LAFC maintained top spot of the Western Conference in the MLS on Sunday, claiming a gutsy 4-2 win away to Orlando City.

Though the visitors hit the lead twice in the first half at Exploria Stadium, the Lions equalised as many times, including a finely taken goal from Alexandre Pato in the 36th minute.

Sensing where the ball would drop following Mauricio Peyeyra's ball over and into the penalty area, Pato set himself and calmly volleyed past Maxime Crepeau.

Ilie Sanchez rifled home a mere six minutes into the second half and from there, LAFC were able to sit and absorb Orlando pressure.

After some important saves from Crepeau to deny a third equaliser, substitute Kwadwo Opoku was able to score an injury-time sealer in transition, moving Steve Cherundolo's side to four wins and a draw from five games.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Union were able to keep their place atop the Eastern Conference, with a 2-0 win at home to Charlotte FC.

The Union took the lead after only four minutes and in uncomplicated fashion, with Sergio Santos running on to a ball over the top and assisting for Julian Carranza from the byline.

Daniel Gazdag doubled the margin a minute within the restart, and similarly to LAFC, absorbed pressure in their defensive half to see out the win to move to 13 points from five games.

NY Red Bulls and Atlanta stayed within three points of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference with respective 1-0 victories over New England Revolution and DC United. Columbus Crew dropped points at home to Nashville, with Alex Muyl's lone goal the difference.

A Gonzalo Higuain penalty would not suffice for Inter Miami, who remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder in the East, after Phil Neville's side losing 3-1 to Houston Dynamo. Chicago Fire and FC Dallas played out a goalless draw, while Toronto FC beat reigning MLS Cup champions New York City 2-1.

In the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake fell two points behind with a 1-1 draw away to Colorado, Austin FC conceded two goals in as many minutes to eventually play out a 2-2 draw against San Jose Earthquakes.

Ryan Raposo's 73rd-minute winner was enough for Vancouver Whitecaps at home to Sporting KC, while Brent Kallman's own goal eventually condemned Minnesota to their first defeat of the season, losing 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders.  

Shericka Jackson made a winning return to the 400m at the Velocity Fest 10 at the National Stadium on Saturday.

The multiple time Olympic and World Championship medallist ran 51.29 to win section B of the Women’s 400m ahead of Candice McLeod (51.78) and Anthonique Strachan (52.89).

Ashley Williams won section A in 53.90 ahead of Odeshia Nanton (54.39) and Yanique McNeil (54.82).

Anthony Cox won section B of the Men’s 400m in 46.13 ahead of Zandrian Barnes (46.18) and Akani Slater (46.71).

There were only two competitors in the Women’s 400m Hurdles which saw two-time Olympic finalist Janieve Russell run 56.40 to win ahead of Junelle Bromfield who ran 56.61.

2019 Men's World Long Jump champion Tajay Gayle opened his season with 7.97 to win the event ahead of Emmanuel Archibald (7.93) and Shawn-D Thompson (7.92).

Four-time Olympic medallist for Trinidad and Tobago Ato Boldon believes that Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce can both challenge Florence Griffith Joyner’s 34-year-old 100m World Record.

Currently the coach of young Jamaican sprinter Briana Williams, Boldon has tipped the Olympic gold and silver medallist from the 100m at last year’s Tokyo Olympics to challenge Joyner’s mark of 10.49 which she did at the US Olympic Trials in 1988.

“I think they’re both certainly capable,” he said in an interview with Athletics Weekly before going on to outline that he thinks Thompson-Herah may have a better chance at the record.

“I don’t know if anybody else in the immediacy can do that but I’d give Elaine a better chance just because of her form. She is so much better at 200m than so many others. I also don’t think you can look at her 10.54 at Hayward Field last year, considering she was kind of fatigued after coming off three gold medals in Tokyo, and not think there’s another five hundredths of a second somewhere to tie the 10.49,” he added.

As he mentioned, Thompson-Herah, who is 29-years-old, lowered her own personal best to 10.54 at the Eugene Diamond League last year leaving many, including Boldon, anticipating a record-breaking performance from her in the near future.

