Gold Cup Final

Can confident Reggae Boyz best Mexico?

By Paul Burrowes

Jamaica have beaten Mexico more than the United States, being more competitive against their Spanish-speaking neighbours from North America.
After 23 matches, the Reggae Boyz recorded four wins and two draws against El Tricolor, for years one of the most dominant teams in the region.
The Boyz have also lost all five matches against the Mexicans in the Gold Cup, a history they intend to rewrite on Sunday, July 26 at the Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Match time 6:30 pm.
Winfried Schafer's Boyz have won more games (four) than any other team in the current Gold Cup, led by Giles Barnes and Garath McLeary. Jobi McAnuff, Darren Mattocks and influential skipper Rodolph Austin netted the other goals.

The Boyz have been centred around Kemar Lawrence, Wes Morgan, Adrian Mariappa, and skipper Austin, with McCleary and McAnuff also featuring.
Lawrence has provided two assists, with one from McCleary, and these are players that will have to spearhead Jamaica's first every Gold Cup title, joining Mexico (six), United States (five) and Canada (one).
Schafer has also kept faith with Simon Dawkins and Michael Hector, who have also played in all five matches.
JeVaughn Watson has been a key member of the defence, but may not start.
The Mexicans, meanwhile, have been here before -
playing in all 13 Gold Cups and winning six of the seven finals they contested.
Their experience in Gold Cup finals will count, led by defensive midfielder Andres Guardado (five goals), striker Orib Peralta (three goals), and right winger Carlos Vela (two goals).
Like Jamaica, Mexico have not tinkered with their defence. Maza, Guillermo Ochoa, Diego Reyes, and Paul Aguilar, supported by Guardado and another defensive midfielder in Miguel Layun, have ensured Tricolor remain solid around the back.
Mexico will have be silenced early with a goal or two against them in the first half hour and Guardado need to be stopped in his tracks early.
Otherwise, it will be a fight right down to the end.

Gold Cup semi

US very tough to beat

By Paul Burrowes

Only once Jamaica defeated the United States in a football match. That was in 2012 in a World Cup qualification match on September 7.

After 22 matches, the Reggae Boyz have one win, eight draws and 13 losses.

The Americans have been unbeaten in their last 13 matches at home, and given their current form in the current Gold Cup, it is highly unlikely that that they will lose on Wednesday, July 22 in the semi-final match-up at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

True, the pressure will be on the Americans to win and the Reggae Boyz are exhibiting tremendous team spirit, confidence and self-belief.

But in Jamaica’s only win in that September to remember, Luton Shelton and Rodolph Austin scored, after Clint Dempsey sent US in the lead after one minute.

Dempsey is the top scorer in the 2015 Gold Cup with six goals, ahead of Mexican duo Oribe Peralta and Andres Guardado, both on three goals.

Jamaica, USA, TT on top

GOLD CUP

By Paul Burrowes

After two rounds of matches in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Jamaica, United States and Trinidad & Tobago have underlined their status as the top group teams.
The third round kicks off Tuesday, July 14, in Group A, with Haiti meeting Honduras at 6:00 pm and Panama tackling USA at 8:30 pm.
On Wednesday, in Group B Jamaica face El Salvador at 5:00 pm and Canada oppose Costa Rica at 7:30 pm,
Also on Wednesday, Cuba meet Guatemala at 5:00 pm and Mexico challenge Trinidad & Tobago in a highly-anticipated cracker in Group C.
Oribe Peralta has excelled as Mexico's best player so far, scoring three goals in the competition. He leads by one Trinidad & Tobago's 24-year-old defender Sheldon Bateau, who plays for Mechelen in Belgium's Pro League.

 Veteran Clint Dempsey of the  United States leads the goalscoring chart with Peralta, both on three goals.
In Group B, Jobi McAnuff, Garath McCleary and  Rodolph Austin do have the chance to become top goalscorers should they be on target, as all the scorers each have one goal.
The top two teams from each and the two best third-placed teams qualify for the quarter-finals.

Extracurricular Sports May Give Kids' Academics a Boost

Extracurricular sports may help children develop the discipline they need to succeed in the classroom, a new study suggests.

Kids' attention span and level of self-control are linked to their participation in organized, after-school sports, the researchers said. They noted their findings could help school and public health officials develop improved strategies that would reach children at risk for obesity as well as those struggling in school.

"We worked with information provided by parents and teachers to compare kindergarteners' activities with their classroom engagement as they grew up," study leader Linda Pagani, of the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine Children's Hospital, said in a university news release.

"By time they reached the fourth grade, kids who played structured sports were identifiably better at following instructions and remaining focused in the classroom," Pagani said.

"There is something specific to the sporting environment -- perhaps the unique sense of belonging to a team, to a special group with a common goal -- that appears to help kids understand the importance of respecting the rules and honouring responsibilities," she noted.

The study, published July 1 in the American Journal of Health Promotion, included information on nearly 2,700 children. The children were all born in Quebec between 1997 and 1998.

The children's kindergarten teachers answered questionnaires about their student's behaviour. The kids' parents were also interviewed about their home life. Four years later, the researchers re-surveyed the children's parents and teachers.

"Our goal was to answer two questions: firstly, does participation in extracurricular activities in kindergarten predict fourth grade self-discipline and, secondly, do kindergarten self-discipline characteristics predict fourth-grade participation in sports?" Pagani said.

The answers to these questions would shed light on how engaged the kids were in the classroom. The researchers also hoped to get information on how aggressive, compulsive and emotionally distressed the children were.

After taking other factors into consideration, such as the kids' level of physical fitness, thinking abilities, mother's education and family communication at home, the researchers found children involved in sports when they were in kindergarten were likely to be involved in team sports at 10. These kids also had higher self-control scores by fourth-grade, the researchers found.

Kids who had better behaviour in kindergarten were also more likely to be involved in sports four years later. Unstructured activities in kindergarten however had no effect children's lives later on.

While the study found an association between playing team sports and success in the classroom, the researchers did not prove a cause-and-effect link.

Pagani said she hoped that policy makers consider these findings and improve access to parks and playgrounds, where children can engage in sporting activities.

Copa America

Costa Rica 2-2 Jamaica

Impressive McAnuff strike secures draw

A brilliant solo goal from Jobi McAnuff saw Jamaica return to the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2-2 draw in an end-to-end encounter against Costa Rica in Carson, California, on Wednesday.
Garath McLeary gave Jamaica the lead before goals from Roy Ramirez and David Miller put Costa Rica into the lead inside the first half.
But, McAnuff dribbled past two opponents to get into the box and then poked his shot under goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado to secure a point.

Having failed to qualify for the 2013 Gold Cup, Jamaica had entered this year's tournament on the back of a three-game losing streak at the Copa America but held their own against the Ticos.

While Wednesday's match featured some questionable defending at both ends, it did not detract from the entertainment value as both sides pushed for a winning goal throughout the second half.

Poor defending from Costa Rica saw Jamaica take the lead in the 13th minute, with a long throw bouncing over Junior Diaz, allowing Garath McCleary to volley the opener at the back post.

As the half wore on, however, Costa Rica started to take control and turned the match around in the space of five minutes, with Roy Miller and David Ramirez getting on the score sheet.

A free-kick saw the ball played across the edge of the box for the Central Americans' equaliser, with Ramirez then dinking a pass over the opposition defence for Miller to nod home.

Ramirez then put Wanchope's team ahead after Jamaica defender Wes Morgan failed to deal with a long pass and the Costa Rica striker got in behind to lift his shot over keeper Dwayne Miller.

But just two minutes into the second half, Jamaica dragged Costa Rica back thanks to McAnuff's impressive surge from midfield.

The rest of the match saw a raft of chances at both ends, with Johan Venegas almost putting Costa Rica ahead just a minute after McAnuff's goal only for Miller to palm the shot away, while Jamaica substitute Darren Mattocks shot straight at Alvarado after the hour mark.

Jamaica wasted a four-on-two opportunity with four minutes remaining before Costa Rica broke the other way, only for Miller to parry Deyver Vega's shot.

In the 89th minute, Simon Dawkins failed to convert an opportunity from close range, which would have handed the Jamaicans victory, with Alvarado pulling off another impressive save.

Gold Cup 2015

Profile of players in the Gold Cup

By Paul Burrowes

As expected most of the players taking part in the 13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, being hosted in the United States and Canada, ply their trade in the US Major League Soccer (MLS).
Twelve teams are taking part in the 2015 Gold Cup which get under way on Tuesday, July 7 in Group A when Panama take on Haiti at 6:00 pm and United States meet Honduras at 8:30 pm, both at the Toyota Stadium, in Frisco, Texas.
The Toyota Stadium is one of the 14 venues which will be used, with Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to host the final and the PPL Park in Chester, the third-place match. Both are found in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
Forty three of the 276 players selected for the Gold Cup compete in the MLS, led by Clint Dempsey of Seattle Sounders FC and Michael Bradley of Toronto FC.
Nine Reggae Boyz currently participate in the MLS, which has made tremendous efforts to become one of the best leagues in the world.
Many of the players are active in England, nine from the Championship and six in the English Premier League, including Jamaican Wes Morgan of Leicester City and Adrian Mariappa of Crystal Palace.

