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The Independent
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Jeremy Doku confident Manchester City are seeing a ‘better version' of himself
Jeremy Doku believes he is starting to show glimpses of his best after being trusted by Pep Guardiola to express himself. The Belgium winger produced an electric display, which included scoring the opening goal, as Manchester City thrashed Italian giants Juventus 5-2 in the Club World Cup on Thursday. The 23-year-old looked sharp and exciting in a team which appears to have been rejuvenated by the arrivals of new faces. Nobody at City is getting carried away by one performance, but the side did look more like Guardiola's all-conquering outfit of recent years than the one that laboured through most of the 2024-25 campaign. Doku said: 'Obviously it was a good game, we won and we were together from the start to the end and we scored some nice goals. We finished top of the group and we are happy. 'I don't know (if we are back to our best). We just look game by game and this was a good game and we looked a bit more like how we were before, and we will try to produce in every game like this and in every performance. 'I feel free and enjoying my football, of course. I can still improve on certain aspects but when I play free and with the right mind, with the trust of the coach obviously, then you see a better version of me and now you are seeing a glimpse of it.' Asked further why he feels so free on the pitch, Doku said: 'I think it's more to do with my faith, I'm more occupied with my faith and I just give all the glory to my Lord and our saviour Jesus Christ.' City's victory over Juve at Orlando's Camping World Stadium ensured they avoided Real Madrid in the last 16 and they will now return to the same venue to face Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia on Monday (2am Tuesday BST). Manager Guardiola is treating the tournament as the start of the 2025-26 season in order to make a clean break from the disappointments of last term. The approach so far seems to have been vindicated with new signings Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders making positive first impressions. 'Obviously there are a lot of games but we are here now, it's a nice tournament and we are just trying to win,' said Doku. Another positive has been the return of key midfielder Rodri, who made his first start since September against Juve. Doku said: 'Having him back in the team, you can see the difference and see how important he is. 'After such a long period of injury, in the first game back starting against a big club, he showed his qualities and he had a lot of impact.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Christian Pulisic Breaks Silence After USMNT Decision
Christian Pulisic Breaks Silence After USMNT Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Wednesday marked exactly one year until the kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Advertisement On Tuesday night, the United States Men's National Team suffered an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Switzerland in the send-off match before the start of the CONCACAF Gold Cup — the final major tournament before the World Cup begins. USMNT captain Christian Pulisic watched the four-goal defeat from home. He opted to sit out the Gold Cup this summer so he could get extra rest after a long season for AC Milan, a decision that brought plenty of criticism his way. In his first public interview about his summer plans, Pulisic revealed that if he had his way, he would have been playing against Switzerland on Tuesday. United States Men's National Team forward Christian Pulisic (left) and USMNT head coach Mauricio Kamin-Oncea, Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images "I did want to be a part of at least the two friendlies," Pulisic said in an interview with former USMNT players Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola on Thursday. "I did speak with the coaches and I asked. I wanted to be part of the team in whatever capacity I could. Advertisement "They said no," Pulisic revealed of head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his national team staff. "They said they only wanted one roster and that's coach's decision. I fully respect that. I didn't understand it, but it is what it is.' Pulisic, who has 32 goals and 18 assists in 76 appearances for the national team, emphasized that resting this summer was the best decision for him and the team in the long term, with an eye toward the 2026 World Cup on home soil. The 26-year-old spoke about several topics during the lengthy interview, including his response to the criticism about commitment from USMNT legend Landon Donovan, which Pulisic's dad called out on social media. "Some of these guys were my idols; I respect them so much as players," Pulisic admitted. "It's tough especially when privately the way they talk to me and want to show support and be your friend and everything, and then it goes and they say something slightly different publicly." Advertisement USMNT's first game of the Gold Cup is on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET against Trinidad and Tobago on Fox. The World Cup kicks off in 364 days. Related: Christian Pulisic's Girlfriend Sends Clear Message Amid USMNT Absence Related: Christian Pulisic Turns Heads with Reaction to Criticism Amid USMNT Absence This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Associated Press
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Los Angeles FC takes home winning streak into matchup with the Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps FC (10-3-5, second in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles FC (7-4-5, sixth in the Western Conference) Los Angeles; Sunday, 9:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: LAFC -130, Vancouver +342, Draw +264; over/under is 2.5 goals BOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles FC hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps looking to prolong a three-game home winning streak. LAFC is 6-4-4 against Western Conference opponents. LAFC ranks fourth in the Western Conference giving up 23 goals. The Whitecaps are 9-1-4 against Western Conference teams. The Whitecaps have a 1-2-0 record in games they score just one goal. Sunday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The last meeting ended tied 2-2. TOP PERFORMERS: Denis Bouanga has scored eight goals and added five assists for LAFC. Cengiz Under has one goal and two assists over the last 10 games. Brian White has 10 goals for the Whitecaps. Pedro Vite has scored three goals over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: LAFC: 4-1-5, averaging 2.2 goals, 6.4 shots on goal and 5.0 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.4 goals per game. Whitecaps: 4-2-4, averaging 1.7 goals, 4.1 shots on goal and 5.3 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.3 goals per game. NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: LAFC: Jude Terry (injured), David Emmanuel Martinez Morales (injured), Nathan Ordaz (injured). Whitecaps: Giuseppe Bovalina (injured), Ali Ahmed (injured), Sebastian Berhalter (injured), Jayden Nelson (injured), Brian White (injured), Sam Adekugbe (injured), Ryan Gauld (injured). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
🎥 Head to head: Palmeiras v Botafogo before another big clash
🎥 Head to head: Palmeiras v Botafogo before another big clash Palmeiras and Botafogo will have another decisive duel this Saturday (28) in the recent history of both teams. This time, the victory is worth a spot in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup. The OneFootball compared the two probable starting teams for the game and you can see the result below: This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
Wall Street Journal
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Wall Street Journal
The World's Biggest Sports Event Is a Year Away. The U.S. Might Be A Terrible Host.
When Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain wrapped up their Club World Cup match at the Rose Bowl earlier this month, players greeted the final whistle with a huge sigh of relief. They had just spent more than 90 minutes baking in temperatures that climbed to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. 'I'm all red,' PSG midfielder Vitinha said.
