Gareth Bale is yet to start for Los Angeles FC, but already "life seems a little bit better" in MLS for the much-maligned former Real Madrid forward.
Bale has joined LAFC after leaving Madrid, where he won five Champions League titles but was criticised for appearing to prioritise his international career with Wales.
The 33-year-old will lead his country into the Qatar World Cup last this year, yet he is first having an impact at LAFC.
Bale has made three appearances from the bench for a total of 71 minutes, scoring against Sporting Kansas City last week.
The former Tottenham man's latest 28-minute shift against the Seattle Sounders on Friday was his longest yet, helping LAFC to see out a 2-1 win courtesy of Carlos Vela's goal shortly before half-time.
After the game, in which Kwadwo Opoku cancelled out an early Jesus Murillo own goal, Bale told FOX Sports: "I think any player will tell you if they have a smile on their face, they enjoy football more, you play better, a bit more enthusiastically, and life seems a little bit better.
"I want to get back to enjoying my football, and I feel like I am on the road to do that, and I'm looking forward to what lies ahead."
LAFC have won all three games in which Bale has featured, but he is no stranger to success. The warm welcome he has received in the United States is slightly less familiar.
"It's hard to pinpoint [why he is enjoying his football], but a happy environment, the fans are so welcoming," he explained. "Even in the away stadiums, they are not so bad, I guess.
"It's just a family, friendly environment, and it's what football should be, the place where you bring your kids. It's not hostile, and it just seems like a great environment in MLS."
LAFC can afford to ease Bale in, as they lead the Supporters' Shield race by six points following this latest victory.
Coach Steve Cherundolo described Bale as "in week three of pre-season" and "probably around a 45-minute range".
The final 18-member squad to represent Jamaica at the Concacaf U15 Girls’ Championship, a developmental tournament, has been selected by coach Tashana Vincent and her staff.
The Championship starts on Sunday and ends on August 7 in Tampa, Florida.
There will be 19 Concacaf Member Associations and one invited nation, Wales, at the Hillsborough County Tournament Sportsplex in Tampa, Florida, playing a total of 44 matches among teams split into two leagues.
Two groups will make up League A, with Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Wales slotted in Group A, while the United States, Canada, Jamaica and Puerto Rico will feature in Group B.
Jamaica will play Canada on Monday at 9:00am and then tackle the USA on Tuesday at the same time. They have a day’s rest on Wednesday and then return to face Puerto Rico at 11:00am on Thursday.
The remaining 12 teams will occupy League B, beginning with Bermuda, Belize, Anguilla and Martinique in Group C.
Honduras, Bahamas, US Virgin Islands and Aruba will form Group D, while Nicaragua, Guyana, Turks and Caicos Islands and Cayman Islands will compete in Group E.
A round robin group stage will take place July 31-August 3, followed by a single elimination knockout round. In League A, the group winners and second-place finishers will advance to the semi-finals, while in League B will see the three group winners and the best second place finisher advancing to a semi-final stage.
The teams that do not advance to the knockout round will be slotted into an additional match to determine final placement. The tournament’s format ensures that every team will have a minimum of four matches played.
The reigning champions of the Concacaf U15 Girls’ Championship is the United States, who claimed their second crown in the 2018 Final with a 3-0 win over Mexico.
Full Squad
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran insists the team will relish the challenge against India and is determined to be more successful as the tour shifts to the T20 format.
The regional team is coming off a difficult run of matches in the ODI format where it lost its last nine in a row. Recent history suggests the Windies will, however, be far more competitive in the T20 format. The team is in fact coming off a 3-0 sweep of Bangladesh in 20 overs, before experiencing a reversal of fortunes in the ODIs.
The team has also typically competed well against India in the format, but it is the Indians who have ended up with the lion's share of the victories in recent years. Pooran is hoping that particular statistic will be changed.
“The guys are always up for the challenge against India, they want to show the world what they are made of as well,” Pooran told members of the media on Thursday.
“For some reason, we just turn up and perform well, unfortunately, we haven’t been getting the series wins and that is something that we need to happen. We don’t want to perform as players and the team is still losing. So, the only thing on our mind is to find a way to be successful.”
