Sports Buzz

Tag: MLS – English

  • USMNT star Jesus Ferreira wins first ever 'MARCA-thlon', tops MLS peers

    USMNT star Jesus Ferreira wins first ever 'MARCA-thlon', tops MLS peers

    At this year’s MLS Media Day, MARCA brought a breath of fresh air to the scene, orchestrating a unique and entertaining event: the Marcathlon. This dynamic circuit saw 25 MLS players from various teams engage in a series of offbeat challenges, from pop-culture quizzes to foot-golf, all in good spirits. The highlight? The crowning of Jesus Ferreira,FC Dallas Forward and US Men’s National Team (USMNT) star, as the ultimate Marcathlon champion.

    Jess Ferreira takes on the first ever ‘MARCA-thlon’ at MLS Media DayMarca.com

    The Marcathlon breakdown

    Marcathlon kicked off with a pop-culture quiz, where players attempted to identify celebrities by their faces. Stars like Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, 50 Cent, and even Peso Pluma made up selected group that gave the players a challengin start to the event.

    Next up was the MLS trivia round, testing the players’ knowledge of the league. Rapid-fire questions about personal preferences followed, giving fans a glimpse into the off-field lives of their favorite athletes.

    The grand finale? Foot-golf, a game of precision and finesse, where each player had three chances to sink the ball into the hole.

    MARCA English

    MARCA English

    Ferreira’s winning scores

    USMNT star Jesus Ferreira stood out with impressive performances across the board. He scored 7 out of 9 in the pop-culture quiz, showcasing his familiarity with celebrities. MLS trivia proved to be a breeze for Ferreira, earning him a perfect 5 out of 5.

    The real showstopper was the foot-golf round, where Ferreira nailed a perfect 3 out of 3. His accuracy and finesse in this challenge secured his place at the top of the Marcathlon standings.

    As the dust settled on the Marcathlon, Jesus Ferreira emerged as the champion, demonstrating not only his soccer abilities but also his ability to tackle offbeat challenges with flair. Check back for more video recaps, where you can witness firsthand how your favorite MLS players faired in the kickoff event of the year.



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  • Inter Miami suffer major injury loss before start of 2024 MLS season

    Inter Miami suffer major injury loss before start of 2024 MLS season

    Preseason can be a time for younger players to develop and for teams to fine-tune their chemistry ahead of full seasons.

    For Inter Miami, it has not started out as hoped. During their first preseason game against El Salvador, Miami tied 0-0 in a game without action and lost a key player in the process.

    Highlights – Inter Miami CF 0 – 0 El SalvadorMLS

    Facundo Farias out for 2024 MLS season

    21-year-old Argentinian attacking midfielder Facundo Farias had to be stretchered off with a knee injury, and we now know how serious the injury was.

    The club announced it as an ACL injury that will require surgery in the coming weeks. Farias is “expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season“.

    It’s a big blow for a team whose depth was tested last season and was going to rely heavily on the development of the talented Farias. Farias appeared in 11 games in his first season with Miami, scoring three goals and notching two assists.

    Younger midfielders like Diego Gomez and David Ruiz will be expected to contribute more than usual following the injury. Veterans Robert Taylor and Jean Mota should get more playing time as well.



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  • David Beckham announces new reinforcement for Messi at Inter Miami

    David Beckham announces new reinforcement for Messi at Inter Miami

    Inter Miami continue their clear intention to fulfil their goal of having a competitive team for next season in MLS. Coach Tata Martino now has a new reinforcement in the midfield, U.S. international Julian Gressel, whom the Argentine coached at Atlanta United.

    He is a player that adds to the quality of Sergio Busquets, with the important role of serving great passes to Leo Messi and Luis Suarez. The player has signed a contract until 2026 with an option for another year.

