Italy gives winning sendoff for Spalletti in World Cup qualifying. De Bruyne saves Belgium
With a parting gift for Luciano Spalletti, Italy beat Moldova 2-0 on Monday for its first points in the beleaguered national team's attempt to reach the World Cup for the first time since 2014.
There was also a significant victory in World Cup qualifying for Belgium, with Kevin De Bruyne demonstrating his enduring class by scoring in the 88th minute to snatch a 4-3 win against Wales after his team squandered a 3-0 lead after 27 minutes.
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Winnipeg Free Press
34 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Azteca Stadium to feature hybrid field, modern amenities for 2026 World Cup
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A hybrid field, updated locker rooms, elevators and hospitality zones are among the new features of Azteca Stadium for the 2026 World Cup, the owners said Wednesday. Sports entertainment company Ollamani also confirmed the stadium will reopen March 28, which will be 75 days before the start of the World Cup as Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada announced recently. 'The centerpiece of the stadium's renovation is the people who visit it. Our main objective is to substantially improve their experience in every way,' stadium director Felix Aguirre said in a statement. The iconic venue closed last May for renovations ahead of next year's 48-team competition hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada. The 83,000-seat Azteca, which recently was renamed, will host five games including the tournament opener. It also hosted the first matches in the 1971 and 1986 World Cups. Ollamani, which is affiliated with Grupo Televisa, Mexico's largest television network, also said the stadium will have bigger capacity, but did not specify how many extra seats it will have. It will be the second time that Azteca has a hybrid pitch — one was installed in 2018 but returned to natural grass a year later. The poor field conditions in November 2018 forced a last-minute change of venue for an NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams. 'The pitch, being subjected to intensive use, will have a new ventilation and suction system, thereby achieving better recovery, stability and resistance,' Ollamani said in a statement. The new locker rooms will be located at the center of the stadium under the luxury boxes and with a tunnel leading to the pitch. Before, they were located in the north and south part of it. 'The project includes new facilities in the competition areas, improving the experience of the player, fans and media in line with the most modern stadiums in the world,' the company said. The plan includes installing large LED screens inside and outside the stadium. Before the renovations, the stadium had just two big screens that were installed in 2015. Ollamani did not provided specific details about elevators or escalators. In the past, the only way to move between the lower and upper sections was using an old ramp. The hospitality zones were also a necessity. The old stadium had a small concession area outside the venue, but inside there were no food courts and the fans were forced to buy from the vendors roaming the seating area. Among other renovations, the stadium owners also announced a new press box area, improved restrooms, a 200-unit CCTV surveillance system and a new sound system. Originally, a major renovation was planned including a shopping center and hotel, but residents of Santa Úrsula, a popular neighborhood located south of the capital, opposed them. Ollamani said that the facade and the roof will be renovated 'to improve the stadium appearance without losing its essence.' Earlier in the year, the owners released images of work done on the pitch and the lower seats. The luxury boxes apparently haven't been touched because some owners refuse to release them to FIFA. The box owners recently filed a complaint with Mexico's consumer protection agency seeking clarity over use of the seating for the 2026 World Cup. ___ AP soccer:
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Vancouver short on hotel rooms, silent on safety costs for 2026 World Cup
VANCOUVER – One year out from the FIFA World Cup, questions remain about where soccer fans visiting Vancouver will stay and how much it will cost to keep the city safe. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim spoke to reporters at an event marking the one-year countdown to the tournament on Wednesday, saying the city began working on security plans even before it was confirmed to host seven 2026 World Cup games. He says those plans were 'augmented' after 11 people were killed when a man drove a car into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu festival in April. The security costs have not been publicly released, but Sim says the city will 'make the necessary investments to make sure that people are safe in the city of Vancouver' during the event. Spencer Chandra Herbert, B.C.'s minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport, says the province will release a 'full costing' later this month, updating how much it expects to spend on the World Cup. Back in April 2024, B.C. organizers estimated the cost at between $483 million and $581 million for city and provincial services, as well as upgrades to B.C. Place Stadium. About 350,000 people are expected to visit Vancouver during the World Cup, Chandra Herbert said at Wednesday's event. Questions have been raised about where they'll stay, as a city report released in April noted there are just 13,000 rooms spread across 78 hotels within the municipality. The report found that Vancouver lost about 550 hotel rooms between 2020 and 2022, in part because some older hotels were converted to housing for vulnerable people. Tourists may need to get creative during the tournament, Chandra Herbert suggested. 'We're working with our hotel partners across the province,' he said. 