Mic'd Up: The Apple TV+ host discusses Leagues Cup, the U.S.-Mexico rivalry, and why MLS All-Star Game matters

Dax McCarty is passionate about the Leagues Cup. No matter what anyone says about a competition that still hasn't gotten it right, the midfielder always enjoyed playing in the tournament. McCarty featured twice – once for Nashville and again for Atlanta United. And on both occasions, he embraced the energy that only the Mexico-U.S. rivalry can generate.

"When we played against Club America, when I was with Nashville two years ago, that was one of the craziest games I'd ever been involved in in my whole career," he told GOAL. "It was amazing. When we played against Monterrey in the semifinals, that was a real game of intensity, quality, with high level players. I mean, you name it, and Liga MX versus MLS, it does provide it."

It's a perspective that not everyone else shares. The Leagues Cup meant a lot to the Columbus Crew when they won it in 2024, but Liga MX clubs have expressed disdain for the competition. The competition has been revamped for the 2025 edition, increasing the number of MLS-Liga MX fixtures, and removing draws. Organizers hope it will give everything a little more zest.

"I think the Leagues Cup, it continues to evolve, and I'm hoping that this is the best version we see yet," he says.

And as hard to admit, it might just be Liga MX's time. The league has struggled in the competition in recent years – with MLS winning the last two iterations. But now, a new format should give the better teams a chance to show their quality.

"Club America is the slight favorite, even though they're playing their games on U.S. soil," he said. I think they've got a lot to prove. And I think that Liga MX team really wants to win this version. We've had two years in a row, an MLS team has won, and I think Liga MX's time."

McCarty discussed Leagues Cup, MLS All-Star Game, and why the league was right to suspend Lionel Messi in the latest edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.

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  ON LIONEL MESSI'S SUSPENSION

  GOAL: Let's start with the elephant in the room when it comes to MLS. Messi didn't play in the All-Star Game. Where do you stand on that? Is it bad for the league?

  McCarty: The way that I look at it is that it's there needs to be context and nuance added to the discussion. MLS was right to suspend him, because Messi is the greatest player of all time, in my opinion. I think that he's a global superstar in the sport. He does transcend the game. So there will be moments during his career in MLS where he might get – I don't want to say preferential treatment – but obviously he will be able to do things maybe other players wouldn't. But when it comes to official rules that MLS has in place, he can't be above that, because then the integrity of the league is at stake. And so MLS did the right thing in suspending him. If he wanted some rest, that's fair. I think that the All-Star Game can be tweaked in little ways to make sure that players are getting some rest.

  I also think Messi could have shown up to the All-Star game. I mean, let's be honest, this is a guy who has the means to travel private. He could have flown in on the day of the game. He could have played 10 minutes. He could have waved to the fans that paid money to go see him play, and then he could have gotten on a private jet right after he gets subbed out, and flown back to Miami and been back in his own bed for a good six, seven hours of sleep. It could have been handled a little better from a communication aspect, from his camp and with MLS. But at the end of the day, MLS did the right thing. They had to suspend him. I agree with the decision. And now hopefully we can move on from this, and hopefully Inter Miami can focus on what they want to focus on, which is just having him available for their games and trying to win trophies.

  GOAL: It's like the Christian Pulisic thing in a way, right? He should be there. But as a follow up, is it harder to comprehend for you, considering you played in an era in which Beckham, Donovan, Henry, all of those guys, would just play?

  McCarty: Kind of, but at the at the same time, I'm also sympathetic to an older player who maybe doesn't understand how things work in the U.S. in terms of All-Star Games. I imagine a player like Messi, players like Jordi Alba, they look at the All-Star Game and they don't really understand why it's important in American culture. I understand soccer fans around the world who are fans of Messi, but not fans of MLS, siding with him and saying he shouldn't have to play in an exhibition game, essentially. But again, I'll go back to the same thing. Major League Soccer is unique. It's unique to the U.S.. It's different than other leagues around the world, and there are positives to that.

  When it's all said and done, I think that every player should be held to the same standard, regardless of how incredible of a player and their career has been. So I think regardless of anyone's opinion, it's not like I'm going to look back in 10 years time and think about the one time he skipped the All-Star Game and caused a stir. Like, who cares? The league handled it the right way. Hopefully, Messi is going to handle it the right way. And I worry for other teams in the league, maybe he'll have more of a vengeance to go and win trophies than he did before. He seems like one of the most competitive athletes that's ever lived. So no, after this is done, I'm not going to have to think about it or talk about it, hopefully.

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  ON THE ALL-STAR GAME FORMAT

  GOAL: As you look at the All-Star Game, what needs changing?

