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• St Kitts announces squad for Concacaf Nations League October matches

  St Kitts and Nevis Senior Men’s National team head coach Francisco Molina has named his squad for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League home matches in October. The team will face off against the British Virgin Islands on October 9 and the Cayman Islands on October 15, with both matches set to take place at Warner Park at 3:30 pm.

  The squad will feature experienced goalkeeper Julani Archibald, who will be relied upon to provide stability between the posts. He will be supported by defenders such as Kai Trotman, Ash-on Maynard, and Kalonji Clarke, while Raheem Hanley and Omarion Liburd add versatility to the backline.

  Midfield will be anchored by Malique Roberts, Marvin McSheen, and Devion Harvey, who are expected to drive the team’s transition between defense and attack. Mervin Lewis and Nequan Browne will also play pivotal roles in midfield, with the likes of Tyquan Terrell and Yohannes Mitchum adding creativity and energy.

  Kyle Kelly and Tiquanny Williams will be tasked with providing the attacking flair, while Kimaree Rogers, Dequan Hamilton, and Gvaune Amory add depth in forward positions. Javern Matthew, Shevene Boston, Jahlyan Burt, and Dionis Stephens are all set to contribute to the team's efforts as well, with Trimar Samuel and Jahmarli Connor adding further options to the squad.

  The squad also boasts the experience of Romaine Sawyers, who will bring leadership and composure to the midfield, making him a key figure in the team's campaign.

  As St Kitts & Nevis look to build on their performances in the Concacaf Nations League, these home matches offer an opportunity for the team to secure valuable points and continue their push toward regional success.

• Fonseca fumes at penalty 'circus' from referee as AC Milan beaten at Fiorentina

  AC Milan boss Paulo Fonseca was in an angry mood following his side's 2-1 loss away to Fiorentina on Sunday, suggesting the decisions to give three penalties turned the game into a 'circus'.

  Remarkably, all three spot-kicks were saved during the match. The home side initially saw Moise Kean's penalty kept out by Mike Maignan, while David de Gea then saved from Theo Hernandez - who was later sent off - and Tammy Abraham either side of half-time.

  But after the game, Fonseca's attention was on the performance of the officials rather than the goalkeeping.

  "I don’t like to talk about refereeing but this isn’t football. Football is about contact and a mere touch shouldn’t be enough to award a penalty," he told DAZN.

  "Just a simple touch can lead to a penalty, we saw that this weekend as well. It makes everyone nervous, and that creates problems. This is football, not a circus."

  Interestingly, neither Hernandez nor Abraham is Milan's designated penalty taker despite them taking the responsibility on Sunday.

  "Our penalty taker is [Christian] Pulisic. I don't know why the players changed their minds, I spoke to him and said that it must not happen again," said Fonseca.

  Pulisic did score Milan's only goal of the night, having equalised after an hour, before Albert Gudmondsson scored the winner for the hosts.

  The United States international was visibly angry when brought off for Samuel Chukwueze with seven minutes to go after putting in a bright performance, but the Milan manager explained that he did not want to aggravate an injury.

  "It was out of caution for Pulisic, he had a problem with his flexor during the week. Chukwueze came in well and created opportunities," said Fonseca.

  In terms of his side's overall performance, Fonseca did not want to focus on their penalty problems and instead suggested they did not do enough to get anything from the match.

  "In the first half, we lacked defensive aggression and strength in duels. The way we conceded goals clearly illustrates this; they almost always won the second balls," he said. "We weren't disciplined in our structure."

  The defeat ended a run of three straight league victories for Milan, meaning they go into the international break sixth in the table and on the back of a defeat.

  Despite that, and the gap to league leaders Napoli extending to six points, he was not panicking.

  "In Italy when you win, you’ve played a great match. If we don’t score, we’re the worst team in the world, just as I’m the worst coach. I know how things are," he said.

  Fonseca's assessment of the performance was mirrored by defender Matteo Gabbia, who was unhappy with how the game went.

  "We are certainly not satisfied with the initial approach. We feel this defeat, as it was our fault and we did not do our best tonight," he said.

  "It starts with us, I saw the right disappointment and anger in the dressing room and it can be the only positive from this very negative night. We are angry that we put in this performance."

• Portland Timbers 0-0 FC Dallas: Neville's men held after securing playoff spot

  The Portland Timbers were held to a goalless draw by FC Dallas on Sunday, having already clinched an MLS Cup playoff berth by virtue of results elsewhere.

  Austin FC's 2-1 defeat to the LA Galaxy on Saturday, which led to the team firing head coach Josh Wolff, ensured they could not overhaul Portland for the Western Conference's final wild-card spot.

  The Timbers still went with a strong lineup for their final home game of the regular season but had to settle for a point.

  Both Portland and Dallas had their chances, having 19 and 18 shots respectively, with the hosts almost finding a winner in second-half stoppage time as Dario Zuparic's header was cleared off the line.

  Perhaps their best opportunity came in the 88th minute, but Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer pushed Felipe Mora's attempt over the crossbar to preserve the visitors' clean sheet.

  Dallas, who had already been eliminated from the playoff race, sit 11th in the West, while Portland missed a chance to close the gap to the automatic qualification spots, which are now out of reach due to seventh-placed Minnesota United boasting two more wins with one game remaining.

   

  Data Debrief: Timbers end playoff exile

  Portland enter the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2021, having missed out in both of the last two campaigns.

  They finished as runners-up when they last made the postseason, while three of their last six playoff appearances have seen them make the MLS Cup Final.