Inside the psyche of Promise David: Part child, part lion, and one of Canada's faces of the World Cup
The Canadian fans love him. His coach does, too. Promise David has the potential to be one of the country's breakout names and faces of next summer's World Cup.
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Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Adames scores twice in Reign's 4-1 win over struggling Royals
Emeri Adames scored two goals in the second half and the Seattle Reign beat the Utah Royals 4-1 in the National Women's Soccer League on Saturday. It was the first multi-goal game of Adames' career, and at 19 years and 79 days old, she became the second-youngest player to ever score two goals in an NWSL match. Elsewhere in the NWSL on Saturday, Gotham FC beat Bay FC 2-1 at home, the North Carolina Courage won 2-1 at home against the Houston Dash, and the Portland Thorns edged the Chicago Stars 1-0 to stay undefeated at Providence Park. At America First Field in Utah, the Reign (6-4-3) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Ji So-Yun scored from 14 yards out after a headed pass from Maddie Dahlien in the sixth minute. Ji then returned the favor and played Dahlien through on goal for the Reign's second goal in the 16th. Bianca St-Georges scored for the Royals in the 31st as the Canadian forward tapped in from close range after Ally Sentnor's strike rebounded off the post. Ji got her second assist of the match when she slipped the ball to Adames in the 66th and the youngster found the corner with a swift left-footed shot from 12 yards to make it 3-1. Adames converted a penalty kick in the 90th. She leads Seattle with four goals this season. It was the first time the Reign scored four in a game since May 2023. The Royals (1-10-2) extended their winless streak to eight and remain in last place in the NWSL standings as the league heads into a monthlong break. Gonzalez scores league-leading 10th goal of the season for Gotham Esther Gonzalez scored her 10th goal of the season and Gotham came from behind to defeat Bay. The Spaniard is the top scorer in the NWSL and has already surpassed her total of nine from the 2024 season. Gotham (5-5-3) won its second home match of the season. Penelope Hocking put Bay up 1-0 in the 11th minute. Hocking latched onto a looping pass from Hannah Bebar and poked the ball past Ann-Katrin Berger in the Gotham goal. Gonzalez got Gotham's equalizer in the 29th when she pounced on a loose pass in the box by Alyssa Malonson. Geyse netted the winning goal for Gotham in the 55th. Nealy Martin found the Brazilian with a bending 40-yard long pass out of the defense. It was a second straight loss for Bay (4-6-3). The San Jose-based team has lost all three of its meetings with Gotham since joining the NWSL in 2024. Befort completes comeback for Courage Hannah Betfort scored the winning goal in North Carolina's comeback victory. The Courage (5-5-3) are on a two-game winning streak and are up to ninth in the NWSL standings, outside the playoff places on goal difference alone. It was the second consecutive game head coach Sean Nahas missed due to a medical issue, but he was spotted in the stands at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Dash (3-8-2) are winless in their last five games. Avery Patterson put Houston ahead 1-0 in the opening minute of the match. The deflected strike from inside the box came after just 52 seconds and was the fastest goal in Dash history. Acting head coach Nathan Thackeray made a triple substitution in the 66th minute, putting Jaedyn Shaw, Ashley Sanchez and Betfort into the game. Dash midfielder Sarah Puntigam was sent off for a second yellow card for a foul on Shaw in the 70th. Shaw scored the equalizer with a simple finish from the center of the box in the 71st. The goal was Shaw's first for the Courage since joining this past offseason. Manaka Matsukubo spotted Betfort in the box and whipped the ball towards the forward, who got just enough of a touch to score the winning goal in the 81st. Tordin scores and Portland stays unbeaten at home. Pietra Tordin scored the only goal and the Thorns (6-3-4) remained undefeated at Providence Park this season. Portland hasn't dropped a game at home in nine straight matches dating back to last year. After a scoreless first half, Sam Coffey crossed the ball to the back post for Tordin to smash home her third goal of the season in the 59th minute. Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby recorded a team record 27th NWSL clean sheet, making three saves. The Stars (1-7-3) are winless in their last nine games. Two-time World Cup winning U.S. women's national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher missed a third consecutive match for Chicago due to an upper extremity injury. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Checkers beat Canucks 4-3 in OT to force Game 6 in Calder Cup final
ABBOTSFORD – Jesse Puljujarvi spoiled the party in Abbotsford on Saturday night when he scored at 15:22 of overtime to lift the visiting Charlotte Checkers to a 4-3 victory over the Canucks. A sold-out crowd at Abbotsford Centre was hoping to see the Canucks — who entered the game leading 3-1 in the best-of-seven championship series — hoist the Calder Cup on home ice, but the best the American Hockey League squad can do now is win the title at Bojangles Coliseum in North Carolina. Ben Steeves, Brett Chorske and Rasmus Asplund also scored for the Checkers, who outshot the hosts 40-32. Linus Karlsson scored twice for the Canucks, while Arshdeep Bains had a goal and assist. The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period and 3-3 heading into the third. Each team went 1-for-2 on the power play. The first two games of the series were played in Charlotte, with the Canucks winning Game 1 4-3 in double overtime. The Checkers bounced back in Game 2 with a 3-2 win in overtime. The series shifted to Abbotsford, B.C., for Games 3, 4 and 5. Abbotsford won Game 3 6-1 and took Game 4 3-2. Only one Canadian team has won the Calder Cup in the previous 11 A-H-L seasons — the 2017-18 Toronto Marlies. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The Checkers, the AHL affiliate for the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, swept the Laval Rocket in the Eastern Conference final, while the Canucks bounced the Texas Stars in six games in the Western Conference final. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Stoppage-time goal lifts Curaçao into a 1-1 draw with Canada at Gold Cup