  McCarty: Idon't think there's anything wrong with the All-Star Game. I love the All-Star Game. I was there for four days, and I had an incredible time. It was my first All-Star Game not as a player. It meant a lot to me as a player who is not on the Messi level, a player who didn't represent the national team all the time, and a player who loves MLS. I love and respect the All-Star Game. I feel like there's value to it, but the schedule is already congested enough, so I don't know what the most obvious solution is.

  But it would be great if there was a way to find some time in the schedule to get the All-Star Game its own weekend, where maybe players could get a little bit more rest. They could go to the All-Star Game fresh. They could enjoy the festivities. They could focus on playing 45 minutes, and have three or four days of rest before their next league game. But this is above my pay grade. Jorge Mas has come out and talked about how maybe there can be ways – and even Don Garber's talked about, maybe there can be ways where they can reevaluate the All-Star Game and how to make it a little bit more, I guess, schedule-friendly. We'll see what they decide.

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  ON LEAGUES CUP

  GOAL: Leagues Cup has had its fair share of critics, but now there's a new format. What do you make of it? Is this a step in the right direction?

  McCarty: It's a step in the right direction. I made it to the final in the first Leagues Cup. I loved it. I didn't know what to expect going into it, but I thought it was brilliant because of the fact that you have three CONCACAF Champions Cup places on the line, which is really valuable. You have a trophy on the line, which players want to play for. And then the money aspect of it makes sense. You're asking players to play more games in a new tournament. Another great incentive is to get some great bonus money. And for players in MLS that aren't making a big amount of money, that's a great motivating factor to be able to make an extra $20K or $30K. That's important for certain players, and it's important for every player.

  But the main motivation is to win trophies and qualify for CONCACAF Champions Cup. And the budding rivalry with Major League Soccer and Liga MX is fantastic. I understand the concerns from Liga MX teams about how the whole tournament is played in the United States. But I think this new format makes a lot more sense in terms of you get much more Liga MX vs MLS games. That's what the crux of the first two iterations was. The example is the Columbus Crew got into the knockout rounds in this last version in 2024 and they didn't play a single Liga MX team. They only played MLS teams all the way up through the final. So, to make it more fair for every team involved, let's get more cross-country games. The pods help Liga MX teams. They're more settled in one place. So I think the Leagues Cup, it continues to evolve, and I'm hoping that this is the best version we see yet.

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  ON THE US-MEXICO RIVALRY

  GOAL: How big is that rivalry? For a player, how much does that mean?

  McCarty: If you're an American player and you're a Mexican player, it's huge. The U.S.-Mexico rivalry in every aspect of soccer is really big. And it stems from years of the Mexican national team playing against the U.S. men's national team. It stems from CONCACAF and wanting to have supremacy in CONCACAF. And let's, let's be completely honest: for years, the Mexican national team and Liga MX had an upper hand on the U.S. men's national team and MLS. That gap has closed significantly. I think that the leagues and the national teams are closer than they've ever been.

  And my argument is, wherever games are played between league MX and MLS teams, whether that be down in Mexico or in the U.S., that's that's the team that has the advantage. Because it's very difficult for League MX teams nowadays to come into the U.S. and play on a Major League Soccer team's home field and get a result. We've seen that. We've seen that in years past. So I'm excited. I feel like the leagues are very close in level and quality. I still think the best teams in Liga MX probably are slightly above the best teams in Major League Soccer. But you know, Liga MX teams have won the last couple CONCACAF Champions Cups – and in convincing fashion. And then the last two Leagues Cups have been won by MLS teams on U.S. soil. So there's definitely an organic rivalry there.

  I don't care what anyone says. I played in it. I know it's real. When we played against Club America, when I was with Nashville two years ago, that was one of the craziest games I'd ever been involved in in my whole career. it was amazing. When we played against Monterrey in the semifinals, that was a real game of intensity, quality, with high level players. I mean, you name it, and Liga MX versus MLS, it does provide it.

  GOAL: Tell me more about that Club America game. Outside of the scoreline, what did it mean to you?

  McCarty: It was the atmosphere in the stadium. You had about 60 percent Nashville fans and about 40 percent Club America fans. Club America, I'd argue, is the biggest team on the continent. They are the biggest club team in CONCACAF. They have the best, the most rich history of winning trophies. They're one of the wealthiest clubs, and they are constantly fighting for titles, and their fans travel so well. They provide such an awesome atmosphere in a stadium.

  And so that game, for me, it was just the way in which the game unfolded. Club America goes up 1-0. I was a part of the build up in the equalizer. I ended up playing a long ball into Hany Mukhtar, who crossed it to Sam Surridge for a last minute header to tie the game, and then straight to penalty kicks. We thought Club America had actually won the game. But then the referee went to VAR and the goalkeeper stepped off the line early to save our penalty. There were fans on the field running. It took about 20 minutes to clear the field. We had security personnel chasing people around. One security guard, unfortunately, got injured. It was chaos. And the fact that we ended up winning that game and made it to the final, and, you know, we made it to penalties against Inter Miami. The penalty kicks went all the way to the goalkeepers. It was nuts.

