Michail Antonio
Though he is still yet to fully absorb West Ham United's UEFA Europa Conference League triumph, Michail Antonio is hoping to add a bit more history to that club success, this time for his country by upsetting the apple cart at the Concacaf Gold Cup with Jamaica's Reggae Boyz.
The 16-team biennial championship for North America, Central America and the Caribbean gets under way at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday, with the Reggae Boyz set to open against reigning seven-time champion United States in Group A, which also includes Trinidad and Tobago and first-timer St Kitts and Nevis.
Antonio, who was instrumental in West Ham's successful run to their first major European honour since 1965 when they defeated Fiorentina 1-0 in the Europa Conference League final earlier this month, said the feeling is still somewhat indescribable, but lifting the Gold Cup would certainly help him snap out of his dreamlike state.
The 36-year-old was the Hammers's top scorer with 14 goals in the season, which he pointed out was the most enjoyable of his eight seasons at the club, and he is now aiming to bring that form to the fore on the international stage.
"Obviously, I know I won the Europa Conference League, but it hasn't set home as yet, but it was amazing feeling celebrating with the Jamaican flag, everyone there was celebrating their country, so I was definitely celebrating mine and the island where my mom grew up and the place where she always brought me from when I was young.
"So, it (winning the Europa Conference League) was an opportunity for me to have the Jamaican flag around me and I was never going to miss that opportunity. But I'm here now with the Jamaican team and hoping to win another title," Antonio said.
He will have plenty more opportunities to celebrate the black, gold and green, provided all goes accordingly for the Heimir Hallgrimsson-coached Reggae Boyz throughout their campaign.
Should the Jamaicans come out successful at the end of this year’s Gold Cup, it would be their first title in the history of the tournament that started in 1991. They went close in the 2015 and 2017 finals which they lost 3-1 and 2-1 to Mexico and United States respectively.
Aside from their 2015 upset semi-final win en route to the final, the Reggae Boyz have struggled in games against the United States in the tournament, losing five of their last six meetings, the most recent being in 2019 and 2021, when they went down 3-1 and 1-0 in the semifinals and quarterfinals.
By virtue of those statics, Saturday's opener will by no means be easy, but Antonio seems confident the Boyz will test the mettle of the B.J. Callaghan-coached United States team that is missing some key players, who factored in their recent Concacaf Nations League triumph.
"It (our build up) has been good, spirits seem high, everyone seems confident, and the training went well. It was my first session with the team and I'm quite positive. Obviously, I've got one cup down and like I said, I am here for another," Antonio reiterated.
"I am definitely enjoying coming here (into tournaments) and linking up with the boys, we have a good bond now, as the atmosphere and the camaraderie is always good. I enjoy it and we're going to keep going," he added.
With the Reggae Boyz team bolstered by other Premier League attacking talents such as Aston Villa's Leon Bailey, newcomer Demarai Gray of Everton and Fulham's Bobby Reid, Antonio believes the team has enough quality to not only end Hallgrimsson's seven-match winless streak, but more importantly, lay a solid foundation, as they build towards the 2026 World Cup.
"One thing with the Jamaican team is that there is a lot of potential and quality out there and people are starting to turn up. Obviously quite a few Premier League players are now in the setup, Demarai Gray, Bobby Reid, Me, Bailey, so there are some quality players turning up here," Antonio said.
"But it is not just the Premier League players, obviously there are a lot of quality players from the Island, Andre Blake, being named keeper of the year last year in the US, so it's a good squad being built," he ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Europa Conference League: Aston Villa stunned by Olympiacos
Aston Villa were stunned by Olympiacos as they suffered a 4-2 home defeat in the Europa Conference League.
On what the Villa faithful hoped would be a famous night at Villa Park, they instead saw their team dispatched by their Greek opponents in the first leg of their semi-final encounter.
Ayoub El Kaabi scored a hat-trick for the visitors, who were 2-0 up inside 30 minutes on Thursday.
Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby struck either side of the interval to restore parity, but El Kaabi sealed his hat-trick from the penalty spot before Santiago Hezze added further gloss with a sensational finish. To add to Villa's misery, Douglas Luiz then missed a penalty late on.
In the other semi-final tie, Fiorentina took a 3-2 aggregate lead against Club Brugge.
M'Bala Nzola was Fiorentina's hero in stoppage time, scoring in the 91st minute to nudge the Serie A team ahead.
