Colombia’s players danced and sang on the field long after the team secured its historic first-ever trip to the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals.
Catalina Usme’s second-half goal gave Colombia a 1-0 win over Jamaica. Both teams were aiming for a first victory in the knockout stage, with the winner moving on to the last eight at soccer’s biggest tournament.
“After the goal went into the net, I had all sorts of emotions,” Usme said. “During all the years in women’s football, it’s such a beautiful moment, giving us the possibility to make history for our country. But we can go beyond. We came here to play seven finals. And we need to go step by step.”
Colombia, a team that didn’t even qualify for the 2019 tournament, played a physical, scrappy match. Linda Caicedo, the team’s 18-year-old sensation who plays for Real Madrid, created opportunities and tested a Jamaica defense that didn’t concede a goal in the group stage.
Colombia moves to Sydney for a Saturday knockout match against European champion England, which advanced on penalties after a scoreless draw with Nigeria.
“The game against England, we came here to play seven finals,” Usme said. “We’re certain in our preparations. We’re dreaming big. We know we can pull it off. We can do it.”
Usme celebrates
Usme yelled in celebration after trapping a long pass from Ana Guzman and calmly finishing in the 52nd minute. When she was subbed off late in the game, the Colombia fans chanted her name and she bowed to the crowd.
Even when speaking to reporters afterward, Guzman and teammate Jorelyn Carabali broke into song.
The match in Melbourne was an anticipated showdown between Caicedo and Jamaican Khadija “Bunny” Shaw. In the end, though, it was Usme’s emphatic goal that made the difference.
“We are three games away, but each time we get closer to the beautiful trophy that we really dream of. It’s difficult but not impossible,” Caicedo said. “I know we can do it, the team really dreams of it, we want it. There is no obstacle that we can’t overcome.”
Shaw was an attacking force with Manchester City last season, scoring 20 goals in 22 league games, but she went scoreless at the World Cup.
“Right now we’re a bit low, because didn’t want to end the tournament. But I’m proud of all my teammates,” Shaw said. “A lot of people didn’t think we’d make it this far.
“We just have to be proud of our performance and lift our heads up. The gap is closing.”
The Reggae Girlz had just one goal in the competition, Allyson Swaby’s header in a 1-0 victory over Panama, while Shaw sat out of that match because of a red card in the opener against France.
Caicedo, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 15, had a pair of goals in the opening round amid questions about her fitness. She was seen dropping to the ground during a practice session earlier in the tournament but played the entirety of Colombia’s 1-0 loss against Morocco in its group final on Thursday.
Colombia stuns Germany
After defeating South Korea in its World Cup opener, Colombia upset Germany 2-1 before falling to upstart Morocco in its group finale. Colombia became just the second South American team to top its group, joining Brazil.
Jamaica’s defense held title contenders France and Brazil scoreless in the opening round, helping to push the Reggae Girlz through to the knockout stage. The Jamaicans lost every game at the 2019 tournament, their only other appearance.
Colombia had more chances in the first half but Jamaica’s stout defense held and the match was scoreless at the break.
There was a scary moment when Jamaica’s Trudi Carter was hit hard in the face by the ball in the 21st minute but she returned.
Jamaica goalkeeper Becky Spencer was able to punch away Usme’s cross in the 29th. Caicedo sent the ball over the goal with a chance in the 38th.
Jamaica’s Drew Spence was shown a yellow late in the half with a tackle on Caicedo, after Chantelle Swaby was also booked.
Spence nearly scored on a header in the 82nd but it went just wide. She raised her hands to her face in disbelief over the missed chance to even the game.
Colombia was without Manuela Vanegas because of yellow card accumulation. Guzman, who like Caicedo is 18, replaced her and gave the team some spark — as well as the crucial ball to Usme for the winning goal.
Las Cafeteras, making their third World Cup appearance, also reached the Round of 16 in 2015 but were stopped in a 2-0 loss to the United States.
Now, they’re only team from the Americas still in contention.
“This is an immense pride. It’s a home pride, a regional pride. We know we’re worthy representatives of Colombia and South America,” Colombia coach Nelson Abadia said. “Now we’re representing the whole continent. We’re representing the whole of the Americas.”
NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.
The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.
Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.
The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.
O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.
After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.
Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.
New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.
Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.
Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.
He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.
Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.
The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”
It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.
The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.
He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.
As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.
Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.
The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.
“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”
Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.
“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.
“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”
The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.
Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.
With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.
The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.
But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.
Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.
Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.
Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.
Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.
