Latest news with #Sørensen
Vancouver Sun
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Who are Cruz Azul? Whitecaps react to their CONCACAF Champions Cup opponents
Article content Tristan Blackmon watched about the last 20 minutes. Tate Johnson caught himself up with just the post-game highlights. And Vancouver Whitecaps coach Jesper Sørensen didn't even watch it at all, instead spending some quality time with family. Article content Article content The Caps' opponent — and venue — for the CONCACAF Champions Cup final was set on Thursday night, and it barely registered a blip on the team's radar. Article content Article content It will be Cruz Azul who will host Vancouver in the June 1 final in Mexico City after dispatching Tigres 1-0, a game that was still scoreless into the 81st minute. A draw in regulation would have meant Vancouver hosted the championship game, but instead, the six-time tournament champs will host their visitors from Vancouver. Article content Article content The game was a chance to scout a prospective opponent, and find out if they would be fortunate enough to host the final. It meant something. But in retrospect, perhaps it makes sense that the other CCC semifinal didn't hold much of a draw for the Whitecaps. They have spent the entirety of this remarkable season focusing on what is directly next, and not in the future — no matter distant or near. It's why they're atop the Major League Soccer standings with 23 points and a 7-1-2 record, and why they're the last MLS team standing in the CCC tournament, having soundly beaten Lionel Messi and the much-heralded Herons of Inter Miami. Article content After their 3-1 triumph against Miami on Wednesday, Sørensen was already on to thinking about their Saturday night game at B.C. Place with Real Salt Lake. And following that game, he'll begin planning for hosting LAFC the following Sunday. Article content Article content 'After a game like the one in Miami, you need some time to relax and enjoy also the moment. But we don't have that time,' said Sørensen, who was hosting his brother Michael and nephew this week, visiting from Denmark. Article content Article content 'People remind me that I have to do that. But you know, when the games comes up this fast, it's really difficult. (The) first thing you do when you get into the plane after Miami, is that you start thinking what will the lineup be against Real Salt Lake. Article content 'I didn't watch (the semifinal) because I'm fortunate enough to have my brother visiting together with his son. We were having a different good time … But I have plenty of time to watch that game. And we have plenty of opponents to play before that one. Article content 'We know that we're heading to Mexico City, and it's a difficult place to play, but we will be ready when it's time.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Messi and Ronaldo's continental exits show the limits of their swan songs
Not long ago, the results might have been seismic. Or at the very least, worthy of an eyebrows-raised remark. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two leading lights of their generation, the dominant on-field forces for most of this century, both going out of continental competition in the semi-finals? Both in upsets? On the same day? On Wednesday, it actually happened. Messi's Inter Miami fell to Vancouver 5-1 on aggregate in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and Ronaldo's Al-Nassr lost 3-2 to Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League Elite at a nominally neutral site in Saudi Arabia. Advertisement Both teams entered the season hoping for revenge after falling short of continental glory in the previous campaign. Both made excellent starts. Yet both succumbed to relatively unheralded sides playing a long, long way from home. That the focus is on those two players after these losses is both understandable given their stature, yet also unfair to their opponents. Related: 'A phenomenon': Inzaghi hails Lamine Yamal after his star turn against Inter The Vancouver Whitecaps, for one, deserve immense credit for their victory. The Canadians have been the best team in MLS this year, rising to the top of the table and now the Concacaf final with their new coach Jesper Sørensen and without many of the players the team once relied upon. Ryan Gauld, who was at the center of nearly everything good for the Whitecaps for the past few seasons, has watched their recent run from the sidelines as he recovers from a knee injury. Other key players have spent time out of action with knocks or other slightly more serious ailments. Sørensen has rotated personnel to accommodate for those injuries and to balance the demands of league and continental competitions. Through it all, the Whitecaps have maintained a consistent style of play, and a contagious confidence. Few, if any, would have expected this start from these Whitecaps before the season began. Advertisement 'Being an underdog can make it easier,' Sørensen told reporters after the win over Miami. 'You can play with a bit more freedom.' Indeed, the Whitecaps thoroughly outplayed Miami across the two legs; enough so that the 5-1 aggregate score feels entirely justifiable. They'll be a handful for whoever they face in the final. Likewise, Kawasaki Frontale were not fancied heading into their semi-final against Al-Nassr – a team that features not just Ronaldo but also Sadio Mané, Jhon Durán, Marcelo Brozović and other accomplished veterans of the European circuit. Though at a 'neutral' site, the team had even further to travel than Vancouver did, from Tokyo to Jeddah where an understandably pro-Al-Nassr crowd awaited. Kawasaki, too, are still in their earliest days under a new head coach, with Shigetoshi Hasebe having just taken over after a successful seven years under Toru Oniki. While they haven't been as dominant as Vancouver have in all competitions, the team played with confidence on the big stage, taking advantage of Al-Nassr miscues in defense after Tatsuya Ito opened the game with a beautiful volley from distance. 