In a bid to enhance the skills and capabilities of local football talent, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has handpicked 19 promising female footballers, aged between 16 and 18, to participate in an intensive two-month training programme in China this summer.
The selected players are poised to undergo rigorous technical training aimed at elevating their performance levels, with the ultimate goal of advancing to national teams. The JFF expressed satisfaction with the timing of this initiative, foreseeing its potential to bolster the depth of national squads while aligning seamlessly with both short and long-term development strategies.
Scheduled to depart from the island at the onset of June and return by the end of August, this endeavour marks a continuation of a bilateral sporting agreement established between Jamaica's Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, and the Asian Republic. It signifies a resumption of a program that was interrupted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, with similar contingents having embarked on such ventures in the two years preceding the global health crisis.
The chosen players underwent a rigorous selection process, having participated in multiple training sessions at the UWICHBC over the past three weeks. Their selection underscores their talent and potential, as well as their commitment to honing their skills in pursuit of excellence on the football field.
This training opportunity not only offers a chance for individual growth but also contributes to the broader development of women's football in Jamaica. As these young athletes embark on their journey to China, they carry with them the hopes and aspirations of a nation eagerly anticipating the fruits of their dedication and hard work.
Venezia win a boost for Liverpool and Inter clashes, says Fonseca
Paulo Fonseca believes Milan gained a much-needed confidence boost from their 4-0 win over Venezia with big clashes against Liverpool and Inter coming up.
The 51-year-old had already come under pressure after a lacklustre start to life at Milan, with two draws and a defeat in their opening three games.
However, a comfortable home victory over Venezia eased some of that, as Milan scored four goals in the opening 30 minutes of a match for the first time since October 1958.
"Our season already started four rounds ago, we dropped points and need to recover lost ground, but it was important to win and to win like this. It gives the players confidence to keep growing," Fonseca told Sky Sports Italia.
While Saturday's victory offered some relief for the Portuguese coach, the real test awaits when Milan host Liverpool in their Champions League opener on Tuesday, followed by a derby against Inter next weekend.
"I have to be honest, I've already started thinking about both games against Liverpool and Inter. I realise the importance of the derby. Liverpool will be very difficult, but I cannot deny I have already started studying Inter, too," Fonseca said.
"I know what it means to the fans, we are working to have good performances in both matches."
Fonseca denied that recent protests from fans, including banners placed in the stands just before kick-off warning that things needed to turn around quickly, threw him off balance.
"I think as a coach that I have to deal with these situations with balance, stay focused on my work and ignore everything around us," he said.
"Milan is a club that always has the pressure to win. If we coaches don't want this pressure, then we shouldn’t be coaches."
LA Galaxy 4-2 Los Angeles FC: Hosts claim playoff spot with stunning second-half comeback
LA Galaxy stunned derby rivals Los Angeles FC on Saturday with a superb second-half comeback to seal a 4-2 victory.
They overturned a 2-0 half-time lead with four unanswered goals around Lewis O'Brien's sending-off, becoming the first team in the Western Conference to clinch a playoff spot.
Mateusz Bogusz gambled by peeling away to the back post and was in the right place to head Denis Bouanga's deflected cross into the back of the net after just four minutes.
Just 11 minutes later, Bouanga made another driving run down the left and went for goal himself, drilling a low shot past John McCarthy from a tight angle. They could have had a third before the break, but Olivier Giroud's half-volley struck the inside of the post.
Dejan Joveljic got his first, rifling into the roof of the net after a wonderful turn, and just two minutes later, Edwin Cerrillo scored a stunning goal of his own, beating Hugo Lloris from distance by curling it in off the outside of his boot.
Joveljic's second was opportunistic – he stuck out a leg to help Riqui Puig's strike past a wrong-footed Lloris from just in front of the goal line.
O'Brien was then shown a straight red card for a lunging challenge on Miki Yamane before Puig rounded off the scoring with a whipped effort into the near post.
Data Debrief: Home advantage
To use an old cliche, it was a game of two halves, with LA Galaxy proving just why they are top of the table, and eight points clear of LAFC, in a brilliant second 45 minutes.
However, this is the first time they have won after trailing at half-time in MLS since March 24 against Sporting Kansas City, which they won 3-2, ending a seven-game run.
The Galaxy have now won 11 of their last 12 regular-season matches at Dignity Health Sports Park (D1), including the last nine in a row.
Kompany: Too early for top spot to mean anything to Bayern
Bayern Munich went top of the Bundesliga with a 6-1 demolition of Holstein Kiel on Saturday, but it means little to Vincent Kompany as they look to reclaim their dominance in the domestic league.
Bayern's stranglehold of the German top-flight was broken last season with Bayer Leverkusen winning the title in a record-breaking undefeated run, and the Bavarians are eager to restore order this season.
Bayern are on a maximum nine points with three wins, two ahead of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, after Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in their win at Kiel.
They enjoyed an explosive opening to the match, netting three times in the first 13 minutes as Kiel made a nightmare start peppered with defensive errors, en route to a fourth straight win in all competitions this season under Kompany.
"I have said that this is just three games. I know, I know, for Bayern it is always important [to be in top spot] but it is three games at the moment," Kompany told a press conference.
"Today it was good and then Tuesday must be good again and then again, and that's the way it goes again.
"If we continue as we do now, maybe at the end of the season... I don't even want to say it. We just have to keep going."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
