Sports

Good Season for MLS, but Growth Needed – LOS ANGELES

Published

4 years ago

November 16, 2018

LOS ANGELES — As if there was any doubt about which brand of football reigns supreme in the United States, look no further than Sunday’s television ratings.
An estimated 16.5 million people watched the San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a mid-season National Football League matchup. In contrast, about 1.6 million viewers tuned in to the inaugural MLS Cup — Major League Soccer’s version of the Super Bowl.

But what a game they saw, along with some 32,000 sodden fans at Foxboro Stadium outside Boston.

When Washington DC United came from two goals down to beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2 on a water-logged pitch in overtime, Hollywood could not have written a better plot to showcase the game to the American sports public.

MLS officials could not have hoped for a better spectacle in its first championship match, a contest sure to win over some new supporters as the world’s sport struggles to elbow itself into the big leagues in a country where American football, baseball, basketball and hockey monopolise the sports stage.

The World Cup two years ago helped, and MLS officials crow that crowds exceeded their wildest expectations.

The league had promised exciting attacking play and the 10 teams delivered, with a 3.4 goals per game average. In 160 regular season games, only five finished 0-0 with the winner decided by shootout.

The early TV ratings from the championship game however, show soccer still has a long way to go.

“We did the World Cup and obviously, our ratings were up for that,” said an ABC network spokesman. “It will take time with soccer, but this was a good first start, especially since it was up against the NFL.”

The average 17,416 attendance through 160 regular-season games was more than double anticipated with some huge crowds in Los Angeles outdrawing even the hometown baseball Dodgers.

More than 92,000 turned out as the Galaxy beat the Tampa Bay Mutiny at the Rose Bowl in the second part of a double-header after the United States played Mexico. And Giants Stadium outside New York saw the biggest crowd for any sporting event there when 78,614 watched the MLS All-Star game.

“We definitely need to do a better marketing job in several of our markets — Denver, Tampa and perhaps even Kansas City — to make the audiences grow in those particular locations,” said MLS Commissioner Douglas Logan.

He pointed out that renegotiation of the current three-year TV contract with the cable sports network ESPN would be crucial to expanding MLS visibility.

“Come our second contract… you are going to see significantly more games over the air as opposed to strictly on cable,” Logan said in the league magazine Freekick.

Meanwhile, the league is going ahead with plans to expand from the present 10 teams to 16, with two new teams being added every two years from 1998 to 2002. Also, from next season, each team will be allowed five foreign players on its roster, up from the current four.

Last week, the New York-New Jersey Metrostars’ Italian World Cup star Roberto Donadoni announced he was abandoning MLS to return to AC Milan, raising questions about the quality of the soccer being played in the United States.

However, sources said it was because Donadoni did not like playing on an artificial surface at Giants Stadium, rather than disillusionment with the fledgling league.

Logan said the league was evolving toward a style of its own, borrowing heavily from the rest of the soccer world.

“I think we will develop a style which will incorporate the athleticism of the American player with the more artistic, soccer-skilled South American style. Fans will see a rather unique style emerge over the next few seasons,” predicted Logan.

Interestingly, three of the four managers who were either fired or resigned during the season were British style advocates — Eddie Firmani at the Metrostars, Frank Stapleton at New England and Bobby Houghton at Colorado.

Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz, who took over for Firmani, quit the Metrostars at the end of the season to take a lucrative job in Japan’s J-League.

U.S. national coach Steve Sampson, who sees his team start the road to France 1998 with a World Cup qualifying match against Guatemala on November 3, is not convinced the level of MLS play has benefited his players.

After the Americans salvaged a 2-2 draw with Mexico in the U.S. Cup competition in June, he said his players were not as sharp as when they were playing in overseas leagues.

William Olson, who covers the MLS for the California-based soccer weekly, Home and Away, is philosophical.

“It’s a point well taken that the standard of play in the MLS is not up to snuff when compared to the elite leagues of Europe or South America.

“But let’s be realistic, those who were expecting that MLS would reach that standard automatically were either intoxicated by having seen the high quality of the World Cup in this country in 1994 or were simply expecting a kind of Utopia to exist.”

Sports

cricbuzz live score cricket match today live | Match Schedules and scores online

Published

11 months ago

August 4, 2021

TNI

Today’s people are so busy living their lives that they miss out on watching exciting cricket matches. This problem can be solved by modernization. There are many options. You can also find information on many websites that will keep you updated about any cricket match. CricBuzz is a popular Indian cricket news website.

Cricbuzz

CricBuzz will provide all information about the matches you cannot view. This website is owned and maintained by the Times Internet. Want to find out more about this site and its popularity? We’ll provide all the details for our readers right here.