'We think there's opportunity for people to stay further afield. We know Hullo and BC Ferries, we're looking at them as an opportunity for overflow, even all the way to Nanaimo. Of course, out in the (Fraser) Valley.' Chandra Herbert said some Vancouver residents may also look to rent out their homes during the World Cup. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Both the province and the City of Vancouver have regulations for short-term rentals, including rules on what types of homes can be used. In Vancouver, all operators must also have a business licence. 'It's a good problem to have,' Chandra Herbert said. 'A whole bunch of people want to come and be with us in B.C., and we can't wait to welcome them.' The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11, 2026, with opening games in Mexico City and Guadalajara. Toronto and Vancouver are the two Canadian cities hosting matches, as part of the 16 host cities across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Vancouver will stage five opening-round games starting June 13, plus a round-of-32 and a round-of-16 match. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Tyler Adams says US soccer team tunes out criticism from former players
Tyler Adams says the U.S. soccer team has tuned out criticism from former players. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, who share the American goals record with 57 each, are among those who have been critical of current regulars not in the struggling roster preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. 'We don't talk about that internally as a group,' Adams said Wednesday during a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. 'The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build.' Star Christian Pulisic is skipping the June camp and Gold Cup to rest after playing about 120 games for club and country over two seasons. 'Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa (América), whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup, I wasn't going to miss competitions,' Dempsey said last week on the 'Men in Blazers' podcast. 'For me, I don't understand it because that wasn't my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games.' Watching Portugal celebrate its win over Spain in Sunday's European Nations League final, Donovan said on the Fox postgame show: 'I can't help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup.' Pulisic has not spoken publicly of his decision. The U.S. has lost four straight games, its longest skid since 2007, following a 4-0 rout Tuesday night by Switzerland. 'This is part of the process,' Adams said. 'You're going to win games. You're going to lose games. It's about continuing to build that. I think we're on the right path. We have to continue to build and try the things that we've been training. It'll take a little bit of time, but it will come together.' Adams didn't dress for the Switzerland friendly but is confident he will be ready for the Gold Cup, where the Americans open Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. 'A little turf toe-type injury. More of an overuse thing probably than anything — overload. It was something that I picked up when I came into camp,' Adams said. 'Progressing well right now, but just trying to be smart and manage it.' Adams, who captained the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, funded a pair of mini-pitches at Pulaski Park in Poughkeepsie, New York, near his home in Wappinger. He spoke on the Zoom about his work with Allstate, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Black Star Soccer to construct fields about the size of basketball courts at the Fisher Magnet Upper Academy in Detroit and The Bell Avenue School in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. 'Before the World Cup hopefully we plan to do one more with a city unnamed yet,' Adams said. 'It's something that I think has real impact, continues to grow the sport, serves underserved communities.' Now 26, Adams is feeling back to his old self. He had back surgery last July with Dr. Robert Watkins and returned to the field with England's Bournemouth on Oct. 26. Adams played in 28 Premier League matches this season after being limited to three in 2023-24 because of leg injuries. 'It's definitely enjoyable when you're healthy,' he said. 'The 16-to-18 months that it was just on and off inconsistency is something I never had in my career and never had to battle. And then when it hits you and you go through that, you just learn different ways to navigate things, enjoy life, just not take things for granted, all the little things.' Since Mauricio Pochettino took over as U.S. coach last fall, players have had more autonomy to break away from rigid positioning employed by his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter. 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. 'From a positional standpoint, obviously we had probably a little bit of a different structure under Gregg,' Adams said. 'Maurizio gives the players freedom to find spots they're comfortable in and see how they can affect the game in different ways. I think our attacking players definitely have freedom to try and find the ball and create things in the right areas of the field. So, yeah, I think he gives everyone freedom, but there's still structure to the way that we want to play.' Adams will be with the U.S. team in Austin, Texas, next Wednesday, and following intently when the Premier League releases its 2025-26 schedule at 3 a.m. CDT. He feels improved because of his time with Leeds in 2022-23 and Bournemouth the past two seasons. 'After you play in the Premier League, every game feels slow,'' he said. 'No matter what game I play in now the game feels slow. You look at your schedule when the season comes out and you have to play in a row Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool, Manchester United, all these big games back to back to back you just learn how to make decisions quicker and if you don't, you get punished.' ___ AP soccer:
