comeback by making it 5-3 in the 89th minute, with a stoppage-time penalty to Tom Barlow providing the game's ninth goal.
Meanwhile, it was a very different contest at Lumen Field where the Seattle Sounders defeated Dallas FC 1-0 at home.
The only goal of the contest came from a first-half penalty, with captain Nicolas Lodeira calmly slotting it past the Dallas keeper in the 39th minute.
Cristian Roldan was at the centre of everything for the Sounders. Only two players completed more than 50 passes, and Roldan separated himself from the rest with 76 completed passes at an accuracy of 93 per cent.
With the win, the Sounders jumped up to sixth in the Western Conference, still three points behind fourth-placed Dallas, but with a game in-hand.
A shot-filled half-century from Kyle Mayers was not enough to prevent a 7-wicket loss for the West Indies as India, pushed on by an equally forceful reply from Suryakumar Yadav, won the third T20 international with an over to spare.
After losing the toss and being put in to bat, Mayers and Brandon King got the team off to a solid start, in the power play, after a 57 partnership for the first wicket. Although by taking 20 deliveries to make his 20, King somewhat slowed down the scoring rate.
Hardik Pandya got the breakthrough for India when King, deceived by a slower ball, dragged onto the stumps. Mayers then joined forces with captain Nicholas Pooran for another 50 partnership pushing the team to 107. Pooran was then undone by a delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, which he miscued before being gobbled up by Pant. The Windies captain used 23 balls for his 22 runs.
The same pair, Kumar, and Pant, combined to finally account for Mayers, as well, as he top-edged to Pant from a slower ball. Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer made brief cameos of 23 and 20, and briefly accelerated the scoring but were kept in check by India’s bowling line-up.
In pursuit, India got off to a flyer despite Rohit Sharma retiring hurt in the second over and Shreyas Iyer struggling after coming in next at the crease. The innings was fueled by Yadav’s aggression with his 76 runs off 44 balls putting the match out of reach for the West Indies. India now leads the five-match series 2-1 after three games.
Jamaica’s Under-15 reggae Girlz suffered a 0-5 defeat at the hands of Canada to kick off their CONCACAF U-15 Girls Championship at the Hillsborough County Sportsplex Field 2 in Florida.
Nikolina Istocki got a double while Keira Martin, Annabelle Chukwu and Taegan Stewart got the goals for the Canadians.
In the other Group B match on the day, defending champions the USA hammered Puerto Rico 12-0.
Jamaica’s next game will be against the dangerous Americans on Tuesday while Canada will take on Puerto Rico.
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel today announced the squads for the West Indies “A” Team series against Bangladesh “A” Team to be played at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia from 4 to 20 August. The two teams will play two four-day first-class matches followed by three 50-over matches.
Joshua Da Silva, the wicket-keeper/batter, will lead the team in both formats, with Andre Coley as the Head Coach. The squads feature several players with international experience, as well as others who have graduated from the CWI Rising Stars U19 and CWI Emerging Players teams.
Speaking ahead of the series, Lead Selector the Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes said: “We stated from very early that we would look to give the opportunities to players and broaden the pool. The ‘A Team’ programme is a very good thing for West Indies cricket and CWI must be complimented for ensuring that we have these matches back up and running and arranging these games in Saint Lucia.”
Haynes added: “The squad is selected for us to have a closer look at the players in the longer format and also 50-over format as we have a lot of international cricket around the corner. We want to give the players exposure and the chance to play ‘A Team’ cricket and President’s XI matches as we had earlier this year as it is vital and much needed.
“Joshua has done quite well so far in his Test career, and we believe he will be a good leader for both formats. We also have a few others in the squads who have played at the international level and performed reasonably well, so we want to see them grow even more and this series against the visitors from Bangladesh will present that golden opportunity.”
The four-day matches will start at 10am (9am Jamaica Time) and the limited-overs matches will start at 9:30am (8:30am Jamaica Time). LIVE ball-by-ball scoring of each game will be available through the www.windiescricket.com match centre while CWI will be LIVE streaming via the Windies Cricket YouTube channel.
FULL SQUADS
Four-day “Tests”
Joshua Da Silva (Captain)
Colin Archibald
Alick Athanaze
Yannic Cariah
Keacy Carty
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Bryan Charles
Justin Greaves
Tevin Imlach
Shermon Lewis
Jeremiah Louis
Marquino Mindley
Anderson Phillip
Jeremy Solozano
One-Day 50-overs
Joshua Da Silva (Captain)
Alick Athanaze
Teddy Bishop
Yannic Cariah
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Justin Greaves
Tevin Imlach
Shermon Lewis
Jeremiah Louis
Preston McSween
Marquino Mindley
Anderson Phillip
Kevin Sinclair
Shamar Springer
West Indies Women all-rounder Deandra Dottin has announced her shock retirement from international cricket in a post on Twitter on Sunday.
“Please accept this letter as my formal retirement from the senior Women’s West Indies team effective 1st July 2022,” she wrote in a letter to Cricket West Indies.
Dottin, one of the most destructive players in world cricket, cited mainly the environment around the team for her sudden retirement.
“This announcement has come with much contemplation as cricket has always been a passion of mine. However, when the fire burns out, one has to take time to reassess their commitment,” said the 31-year-old.
“There have been many obstacles during my cricket career that I have had to overcome, however, the current climate and team environment has been non-conducive to my ability to thrive and reignite my passion,” she added.
The Barbadian then expressed gratitude towards Cricket West Indies, saying “I am appreciative of the opportunities afforded to me and I have ruminated on my decision over a period of time. Playing for the West Indies and representing the region has been an honor.”
“During my 14 years as a player, I have trained at my best and grown as a player physically, mentally and emotionally. It is the combination of this growth that has assisted me in reflecting on what is truly important to me. With much sadness but with out regret, I realize that I am no longer able to adhere to team culture and team environment as it has undermined my ability to perform excellently.”
Dottin ends her international career having played 143 One-Day Internationals and 126 T20 Internationals since her debut in 2008.
She scored 3727 runs at an average of 30.54 with three hundreds and 22 fifties in ODIs and 2697 runs at an average 25.93 with two hundreds and 12 fifties in T20Is.
Wayne Rooney kept his belief in his DC United team as his coaching reign in MLS started in familiar fashion, with a dramatic late win over Orlando City.
Several highlights of Rooney's playing career with DC had come against Orlando.
The former England captain had five goal involvements in three meetings with Orlando, netting in both matches in 2019 – including a stunning strike from his own half.
But the most iconic moment of Rooney's MLS stint came in his first clash with the Lions in 2018.
The forward provided two assists, including a remarkable intervention to snatch a 3-2 win in the 96th minute, with Rooney tracking down a counter-attack – as Orlando's Will Johnson raced towards an open goal – and then crossing for Luciano Acosta's decisive header.
Sunday's coaching bow was similarly sensational, as DC still trailed to Junior Urso's early strike entering second-half stoppage time.
But a pair of late goals from Chris Durkin, in the 91st minute, and Taxi Fountas, in the 95th, ensured a winning start for Rooney, who had been confident the chances would come.
"I told them they'd win the game," Rooney said of his half-time message to the MLS strugglers. "I believed we'd win the game.
"But the one thing we had to do was up the tempo. We were moving the ball across the back and with the goalkeeper side to side, and it was too slow. We were allowing Orlando to shift across and not really making them run as hard as we wanted them to.
"That was the big difference second half, the tempo with which we moved the ball and really made Orlando suffer and work and run.
"When a team's doing that, then gaps appear. We have to take advantage of those gaps, and we did."
It was just the 10th instance in MLS history of a team trailing at the start of stoppage time and still winning, with DC accounting for three of those.
Rooney acknowledged the nature of the victory could be vital for confidence moving forward.
"'Character' is a big word I've used over the last couple of weeks with the team," he said. "We need to be a team which shows a lot of character and fight and togetherness."
Rooney added: "I think [it is important] for the players, more than myself. I think the players needed that.
"This season has to start now. They've had some bad results in the first half of the season, and I think tonight the fashion we won the game – coming from a goal behind, scoring two late goals, the subs who came on were excellent...
"But we've got another tough game on Wednesday. We can't rest and think we've won a game; we have to be consistent, we have to go on a run."
Wayne Rooney began his DC United reign with a dramatic comeback victory as two stoppage-time goals from his team secured a 2-1 victory over Orlando City.
The head coach watched on in a baseball cap as Chris Durkin and Taxiarchis Fountas struck late on, stunning an Orlando side who had led since the ninth minute after Junior Urso's sublime chipped finish.
Durkin fired DC level from close to the penalty spot in the first added minute after the regulation 90 was complete, finding the top-left corner with a first-time finish after meeting Ola Kamara's clever low cutback from the left wing.
A draw would have been a decent result for DC, who sit at the foot of the Eastern Conference, but it got even better as a superb goal won it. A volleyed cross from the left by Kimarni Smith was met 12 yards out by Fountas, and he deftly diverted the ball into the bottom-right corner. It was a team-leading 11th goal of the season for Fountas.
It meant that DC United won an MLS game after trailing at half-time for the first time since March 7 2020, when they did so against Inter Miami. That dismal 25-game barren run is over, with the Rooney impact already being felt.
The record goalscorer for Manchester United and England has joined DC – a team where he also had a two-season playing stint – after recently leaving English club Derby County.
Midfielder Ravel Morrison, recruited by Rooney, attempted 96 passes in the game, and that ranks as the highest total for a DC United player in MLS this season.
Orlando had not lost an away game in MLS when leading at half-time since September 22, 2019, the date they allowed a lead to slip against Houston Dynamo.
A crazy day in MLS saw two 4-4 draws, with Phil Neville complaining Inter Miami had "defended like little boys" as they were held by FC Cincinnati.
Inter required a 97th-minute equaliser from Christopher McVey to rescue a point, despite having led 3-2 entering the final 10 minutes thanks to a first-half Gonzalo Higuain hat-trick.
Brandon Vazquez scored twice to turn the game on its head, leaving Neville furious despite McVey's last-gasp intervention.
"We defended like little boys, we defended naively, we didn't compete, we lacked discipline and concentration," the former Manchester United and Everton defender said. "And that's unacceptable, unacceptable.
"Simple balls into the box we didn't deal with. Simple concentration bits we didn't deal with.
"We are in the stage of the season where concentration is the main thing, concentration will get you to win games of football, and it's not going to be easy; you've just got to defend and do the right things all the time, and defensively we were as poor as we have been all season."
Remarkably, it was not Saturday's first eight-goal draw, as Minnesota United and the Portland Timbers had earlier played out a thriller.
Sebastian Blanco got the scoring started in the first minute, but there was no late drama in this one, with all eight goals netted before the 70-minute mark.
This was the first time in MLS history two matches on the same day have seen both teams score at least four goals, but there was a chasm between the Philadelphia Union and the Houston Dynamo in Saturday's third high-scoring game.
The Union ran out 6-0 winners as Mikael Uhre continued his stunning run of form at Subaru Park, netting either side of half-time for his fifth and sixth goals in his past four home games.
Uhre had also scored twice in a 7-0 defeat of DC United earlier in July, making Philly the first team to win multiple games by a six-goal margin in a single MLS season.
Elsewhere, New York City FC lost ground on the Union in the East as they drew with CF Montreal, while Sebastian Druissi continued his MVP bid by inspiring Austin FC to a 2-0 win at Sporting Kansas City.
"He continues to demonstrate why he deserves that [award]," said Austin coach Josh Wolff.
Bahamian 400m world champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo is looking forward to the challenge of competing regularly in the 200m after officially hanging up her spikes for the 400m event.
Having added the World Championship title to two Olympic gold medals, at the Oregon World Champions last week, the 28-year-old sprinter has expressed a desire to break new ground. As such, Miller-Uibo has targeted trying her luck full-time over half the distance.
These days, however, the half-lap event is not for the faint of heart. Three of the fastest times in the event’s history have been recorded in the last year. Two Jamaicans, Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, and world champion Shericka Jackson have the world record in their sights. It's a competitive field.
Despite the fierce competition, however, the Bahamian is confident about making her mark.
“The plans for me are the 200 which has always been my first love and get back into that,” Miller-Uibo said.
“I have run 21.7 without proper training. Once we go at it, I think we can do better,” she added.
“They’re setting the stage pretty high. I’m so proud of the girls and I think that they’re really showing out right now and showing the world exactly what we can do. I can’t wait.”
The athlete will have her first test next Saturday when she faces Jackson in Poland.
Jamaican World 200m Champion Shericka Jackson got back to winning ways in the shorter sprint with victory at the Meeting Internazionale di Atletica Leggera in Italy on Saturday.