    Excitement after the deal

    “Julian is an established player with a successful track record in the league who has proven his value at every stage in his MLS career,” said CSO and Sporting Director Chris Henderson. “We are pleased to add his versatility and quality of service to our squad that will strengthen Inter Miami as we look to build on what we achieved last season in 2024,” he said.

    Victoria Beckham shares David Beckham’s “perfect dad side” in tropical paradise vacation

    “I am thrilled to join such an ambitious organization as Inter Miami for this new chapter in my career. I am ready to work and leverage my experience in this league to help my new teammates and this great club achieve its dream of winning more titles,” said Gressel.

    MLS experience

    The German player has extensive experience in MLS. He arrived in 2017 after being selected by Atlanta United with the eighth pick in that year’s SuperDraft. He played three seasons making a total of 107 MLS appearances, scoring 17 goals and dishing out 37 assists, and helping the team win MLS Cup titles in 2018, and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup in 2019, while also being named the MLS Young Player of the Year in 2017 after a standout first season.

    D.C. United and Vancouver Whitecaps FC

    He made 56 appearances and recorded four goals and 16 assists in his two-and-a-half seasons with D.C. United from 2020-2022 before leaving for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Gressel then helped the team win back-to-back Canadian Soccer Championship titles in 2022 and 2023, and made 31 MLS appearances in a season and a half, scoring five goals and contributing seven assists.



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  • US Soccer bans MLS Next Pro from playing US Open Cup – Will first teams have to play?

    US Soccer bans MLS Next Pro from playing US Open Cup – Will first teams have to play?

    The rift between US Soccer and Major League Soccer (MLS) has just widened. Since MLS announced last week that it would stop participating in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the local soccer media has been eagerly awaiting US Soccer’s response, which happened today.

    In a statement issued this Wednesday, the governing body of soccer in the United States denied permission for teams from the MLS Next Pro circuit to compete in the US Open Cup.

    Next Pro is the MLS development circuit, in which teams affiliated with the highest professional soccer circuit contend. They are part of the third level of the United States soccer league system.

    Since last week, when it announced that its first teams would not play the cup, MLS requested that the tournament include Next Pro teams instead. However, US Soccer decided to deny that permission.

    The US Soccer statement

    “After thoughtful consideration, we have informed the MLS that the US Soccer staff recommendation, which was adopted by the Pro League Taskforce, is the request be denied,” says the organization’s statement.

    It also explains, “As we move forward, we will continue our review of the Open Cup to ensure it aligns with the US Soccer strategic pillars.”

    However, it keeps the doors open to dialogue. “We remain committed to addressing the needs and concerns of all of our members, including MLS and other stakeholders, to enhance and improve the US Open Cup,” the statement concludes.

    US Soccer does not elaborate on the reasons for denying permission.

    What’s next for MLS

    Although the statement also does not specify whether MLS will be obliged to compete in the cup, the US Soccer Federation (USSF) regulations establish that “US-based teams must participate in all representative US Soccer and CONCACAF competitions for which they are eligible.”

    That implies that the MLS would be obliged to participate with its first teams in the US Open Cup. However, it does not force them to take their starting squads and leaves the door open for each team to decide whether to take players from their academies or the MLS Next Pro.

    MLS has not issued a response to US Soccer’s decision, so the question is up in the air.



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  • Columbus Crew secures third MLS Cup win with stunning victory over LAFC

    Columbus Crew secures third MLS Cup win with stunning victory over LAFC

    The MLS Final between Columbus Crew vs LA FC was an exciting game where the Ohio team took the crown away from Los Angeles with a score of 2-1 in the middle of an insistent rain, at Lower.com Field, in the capital of Ohio.

    Juan Camilo Hernandez and Yaw Yeboah scored the winning goals

    The Crew was much more intense, and based on a great dynamic was tilting the field, until about half an hour into the game, without taking any shots on goal, they found themselves with a penalty in favor that took Los Angeles out of control and this allowed a second goal to fall near halftime and that was enough to be crowned for the third time in the history of the MLS.

