York United defeats Quebec semi-pro side FC Laval 5-0 in Canadian Championship play
TORONTO — Quebec semi-pro side FC Laval learned a painful lesson Tuesday in its second-ever trip to the Telus Canadian Championship.
'The learnings are simple,' said Laval coach Amro Radwan. 'At the top level, you can't take a break for half a second, even if you think the ball is far away from you and it's not dangerous. That's the difference between being a pro and an amateur player.
'We have to learn from this that, no matter what, we have to be disciplined for 90 minutes in everything that we do. If not we get punished.'
York United FC administered the punishment, cruising to a 5-0 win in preliminary-round play.
Julian Altobelli, Max Ferrari, Adonijah Reid, Bryan Rosa and Massimo Ferrin scored for the Canadian Premier League team at York Lions Stadium.
The well-drilled Quebec Ligue1 champions defended well until York struck twice on the eve of halftime. Things went downhill from there.
'When you (give up) two goals so late (in the half), it changes everything,' Radwan lamented. 'And then you have to open up. And when you open up against opposition like this, they don't need big chances to score. It's heartbreaking. It's tough. I don't think the boys deserved that score line.'
Altobelli opened the scoring in the 45th minute after captain Oswaldo Leon found him in the penalty box with a gorgeous left-footed feed from distance. The ball floated over the head of a defender to Altobelli, who pivoted and knocked the ball home.
Altobelli, a former Toronto FC 2 player, has had a dream start to life in the CPL with five goals in five games before Tuesday.
Three minutes later, Ferrari headed home Orlando Botello's cross to make it 2-0. Laval's French-born goalkeeper Martin Cantona, the nephew of former Manchester United star Eric Cantona, got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out.
York outshot Laval 11-3 (6-1 in shots on target) and had 59 per cent possession in the first half.
Reid upped the lead to 3-0 in the 52nd minute on a pretty goal. Ferrari started it on the right flank, beating a defender before sending in an accurate cross to the far post that Ferrin chested down for an unmarked Reid to poke home.
Rosa, bursting past two Laval defenders, beat Cantona with a low shot for a 4-0 lead in the 64th minute. Ferrin then scored from the penalty spot in the 79th minute.
York will face CPL-leading Atletico Ottawa in the quarterfinals.
The win was welcome to York coach Mauro Eustaquio, whose 1-3-1 team currently stands sixth in the eight-team CPL and is winless in four league outings (0-3-1) since a season-opening 2-0 victory at Vancouver FC on April 6.
'We knew that the goals were coming,' said Eustaquio. 'I think the players needed this win. The club needed this win. And I'm happy to be part of it.'
In the late cup game Tuesday, visiting Vancouver FC defeated Pacific FC in a penalty shootout (4-2) after the game finished tied at 1-1 in regulation time.
On Wednesday, it's Halifax Wanderers at Forge in another CPL showdown in Hamilton, and League1 B.C.'s TSS Rovers visit Winnipeg's Valour FC.
Four teams had already made it to the two-legged quarterfinals, including the MLS-leading Vancouver Whitecaps who received a bye into the final eight as defending champion.
CF Montreal dispatched Toronto FC in a penalty shootout, CPL champion Cavalry FC blanked League1 Alberta's Edmonton Scottish 6-0, and CPL-leading Atletico Ottawa downed League1 Ontario's Scrosoppi FC 2-0.
Laval lost 3-0 at Forge FC in preliminary-round play in 2023 in its only other trip to the cup competition.
Laval, which topped Ligue1 Quebec last year with a 12-5-3 record, has had just one league outing to date this season — a 3-1 win at CS St-Hubert on April 25. But Radwan says the team has been training since January.
Laval, which only has a couple of holdovers from the 2023 squad that played in the cup competition, gets together three or four times a week in advance of matches.
The young talent on the Laval squad includes forward Ibrahim Conde, the lone Canadian invited to the MLS College Showcase in San Diego in December. Conde is a good friend and former college teammate of Canadian international defender Moise Bombito at Iowa Western Community College and the University of New Hampshire.
Laval was captained by midfielder Quentin Paumier, who won the U Sports men's soccer championship with the Montreal Carabins in 2021 and was runner-up to UBC last November.
