US coach Mauricio Pochettino makes light of unexpected drone: ‘It's not the NASA here'
The U.S. Soccer Federation had three drones above Tuesday's practice at the training facility next to Energizer Field and a fourth joined them during the start of the workout, which was open to media for the first 15 minutes.
'If someone want some clips we can send. It's not a problem,' Pochettino said. 'We are not going to hide nothing. It's not the NASA here. It is the national — men's national team. No problem.'
Pochettino said it was not clear whether midfielder Johnny Cardoso will be available for the match. Cardoso missed Sunday's quarterfinal win over Costa Rica.
'He was today training a little bit, but he's feeling … a problem again in his ankle,' Pochettino said. 'It's not a big issue, but it's an uncomfortable situation.'
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
34 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Coco Gauff is disappointed by her Wimbledon loss but doesn't want to dwell on it
LONDON (AP) — Before Wimbledon began, Coco Gauff reflected on the significance of her breakthrough performance at the place six years ago — a run to the fourth round at age 15 — and what aspirations she harbored as she prepared to return. 'Even when I see videos of me during that time, it just doesn't feel like it's me. It felt like a dream. I'll always have special memories from that run and, I guess, it definitely fueled the belief that I can be on tour and live out my dream,' she told The Associated Press. 'It's something that always holds a special place in my heart. Obviously, I would love to win this tournament just for it to be like a full-circle moment,' she continued. 'I feel like it would be like the start of the dream, and — I don't want to say 'the finish,' because I obviously have a lot of career left, but — a full-circle type of situation.' A week after that conversation, the No. 2-ranked Gauff was out of the bracket at the All England Club in the first round with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 loss to unseeded Dayana Yastremska at No. 1 Court on Tuesday night. Gauff was undone by serving troubles, including nine double-faults, and more than two dozen unforced errors in all, not to mention Yastremska's hard, flat groundstrokes. It was an abrupt, and mistake-filled, exit for Gauff, who so recently earned her second Grand Slam title — at the French Open via a three-set victory over No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. After Tuesday's defeat, Gauff said, 'I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don't like losing. The main thing I'm sure my team and everyone is going to tell me (is): 'You did well at Roland-Garros. Don't be so upset.' Things like that.' But as much as she'll want to move on and focus on what's to come, the 21-year-old American acknowledged as she dabbed away the tears welling in her eyes during her news conference that she felt 'a little bit disappointed in how I showed up today.' It's instructive to remember — setting aside that captivating 2019 debut, which featured a victory over Venus Williams — that Wimbledon's grass courts actually have produced Gauff's least successful Grand Slam results. Yastremska's take? She said she considers Gauff 'much better on clay court and hard court than on grass.' This was the second time in the past three years that she was sent home in the opening round. She's never been past the fourth round at the All England Club, whereas at every other major tournament, including the hard-court Australian Open, she's at least reached the semifinals. Her first Slam trophy arrived on the hard courts of the U.S. Open in 2023 when she was 19. She already was the 2022 runner-up on the red clay at the French Open before going one step better this time. Sabalenka's self-described 'unprofessional' comments after last month's title match in Paris became a real topic of conversation and, perhaps, a distraction. Gauff and Sabalenka sought to put it behind them — and tell fans they should, too — by filming TikTok videos together once they got to Wimbledon. 'I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards,' Gauff said, 'so I didn't feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. It's not easy to manage the tricky transition from the Roland-Garros clay to the Wimbledon grass. There's a reason it's been a decade since a woman won both in the same season — and a reason that woman was Serena Williams. By the end of the night, Gauff was eager to look ahead to the upcoming North American hard-court circuit, culminating with a trip to New York in late August. 'I mean, obviously I'm not going to dwell on this too long, because I want to do well at the U.S. Open. Maybe losing here (in the) first round isn't the worst thing in the world,' she said, 'because I have time to reset.' ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis:
Winnipeg Free Press
36 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Leverkusen signs England Under-21 defender Jarell Quansah from Liverpool
LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen has replaced former captain Jonathan Tah with Jarell Quansah from Liverpool in a club-record signing for a defender. The 22-year-old Quansah signed a contract through June 2030 and will wear Tah's former No. 4 shirt, the Bundesliga club said Wednesday. The reported fee of more than 30 million euros ($35.3 million) rising to 40 million ($47 million) with bonuses corresponds roughly with what Liverpool agreed to pay Leverkusen for Netherlands right back Jeremie Frimpong in May. Liverpool reportedly secured a buy-back option for Quansah for more than 60 million euros ($70.6 million) after he has spent two seasons at Leverkusen. Leverkusen also sold star player Florian Wirtz to Liverpool last month for a Bundesliga-record fee. Tah switched to league rival Bayern Munich once the season concluded after declining to extend his contract. He had spent a decade at Leverkusen and was a key part of the team which won the Bundesliga and German Cup unbeaten in 2023-24. Quansah won the Under-21 European Championship with England last week. But he was unable to establish himself as a regular starter at Liverpool ahead of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'One of the most promising English central defenders. He's fast, agile, a good footballer,' Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said of Quansah. 