CricBuzz, one of the most used websites to view cricket scores and news, is CricBuzz. You can also find it in the app stores. It is possible to download it on your mobile phone to receive updates all the time you are working. It also provides team rankings, text commentary, short videos, and more. CricBuzz’s live score is one the best features. Each and every minute of your game will be updated. No more missing match updates!

CricBuzz, which was originally created by ex-employees of Infosys Pankaj Chaparwal, Pravin Hyde, and Piyush Aggarwal, was founded in the first place. Actually, Pankaj is the creator of this website. He has been with us since the beginning. And is the current CEO. It was 2014 when Times Internet, which is a subsidiary of Times of India joined the ranks of major shareholders.

cricBuzz’s cricket website is actually a cool alternative for all cricket enthusiasts. Do you know how they make money? CricBuzz’s main source of income comes from the live scores they provide to their users. They sell the scores. A variety of advertisements are also displayed on their platform, which allows them to make profits.

CricBuzz: Why is it so popular?

CricBuzz has become one of the most popular websites for cricket. CricBuzz had reached a rank 406 worldwide in 2019. According to Alexa Internet in India, it is ranked 406 globally. It is also very popular among mobile users. CricBuzz is very popular. Let us now talk about what made CricBuzz so popular.

Crickbuzz Live

CricBuzz gives you updates on all the major tournaments, including the Test series and World cups. CricBuzz IPL offers all the schedules and live scores for every game. This website will not let you miss any exciting matches. CricBuzz was popular during the World Cup of 2015. The company saw an influx of visitors in that period. CricBuzz became famous because of this event.

CricBuzz was designed to provide all the information needed to satisfy cricket enthusiasts. You can also see team and player rankings as well as videos of exciting catch or outs. There are also news articles and archives. There are also some online games that are based on cricket. This site also allows you to view live commentary. This is why so many people choose to use this all-encompassing website. CricBuzz’s attractive way of presenting updates helps it gain huge viewers during IPL seasons.

Sponsorship is another reason for this huge popularity. Criccbuzz, the main sponsor for the India-Sri Lanka series of tests in 2015 was also present. This gave the website a lot of exposure in front the media and the general public.

CricBuzz brings you the most up-to-date cricket score updates and ball by-ball commentary on the internet directly to your Windows Phone. CricBuzz’s commentaries are great for those who can’t make it to the match. The commentary’s extremely fast speed means you can read the action as it happens.

You can search scores, commentary, news, and commentary for all Test matches, ODIs, Twenty20 Internationals, as well as all other series, with an intuitive interface. Comprehensive match galleries and international schedules are also included. Radio commentary is also available – all with the swipe of a finger.

Combine this with CricBuzz’s exclusive editorials as well as the most current news content from around world cricket, and you get a complete package. A must-have for all cricket fans.

This is our opinion of the best and most comprehensive app for cricket information on Windows Phone.

Final Thoughts

Cricket is much more than a sport for Indians. It is an emotion. There are millions of cricket enthusiasts all over the country who want to see every match. CricBuzz provides us with updates on cricket and other aspects, which will bring millions of people to their website.

Because it is so easy to use, people can easily see updates. CricBuzz’s popularity is no surprise.

Official sources:

Sports

India vs New Zealand – full news coverage 2021 Watch now with live updates, scores, match dates online

Published

1 year ago

June 17, 2021

TNI

Fans expecting a hassle-free World Test Championship final without rain interruptions should prepare for an additional day of play on book day unless bowlers wreak havoc at Rose Bowl, Southampton. The weather forecast shows thunderstorms, morning showers, passing showers on most days of play that will make it hard for groundsmen to maintain the earth dry.As per the weather prediction from accuweather.com, it is more likely to rain on June 19, June 20, and June 22 than on the other two days. But, the weather won’t be shining during the day’s play on June 18 and June 21 either. On the day, rain is expected to disrupt play.

WTC was launched to attempt to add context to Evaluation cricket.Team India and the Kiwis will be battling it out over the weekend to lift the first-ever Test championship name — combined with $1.6 million in prize money and the iconic Test Mace. The losing team will get $800,000 for finishing second in the nine-team competition.The two sides will divide the entire prize money of $2.4 million in case of a draw.

The teams’ travel so farRELATED STORIESMonsoon Update: Delhi receives mild rainfall, will need to wait longer for monsoon showersStreet stakes on revenge spending; Here are the stocks to watch out forMumbai home society COVID-19 vaccination fraud? : Police, BMC start probeThe Indian team defeated West Indies 2-0 from the Caribbean, South Africa 3-0 and Bangladesh 2-0 in the home, lost to New Zealand 2-0 away prior to the pandemic. India then conquered Australia down under 2-1 and England 3-1 at home before this year.On the other hand, New Zealand pulled against Sri Lanka 1-1 away, lost to Australia 0-3 off before beating India 2-0 at home.

Following the pandemic, the Kiwis won from West Indies and Pakistan 2-0 each at home.With a win percentage of 72.2 and 70 respectively, India and New Zealand completed as two and one on the table and qualified for the final. It was just recently that New Zealand toppled India as the world’s top-ranked Evaluation team on the ICC ranking. However, the two sides are separated by only two evaluation points.Will Kohli’s ICC trophy drought end?This is the first ICC event closing because the 2019 Cricket World Cup’s finale where hosts England beat Williamson-led Kiwis”from the barest of margins,” as cricketer-turned-commentator Ian Smith explained. That was the nearest New Zealand have been to winning an ICC event.This closing is another chance for Williamson’s side to win some high silverware.Kohli has a 60 percent win record as a Test captain (68 percent in ODIs and 64.4 percent in T20Is). But he still has not captained the side to an ICC championship title since taking over from MS Dhoni in every format year ago.

The top-ranked sides have gathered enough points to make the rights to struggle for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship trophy, with the finale in the Rose Bowl beginning June 18. (More Cricket News)The finalists have termed their respective 15-member squads for the five-day showdown, which is predicted to be an edge of the seat thriller. Both sides have some of the best operators in the game, let alone the arrangement. Thus, it’s only fitting to provide a lowdown on some probable match-ups. Here are top-five clashes that will settle the problem:

He’s 7490 runs in the conventional format of this game, at a mean of 52.37 (in 153 innings) with 27 centuries. But the last time the 32-year-old struck a Test ton was in 2019, against Bangladesh in Kolkata. He’s played seven Tests, including two against New Zealand wherein four unique bowlers had dismissed him, with the maximum score of 74 against Australia in Adelaide.Virat Kohli and Tim SoutheeSo, a lot to work for the modern day legend.

He sure will be up against a powerful pace attack in Southampton, with a particular Tim Southee in the middle. The Kiwi fast has dismissed Kohi less than 10 times, including three in Evaluation, same as by Trent Boult. If the top-three failed to fire, India will need Kohli at his best and the skipper will have to tackle Kiwi pacers, particularly the expert Southee. The 32-year-old has 309 wickets from 78 matches in an average of 28.31. He’s almost unplayable under overcast conditions.

Within this WTC campaign, he’s taken 51 wickets in 20.66, and he enjoys bowling against India.Kane Williamson (NZ) vs Jasprit Bumrah (IND)Well, the opposing captain is having some run even though Steve Smith just dislodged him as the top-ranked Test batsman. Kane Williamson, the affable and definitely among the nicest men in world cricket, is searching for an English redemption after New Zealand’s heart-breaking ODI World Cup final defeat. However, for Williamson, the Evaluation mace might well be the greatest trophy in cricket. And he’s coming to the finale with a great deal of runs — 251 vs West Indies, 129+21 vs Pakistan and another double ton (238) against Pakistan. But he is raring to go.

World Test Championship Final, India Vs New Zealand: Players To Watch Out ForHere’s a look at the top players from both India and New Zealand before the World Test Championship (WTC) closing at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, beginning from June 18. © AFPHighlightsIndia take on New Zealand at the WTC final start on FridayBoth teams have several quality players that can make the differenceWe Have a Look at the top players from both sides

The date of June 18 will be a historical day for the cricket calendar because the first-ever World Test Championship final will pit two of the world’s greatest Test sides, India and New Zealand, in the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. While New Zealand are coming out of a new 1-0 win against hosts England at a two-Test series, the Indian team have been prepping through regular training and an intra-squad match in the match venue. Both teams have immense depth in their squads overall, comprising some high-profile professional batters and bowlers.While India boasts the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah in their group,

New Zealand have an equally skilled squad composed of skipper Kane Williamson, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee and Tom Latham.Here’s a look at the top 3 players from both teams to see at the WTC Final:IndiaVirat Kohli: The Indian captain’s previous record and tours of England defines the way the right-wing maestro learnt from each of his previous excursions in the nation. With the incentive of leading the country to its maiden WTC triumph, Kohli can be expected to dictate terms when he gets a steady start at the beginning and his eye in.The India captain had a torrid time with the bat when he toured England but redeemed himself when he travelled to England in 2018 by outscoring everyone.

