The much-anticipated fourth edition of the Concacaf Nations League gets underway on Wednesday, when 16 League B teams begin their hunt for promotion to taste League A action in the tournament’s next edition.

Split into four groups, the countries will face each other twice during the FIFA Match Windows in September, October, and November. However, unlike previous editions, matches will now be played at a centralized venue per group to help alleviate some of the travel challenges in the region.

Group winners will be promoted to League A, while fourth-place finishes are relegated to League C. Additionally, the tournament will help to decide berths for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Group A

El Salvador, Montserrat, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Bonaire comprise the first group. El Salvador returns to League B after being relegated in last year’s tournament, while Bonaire makes its debut after earning a promotion from League C.

Montserrat and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will try to build on their 2023/24 Nations League campaign, in which they both finished with nine points.

Group B

Curaçao, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Saint Martin are the teams drawn into Group B.

Saint Martin was promoted to League B, coming off an undefeated run in last year’s Nations League, while Curaçao is back in League B for the first time in three years after being relegated from League A. Grenada is also back after being relegated for the first time in four years.

Meanwhile, Saint Lucia, which tallied 10 points last year, will be hoping to ascend to League A for the first time.

Group C

Haiti, Puerto Rico, Aruba, and Sint Maarten round out Group C.

Aruba returns to League B for the first time since 2019/20 via promotion. Haiti also is back after being relegated.

Sint Maarten and Puerto Rico will rely on top scorers Gerwin Lake and Ricardo Rivera to lead the way.

Group D

The four teams in Group D are the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica.

Dominica arrives via promotion from League C to rub shoulders with Dominican Republic, and Antigua and Barbuda, who are on the hunt for a first-ever League A promotion, while Bermuda aims to improve after going 2-2-2 in last year’s edition.

At the conclusion of the group stage in November, the four group winners will qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Group Stage, and the two best second-place finishers will advance to the 2025 Gold Cup Prelims.

The Gold Cup Prelims are scheduled for March 2025.

Meanwhile, League C action is also scheduled for Wednesday, with Bahamas and US Virgin Islands to open their Group A accounts. Barbados is the other team in the group.

Anguilla and Turks and Caicos Islands are set to cross swords in Group B, which also includes Belize, while British Virgin Islands will visit Cayman Islands in Group C, which also has St Kitts and Nevis.

At the end of the Group Stage in October, the three group winners and the best second-place finishers will advance to the 2024 Concacaf Nations League Play-In. The Play-In will take place in November 2024.

Trinidad and Tobago are champions of the 2024 Cricket West Indies Rising Stars Men’s Under-17 50-overs Championship.

With rain ruining their game against Barbados at Inshan Ali Park, Monday’s no result meant that the local squad are the champions.

T&T claimed the title with a record of three victories with two no results, after their fifth and final round match against Barbados was a washout.

Barbados concluded their campaign with two wins, with their three other games ending in with no results in the heavily rain-affected tournament. The entire second round was washed out by rain.

On Monday, the Brendan Boodoo-captained T&T squad batted first and tallied a relatively substantial 159 all out in 46.4 overs.

Christian Lall top-scored with a 57-ball 46 and received solid support from skipper Boodoo, who made 30 off 57 balls, including four boundaries.

Darrius Batoosingh chipped in with a valuable 29 from 56 balls, counting four fours.

Zachary Carty was the main wicket-taker for the Bajans, bagging 4-20.

In their turn at the crease, Barbados were 28-1 off five overs when rain forced the players off the field. The match was eventually called off.

And at the National Cricket Centre in Couva, there was also a no result after Guyana batted first, compiling 171 from 40.5 overs against the Leeward Islands.

Openers Vikash Wilkinson (34) and Rampersaud Ramnauth (31) led the way for the Guyanese while Romario Ramdeholl contributed 23.

For the Leewards, Isra-el Morton was the main man with the ball with 3-44, while Jaheem Kevaughn Clarke and Micah McKenzie took 2-20 and 2-24, respectively.

In yesterday’s other scheduled fixture, between Jamaica and the Windward Islands, at Gilbert Park, in California, the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Veteran Kevon Woodley is poised to make his much-anticipated debut in the Concacaf Nations League for Trinidad and Tobago, as he was named to Derek King’s 23-man squad to tackle League A opponents Honduras and French Guiana.

King, who was appointed on an interim basis after Angus Eve’s dismissal, is now charged with moving the senior Soca Warriors program forward and his selections for the September 6 and 10 contests signals a commitment of continuity and team chemistry.