HOUSTON – Substitute Jeremy Antonisse scored in the 94th minute to lift Curaçao into a 1-1 draw with Canada in Group B play at the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday. Canada lost possession near midfield in stoppage time and the ball went to Antonisse, whose low shot deflected off a sliding Zorhan Bassong over goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair. The strike was likely due for No. 90 Curaçao, which had two goals called back and a possible penalty negated in the second half. Nathan Saliba had given No. 30 Canada an early lead with his second goal in as many games at the tournament. Canada thumped No. 75 Honduras 6-0 in its opener Tuesday in Vancouver while Curaçao played No. 81 El Salvador to a scoreless draw in San Jose. It was 30 Celsius at kickoff at Shell Energy Stadium and the heat and sparse crowd did little to boost the entertainment value of the contest. Suspended Canada coach Jesse Marsch watched from the stands. El Salvador played Honduras in the late game at the same venue. Canada wraps up Group B play Tuesday against El Salvador in Houston. After round-robin play, the four group winners and four runners-up move on to the knockout stage, with quarterfinals scheduled for June 28-29, followed by the semifinals July 2 and final July 6 at Houston's NRG Stadium. Should Canada win its group, it would face the runner-up in Group C (No. 33 Panama, No. 63 Jamaica, No. 106 Guatemala and unranked Guadeloupe) in the quarterfinals while the second-place team in B faces the C winner. Down 1-0, Curaçao appeared to have tied it via Jurgen Locadia in the 66th minute. Taking a backheel pass from Sherel Floranus, Locadia swivelled and fired a shot past St. Clair. The goal prompted wild celebrations at the Curaçao bench, which were extinguished when video review confirmed an offside in the buildup. There was more controversy in the 83rd minute when a Curaçao free kick hit Saliba's arm in the penalty box. But it was ruled that play had halted due to a whistle from the crowd. Costa Rican referee Juan Calderon restarted play with a dropped ball for Curaçao. Roshon van Eijma scored on a header off the ensuing cross, only to have the goal ruled offside. Saliba put Canada ahead in the ninth minute after a Jayden Nelson free kick to the left of the Curaçao penalty box near the byline. A Curaçao attempted clearance went to Saliba whose well-timed shot from just inside the penalty box beat a diving goalkeeper Eloy Room. The 21-year-old midfielder, who has six Canada caps, has two career goals in 68 regular-season games for CF Montreal. Canada had won all four meetings with Curaçao, including a 2-0 decision the last time they met in CONCACAF Nations League play in March 2023. The Canadian starting 11 went into the match with just 220 caps, with captain Jonathan David (64) and defender Kamal Miller (48) accounting for 112 of them. Canada had more of the ball in the first half with 55 per cent possession but could not turn that into more goals. And, at times, Curaçao threatened on the counterattack. St. Clair made a fine reflex save in the 18th minute to save Bacuna's header off a free kick from his younger brother Juninho Bacuna. Room, formerly of the Columbus Crew and now with Belgium's Cercle Brugge, stopped Tani Oluwaseyi in the 36th minute after Joel Waterman, driving forward from his centre back position, split the Curaçao defence with an accurate pass. Locadia came close for Curaçao late in the half but he sent his shot just wide with St. Clair seemingly beaten. Canadian substitute Ali Ahmed lasted just 14 minutes after coming on in the 56th minute, hurt in a scything tackle that earned Floranus a yellow card. Saturday's contest marks the end of Marsch's two-game ban arising from a red card during the CONCACAF Nations League third-place game in March. But the coach remains in the spotlight, facing more disciplinary action initiated by CONCACAF from Canada's opening game on Tuesday in Vancouver. CONCACAF said its Disciplinary Committee is reviewing whether Canada and Marsch did not follow regulations involving suspended officials and whether offensive language was used toward CONCACAF match officials. Assistant coach Mauro Biello ran the sideline both games in his absence. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Marsch made five changes to his starting lineup Saturday with Miller, Bassong, Jacob Shaffelburg, Ismael Kone and Jayden Nelson slotting in. Miller was joined in the backline by Waterman, Bassong and Niko Sigur, who came into the game with 21 caps between the three of them. Canada was without centre back Derek Cornelius, who is with the team but dealing with a lower-body injury. Moise Bombito, Marsch's usual other starter at centre back, is recovering from wrist surgery. Fellow defender Alistair Johnston, who arrived in camp late from his honeymoon, came on in the 70th minute. The Curaçao starting 11 featured players from clubs in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain and the U.S. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.
