Category Archives: Deportes

Manchester City Reportedly Closing Deal for Julian Alvarez

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Julian Alvarez is thisclose to heading to Manchester City…

ManCity is close to sealing a deal for the 21-year-old Argentine professional footballer and River Plate forward, according to ESPN sources.

Julian AlvarezCity believe they have seen off competition from AC Milan for Alvarez with the final details to be ironed out before an agreement is reached. Sources have told ESPN the overall cost of the transfer could be less than £20 million.

It;s likely that Alvarez, who has already been capped five times by Argentina, won’t move to the Etihad Stadium until next summer at the earliest but sources have told ESPN he would be considered a first-team signing.

Until he is ready to move to England, City will consider loaning him back to River Plate or arranging another loan elsewhere.

Asked about Alvarez following the 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday, Pep Guardiola remained tight-lipped.

“I don’t have any information from the club, anything,” he said.

“Not one word. I don’t know anything. I don’t have any information about the club.”

Alvarez is considered to be one of the best young players in South America and should City get a deal over the line, it would be a coup of the Premier League champions following interest from Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

City remain open to the idea that he could be part of Guardiola’s senior squad next season but sources have told ESPN his arrival would not change their plans to sign an established striker in the summer.

Ricardo Pepi Named to U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team for Upcoming World Cup Qualifiers

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Ricardo Pepi is set to represent the United States…

The 18-year-old Mexican American professional soccer player, fresh off his transfer from FC Dallas to Augsburg earlier this month, appears on the United States men’s national team roster for manager Gregg Berhalter ahead of an upcoming three-game World Cup qualifying window.

Ricardo PepiPepi appears on a roster that includes Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams.

Through eight of 14 matches, the United States sits second in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings with 15 points — a point behind first-place Canada and a point ahead of Mexico and Panama. The top three teams automatically qualify for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, while the fourth-place finisher will play a single-match qualifier in June.

The United States hosts El Salvador in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday and plays at Canada in Hamilton, Ontario, on January 30 before finishing the window against Honduras in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 2.

The 28-man roster features Luca De la Torre, who has seen his profile rise recently through strong play with Heracles in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Borussia Dortmund attacker Giovanni Reyna, who recently returned to training in Germany following a hamstring injury he suffered on international duty in September, remains unavailable.

“That was another one that was a difficult decision in the end,” Berhalter said. “Together with Gio, we thought the best thing for him to do is to stay at Dortmund, train these weeks and try to get into their squad.”

Here’s a look at the roster:

GOALKEEPERS (4): Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 9/0), Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Zack Steffen (Manchester City/ENG; 26/0), Matt Turner (New England Revolution; 13/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Reggie Cannon (Boavista/POR; 22/1), Sergino Dest (Barcelona/ESP; 15/2), Brooks Lennon (Atlanta United; 1/0), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL; 8/0), Chris Richards (Hoffenheim/GER; 6/0), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG; 15/3), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 15/3), DeAndre Yedlin (Galatasaray/TUR; 71/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 23/2)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Kellyn Acosta (LAFC; 45/2), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 22/1), Luca De la Torre (Heracles/NED; 4/0), Sebastian Lletget (New England Revolution; 33/8), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 28/8), Yunus Musah (Valencia/ESP; 11/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 30/0)

FORWARDS (8): Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT; 15/5), Paul Arriola (DC United; 42/8), Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas; 5/2), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 40/10), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 42/17), Timothy Weah (Lille/FRA; 18/2), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew; 66/14)

LA Galaxy Pursuing Brazil’s Douglas Costa

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Douglas Costa could be headed to Southern California.

The LA Galaxy are in pursuit of the 31-year-old Brazilian professional footballer and Brazil international midfielder, according to ESPN.

Douglas CostaCosta had been on loan at Gremio from Italian giants Juventus. But following Gremio’s relegation to Serie B last month, the club is facing a significant cut to its finances, and Costa is close to terminating his loan.

One source said that negotiations between Costa and the Galaxy were “moving along” but not done yet.

The Galaxy are in need of bolstering their midfield following the offseason departures of Jonathan dos Santos to Club America and Sebastian Lletget via a trade to the New England Revolution, even after they acquired Marky Delgado from Toronto FC last week.