Eustaquio made four changes to the starting 11 that lost 2-1 to visiting Cavalry on Friday with Botello, Ferrin, Rosa and Frank Sturing slotting in.
York exited in the preliminary round of the cup last year, beaten 3-1 at Forge. York made the semifinals in 2022, winning penalty shootouts at Atletico Ottawa and Pacific FC before losing 2-1 at the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Canadian Championship winner hoists the Voyageurs Cup and wins $50,000 and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the elite club competition in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Narváez's three-run homer leads Red Sox past Yankees 11-7
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Boston rookie Kristian Campbell hit a two-run homer to the short porch in right field off Rodón in the fifth. Abraham Toro and Trevor Story hit back-to-back solo shots in the eighth off Jonathan Loaisiga. RAYS 3, MARLINS 2 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yandy Díaz hit a tying two-run homer in the fifth inning and his double in the eighth led to the eventual winning run as Tampa Bay beat Miami. Díaz homered off Miami reliever Valente Bellozo in the fifth, tying the game at 2. He doubled off Bellozo (1-3) with one out in the eighth and was replaced by pinch runner José Caballero, who stole third and scored on a Brandon Lowe's sacrifice fly off Calvin Faucher to make it 3-2. Tampa Bay's Drew Rasmussen had his MLB-leading streak of 23 scoreless innings halted in the first. Xavier Edwards had a leadoff single and advanced two bases on a groundout by Jesús Sánchez when the Rays failed to cover third base. Otto Lopez had a streak-ending RBI single for a 1-0 lead. Ronny Henriquez and Cade Gibson pitched a scoreless inningss following two shutout innings by Miami opener Anthony Veneziano. Bellozo walked Taylor Walls in the fifth before giving up Díaz's ninth home run that tied it at 2. Marlins rookie Heriberto Hernandez got the start at DH a day after he drove in the winning run with a pinch hit in the 10th inning of Miami's 11-10 victory. He singled the first three times up. He led off the fifth with a hit off Rasmussen, took second on a two-out wild pitch and scored on a base hit by Sánchez for a 2-0 lead. Rasmussen allowed two runs on six hits in six innings. He had won four straight starts and hadn't surrendered a run since losing to the Brewers on May 11. Edwin Uceta (5-1) struck out three in two perfect innings for the win. The Rays and the Marlins (24-39) split six games this season after Tampa Bay (35-30) had won the season series six straight years. 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Bibee, who carried a two-hit shutout into the seventh, struck out six without a walk over 6 1/3 innings. TIGERS 4, CUBS 0 DETROIT (AP) — Jack Flaherty struck out nine over six scoreless innings as Detroit defeated Chicago and took two of three games in a matchup of two of the MLB's top teams. The AL Central-leading Tigers improved to 43-24, while the NL Central-best Cubs fell to 40-25 in the first matchup this season of 40-win teams. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, June 8 matched the earliest such matchup since 2004. The Yankees and Dodgers played the first such game of last season, also on June 8. Flaherty (5-6) allowed two hits and three walks. After a rough start, the 29-year-old right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.46 ERA and 29 strikeouts in his last four starts. Cubs rookie starter Cade Horton (3-1) took his first career loss, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings. Detroit took a 2-0 lead on Spencer Torkelson's two-run double in the first and Flaherty retired the first nine batters he faced. Chicago rallied in the fourth, getting four baserunners but failing to score. Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker led off with walks, and Pete Crow-Armstrong lined a one-out single to right. Right fielder Kerry Carpenter threw Happ out at the plate. Carson Kelly walked to load the bases before Parker Meadows made a jumping catch of Michael Busch's 107-mph liner to center. The Tigers doubled the lead in the fifth on a two-run double by Riley Greene. PIRATES 2, PHILLIES 1 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes again pitched into the eighth for Pittsburgh before Andrew McCutchen came through with a go-ahead single that inning, helping the Pirates complete a three-game sweep of Philadelphia. Skenes lowered his ERA to 1.88 while his record remained at 4-6. The 23-year-old ace gave up one unearned run on two hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in 7 2/3 innings before getting pulled for Braxton Ashcraft (1-0), who got the final four outs for his first win in the majors. Cristopher Sánchez (5-2) walked Oneil Cruz to start the Pirates' half of the eighth. McCutchen then hit a broken-bat single to right off Owen Kerkering and Cruz beat Nick Castellanos' throw home after stumbling around third. The Phillies have lost five straight and nine of 10. Skenes is 1-4 