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MLS is Back Tournament draw: Players, coaches and GMs react to groups – MLSsoccer.com

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The groups have been drawn for the MLS is Back Tournament, starting July 8 in Orlando. Matchups are forming, MLS is back.

Players, coaches and general managers throughout the league have been giving their thoughts on the six groups, highlighted by an opening game clash between Florida foes Orlando City SC and Inter Miami CF and an El Trafico in Group F between LAFC and LA Galaxy. You can get the full details on the group draw here

As reactions emerge, here are some key takeaways from Thursday’s group draw, setting the stage for 56 games over 26 matchdays at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World Resort in Florida.

Atlanta United

After being drawn alongside old foes the New York Red Bulls, and Hell is Real rivals the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, Atlanta Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said is primary emotion was excitement and getting back to the field after the long hiatus.

“We’re just excited to get back to playing soccer,” he said. “We knew we were going to be facing all Eastern Conference teams in the tournament. Obviously, we’ve had some good games against the Red Bulls lately. And Columbus rebuilt and have been really strong. And we’ve played Cincinnati already this year. We’re excited to play, excited to be back out on the field and looking forward to a good month down in Florida.”

Colorado Rapids

There are a few groups in the MLS is Back Tournament who can lay claim to being the group of death, but perhaps the strongest resume is that of Group D.

Between the Colorado Rapids, Sporting Kansas City and Minnesota United, the group have three of the four teams in the league to start 2020 a perfect 2-0-0. The other is Real Salt Lake, who finished third in the West in 2019.

“We’re going to embrace it, I’d say it’s arguably the toughest in the tournament,” Rapids EVP and GM Padraig Smith said. “But it’s going to make for some really compelling games.”

“Our group is probably as challenging as any in the tournament, but to win, you’ve got to beat great teams,” head coach Robin Fraser added. “So be it.”

Inter Miami CF

Inter Miami Sporting Director Paul McDonough joined Extratime after the draw and said that being in the only group of six teams would present a challenge.

“I think we’re happy to be back playing,” he said. “But the group of six is definitely something that I don’t think we’ve even wrapped our heads around. I came into [head coach] Diego [Alonso] this morning after training, I said look w’ere going to open up, we’re going to play Orlando to start and he said ‘OK.’ And then I said but we’re in the group of six, he said ‘No Ok.’

“I think it’s a little bit harder to get out of a group of six but we’re just happy to be playing. A lot of work has gone into it. Philly we saw in preseason, they’re very good. They’ve got a really good system, they’re tough. Chicago, they’re kind of rebuilding so we’re not really sure what’s going to happen there/ but really for us right now we just have to focus on ourselves.”

Montreal Impact

Montreal’s place in Group C means a date with a bitter rival in Toronto FC, making that fixture one of the biggest games to watch in group play.

There’s already plenty on the line for every team with the regular season points and Concacaf Champions League berth that are at stake, but Impact midfielder Samuel Piette said that the clash with TFC will add even more luster from the players’ perspective.

“I feel like it was written in the sky that we needed to be together in the same group,” Piette said. “I think it’s good, obviously playing games with no fans under a new format will be much different than we’ve experienced before so maybe [playing Toronto] is motivation.

“To have Toronto, to have the chance to play against them, will obviously raise that motivation bar for us.”

Nashville SC

Along with Inter Miami, Nashville arguably have a tougher task than most going into the tournament, as an expansion side that was still trying to find its footing before the league’s hiatus, and will now have to rebuild the chemistry they’d established with one another during preseason.

Nashville dropped each of its first two games of their debut season against Atlanta United and the Portland Timbers, but captain Dax McCarty said there are plenty of positives that he’s taken away from those matches that can be applied looking ahead to Orlando, particularly defensively. If Nashville can maintain that defensive solidity and iron out their attack, McCarty said his side should be going into the tournament with high expectations.

“As far as I’m concerned, I want to win this tournament,” McCarty said. “There’s so much incentive to go out every single game and try to play open, exciting, attacking soccer to try and win games and score goals. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

New York City FC

NYCFC started the MLS season without scoring a goal and ending up with two losses. This was at least partly due to the fact that Ronny Deila’s put most of their focus on the Concacaf Champions League, where they defeated San Carlos in the Round of 16 and had just finished their Leg 1 match against Tigres UANL before play was halted.

Drawn into Group A, the Cityzens will be facing Orlando City SC, Chicago Fire FC and the Philadelphia Union.

“I’m happy with the grouping. Exciting games. It’s tough games with whoever we meet in MLS, it’s a very competitive league,” sai Deila. “All these teams are new for me so I’m looking forward to study and make our team ready to play them and hopefully beat them in Orlando.”

One area where NYCFC seemingly have an edge is the depth of their roster, as they brought almost the full squad back after finishing first in the Eastern Conference in 2020.