    The black & gold did not generate any dangerous attempts in the first half and in the second half, they found a second goal from their goal scorer Denis Bouanga, which made the end of the game dramatic, but they were outplayed by a more intense and more effective rival, which dominated them 61.4% of the time.

    Statistically, the Los Angeles were evenly matched, with 11 shots and five shots on goal, but, although the Crew came on 14 occasions and also shot on five, in reality, they always felt closer to the title.

    MLS Cup goals

    When the Crew went from dominating the midfield to generating danger, Diego Palacios made a mistake and touched the ball with his hand, an action that referee Armando Villarreal awarded a penalty. Juan Camilo Hernndez easily converted, deceiving Maxime Crepeau, to open the scoring in the 33rd minute.

    LAFC did not recover from the impact received and not only showed little up front but four minutes later, they also committed an oversight at the back that allowed Yaw Yeboah to receive a beautiful filtered pass from Malte Amundsen and the Ghanaian scored in front of the LAFC Canadian goalkeeper to make it 2-0, which seemed to cement a tragic outcome for the champion.

    In the second half, the Crew came out to finish the game, however, Denis Bouanga gave LAFC a lifeline by scoring 74′, although his initial shot was blocked by goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, in his counterattack, he finally scored.

    In desperation, the visitors tried to press in the final minutes, but then Crew coach Wilfried Nancy adjusted at the back with cascading moves. They calmly spent the last minutes to clinch the third title in the club’s history and the first since 2020, while LAFC could have seen the end of their golden era, with the departure of Carlos Vela in the coming days.



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  • An Argentine legend with a polarizing declaration: Messi didn't dribble past me… The best ever is Pele

    An Argentine legend with a polarizing declaration: Messi didn't dribble past me… The best ever is Pele

    Reinaldo Merlo has offered a controversial opinion on the greatest of all time debate by suggesting that the Brazilian Pele was a better soccer player than Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi managed to ever achieve.

    Prior to Messi, it was a foregone conclusion that Maradona was the best player in the history of Argentina and possibly the world, but after winning the FIFA World Cup, ‘La Pulga’ has made the two-man conversation into a trio.

    Pele is still regarded as the best in history with over 1000 goals to his name and the legendary Argentine defender and coach, Reinaldo ‘Mostaza’ Merlo recently reinforced that the Brazilian was better than the two Argentines.

    On Radio La Red, ‘Mostaza’ stated that for him, Pele is the best player of all time over ‘the Cosmic Kite’ and ‘the Flea’, also confidently saying that ‘Messi would not [dribble] past him’, if it had been up to him to mark him at the time.

    ‘Mostaza’ joins other Argentines who, throughout history, have praised Pele and consider him the best of all time over Messi and Maradona, among them the 1978 Argentina champion coach Cesar Luis Menotti, former goalkeeper Hugo ‘Loco’ Gatti and Alfio ‘Coco’ Basile.

    Lionel Messi goes to a regular supermarket in Miami, surprising workers and clients

    A glance at the stats

    Pele played in 605 matches across his Santos career and scored 619 goals, whilst being renowned as an accomplished playmaker and dribbler. He also spearheaded Brazil to three FIFA World Cups across the 1950s and 1960s. There he played in a further 92 games and added an extra 77 goals.

    Maradona was known for his incredibly control of a football and his excellent dribbling talents with excellent balance to go with them. He won 10 trophies across his career as he scored 353 goals in 695 goals across South America, Europe and internationally.

    Messi seems to combine both of them, maintaining the lethal finishing of Pele and the playmaking traits, whilst possessing incredible balance, dribbling and strength. Across his career he has won 44 trophies to become the most decorated player ever, whilst scoring 848 goals in 1102 games.



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  • LAFC will play for back-to-back MLS Cup titles after beating Houston 2-0 in Western Conference final

    LAFC will play for back-to-back MLS Cup titles after beating Houston 2-0 in Western Conference final

    Ryan Hollingshead scored late in the first half and defending champion Los Angeles FC advanced to its second straight MLS Cup Final with a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night.