in his past eight starts, even with allowing five runs in 42 1/3 innings over his last six. He gave up one run in eight innings against Houston in his previous outing. Sánchez surrendered two runs — the first on an RBI double from Jared Triolo in the second — and five hits with nine strikeouts in seven innings. PADRES 1, BREWERS 0 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Manny Machado homered and Ryan Bergert combined with five relievers on a four-hitter as San Diego edged Milwaukee. The victory enabled the Padres to win the series in Milwaukee before they return home to face the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time this season. Machado greeted Rob Zastryzny (1-1) by connecting on a 3-2 pitch and delivering a 425-foot drive over the wall in left-center field for his third homer in his last four games. It was the first run Zastryzny has allowed in 10 appearances this year. Yuki Matsui (1-1) earned the win after pitching two-thirds of an inning in relief of Ryan Bergert, who worked 5 1/3 innings in his second career start. Robert Suarez allowed a two-out single to Joey Ortiz before retiring Brice Turang on a pop to short to earn his MLB-leading 21st save in 23 opportunities. Milwaukee left 10 men on base over the last five innings. Neither team got a hit through the first 4 1/2 innings as Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta and Bergert were both outstanding. Milwaukee's first hit was a one-out single by Rhys Hoskins in the fifth. The Padres broke through on Tyler Wade's leadoff single in the sixth. REDS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 2 CINCINNATI (AP) — Matt McLain broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run homer off Zac Gallen, and Cincinnati completed a three-game sweep with a win over Arizona. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jose Trevino also homered for the Reds (33-33), who got back to .500 for the first time since May 30. Eugenio Suárez homered to center field for Arizona (31-34) against his former team in the second. Corbin Carroll had an RBI single in the third. Reds starter Brady Singer went five innings, allowing two runs and five hits. He struck out three and walked three, leaving with the score tied 2-all. Taylor Rogers (2-2) pitched two hitless innings for the win, and Tony Santillan worked a scoreless ninth for his second save. Gallen (4-8) gave up four runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked three. ROYALS 7, WHITE SOX 5 CHICAGO (AP) — Jonathan India hit a tiebreaking double in Kansas City's two-run seventh inning, and the Royals beat Chicago to avoid a series sweep. Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. each hit a two-run homer for Kansas City, which had lost three of four. Jac Caglianone went 4 for 4 in his sixth major league game. The Royals also got a big lift from Michael Lorenzen (4-6), who pitched six effective innings for his first win since April 29. The right-hander went 0-3 with a 6.89 ERA in his previous six starts. Miguel Vargas homered and drove in three runs for Chicago, which had won three in a row, matching a season high. Vargas drew a bases-loaded walk and Edgar Quero added an RBI single as the White Sox rallied for three runs in the ninth. But then Witt robbed Austin Slater of a run-scoring hit with a terrific diving catch at shortstop. With two out and the bases loaded, Carlos Estévez earned his 19th save when he struck out Tim Elko swinging. White Sox right-hander Mike Vasil allowed two runs and five hits over 3 1/3 innings in his first major league start. Perez's fifth homer tied it at 2 in the fourth, and the Royals went ahead to stay in the seventh. India drove in pinch-runner Drew Waters with a grounder down the third base line. After Witt popped out, Maikel Garcia made it 4-2 with an RBI single off Jordan Leasure. Tyler Alexander (3-6) took the loss in his first game with Chicago, allowing one run and five hits in three innings. The lefty signed a one-year deal with the White Sox before the game. DODGERS 7, CARDINALS 3 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Clayton Kershaw allowed one run in five innings to record his first win since last August, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat St. Louis to avoid a three-game sweep. Kershaw (1-0) threw 82 pitches, gave up six hits, struck out seven and walked none. The 37-year-old left-hander had not struck out at least seven since June 8, 2023, at Cincinnati, and his last win was also at St. Louis, on Aug. 18, 2024. Tommy Edman drove in three runs with two hits and a sacrifice fly, and Mookie Betts homered for the Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff double and went 1 for 4. St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy (1-1) was 7 years old when Kershaw made his major league debut on May 25, 2008, against the Cardinals. The 24-year-old right-hander, recalled from Triple-A Memphis to make his first start this season, gave up four runs in six innings. Edman had an RBI single and Hyeseong Kim hit a two-run