Teenager Mastantuono earns Argentina call-up for World Cup qualifiers
BUENOS AIRES, May 31 (Xinhua) -- River Plate teenager Franco Mastantuono has received his first Argentina call-up for World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia.
The 17 year-old was rewarded for a superb start to the Argentine domestic season, in which he has scored seven goals and provided four assists.
An attacking midfielder who can also play as a second striker or winger, Mastantuono has reportedly attracted the interest of Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United, among other European clubs.
Belgrano defender Mariano Troilo, Independiente center-back Kevin Lomonaco and Valencia midfielder Enzo Barrenechea were also called up to the Albiceleste senior squad for the first time.
As expected, the 28-man list is headed by Inter Miami star and captain Lionel Messi, who will lead an attack that also includes Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez and Giuliano Simeone.
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister was left out due to an unspecified muscle injury.
Reigning World Cup and Copa America champion Argentina will meet Chile in Santiago on June 5 and Colombia in Buenos Aires five days later.
The Albiceleste leads the 10-team South American World Cup qualifying group and has already secured a place at football's showpiece event in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.
Argentina squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Walter Benitez
Defenders: Nahuel Molina, Juan Foyth, Cristian Romero, Leonardo Balerdi, Nicolas Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Mariano Troilo, Kevin Lomonaco, Nicolas Tagliafico, Valentin Barco
Midfielders: Exequiel Palacios, Rodrigo De Paul, Thiago Almada, Giovani Lo Celso, Enzo Fernandez, Nico Paz, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Barrenechea
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, Franco Mastantuono, Nicolas Gonzalez, Angel Correa, Giuliano Simeone.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Canada coach Jesse Marsch adds experience to his 26-man CONCACAF Gold Cup roster
Published Jun 05, 2025 • 3 minute read Canada's Alistair Johnston, left, and Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister battle for the ball during a Copa America semifinal soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., Tuesday, July 9, 2024. Photo by Pamela Smith / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Veterans Alistair Johnston, Richie Laryea and Jonathan Osorio will rejoin Canada later this month for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account All three are included in Jesse Marsch's 26-man roster, which also adds goalkeeper Tom McGill and defender Kamal Miller to those held over from the 23-player Canadian Shield Tournament, which kicks off Saturday with No. 30 Canada hosting No. 25 Ukraine at Toronto's BMO Field. The Canadians face No. 41 Ivory Coast next Tuesday. Osorio (84 caps), Laryea (60), Johnston (53) and Millar (47) bring a combined 244 caps to the squad. Laryea, originally included in the Shield side but was replaced by Zorhan Bassong due to injury, also returns. The Toronto FC fullback/wingback returned to action May 31 for Toronto FC from a hamstring injury that had sidelined him since March 1. Osorio was allowed to skip the Shield tournament after suffering a shoulder injury with TFC on April 30. Celtic's Johnston had been dealing with a back issue. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Midfielder Stephen Eustaquio is included despite the fact that his club, Portugal's FC Porto, is involved in the FIFA Club World Cup, which runs at the same time in the U.S. The hope is he will be able to rejoin Canada at some point during the Gold Cup. McGill is added as the third goalkeeper on the roster, joining Maxime Crepeau and Dayne St. Clair. There are 12 MLS players, including two from Toronto (Laryea and Osorio), two from CF Montreal (Nathan Saliba and Joel Waterman) and three from Vancouver (Sam Adekugbe, Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson) The roster ranges in age from 19 for Fulham defender de Fougerolles to 32 for Osorio, the most experienced player in the group. Canada opens Gold Cup play June 17 against No. 75 Honduras in Vancouver before heading to Houston to complete Group B play against No. 90 Curacao on June 21 and No. 81 El Salvador on June 24. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 16-team Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, runs June 14 through July 6 in 13 cities (all but Vancouver in the U.S.). The field includes No. 58 Saudi Arabia as a guest team. The winner and runner-up from each of the four groups advance to the knockout stage. Canada won the Gold Cup in 2000 and was third in 2002. The Canadian men lost to the U.S. in a penalty shootout in the round of 16 last time out in 2023. Mexico has won the title seven times and finished runner-up twice. The U.S. has lifted the trophy seven times and finished second on five occasions. Canadian roster Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Tom McGill, Brighton & Hove Albion (England); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United (MLS). This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Defenders: Sam Adekugbe, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Derek Cornelius, Olympique de Marseille (France); Luc De Fougerolles, Fulham (England); Jamie Knight-Lebel, Bristol City (England); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS). Midfielders: Ali Ahmed, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Ismael Kone, Olympique de Marseille (France); Jayden Nelson, Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Nathan Saliba, CF Montreal (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS). Forwards: Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Promise David, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium); Daniel Jebbison, AFC Bournemouth (England), Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS). Columnists Columnists NHL Columnists Toronto & GTA
