John Herdman hopes a short break from action allowed Toronto FC an emotional reset and the chance to build chemistry ahead of Saturday s return to MLS play at the Houston Dynamo.
Toronto reached the first knockout stage of the Leagues Cup but were beaten 4-3 by Inter Miami in a thrilling tie on August 9, giving them over two weeks to prepare for their next game.
With Toronto currently occupying a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, Herdman hopes they can use that match as a learning experience ahead of the run-in.
We ve had a good crack at it. Miami will always be some way around the finals, Herdman said, reflecting on the Reds Leagues Cup run.
It s a good lesson for us because if you want to make the playoffs, these are the teams you have to learn…
Maybe it s wishful thinking, but if Denmark could pick a moment to remember from their Euro 2020 campaign, surely this would be near the top of the list.
Toe-poke, trivela, call it what you will – Joakim Maehle s outside-of-the-foot cross for the second goal against the Czech Republic was one of the finest pieces of skill seen at these finals.
With enough pace to elude defenders but not the arriving Kasper Dolberg, curling away from Czech heads and onto the striker s foot, it was impudent expertise of the highest order.
It was also entirely in keeping with Maehle s standard of performances at this tournament. This was no fluke or Hail Mary; this was calculated brilliance by a player at the top of his game.
Maehle s form has been a bit of a subplot to…
Portugal overcame a poor a Czech Republic side 1-0 in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 last night.
The victory was achieved courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo header with just 11 minutes left on the clock.
In truth Portugal was the only team out of the two that ever looked like winning the game.
Deserved
Portugal deserved to go through to the semi-finals. They completely dominated the game and the Czech’s looked like they hoped to catch the Portuguese out on a set-piece or a counter-attack.
However, Portugal kept plugging away and finally got their reward through Cristiano Ronaldo’s header. The Real-Madrid star had already hit the woodwork twice with earlier efforts. That took his tally of goals to three for the tournament.
Impressed
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Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick and registered two assists as Argentina crushed Bolivia 6-0 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires.
Having been held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela last time out, the Albiceleste – who remained top of the CONMEBOL qualification group – took out their frustrations on Oscar Villegas visitors.
Messi latched onto Lautaro Martinez s pass before coolly dispatching his finish past the oncoming Guillermo Viscarra for a 19th-minute opener, then a quickfire double on the stroke of half-time took the game away from Bolivia.
Messi unselfishly squared for Martinez to tap home their second in the 43rd minute, then recorded his second assist by finding Julian Alvarez with a quick free-kick three minutes into stoppage time, with the Atletic…
Lionel Messi has edged out Robert Lewandowski to the 2021 Ballon d Or award, a seventh of his magnificent career.
World football s most prestigious individual accolade was back up for grabs this year, with the ceremony taking place in Paris on Monday, where Messi was announced as the winner with Lewandowski second.
The Bayern Munich striker would almost certainly have won his maiden Ballon d Or in 2020, only for France Football to decide not to hand out the award due to the coronavirus pandemic, and was pipped by Paris Saint-Germain star Messi this year in the running for the 2021 iteration.
Lewandowski did get the consolation prize of the inaugural Striker of the Year award.
Was it the right choice, though? Using Opta data, Stats Perform assesses wh…
England’s all-time record scorer Harry Kane opened his international goal account within 80 seconds of making a “dream” debut on this day in 2015.
Kane netted almost immediately after coming on as a 70th-minute substitute against Lithuania at Wembley, wrapping up a 4-0 win with a thumping far-post header.
The then 21-year-old, who had already scored 29 goals for Tottenham that season, was given a standing ovation as he took to the field and it did not take him long to get the sell-out crowd back on their feet as, with one of his first touches, he found the back of the net.
Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling scored England’s other goals, but the headlines belonged to Kane after a one-sided Euro 2016 qualifier.
Lithuania are opponents t…
It’s reunion week for the Los Angeles Rams and new franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, hosting his former club the Detroit Lions for the first time since the two teams swapped QBs as part of a trade this past winter.
Stafford and the Rams are big NFL betting favorites taking the fumbling Lions and former L.A. passer Jared Goff, laying anywhere between -14.5 and -16. Detroit’s fortunes are not as bright as its California counterpart’s, lugging an 0-6 record with it to Los Angeles in Week 7.
Here are our NFL free picks and predictions for Lions at Rams on October 24.
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The Eagles travel to Miami to face the Dolphins, with both teams looking ahead to a new season. Both teams are 1-1 in the preseason. We’ve heard plenty about the relationship between Jalen Hurts and his former college teammate Tua Tagovailoa, so we’re expecting to see something fun here.
Ahead of this game, you need to read our NFL picks and predictions for the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Miami Dolphins.
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Every season bettors make the assumption that NFL teams that were good and bad the previous season (barring huge roster turnover) are largely going to perform similarly in the upcoming season. However, as some more well-versed bettors know there are some key indicators that can help identify which teams over- and underperformed in the win column. One of those key indicators is turnover margin.
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In an NFL odds upset, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs unexpectedly fell to the Denver Broncos last week, with the two-time MVP completing just 24 of 38 passes for 240 yards, adding zero touchdowns and throwing two picks in the process.
The lackluster offensive output led to Mahomes’ first career loss to the Broncos, and now the Chiefs have the tall task of traveling across the pond for a Week 9 AFC showdown with the Miami Dolphins.
Can he turn things around in Frankfurt or will the Chiefs’ struggles continue in front of international eyes?
Keep reading my free NFL picks below for my best Patrick Mahomes odds and be sure to check out our Dolphins vs. Chiefs picks and Dolphins vs. Chiefs prop picks as well.
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