Costa has played for some of the world’s biggest clubs. In addition to his time at Juve, he had two separate stints with Bayern Munich. He began his pro career with Gremio in 2008 before securing a move to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010.

After spending five seasons in Donetsk, during which he won 11 trophies, Costa made the move to Bayern where he spent the next two campaigns. During his time in Munich, Costa won two Bundesliga titles as well as a DFB-Pokal. His stint in Turin was also prolific, winning three Serie A titles. A loan stint at Bayern during the 2020-21 saw him claim another Bundesliga title. He returned to Gremio on loan, but couldn’t prevent the club’s first relegation since 2004. All told he made 462 league and cup appearances scoring 68 goals.

At international level, Costa has made 31 appearances for Brazil, scoring three goals. He was part of the squad that reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Alex de Minaur Reaches Australian Open Fourth Round for the First Time

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It’s a sweet 16 for Alex de Minaur…

The 22-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian tennis player has reached the Australian Open‘s round of 16 for the first time, the local hope winning his ninth straight set at Melbourne Park as he defeated Pablo Andujar.

Alex de Minaur,de Minaur, the 32nd seed, beat the Spanish veteran and regular hitting partner Andujar 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in another commanding display as Australian tennis great Rod Laver watched on in the stadium named in his honor on Saturday.

de Minaur will face Italian 20-year-old world No. 10 Jannik Sinner, who has beaten the Australian in both previous encounters, for a place in the quarterfinals.

de Minaur, ranked 42 in the world, lost the first set in his first round clash but has won his past nine to build his best home campaign.

Andujar, who will turn 36 on Sunday, joined the tour in 2003 and has returned from three separate surgeries on his right elbow to hit a ranking high of 32 in the world seven years ago.

He made the Australian earn it, but de Minaur obliged in trademark fashion to run down the Spaniard’s best and counter with some scintillating shot-making of his own.

de Minaur rifled a forehand down the line to secure the decisive break in the first set, while a pinpoint lob earned applause from his opponent in the second set after the Australian had somehow scrambled to stay in the point.

The cracks opened, a double fault handed de Minaur a break in the third set and he rammed home his advantage with another monster forehand in the next game.

“Pretty exciting to play here at Rod Laver Arena at 7pm in front of Rod Laver himself … it’s a pretty amazing feeling and I got the win so what more can I ask for,” de Minaur said on court.

“(I’m expecting) a lot of firepower from Jannik, he’s a hell of a player so I’m just looking forward to it.”

de Minaur is set to rise at least nine spots to No. 33 in the world thanks to his career-best performance at Melbourne Park.

Deiveson Figueiredo Defeats Brandon Moreno to Reclaim UFC Flyweight Title

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Deiveson Figueiredo has reclaimed his belt…

The 34-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist (21-2-1) reclaimed the 125-pound title he lost to Brandon Moreno (19-6-2) in August by defeating his Mexican rival in a unanimous decision.

All three judges scored the flyweight title fight, which co-headlined UFC 270 inside the Honda Center, in favor of Figueiredo, 48-47.

Saturday’s result brings the rivalry to an even record of 1-1-1. The two fought to a draw in December 2020, before Moreno dominated Figueiredo in their second meeting. After losing by submission in the rematch, however, Figueiredo looked like a completely different fighter in the trilogy, as his cardio and mental preparation was obvious.

“Today is my day,” Figueiredo said. “For this moment, for Brandon, for us to give you the gift of a fight of the night, for everyone who was here. I’ve been away from my family for four months. I’m ready for a fourth fight against Brandon in Mexico.”

According to UFC Stats, Moreno outlanded Figueiredo 106-95 in total strikes. But Figueiredo landed several devastating strikes, including a heavy right hand that knocked Moreno down, badly hurting him, at the end of the third round.

“I feel like I threw the better combinations with more speed, maybe he connected a little bit more power,” Moreno said. “Obviously, I thought I won, but it is what it is right now. I feel I was putting better pace on the fight. I don’t know. I need to watch the fight again and see what happened.”

The trilogy bout saw the best of both men. Moreno’s boxing and footwork were on display all night. He had great success with his left hook at the end of exchanges and was hard to track down in wrestling scrambles. Figueiredo answered with heavy low leg kicks that knocked Moreno off balance and powerful right hands.