MatériaMais Notícias

O centroavante Felipe Vizeu é o novo reforço do Atlético-GO para a disputa da temporada 2023 do futebol brasileiro.

Antes de fechar com o Dragão, o atleta defendia as cores do Sheriff, da Moldávia. Durante a passagem no clube europeu, ele disputou nove partidas e marcou dois gols.

Carreira

Projetado ao futebol nacional com a camisa do Flamengo, Felipe Vizeu foi negociado para defender a Udinese-ITA, mas não se firmou no velho continente.

No Brasil, o centroavante ainda coleciona passagens por Grêmio e Ceará, onde não obteve muito sucesso.

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Three Australians named among Five Cricketers of the Year following compelling Ashes summer

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2024Pat Cummins and Nat Sciver-Brunt have been named as the Leading Cricketers in the World in the 2024 edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, published on Tuesday.Cummins, Australia’s fast-bowling spearhead and captain across formats, guided his side to victory over India in both the ICC World Test Championship at The Oval in June, and the 50-over World Cup in Ahmedabad in November. He also oversaw his side’s successful defence of the Ashes, in last summer’s enthralling 2-2 drawn series in England.He is the first Australian man to be named as Wisden’s Leading Cricketer since Michael Clarke in 2012, and succeeds his England counterpart Ben Stokes, who had claimed the honour three times in four years, in 2020, 2021 and 2023.Lawrence Booth, Wisden’s editor, said: “After captaining Australia to success in the World Test Championship, Pat Cummins retained the Ashes – thanks in no small part to his late-order runs in the First Test at Edgbaston – then led Australia to victory in the World Cup final in India. In 2023, no other seamer in world cricket took more than his 42 Test wickets.”Sciver-Brunt, meanwhile, has been recognised as the pre-eminent women’s cricketer of the moment, particularly in light of her starring role in the Women’s Ashes, in which she produced back-to-back ODI centuries to take the multi-format series to the wire.She followed those performances with an England-record 66-ball hundred against Sri Lanka, while her global appeal was recognised by Mumbai Indians at the inaugural Women’s Premier League auction in February, where her £320,000 price tag made her the UK’s best-paid female team athlete.The thrilling nature of both the Men’s and Women’s Ashes, which were played concurrently in June and July 2023, is reflected in the Anglo-Aussie flavour to Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year – an honour a player can only win once in their career and which is judged by their performance during the English home season.Nat Sciver-Brunt was the stand-out performer in women’s cricket in 2023•Getty ImagesThree Australians are named among the Five, including the allrounder Ashleigh Gardner, whose 12 wickets in the one-off Women’s Test at Trent Bridge were instrumental in her team’s retention of the Ashes. She is the tenth female recipient of an honour that dates back to 1889, and the first Australian woman to be named as a Cricketer of the Year since Ellyse Perry in 2020.The other Australians in the Five are Usman Khawaja, the leading run-scorer in the Men’s Ashes with 496 runs at 49.60 including a series-defining hundred at Edgbaston, and Mitchell Starc, the leading bowler with 23 wickets at 27.08, who also claimed 16 wickets in the World Cup triumph.Harry Brook, England’s break-out star of the 2022-23 winter, is also named alongside Mark Wood, whose selection for the third Test at Headingley last summer was the catalyst for England’s stirring fightback in the series.”Wood turned the Ashes on its head,” Booth said. “He topped 96mph, took five for 34, and pushed Australia on the back foot, literally and figuratively. In all, he claimed 14 wickets at just 20 apiece as England came from 2-0 down to square the series.”Travis Head, meanwhile, has been awarded the Wisden Trophy for the year’s best Test performance, following his match-seizing innings of 163 from 174 balls in the World Test Championship final. He succeeds Jonny Bairstow as the second winner of Wisden’s newest award, with the trophy having previously been contested during England-West Indies Test series from 1963 to 2020, until it was succeeded by the Richards-Botham Trophy.The other notable award in this year’s publication goes to the West Indian Hayley Matthews, who is the first female to be named the Leading Twenty20 Cricketer, after a run of eight consecutive T20I match awards, in which period she averaged 88 with the bat, at a strike-rate of 144, and 12 with the ball.The compelling nature of the Ashes battle is an enduring theme of this year’s Almanack, with Booth making the point in his Notes by the Editor that England’s ultra-attacking “Bazball” approach to the series has already ramped up demand for this summer’s Test series against West Indies.”Amid the gloomy outlook for Test cricket, here was a glimmer of hope: proof that if you put on a show, bums will fill seats,” he wrote. “And the 2023 Ashes were a show all right, up there with 1981 and 2005. But for rain in Manchester, it might even have rivalled Australia’s Don Bradman-inspired 1936-37 victory, still the only series in Test history won by a team who had trailed 2-0.Ashleigh Gardner became only the second woman to pick eight wickets in a Test innings•Getty Images”The scoreline was almost secondary. For the first time since English cricket vanished behind a paywall, it felt like the people’s sport: Bazball was on their lips and, before long, in the Collins Dictionary.”Fittingly, the series was capped by the last hurrah of one of the most enduring Ashes competitors of modern times, Stuart Broad, who claimed his 604th and final Test wicket with the last ball of the series to bow out on a high. In his Notes, Booth salutes him as “England’s maker of memories”.”The best players don’t simply rack up the numbers (though his final tally made you tired just thinking of it),” Booth wrote. “They leave an impression. Even more than [James] Anderson, Broad was England’s maker of memories, the curator of the family album. A rule of thumb emerged: if Broad’s knees were pumping, so was England’s blood.”Elsewhere in his Notes, Booth appeals for a reappraisal of the so-called Spirit of Cricket, a concept that came under intense scrutiny following Bairstow’s controversial stumping during the Lord’s Test, and criticises the game’s administrators for undermining the competitive nature of international cricket with an increasingly inequitable split of the ICC’s revenues.”In the era of global television, the West Indians have been hardest hit among the major Test teams,” Booth wrote. “India’s slice of the pie had grown from less than 25% to 38.5%, or close to $230m a year … West Indies receive 4.58%, or $27.5m.”Yet this is where cricket finds itself, in dreary thrall to the notion that market forces must be obeyed, while patronising the West Indian game with back-handed compliments, when what it needs is hard cash. There’s plenty of that in cricket’s central pot. Is it really beyond the wit of the administrators to distribute it according to need, not greed?”

أبدى الألماني هانز فليك، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة استيائه من استمرار أزمة تسجيل الصفقات الجديدة بالدوري الإسباني.

كان برشلونة قد بدأ مشواره في الدوري الإسباني بفوز على ريال مايوركا بثلاثية نظيفة في أولى جولاته بالموسم الجديد 2025/2026.

ومن المقرر أن يواجه برشلونة نظيره ليفانتي، مساء السبت المقبل، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، في تمام الساعة 10:30 بتوقيت القاهرة ومكة المكرمة.

ووفقًا لصحيفة “سبورت” الكتالونية، يشعر فليك بقلق شديد بسبب وضع حراسة المرمى إذ اضطر لاستدعاء إيناكي بينيا إلى مباراة مايوركا وهو لم يلعب أي مباراة خلال جولة الفريق التحضيرية بآسيا.

اقرأ أيضًا | كوندي عن إمكانية فوز لامين يامال بالكرة الذهبية: ديمبلي موجود

السب الثاني للقلق هو أن فليك يعتقد أن قضية الانتقالات هذه تسبب توترات داخل غرفة الملابس وبالتالي تؤثر سلبًا على تركيز اللاعبين.

أفادت “سبورت” أن قضية تسجيل داني أولمو وباو فيكتور التي حدثت في يناير الماضي، طلب فليك حينها من خوان لابورتا، رئيس النادي، الحضور إلى غرفة الملابس لشرح أسباب إلغاء تسجيل اللاعبين وطمأنتهم بأن اللاعبين سيتمكنان من اللعب حتى نهاية الموسم.

وجود جيرارد مارتن متاحًا لهذه المباراة أمرًا مهمًا للمدرب الألماني مما يوفر خيارًا دفاعيًا إضافيًا، لأنه أحد اللاعبين القلائل الذين يلعبون بالقدم اليسرى في الفريق بعد رحيل إينيجو مارتينيز، يحتاج النادي إلى معالجة رحيل أوريول روميو من أجل تسجيل الظهير الأيسر ولكن حتى اليوم لا يوجد اتفاق بشأن إنهاء العقد ولا يتوقع عقد اجتماع نهائي للتوصل إلى تفاهم مع لاعب خط الوسط.

كما يقدر فليك اللاعب الشاب مارك بيرنال، ويؤكد أنه مر بعام صعب بعد إصابته الخطيرة في الركبة، يعتقد فليك أن بيرنال يُمكن أن يكون محور مستقبل الفريق وقد دعمه الموسم الماضي، اللاعب تم وعده بتجديد عقده ومشاركته مع الفري الأول لكن النادي لم يتمكن بعد من تسجيله في وضع يعتبره المدرب الألماني ظالمًا.

Barcelona have issued a statement regarding the successful surgery of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but they didn't mention a timeline for his return.

Barca publish Ter Stegen surgery statement Did not mention how long he'll stay out of actionClub furious with the German goalkeeper Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona published an official statement concerning Ter Stegen's successful surgery on his lower back, but did not mention any definitive timeline regarding his recovery amid reports that the club is angry with the goalkeeper for not informing them about the operation.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ter Stegen was out of action between seven to eight months last season after suffering a serious knee injury. With fitness problems, age catching up to him, and an evident decline in performances, Barcelona signed Joan Garcia from Espanyol this summer and hoped to offload the club captain. However, Ter Stegen has remained stubborn in his desire to remain at the Camp Nou, having a contract until 2028.