Americans Brad Guzan of Aston Villa and DeAndre Yedlin of Tottenham Hotspur also play in England's top league, along with Costa Ricans Joel Campbell of Arsenal FC and Cristian Gamboa of West Bromwich Albion.
Another six players take part in Spain's La Liga, five of them Mexicans and one from Costa Rica.
For the Reggae Boyz, Rodolph Austin, Kemar Lawrence and Wes Morgan will have to perform for Jamaica to put on a good showing in the Gold Cup, with Darren Mattocks, Simon Dawkins and Michael Seaton showing their class.
Jamaica play Costa Rica on Wednesday, July 8 starting at 7:00 pm at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California.

Gold Cup 2015

Boyz tackle Costa Rica in Gold Cup opener

By Paul Burrowes

Jamaica will kick off their Gold Cup campaign on  Tuesday, July 7 when they take on Costa Rica at 7:00 pm at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California.
The teams will meet in the Gold Cup for the third time, with Los Ticos boasting one win and one draw in the top CONCACAF competition.
The Reggae Boyz are making their ninth appearance in the Gold Cup, compared to 12th for the current Central American champions.
When these teams last met, in World Cup Qualification, the match ended 1-1 on September 11, 2013 at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Jermaine 'Tuffy' Anderson netted for the Reggae Boyz in time added at the end after Randall Brenes opened the scoring in the 74th minute for the Central Americans.
Jamaica played in the Gold Cup in 1991, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2011.
Twice they reached the semi-finals (1993 and 1998) and thrice the quarter-finals (2011, 2005 and 2003).
In 1993, the Reggae Boyz were joint third with Costa Rica, the match finishing 1-1 after extra time. Substitute Devon Jarrett scored the equaliser for Jamaica in the dying stages of the match. Floyd Guthrie gave Costa Rica in the lead in the 15th minute.
In 1998, Jamaica finished fourth after losing 1-0 to Brazil in the third/fourth-place play-off.
In terms of wins, Jamaica are the seventh best team in the Gold Cup. The Boyz trail USA, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Canada and Panama.
However, Mexico have won six titles, one  more than the United States. Canada, the only other champions in the Gold Cup, have one title.

Manchester United and Chelsea target Paul Pogba ‘agrees transfer deal with Barcelona’

Pogba agrees deal with Barcelona

Pogba will reportedly join Barcelona in 2016

Paul Pogba has reportedly reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign next summer, which will come as a huge blow to Manchester United and Chelsea.

The midfielder has shone for Juventus since arriving from United in 2012, and was an integral part of the side which reached the Champions League final last season.

Both Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho were believed to be chasing the France international, but he will arrive at the Nou Camp next summer, according to reports in Spain.

Due to Barca’s transfer embargo, Pogba will continue playing for Juventus next season – the Catalan giants will announce the move later this month it is believed.

Caribbean Premier League Organisers Want Indian Stars to Play

New Delhi: The Caribbean Premier League may not be as popular as IPL but tournament's COO Pete Russell wants to indulge in fruitful discussions with the current regime of BCCI to convince them in allowing Indian cricketers for the T20 event.

As per BCCI rules, India is the only country whose cricketers are not allowed to freelance in the private T20 leagues across the globe. This has been done by BCCI to keep the novelty factor intact.

"It will be great for the tournament as a whole if Indian cricketers are allowed to play in the Caribbean Premier League. The Indian cricketers are very popular in this part of the globe. They have a huge fan following. Their presence would be a huge boost," Russell told PTI during an interaction.

"We would definitely like to approach the top officials of BCCI and would have discussions with them regarding the participation of Indian players in the next edition of the league," the COO added.

In fact, he also had a practical solution in mind knowing that Indian cricketers play maximum amount of international cricket and it may just be difficult to rope in the first team players.

"We are fully aware that top Indian cricketers may not be available due to international commitments. But if you leave aside the senior squad, there are a lot of good players in the next rung, who are really doing well in the Indian Premier League and are known faces. I think if the second rung, who are not on national duty are allowed to play, it would be mutually beneficial," said Russell.

Russell did not forget to mention that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's involvement in CPL has definitely helped them raise the profile of the tournament. SRK has bought Trinidad and Tobago franchise this year.

"Shah Rukh Khan enjoys enormous following in Caribbean island. His involvement has only strengthened the product. Just like Kevin Pietersen's presence raises the interest among cricket fans. The prize money has also increased this year," said Russell.