Latest news with #EduardoVerdugo
Toronto Star
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Paul McCartney set to be the inaugural performer at Hamilton's new TD Coliseum
Paul McCartney performs during the Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) EV flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Toronto Sun
18-06-2025
- Toronto Sun
U.S. sanctions leadership of Mexico's Jalisco cartel
Published Jun 18, 2025 • 2 minute read The letters "CJNG" for the group's formal name, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, covers the facade of an abandoned home in El Limoncito, in the Michoacan state of Mexico, Oct. 30, 2021. Photo by Eduardo Verdugo / Files / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEXICO CITY — The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed economic sanctions on five high-ranking members of Mexico's powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel for their drug trafficking, while also citing their involvement in killings. 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 Previous administrations have also sanctioned the cartel _ one of Mexico's most powerful — as the Trump administration also did in May, when it targeted the cartel's fuel theft operations. The sanctions freeze any assets the individuals or companies have in the U.S. and prohibit U.S. citizens from doing business with them. 'CJNG's reign of terror across Mexico and its trafficking of fentanyl into the United States has destroyed countless innocent lives,' U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. 'The United States remains strongly committed to leveraging all available tools to degrade the capacity of CJNG and other cartels to flood our streets with dangerous drugs and perpetrate heinous acts of violence against civilians.' 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. In February, the U.S. administration designated Jalisco New Generation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The cartel is led by Nemesio Ruben 'El Mencho' Oseguera Cervantes and he was among the five leaders named Wednesday. Washington has offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture. Two of those sanctioned have been recently connected to high-profile investigations in Mexico. Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytan has been linked to a ranch in Jalisco state where relatives of missing people found hundreds of garments, shoes and other items. Authorities believe the ranch was used by the Jalisco cartel to train recruits. Families of the missing believe recruits who didn't comply were also killed there. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ricardo Ruiz Velasco is a cartel lieutenant affiliated with its special forces unit. The U.S. Treasury said he also handles their propaganda and communications. Ruiz is a suspect in the killing of social media influencer Valeria Marquez, who was allegedly his romantic partner and was killed while on a live video stream in her salon on the outskirts of Guadalajara last month. The other cartel members sanctioned were Julio Alberto Castillo Rodriguez, Oseguera's son-in-law, who allegedly runs the cartel's operations in the Pacific port of Manzanillo, and Audias Flores Silva, a regional commander for the cartel in several Mexican states. NHL Toronto & GTA Canada Soccer Columnists
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why the CONCACAF Gold Cup carries significance for 2026 World Cup hosts
U.S. men's soccer coach Mauricio Pochettino is missing many of his top players for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. (Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press) When the CONCACAF Gold Cup was launched, it was intended to be the confederation's version of UEFA's European Championships or CONMEBOL's Copa América. And for more than a generation it sufficed. Advertisement But as Mexico and the U.S. got better, playing group-play matches against the likes of Saint Kitts and Nevis or Martinique every other year ceased to be a challenge. So twice in the past decade the confederation brought South America's championship tournament to North America just to make things interesting. However, this summer the Gold Cup, which kicks off Saturday with Mexico, the reigning champion, facing the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium, has gotten its groove back. (The U.S. opens play Sunday in San José against Trinidad and Tobago.) Read more: Not done yet: Christen Press embracing her role as Angel City's elder stateswoman It's not that the tournament has gotten more competitive; if anything, it may be worse. In addition to the Dominican Republic, 139th in the FIFA rankings, the 16-team tournament includes seven other teams outside the world's top 80. Advertisement But the fact that the Gold Cup comes less than a year before the World Cup returns to North America has made it noteworthy. Because the World Cup will be played in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, those countries have been spared an arduous qualifying competition — tense games that would have steeled them for the tournament ahead. And with no qualifiers, the fixture calendar for all three teams are wide open between the Gold Cup and the World Cup. That's not a good thing. The U.S. has friendlies with South Korea and Japan scheduled for September, but with qualifying competitions in South America running through the end of the summer and tournaments in the rest of the world spilling over into 2026, it will be difficult to schedule more games with a World Cup-caliber opponent until early next year. Advertisement In fact, after this summer there will be just four FIFA match windows — short ones that leave time for three or four training days and a couple of games — before