Figueiredo left his native Brazil ahead of Saturday’s fight to train with former flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo in Arizona, and his adjustments clearly paid off. His patience was better, and his weight cut during fight week was noticeably improved from August.

 

Moreno’s popularity exploded after he won the belt. Saturday’s crowd was heavily in his favor and played a big role in the UFC setting a new gate record at the Honda Center.

 

The loss was Moreno’s first since May 2018.

Miguel Angel Jimenez Wins Mitsubishi Electric Championship for Third Time

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Miguel Angel Jimenez is feeling electric…

The 58-year-old Spanish professional golfer birdied the par-4 18th hole in regulation for a 6-under 66 and then beat Steven Alker on the second playoff hole to win the PGA Tour Champions season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship for the third time.

Miguel Angel Jimenez“It’s a nice way to start a season. It’s nice to be here, winning again in Hualalai,” said the cigar-smoking, free-spirited Spaniard. “The golf course, I like it very much. The golf course is set up in beautiful condition this year. They make it very good here at Hualalai.”

Jimenez won two years ago in a playoff, along with winning outright in 2015. The season opener is for winners from the last two years and senior major champions from the last five years, along with a few sponsor exemptions.

Alker had no PGA Tour Champions status late last year under getting it through a qualifier and then finishing in the top 10 each week to keep playing, eventually winning. He also closed with a 66 to join Jimenez at 17-under 199.

They finished one shot ahead of Vijay Singh and Stephen Ames, who each birdied the final hole for a 68.

Ernie Els, who had the lead going into the final day, couldn’t keep up and had to settle for a 70. He finished three shots behind.

Alker had a chance to win with a birdie at the 18th on the first extra hole, narrowly missing the cut. Playing the 18th again in the playoff, his approach came off the green and into a bunker, and he failed to save par.

“It was fun to get in position and have a chance,” Alker said.

Jimenez joined Bernhard Langer as the only three-time winner of the tournament.

It was his 11th career victory on the PGA Tour Champions, four of them in playoffs.

Glover Teixeira to Defend UFC Light Heavyweight Title Against Jiri Prochazka

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Glover Teixeira is going on the defensive…

The 42-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist and UFC light heavyweight champion will defend his title against Jiri Prochazka on May 7, according to ESPN sources.

Glover TeixeiraBoth Teixeira and Prochazka have committed to the date and opponent.

The 205-pound title fight will take place on a UFC 274 pay-per-view event. The UFC has not announced an official venue for the event.

Teixeira (33-7) capped off an improbable run to the UFC title in October, when he submitted Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267 to capture a belt at age 42. The victory came more than seven years after Teixeira came up short in his first title bid against Jon Jones in 2014. 

Originally from Brazil, now fighting out of Connecticut, Teixeira has won six in a row, including finishes of Blachowicz, Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith.

Prochazka (28-3-1) has been a dark horse in the 205-pound division ever since signing with the UFC in 2020. He’s fought only twice inside the Octagon, but he’s been supremely impressive in finishes of Volkan Oezdemir and Dominick Reyes.

Prochazka, of Czech Republic, has recorded 10 consecutive knockout finishes.

Julián Périco Sets 36-Hole Record at Latin America Amateur Championship

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Julián Périco is makin’ history…

The 22-year-old Peruvian professional golfer shot a second-round 66 on Friday to set a new Latin America Amateur Championship 36-hole record and take the tournament lead by three strokes.

Julián PéricoPerico sits at 9-under at Casa de Campo‘s Teeth of the Dog course, which broke the previous tournament record set by Brazilian André Tourinho during the first LAAC in 2015.

This is Perico’s fifth LAAC appearance, and though he’s finished in the top six twice but never won, he’s positioned himself as the favorite to win an automatic bid to the Masters, the Open Championship and the final rounds of U.S. Open qualifying with a victory.

“I feel I am doing things right, particularly my attitude and staying positive on the course,” said Perico, who birdied 11 through 14 and the par-5 18th. “Whenever I had a chance to attack the pin, I went for it. But it was a very clean round. I never forced anything.”