What's more, amid their ongoing financial troubles, Barca hoped to register Garcia using 80 per cent of Ter Stegen's salary, had he been declared to stay on the sidelines for at least four months. But the 33-year-old put a spanner in their works by announcing a solo statement post-surgery, confirming that he will need just three months to recover. It was a move that left Barca fuming, as journalist Alex Pintanel reported that the club were in the dark as far as the goalkeeper's actions were concerned.

WHAT BARCELONA SAID

The Catalans published an official medical report on their website, stating: "First-team player Marc ter Stegen has successfully undergone further surgery for his lower back problems, performed by Dr. Amélie Léglise under the supervision of the club’s Medical Services at Sports Clinic Bordeaux Merignac. He is unavailable for selection, and his recovery will determine when he can return."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

It remains to be seen whether Garcia can be registered by the club without any hassle. The league begins in three weeks, and Ter Stegen's departure has been all but ruled out following his surgery.

Bowling coach Andre Adams also reckons the team needs to find a method to take better reviews, rather than rely on emotions

Mohammad Isam30-Mar-2024

Bangladesh’s poor catching once again brought about their undoing as Sri Lanka took the opening day honours in the second Test in Chattogram. The hosts spilled three chances on the first day which saw Sri Lanka close the day on 314 for 4.Mahmudul Hasan Joy, at second slip, dropped Nishan Madushka in the sixth over of the day. Sri Lanka were 13 for 0 at that time; the openers ended up adding 96. Mahmudul had also dropped Kamindu Mendis before he opened his account in the first innings of the first Test in Sylhet, with Sri Lanka on 37 for 4. Mendis and captain Dhananjaya de Silva went on to add 202 runs for the sixth wicket forming the crux for a big win.Shakib Al Hasan then dropped Dimuth Karunaratne on 22, when he misjudged the left-hander’s top edge at deep fine leg. Karunaratne, who had earlier survived a run-out chance on 18, went on to make 86. Later in the day, Shahadat Hossain dropped Angelo Mathews at slip, when he was on 10.Related

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Sri Lanka's top three fire to give them opening day honours in Chattogram

Bangladesh bowling coach Andre Adams admitted that while the team works hard on their fielding and catching, these chances end up being costly.”You will struggle if you drop catches in any game of cricket,” Adams said. “Our fielding has been impressive since I have joined Bangladesh. Our ground fielding is excellent. There have been some excellent catches. However, when you drop a catch early, you can pay the price. We have dropped too many catches. We are working on it. Nobody means to drop it. They are doing the work, but they are dropping catches. We have to continue to work on taking catches.”Adams also said that Bangladesh needed to find a method to take better reviews, rather than rely on emotions. In the 44th over, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto asked for a review, evidently for an lbw appeal, when Kusal Mendis had in fact middled the ball.”It is something that we are discussing. We are not really good with reviews. That’s very clear. So far, we have been awful. We have to develop a much better method. That’s completely under the captain and wicketkeeper. Maybe the point fielder. The one we are using isn’t working,” Adams said.”I think we are probably emotions rather than facts at the moment. It was straight off the middle of the bat, so it is not a great review. I also don’t want people to be afraid to take reviews. We just have to find a better method.”Debutant Hasan Mahmud picked two wickets•AFP/Getty Images

The new bowling coach was, however, impressed with the way Hasan Mahmud made his first foray into Test cricket. The 24-year-old finished with figures of 2 for 64, but also suffered two dropped chances off his bowling. Adams was also excited with Nahid Rana’s start to his Test career in Sylhet.”The young bowlers on debut were excellent. Rana was really good in the last Test. His desire stands out. He wants to compete. He doesn’t back down,” Adams said. “Hasan was excellent today. He bowled with pretty good control. He is a young bowler. Lots of talent. I am excited about them. Under Khaled Ahmed’s leadership, they have a good chance of developing.”Bangladesh have a lot of work left on the second day and Adams admitted that unless the bowlers string together good spells, they could be in for a tough time. “We have to bowl really well tomorrow morning. Much better than today, for longer periods. They have two very good batters at the crease. They have one more very good player. Then we can put some pressure on them. We have seen in the past that if you are not good enough for long periods, they will take the game away from you,” he said.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne said that the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury surface wasn’t as batting-friendly as previous years when Bangladesh and Sri Lanka played out high-scoring draws at this venue.Dimuth Karunaratne added 114 runs for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis•AFP/Getty Images

“It is not easy to bat here. When you see the last few years, it was flat from the first over. Here, there’s movement for the fast bowlers; it is tough in the first few overs. Then we have to go out there and play more defensively,” Karunaratne said.”Once the ball gets softer, we can get some runs. Spinners bowled really well, but there wasn’t much on offer for them because it was the first day. Maybe later it will be a good wicket for the bowlers as well.”Sri Lanka have also picked one specialist spinner in Prabath Jayasuriya in their playing XI, but Karunaratne believed that was a fair call as their fast bowlers have often got them the wickets in Bangladesh. “If you take the past records, we got more wickets by using fast bowlers. We have the confidence. The wicket is flat but there is some movement. There are some cracks open. We have some good fast bowlers who can bowl 140kph, and bowl accurate bouncers as well,” he said.”That’s why we are playing three seamers, so that they can come back fresh every time and be a huge problem for Bangladesh. We have Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva, who can bowl spin. We know that we can get 20 wickets”.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) rode on the success of their spinners – considered the team’s least-fancied department – to force big-hitting Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) into submission in Hyderabad. Their 35-run victory on Thursday, the season’s second for RCB, also ended their six-game losing streak and kept them alive for playoff contention.Favourites to chase 207 down, SRH lost their way right from the opening over when part-time offspinner Will Jacks won the tactical battle against left-hand batter Travis Head. Making his debut for RCB, Swapnil Singh and experienced wristspinner Karn Sharma then caused further damage. By the time the tenth over rolled along, SRH were 85 for 6, and the result was pretty much decided.RCB also had a strong day with the bat, banking on Rajat Patidar’s 19-ball half-century and quick-fire cameos from Cameron Green and Faf du Plessis. Virat Kohli also scored his 53rd IPL fifty, but his 51 in 43 balls came at a strike rate of 118.60, following a big slowdown.

RCB expose SRH’s weaker suit

SRH’s record-breaking totals in IPL 2024 have all come batting first. So RCB robbed them of that opportunity when du Plessis chose to set a target instead. He said he wanted to put SRH under scoreboard pressure, although 206 could have well been within SRH’s territory.But that changed in the first half of the chase as SRH crumbled to RCB’s use of spin. Jacks’ offspin, turning away from the two SRH openers, had Head top-edge for 1 in the first over. Abhishek Sharma counterattacked with 31 in 13 balls, but in his bid to keep going hard, he fell to Yash Dayal in the fourth.Even though the openers fell unusually early for SRH, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen showed that they were in no mood to slow down. Together they struck 19 off Swapnil’s first over, but their aggression caused their downfall as the left-arm spinner removed both in the same over. Markram was lbw off a full toss coming down the track while Klaasen holed out attempting a big shot.Du Plessis soon brought on legspinner Karn to attack SRH further, and in consecutive overs he removed Nitish Kumar Reddy and Abdul Samad. Pat Cummins hammered 31 off 15 and Shahbaz Ahmed remained unbeaten on 40, but by then SRH were basically looking to protect their net run rate.

Patidar makes up for Kohli’s slowdown

With big overs against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Cummins with the new ball, the pair of du Plessis and Kohli had given RCB a rollicking start at 43 for no loss after three overs. But the dismissals of du Plessis for a 12-ball 25 and Jacks for 6, along with some tidy overs from T Natarajan and Shahbaz saw Kohli losing his fluency. From racing away to 23 in his first 11 balls, Kohli laboured to score his next 28 runs in 32 deliveries. The squeeze was provided by Shahbaz after the powerplay, and by the left-arm seam-bowling pair of Jaydev Unadkat and Natarajan with both relying on their assortment of slower balls.But the presence of Patidar did not let RCB’s scoring rate drop. He came into the game with a strike rate of 125 against pacers and 197 against spinners in this IPL, and banked on his strength to score the joint second-fastest fifty in RCB’s history.He picked on Mayank Markande from the get-go, first clubbing him for a six in the ninth over, and then ransacking the legspinner for four back-to-back sixes to take 27 off the 11th over. Soon enough, he had overtaken Kohli and reached his fifty well before the opener, but fell to Unadkat in pursuit of another big shot.Unadkat, playing his 100th IPL game, then dismissed Kohli in the 15th over and Mahipal Lomror in the 17th, but from the other end Green ensured RCB got the strong finish they needed. He was particularly lethal against his Australia captain Cummins, drilling him for four fours across two overs in the last five to finish unbeaten on a 20-ball 37. The success of left-arm spinner Shahbaz (0 for 14 in three overs) may have prompted RCB to bring in spin-bowling allrounder Swapnil as an Impact Player in the 19th over of the first innings, and before his bowling jolts in the chase, he contributed with a six-ball 12 in the 20th over to help RCB past 200.