“I think so,” Deila said when asked if NYCFC’s depth is an advantage in the tournament. “I think we have good depth in our squad. We have a very, very tough competition in different positions and this is something we can use to our advantage.”

New York Red Bulls

After a number of classic, heated matches between the New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United over the last few years, the Eastern Conference rivals are ready to do battle again at the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando in Group E.

Despite being away from their home stadiums and with no fans in attendance, Red Bulls head coach Chris Armas isn’t worried about the game lacking its trademark intensity.

“The games are different without fans… but I don’t think we could meet Atlanta at a park with no one watching and it wouldn’t be heated,” Armas said. “We’re not scared, we love the challenge every single time. That’s one of the reasons why we’ve done well, we went after them in preseason too. There’ll be a lot going on in that game, it’ll be great.”

Orlando City SC

As the “home” team for the tournament, Orlando City was placed as the seeded team in Group A, the only group to feature six teams. As well as Inter Miami, Orlando will face off with NYCFC, Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire and Nashville SC.

“Feels good to be home,” said Orlando’s EVP of Soccer Luiz Muzzi, who took part in Thursday’s draw. “I don’t think there’s a whole lot of advantage there. We’re playing against great teams and they’re all prepared. We’d like to have fans and we know our fans are following us. But everybody has a strong team. We’re just glad to be back and looking forward to starting.”

Real Salt Lake

RSL head coach Freddy Juarez took part in Thursday’s draw and later reacted to his team being drawn alongside Sporting Kansas City, the Colorado Rapids and Minnesota United.

“First of all, it’s a tough group,” he said. “Rivalries with Colorado and with Sporting. And Minnesota is a very, very good group,” Juarez said. “A lot of respect there. We’re a competitive group, a tight-knit group and improving every year the last four years. We know what we have, we know what we are and we have a chip on our shoulder that we want to go out and compete against anyone in MLS. That’s the mindset of the whole group.”

Seattle Sounders

Vice President of Soccer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson also took part in the draw, and saw the Sounders land in Group B, alongside FC Dallas, Cascadia rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps and the San Jose Earthquakes.

“It’s a tough group,” he said. “Some rivalry games for sure and some history between the clubs. We’re looking forward to get starting again. November and MLS Cup seems like a long time ago. We’re looking forward to getting to the warm weather, adjusting and excited to be playing again.”

Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes spoke to reporters via conference call after his team was drawn into a group with Real Salt Lake, Colorado and Minnesota. It figures to be one of the more evenly-matched groups in the tournament, and though Vermes didn’t get into specifics about his team’s initial opponents, noting that they still figure to play every MLS team this season, he did like the look of a lot of the matchups across the tournament.

“In regards to group itself and all the groups, I think it really wouldn’t have mattered who we got in my opinion, and I say that because we’re going to have to play everybody anyway at some point coming out of this as well,” he said. “So however we start, if you want to get to the final you’re going to have to play all the teams anyway. I thought the groups wound up pretty good because there are some good rivalries and a lot of them will be good for television.”

Vermes also noted that now having games and specific opponents to look forward to would add a much-needed element to his team’s training sessions and preparations for return to play.

“Having a date — that’s the way that we work in our business — everything is centered around dates and times and when our next opponent is and where we’re traveling to. So you’re always kind of reverse engineering from that and now having a date a team to play, all that, is going to help immensely in what we’re trying to get prepared for. Athletes are almost always goal-oriented, so then now having something is going to make it that much different just in training and how we prepare going forward.”

Toronto FC

In one of the highlights of the draw, Toronto FC were drawn alongside Canadian Classique rivals Montreal Impact, as well as the New England Revolution and D.C. United.

“It’s Eastern Conference teams,” Toronto General Manager Ali Curtis said. “Those are battles. We ‘ve got some good teams, good competition. Montreal of course is a rival. But DC and New England are strong teams. You’re looking at some playoff teams and Montreal won the Canadian Championship. There’s a lot at stake and we’re going to do the best we can to get results.”

Vancouver Whitecaps

One of the prominent rivalries to highlight the group stage will be the Vancouver Whitecaps vs. the Seattle Sounders in Group B. Vancouver aren’t fretting about drawing the reigning MLS Cup champions, in fact, head coach Marc Dos Santos prefers it this way.

“We were very glad that we ended up in a group that’s incredibly balanced, any of the groups can qualify,” Dos Santos said. “It’s good for our fans that we ended up in a group with Seattle or Portland, we wanted that.”

“Whoever is that first game we have to be ready,” he added. “For our fans, I hope our first game is against Seattle.”



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PWHL MVP Spooner set to miss start of season for Toronto Sceptres due to knee injury

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

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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.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

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.

___

AP cricket:

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

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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.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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