'He has already made an impressive impact in a Liverpool defense dominated by world-class players. With Jarell, our defense gains significant dynamism, pace and toughness in tackling, and he's another very important building block.' Leverkusen last week also signed Abdoulaye Faye for a reported fee of 3 million euros ($3.5 million) from Swedish team BK Häcken, with the 20-year-old Senegalese defender expected to go on loan for the upcoming season. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Stadium where Babe Ruth played in Tokyo is at the center of a disputed park redevelopment plan
TOKYO (AP) — Plans to demolish a historic baseball stadium where Babe Ruth played and an adjacent rugby venue are at the heart of a disputed park redevelopment in Tokyo that critics say trades history and greenery for commercial space. The plan to remake the Jingu Gaien park area was approved 2 1/2 years ago by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Work clearing land has begun but opponents are still trying to stop the project, which could take a decade to complete. A coalition on Wednesday presented an open letter to Toshiko Abe, the minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology, asking the project be reassessed. It's signed by 368 experts — urban planners, architects and environmental scientists — and 1,167 others. Ode to an emperor The park area was established a century ago through public donations to honor the Meiji Emperor. At the heart of the issue is citizens' control of public space, and a potential conflict of interest with private developers and politicians deciding how valuable parcels are used. The stadium oozes history and critics say building skyscrapers in the park space would never be allowed in Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London. Ruth and Lou Gehrig played at the stadium on a 1934 barnstorming tour. Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami was inspired to write his first novel while drinking beer and watching a game there in 1978. The stadium is still home to the Yakult Swallows baseball team and hosted a concert this week. Lofty plans in place Plans call for developers to build a pair of 200-meter (650-feet) towers and a smaller tower. The stadiums are to be rebuilt in the reconfigured space with the baseball stadium going where the rugby stadium now stands. The open letter is critical of so-called private finance schemes that give private developers access to park space. Hibiya Park is Tokyo's oldest public park, another example of this approach. Opposition to the Jingu redevelopment has included novelist Murakami, a conservancy group, and botanists and environmentalists who argue the sprawling project threatens 100-year-old gingko trees that grace the area's main avenue. A global conservancy body ICOMOS, which works with the United Nations body UNESCO, has said the development will lead to 'irreversible destruction of cultural heritage' with trees and green space being lost. Strong lobby for the development Opposition groups are pitted against powerful real-estate developer Mitsui Fudosan, the Shinto religious body, and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike. 'The problem is that many Japanese citizens are not so much interested in democratically regulating their own city and are used to demolishing buildings,' Kohei Saito, a Japanese political economist at Tokyo University, wrote to The Associated Press. He said 'companies with political power try to maximize their short-term profits without consideration of Tokyo's attractiveness (history, culture), inhabitants' well-being and future generations.' Zoning changes to allow high-rise buildings in the area were made around 2013 by the Tokyo government when the city won the bid for the 2020 Olympics. Many of those changes permitted building the neighboring National Stadium but also applied to the park area. 'The process of rezoning the area lacked transparency and democratic procedure and constitutes an illegal abuse of the governor's discretion in urban planning decisions,' the open letter said. The Jingu district was considered 'common property' until after World War II when the government sold it to Shinto under a promise it would remain a common space. The national government comes into play because the rugby venue is the property of the Japan Sport Council, a national government affiliated body. The rugby venue represents about 30% of the Jingu Gaien area. Forthcoming election might help Opponents hope the timing later this month of a national election might aid their cause with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba heading a minority government. Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has ties to the rugby venue. In addition to serving two decades ago as prime minister, he is the former president of the Japan Rugby Football Union and also served as the president of the 2020 Olympic organizing committee until he was forced to resign after making sexist comments about women. Opened in 1926, developers argue the baseball stadium is too old to save. However, Fenway Park in Boston dates from 1912 and Wrigley Field in Chicago from 1914. Both have been refurbished and are among the most venerated in the United States. Meiji Kinenkan, a historic reception hall in Jingu Gaien, dates from 1881 and is still widely used with no calls for its demolition. Mitsui Fudosan's headquarters building in Tokyo dates from 1929. Koshien Stadium, located near Osaka, was built in 1924 and has been in use since a refurbishment. The new rugby stadium would be an indoor venue with plastic grass, which players view as the least desirable surface for the sport. ___ AP sports:
