It's miles away from Setanta Cup Final in 2005... but here's how Linfield can stun Shelbourne again
It was written in the stars that Shelbourne and Linfield would be paired together in the Champions League draw, 20 years on from that famous Setanta Cup Final at Tolka Park.
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The Herald Scotland
28 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
USMNT diversity is a positive. Data proves it
"Previous research, they found a negative impact, not because of the diversity itself but how to put the team together. When you merge several players from different countries with different language, you create a barrier that makes it, at some extent, difficult to perform," said Thadeu Gasparetto, author of a paper published earlier this month titled "Multicultural teams: Does national diversity associate with performance in professional soccer?" "More recent research is showing pretty much the opposite, where the diversity provides a set of different skills ... different codes that tends to be positive." With less than a year until the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which U.S. Soccer officials hope will be as transformative for the game as the 1994 tournament was, the "golden generation" of the U.S. men's national team is struggling. To put it nicely. Most of their top players, led by Christian Pulisic, are playing in Europe. Several on top teams, no less. Their coach is Mauricio Pochettino, who took Tottenham to the Champions League final. Yet the USMNT skidded into the Concacaf Gold Cup on a four-game losing streak, its longest since 2007. Then team reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, but Sunday's game against Costa Rica will be the first real test. As players, fans and pundits look for answers, former USMNT player and pot stirrer extraordinaire Alexi Lalas blamed the team's diversity. In addition to players from across the United States, the USMNT -- like many other national teams -- has multiple players who were born or raised overseas. "I've argued that the homogeneous nature of some other countries and cultures, just in population in terms of the size, are much more manageable and there's a collective understanding and, more importantly, an agreement in, 'This is how we're going to play,'" said Lalas, who makes no secret of his willingness to be a right-wing media provocateur. "But getting 11 men to represent this great country of 350 million people and all be on the same page, that is very, very difficult." Except it's really not. And there is both data, and anecdotal evidence, to prove it. Gasparetto examined six professional leagues in Europe -- England, Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, Latvia and the Netherlands -- between the 2015-16 and 2020-21 seasons and found that each foreign player on a team correlated with a 0.42% increase in win percentage. "It's much more about how well or how qualified the players are rather than where he or she's from," Gasparetto said. His findings are similar to those in a study by Michel Beine, Silvia Peracchi and Skerdilajda Zanaj that looked at ancestral diversity and its impact on a national team's performance. "Ancestral diversity and performance: Evidence from football data," published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization in September 2023, found ethnic diversity can lead to an additional goal scored per game. "The idea is, basically, that more genetic diversity is going to allow more complementary skills between players," Beine said. "Soccer is a game in which complementary skills is very important because you have different positions and these different positions, they require different type of skills. ... These complementarities, these different type of skills are going to be beneficial for the team." Look at France. Les Bleus won the men's World Cup in 2018 and were runners-up in 2022 with a team that was a melting pot. In addition to players whose parents and grandparents and great-grandparents and -- you get the idea -- were born in France, about half the team was born in Africa or the French Caribbean, or had parents who were. England, much to the country's consternation, endured decades of frustration after winning the World Cup in 1966. But it has reached the final at the last two European Championship and got to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup with a multiracial team. Belgium had its best finish ever at the World Cup in 2018, third place, with a team that reflected the influence of immigration to that country in the 1950s and 1960s. Conversely, teams that are homogenous -- Iceland, for example, or Japan -- don't fare as well. "This mixing, in terms of skills, in terms of genetic endowment, we show in the statistical analysis that, over time, countries benefited from immigration flows and diverse immigration flows. ... They improved their soccer performances," Beine said. "On the contrary, you have countries who had very little immigration flows and who have kept quite a homogeneous population ... maybe they have less benefited from this." Soccer is a global game -- and not only because it's played everywhere in the world. Players routinely move from country to country in their club careers, and that is likely to have far more influence than the country in which they were born or the neighborhood in which they grew up. Lionel Messi was born in Argentina, moved to Spain at 13 and spent two decades at Barcelona before going to France to play for Paris Saint-Germain. Now he's in the United States, playing for Inter Miami. Do you really think him being from Rosario has more of an impact on Argentina's national team than what he learned at Barcelona? "The evidence is very clear that diversity is something that can be beneficial. And it is a little bit overlooked by people," Beine said. "I think that sometimes people are not looking at the evidence. Or they are closing their eyes on what is really obvious." And that is that. The USMNT, much like the country it represents, is better for its diversity. Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Key element in Marcus Rashford Man Utd exit emerges amid Bryan Mbeumo thoughts
Ruben Amorim has already added Matheus Cunha to Manchester United's ranks this summer but further Old Trafford ins and outs are expected before transfer deadline day After watching some of their Premier League rivals strengthen in the early part of the summer, Manchester United are aiming to do the same. Liverpool have announced record signing Florian Wirtz and Manchester CIty made a number of early additions ahead of the Club World Cup, but it's been slower going for Ruben Amorim's side. There was an early bit of business, with Matheus Cunha completing his permanent move from Wolves. United have also handed Tom Heaton a new contract, but the veteran goalkeeper won't be offended if we say fans will likely hope that's not the last announcement of the summer. One thing which won't be happening this year is an Old Trafford return for Paul Pogba. The French midfielder had been touted for a third spell during his time as a free agent, but has instead opted for a move to Monaco. Head coach Amorim is looking to freshen up in a number of areas as he aims to build a squad capable of playing to his tactical preferences. Bryan Mbeumo is a major attacking target, while further investment could hinge on an ability to offload some out-of-favour high earners. One of those high earners is Marcus Rashford, and we've got a bit on his next move today. Here are Mirror Football 's latest lines from around Old Trafford. Rashford's ex-colleague shares advice Timothy Fosu-Mensah broke into Manchester United's first team at the same time as Marcus Rashford, and believes the forward needs to ensure he can find a club where he feels good. The Dutch defender made his Premier League bow on the same day as Rashford, and was speaking as he continues his own search for a new club after leaving Bayer Leverkusen in 2024. 'I just want him to be happy. Everybody just wants him to be happy," Fosu-Mensah told The Independent. "The most important things is for him to feel good, for him to feel happy. Look, the quality is definitely there. Nobody needs to say anything about this quality, because he's a top player.' Rashford looked to be enjoying his football during a loan spell at Aston Villa last term, earning an England recall. However, he left at the end of the season after Villa missed out on Champions League qualification. Dressing room feelings on Mbeumo Matheus Cunha and Joshua Zirkzee both appeared to green-light a move for Bryan Mbeumo with their social media activity. The pair 'liked' a report indicating United are poised to continue talks over a move for the Brentford star. Cameroon international Mbeumo has been eyed by both United and Tottenham. The latter are managed by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, and can offer Champions League football, but those might not end up being deciding factors. Mbeumo has a year left on his current deal in West London, and Brentford hold an option to extend it until 2027. He is due back in pre-season training if no agreement can be reached before then, but exit talk persists. Onana could leave on loan Manchester United are ready to sanction a loan exit for Andre Onana, according to The Sun. The former Inter Milan star has had ups and downs since moving to Old Trafford in 2023, and a difficult second half of the 2024-25 season has led to increased chatter around an exit. Monaco are said to be among the interested parties, though their financial situation has prompted some doubt over a permanent switch. Philipp Kohn and Radoslaw Majecki shared goalkeeping duties at the Ligue 1 club last term as they finished third and qualified for the Champions League Emi Martinez remains an option to replace Onana if United do move for an alternative. If they are to pursue a cheaper alternative, Botafogo keeper John is said to be an option.
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Fans convinced Lionel Messi ‘threw a PUNCH' at PSG's Vitinha as legend humbled by his old team in Club World Cup
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LIONEL MESSI left fans scratching their heads after a peculiar exchange with Paris Saint-Gemain's Vitinha. Many viewers reckon the Inter Miami skipper threw a "punch" at his former team-mate as PSG romped into the Club World Cup quarter-finals. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Viewers were astonished by this flailing arm from Lionel Messi 3 Messi didn't appear to make contact with PSG's Vitinha Messi and co were outclassed 4-0 following a first-half blitz by the Champions League winners at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner grew in frustration as his MLS team barely threatened. And although Messi is not known for aggressive play, some fans were convinced he was in the wrong during an astonishing encounter with midfielder Vitinha. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL GET YOUR GOAT Messi shell-shocked as Miami THUMPED by PSG after brutal French media warning The Argentine World Cup winner dashed in to challenge the Portugal star, appearing to grab his shirt. Messi's arm took one low, harmless swing - then as Vitinha laid the ball back, the 38-year-old appeared to take a much wilder swing at head height. Luckily the flailing arm didn't appear to make contact with the ex-Porto ace, who turned round as if he hadn't realised what had happened. Swing when you're whinging seemed to be the verdict from many fans on Messi's antics. One wrote: "What the hell is Messi doing throwing a punch at Vitinha. This guy doesn't know how to lose, what a poor sportsman." 3 Messi had a frustrating time against the Champions League winners Credit: Getty BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Another posted: "Bro, what did Vitinha do to Messi, to get him so bothered?" Many posed more innocent questions like: "What was Messi trying to do?" Sean Dyche reveals what Pep Guardiola said to Steve Bruce about Lionel Messi that left him in tears And some fans suggested it all looked worse than it really was for the Barcelona legend. One wrote: "He commits this alleged assault and no one complains, not even Vitinha."A similar-minded observer added: "Aggression where Vitinha (supposedly attacked) doesn't even complain, oh but the Twitter referees say it's aggression hahaha." And lovers of the four-time Champions League winner rushed in to defend him. One claimed: "It's taken you 20 years to release a video of Messi doing something wrong. " But the icon also came under fire from the French media - as the debate over his troubled two years with PSG rumbles on. Sports outlet L'Equipe blasted his performance and made a cutting reference to his stint in paris. They wrote: "It wasn't the first time we saw Lionel Messi walking while PSG players were in motion."
