LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Canadian international Tesho Akindele scored in the 60th minute and Orlando City advanced to the quarterfinals of the MLS is Back tournament with a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Impact on Saturday night.
Montreal was eliminated with the loss to open the knockout round of the World Cup-style tournament at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World.
“We knew it was going to be a different game tonight because it was in the knockout round. We had to beat DC to carry on and go back into a playoff spot, and that’s what we did. We all know the circumstances. It was the same for everybody. There was going to be fatigue, and mistakes at times. It didn’t work out for us today. We were a bit better against DC defensively, but today it didn’t happen,” said Impact coach Thierry Henry.
Orlando will play the winner of Monday night’s clash between the defending league champion Seattle Sounders and LAFC in the quarterfinals on Friday.
“The chemistry with the group, it was very good, especially in the first half,” Orlando coach Oscar Pareja said. “The second half, I think we had much, much harder opposition. Montreal came out sharper.”
Orlando City dominated possession in the opening half but couldn’t score. Jhegson Mendez appeared to break through with a goal late in the half, but it was ruled offside in the buildup.
Mendez also had a good opportunity in the 38th minute, but his shot from the centre of the box was stopped by Montreal goalkeeper Clement Diop.
Calgary-born Akindele finally got Orlando on the scoreboard. Apparent miscommunication between Diop and defender Rod Fanni allowed Akindele to dash forward and easily slot the goal.
“We’ve had the lead and we’ve held on to the lead a few times in a row,” Akindele said. “It shows a strong mentality, it shows good organization from the team and it shows dedication for the cause from the front to the back.”
With group stage matches counting toward the regular season, the Impact are 2-2-1 this season under new coach Thierry Henry.
Montreal was a third-place finisher in its group, but secured a spot among the 16 teams in the knockout rounds with a 1-0 victory over D.C. United on Tuesday. Saphir Tadir, who has three goals in the tournament, scored the lone goal.
“Obviously we wanted to go all the way,” Montreal midfielder Samuel Piette said. “We knew it was a tough tournament, and the way we played against Toronto and D.C., we strongly believed we could beat anybody. I think we started the first half really flat, and I felt that set the tone for the rest of the game.”
Orlando, 2-1-2, was without forward Dom Dwyer, who was out for the second straight game with muscle tightness. Midfielder Junior Urso also sat out.
Orlando, playing this season under Pareja, finished atop its group with two wins and six total goals.
Impact forward Maxi Urruti was on the bench to start the game, but was subbed in for the final five minutes of regulation.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
