Latest news with #CONCACAFGoldCup

Leader Live
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Derby County sign striker Patrick Agyemang from Charlotte
In 2024, the 24-year-old scored 10 goals as the MLS outfit reached the play-offs before going on to score eight times in 18 appearances during the first half of the 2025 season. Agyemang was part of United States' CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign, where he scored twice in the tournament. Derby confirmed that Agyemang was 'likely to miss the opening games of the 2025/26 season' as he was set to undergo routine surgery, having played for most of the year with a hernia injury. Winger Djeidi Gassama has left troubled Sheffield Wednesday and signed for Rangers for an undisclosed fee. The 21-year-old made one appearance for Paris St Germain alongside Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe before joining Wednesday in 2023 and scored 12 goals in 84 games for the Owls. The France Under-20 international helped Wednesday finish 12th in the Championship last season but the Hillsborough outfit have financial troubles and owner Dejphon Chansiri is seeking to sell the club. Rob Apter has joined Charlton Athletic from Blackpool for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old winger scored eight goals in 57 appearances during his time at Bloomfield Road and was named League Two young player of the year while on loan at Tranmere Rovers two seasons ago. Apter, a Scotland Under-21 international, becomes Charlton's seventh summer signing as Nathan Jones' side prepare for the step up to the Championship after clinching promotion by beating Orient 1-0 in the League One play-off final. Watford have signed Danish striker Luca Kjerrumgaard on an initial season-long loan from Udinese. The Italian club brought in the 22-year-old this summer after he scored 22 goals in 29 games for Odense last season, helping them win promotion to the Danish top flight. West Brom have confirmed the signing of defender George Campbell from Montreal for an undisclosed fee. The 24-year-old earned his maiden United States cap in January in a friendly against Venezuela and becomes head coach Ryan Mason's third signing since joining the club last month. Blackburn have completed their fourth summer signing by bringing in defender Sean McLoughlin from Hull for an undisclosed fee. McLoughlin, 28, has signed a two-year contract at Ewood Park to end a six-year spell at Hull, having signed for the Tigers from his hometown club Cork City in 2019. The former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international becomes Valerien Ismael's second defensive signing of the summer following the arrival of right-back Ryan Alebiosu. Rovers have also brought in winger Dion de Neve and midfielder Sidnei Taveres. Watford have signed forward Nestory Irankunda from Bayern Munich for an undisclosed fee. The 19-year-old Australian began his career at Adelaide United before joining Bayern in 2024 and spent last season on loan at Swiss side Grasshopper Zurich. Caleb Wiley has joined Watford on a season-long loan from Chelsea. The 20-year-old returns to Vicarage Road following a loan spell during the 2024-25 season in which he played 10 games.


The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shelbourne sign Dutch keeper Wessel Speel on loan after Conor Kearns ruled out of Qarabag Champions League clash
SHELBOURNE have signed Wessel Speel on loan after Conor Kearns was ruled out of tomorrow's Champions League tie against Qarabag. Kearns was forced off in the first half of the second leg of Advertisement 2 Joey O'Brien's side are on the verge of signing a new keeper after Conor Kearns was ruled out of tomorrow's Champions League tie against Qarabag due to injury 2 Lorcan Healy is set to start for Shelbourne as new signing Wessel Speel will be on the bench in Dublin Both keepers made kicking errors which went unpunished by the Blues with Shels looking to strengthen between the posts by bringing in the Dutchman. The Reds were trying to get international clearance for Speel in time for him to be available for selection against the Azerbaijani champions on Wednesday, although Healy will start at Tolka Park. The Gouda native played for Utrecht at youth level before moving to the States to go to college five years ago. He joined Minnesota on a short-term contract at the start of the year before the club extended his contract until the end of the season with options for the next two campaigns. Advertisement read more on football He will join Shels until the end of the year. The 23-year-old has played in two US Open Cup ties before clocking up three MLS appearances last month when first-choice Dayne St Clair was away with Canada at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Joey O'Brien said: 'He's a player we've been following, he came onto our radar about six months ago, we've been following him since then. 'An opportunity came up for him to come in, the situation with Conor being out. I think he's going to add real competition to that goalkeeping department, it should be really good.' Advertisement Most read in Football Live Blog Comment But O'Brien has expressed his faith in Healy - who has made only six appearances for Shels since joining from UCD before the start of last season. O'Brien said: 'Last year, Conor didn't miss many games, he missed a couple this year and Lorcan came in and did really well. Mikel Arteta could not be happier with new Arsenal signing Martin Zubimendi 'To come on as a sub goalkeeper, there's massive pressure, it's always difficult as a sub goalkeeper coming on. He acquitted himself quite well, he had one mistake in the second half, he had a bit of luck, he got away with it. 