The West Indies and India will square off for five matches beginning on Friday.
West Indies coach Phil Simmons has backed the One Day International (ODI) team to eventually pull things together after a number of discouraging recent results.
The ODI format has been the team’s least productive over the last few years, having won just 9 of 51 series played in the last 10 years, which amounts to a 17 percent win rate. In the last three consecutive series, the regional team has failed to win a game after being swept aside 3-0 by Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India.
In three of the last four matches against Bangladesh and then India, however, the team at least managed to put in strong batting performances despite losing the match.
“The first two games we batted the 50 overs and looked like we understood what batting 50 overs was about. I think that’s a step forward and we will just have to keep trying to move forward with that,” Simmons told members of the media on Wednesday.
“The bowlers have been doing it in a few games and not the batsmen. Now it’s turned around. So, we’ve got to get everything together. The one plus is that the fielding keeps getting better and better, so we have to put everything together,” he added.
“Everything takes time, the guys have been playing together more and more and we are having a squad play together more and more. That’s what happened with the Test team, the guys played together for a while and now we are seeing the fruits of that. Let’s see what happens with the ODI team.”
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Men’s Senior Selection Panel on Thursday named 16 players for the upcoming Goldmedal T20I Cup, powered by Kent Water Purifiers against India and for the three-match T20 International (T20I) Series against New Zealand.
The West Indies and India Men’s teams will go head-to-head in the five-match series starting Friday, July 29, with the first-ever West Indies Senior Men’s team match to be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy. The five-match series runs until August 7 with games being played in Trinidad, St Kitts and Florida.
The same pool of 16 players will then travel to Jamaica for the three-match T20I Series against New Zealand at Sabina Park from August 10-14.
An official squad of 13 players will be nominated ahead of each match.
The Selection Panel recalled left-handed batter Shimron Hetmyer. Left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell is recovering from injury and unavailable for selection, while allrounder Fabian Allen is also unavailable for personal reasons.
“We welcome back Hetmyer and it is good to see him again in West Indies colours. He will fortify the batting group and with his experience and adaptability we have a ‘finisher’ who can add value and win matches for the team and delight the supporters,” said lead selector, The Most Hon Dr Desmond Haynes.
“Everything we do, we have to take into consideration we have a big tournament coming up later this year, which is the ICC T20 World Cup, so we are planning and gearing up towards that event. It is good to give the players some exposure to the international stage and look to find the right combinations,” Haynes added.
FULL SQUAD
Nicholas Pooran (Captain)
Rovman Powell (Vice Captain)
Shamarh Brooks
Dominic Drakes
Shimron Hetmyer
Jason Holder
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Kyle Mayers
Obed McCoy
Keemo Paul
Romario Shepherd
Odean Smith
Devon Thomas
Hayden Walsh Jr.
Rohit Sharma returns to lead India when a five-match Twenty20 International series against West Indies starts on Friday.
India's captain was rested for the 3-0 one-day international whitewash of the Windies, but will be back in action at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy,
Shikhar Dhawan skippered the tourists as his fellow opener was given a rest for the 50-over contests.
Rohit will expect India to maintain their momentum when the series gets under way in Tarouba, Trinidad, with the T20 World Cup in Australia on the horizon.
India have won five and drawn one of their past six series in the shortest format, beating England most recently.
They are top of the rankings and have shown their strength in depth amid a hectic schedule.
Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal have been rested for this series along with out-of-sorts former captain Virat Kohli, but the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav are back.
West Indies beat Bangladesh 2-0 in their last T20I series, but India consigned them to a 3-0 clean sweep in February.
Nicholas Pooran has endured a difficult start to his tenure as Windies white-ball skipper and his side face another big challenge in a series that includes two matches in Florida.
Yadav primed for more heroics
Suryakumar Yadav made a match-winning 117 when India beat England in the T20I decider at Trent Bridge.
With fierce competition in the middle order and Kohli absent, Yadav will see this series as another opportunity to cement his spot.
Windies batters must show consistency
Despite being beaten by India in all three ODIs, West Indies twice posted over 300.
They must show a consistency that has been lacking as they build towards the World Cup, led by Pooran, who has certainly not been short of runs as skipper and was man of the series in the T20I series success over the Tigers.
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran and Brandon King each fell short of a half-century as the team failed to halt the momentum of India who completed a 3-0 ODI sweep over the West Indies on Wednesday.
In the rain-affected fixture, India triumphed by a massive 119-runs via the Duckworth Lewis method, after Shubman Gill’s 98 anchored the team’s first innings effort of 225 for 3, in a reduced 36 overs.
In pursuit, the West Indies never really got things out of first gear. As early as the second over, Mohammed Siraj dealt the men in maroon an early blow, after getting rid of Kyle Mayers and Shamarh Brooks in the same over, which left the team struggling at 0 for 2.
King and Shai Hope put on a 47-run stand to give the team a fighting chance. Yuzvendra Chahal struck to end the partnership, however, after Hope was stumped for 22. King then partnered with Pooran to keep the recovery going, but that momentum was ended when Axar Patel's arm-ball bowled King for 42, leaving the team at 5-103.
With a climbing run rate the struggles of Keacy Carty, who was next at the crease, put pressure on Pooran to keep up with the run rate. Carty was put out of his misery after going down the pitch to Shardul and edging the ball onto the stumps, making a total of 5 from 17 balls.
With the rate needed climbing to 10 an over Pooran was dismissed for 42 when he was caught at mid-on off by Prasidh Krishna. Chahal ended with the best figures for India after taking 4 for 17.
Jamaica Premier League champions Harbour View FC are to travel to New York City where they will face off with a Caribbean All-Star team in the VM Group Cup on September 3 at Old Boys High School in Brooklyn.
The Caribbean All-Star Select team will likely be comprised of players from the Caribbean Premier League Soccer Tournament including Ojai Bedward, (Jamaica), Clive Murray (Grenada), Kele Sylvester (Jamaica), Kendon ‘Pimaz’ Anderson (Jamaica) and Trayon Bobb (Guyana).
Head Coach of Harbour View FC, Ludlow Bernard, said the match is very important to the Stars of the East.
“This opportunity provides development, visibility and exposure to many of our young players. As the new five-star generals in Jamaica, we are enthusiastic about facing this international XI,” he said.
“Football fans in general, and Harbour View fans in particular, can come out to see a young Trayvone Reid, our new, sensational goalkeeper Anthony Bennett as well as Jahshaun Anglin, Phillon Lawrence and Nicholas Hamilton. These are all upcoming stars for Harbour View. We look forward to your support.”
Meanwhile, PFJL Chairman Chris Williams is urging fans to support the event.
“The PFJL is happy that we can connect with fans globally. This is the first step towards taking the game on the road as we continue to grow our fan base,” he said.
“Our goal is for Jamaica to be known as a football country in the same way we are known as a track country. We won’t stop until we achieve that goal, so come out and support the event.”
Devon Barrett, Group Chief Investment Officer at Victoria Mutual Group, sponsors of Harbour View FC and the tour to New York, looks forward to the match-up.
“The VM Group picked a team that we thought would take it to the next level. They proved us right by winning the league,” Barrett said.
‘We at VMBS use the tagline ‘transform your everyday lives’ and we have seen the transformation of Harbour View from when the season started to how it ended. We will continue to support their growth.”
The football fiesta kicks off with a match featuring 8-10-year olds from the Griffin Football Club at 2 pm. At 4 pm, former Manning & DaCosta Cup players will square off in an all-schools match featuring the likes of Altimont “Freddie” Butler, Paul Young, Gregory Messam, Alton ‘Noah’ Sterling and Howard “Magic Head” Kerr among others.
September 3 marks the Labour Day weekend in the United States.
Jamaica national representative Kemba Nelson has de-activated her Twitter handle after it was flooded with a torrent of negative comments, in the aftermath of the women’s 4x100m relay team’s surprise loss to the United States at the IAA World Championships on Saturday.
Nelson, who finished second at the country’s national trials, ran the lead-off leg for Jamaica and was part of a botched first to second leg exchange with Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah. On Sunday critical messages were posted to the @iamkemba account, which has since become unavailable.