Cameron Bancroft adds fifty as India’s Siddarth Kaul takes four on Northants debut

ECB Reporters Network10-May-2024

Miles Hammond struck a sparkling 112 off 133 balls, his first century in two years to help propel Gloucestershire to 338 for 8 against Northamptonshire on day one of this Vitality County Championship match at Wantage Road.Despite hitting eight fifties last season, and three so far this year, this was the first time Hammond had gone on to reach three figures since making 169 against Hampshire in Cheltenham, the town of his birth, in 2022.While batting was never straightforward with swing on offer throughout the day, Hammond took the attacking route, hitting 17 boundaries and reaching his milestone by swotting Northamptonshire quick George Scrimshaw high over fine leg for a big six. Gloucestershire’s Australian overseas signing Cameron Bancroft also contributed a solid 53 at the top of the order.Indian international Siddarth Kaul meanwhile made an immediate impact on his Northamptonshire debut, taking 4 wickets for 58 in 23 testing overs, including three in the afternoon session. Ultimately though, his new county were unable to press home their advantage of having the visitors 119 for 3 as Gloucestershire made hay in the afternoon sunshine against some loose bowling.Northamptonshire did stage a good fightback, taking three late wickets with the new ball including one for evergreen seamer Ben Sanderson, playing his 100th first-class match for his adopted county.Northamptonshire won the toss and decided to bowl, fielding a largely new look attack, with Scrimshaw playing only his second game for the Tudor Rose, and Nottinghamshire spinning all-rounder Liam Patterson-White coming in on a one-match loan deal.Gloucestershire batted solidly during the morning, Bancroft taking on the extra pace of Scrimshaw, pulling him for four and cutting him crisply for two more boundaries.But it was the former Derbyshire bowler who made the first breakthrough, getting one to lift to Ben Charlesworth (16) who could only edge behind.Northamptonshire continued to apply pressure and create chances in the hour before lunch. New batter Ollie Price took 29 balls to get off the mark and both he and Bancroft edged balls which landed just short of the slips.After the interval, Kaul picked up the big wicket of Bancroft when he fell lbw to the third delivery of the session. The bowler, who is hoping to impress the Indian Test selectors during his Northamptonshire stint, bowled consistently all day, finding plenty of movement to trouble the batters.Kaul then accounted for Price (10) with a peach of a delivery which angled in before swinging away to take the edge, Emilio Gay taking an excellent diving catch at second slip.Hammond though looked in fine form, unfurling two glorious swivel pull shots against Scrimshaw before slapping him square for another boundary and driving Kaul firmly through the covers. He also took on the spin of Patterson-White, twice dispatching him over the infield.He was joined in a partnership of 75 for the fourth wicket by James Bracey (33) who cover drove Sanderson for two fours and hit Patterson-White over midwicket before he became Kaul’s third wicket, adjudged lbw to a full one which shaped back in.Hammond and skipper Graeme van Buuren (46) then put on 67, with runs flowing freely as Northamptonshire failed to capitalise on the movement on offer. Hammond finally fell soon after celebrating his century when he came down the wicket to Patterson-White and chipped the ball to midwicket where Ricardo Vasconcelos held a stunning diving catch.van Buuren brought out the sweep against Patterson-White to take Gloucestershire past 300 before the momentum swung back Northamptonshire’s way.Sanderson had been unlucky not to pick up a wicket earlier in the day, but had been wayward too, leaking runs down the leg side. He finally drew the edge from van Buuren with Vasconcelos taking a sharp catch at third slip. Then Tom Price (23), dropped early in his innings, was finally caught at slip to give Luke Procter a well-earned reward after toiling hard all day.Zafar Gohar became Kaul’s fourth wicket when he edged behind, but the bowler was denied a fifth in the penultimate over when Gay dropped Marchant de Lange in the slips.

MatériaMais Notícias

A comoção em torno da morte de Roberto Dinamite, aos 68 anos,ficou latente entre quem jogou com o maior ídolo do Vasco. Colega do atacante tanto em São Januário quanto no Campo Grande, Eloi não escondeu elogios ao craque.

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– O cara era um irmão, um parceiro. Jogava com inteligência e a gente se entendia muito bem em campo. Lembro de alguns momentos nos quais combinava jogadas comigo. Num jogo com o Flamengo, ele falou pra mim: “Eloi, vai para o segundo pau e eu fico aqui no primeiro. Todo mundo vai ficar atento em mim”. Não deu outra, consegui marcar – recordou, ao LANCE!.

O ex-meia detalhou como a dupla se reencontrou para vestir a camisa do Campo Grande em um Carioca.

– Eu tinha ficado muito amigo do presidente do Campo Grande na época e ele ao encontrar comigo sempre dizia “meu sonho é levar o Roberto para jogar lá”. Algum tempo depois, eu recebi uma proposta para jogar no Campusca. Tinha vindo de uma passagem em Portugal, joguei por alguns meses no Fluminense e aceitei disputar um Carioca. E o presidente dizia: “agora só faltava ter o Roberto com você”. Aí eu falei: “você quer mesmo o Roberto ainda? Deixa comigo”. Liguei para o Dinamite, deixei um recado na secretária eletrônica e, depois, quando voltei, tinha o retorno dele. Foi ótimo jogarmos juntos, fomos bem no campeonato – afirmou.