'There were some big names playing here,' Ito said afterward. 'Before we went on the pitch they were next to me. It felt like it was a video game.' Advertisement In today's version of that video game, though, Ronaldo and Messi seem fallible, and maybe, just maybe, a little helpless. Both maintain the competitive attitude that got them to the pinnacle of the game – neither is using the last stage of their careers as a vacation. Yet Ronaldo is 40, and Messi is 37, and they are both starting to show it. Not so much in the amount of running and the speed at which they do it, than in the fine margins they sometimes – only sometimes! – lose in key moments. Ronaldo had a chance against Kawasaki to bury one of his trademark headers while seemingly floating on air, but it hit the crossbar. Messi dazzled at several points as he fought his way through thickets of Whitecap defenders, but his efforts on goal were just those few inches off target. These misses and losses won't harm either player's legacy, but it's hard to ignore their context. Coming on the same day 17-year-old Lamine Yamal once again looked as if he has the world at his feet, Ronaldo and Messi are a reminder that time marches relentlessly and irrevocably on, and that soccer is not created equal everywhere. Even at their best Messi and Ronaldo didn't do it alone. Defensive issues plagued both Miami and Al-Nassr in their respective disappointments, in ways that neither of the forwards could be expected to do much about. Sergio Ramos was not walking through that door in Jeddah, nor was Carles Puyol in Fort Lauderdale. Chase Stadium is a long way from Camp Nou, as is Jeddah from Madrid and Manchester. What remains, though, are continuing legions of admirers, from the crowds that filled the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah to the children who accompanied Miami and Vancouver on to the field in Florida, all of whom chanted Messi's name in the tunnel before the game. 'Maybe some of the players had a poster of him when they were kids,' Sørensen said of Messi. 'You have to find a way to play the game on your terms … You can not stop [players like that]. You can try to limit them.' On Wednesday, those attempts were successful, and now two legends seem to have limits where few previously stood.
The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Messi and Ronaldo's continental exits show the limits of their swan songs
Not long ago, the results might have been seismic. Or at the very least, worthy of an eyebrows-raised remark. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two leading lights of their generation, the dominant on-field forces for most of this century, both going out of continental competition in the semi-finals? Both in upsets? On the same day? On Wednesday, it actually happened. Messi's Inter Miami fell to Vancouver 5-1 on aggregate in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and Ronaldo's Al-Nassr lost 3-2 to Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League Elite at a nominally neutral site in Saudi Arabia. Both teams entered the season hoping for revenge after falling short of continental glory in the previous campaign. Both made excellent starts. Yet both succumbed to relatively unheralded sides playing a long, long way from home. That the focus is on those two players after these losses is both understandable given their stature, yet also unfair to their opponents. The Vancouver Whitecaps, for one, deserve immense credit for their victory. The Canadians have been the best team in MLS this year, rising to the top of the table and now the Concacaf final with their new coach Jesper Sørensen and without many of the players the team once relied upon. Ryan Gauld, who was at the center of nearly everything good for the Whitecaps for the past few seasons, has watched their recent run from the sidelines as he recovers from a knee injury. Other key players have spent time out of action with knocks or other slightly more serious ailments. Sørensen has rotated personnel to accommodate for those injuries and to balance the demands of league and continental competitions. Through it all, the Whitecaps have maintained a consistent style of play, and a contagious confidence. Few, if any, would have expected this start from these Whitecaps before the season began. 'Being an underdog can make it easier,' Sørensen told reporters after the win over Miami. 'You can play with a bit more freedom.' Indeed, the Whitecaps thoroughly outplayed Miami across the two legs; enough so that the 5-1 aggregate score feels entirely justifiable. They'll be a handful for whoever they face in the final. Likewise, Kawasaki Frontale were not fancied heading into their semi-final against Al-Nassr – a team that features not just Ronaldo but also Sadio Mané, Jhon Durán, Marcelo Brozović and other accomplished veterans of the European circuit. Though at a 'neutral' site, the team had even further to travel than Vancouver did, from Tokyo to Jeddah where an understandably pro-Al-Nassr crowd awaited. Kawasaki, too, are still in their earliest days under a new head coach, with Shigetoshi Hasebe having just taken over after a successful seven years under Toru Oniki. While they haven't been as dominant as Vancouver have in all competitions, the team played with confidence on the big stage, taking advantage of Al-Nassr miscues in defense after Tatsuya Ito opened the game with a beautiful volley from distance. 'There were some big names playing here,' Ito said afterward. 'Before we went on the pitch they were next to me. It felt like it was a video game.' In today's version of that video game, though, Ronaldo and Messi seem fallible, and maybe, just maybe, a little helpless. Both maintain the competitive attitude that got them to the pinnacle of the game – neither is using the last stage of their careers as a vacation. Yet Ronaldo is 40, and Messi is 37, and they are both starting to show it. Not so much in the amount of running and the speed at which they do it, than in the fine margins they sometimes – only sometimes! – lose in key moments. Ronaldo had a chance against Kawasaki to bury one of his trademark headers while seemingly floating on air, but it hit the crossbar. Messi dazzled at several points as he fought his way through thickets of Whitecap defenders, but his efforts on goal were just those few inches off target. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion These misses and losses won't harm either player's legacy, but it's hard to ignore their context. Coming on the same day 17-year-old Lamine Yamal once again looked as if he has the world at his feet, Ronaldo and Messi are a reminder that time marches relentlessly and irrevocably on, and that soccer is not created equal everywhere. Even at their best Messi and Ronaldo didn't do it alone. Defensive issues plagued both Miami and Al-Nassr in their respective disappointments, in ways that neither of the forwards could be expected to do much about. Sergio Ramos was not walking through that door in Jeddah, nor was Carles Puyol in Fort Lauderdale. Chase Stadium is a long way from Camp Nou, as is Jeddah from Madrid and Manchester. What remains, though, are continuing legions of admirers, from the crowds that filled the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah to the children who accompanied Miami and Vancouver on to the field in Florida, all of whom chanted Messi's name in the tunnel before the game. 'Maybe some of the players had a poster of him when they were kids,' Sørensen said of Messi. 'You have to find a way to play the game on your terms … You can not stop [players like that]. You can try to limit them.' On Wednesday, those attempts were successful, and now two legends seem to have limits where few previously stood.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Everton boss Sørensen anticipates tight Merseyside derby
Everton manager Brian Sørensen says that he expects this weekend's Merseyside derby to be another tight affair. The Toffees travel to Anfield to face neighbours Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. The last three Merseyside derbies in the Barclays Women's Super League have produced no more than one goal and Everton boss Sørensen says that another tight contest could be on the agenda this weekend. Advertisement 'I think it will be tight,' Sørensen said. 'Both teams won't want to lose, so they'll give absolutely everything and put their bodies on the line. It could be one of those games where the first goal wins but we will see.' Everton face a Liverpool side led by interim head coach Amber Whiteley for the first time and Sørensen sees differences in The Reds' style of play compared to the previous regime. He said 'They play a little bit more like other teams in the league now. They try to do some similar things to other teams whereas Matt [Beard] has a very distinctive style which was good and hard to play against. They can probably do a bit more against teams in different areas. 'It's a different Liverpool team and it's going to be a hard task. They've had good results and have really good players.' Advertisement With two games to play, victory at Anfield would see Everton close the gap on Liverpool to just two points. Sørensen says that his side will be doing everything that can to catch the red side of the city. He said 'For sure, we will do everything that we can to close the gap as far as we can. We take this game, see if we can get the three points and we will see where we are at when we play the last game against Tottenham.' Everton's Barclays Women's Super League fixture at Liverpool kicks-off at 12pm on Sunday afternoon.
The Guardian
14-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Brian Sørensen ready to sign extension at Everton Women
Everton are in advanced talks over a new, extended contract with their women's team head coach, Brian Sørensen. The 44-year-old, whose contract is due to run out in June 2026, has been in charge since 2022 and oversaw sixth and eighth-place finishes in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Women's Super League. His team sit eighth, three points behind fifth-placed Brighton and 10 points clear of the relegation zone, after three wins in their past six games. Everton had been bottom of the WSL in mid-November after struggling with injuries early in the campaign but they have enjoyed a resurgence since beating Liverpool at Goodison Park and were buoyed up by the completion of The Friedkin Group's takeover of the club in December. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion The new owners are understood to have been impressed with recent performances, while Sørensen is known to be happy and settled in the local area, saying in November that his daughter loves her school and 'has a scouse accent now so it's perfect'. TFG recently commissioned a feasibility study into the viability of Goodison Park becoming the women's long-term home. Sørensen's assistant manager, Stephen Neligan, is also close to extending his stay. The Australian has worked with Sørensen since 2020, as they teamed up at the Danish clubs FC Nordsjælland and Fortuna Hjørring. A new deal for Sørensen – the second-longest serving of the current WSL managers, behind Manchester United's Marc Skinner – would go against the recent trend. Of the 12 WSL clubs, eight had different coaches in charge 12 months ago, while five managers have left their posts this season. Everton and Sørensen are understood to be keen to bring stability to the team. Everton have recalled their 17-year-old defender Issy Hobson from her loan spell at the Women's Championship's bottom side, Sheffield United, to make her available for the final four league fixtures of the WSL campaign.
