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29 minutes ago
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A rugby tour 12 years in the making: Australia awaits the British and Irish Lions
Associated Press BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — A huge economic boost, 40,000 British and Irish visitors in a swathe of red supporter gear, and the combined rugby might of four countries set to take on Australia. The 10-match British and Irish Lions tour — a once-every-12-year occasion for Australia — kicks off next month and local organizers are already primed for the influx of rugby-loving visitors from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The first of three test matches is 50 days away, in Brisbane on July 19. The second test is scheduled for July 26 in Melbourne and the third in Sydney on Aug. 2. 'The Lions is something that tends to reach beyond just the rugby union fans,' Australia head coach Joe Schmidt said during a visit Friday to Suncorp Stadium, "because it's such an infrequent tour, people just get interested and we'd love to earn the support of all those folk by being really competitive. 'I'd love to think we're in the hunt.' Who are the Lions? The first Lions tour in 1888 comprised mostly English players and included matches in Australia and New Zealand. The tradition grew and since 1989, a Lions squad featuring Irish, England, Scottish and Welsh players has toured every four years on a rotational basis to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Andy Farrell is head coach of a 38-man squad for the 2025 tour, with England lock Maro Itoje selected as captain. Recent history Australian rugby has declined since its historic 2001 series victory over the Lions. The 1999 Rugby World Cup champions recovered to clinch that series with back-to-back wins in Melbourne and Sydney after a first-test loss in Brisbane, when the Wallabies were stunned by a crowd overwhelmingly dominated by visiting fans. In 2013, the Lions — coming off a mid-week loss to the Canberra-based Brumbies in a tour game — edged Australia 23-21 in the first test in Brisbane and then, after losing 16-15 in Melbourne, rallied for a comprehensive 41-6 victory in Sydney. Wallabies resurgence After failing to make the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals in 2023, Australia has been in a rebuilding phase under New Zealand-born Schmidt, a former Ireland coach. The Wallabies had six wins in 13 tests in a 2024 season that ended in a 22-19 loss to Ireland in Dublin, but an influx of new players and some improved performances have increased expectations for 2025. Schmidt, who will start assembling his squad next month as domestic teams bow out of the Super Rugby Pacific championship, knows that the Wallabies need to start being more consistent to win back the support of an Australian public which has a vast number of sporting choices. The Wallabies are No. 8 in the World Rugby rankings for men's international teams and need to improve quickly to get a good seeding for the 2027 World Cup, which Australia is hosting. We 'need a series of really good performances and, and it's something that we're aspirational about and we work really hard behind the scenes to try to get into the mix,' Schmidt said. 'I think some of the promising signs, the way the Wallabies finished off last year, the way the Super Rugby teams have competed this year, and so it's our challenge to try to continue that.' Seeing red James Horwill, Australia's captain in the 2013 series, has seen enough red when it comes to Lions tours. His enduring memory of the 2001 series, when he was a teenager watching the first test on TV? 'It felt like a home game for the British and Irish Lions just with just with the red shirts and the crowd," he said. He said there was more obvious support for Australia 12 years ago with more fans in gold, but the red of the Lions still stood out. 'You walk out of the hotel, there was red everywhere. It's almost like the British and Irish Lions fans don't bring anything else other than red t-shirts,' he said. 'They wear it everywhere, so we need our fans here to step up to the mark because we know they're coming in droves from the U.K." ___ AP rugby:
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44 minutes ago
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Messi leads Inter Miami against the Columbus Crew
Associated Press Columbus Crew (7-2-7, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Inter Miami CF (7-3-5, fifth in the Eastern Conference) Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Inter Miami CF +109, Columbus +203, Draw +286; over/under is 3.5 goals BOTTOM LINE: Lionel Messi leads Inter Miami into a matchup with the Columbus Crew after scoring two goals against CF Montreal. Miami is 6-1-4 in Eastern Conference games. Messi leads the second-ranked scoring team in the Eastern Conference with eight. Miami has scored 31 goals. The Crew are 5-2-4 against Eastern Conference opponents. The Crew rank eighth in the MLS allowing only 19 goals. Saturday's game is the second time these teams square off this season. Miami won the last meeting 1-0. TOP PERFORMERS: Messi has scored eight goals and added three assists for Miami. Jordi Alba has two assists over the last 10 games. Diego Rossi has scored eight goals with two assists for the Crew. Jacen Russell-Rowe has three goals and one assist over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Miami: 3-3-4, averaging 2.0 goals, 4.7 shots on goal and 6.0 corner kicks per game while allowing 2.0 goals per game. Crew: 4-2-4, averaging 1.8 goals, 4.6 shots on goal and 5.5 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.5 goals per game. NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Miami: David Ruiz (injured), Baltasar Rodriguez (injured), Drake Callender (injured). Crew: Patrick Schulte (injured), Sean Zawadzki (injured), Mohamed Farsi (injured), Rudy Camacho (injured). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Fox Sports
