SOCCER
Arena criticizes appointment
Former US manager Bruce Arena in an interview published on Wednesday criticized the appointment of Argentine Mauricio Pochettino as US coach, saying the job should have gone to an American. Foreign-born coaches lack the cultural understanding needed for the job, Arena said. Pochettino has struggled since his appointment in September last year, falling to dismal defeats against Panama and Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League last month, a tournament the US had previously dominated. “If you look at every national team in the world, the coach is usually a domestic coach,” Arena told Unfiltered Soccer. “And I think when you have coaches that don’t know our culture, our players, our environment, it’s hard. And listen, [Pochettino] is a very good coach, [but] coaching international football is completely different than club football.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
SOCCER
Real Madrid beat Getafe
Real Madrid on Wednesday kept pace with La Liga leaders Barcelona with a 1-0 win against Getafe. Arda Guler scored a first-half goal for Madrid, who moved back within four points of Barcelona. Guler scored the winner with a well-placed right-footed shot in the 21st minute at the Coliseum in Getafe. Elsewhere, RC Celta de Vigo routed Villarreal 3-0, Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 against Las Palma and Alaves moved out of the relegation zone by beating Real Sociedad 1-0.
Photo: Reuters
CRICKET
NZC to invest in MLC
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is to invest in a new franchise that would join Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US from 2027, NZC chief executive officer Scott Weenink said yesterday. NZC would partner with US-based True North Sports Ventures to form the new team, who could be based in Toronto or Atlanta, Weenink said. The partnership is the first of its kind between a full member nation of the International Cricket Council and a franchise in a leading professional cricket league, Weenink said. NZC would provide financial equity, and high-performance and operational support to the new team, including coaching, management and support staff.
CRICKET
Kishan walks unnecessarily
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s playoff hopes in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday suffered another blow, but even more puzzling was their batter Ishan Kishan’s bizarre self-inflicted dismissal in their defeat at home against the Mumbai Indians. Kishan was on 1 when facing Deepak Chahar early in the first innings. The left-handed batter attempted a leg-glance and began to walk off even though neither the bowler nor wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton appealed. Umpire Vinod Seshan was about to signal for a wide, but changed it to out as Kishan departed. However, Ultra Edge replays showed no spike as proof of any bat-ball contact. Hyderabad eventually posted 143-8, which Mumbai chased down with 4.2 overs to spare. “I think it was one of those brain-fade moments for Ishan Kishan,” former India opener Virender Sehwag told the Cricbuzz Web site. “I can understand if a player walks after he has edged the ball. In this case, you have not nicked it and the umpire has not declared you out either — so why walk? Mumbai rose to third on the table, while Hyderabad fell to ninth ahead of last night’s game.
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Shohei Ohtani on Thursday delivered his first two-homer game of the season and had six RBIs as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured it on with five long balls in a 19-2 victory over the visiting Athletics. Max Muncy, Andy Pages and James Outman also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who left no doubt by taking a 13-2 lead following a seven-run third inning. Muncy and Kim Hye-seong each had three hits for Los Angeles. Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer led off a bullpen game by allowing two runs in four innings. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski (1-1) finished with four scoreless innings after he
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
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