Rishabh Pant: The volatile Indian wicketkeeper-batsman has been among the most highly-rated participant in world cricket for the past of couple of years. Pant’s unorthodox batsmanship and his temperament of taking the game to the opposition, irrespective of the circumstance, can surely be the X-factor that India need against a strong New Zealand attack.The youthful wicketkeeper-batsman declared himself in Test cricket by beating Adil Rashid for a six over long-on in his debut match.

His greatest score came in the Oval when he smashed 114 runs.Jasprit Bumrah: A bowling attack between Jasprit Bumrah gives an excess tooth to the Indian group. And alongside the likes of Mohammed Shami, Bumrah can wreak havoc against any batting order on earth. His peculiar action and the ability to make the ball slide off the surface makes it hard to get a batsman to cope with.Bumrah has been India’s go-to bowler no matter the conditions. Williamson has been in tremendous form at the longest format of the match with two double centuries in the summer of 2020-21 (251 and 238 from the West Indies and Pakistan respectively).

Despite scoring a hundred at Lord’s, Williamson, in five Tests in the united kingdom, has only 261 runs beneath his belt.Ross Taylor: One of the most experienced members of the New Zealand squad, Taylor creates the backbone of the batting middle-order. His ability to change gears against twist in addition to speed makes him a key figure against the caliber Indian twist of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.The veteran batsman averages over 40 in England in Test cricket.

Sports

Man United vs Everton match report check now | Premier league MUN

Published

1 year ago

February 7, 2021

TNI

Man United vs Everton

Manchester United twice gave up the lead as Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted deep in second-half stoppage time to earn Everton a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Everton looked the more dangerous side in the opening minutes, but it was Manchester United that scored first when Edinson Cavani connected with a lovely Marcus Rashford cross at the back post to head home for the lead on 24 minutes.

Premier League Results and Points Table: The match Manchester United vs Everton ended in a 3-3 draw. Everton scored in the 90+5′ minute to equalize.

Manchester United had hoped to go to the top of the table and believed that they would right up until the injury time of the match.

Manchester United gain a 2-goals lead

The first goal came in the 24th minute for the Red Devils. Edinson Cavani scored as Rashford drifted out to the right-hand side. He had enough time to get his head up and spot his man.

Cavani was alert to the chance and headed it past Olsen to gain the lead for the hosts.

The second goal came right before the half-time whistle. Bruno Fernandes puts Ole’s men two goals ahead. He dummied a pass to Aaron Wan-Bissaka and then received possession to curl a right-footed effort over Olsen into the top-left corner.

On the other hand, Everton are going through a rough patch as they have won only two games out of their last five. They are currently at the 7th spot in Premier League. Ole talked about Pogba’s future: “We’ve got a good open dialogue with Paul, so what we talk about and how we see that situation remains between us of course. I’m just happy he’s focused, he’s playing really well and he’s happy in himself and that’s important. You can see Paul now enjoying playing football with a red shirt on.”

Manchester United vs Everton: Confirmed line-ups

Man United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Pogba, Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford, Cavani

Subs: Henderson, Telles, Williams, Matic, Van De Beek, Martial, Fred, James, Tuanzebe

Everton: Olsen, Holgate, Godfrey, Keane, Digne, Doucoure, Gomes, Davies, Richarlison, James, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Virginia, Nkounkou, Coleman, Delph, Bernard, Iwobi, Mina, Sigurdsson, King

The 26-year-old has been at United for just over a year but he’s already scored 21 league goals. What makes that number even more insane is that he’s also recorded 19 assists in that time-frame.

Fernandes is now in solo second in the race for the Golden Boot, just two goals behind Mohamed Salah.

One man who was impressed with Fernandes’ goal was former United hero, Robin Van Persie.

He wrote on Twitter: “Bruno Fernandes ladies & gentleman. What a joy to watch him play! Just wondering… how many goals for RvP with him in midfield.”

We will never know the answer to that question but it’s a lot.

United were 2-0 up at half-time after goals from Edison Cavani and Bruno Fernandes but the scores were level less than 10 minutes after the interval after Abdoulaye Doucoure capitalised on some sloppy goalkeeping from David de Gea before James Rodriguez rifled in an equaliser.

United restored their advantage when Scott McTominay’s looping header from Luke Shaw’s free-kick crept in at the far post, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin stabbed home deep into injury-time to deny United a huge win. Old Gunnar Solskjaer will be pleased with the way his side attacked but De Gea’s latest mistake might have posed a new dilemma and there is concern over Paul Pogba’s fitness after he limped off with a muscular problem in the first half.