The athlete had also failed to keep pace with the United States’ Melissa Jefferson, who clocked an 11.35 split on the opening leg, compared to Nelson’s 11.45. Despite blistering third and final legs from
100m and 200m world champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, the team narrowly failed to claw back the deficit.
The result left several fans upset, with some going on to blame Nelson for the loss and expressing the opinion that they did not believe the athlete should have been selected ahead of, another young sprinter, Briana Williams. Williams was part of the successful relay team that won gold along with Thompson-Herah, Fraser-Pryce, and Jackson at last year’s Tokyo Olympic Games. Interestingly, however, Williams's first-leg split in the first round was identical to the time Nelson ran in the final. Williams was, however, the only Jamaican to win a relay leg.
West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer is expected to return to the regional team in short order, having recently passed a fitness test.
The player has been practicing with the Windies team during its ongoing One Day International series against India, despite not being named as a member of the ODI squad. The way will now be clear for Hetmyer to return to active duty having passed a fitness test on Tuesday.
The talented batsman's struggle with his fitness has been well documented over the last few years. Hetmyer missed out on two series against Sri Lanka in the span of a year, and again in January of this year against Ireland and England. He could now be on course to be selected for the upcoming five-match T20 series, which will get underway on Friday. West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran is delighted with the player’s impending return to the fold.
“We hope to have him back soon, I think he passed the fitness test this morning, which is wonderful news, so we expect to have him back as soon as possible,” Pooran told members of the media on Tuesday.
Hetmyer has not represented the regional team since November of last year, against Australia.
Jamaican 100m hurdler Britany Anderson believes someone will go below 12 seconds in the event one day.
Anderson, who won her maiden national title in June, took home her first global medal when she won 100m hurdles silver at the recently concluded World Athletics Championships in Eugene.
She ran a new personal best and national record 12.31 in the semi-finals on Sunday before returning to run a wind-aided 12.23 to claim second in the final later that day behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan who ran an insane wind-aided 12.06 for victory, hours after setting a new world record 12.12 in the semi-finals.
2015 World champion Danielle Williams previously held the national record of 12.32 which she set in 2019.
“I’m feeling really great. I’m excited that I came out here and did my best. It’s really great, the crowd is great and the energy out there is amazing,” Anderson said in a post-race interview.
She also revealed that it wasn’t a perfect race for her despite the fast time.
“The middle of the race wasn’t the best because I kept hitting the hurdles but thank God I finished with a medal,” she said.
The track at Hayward Field in Eugene has long been known to produce extremely fast times, an experience Anderson now knows first-hand.
“It’s definitely one of the fastest tracks I’ve run on. All I can say is we were blessed to have the perfect conditions, even though the time in the finals was wind-aided,” she said.
With the world record now standing at 12.12, “most definitely,” was Anderson’s response when asked if she thinks someone will go under 12 seconds in the 100m hurdles.
“The girls are really competitive so anything can happen. The hurdles has been so competitive these last few years. The girls have shown up and shown out and we can do so much more. The event, to me, is one of the best out here because it’s so technical. We have to keep the stride and the focus while going so fast,” Anderson said.
“I feel like we’re getting more control over our technique,” she added.
Valentin Castellanos has joined newly promoted LaLiga side Girona from New York City FC on a season-long loan.
Castellanos scored 19 goals in 32 matches last season to finish top of the Major League Soccer scoring charts and help NYCFC to their first-ever MLS Cup triumph.
The 23-year-old is level with Austin FC's Sebastian Driussi in the top-scorer standings this term, while also chipping in with two assists.
Having been linked with a move away from New York for the best part of 18 months, it was confirmed on Monday that Castellanos has joined Girona until June 2023.
The deal in place between NYCFC and Girona, who are both under the City Football Group (CFG) umbrella, does not contain the option to make the transfer permanent.
However, NYCFC sporting director David Lee is open to cashing in on Castellanos if the right offer is made, with his move to one of Europe's top leagues only heightening his profile.
"By Taty performing well in Europe, it will give us the opportunity to [sell] him at a higher valuation and a higher number than we've had so far in this transfer window," Lee said.