an hour ago
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Segal leads the Houston Dynamo against Sporting Kansas City
Associated Press Sporting Kansas City (3-8-4, 14th in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Dynamo (5-6-5, 10th in the Western Conference) Houston; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Houston -129, Sporting Kansas City +330, Draw +268; over/under is 2.5 goals BOTTOM LINE: Gabe Segal leads the Houston Dynamo into a matchup with Sporting Kansas City after scoring two goals against New York City FC. The Dynamo are 4-5-4 against Western Conference teams. The Dynamo are seventh in the MLS drawing 84 corner kicks, averaging 5.3 per game. Sporting KC is 3-6-3 against Western Conference teams. Sporting KC is 1-6 in matches decided by one goal. The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Ezequiel Ponce has four goals and one assist for the Dynamo. Felipe De Andrade Vieira has two goals over the last 10 games. Dejan Joveljic has scored seven goals with one assist for Sporting KC. Daniel Salloi has four goals and one assist over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Dynamo: 5-2-3, averaging 1.7 goals, 4.2 shots on goal and 5.6 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.1 goals per game. Sporting KC: 3-4-3, averaging 1.7 goals, 4.4 shots on goal and 3.3 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.7 goals per game. NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Dynamo: Nelson Quinones (injured), Lawrence Ennali (injured), Andrew Tarbell (injured), Daniel Steres (injured), Erik Sviatchenko (injured). Sporting KC: Jake Davis (injured), Joaquin Fernandez (injured), Nemanja Radoja (injured). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. recommended
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an hour ago
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Choupo-Moting and the New York Red Bulls host Atlanta United
Associated Press Atlanta United FC (4-7-5, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Red Bulls (7-6-3, sixth in the Eastern Conference) Harrison, New Jersey; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: New York -108, Atlanta United FC +266, Draw +262; over/under is 2.5 goals BOTTOM LINE: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting leads the New York Red Bulls into a matchup with Atlanta United after scoring two goals against Charlotte FC. The Red Bulls are 5-5-3 against Eastern Conference teams. The Red Bulls are fourth in the Eastern Conference allowing only 19 goals. United is 4-7-2 in Eastern Conference games. United has a 4-0-0 record in games it records more than two goals. The teams meet Saturday for the second time this season. The last meeting finished tied 0-0. TOP PERFORMERS: Choupo-Moting has scored nine goals for the Red Bulls. Mohammed Sofo has three goals over the last 10 games. Emmanuel Latte Lath has five goals and one assist for United. Jamal Thiare has three goals over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Red Bulls: 5-4-1, averaging 1.9 goals, 4.0 shots on goal and 4.5 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.3 goals per game. United: 2-5-3, averaging 1.1 goals, 3.4 shots on goal and 4.5 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.7 goals per game. NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Red Bulls: Roald Mitchell (injured), Marcelo Morales (injured), Dylan Nealis (injured), Felipe Carballo (injured), Lewis Morgan (injured). United: Brooks Lennon (injured), Tristan Muyumba (injured), Stian Gregersen (injured). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. recommended
Fox Sports
an hour ago
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Charlotte FC tries to end road losing streak in matchup with Toronto
Associated Press Charlotte FC (7-8-1, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Toronto FC (3-9-4, 13th in the Eastern Conference) Toronto; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Charlotte FC +153, Toronto FC +166, Draw +234; over/under is 2.5 goals BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte FC visits Toronto aiming to stop a four-game road slide. Toronto is 2-8-2 in Eastern Conference play. Toronto is 1-4-1 when it scores just one goal. Charlotte is 4-6-0 against Eastern Conference opponents. Charlotte is 1-3-0 when it scores only one goal. The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams. TOP PERFORMERS: Federico Bernardeschi has four goals and three assists for Toronto. Theodor Corbeanu has three goals over the last 10 games. Liel Abada has six goals and one assist for Charlotte. Patrick Agyemang has four goals and one assist over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Toronto: 3-5-2, averaging 1.2 goals, 4.2 shots on goal and 3.1 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.0 goal per game. Charlotte: 4-6-0, averaging 1.6 goals, 5.2 shots on goal and 3.8 corner kicks per game while allowing 2.1 goals per game. NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Toronto: Markus Cimermancic (injured), Nickseon Gomis (injured), Deandre Christopher Kerr (injured), Kobe Lloyd Franklin (injured), Richie Laryea (injured), Raoul Petretta (injured). Charlotte: Jahlane Forbes (injured), Nimfasha Berchimas (injured), Brandon Cambridge (injured), Idan Gorno (injured), Nathan Byrne (injured), Timothy Michael Ream (injured). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