    Houston’s Franco Escobar scored an own goal in the 80th minute to seal the Western Conference Final for LAFC, which will travel to Columbus next weekend to play for the title. The Crew beat FC Cincinnati 3-2 in a thriller earlier Saturday.

    LAFC, an expansion club in its sixth year of competition, could become MLS’ first back-to-back champions since the LA Galaxy (2011-12).

    LAFC hasn’t allowed a goal since October

    Maxime Crpeau made five saves in his third consecutive shutout for LAFC, which hasn’t allowed a goal since October. A defense led by Giorgio Chiellini and Diego Palacios frustrated the Dynamo, whose nine-game winning streak ended just shy of the franchise’s first MLS Cup Final since 2012.

    LAFC stood strong in its 52nd match of 2023 – an MLS record for games played in a calendar year, thanks to the club’s competition in several non-league tournaments.

    The Black and Gold still reached the brink of a second straight title despite the heavy workload and despite losing several key players from last season’s championship team, including high-scoring Chicho Arango and the retired Gareth Bale.

    Comeback and final bound for the ‘The Crew’ I Cincinnati 2-3 Columbus I MLSMLS / Apple TV

    The Los Angeles crowd gave a standing ovation to Carlo Vela when he came off in the second half of what might be his final match at BMO Stadium. The club’s first player is out of contract this winter and isn’t sure whether he will return.

    The match also could have been the last at home for Chiellini. The Italian great who joined LAFC from Juventus 18 months ago is thought to be considering retirement at 39.

    Vela nearly put LAFC ahead twice in the first four minutes before the smoke had cleared from the sold-out BMO Stadium from the pregame fireworks display. But he hit the crossbar on a point-blank chance in the middle of the box, and he was offside on a goal moments later.

    LAFC finally broke through in the 44th minute when Chiellini’s low header from Vela’s corner was saved by Steve Clark, but Hollingshead banged home the rebound for his fifth MLS goal of the season.

    Houston Dynamo were unbeaten since September 23rd

    Houston hadn’t even trailed during its nine-match unbeaten streak since Sept. 23.

    LAFC had several nervy moments on defense in the second half, but stayed strong in front of Crpeau, the Canadian goalkeeper who has made a strong late-season comeback after breaking his leg in last year’s MLS Cup Final and not returning until late July.

    LAFC finally scored again when Dnis Bouanga put a ball through to Diego Palacios and his centering pass was kicked into the net by a sliding Escobar, who played 19 games for LAFC last season. Escobar hung his head in his hands while his teammates attempted to boost his spirits after the crushing mistake.



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  • Messi-mania in full swing: Inter Miami sells out all its season tickets for 2024

    Messi-mania in full swing: Inter Miami sells out all its season tickets for 2024

    The arrival of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami revolutionized soccer across the United States, on the field and in marketing, and now La Pulga’s new team boasted that it has already sold out all the season tickets for the 2024 campaign.

    Inter Miami is going through an incredible time, and even though they didn’t qualify for the playoffs this year, hope for next year runs through Leo’s boots. And although the schedule is not yet known, people have already bought all the season tickets and are waiting for possible reinforcements to accompany Messi in his second season with the MLS franchise.

    “On Thursday, Inter Miami CF announced that the club sold out of season tickets for the 2024 MLS regular season,” Inter Miami‘s newsletter read. “Beginning Thursday, Inter Miami fans near and far will be able to register for more information and be among the first to have the opportunity to purchase remaining tickets for a single Inter Miami game during the 2024 MLS regular season while stocks sell out.

    “Inter Miami CF fans interested in purchasing single match tickets can register here to receive real-time updates and next steps on how to purchase Inter Miami CF single match tickets at DRV PNK Stadium.”

    Inter Miami offers a special deal to fans

    Inter Miami CF season ticket members will have the first opportunity to purchase single game tickets for 2024 after the match schedule is released.

    Fans who register today for more information will join the remaining deposit holders and have the next opportunities for a special presale.

    The presale will offer the opportunity to purchase remaining single game tickets for Inter Miami CF 2024 regular season matches, while supplies last.

    Lionel Messi’s speech before Copa America final against Brazil, the last time at MaracanaRoberto Ortega

    When is the MLS schedule announced?

    The Inter Miami CF 2024 schedule will be released by Major League Soccer in the coming weeks so it is not yet known who Messi’s pink shirts will take on in their opening game of the upcoming season.

    Based on the 2023 season, the announcement will be just before Christmas with last year’s release date coming on December 20, 2022. The season will likely begin in late February based on 2022 and 2023.



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  • Will Messi play in Argentina vs Paraguay? Scaloni leaves his starting XI place in doubt

    Will Messi play in Argentina vs Paraguay? Scaloni leaves his starting XI place in doubt

    Argentine star Lionel Messi has just missed four games with Inter Miami and only came on as a substitute against Cincinnati, in which match he could do nothing to prevent the elimination of his team from the MLS playoffs.

    You can now watch Messi in MLS with Apple

    Thus, the Argentine star left for his national team’s training camp to face Paraguay next Thursday in the third matchday of the South American qualifying round of Conmebol for the 2026 World Cup, a match in which he might not start, in a decision of the Albiceleste coach, Lionel Scaloni, who also did not mention the options he is considering to open the match at the Monumental in Buenos Aires.

    Argentina team news vs Paraguay

    Lionel Messi’s amazing goal in Argentina trainingSportsCenter Argentina / Twitter

    Scaloni has a complicated task to choose the eventual replacement for Messi, and will have to decide between Julian Alvarez or Lautaro Martinez (or perhaps send them together), in the absence of Angel Di Maria due to injury playing behind the last line, where he could place the Fiorentina player Nico Gonzalez.

    Messi is not fully fit

    The main reason, as it happened against Bolivia in the last date of the Conmebol qualifying round, is that Messi is not fully fit, after suffering muscular discomfort last September 20 in the MLS match against Toronto.

    After Paraguay, Argentina will travel to Lima to face Peru on Tuesday, October 17 and it is expected that the difficult customs of the National Stadium will be more complicated with Messi on the field and without major problems. But that remains to be seen.



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  • Lionel Messi makes his return, but Inter Miami get eliminated from playoff contention

    Lionel Messi makes his return, but Inter Miami get eliminated from playoff contention

    Following Lionel Messi‘s premature departure from Inter Miami‘s September 20 game against Toronto FC, many wondered if they would see the club captain in action again this season. On Saturday night, Messi put any rumors to rest, returning from the nagging hamstring injury that kept him out of four games.

    His return wasn’t enough to save Miami from its playoff destiny, though. Inter dug themselves into too deep of a hole before Messi’s arrival, and Messi’s recent injury made things tougher. Cicinnati’s 1-0 victory mathematically eliminated Miami from MLS playoff contention.

    Lione Messi returns from injury

    It was the 55th minute when Messi came off the bench and attempted to spark some life into a goalless stalemate.

    Lionel Messi makes his return vs. FC CincinnatiMLS

    Messi and Inter Miami couldn’t create enough clear scoring chances in the final 30 minutes, and Cincinnati took advantage. A hard strike from Yuya Kubo was parried away by Drake Callender, but Alvaro Barreal pounced on it and buried it into the back of the net.

    Alvaro Barreal scores goal to eliminate Inter Miami from playoff contention.MLS

    Now that he’s healthy and fit enough for high-intensity game evironments, Messi will likely take part in Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Peru. The qualifiers should allow Messi to get his cardio levels and form back to normal.

    Inter Miami still have two regular season games left to play, but it’s unclear if Messi will play given that the games will not hold any true weight. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.



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