Eloi destacou a amizade que estabeleceu com Dinamite.

– Uma pessoa muito boa. Nossas esposas ficaram amigas também. Foi um cara muito profissional, jamais falou mal de clube nenhum, não teve ciúme de nenhum jogador… E pouca gente sabe, mas era um cara muito tímido – e acrescentou:

– Estou com o coração partido. Perdi um irmão, um confidente – completou.

Roberto Dinamite descobriu que estava com um câncer no intestino no fim de 2021. Desde então, o ídolo do Vasco lutava contra a doença.

Além do Cruz-Maltino, o craque ainda teve passagens pelo Barcelona (ESP) e defendeu a Portuguesa e o Campo Grande. Atuou também pela Seleção Brasileira na Copa de 1978 e esteve no grupo de convocados de 1982. Fora dos gramados, foi eleito vereador em 1992 e posteriormente teve cinco mandatos como deputado estadual.

فجر محمود عبد الرازق شيكابالا، لاعب الزمالك المعتزل، مفاجأة في كواليس خسارة لقب دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2016 أمام صن داونز.

وقال شيكابالا، في تصريحات لبرنامج “الكورة مع فايق” على قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “كنت أتمنى الفوز بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، لكن لم نستحق بسبب بعض الأمور، (مكنش ينفع ناخد البطولة وإحنا 14 لاعب وأدخل على اتنين في الأوضة ألاقيهم بيشيشوا)”.

طالع| شيكابالا: مدرب الزمالك السابق كان “سكير”.. والصفقة الجديدة تشبهنا وبسؤاله متى شعرت بأكبر فرحة في تاريخك؟، أجاب: “أول هدف لي مع الزمالك 2001، كان عمري 15 عامًا”.

وبسؤاله عن القرار الذي تريد مسحه من حياتك؟، أجاب: “كل الخناقات، لأنها ليست شخصيتي، (عمري ما اتخانقت مع حد خارج إطار كرة القدم، في حاجات كنت بقول لنفسي مش أنا اللي أعمل كده، بس بعد ما بروح وأهدى، لكن في الموقف نفسه لما بسمع حاجات لازم أرد)”.

القرار الأفضل في حياتك؟: “الاعتزال في نادي الزمالك، في وقت من الأوقات كان هناك رغبة ألا أعتزل في النادي، بسبب مشاكل مع مسؤولين كانوا متواجدين، لكن اعتزالي في الزمالك شرف ما بعده شرف”.

من بطل الدوري هذا الموسم؟: “ليس معروفا الآن، لو توقعت سأقول الزمالك، والحصان الأسود على الورق البنك الأهلي بالصفقات التي أبرمها، لكن بدايتهم لم تكن الأفضل، المصري أيضًا فريق مميز، لديهم روح ومدرب كبير”.

لاعبون في الدوري تتوقع أن يتألقوا هذا الموسم؟: “دغموم من المصري ومحمد مسعد من مودرن، بينما خوان ألفينا سيكون مؤثرًا في الزمالك”.

وعن بيراميدز: “سيكون أقل في الموسم الحالي، الموسم الماضي كانوا يلعبون بروح، لكن الآن أشعر أنهم غير مركزين ولديهم شعور أنهم فعلوا كل شيء الموسم الماضي، من المفروض أن تظل (جعان) بعد التتويج ببطولة كبيرة”.

من أقوى بيراميدز أو الأهلي أو الزمالك؟: “بيراميدز لأن ليس عندهم مشاكل في غرفة الملابس، وبعده الأهلي ثم الزمالك، وهناك سيراميكا كليوباترا والمصري”.

وعن أليو ديانج لاعب الأهلي: “أنا أحب ديانج جدًا، من المفترض أن يتم اختياره أول لاعب وتضع التشكيل بعد ذلك، ومحمد بن رمضان لاعب (جامد جدًا) ويشبه فرجاني ساسي، وبن شرقي (جامد أوي وكواليتي مش موجود)، ووسام أبو علي كان لاعبًا كبيرًا، وفيستون ماييلي وتوريه والكرتي (جامدين أوي)، ومحمد الشيبي لاعب مختلف وذكي”.

هل تشعر أن الزمالك يسير في الاتجاه الصحيح؟، أجاب: “إن شاء الله، أنا مطمئن لأنني لا أسمع شيئًا عن الفريق، ولا أحد يتحدث، (اللي بيتكلم بيتكلم عن نفسه)، وهذه بوادر جيدة، (هتقع وتقوم إنت في مرحلة البناء لكن إحنا ماشيين في حتة كويسة)”.