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Ticket to Tokyo at Stake for U-23 USMNT Vs. Honduras

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OLYMPIC BERTH AT STAKE: The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team will play for a spot at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Sunday night vs. Honduras (6 p.m. ET; FS1, TUDN). A victory will punch the USA’s ticket to Tokyo and its first Men’s Olympic Football Tournament appearance since 2008, as well as a place in the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship Final.

The U.S. won its first two matches of Olympic qualifying to clinch a berth in the semifinals and dropped a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Mexico in its last match. Honduras topped an under-manned Haiti squad in its first match before tying El Salvador and Canada to finish first in Group B.

Fans can follow the U.S. throughout the tournament on ussoccer.com.

USA RESULTS – CONCACAF MEN’S OLYMPIC QUALIFYING CHAMPIONSHIP

Date Opponent Venue Result
Thursday, March 18 Costa Rica W 1-0 Estadio Jalisco; Guadalajara, Mexico
Sunday, March 21 Dominican Republic W 4-0 Estadio Akron; Zapopan, Mexico
Wednesday, March 24 Mexico L 0-1 Estadio Jalisco; Guadalajara, Mexico


USA VS. HONDURAS:

  • The USA is 5-3-1 all-time vs. Honduras at Olympic qualifying, with all match-ups coming since the tournament became an Under-23 competition in 1992.
  • Honduras has qualified for the last three Olympic Games. Los Catrachos finished fourth at Rio 2016, falling to host Brazil in the semifinals.
  • Honduras qualified for the Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship as one of three teams to emerge from the six-team Central American pre-qualifying. The six teams were placed into three two-legged series with the winners advancing to the tournament proper.
  • Drawn against Nicaragua, Honduras took down La Selecta on the road 2-0 and then won 3-0 at home to clinch its spot in Guadalajara.
  • Honduras named seven players to its roster who were born in 1997, seven born in 1998, three born in 1999, two born in 2000 and one born in 2001.
  • Fourteen of the 20-player Honduras roster compete domestically, with the most, four, coming from CD Olimpia, one of the country’s most successful clubs. Three play in the USA, while Honduras also has one player each in Chile, Italy and Panama.
  • Forward Douglas Martinez is a teammate of U-23 USMNT goalkeeper David Ochoa and defenders Justen Glad and Aaron Herrera at Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.
  • It’s head coach Miguel Falero’s second stint leading the Honduras U-23 squad. The Uruguayan enjoyed a long playing career in South America and Greece before a lengthy coaching career in Uruguay, Ecuador and Honduras.


FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP A

Team W L D GD Pts.
Mexico 3 0 0 7 9
USA 2 1 0 4 6
Costa Rica 1 2 0 1 3
Dominican Republic 0 3 0 -12 0

GROUP B

Team W L D GD Pts.
Honduras 1 0 2 3 5
Canada 1 0 2 2 5
El Salvador 1 1 1 -1 4
Haiti 0 2 1 -4 1


NARROW LOSS TO MEXICO: 
After opening Olympic qualifying with two important victories to secure its place in the semifinals, the USA dropped a tight game to Mexico 1-0 in its final group stage match. With both teams already qualified to the knockout round, the U.S. defense held strong for the most part against an aggressive Mexico attack but gave up a goal just before the half. The U-23 USMNT wasn’t able to find an equalizer after the break in a physical match that saw both teams combine for 40 fouls.

LOS CATRACHOS TOP GROUP B: Honduras advanced to the tournament semifinals as the top team in Group B. Los Catrachos opened against Haiti, who was only able to field 10 players at the start of the match due to COVID-19 protocols. Haiti started the match with a field player stepping in at goalkeeper, but had additional players cleared for action later in the match and were able to field a full XI. Honduras came out on top 3-0 with two goals from Darixon Vuelto and another from Edwin Rodriguez.

In its second match, Honduras drew El Salvador 1-1. After Los Catrachos took a lead just after the half on a goal from Douglas Martinez, El Salvador rallied for an equalizer to salvage a point. The one point was enough to clinch a spot for Honduras in the Olympic qualifying semifinals for the sixth straight competition.

In its Group B finale, Canada struck first, but Honduras responded quickly with a goal from Denil Maldonado just two minutes later. The affair finished 1-1, sending both sides to the semis.


CONCACAF MEN’S OLYMPIC QUALIFYING CHAMPIONSHIP ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN):

GOALKEEPERS (3): 12-Matt Freese (Philadelphia Union; Wayne, Pa.), 1-JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes, Alamo, Calif.), 20-David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake; Oxnard, Calif.)

DEFENDERS (6): 2-Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy; Lompoc, Calif.), 4-Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, Ariz.), 17-Aaron Herrera (Real Salt Lake; Las Cruces, N.M.), 3-Henry Kessler (New England Revolution; New York, N.Y.), 5-Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire FC; Bolingbrook, Ill.), 13-Sam Vines (Colorado Rapids; Colorado Springs, Colo.)

MIDFIELDERS (7): 16-Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; Denville, N.J.), 18-Hassani Dotson (Minnesota United FC; Federal Way, Wash.), 8-Djordje Mihailovic (CF Montreal/CAN; Lemont, Ill.), 15-Andrés Perea (Orlando City SC; Medellin, Colombia), 10-Sebastian Saucedo (UNAM Pumas/MEX; Park City, Utah), 11-Tanner Tessmann (FC Dallas; Hoover, Ala.), 6-Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes; Bloomington, Minn.)

FORWARDS (4): 9-Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; McKinney, Texas), 7-Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids; Plantation, Fla.), 14-Benji Michel (Orlando City SC; Orlando, Fla.), 19-Sebastian Soto (Norwich City/ENG; San Diego, Calif.)

 


HONDURAS ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB):

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Alex Barrios (CD Olimpia), 18-Enrique Facusse (RGV Toros FC/USA), 12-Michael Perello (Real España)

DEFENDERS (6): 3-Wesley Decas (FC Motagua), 16-Jose Garcia (CD Real de Minas), 2-Denil Maldonado (Everton/CHI), 4-Carlos Melendez (CDS Vida), 5-Christopher Melendez (FC Motagua), 6-Jonathan Nuñez (FC Motagua)

MIDFIELDERS (7): 20-Carlos Argueta (CDS Vida), 15-Kervin Arriaga (CD Marathon), 17-Jose Pinto (CD Olimpia), 7-Jose Reyes (CD Olimpia), 10-Rigoberto Rivas (Reggina Calcio/ITA), 14-Joseph Rosales (CA Independiente/PAN), 8-Edwin Rodriguez (CD Olimpia)

FORWARDS (4): 9-Juan Carlos Obregon (RGV Toros FC/USA), 19-Douglas Martinez (Real Salt Lake/USA), 13-Luis Palma (CDS Vida), 11-Darixon Vuelto (Real España)

TOURNAMENT FORMAT: Held quadrennially, the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship serves as the region’s qualification for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament and as a regional championship for Under-23 players. Since 1992, the Olympics have been contested as an Under-23 competition to differentiate the tournament from the FIFA World Cup.

The current format for the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship – eight nations divided into two groups of four teams – was adopted in 2004. The top two teams in each group advance to the pivotal semifinals, whose winners advance to the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament as well as the qualifying competition’s championship match.

Originally slated for March 2020, the Concacaf qualifying tournament is open to all players born January 1, 1997 or after. The age-eligibility rules have carried over from the postponement, so some players on the U-23 USMNT are actually 24 years old.

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Africa

NBA pick Khaman Maluach Hoping to ‘Change the Narrative’ About Africa

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Immediately after getting drafted, Maluach was asked: “So many people, when they think about Africa, think about strife, think about war, think about not so great things about the continent, let alone South Sudan. How much of a responsibility do you think you have in changing perceptions of what people think Africa is in terms of thinking more about the resources, thinking about the people of Africa and South Sudan, specifically?”

Maluach’s native country, South Sudan, is undergoing a humanitarian crisis. His family fled the country to a suburb of Kampala, Uganda, in search of safety and opportunity during the South Sudan crisis. He now hopes to change the narrative about the region by highlighting its good parts on the world stage.

“I think about showing them the good parts of Africa,” Maluach said at the press conference after he was drafted. “I’m thinking about showing them the great places in Africa, like Kigali, whether it’s Senegal, whether it’s the safaris in Africa, and showing them the cultures we have and the people we have, which is different from the stuff they see on TV. I just want to change the narrative, the narrative of our people and how they see my continent.”

Maluach was born in Rumbek, once an important city in South Sudan that was ravaged by the country’s civil war. The 7’2″ center’s road to success was far from easy. The nearest basketball court to his house was nearly an hour’s walk away and usually packed. Moreover, he played his first game in Crocs, not basketball shoes. But his dedication was enough to catch the eye of local coaches Wal Deng and Aketch Garang.

Through the effort that he put in, Maluach made it to the NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, then to the Duke Blue Devils, and now the Suns. He hopes the moment inspires kids on the continent.

“Living in Africa, I had the whole continent on my back. Giving hope to young kids,” he said after the Suns selected him No. 10 overall.

Maluach considers basketball a gift God gave him, and hopes to finish off his NBA career as a Hall of Famer.

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Africa

Nigeria’s female cricket team is from West Africa to qualify for a World Cup

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Nigeria’s women’s under-19 cricket team, the Junior Yellow Greens , made history by qualifying for the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which is being held in Malaysia . The Junior Yellow Greens’ qualification made it the first female cricket team from Nigeria and West Africa as a whole to qualify for a World Cup.

The team’s outstanding performance in the regional qualifiers won them a spot. Despite a rain-soaked final match, they beat Zimbabwe on points earned during the group stages.

With this victory, Nigeria secured their place in Malaysia and made their second-ever appearance in a cricket World Cup. The male U-19 team competed in the 2020 edition in South Africa.

Victory Igbinedion, Naomi Memeh, Anointed Akhigbe, Amusa Kehinde, Omosigho Eguakun, Umoh Inyene, Beauty Oguai, Jessica Bieni, Usen Peace, Adeshola Adekunle, Deborah Bassey, Christabel Chukwuonye, Peculiar Agboya, Lilian Ude, and Lucky Piety are among the 15 players on the female team.

They now hope to make it to the semi-finals.

Brila reports that despite Nigeria’s 41-run (DLS method) loss to South Africa on Wednesday, their thrilling two-run victory over New Zealand earlier in the tournament and a shared point with Samoa guaranteed them a place as the second-best team in Group C.

The team will now face England on January 25 and Ireland on January 29, as they continue their quest for a historic semi-final appearance.

The 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which runs from January 18 to February 2, started with 16 teams exhibiting some of the best young talents in women’s cricket .

This year’s tournament, the second edition of this worldwide event, features the top four teams from 2023—India, England, Australia, and New Zealand—along with four debutants: hosts Malaysia, Nepal, Samoa, and Nigeria.

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Africa

Nigeria tears down Benin 3 – 0 in Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers – Highlights

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In a bittersweet first half, Nigeria took the lead in stoppage time through Ademola Lookman and went into the break on top. Benítez’s side improved in the second half, but it was not enough. Nigeria stepped on the gas in the final half and Victor Osimhen made it 2-0 in the 78th minute before Ademola Lookman doubled the advantage in the 83rd minute. Nothing else happened in the match and Nigeria ran out 3-0 winners in the first match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

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