Having served as an assistant to Eve, King’s squad features a core of players who were part of the former tactician’s squad that drew with Grenada and defeated Bahamas in their World Cup qualifying fixtures in June.

King’s side, which is without Greece-based forward Levi Garcia and Ajani Fortune, who are both unavailable, will travel to Honduras for Friday’s engagement before returning home to host French Guiana at the Dwight Yorke Stadium four days later.

Despite the absence of Garcia and Fortune, King remains confident in the strength and depth of the squad, which, along with Woodley, includes the likes of forward Reon Moore, defender Andre Raymond, box-to-box midfielder Andre Rampersad and goalie Denzil Smith.

“The team we’ve selected is one that has shown great potential and cohesion over the past few months. As we begin our group-stage campaign, the selected players are fit, focused and ready to perform at their best and I have been in discussion with each player about their expectations and responsibilities,” King said in a TTFA media release.

Woodley, 38, earned his Nations League call-up three months after earning his first senior Soca Warriors cap, as he has enjoyed good form for local club Police FC, including scoring a delightful header in a 1-4 Concacaf Caribbean Cup loss to Jamaica's Cavalier FC on August 29.

King pointed out that professionalism and hard work were key components in his selections.

“While it is never easy to narrow down the squad, I believe the players chosen are the ones who will help us navigate these two important fixtures successfully,” King declared.

“We need to be professional and disciplined in our approach and recognise the challenge of playing away from home in our opening match. It will be important that we maintain a high level of professionalism and remain focused throughout,” he added.

The Soca Warriors will depart for Honduras on Tuesday with last year’s campaign, which ended at the quarterfinal, at the top of their minds as they seek to replicate or even better that feat.

Trinidad and Tobago Squad -Christopher Biggette (Defence Force); Aubrey David (Deportivo Municipal); Triston Hodge (Hartford Athletic); Isaiah Lee (La Horquetta Rangers); Leland Archer (Charleston Battery); Andre Raymond (St Johnstone FC); Ryan Telfer (Halifax Wanderers); Duane Muckette (AC Port of Spain); Nathaniel James (Mount Pleasant FA); Real Gill (Northern Colorado Hailstorm); Daniel Phillips (Stevenage); Steffen Yeates (Pacific FC), Reon Moore (Pacific FC); Shannon Gomez (San Antonio FC); Dantaye Gilbert (Jong PSV); Alvin Jones (Police FC); Justin Garcia (Defence Force); Andre Rampersad (Halifax Wanderers); Noah Powder (Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC);
Kaile Auvray (Cavalier FC), Aaron Enill (Montego Bay United); Denzil Smith (AC Port of Spain); Kevon Woodley (Police FC)

Luis Suarez has announced he will retire from international football after Uruguay's World Cup qualifier versus Paraguay on Friday.

Suarez is Uruguay's all-time leading goalscorer, having netted 69 times in 142 appearances, with only Diego Godin (161) winning more caps for La Celeste.

The striker helped Uruguay reach the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup and win their 15th Copa America title in 2011, being named Player of the Tournament as he scored four goals including the opener in the final – a 3-0 victory over Paraguay.

Suarez will face the same opponents in his final international match on Saturday as Marcelo Bielsa's team look to build on a return of 13 points from their first six games in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification process.

"I've been thinking about this and analysing this. I believe this is the right time," a tearful Suarez told reporters on Monday.

"I want to be relaxed when I play my last game with the national team. I'll be just as excited to play as I was in 2007 when I played for my national team for the first time.

"That 19-year old kid is now a veteran player, an older player, however you want to call it, with an incredible history with the national team, that will give his life for the team."

Suarez was memorably sent off for a handball on the goal line to deny Ghana a winning goal as La Celeste won the teams' 2010 World Cup quarter-final on penalties, while he missed the 2015 Copa America after receiving a nine-match ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.

"We did go through difficult moments. There were many," he added. "Personally, it was worse for me after my massive mistake in 2014.

"But there's nothing that I would reproach."

The 37-year-old played a limited role as Uruguay took the bronze medal at this year's Copa, making four substitute appearances with Darwin Nunez predominantly leading the line.

Suarez did, however, net a stoppage-time equaliser to take the third-place play-off versus Canada to penalties, also converting from the spot as Uruguay triumphed 4-3 in the subsequent shoot-out.

