Wrexham lands Down Under for preseason tour and welcomed as a 'hot ticket' in world soccer
The Wrexham squad has landed in Melbourne for the first of three tour games to get ready for a first season in 43 years in English soccer's second tier, having just secured a third straight promotion .
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Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
We have more work to do: Matildas get wake-up call
Matildas coach Joe Montemurro is confident he will have his side fit and firing in time for the 2026 Asian Cup despite overseeing a series of unconvincing results in his first camp in charge. Australia were lucky to escape with an error-riddled 3-0 win over world No.38 Slovenia in Montemurro's first game at the helm, and it was followed up by a 1-1 draw against the same opponents. Alarm bells were ringing when the Matildas slumped to a shock 1-0 loss to world No.56 Panama last week, and Australia were 1-0 down in Tuesday night's re-match before a Michelle Heyman brace and Charli Grant's 91st-minute goal rescued a 3-2 win. Charli Grant strikes in stoppage time! ⏰@TheMatildas hit the front at the death - as Grant pokes it home at the back post to grab a 3-2 lead🇦🇺 #AUSvPAN 🇵🇦 is live now on Paramount+ 📺 — Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) July 8, 2025 In fairness, Montemurro was missing a huge chunk of the Matildas' best XI during the four-match stint in WA, with the likes of Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry, Cortnee Vine and Clare Wheeler among the absentees. Other key players such as goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, Ellie Carpenter, Alanna Kennedy and Kyra Cooney-Cross left after the Slovenia series. The Matildas have two more international windows before the Asian Cup kicks off in Perth on March 1. Montemurro's possession-based style comes with teething problems, but the former Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon coach is adamant his team will be ready for the Asian Cup. "I've had less time to prepare teams for big tournaments," Montemurro said. "The good thing about it, we're going to have a lot of players who are in season (for the next window), so they're going to be at least physically - and from a rhythm perspective - in tune. "That was the biggest thing over the last 20 days - you saw the players, the rhythms were up, down, everywhere. "All of them had to be managed physically. "We won't have that problem (next time). So at least we can go forward with players that are ready to go." Montemurro is keen to base the Matildas in Europe for the next international window (October 20-29) before having a home base for the final international window (November 24-December 2) ahead of the Asian Cup. The 55-year-old wants his players to continue to be brave with the possession-based game plan, but he felt the team fell into some bad habits against Panama on Tuesday night. An absolute gem from Arauz 💎Panama strike first in Perth as Ericka Arauz pounces on the turnover to lace one from deep outside the box and make it 1-0🇦🇺 #AUSvPAN 🇵🇦 is live now on Paramount+ 📺 — Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) July 8, 2025 "Today I was a little bit disappointed, because there were things I thought we got rid of over the last three games," Montemurro said. "Obviously we've got some more work to do. "We fell into the trap of wanting to rush the play when we needed to slow it down, and we fell into the trap of slowing it down when we needed to go quick. "That caused a lot of technical errors, because people weren't in position at the right time. "And every time we turned the ball over, Panama looked like they were going to hurt us."
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Italian soccer great Giorgio Chiellini joins LAFC ownership group
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Italian soccer great Giorgio Chiellini will be returning to Los Angeles FC as part of the club's ownership group, the team said Tuesday. The 40-year-old Chiellini, who spent nearly two decades playing for Italian club Juventus before joining LAFC in 2022, also spent time as a player development coach with the MLS team in 2024. 'Joining the LAFC ownership group is a great honor for me,' Chiellini said in a statement released by the team. 'When I arrived here three years ago as a player, I immediately felt that there was something special about this club. It is an ambitious organization, built by extraordinary people and supported by a community that truly makes you feel at home. That is why, last year, I expressed my desire to become an owner, and now I'm proud to continue this journey and give my support to a project I deeply believe in.' Chiellini, one of the best defenders in the world during his 23-year professional career, retired in 2023. He won nine consecutive Serie A championships with Juventus and the Euro 2020 title with the Italian national team. His final two seasons were spent with LAFC, where he appeared in 45 matches, including seven in the MLS Cup Playoffs and three in the 2023 Leagues Cup. During his many years with Juventus, Chiellini earned Serie A Defensive Player of the Year honors three times in addition to being named to the Italian league's Team of the Year five times. ___ AP soccer:
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Italian soccer great Giorgio Chiellini joins LAFC ownership group
LOS ANGELES — Italian soccer great Giorgio Chiellini will be returning to Los Angeles FC as part of the club's ownership group, the team said Tuesday. The 40-year-old Chiellini, who spent nearly two decades playing for Italian club Juventus before joining LAFC in 2022, also spent time as a player development coach with the MLS team in 2024.