Argentina’s Segundo Oliva Pinto, a teammate of Périco’s at the University of Arkansas, is three strokes behind.

“I was not feeling that good with my game in the morning,” said Oliva Pinto, who had a slow start to Friday’s round but had four birdies on the back nine. “But I was able to keep being aggressive.”

Three more Argentines, including defending champion Abel Gallegos, Vicente Marzilio and Mateo Fernández de Oliveira, are tied for third along with Mexico’s Santiago De La Fuente, Aaron Jarvis from the Cayman Islands and Puerto Ricans Jerónimo Esteve and Roberto Nieves.

“I never thought about being in [this] position,” said the 20-year-old De La Fuente, who is playing his second LAAC. “I am just thinking about playing solid and if it happens, it happens.”

Périco and Oliva Pinto are also joined by Arkansas teammates Fernandez de Oliveira and Colombian Juan Camilo Vesga (4-under) in the top 10.

Only 15 players remain under par after the second round. The tournament cut (+6) leaves the top 53 players heading into weekend play.

Skydance Sports & Meadowlark Media Developing Project That Highlights the Life & Career of Diana Taurasi

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Diana Taurasi’s life story is getting the Hollywood treatment…

Skydance Sports, the sports content division of Skydance Media, has agreed to a partnership with Meadowlark Media for the production of unscripted sports content, including a special project dedicated to the 39-year-old Argentine American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Diana Taurasi

The project is billed as the definitive, authorized chronicle of the life and career of Taurasi, considered one of the greatest female basketball players of all time.

Taurasi, the most accomplished player in the history of women’s basketball, whose accolades include three NCAA titles, three WNBA titles, five Olympic gold medals, multiple European League championships and numerous individual honors.

 

Her penchant for scoring in crucial situations has earned her the nickname “White Mamba“, coined by Kobe Bryant.

The companies are also co-producing Good Neighbors, a docuseries on what is arguably the world’s greatest soccer rivalry—that between the U.S. and Mexican men’s national teams. It’s currently in production and will debut in front of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Skydance Media is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010, which is active across film, television, Interactive, Animation, New Media and Sports, with studios in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Spain and Canada. Recent releases from the company include The Tomorrow War and Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse for Amazon Prime, each of which became the streamer’s number one film on the week of their release.

Meadowlark Media is a content studio and creator network founded last year by Skipper and radio and podcast host Dan Le Batard that develops premium content for third-party buyers across audio, video and digital.

Portland Timbers Transfer MLS Legend Diego Valeri to Argentina’s Lanús

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Diego Valeri is heading home…

The 35-year-old Argentine professional footballer and Portland Timbers midfielder  is heading home to Argentina.

Diego Valeri

The Portland Timbers have announced an agreement with Lanus for the transfer of the 35-year-old Argentine professional footballer and former Major League Soccer (MLS) MVP.

Lanus plays in Argentina’s top division.

A nine-year veteran of the Timbers, Valeri scored 100 goals and 104 assists in 306 matches across all competitions.

He’s the team regular season leader for both goals (86) and assists (91). Valeri is just the third player in MLS history to reach 80 goals and 80 assists in regular-season play. He was named the MLS Cup‘s Most Valuable Player in 2015 when the Timbers defeated the Columbus Crew for the league championship.

In 2017, he was honored as the league MVP after scoring 21 goals with 11 assists. He was a five-time MLS All-Star and in 2020 was named one of the league’s 25 greatest players.

“I do not believe there has been a more impactful Designated Player signing in the history of MLS than Diego Valeri,” Timbers owner Merritt Paulson said in a statement. “He changed what clubs looked for in a DP — not a brand to put fans in the seats and sell sponsorships, but a rising European level talent who chose to make America his home and legacy.”

Valeri also became a beloved member of the Portland community, known for painting playrooms for foster children and jumping into pickup futsal games. Valeri and his family were ardent supporters of the Portland Thorns, the National Women’s Soccer League team. Valeri is a product of the Lanus academy, which he joined at age 9. He went on to play 158 matches with the senior team from 2003-13.

In addition to the transfer, the Timbers and Lanus agreed to a testimonial match in Portland next year, during which Valeri will play a half for each team. Details were not yet announced.

Upon his retirement, Valeri will become an ambassador for the Timbers.