He has 16 goals in 20 MLS outings for Inter Miami this year, with only Christian Benteke and Cristian Arango (17 each) ahead of him in the Golden Boot race.

Bahamian sprint hurdler Devynne Charlton has been forced to call an early end to her season after suffering a stress fracture during the 100m hurdles at the Rome Diamond League meeting on Friday, August 30. The 28-year-old, who was a finalist in the 100m hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics, did not finish the race in Rome, which was won by Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent in a world-leading 12.24 seconds—a new national record.

Charlton’s 2024 season had been nothing short of spectacular. In March, she claimed the world indoor 60m hurdles title in Glasgow, setting a new world record of 7.65 seconds in the process. This remarkable achievement marked the second time Charlton had broken the world record in 2024, having previously set a new mark of 7.67 seconds at the Millrose Games in New York in February.

The news of Charlton’s injury and subsequent decision to halt her season was announced by her agency, Preeminence Sports Group, via Instagram on Monday. The statement read: “@dvynn_’s season comes to a halt due to a stress fracture at the Rome Diamond League. We salute her incredible efforts this year as a World Indoor Champion, world record holder and Olympic finalist. Wishing her a speedy recovery and looking forward to her return next season.”

Charlton’s impressive achievements this year have solidified her status as one of the top hurdlers in the world. Despite the setback, the Bahamian star remains determined to recover and return stronger in the 2025 season. Fans and supporters will be eagerly awaiting her comeback as she continues to make her mark on the global stage.

Trinidadian and West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran has etched his name in the history books by breaking Chris Gayle's long-standing record for the most sixes hit in a calendar year in T20 cricket. Pooran, known for his explosive batting, reached this milestone during the 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) while playing for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

Pooran’s record-breaking moment came when he struck the sixth of his nine sixes during a blistering 43-ball 97 against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, taking his tally to 139 sixes in 2024. This incredible achievement surpassed the previous record of 135 sixes set by Chris Gayle in 2015.

Pooran’s six-hitting spree in 2024 has been nothing short of extraordinary. He has hit 139 sixes off 1145 balls, averaging a six every 8.23 deliveries. While Gayle had a slightly better rate of 7.50 balls per six in 2015, Pooran's consistency over 57 innings—compared to Gayle’s 36—highlights the sustained nature of his power-hitting.

A deeper dive into Pooran's numbers reveals his dominance, especially against pace. Out of his 139 sixes, 92 came against fast bowlers, setting a new record for the most sixes against pace in a calendar year. This is significantly higher than Gayle’s 68 sixes against pacers in 2015. Pooran has averaged a six every 8.65 balls against seamers, while spinners have fared slightly worse, with Pooran sending one over the ropes every 7.43 deliveries.

Pooran has also excelled across different phases of the innings. He smashed 79 sixes during the middle overs (7th to 16th), breaking yet another record previously held by Gayle, who hit 71 sixes in that phase in 2012. Additionally, Pooran hit 32 sixes at the death, averaging a six every 6.22 balls, and 28 in the powerplay, at a rate of 8.14 balls per six.

The 2024 season saw Pooran distribute his sixes across multiple tournaments. He hit the most in the IPL, with 36 sixes, followed by 34 in T20 Internationals, 31 in the ILT20, and 19 in The Hundred. Pooran’s consistency across these formats and leagues underscores his status as one of the most destructive batters in T20 cricket.

Four bowlers were particularly tormented by Pooran’s power-hitting, with each conceding four sixes to him in 2024: Dominic Drakes, Nandre Burger, Rashid Khan, and Sikandar Raza.

With 551 sixes in T20 cricket, Pooran now stands as the fourth-highest six-hitter in the format, trailing only his fellow West Indians Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, and Andre Russell. Pooran’s remarkable feat in 2024 not only solidifies his place among the game's greats but also further cements the Caribbean’s legacy in T20 cricket.

Attorneys representing Jamaican squash player Julian Morrison have filed a formal application requesting that Catherine Minto, Chair of the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, recuse herself from the ongoing hearing concerning an alleged anti-doping violation. The application, filed by Dr. Emir Crowne, Mr. Matthew Gayle, and Mr. Sayeed Bernard, on Monday, September 2, argues that Minto’s prior extensive working relationship with Kings Counsel Ian Wilkinson, who is representing the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) in the matter, presents a potential conflict of interest.

The legal team’s concerns are rooted in the principle of impartiality, as outlined in WADA’s International Standard for Results Management. This standard mandates that members of hearing panels must be free from any actual or potential conflicts of interest to ensure a fair and unbiased adjudication process.

According to the standard, “Upon appointment to a hearing panel, each hearing panel member shall sign a declaration that there are no facts or circumstances known to him/her which might call into question their impartiality in the eyes of any of the parties, other than any circumstances disclosed in the declaration…”

Morrison's legal team discovered on August 30, 2024, that Minto had previously served as co-counsel with Wilkinson in several cases, some of which spanned nearly a decade and culminated in an appeal to the Privy Council. Despite the significant duration and nature of this professional relationship, it was not disclosed to Morrison or his representatives at the outset of the hearing. They argue that this omission compromises the perceived impartiality of the Chair and raises questions about the fairness of the proceedings.

Matthew Gayle, one of Morrison’s attorneys, emphasized the seriousness of the situation: “Given that the panel has considered the issue of recusal, substantively for a significant period of time, this ought to have been a matter that was disclosed to the parties so the athlete has no way of knowing but for information in the public domain. This should have been disclosed by the Chair herself and to the parties and give the athlete an opportunity to consider whether or not he wants to raise an objection, and in the circumstances where no disclosure has taken place it does raise a very serious question as to why,” he told Sportsmax.TV.

The application highlights multiple cases, including ones from 2014, 2016, and 2020, where Minto and Wilkinson worked closely together. Morrison’s legal team contends that this omission violates the ethical guidelines that require transparency and impartiality from those presiding over such hearings.

In April, Morrison was provisionally suspended by JADCO after testing positive for trace amounts of the banned anabolic agent Boldenone. Since then, he has been eagerly awaiting the chance to clear his name. His legal team has argued that Morrison unknowingly ingested the substance and is determined to prove his innocence.

The attorneys have requested that Minto either voluntarily recuse herself and be replaced by an alternate who has no recent or extensive professional ties to JADCO's counsel, or that the application for her recusal be decided by other members of the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel who are free from similar conflicts.

Morrison’s legal team stressed that this application was not made lightly, acknowledging that it could delay the proceedings. However, they assert that the integrity of the hearing and the athlete’s right to a fair trial must take precedence.

The outcome of this recusal application could significantly impact the course of the hearing, as both parties await a decision that will determine the next steps in this high-stakes case. Morrison remains resolute in his fight to prove his innocence and is hopeful that he will be granted a fair opportunity to do so.

Jamaica's Reggae Boyz have made a crucial adjustment to their squad for the September window of the CONCACAF Nations League, calling up Jamal Lowe to replace the injured Leon Bailey. Bailey sustained an injury during Aston Villa's 2-1 victory over Leicester City in the English Premier League on Saturday, forcing him to withdraw from the national team.

Lowe, known for his versatility and attacking prowess, has been drafted in to fill the void left by Bailey. Lowe, who plays for Swansea City in the English Championship, will join the squad as they prepare for their opening match against Cuba at the National Stadium on September 6. This match is critical for the Reggae Boyz as they aim to start their campaign on a strong note.

The Reggae Boyz coaching staff expressed their disappointment at Bailey's injury but extended their best wishes for his recovery. "We wish Leon a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back in action soon," a team spokesperson said. 

Following the match against Cuba, Jamaica will continue their CONCACAF Nations League journey with another important fixture against Honduras. These matches will be vital for Jamaica as they look to advance in the competition and strengthen their position on the international stage.

A tournament record second wicket partnership of 199 runs between Kyle Mayers and Evin Lewis was not enough to see St Kitts & Nevis Patriots to victory in the fifth match of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in Basseterre. The St Lucia Kings completed an ice-veined run chase to pull off a five wicket win with 16 balls remaining.

An unbeaten century for Lewis off 54 balls and 92 from Mayers off 62 deliveries lit up the evening, with boundaries raining down on all corners of the ground, the Patriots pair hitting a combined 16 sixes and 13 fours to set a challenging target of 201-3.

The game looked all but gone for the Kings early in their response. At 24-4 inside four overs with opener and captain Faf du Plessis pocketed by countryman Anrich Nortje for 2 and Mayers doing early damage with the ball in hand to get rid of Johnson Charles and Ackeem Auguste.

A remarkable passage of play followed, Tim Seifert was dropped twice on his way to scoring 64 off 27 balls before Bhanuka Rajapaska (68* off 35) and David Wiese (34* off 20) beat the fielders and cleared the ropes with aplomb to knock off the runs with relative ease.