“I would probably be surprised if 10.49 survives Elaine Thompson-Herah’s career,” he said.

Fraser-Pryce, now 35-years-old, also had a stunning season in 2021, lowering her personal best to 10.60 at the Lausanne Diamond League in August.

“I don’t know how long Shelly-Ann has got left but I don’t think Tokyo was her last Olympics and I think she’ll go out after Paris in 2024. She has the talent as well. I mean, she ran 10.63 in April so anything is possible,” Boldon said.

Jamaican striker Khadija Shaw scored her fourth goal of the season to help Manchester City Women secure a 2-0 win over West Ham Women in the FA Women’s Super League (WSL) on Saturday at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.

Shaw scored in the 63^rd minute after England international Georgia Stanway opened the scoring in the eighth minute.

After the result, Shaw’s Manchester City Women find themselves fourth in the WSL table with 35 points from 18 matches, the same as Manchester United Women who are ahead of them in third on goal difference.

Chelsea Women lead the league with 41 points from 17 matches while Arsenal Women lie second with 40 points from 17 outings.

Shaw will next be in action for the Reggae Girlz on April 9^th and 12^th when they take on the Cayman Islands and the Dominican Republic in CONCACAF Women’s Championship Qualifying.

Briana Williams opened her outdoor season on a winning note at the 2022 Florida Relays at the James G. Pressley Stadium in Gainesville on Friday.

The Olympic 4x100m relay gold medalist from Tokyo ran 22.81 to win the Women’s Olympic Development 200m ahead of the USA pair Shannon Ray (22.95) and Brittany Aveni (23.10).

Antigua and Barbuda’s Tennessee sophomore Joella Lloyd was sixth in the Women’s College 200m in 23.32. The event was won by Florida’s Talitha Diggs in 22.78 ahead of Kentucky’s Karimah Davis (22.97) and Iowa’s Lasarah Hargrove (23.09).

Jamaican Kentucky senior Kenroy Williams was eighth fastest in the Men’s 400m Hurdles with 50.92. South Carolina’s William Spencer Jr won the event in 49.56 ahead of Maryland’s Caleb Dean (49.78) and North Carolina A&T’s Cory Poole (50.20).

Purdue senior and former Jamaica College standout Safin Wills jumped 7.49m for eighth in the Men’s Long Jump won by A’Nan Bridgett of Rutgers in 7.72. Isaiah Holmes of Miami jumped 7.69 for second while Florida’s Malcolm Clemons jumped 7.63 for third.

Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Coaching Development Programme, in conjunction with the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and the University of the West Indies (UWI), delivered a series of face-to-face Coach Development events in Barbados from March 25 to 27.

The events were aimed to upskill, assess and accredit local coaches and coach developers from the CWI Level 1 to Level 3 coaching programmes to support the West Indies Cricket Pathway.

In its promise to lift coaching standards, over the past three years CWI has delivered 552 new coaching certificates across eight Caribbean countries – 93 at Level 2, 129 at Level 1, and 330 at the Foundation Level. 16 CWI Coach Developers have also been trained to deliver Level 1 Courses locally.

A total of 25 participants took part in the face-to-face components of the CWI Competition Coaching Course (Level 1) and the CWI Representative Coaching Programme (Level 2) which were held concurrently at Kensington Oval. Among the coaches who completed the courses were West Indies players Dwayne Smith, Kirk Edwards, Shane Dowrich, Shayne Moseley and Charlene Taitt with a total of five female coaches participating along with several current and former first-class players.

Both cohorts participated in separate online modules throughout March covering theoretical aspects of coaching in preparation for the face-to-face part of the programme which covered practical modules such as biomechanics, skill acquisition, applied coaching and game sense.

 “Initiatives like this are part of the CWI strategy to make coach-development opportunities more accessible and inclusive for anyone who would like to learn more about coaching and then use that training to actively grow the game in their communities,” said CWI Coach Development Manager, Chris Brabazon.