'I've full confidence, he's in tomorrow, he has the jersey and it's up to him then to perform. Advertisement 'He has a good way about him since he's come into the club. He's a good character, a good presence, he's got games this year, he's done well in them and hopefully he can take that into tomorrow.' O'Brien admitted he was unsure when Kearns would be fit again but there was a boost with Mark Coyle - who also came off in Belfast, with a knee injury - declared fit. O''Brien said: 'He's got a a hamstring so I suppose it will be a few weeks. We'll just take it from there. As a goalkeeper he doesn't have to sprint too many times so I could be proven wrong. 'Mark just pinched his knee. He trained today and he's in the squad tomorrow.' Advertisement


Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Clint Dempsey says success on the field will help build pro-American crowds at World Cup
Clint Dempsey says success on the field during friendlies over the next year would help the US fill seats with pro-American fans at the World Cup next year–a turnaround from pro-opponent crowds at this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup. Coach Mauricio Pochettino and current players took note that spectators were overwhelmingly rooting for Guatemala in St. Louis and Mexico in Houston. 'We were outnumbered in the games that mattered in terms of the semifinal and then final. There were more fans for the opposing team. So it's up to the national team players to put a product on the field that makes people want to go spend their hard-earned money,' Dempsey said Thursday during an interview with The Associated Press. 'I think with everybody being back and having that fight and kind of mixing that together with the quality I think that will give people motivation to go out there and support this team.' The Americans have 10 friendlies on FIFA international fixture dates–two each in September, October, November, March and June–before opening the World Cup at Inglewood, California, on June 12. They play at Seattle seven days later, then close the group stage at Inglewood on June 25. 'I want to see a team that is playing in an exciting style, whether it's defending well, building out of the back, getting forward, creating chances, getting goals,' Dempsey said. 'I just want to see the fight and the grit that we saw in the Gold Cup just with more quality. That's what I'm looking forward to–that team that gets you believing again that they can go and win games against top competition.' Dempsey, tied with Landon Donovan for the American record of 57 international goals, is an analyst for CBS soccer coverage and the Men In Blazers Media Network, and he worked for Fox at the 2022 World Cup. He currently is involved in a promotion for the health care company Abbott in which 11 players will be selected to train at Real Madrid with club coaches and with input from Abbott scientists and the club's medical staff. Now 42, Dempsey played for US teams that were eliminated in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup, reached the round of 16 in 2010 and 14, and failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. He says the rebuild for 2022, when the Americans again reached the round of 16, was positive with the new energy but came at the cost of veteran expertise. Defender DeAndre Yedlin was the only holdover from 2014. After winning the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021, 2023 and 2024, the Americans were eliminated in the group stage of the 2024 Copa America, causing the US Soccer Federation to replace Gregg Berhalter with Pochettino and lost in the semifinals of this year's Nations League and the final of this year's Gold Cup. 'There wasn't that big mix of a lot of older players kind of passing down lessons that they learned over the years,' Dempsey said. 'And sometimes it's one of those situations where you need someone to shake things up, right? You don't know if it's egos. You don't know what is the reason for why things don't work out. So I think after Copa America, after Nations League, there definitely needed to be some things shook up. And I think the more that people kind of look over their shoulder a little bit, their spots are not guaranteed, you have a culture that through training you can fight your way into getting into that starting lineup, I think people can get behind that and believe in that.' Dempsey and wife Bethany have six children that keep them busy: daughters Elyse (16), Fifi (12) and Maevy (2), and sons Jackson (14) and Clay (10) and Linc (4). Jackson plays for Charlotte's academy. Dempsey doesn't coach, and while he never expected to remain in soccer as a broadcaster, he's pleased with his new roles. At the World Cup the US will be seeded as one of the three co-hosts. That means the Americans won't have a top 10 opponent in their group and if they finish first could avoid a strong nation in the new round of 32. 'If you are looking on numbers and looking on paper,' Dempsey said, 'you have a chance to do something special and hopefully they take advantage of it. I think we need all the best players fit playing week in week out. I'm excited to see what they do with mixing a little bit more quality into this fighting and gritty kind of culture that you've seen throughout the Gold Cup.'


Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Clint Dempsey says success on the field will help build pro-American crowds at World Cup
Clint Dempsey says success on the field during friendlies over the next year would help the U.S. fill seats with pro-American fans at the World Cup next year, a turnaround from pro-opponent crowds at this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup. Coach Mauricio Pochettino and current players took note that spectators were overwhelmingly rooting for Guatemala in St. Louis and Mexico in Houston. 'We were outnumbered in the games that mattered in terms of the semifinal and then final. There were more fans for the opposing team. So it's up to the national team players to put a product on the field that makes people want to go spend their hard-earned money,' Dempsey said Thursday during an interview with The Associated Press. 'I think with everybody being back and having that fight and kind of mixing that together with the quality, I think that will give people motivation to go out there and support this team.' The Americans have 10 friendlies on FIFA international fixture dates, two each in September, October, November, March and June, before opening the World Cup at Inglewood, California, on June 12. They play at Seattle seven days later then close the group stage at Inglewood on June 25. 'I want to see a team that is playing in an exciting style, whether it's defending well, building out of the back, getting forward, creating chances, getting goals,' Dempsey said. 'I just want to see the fight and the grit that we saw in the Gold Cup, just with more quality. That's what I'm looking forward to, that team that gets you believing again that they can go and win games against top competition.' Dempsey, tied with Landon Donovan for the American record of 57 international goals, is an analyst for CBS soccer coverage and the Men In Blazers Media Network, and he worked for Fox at the 2022 World Cup. He currently is involved in a promotion for the health care company Abbott in which 11 players will be selected to train at Real Madrid with club coaches and with input from Abbott scientists and the club's medical staff. Now 42, Dempsey played for U.S. teams that were eliminated in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup, reached the round of 16 in 2010 and '14, and failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. He says the rebuild for 2022, when the Americans again reached the round of 16, was positive with the new energy but came at the cost of veteran expertise. Defender DeAndre Yedlin was the only holdover from 2014. After winning the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021, 2023 and 2024, the Americans were eliminated in the group stage of the 2024 Copa America, causing the U.S. Soccer Federation to replace Gregg Berhalter with Pochettino, and lost in the semifinals of this year's Nations League and the final of this year's Gold Cup. 'There wasn't that big mix of a lot of older players kind of passing down lessons that they learned over the years,' Dempsey said. 'And sometimes it's one of those situations where you need someone to shake things up, right? You don't know if it's egos. You don't know what is the reason for why things don't work out. So I think after Copa America after Nations League, there definitely needed to be some things shook up. 'And I think the more that people kind of look over their shoulder a little bit, their spots are not guaranteed, you have a culture that through training you can fight your way into getting into that starting lineup, I think people can get behind that and believe in that.' Dempsey and wife Bethany have six children that keep them busy, daughters Elyse (16), Fifi (12) and Maevy (2), and sons Jackson (14) and Clay (10) and Linc (4). Jackson plays for Charlotte's academy. Dempsey doesn't coach, and while he never expected to remain in soccer as a broadcaster, he's pleased with his new roles. At the World Cup, the U.S. will be seeded as one of the three co-hosts. That means the Americans won't have a top 10 opponent in their group and if they finish first could avoid a strong nation in the new round of 32. 'If you are looking on numbers and looking on paper,' Dempsey said, 'you have a chance to do something special and hopefully they take advantage of it. I think we need all the best players fit, playing week in, week out. I'm excited to see what they do with mixing a little bit more quality into this fighting and gritty kind of culture that you've seen throughout the Gold Cup.' ___ AP soccer:

Associated Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Clint Dempsey says success on the field will help build pro-American crowds at World Cup
Clint Dempsey says success on the field during friendlies over the next year would help the U.S. fill seats with pro-American fans at the World Cup next year, a turnaround from pro-opponent crowds at this year's CONCACAF Gold Cup. Coach Mauricio Pochettino and current players took note that spectators were overwhelmingly rooting for Guatemala in St. Louis and Mexico in Houston. 'We were outnumbered in the games that mattered in terms of the semifinal and then final. There were more fans for the opposing team. So it's up to the national team players to put a product on the field that makes people want to go spend their hard-earned money,' Dempsey said Thursday during an interview with The Associated Press. 'I think with everybody being back and having that fight and kind of mixing that together with the quality, I think that will give people motivation to go out there and support this team.' The Americans have 10 friendlies on FIFA international fixture dates, two each in September, October, November, March and June, before opening the World Cup at Inglewood, California, on June 12. They play at Seattle seven days later then close the group stage at Inglewood on June 25. 'I want to see a team that is playing in an exciting style, whether it's defending well, building out of the back, getting forward, creating chances, getting goals,' Dempsey said. 'I just want to see the fight and the grit that we saw in the Gold Cup, just with more quality. That's what I'm looking forward to, that team that gets you believing again that they can go and win games against top competition.' Dempsey, tied with Landon Donovan for the American record of 57 international goals, is an analyst for CBS soccer coverage and the Men In Blazers Media Network, and he worked for Fox at the 2022 World Cup. He currently is involved in a promotion for the health care company Abbott in which 11 players will be selected to train at Real Madrid with club coaches and with input from Abbott scientists and the club's medical staff. Now 42, Dempsey played for U.S. teams that were eliminated in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup, reached the round of 16 in 2010 and '14, and failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. He says the rebuild for 2022, when the Americans again reached the round of 16, was positive with the new energy but came at the cost of veteran expertise. Defender DeAndre Yedlin was the only holdover from 2014. After winning the CONCACAF Nations League in 2021, 2023 and 2024, the Americans were eliminated in the group stage of the 2024 Copa America, causing the U.S. Soccer Federation to replace Gregg Berhalter with Pochettino, and lost in the semifinals of this year's Nations League and the final of this year's Gold Cup. 'There wasn't that big mix of a lot of older players kind of passing down lessons that they learned over the years,' Dempsey said. 'And sometimes it's one of those situations where you need someone to shake things up, right? You don't know if it's egos. You don't know what is the reason for why things don't work out. So I think after Copa America after Nations League, there definitely needed to be some things shook up. 'And I think the more that people kind of look over their shoulder a little bit, their spots are not guaranteed, you have a culture that through training you can fight your way into getting into that starting lineup, I think people can get behind that and believe in that.' Dempsey and wife Bethany have six children that keep them busy, daughters Elyse (16), Fifi (12) and Maevy (2), and sons Jackson (14) and Clay (10) and Linc (4). Jackson plays for Charlotte's academy. Dempsey doesn't coach, and while he never expected to remain in soccer as a broadcaster, he's pleased with his new roles. At the World Cup, the U.S. will be seeded as one of the three co-hosts. That means the Americans won't have a top 10 opponent in their group and if they finish first could avoid a strong nation in the new round of 32. 'If you are looking on numbers and looking on paper,' Dempsey said, 'you have a chance to do something special and hopefully they take advantage of it. I think we need all the best players fit, playing week in, week out. I'm excited to see what they do with mixing a little bit more quality into this fighting and gritty kind of culture that you've seen throughout the Gold Cup.' ___ AP soccer: