SOCCER
America exit Leagues Cup
Mexican giants Club America on Saturday night suffered a surprise exit from the Leagues Cup at the hands of MLS’ Colorado Rapids, leaving the tournament with no teams from Liga MX in the last four. In the semi-finals of the joint Liga MX-MLS tournament, reigning MLS champions Columbus Crew are to face the Philadelphia Union, while the Rapids would play Los Angeles FC. America, the most decorated team in Mexico, were playing a “home” game in Carson, California, that attracted thousands of Mexican-American supporters to back them. However, they were left disappointed after their goalless draw, with few chances for either team, went to a shoot-out which the Rapids won 9-8. The other Mexican club in the last eight, Mazatlan, also exited in a shoot-out, losing at the Philadelphia Union.
CRICKET
SA keeps berth hopes alive
South Africa’s Test series success over the West Indies on Saturday keeps up their outside chance of a place in next year’s World Test Championship final even if they must win at least five of their next six matches. The 40-run win over the West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown was their second success in six Tests in the 2023-2025 cycle and moved them up to fifth in the standings. If they are to stand any chance of challenging the likes of log leaders India and second placed Australia for a berth in next year’s one-off final, they must win at least five of their next remaining six tests.
CYCLING
McNulty wins 1st Vuelta stage
Brandon McNulty on Saturday snatched victory in the first stage of the Vuelta a Espana, edging an individual time trial ahead of Mathias Vacek as the year’s third Grand Tour began in Lisbon. American UAE Team Emirates rider McNulty was the penultimate rider to set off on the 12km run to Oeiras and beat Vacek by two seconds, with final rider Wout van Aert taking third in a thrilling finale. Defending champion Sepp Kuss finished over half a minute down on general classification contender and three-time champion Primoz Roglic, who came in eighth, 17 seconds behind McNulty’s 12 minutes, 35 seconds. “I was hoping for something good today, but this is really hard to believe for me,” 26-year-old McNulty said. “I knew if something crazy happened I could [do it], so I guess something crazy happened.”
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Ex-champ pleads no contest
Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez has pleaded no contest to attempted murder after he shot at a man in 2022 accused of molesting Velasquez’s relative, a Northern California district attorney’s office said. The office of Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement that Velasquez on Friday entered his plea in a San Jose courtroom to felony assault and other gun charges as part of a negotiated agreement with the prosecutor’s office. The 42-year-old Velasquez was scheduled to go on trial next month. Velasquez, who retired from the UFC in 2019, still faces prison time, Rosen’s office said. A sentencing date has not been scheduled. The man charged with molesting the male relative, who was four at the time, is the adult son of a woman who ran the daycare attended by the boy.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
RSS