Hans Vanaken had scored from a penalty following a VAR check for handball in the 17th minute, cancelling out Riccardo Sottil's early opener, though Fiorentina restored their lead through Andrea Belotti before half-time in a frantic first half.
Thiago equalised for Brugge, but it was ultimately not enough.
Europa League: Wirtz and Andrich goals put Leverkusen on the brink, Marseille hold Atalanta
Bayer Leverkusen put one foot in the Europa League final as Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich scored in Thursday's 2-0 semi-final first-leg win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma were masters of their own downfall as Wirtz opened the scoring after 28 minutes, Rick Karsdorp's horrible error allowing Alex Grimaldo to race into the area and tee up Wirtz to finish into an unguarded net.
Though Daniele De Rossi's hosts improved after the break, Andrich added a spectacular second with 73 minutes on the clock, the midfielder giving Mile Svilar no chance as he side-footed into the top-left corner from 25 yards out.
Roma should have pulled one back four minutes into stoppage time, but Tammy Abraham could only nod over from inside the six-yard box after a goalmouth scramble, and they now have it all to do in next week's second leg.
Leverkusen's unbeaten run for 2023-24 stands at 47 games across all competitions (39 wins, eight draws), and they are now overwhelming favourites to stamp their ticket to the final in Dublin.
The other semi-final tie remains in the balance at the halfway stage, with Atalanta being pegged back in a 1-1 draw with Marseille at the Stade Velodrome.
Having scored twice in La Dea's memorable win at Anfield in the last round, Gianluca Scamacca took in Teun Koopmeiners' pass before finishing low across goal 11 minutes in, but Gian Piero Gasperini's team couldn't hold on.
Chancel Mbemba was the unlikely goalscorer for Marseille, stepping out of defence to clip a 25-yard effort against the far post and in after 20 minutes.
Neither side could find a winner from there, meaning it's all to play for ahead of next week's return fixture at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo.
Orlando City v FC Cincinnati: Acosta hails visitors for absorbing punches
Luciano Acosta has hailed FC Cincinnati for coming through a testing period as they look to make it three straight wins in MLS play at Orlando City on Saturday.
After going unbeaten through their first six games of the season, Cincinnati suffered back-to-back 2-1 defeats against the New York Red Bulls and CF Montreal.
However, they have since bounced back with two wins over difficult opponents, seeing off Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids by the same scoreline.
Acosta scored his 44th goal for Cincinnati – the most of any player in franchise history – in that latter game, and he believes their resilience has been key.
"I think it's just about our mentality," Acosta said. "We lost those two games and it was a bit of a punch that woke us up. But now it's about the mentality and getting back to it."
Head coach Pat Noonan said of Acosta: "I think what makes it more impressive is teams are going to try to prevent him from having an impact.
"When you're a key player and you're able to do what he's doing with the focus on stopping you in a lot of ways, that's what is unique."
Orlando, meanwhile, were beaten 2-1 by Toronto FC last week, halting their four-game unbeaten streak and dropping them to 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Forward Duncan McGuire felt the Lions should have taken maximum points from that game and is desperate to atone at Inter&Co Stadium.
"I definitely think we should've won," he said.
"I think how difficult this felt and how this feels for us right now is going to push us and motivate us to train hard all week, to get a win for the fans at home and get the job done."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Orlando City – Duncan McGuire
Maguire scored his fourth goal of the MLS season against Toronto last week – no other Orlando player has netted more than once in 2024.
Those goals have come from an expected goals (xG) figure of 2.7, with the United States international also attempting a team-high 27 shots this campaign.
FC Cincinnati – Luciano Acosta
Acosta has contributed to at least one goal in four straight MLS matches (one goal, three assists).
It is Acosta's fifth streak of four or more straight regular-season games with a goal contribution for Cincinnati, with Brandon Vazquez the only other player to achieve that feat for the team.
MATCH PREDICTION – ORLANDO CITY WIN
Orlando earned a win and a draw against Supporters' Shield winners Cincinnati last season, making them one of two teams (also the New England Revolution) to play Cincinnati twice in the 2023 regular season and not lose either match.
The Lions may just fancy their chances of another positive result against Noonan's men, who have only won one of their last three away games (one draw, one defeat).
Orlando have only lost two of their last 17 regular-season home matches dating back to last April, winning nine and drawing six, so viewers should expect a response to their loss last time out.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Orlando City – 49.3%
FC Cincinnati – 23.6%
Draw – 27.1%
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