World Cup rosters are called up. That makes the Gold Cup, a three-week tournament with group play and a single-elimination knockout stage, an important preparatory test for the three hosts even if the field is less than stellar. But only Mexico will have its first-choice team this summer. Read more: News Analysis: Why are big-name U.S. players passing on World Cup tuneup? Canada will be without winger Alphonso Davies, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the Nations League semifinals in March, and defender Moise Bombito. The U.S. is missing eight potential starters in captain Christian Pulisic, midfielders Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna, defender Antonee Robinson and forwards Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun and Josh Sargent, who are out because of injury, personal reasons or commitments to the FIFA Club World Cup. Advertisement Because the Gold Cup is held outside a FIFA international match window, clubs are not obligated to release players for the tournament. And many didn't. As a result, 15 of the players on the Americans' 26-man training camp roster play in MLS. Not an ideal way for a team that lost to Canada and Panama in March — with its best players — to prepare for the World Cup. Still, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, whose team warmed up for the World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Turkey last weekend, seemed unconcerned. "Many people can say it's really important for us to be all together for the last time before the World Cup," said Pochettino, the first U.S. coach with a three-game losing streak in his first 10 games since Manfred Schellscheidt in 1975, according to statistician Paul Carr. "Sometimes we give too much importance to be[ing] together.' Advertisement In the Gold Cup, the U.S. will follow Trinidad with games against Saudi Arabia and Haiti, giving it a low bar to clear to get out of group play. Mexico will play Suriname and Costa Rica after its opener with the Dominican Republic. With two teams advancing to the quarterfinals from each of the four four-team groups, Mexico is virtually assured of moving on as well. Whether any of that helps the teams prepare for the World Cup won't be known for a year. But there may be an omen there because there have been links between the World Cup and Gold Cup since the first CONCACAF tournament was played in 1991. That came just a year after the U.S. returned to the World Cup, ending a four-decade absence, and three years before the country hosted the tournament for the first time. It was important then because, without it, the U.S. would have played just 11 games that year, hardly enough to prepare for a World Cup. Read more: 'This feels amazing.' Denis Bouanga scores in extra time to send LAFC to Club World Cup Advertisement The inaugural Gold Cup was also the first tournament for new coach Bora Milutinovic and marked the first time the U.S. would play in the Rose Bowl, where they drew 18,435 fans for a game with Trinidad. The stadium and the coach would reunite three years later when Milutinovic coached the U.S. in a World Cup game with Romania that drew a crowd of 93,869, still the largest for the men's national team game at home. The tournament also included a 2-0 U.S. victory over Mexico, just the second win over El Tri in 54 years and a scoreline that has been repeated nine times since. Then there's 2002, when the U.S. won the tournament on its way to the World Cup quarterfinals for the only time in the modern era. But if the Gold Cup provided a challenge then, it really doesn't anymore. The U.S. and Mexico have combined to win every tournament this century — and have met in the final seven times. Advertisement All of which that brings up an idea: If the U.S., Mexico and Canada — the only other country to win a Gold Cup title — can't find anyone to play while the rest of the world is busy with qualifying, maybe they should just play one another. That's probably how the Gold Cup is going to end up anyway. ⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week's episode of the 'Corner of the Galaxy' podcast. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Azteca Stadium to reopen 75 days before start of the 2026 World Cup
FILE - A fan gets his temperature checked as he enters Azteca Stadium before a Mexican soccer league quarterfinal second leg soccer match between Cruz Azul and Toluca in Mexico City, May 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) MEXICO CITY (AP) — The revamped Azteca Stadium is scheduled to reopen 75 days before the start of the 2026 World Cup with improved services around it, Mexico City mayor Clara Brugada announced on Wednesday. The iconic venue closed last May for renovations ahead of next year's 48-team competition hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada. Advertisement 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. Brugada did not reveal further details regarding the reopening of the stadium on March 28, 2026. Stadium director Felix Aguirre said they are thinking long term. 'The stadium is moving ahead with its renovations so it can work for the next 40 or 50 years,' he said. 'We are respecting its legacy, but we also want to improve the fan experience.' The stadium owners, a company related to Televisa, Mexico's largest television network, have 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. Advertisement Brugada also said that for the 2026 World Cup, they are going to improve a light rail line that heads toward Azteca, will enhance outdoor lighting and a pedestrian bridge around it among other things. On game days, the Xochimilco Light Rail known as Tren Ligero is one of the fastest ways to reach the stadium, located south of the city, but it currently has 20 trains and the city's government will purchase 17 more. 