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• Dylan Carter headlines T&T's team to World Aquatics World Short Course Championships

  Trinidad and Tobago’s ace swimmer Dylan Carter headlines a three-member team that will represent the Twin Island Republic at the World Aquatics World Short Course (25m) Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

  The six-day event, scheduled for December 10–15, promises exciting prospects for aquatics enthusiasts as it will feature morning heats and evening semi-finals and finals.

  Carter will enter the championship in rich form following his fairly successful World Aquatics Swimming World Cup outing recently, where he pocketed two gold medals and one bronze during the three-leg competition.

  The decorated 28-year-old, who is a many-time World Short Course medallist and Olympian, is scheduled to swim the men’s 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 50m butterfly.

  He will be joined by rising sensation Nikoli Blackman, who is currently in his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee. Blackman, a talented and versatile swimmer, will only contest the men’s 200m freestyle event.

  Meanwhile, Zuri Ferguson, who paraded her skills at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, is the lone female member of the team. The University of Florida freshman will be targeting at least best times in the women’s 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke events.

  Another female swimmer, Ornella Walker, who recently shattered Trinidad and Tobago’s 50m and 100m backstroke records, also qualified to make the team but opted not to take up her spot on this occasion.

• St Kitts and Nevis, Belize secure first leg advantage in Nations League Play-In

  Saint Kitts and Nevis and Belize place one foot in the Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims as both secured 2-1 wins over Cuba and French Guiana, respectively, in the opening leg of their Concacaf Nations League Play-In on Thursday.

  Romaine Sawyers (8th) and Andre Burley (48th) were the scorers for Saint Kitts and Nevis, while Luis Paradela (40th) pulled one back for Cuba at the SKNFA Technical Center in Basseterre.

  Meanwhile, at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan, Belize through goals from Carlos Bernardez (67th) and Eugene Martinez (75th) also secured an advantage heading into return leg action on Tuesday. Thomas Torvic (90+3) got French Guiana’s goal.

  The winning teams on aggregate will advance to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims.

  Saint Kitts and Nevis vs. Cuba

  Sawyers opened the scoring for Saint Kitts and Nevis with a right-footed strike inside the penalty area after latching on to a final pass from Omari Sterling-James.

  However, Paradela pulled Cuba level with a tidy finish from Orlando Calvo’s perfectly weighted ball into the area.

  Cuba’s celebrations were short-lived as Burley restored the “Sugar Boyz” lead when he expertly headed home from Sterling-James’ weighted freekick.

  Cuba will host Saint Kitts and Nevis in the second leg on Monday at Estadio Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba.

  Belize vs. French Guiana

  After playing out a goalless first half, Bernardez broke the deadlock for Belize from a penalty spot much to the delight of home crowd.

  Martinez extended the lead when he applied the finishing touch to Jordy Polanco’s decent corner kick.

  Down but not out, Torvic ensured French Guiana remained in striking distance as he headed home from Thomas Vancaeyezeele’s assist.

  French Guiana and Belize will meet for the second leg on Tuesday at Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, Suriname.

• Reggae Boyz edged 1-0 by US in Nations League quarter-final first leg

  Jamaica's Reggae Boyz were left with a bittersweet taste in their mouths as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to the United States in the first leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal clash at the National Stadium on Thursday.

  It was a match defined by tension and missed chances, particularly for the Reggae Boyz, as Ricardo Pepi’s early fifth-minute strike proved decisive for the visitors, who left a packed crowd of 20,514 fans disappointed at the outcome.

  With the win, United States, the reigning Concacaf Nations League champions will be even more confident heading into Monday's return leg in Missouri. Jamaica will be without England-born central defender Mason Holgate for that contest after he was shown a second yellow and then red in the 86th. His first caution was in the 76th.

  

  The Boyz would have been hyped heading into Thursday's encounter on home soil, but quickly had the wind knocked out of their sails when Pepi found the net from a Christian Pulisic through ball to seize an early lead for the United States.

  However, the Boyz refused to be cowed and pressed the Americans for an equalizer in what became a fiercely contested match. They had their first real chance to level things in the 12th minute, when Shamar Nicholson powered his way into the box, only to be fouled by United States' goalkeeper Matt Turner.

  Demarai Gray stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but Turner rose to the occasion, diving to his right to block Gray’s low shot and keep the United States advantage intact.

  Still, the Boyz continued to push forward. In the 36th minute, Kasey Palmer tried his luck from the top of the box, but his shot was comfortably collected by Turner. 

  Just a minute later, Dexter Lembikisa whipped in a well-placed cross for Nicholson, but his header went well wide of the mark as they continued their search for a breakthrough.

  

  After a slow start to the second half, the Boyz upped the tempo and created multiple close chances in what was their best passage of play. Nicholson had another opportunity in the 63rd minute, but his shot was expertly charged down by Mark McKenzie, who frustrated the Jamaican faithful.

  Perhaps Jamaica's best chance came shortly after, in the 65th minute, as Renaldo Cephas sent a teasing cross across the face of the United States goal. Holgate connected but had his shot cleared off the line by Tim Ream.

  The resulting corner saw Leon Bailey's curling effort rattle the crossbar, and Damion Lowe’s follow-up was also blocked, drawing loud cheers from the crowd, who wanted a VAR check for a possible penalty. 

  However, the appeal by both the players on the pitch and their supporters was ignored by Costa Rican referee Juan Gabriel Calderon, resulting in murmurs of frustration through the crowd. 

  The game briefly paused when tensions flared between Bailey and United States defender Antonee Robinson, an incident symbolic of the competitive spirit both sides displayed throughout.

  

  As the minutes ticked away, Jamaica kept pushing, but the United States defence stood firm. Bailey tried once more in the 73rd minute with a shot from inside the box, only to see it blocked by Ream.

  A defensive error by Lowe opened the door for the Americans to threaten late on, with Brandon Vazquez finding himself with space and time in the 84th minute, but his attempt went straight to Jamaica’s custodian Andre Blake.

  The final blow for the Boyz came in the 86th minute when Holgate received his second yellow card after a foul on Vazquez, reducing Steve McClaren's side to 10 men and dimming their chances for a late comeback.

  Despite the narrow defeat, Jamaica will head into the second leg with hopes of overturning the deficit but will need to be much sharper and more clinical if they hope to progress to the semifinals, as getting by the United States in their backyard will by no means be easy.