Toronto Star
3 hours ago
- Toronto Star
What the Trump travel ban means for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games
GENEVA (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump often says the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are among the events he is most excited about in his second term. Yet there is significant uncertainty regarding visa policies for foreign visitors planning trips to the U.S. for the two biggest events in sports. Trump's latest travel ban on citizens from 12 countries added new questions about the impact on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics, which depend on hosts opening their doors to the world. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Here's a look at the potential effects of the travel ban on those events. What is the travel ban policy? When Sunday ticks over to Monday, citizens of 12 countries should be banned from entering the U.S. They are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Tighter restrictions will apply to visitors from seven more: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Trump said some countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting processes or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. How does the new travel ban affect the World Cup and Olympics? Iran, a soccer power in Asia, is the only targeted country to qualify so far for the World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico in one year's time. Cuba, Haiti and Sudan are in contention. Sierra Leone might stay involved through multiple playoff games. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea and Libya have very outside shots. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW But all should be able to send teams to the World Cup if they qualify because the new policy makes exceptions for 'any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.' About 200 countries could send athletes to the Summer Games, including those targeted by the latest travel restrictions. The exceptions should apply to them as well if the ban is still in place in its current form. What about fans? The travel ban doesn't mention any exceptions for fans from the targeted countries wishing to travel to the U.S. for the World Cup or Olympics. Even before the travel ban, fans of the Iran soccer team living in that country already had issues about getting a visa for a World Cup visit. Still, national team supporters often profile differently to fans of club teams who go abroad for games in international competitions like the UEFA Champions League. For many countries, fans traveling to the World Cup — an expensive travel plan with hiked flight and hotel prices — are often from the diaspora, wealthier, and could have different passport options. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW A World Cup visitor is broadly higher-spending and lower-risk for host nation security planning. Visitors to an Olympics are often even higher-end clients, though tourism for a Summer Games is significantly less than at a World Cup, with fewer still from most of the 19 countries now targeted. How is the U.S. working with FIFA, Olympic officials? FIFA President Gianni Infantino has publicly built close ties since 2018 to Trump — too close according to some. He has cited the need to ensure FIFA's smooth operations at a tournament that will earn a big majority of the soccer body's expected $13 billion revenue from 2023-26. Infantino sat next to Trump at the White House task force meeting on May 6 which prominently included Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. FIFA's top delegate on the task force is Infantino ally Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs partner whose two-year run as U.S. Soccer Federation president ended in controversy in 2020. Any visa and security issues FIFA faces — including at the 32-team Club World Cup that kicks off next week in Miami — can help LA Olympics organizers finesse their plans. 'I don't anticipate any, any problems from any countries to come and participate,' LA Games chairman Casey Wasserman told International Olympic Committee officials in March. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW He revealed then, at an IOC meeting in Greece, two discreet meetings with Trump and noted the State Department has a 'fully staffed desk' to help prepare for short-notice visa processing in the summer of 2028 — albeit with a focus on teams rather than fans. 'Irrespective of politics today,' Wasserman said in March, 'America will be open and accepting to all 209 countries for the Olympics.' FIFA and the IOC didn't immediately respond to requests for comment about the new Trump travel ban. What have other host nations done? The 2018 World Cup host Russia let fans enter the country with a game ticket doubling as their visa. So did Qatar four years later. Both governments, however, also performed background checks on all visitors coming to the month-long soccer tournaments. Governments have refused entry to unwelcome visitors. For the 2012 London Olympics, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko — who is still its authoritarian leader today — was denied a visa despite also leading its national Olympic body. The IOC also suspended him from the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021. ___ AP soccer: and AP Olympics at