“The BCA did a fantastic job in promoting the courses and assisting with the delivery. In particular Coach Developers Rohan Nurse, Robin Paris and Hendy Springer are now able to present future Level 1 courses around Barbados as required. Also, the support from our UWI Coach Developers continues to be excellent in the development and delivery of our Level 2 and Level 3 coaching Programmes.”

Dowrich believes the course was beneficial.

“The course was very productive. I learnt a lot over the last couple of weeks, which included the online modules,” he said.

“It has been very interesting and opened my mind to a lot of things I haven’t been thinking about as a cricketer. It’s good to have the theory side and also look at how to apply that to the practical side, which we did here at Kensington. The education in this programme is critical and will help to improve cricket in the Caribbean.”

Brabazon was also able to observe local coaches who are taking part in CWI’s first-ever locally delivered Level 3 Coaching Programme. Jamal Smith and Corey Yearwood are taking part in the ongoing 12-month programme and were observed during their respective coaching sessions at Kensington Oval and Pickwick Cricket Club.

Reigning Olympic 100m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson will make her return to the 400m at the Velocity Fest 10 at the National Stadium on Saturday.

So far this season, Jackson has only competed in the 60m where she ran a personal best 7.04 to finish sixth at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March.

Jackson, who lowered her 100m personal best to 10.76 last season, was also a bronze medallist in the 400m at the 2015 Beijing World Championships, 2016 Rio Olympics and 2019 Doha World Championships. The former Vere Technical standout hasn’t run a 400m race since a sixth-place finish at the Gateshead Diamond League on May 23 last year.

However, she will be competing in Section B of the Women’s 400m and her main competition could come from Candice McLeod, a finalist at the Tokyo Olympics and Rushell Clayton, the 2019 World Championships bronze medallist in the 400m hurdles.

Tajay Gayle, the 2019 World long jump champion will open his season facing strong competition from Shawn-D Thompson and Emmanuel Archibald.

Elsewhere in the field events, Fedrick Dacres, the silver medallist from the 2019 World Championships will compete in the discus alongside Chad Wright and Traves Smikle.

The Men’s 100m is also expected to be an exciting affair.

There will be five semi-finals and then  A, B and C finals that will likely feature Yohan Blake, Zharnel Hughes, Oblique Seville, Tyquendo Tracey, Ackeem Blake, Jevaughn Minzie and Antonio Watson.

The meet is expected to run from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm Jamaica time.

Cricketers in the countries that hosted the recent 2022 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup are set to benefit from a donation of 15 bowling machines purchased by Cricket West Indies (CWI).

CWI has donated four bowling machines each to Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago, with three donated to Antigua and Barbuda.

The bowling machines have been distributed among territorial cricket boards and cricket clubs, in accordance with CWI’s pre-tournament objective of enhancing cricketing infrastructure in the host nations for the ICC U19showpiece.

The 2022 ICC U19 World Cup was held from January 14 to February 5, 2022, and concluded with India beating England in the final at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

“We talked about the valuable legacy for the West Indies in hosting the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup and this is a tangible example of how our regional cricket will be impacted positively,” said CWI President Ricky Skerritt while presenting the four bowling machines in St. Kitts to President of the St. Kitts Cricket Association, Dennis Phillip.

“Our young cricketers, as well as club players and those in high-performance development programmes, will have the opportunity to fine-tune their batting skills with these high-calibre machines. Cricket West Indies has a vested interest in helping to improve the standard of cricket in all our member territories, and thereby the standard of West Indies cricket. This donation further underlines CWI’s commitment to one of our most important stakeholders – our players.”

The CWI president that it is important that the board responds to the needs of the respective territories.

“We want to ensure our cricket boards and clubs are in a better position to respond to players’ needs by having the appropriate facilities and equipment to propel cricket development, especially among youth,” Skerritt said.

“It is also a gesture of appreciation for the priceless support which CWI received from the host governments, as well as from local cricket authorities and clubs. It’s been a wonderful partnership.”

President Skerritt also stressed the importance for local cricket clubs “to maintain certain minimum standards and a state of readiness to host matches, in case opportunities arise to be involved in more global tournaments”.