Castellanos has spent four-and-a-half years with NYCFC after joining from Uruguayan side Torque – another of their sister clubs – on an initial loan deal in 2018.
He is the second-highest scorer in NYCFC's history, behind only Spain great David Villa, with 50 goals in 109 regular-season matches.
"While it is difficult to leave this club, I strongly believe that this is the right time for me to move to Europe, which has always been a personal dream of mine," Castellanos said.
"I feel confident and ready for a new challenge. I'd like to thank NYCFC and Girona for giving me this opportunity and finding a way for me to continue my journey and prove myself."
West Indies batsman Shai Hope says his success in the One-Day International format is down to his desire to spend time at the crease.
Hope celebrated his 100th ODI on Sunday at the Queen’s Park Oval with a brilliant 115 in a losing effort against India, his 13th century in the format to go along with 20 fifties.
The Barbadian, who now has 4193 ODI runs at an excellent average of 49.91, became the fourth West Indian and 10th player to ever score a century in their 100th ODI. Ramnaresh Sarwan, Gordon Greenidge and Chris Gayle are the other West Indians to achieve this feat while New Zealand’s Chris Cairns, Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, England’s Marcus Trescothick, Australia’s David Warner and India’s Shikhar Dhawan make up the rest of that exclusive club.
“I would just say my desire to bat as long as I can,” was Hope’s response in a post-match press conference when asked what he attributes his performances to.
“I love batting and I always want to stay at the crease and do whatever I can for the team’s benefit. Just the desire and hunger to stay out there in the middle,” he added.
Current opponents India have become somewhat of a favorite opponent for Hope as the numbers would suggest. He now has 855 runs at an average of 47.50 with three hundreds and four fifties in 22 matches against the 2011 World Cup winners.
“They’re a very good opposition. I think playing against the best in the world usually brings out the best in myself. It’s something I’ve always looked forward to growing up and playing regional cricket so, it’s just one of those challenges that I try to grasp with both hands and, hopefully, I can continue that trend,” Hope said.
So, how does Hope plan to keep up this level of performance?
“The key is to try to keep learning. You never know it all so it’s just about trying to learn and develop as best as I can. It’s all about adding to your game,” he said.
Hope’s next chance to add to his tally of runs will come when the West Indies play for pride in the third ODI against India on Wednesday in Port-of-Spain.
Shai Hope scored a magnificent century but it was not enough to prevent the West Indies from going 2-0 down after a thrilling two-wicket victory with two balls to spare at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad on Sunday.
The win means the home side’s seven-match losing streak continues as they ceded the three-match series to India with one match remaining.
India started slowly but eventually got the measure of the West Indies attack with half-centuries from Shreyas Ayer (63) and Sanju Samson (54) but it was Axar Patel whose quick-fire 64 from 35 balls that powered India over the line with a straight six from the fourth ball of the final over bowled by Kyle Mayers.
Mayers finished with 2-48 from 7.4 overs. Alzarri Joseph bowled well for his 2-46 from 10. Jayden Seales proved economical taking 1-40 from his allotment.
Earlier, after the West Indies had won the toss and chose to bat first, Hope scored 115 as the West Indies posted 311-6 from their 50 overs.
After sharing in an opening stand of 65 with Kyle Mayers who made 39, Hope also featured in a second-wicket partnership of 62 with Shamarh Brooks who contributed 32 before he too was dismissed after getting a start.
Brandon King made nought from five balls before Hope and Captain Nicolas Pooran shared in a 127-run partnership for the fourth wicket that got the West Indies back on track for another score over 300. Pooran was eventually dismissed for 74 with the West Indies positioned at 280-5 in the 44th over.
Hope finally fell in the 49th over, caught in the deep trying to hit over the long-off boundary as the West Indies' rate of scoring dipped. The home side managed 31 off the next six overs while also losing the wickets of Rovman Powell for 13 and Romario Shepherd for 14, something that West Indies would come to regret.
Shardul Thakur was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3-54 from his seven overs but India’s ability to restrict the West Indies' scoring in the death overs was largely due to the excellent bowling of Mohammad Siraj, who ended wicket-less but who the West Indies batters found difficult to get away in the final three overs.
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