The rain fell at Warner Park but it wasn’t heavy or sustained enough to come to Patriots rescue, all of their bowlers shipped heavy runs apart from Nortje who finished with 2-29 from his four overs. Team captain Andre Fletcher intimated that his side need to improve in order to challenge in the competition.

“As a fielding unit, we are not helping the bowlers.” Fletcher said after the match. “We can't be dropping catches and expect to win matches against powerful batting line-ups. Catches win matches and we have to do that, and buck up on our fielding.”

It was a bittersweet evening for Kyle Mayers, who picked up the Player of the Match award for his outstanding all-round performance. “It was a good day for me but the team did not cross the line, so it is still sad. The difference between us and them was that they executed in the back end and the rain also kept our spinners out of the game.”

It as a confident start to the 2024 campaign by St Lucia Kings who chalked up victory in their first outing but plenty to ponder for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots with just one win from three matches so far.

Marcel Hartel's second-half strike compounded Western Conference leaders LA Galaxy to a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of St. Louis City. 

Cedric Teuchert's early strike was cancelled out by Gabriel Pec's equaliser 50 seconds into the second half, only for Hartel, who signed from St. Pauli in July, to net his third goal on his sixth appearance for the club.

Having failed to win in their last five MLS fixtures, St. Louis took the lead with just nine minutes on the clock as Teuchert punished John McCarthy's poor clearance. 

In a fairly even contest, parity was restored shortly after the interval as Galaxy substitue Miguel Berry made an instant impact from the bench with his flick finding Pec who finished emphatically. 

But Hartel would have the final say, steering Jayden Reid's inviting cross home in the 68th minute, leaving Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney dissappointed in the result and his players, who were unable to adapt to the conditions. 

“I'm disappointed in the result for sure. More for me, it's being able to manage the conditions and still be able to perform on things that we need to perform on the day," Vanney said.

"That's what's important in this time of the season. That then also translates into results. I think you'll see across the league at this time of year, we see it all during the year. 

"We've got to be at the point in the season where we have to manage whatever the conditions are and still perform and execute upon the things that we need to execute to have the game look how we want it to look and see it out in the ways we need to.

"I felt like we didn't do that today. So it's disappointing. It happens in the course of the season. We have to bounce right back."

Data Debrief: Hero Hartel to the rescue

St. Louis' triumph saw them end a run of consecutive draws against the Galaxy, having shared the spoils in their last three encounters in the MLS. 

Hartel was the player to strike the decisive blow and now has three MLS goal involvements (one goal and two assists) since his move to St. Louis in July. 

Joseph Paintsil was a particular standout for the visitors, recording the most touches in the oppositions box (13) as well as playing 18 passes into the final third.

A boundary blitzing innings by Quinton de Kock saw Barbados Royals inflict a nine-wicket win over Antigua & Barbuda Falcons in the fourth match of Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua on Sunday.

The Falcons were inserted under blue skies but struggled with the bat in the face of tight bowling, losing two wickets inside the Powerplay and two quick wickets straight afterwards to find themselves 47-4 and struggling to make a competitive total. 

After scoring an unbeaten 50 in the Falcons' first match of the campaign against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, 17-year-old Jewel Andrew starred once again with a counterattacking 48 off 35 balls including three fours and two sixes to help the Falcons post 145-9 as they looked for their first win of the tournament. 

An emphatic Powerplay from de Kock and fellow opener Rahkeem Cornwall took a sizeable chunk out of the target, the Royals rollocking to 76 runs without the loss of a wicket in the first six overs. 

De Kock batted through the innings, finding more fluency and increasingly audacious shots in his locker as the innings progressed. He finished the match in some style by driving Mohammad Amir over extra cover for four and then depositing the Pakistani quick bowler back over his head for six to finish unbeaten on 87 of just 45 balls and wrap up a swaggering victory for the Royals in their first match of the 2024 campaign.

The Royals looked good with both bat and ball and they also pulled off some fine catches and showcased tight ground-fielding to further restrict the Patriots. 

Jason Holder’s death bowling was impressive, he sent down 12 dots in his four overs and picked up two wickets for 21 runs. Spin bowlers Theekshana and Wellalage also clipped the Falcons' wings.

It was de Kock who bagged the Player of the Match award. Royals captain Rovman Powell explained after the game that the youngsters in the team are always picking the South African southpaw’s batting brains and he was pleased with his side’s first outing. “The guys looked sharp and ready in the first game, which doesn't always happen. It's great. Once we have Quinny in our team, it gets better.”