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
What the Trump travel ban means for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games
GENEVA (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump often says the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are among the events he is most excited about in his second term. Yet there is significant uncertainty regarding visa policies for foreign visitors planning trips to the U.S. for the two biggest events in sports. Trump's latest travel ban on citizens from 12 countries added new questions about the impact on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics, which depend on hosts opening their doors to the world. Here's a look at the potential effects of the travel ban on those events. What is the travel ban policy? When Sunday ticks over to Monday, citizens of 12 countries should be banned from entering the U.S. They are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Tighter restrictions will apply to visitors from seven more: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Trump said some countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting processes or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. How does it affect the World Cup and Olympics? Iran, a soccer power in Asia, is the only targeted country to qualify so far for the World Cup being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico in one year's time. Cuba, Haiti and Sudan are in contention. Sierra Leone might stay involved through multiple playoff games. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea and Libya have very outside shots. But all should be able to send teams to the World Cup if they qualify because the new policy makes exceptions for 'any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.' About 200 countries could send athletes to the Summer Games, including those targeted by the latest travel restrictions. The exceptions should apply to them as well if the ban is still in place in its current form. What about fans? The travel ban doesn't mention any exceptions for fans from the targeted countries wishing to travel to the U.S. for the World Cup or Olympics. Even before the travel ban, fans of the Iran soccer team living in that country already had issues about getting a visa for a World Cup visit. Still, national team supporters often profile differently to fans of club teams who go abroad for games in international competitions like the UEFA Champions League. For many countries, fans traveling to the World Cup — an expensive travel plan with hiked flight and hotel prices — are often from the diaspora, wealthier, and could have different passport options. A World Cup visitor is broadly higher-spending and lower-risk for host nation security planning. Visitors to an Olympics are often even higher-end clients, though tourism for a Summer Games is significantly less than at a World Cup, with fewer still from most of the 19 countries now targeted. How is the U.S. working with FIFA, Olympic officials? FIFA President Gianni Infantino has publicly built close ties since 2018 to Trump — too close according to some. He has cited the need to ensure FIFA's smooth operations at a tournament that will earn a big majority of the soccer body's expected $13 billion revenue from 2023-26. Infantino sat next to Trump at the White House task force meeting on May 6 which prominently included Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. FIFA's top delegate on the task force is Infantino ally Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs partner whose two-year run as U.S. Soccer Federation president ended in controversy in 2020. Any visa and security issues FIFA faces — including at the 32-team Club World Cup that kicks off next week in Miami — can help LA Olympics organizers finesse their plans. 'I don't anticipate any, any problems from any countries to come and participate,' LA Games chairman Casey Wasserman told International Olympic Committee officials in March. He revealed then, at an IOC meeting in Greece, two discreet meetings with Trump and noted the State Department has a 'fully staffed desk' to help prepare for short-notice visa processing in the summer of 2028 — albeit with a focus on teams rather than fans. 'Irrespective of politics today,' Wasserman said in March, 'America will be open and accepting to all 209 countries for the Olympics.' FIFA and the IOC didn't immediately respond to requests for comment about the new Trump travel ban. What have other host nations done? 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. The 2018 World Cup host Russia let fans enter the country with a game ticket doubling as their visa. So did Qatar four years later. Both governments, however, also performed background checks on all visitors coming to the month-long soccer tournaments. Governments have refused entry to unwelcome visitors. For the 2012 London Olympics, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko — who is still its authoritarian leader today — was denied a visa despite also leading its national Olympic body. The IOC also suspended him from the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021. ___ AP soccer: and AP Olympics at