Jackson, who also took silver in the 100m at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Eugene, ran a modest, by her standards, 11.13 into a -0.2 m/s headwind to take the win ahead of fellow Jamaicans Natasha Morrison (11.31) and Shokoria Wallace (11.36).
In the 400m, Junelle Bromfield produced 52.35 for a comfortable victory ahead of Ukraine’s Kateryna Karpyuk (53.10) and Slovakia’s Alexandra Bezekova (54.27).
Former national record holder Rusheen McDonald ran 46.56 for second in the men’s equivalent behind Canada’s Cole Austin (45.51). Italy’s Giuseppe Leonardi was third in 47.43.
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran believes the team must be better at managing the game’s big moments following a 68-run loss to India in the first of five T20 internationals on Friday.
Despite switching formats, the Caribbean team failed to snap its losing streak against India after skipper Rohit Sharma's quickfire 64, from 44 deliveries, laid the platform for India to post a challenging 190. The team was also boosted by an unbeaten 41 off just 19 balls from Dinesh Karthik.
In pursuit of the target, the Windies failed to put any significant partnerships together and the highest individual total of 20 came from Shamarh Brooks.
Their struggles were in large part due to the efforts of India’s spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravi Bishnoi who combined to stifle the Windies at the crease. In total, the trio picked up five wickets.
“We are going to have games like this where we are going to just get shut out. The batsmen did get starts but we didn’t capitalize on those starts. We didn’t win the big moments today and it’s as simple as that,” Pooran said following the game.
The team also made changes to its typical batting order, with all-rounder Jason Holder promoted to three. He was, however, dismissed without scoring by Ravindra Jadeja.
“It was good for us to come out here and experiment a bit. The guys did show up but we need to hold our nerve in big moments, especially when the pressure is on, we need to embrace it,” he added.
The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) Board of Directors has accepted the recommendations of their disciplinary committee to issue sanctions to the persons involved in the matter of failing to test all four members of Jamaica’s Women’s U-20 4x100 World Record team at the CARIFTA Games in Kingston in April.
Jamaica’s team of Briana Lyston, Tina Clayton, Tia Clayton and Serena Cole sped to a time of 42.58 to break the under-20 world record, however, the time wasn’t ratified due to JADCO personnel failing to test all four members of the team.
In a press release on Friday, the commission announced the sanctions facing the personnel involved.
“All JADCO personnel who had responsibility and oversight for the testing and acted in accordance with internal practice rather than explicit instructions are to participate in a continuous education programme on in-competition testing through a WADA-approved facility as recommended by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports,” JADCO said in the statement.
The statement continued: “Failure to comply with this directive will result in further disciplinary action in accord with the Labour Relations Code. The current discontinuance of the internal practice which barred repeat testing of an athlete within 24 hours during competition, be made permanent. Each JADCO personnel is to be issued a written warning.”
The Board also explained that they took into account the fact that this was a first infraction for the persons involved.
Hydel High School has received a timely gift of sports gear that includes football boots and goalkeeper gloves courtesy of Champions Football Academy, a non-profit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, that has been operating outreach programmes to Jamaican schools and communities for more than 14 years.
Ryan Foster, Chairman Hydel Group of Schools, received the donation on behalf of the school. The donation is a timely fillip for the Hydel Group of Schools that is about to embark on an ambitious football programme aimed at making the school among the best in Jamaica.
The school recently hired veteran coach Devon Anderson, who will lead the initiative.
"Hydel Group of Schools is extremely elated by the support given by Champions Football Academy. Both institutions have partnered through sport as a social tool used for nation building,” said Damion Howell, the Director of Sports at Hydel and a member of the new board of directors.
“These gears will go a far way in restarting the sport at the school since the pandemic and we see this as a good way to encourage the next generation of footballers by providing much needed resources."
Hydel Group of Schools is not only entity to benefit from the largesse of Champion Football Academy, whose mission it is to enhance the lives of children in safe and supportive environments by providing innovative training programs and plant-based nutrition that prepare and inspire them to succeed.
Champion Football Academy also dedicate their resources to ensuring that youth in under-served communities have greater access to quality programs and services that help promote healthy lifestyles, academic success, and strong leadership skills.
Driven by that mandate Champion Football Academy has provided year-round support in Payneland Jamaica. They also host annual football camps and make sizeable donations of gear and equipment donations tor primary and secondary schools, sports programs, and inner-city communities.
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