The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) finals will be hosted by Guyana for the next three years, starting in 2022. This is the first time the Hero CPL final will be held in Guyana and this long-term staging agreement will see the culmination of the tournament also taking place in Guyana in 2023 and 2024.

This season, Guyana will host seven group games, three knockout matches and the Hero CPL final which will take place on Friday, September 30 at The Guyana National Stadium in Providence.

The Hero CPL final will be the climax of festivities surrounding these games taking place in Guyana. The Government of Guyana in collaboration with the local private sector will also stage two weeks of events which will form a Cricket Carnival. This Carnival will celebrate the best that Guyana was to offer, showcasing the music, food and culture of this vibrant and fascinating country. 

 Over the previous nine seasons of Hero CPL there has been massive support for the tournament from Guyanese fans and the tournament is expecting significant excitement at the prospect of these hugely important matches taking place in the country.

Guyana’s economy is growing rapidly, and the country has a fantastic reputation as a destination for tourists looking for unspoiled nature. The Hero CPL finals will further showcase this wonderful country to a massive global audience – the total viewership for Hero CPL passed 500million in both 2020 and 2021.

“We are blessed with amazing fans across the Caribbean, and this is very clear whenever we visit Guyana where the atmosphere at Providence is electric. The idea of having the Hero CPL final in front of this wonderful crowd of passionate and knowledgeable cricket fans is a mouthwatering prospect,” said Pete Russell, Hero CPL CEO.

“We are very grateful to have such a positive relationship with the government and cricket authorities in Guyana and we thank them for helping us come to this hugely exciting agreement.”

His Excellency Dr Mohammad Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, said the citizens of Guyana are passionate about cricket.

 “Cricket is much more than a game for us in Guyana, it is a passion, part of our culture and a unifying force. As we celebrate “One Guyana” the hosting of the CPL final will be an energizing force,” he said.

“We are building a product that will be spectator focused, integrated with our regional partners for a global market. Cricket carnival is a fusion of entertainment and celebration that will be mind-blowing and unbelievably different from any other global cricketing event. We welcome all to the greatest celebration of music, pageantry, Caribbean vibes with a South American touch and of course, cricket played loudest.”

Garth Gayle, President of the Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) has expressed confidence that the Jamaican team for the 2022 Carifta Games is ready to defend its title when the games get under way at the National Stadium in Kingston next month.

Jamaica will field a team of 78 athletes for the April 16-18 Games led by the talented twins, Tia and Tina Clayton, Brianna Lyston as well as standouts Bryan Levell and Rayon Campbell.

“It is a very talented team of junior athletes that will represent Jamaica and do well at the Carifta Games,” said Gayle who pointed to the world-class performances that were on show during the recent Carifta trials where 17-year-old Lyston ran 22.66 to win the U20 Girls 200m.

Levell also produced a fast 20.53 to easily win the 200m.

Rayon Campbell was also a standout winning the 400m hurdles in what was a world-leading time of 49.52.

Gayle said it was clear that, with the WorldU20 Championships in mind, the coaches across the island have remarkably in getting their athletes prepared for both competitions.

The athletes selected are as follows:

U17 Girls: Theianna-Lee Terrelonge, Camoy Binger, Abigail Campbell, Quiana Walker, Andrene Peart, Ricaria Campbell, Kededra Coombs, Deandra Harris, Bryana Davidson, Jody-Ann Daley, Asia McKay, Danielle Noble, Rohanna Sudlow, Shemonique Hazle, Sabrina Atkinson, Dionjah Shaw, Rehanna Biggs and Nastassia Burrell.

U17 Boys: Gary Card, Shaquane Gordon, Romario Hines, Rickoy Hunter, Tajh-Marques White, Marchino Rose, Ainsley Brown, Rasheed Pryce, Yoshane Bowen, Tyrone Lawson, Jordan Mowatt, Princewell Martin, Jadan Campbell, Zachary Wallace, Aaron McKenzie, Chavez Penn, Euan Young and Despiro Wray.