triple to put LA ahead 3-0 in the second. Edman added a run-scoring double in the fourth. St. Louis scored against Kershaw in the fifth on a two-out RBI double by Masyn Winn. TWINS 6, BLUE JAYS 3 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brooks Lee and Christian Vázquez hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning and Minnesota beat Toronto to avoid a sweep and snap a three-game skid. Minnesota trailed 3-2 when Lee led off against Bowden Francis with his fifth homer. Vázquez followed with his second and the Twins were never behind again. Joe Ryan (7-2) allowed three runs — two earned — and four hits in five innings to help the Twins end the Blue Jays' four-game winning streak. Brock Stewart, Cole Sands and Griffin Jax all followed with a scoreless inning. Jhoan Duran pitched the ninth for his 10th save in 11 opportunities. Alan Roden doubled in a run in the second inning to give Toronto the lead, but Minnesota answered in its half with an RBI groundout from Vázquez and Trevor Larnach's sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead. Alejandro Kirk had an RBI single and George Springer doubled in a run to put Toronto ahead 3-2 in the third. Mason Fluharty, who got the final two outs in the fourth, left with two on and one out in the fifth in favor of Erik Swanson. Ty France greeted Swanson with an RBI single for a 5-3 lead and Lee walked to load the bases. Swanson struck out Vázquez looking before Byron Buxton walked to set the final margin. Francis (2-8) allowed four runs and five hits and five walks in 3 1/3 innings. Fluharty gave up two runs in an inning. Toronto (35-30) was trying for its first sweep against Minnesota (35-30) at Target Field since 2013. RANGERS 4, NATIONALS 2 WASHINGTON (AP) — Evan Carter and Jake Burger each finished a triple short of the cycle as Texas beat slumping Washington. Carter hit a two-run homer, doubled and singled his first three times up, but struck out in the eighth inning. Burger doubled, flied out and singled before providing an insurance run with a homer in the eighth. Jacob Webb (3-3), the second of five Texas pitchers in a bullpen game, threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the win. Robert Garcia got four outs for his fourth save. Alex Call homered and singled for the Nationals, who have scored only 11 runs in their past seven games. Nathaniel Lowe had three of their six hits. Washington starter Trevor Williams (3-7) gave up three runs — two earned — and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. GIANTS 4, BRAVES 3 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mike Yastrzemski drove in three runs as San Francisco extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Atlanta. The Giants swept the three-game series and sent the Braves to their seventh straight loss. Atlanta has lost 14 of its last 17 games and fell to 27-37, a season-low 10 games under .500. San Francisco trailed 3-1 in the fourth when Yastrzemski sparked a three-run inning for the Giants. He tied the game with a two-out, two-run double down the right field line and scored on an error by the Braves' Ozzie Albies, who couldn't handle a ground ball by Tyler Fitzgerald to second. Yastrzemski also had a sacrifice fly in the second that tied the game at 1, after the Braves scored in the first. Matt Olson drove in all three runs for Atlanta. He knocked in a run with a fielders choice grounder in the first and had a two-run double the third that put Atlanta ahead. MARINERS 3, ANGELS 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — George Kirby struck out a career-high 14 during seven innings of two-hit ball, and Seattle snapped its five-game losing streak with a victory over Los Angeles. Kirby (1-3) issued no walks while retiring both his first 11 and his final 10 batters. His strikeouts were the most by a Mariners pitcher since James Paxton had 16 in May 2018, and he matched Miami's Max Meyer for the most strikeouts in a major league game this season. Donovan Solano drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth, and Randy Arozarena had an early RBI double among his three hits as the Mariners avoided a series sweep with their fourth win in 14 games. Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in the fourth for the Halos, who struck out 18 times overall while losing for only the second time in six games. Andrés Muñoz earned his 18th save, returning from a week off and rebounding from back-to-back blown save opportunities in which he allowed his first earned runs of the entire season. METS 13, ROCKIES 5 DENVER (AP) — Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil each hit two of New York's six home runs, and the Mets routed Colorado to sweep the major league-worst Rockies for the second time in a week. Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez also went deep for the Mets, who completed a 5-2 trip and finished 6-0 against Colorado (12-53) this season. They moved a season-best 18 games over .500 at 42-24 and opened a 4 1/2-game lead in the NL East over skidding Philadelphia. Juan Soto went 3 for 3 with three walks and three runs on a perfect day at the plate, reaching base six times in a game for the first time in his career. Alonso launched a pair of two-run shots for his 23rd multihomer game, breaking a tie with Darryl Strawberry for the most in Mets history. ATHLETICS 5, ORIOLES 1 WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Max Muncy homered and Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom each had two hits and an RBI as the Athletics beat Baltimore to win their first series in more than a month. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Sean Newcomb (1-4) struck out three in three scoreless innings in relief of starter Jacob Lopez for the win. Grant Holman pitched a scoreless eighth and Mason Miller tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to end it. The A's last won a series May 2-4 when they took two of three against Miami. They hadn't won a series at home since they won two of three against the Chicago White Sox from April 25-27. The Athletics took a 1-0 lead off Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano in the first inning after Lawrence Butler led off with a base hit before scoring on Soderstrom's two-out single. A throwing error by catcher Jhonny Pereda on a pickoff attempt led to an unearned run off Lopez as the Orioles tied it in the second. Pereda atoned for the errant throw with a go-ahead RBI double in the Athletics' second. Butler drove in a run on a fielder's choice before Wilson singled to make it 4-1.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Uriah Rennie, the Premier League's first Black referee, dies at 65
SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — Uriah Rennie, the first Black referee in the Premier League, has died. He was 65. 'We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former chair and trailblazing referee, Uriah Rennie,' the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association posted Sunday on X. 'Uriah made history as the Premier League's first Black referee, officiating over 300 top-flight matches between 1997 and 2008,' the statement said. 'He broke down barriers, shaped our football community and inspired generations to come.' The Jamaica-born official grew up in Sheffield, northern England, and oversaw hundreds of matches starting with his breakthrough appointment when Derby hosted Wimbledon in August 1997. That game was abandoned, however, because the stadium lighting failed. Rennie told BBC News in April how, while on holiday in Turkey last year, he felt severe pain in his back and doctors discovered he had an inoperable neurological condition that confined him to a wheelchair. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manny Machado's homer makes the difference as Padres edge Brewers 1-0
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Manny Machado homered and Ryan Bergert combined with five relievers on a four-hitter as the San Diego Padres edged the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 on Sunday. The victory enabled the Padres to win the series in Milwaukee before they return home to face the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time this season. Machado greeted Rob Zastryzny (1-1) by connecting on a 3-2 pitch and delivering a 425-foot drive over the wall in left-center field for his third homer in his last four games. It was the first run Zastryzny has allowed in 10 appearances this year. Yuki Matsui (1-1) earned the win after pitching two-thirds of an inning in relief of Ryan Bergert, who worked 5 1/3 innings in his second career start. Robert Suarez allowed a two-out single to Joey Ortiz before retiring Brice Turang on a pop to short to earn his MLB-leading 21st save in 23 opportunities. Milwaukee left 10 men on base over the last five innings. Neither team got a hit through the first 4 1/2 innings as Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta and Bergert were both outstanding. Milwaukee's first hit was a one-out single by Rhys Hoskins in the fifth. The Padres broke through on Tyler Wade's leadoff single in the sixth. Key moments The Brewers had runners on the corners with one out in the fifth, but Jake Bauers struck out and Caleb Durbin grounded out to third. Milwaukee loaded the bases on three walks in the sixth before Matsui struck out Sal Frelick to end the threat. The Brewers had men on first and second with one out in the seventh, but Ortiz hit into a fielder's choice and Turang lined out. Jason Adam struck out Andruw Monasterio to strand runners on third and second in the eighth. Key stat San Diego's last seven games have been decided by a total of eight runs. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Up next The Padres haven't named a starter for Monday's game against Los Angeles. Right-hander Dustin May (3-4, 4.09 ERA) goes for the Dodgers. The Brewers begin a three-game home series with Atlanta. Right-hander Aaron Civale (1-1, 5.19) pitches for the Brewers on Monday, while the Braves start left-hander Chris Sale (3-4, 2.93). ___ AP MLB:
