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Liberia are out of World Cup, but President Weah’s son is propelling US to qualification

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Liberia have already crashed out of the qualification for the World Cup. But elsewhere, the son of the Liberian President George Weah, Tim Weah is making waves, propelling the US team as they continue in the qualification for a place at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

According to reports from USA Today, Tim Weah scored in the 11th minute, and the U.S. men’s national soccer team hung on for a 1-1 tie over Jamaica in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday. The Americans caught a break when Jamaica’s would-be game-winner in the 84th minute was waved off for interference.

“Jamaica is a physical team. They were in desperation mode to get a point if not three,”  U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “It was good to limit them to a point.”

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The USMNT dropped to second in the Concacaf standings, a point behind Canada after Canada upset Mexico 2-1 at Edmonton’s Estadio Iceteca. But with six qualifiers left, just two points separate the top four teams.

Concacaf’s top three teams will automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup in Qatar, with the fourth-place team going to a playoff. 

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“We don’t take anything for granted,” Berhalter said. “The next window is going to be important.” 

The Americans played their best game in years in Friday night’s win over Mexico. Berhalter and his players had all talked about the young team not having a letdown against Jamaica, especially since they were short-handed.

Weston McKennie and Miles Robinson were unavailable because of yellow card accumulation, and Christian Pulisic was on limited minutes again as he comes back from a sprained ankle that kept him out for two months.

If not quite a letdown, it wasn’t the sharpest the U.S. men have looked.

They started strong with Weah, who Berhalter called his man of the match Friday, continuing to show he’s a force to be reckoned with.

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He was able to fight off a double-team in the box, and his left-footed shot froze Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake just long enough. Blake, who was on one knee and leaning to his left, tried to shift his weight and threw out his right arm in hopes of getting a piece of the ball, but it rolled beneath him to give the USMNT a 1-0 lead in the 11th.

It was Weah’s second goal with the USMNT, and came in the country where his mother, Clar, was born.

“It felt good being back. Happy to get the goal against them but unfortunately we didn’t get the full points,” Weah said. “But we take the one point and we continue.”

The Americans threatened to add another goal five minutes later, with Blake having to deflect shots by Ricardo Pepi and then Brenden Aaronson.

The saves proved huge in the 22nd, when Michail Antonio beat Tyler Adams and unleashed a banger from 34 yards out that Zack Steffen had no chance of stopping. Of the 53 goals Antonio had scored previously, for both club and country, all had come from inside the box.

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Momentum shifted with the goal, and the Americans were lucky to escape with the draw. Bobby Reid missed a sitter, and the USMNT caught a huge break in the 84th, when Damion Lowe’s would-be game-winner was called off.

Replays showed Lowe had a hand on Walker Zimmerman as they jockeyed for position in front of the goal during a corner kick.

“It was all in our hands,” Jamaica coach Theodore Whitmore said. “The guys kept their head, stayed in the game, managed to equalize and I think we could have gone on and won the game. Numerous opportunities presented itself, but we didn’t capitalize on it. Such is the nature of the game.”

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Ronaldo reaches one billion followers on social media

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Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.

Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.

“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.

“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”

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The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.

The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.

Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.

-Reuters

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Over a million subscribe as Ronaldo launches YouTube channel

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Euro 2024 - Quarter Final - Portugal v France - Hamburg Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany - July 5, 2024 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo after taking a penalty during the penalty shootout REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File photo

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.

The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.

A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.

Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.

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The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.

-Reuters

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Lionel Messi set to hang boots

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Messi Sets Record Straight Over Hong Kong Absence -

Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.

Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.

“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.

“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.

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Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.

-Reuters

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