U20 Girls: Tia Clayton, Tina Clayton, Brianna Lyston, Oneika McAnnuff, Shackelia Green, Kaylia Kelly, Rushana Dwyer, Samantha Pryce, Jody Ann Mitchell, Ashara Frater, Safhia Hinds, Alexis James, Oneka Wilson, Britannia Johnson, Annishka McDonald, Malaika Cunningham, Serena Cole, Kay-Lagay Clarke,  Jo-Anna Pinnock, Cedricka Williams and Rickeisha Simms.

U20 Boys: DeAndre Daley, Bryan Levell, Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, Sandrey Davison, Delano Kennedy, Shemar Palmer, J’Voughnn Blake, Adrian Nethersole, Nicholas Power, Christopher Young, Balvin Israel, Royan Walters, Brandon Pottinger, Xavier Codling, Kobe Lawrence, Rayon Campbell, Roshawn Clarke, Jahvel Granville, Demario Prince and Jaydon Hibbert.

Dr Oneil Ankle will be the Chef de Mission while Orett Wallace will be the Team Manager.

Jamaican Olympian Inez Turner, the head coach at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, was named Women's Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Turner, who represented Jamaica at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, led the Fayetteville State Broncos to their second consecutive Women's CIAA Indoor Track and Field Championship title in the program's three years of existence.

The Broncos captured the podium 32 points ahead of their competition with 155 points in the eight-team championship. Winston-Salem State was the runner-up (132) while Virginia State (66) was third.

The former middle-distance runner was honoured but praised the people who have supported her.

"It is the blood that keeps giving me strength from day to day; it will never lose its power. It flows to the highest mountains and reaches the lowest valleys. When rewarded with an award like this, it comes with support, first from God who bestowed his blessings, sealed and handed me an envelope that must pass through a process.  A process that includes the toughest, resiliency, hard work and dedication," she said on Facebook.

"It is worthy to pay dues that one day will find a way to float back to you unprecedented. To everyone including my student-athletes, my coaches, my AD, Dr Miller, Norwood, King, Ferguson, the whole athletic department, and our Chancellor of Fayetteville State University please know that I do this not by myself. "

At the championships, FSU’s Mya Jackson received Most Valuable Women's Track Athlete after winning the 60-meter hurdles and the 200m while Jade Jordan won the triple and long jumps for the Women's MVP for field events.

Turner has made a huge impact by bringing the Fayetteville State track program back to life since taking over the role of Head Coach in 2017.

In addition to the recent indoor titles, Coach Turner has led the Broncos to three consecutive CIAA Women's Cross-Country Championships in her first three seasons at the helm. The indoor program finished third in the conference in 2017 and the outdoor track and field program was runner-up in the same year.

Coach Turner received the USTFCCCA DII Indoor Atlantic Region Coach of Year Award in 2020.

Usain Bolt has been revealed as a co-owner of esports group WYLDE.

WYLDE (What You Love Doing eSports) was founded two years ago by former JP Morgan investment banker Steve Daly and David Cronin and is based in Dublin, Ireland.

The Irish esports organisation revealed that the Jamaican sprinter will be “involved in a range of activities focused on elevating Wylde’s growing brand”, according to reports.

The 35-year-old Bolt, who retired in 2017, after a career in which he won eight Olympic gold medals, is considered the greatest sprinter of all time. He owns world records of 9.58 and 19.19 for the 100m and 200m, respectively.

“WYLDE is on a journey to becoming one of the biggest brands in the fastest growing sport in the world. In esports, like in track and field, it’s critical to have that competitive, winning mentality,” said Bolt.

“I look forward to working with the WYLDE leadership team to help our players to reach their potential, while also taking care of their physical and mental wellbeing”.

Cronin, a founding shareholder of Irish technology company QUMAS, believes the partnership with the track and field legend will serve to enhance WYLDE global appeal.

“Usain coming on board takes WYLDE to the next level,” he said.

“With his vast competitive experience and Olympic-winning mentality, his guidance will be invaluable as we continue to build professional structures to support the development of our players.”

Bolt, a rabid gamer, teased news of the development on Twitter on Tuesday.

“It’s my time to own a professional sports team. Super excited! Get ready for something big,” he tweeted to his 4.8 million followers.