International Football
Nigerian-born Balogun’s strike helps USA to Nations League title
Nigerian-born Arsenal player, Folarin Balogun scored his first goal for the United States as they clinched the CONCACAF Nations League with a 2-0 win over Canada at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
Arsenal striker Balogun, making just his second appearance since switching his national team allegiance from England, grabbed the second goal for the US after Chris Richards had headed them in front in the 12th minute.
The US have won both of the Nations League tournaments held in the CONCACAF region and will now look for a regional double in the Gold Cup later this month.
Both goals were created by midfielder Gio Reyna, a player who found himself involved in the off-the field sagas surrounding head coach Gregg Berhalter, who was re-appointed on Friday.
Reyna’s perfectly floated corner was firmly headed in by Richards, who arrived at the back post with little close attention from the Canadian defence.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder then set up Balogun’s maiden goal for his new team, bursting out of midfield before slipping the ball through the defence and into the path of the striker who confidently drove home.
It was a natural striker’s finish, with Balogun taking the ball in his stride and drilling home first-time from an angle.
Balogun spent last season on loan from Arsenal to French Ligue 1 club Reims where hs scored 21 goals and while his club future remains uncertain, he looks set to be a firm part of the American squad heading into the 2026 World Cup which they will co-host with Canada and Mexico.
The New York-born forward, who moved to England when he was a two-year-old, was part of the England Under-21 team before switching to the US in May.
He made his debut in the 3-0 semi-final win over Mexico and on Sunday’s final he struck up a strong understanding with wingers Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic in what now looks a very promising U.S forward line.
“I’m just over the moon we were able to win tonight,” said Balogun.
“It’s going to take time to build relationships with my team-mates. I’m just delighted that (the goal) helped us to win this game. I’ve only been here a short time, but I feel like I’m part of something big And it’s a great feeling,” he added.
Despite their midfield being weakened by the absence of first choices Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, the Americans were dominant for large stretches.
Reyna had to go off at the interval with an ankle injury and the US looked less fluent without him but they showed plenty of spirit to neutralise Canada.
“We got the result tonight and we put in a top performance once again. We fought, we battled,” said captain Pulisic.
“It’s another step in the right direction. It’s just going to be about these knockout games come those big tournaments – Copa America, World Cup – when times get tough we’ve got to step up, score the goals when it counts and keep them out of our goal. We did a good job of that tonight,” he said.
The US, being led by interim coach B.J Callaghan ahead of Berhalter’s return to the team, gave few opportunities to a Canada team who remain without a trophy in 23 years.
The best chance for John Herdman’s team fell to Cyle Larin in the 67th minute but after his drive was blocked, he put his second attempt high over the bar.
Alphonso Davies, the Bayern Munich winger who is so often the danger man for Canada, was kept quiet for much of the game with the US doubling up their marking on him.
Davies’ chances only came in the final stages when some desperate blocks from the Americans kept him out.
Mexico claimed third place in the tournament after beating Panama 1-0 thanks to a fourth minute goal from Jesus Gallardo.
-AFP
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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