'We will have around 40 trains to attend a daily requirement of over 400,000 passengers,' Brugada said. The current capacity of the trains is 160,000 passengers per day and the ride from Taxqueña station, the closest metro line, to the stadium is around 15 minutes with trains departing every 10 minutes. Advertisement Brugada said that with more trains the departures time will be shorter. The mayor said they will be upgrading the city's video surveillance camera system for the tournament and adding 40,000 to have a total of 123,000. Mexico City's video surveillance system is called the Command, Control, Computing, Communications, and Citizen contact center known as C5. Besides the cameras, the system has 1,000 panic buttons to enhance public safety. 'The video surveillance system put us in the forefront, we are the most video-monitored city in Latin America,' Brugada said. Brugada also informed that Los Pinos, which until 2018 was the Mexican president's official office and residence, will serve as the media center. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The women's soccer landscape in North America includes established-leagues, emerging newcomers
FILE - Pachuca's Jenni Hermoso, center, is greeted by teammates before a Mexican Women's soccer league match between Pachuca and Pumas at the Miguel Hidalgo stadium in Pachuca, Mexico, Sept. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) FILE - Pachuca's Jenni Hermoso, center, is greeted by teammates before a Mexican Women's soccer league match between Pachuca and Pumas at the Miguel Hidalgo stadium in Pachuca, Mexico, Sept. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) FILE - Pachuca's Jenni Hermoso, center, is greeted by teammates before a Mexican Women's soccer league match between Pachuca and Pumas at the Miguel Hidalgo stadium in Pachuca, Mexico, Sept. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File) What does the landscape for women's professional soccer look like in North America? The National Women's Soccer League, which kicked off in 2013, is arguably the top league in the region. Mexico's Liga MX Femenil is in its eighth season. Advertisement But in the past year, two other women's leagues have jumped into the fray: the USL Super League, which is in the midst of its first season, and Canada's Northern Super League. Two other leagues could join next year, occupying the tier below the NWSL and USL Super League on the women's soccer pyramid in the United States. National Women's Soccer League After two other attempts at professional women's soccer in the United States failed, the NWSL finally took hold. Founded with eight teams, the NWSL was boosted in the early days by the U.S., Canadian and Mexican soccer federations, which paid the salaries of their national teams players who played in the league. When Denver and Boston join next season, the NWSL will have 16 teams. Team valuations have risen dramatically in three years, with Angel City valued highest, at $250 million. The league has been able to attract some high-profile sponsors, including Nike, Ally Bank, Elf Cosmetics and AT&T. Advertisement Liga MX Femenil The women's counterpart to Liga MX in Mexico has 18 teams, all associated with men's clubs. The league, founded in 2017, features two competitions each year: the Apertura that runs from late summer through the fall and the Clausura, which runs from January to May, similar to the Liga MX men. The league has attracted high-profile foreign players including Women's World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso and France's Amandine Henry. Big-name sponsors include Nike and Amazon. Mexico also has a lower division, Liga TDP Femenil, but it is not professional. USL Super League Nearing the conclusion of its debut season, the league sits on the top tier of women's soccer alongside the NWSL, but it does not share the same status in the U.S. ecosystem, largely because it is new and teams are located in some smaller markets. The Super League has eight teams with a ninth set to join next year. Investors are taking notice, and Gainbridge financial services company will be the league's title sponsor next season. Advertisement Northern Super League Canada's first pro league kicked off in April with six teams: the Halifax Tides, Montreal Roses, AFC Toronto, Calgary Wild, Ottawa Rapid and Vancouver Rise. One of the highest-profile players in Quinn, who won a gold medal with Canada at the Tokyo Olympics. Quinn scored the league's first goal, converting a penalty for a 1-0 Vancouver victory over Calgary in front of more than 14,000 fans at BC Place. Sponsors of the league include Coca-Cola, Toyota and DoorDash. WPSL Pro This second-division league will launch next year with a focus on developing players. The league got a boost from the Cleveland Soccer Group, which pivoted to WPSL Pro when it did not land an NWSL team in the latest round of expansion. Cleveland's group is fielding a team and investing in the league itself. Cleveland will be joined in the startup league by teams in Atlanta, Dallas, North Carolina, Oklahoma City, Sioux Falls, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Advertisement NWSL Division II League The NWSL recently confirmed it had asked U.S. Soccer to sanction a lower-division women's professional soccer league that could launch as early as next year. With at least six teams, the new league seeks to develop players who aren't quite ready for the top level. U.S. Soccer has certain conditions for Division II sanctioning, including a minimum number of teams and stadiums that seat at least 2,000. In the case of the NWSL, all the lower-division teams would be affiliated with top-tier clubs, sharing ownership and infrastructure. ___ AP soccer:
