The managers of the U.S. and Canada men's national teams hope tournament is free from political undertones

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Pochettino, Marsch want to keep politics of out tournamentU.S. tariffs among the recent points of tension in the regionMarsch has said geopolitics could fuel national prideWHAT HAPPENED?

The national team managers of the United States and Canada both downplayed the impact of politics for this week's CONCACAF Nations League finals, set to kick off Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Speaking to the media this week, both Mauricio Pochettino and Jesse Marsch steered clear of questions about geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and its neighboring countries, with the Nations League staged amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial policies, including his tariffs on Mexico and Canada.

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Marsch, a native of Wisconsin, has been a vocal opponent of Trump's policies, and recently admitted that he was "ashamed" of how America is treating a long-term ally. He also said that the tensions could also serve as fuel for his team should they meet the U.S. in the final.

Getty Images SportWHAT POCHETTINO, MARSCH SAID

Pochettino said soccer should remain separate from the geopolitical events.

"I think we can’t mix political things with sport," he said. "It’s not because I don’t want to talk. I have my ideas. But I represent the federation, and I (don’t) want to talk about politics."

Marsch declined to delve into the topic, but did concede that rising tensions could influence the fixture should both teams advance to the finale. The USMNT play Panama in the semifinals Thursday, with Canada taking on Mexico. The winners will meet for the trophy Sunday night.

"I’m not going to get political right now," Marsch said. "I think I’ve made my statements clear and known. I will say that I do think from watching the 4 Nations in hockey, you can see that the climate for sports in North America has been elevated for national teams.

"I’m really hopeful that this tournament can be the best reflections of our societies, in that we don’t have to waste time booing anthems and getting caught up in politics, and we can just focus on the players and the teams and supporting the love of the game, and then whatever your nationality is, that you can support your team all the way."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR THE US AND CANADA?

The two sides are on opposite sides of the Nations League bracket. Pochettino's men are set to face Panama, while Marsch's side will take on Mexico. The final and third-place match will take place on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Everton haven’t been at the races this season, albeit brushing Wolverhampton Wanderers aside last week in a 4-0 Premier League victory at Goodison Park.

The adverse weather conditions that precluded Saturday’s Merseyside derby from taking place must have frustrated Sean Dyche, whose side could have taken advantage of the conditions and Liverpool’s injury problems to land a sensational result and hamper the Reds’ title challenge.

Dyche needs to claim a positive run of results, for his grip on the manager’s seat is slight. With The Friedkin Group set to replace majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, a lot of change may be afoot.

Everton – Remaining Fixtures in 2024 (PL)

Date

Opponent

Venue

14/12/24

Arsenal

Emirates Stadium

22/12/24

Chelsea

Goodison Park

26/12/24

Man City

Etihad Stadium

29/12/24

Nott’m Forest

Goodison Park

Moshiri has much to account for, not least because the struggles that the Toffees have endured in recent years stem from inept investment on the transfer front.

Farhad Moshiri's worst transfers

There have been a few howlers since the Iranian businessman first arrived at the Merseyside outfit in February 2016. It’s been a reign of confusion and dysfunction, with so many blunders in the market stopping the Blues from returning to their rightful place at the front of the Premier League.

There have been some real disasters. Cenk Tosun’s £28m arrival left plenty to be desired, while Moise Kean’s four-goal return across 39 matches rankles to this day, for he is now lighting up the Serie A with Fiorentina.

Journalist Paul Brown rather brutally described Jean-Philippe Gbamin’s transfer to Goodison Park as “the worst signing of the Moshiri era,” with the £25m flop’s time on Merseyside being totally ruined by injuries.

Blunder after blunder. Everton must surely be anticipating some fresh new fortunes after such interminable troubles, putting such deals in the background and keeping them there with the door locked and the key chucked.

That’s certainly the case for Sandro Ramirez, once crackling with excitement upon arriving from Barcelona, but now regarded as one of Moshiri’s very worst signings.

Where Are They Now

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Expand Collapse Everton must regret Sandro Ramirez deal

Sandro emerged on the scene with Barcelona, making 32 appearances, scoring seven goals and supplying two assists as he went on to win a host of major honours with La Blaugrana in its heyday.

Despite showing promise, it was clear that Sandro was going to play at the lowest fiddle, competing against the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and thus he signed for Malaga and scored 16 goals across 31 matches. Everton had caught his scent and lodged a £5m bid for a highly-regarded talent. It was accepted.

Anticipation was rife, but Sandro failed to adapt to Premier League life and managed just 16 outings for the Toffees before returning to his homeland on a loan deal. He spent two further seasons on Everton’s books but never played again, instead hopping across the Spanish scene with various top-flight outfits. His one goal was posted against Atalanta in a 5-1 Europa League defeat.

It was a case of the wrong time for the now 29-year-old Sandro, who after departing in 2020 has since proved that he can throw down with the best of them and produce some impressive results in La Liga, having notched 49 goal contributions across 197 career appearances.

The Huesca star has actually scored six times this season, which remarkably means that he is outproducing every single star in Dyche’s squad. He even recently scored against former employers Barcelona in an emphatic victory at Camp Nou.

It’s impressive stuff, and frustrating to think that Everton’s attacking options have been so poor that they are being outdone by one of the biggest flops of the Moshiri era.

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Brian Rodríguez, Diego Valdés, Alejandro Zendejas and Álvaro Fidalgo scored the goals for Las Águilas

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• América beat Chivas 4-1 in the aggregate

• Alan Mozo was sent off in the first minute of the second half

• Los Azulcremas will face Cruz Azul in the next round of the tournament

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Club América showcased its superiority and defeated Chivas 4-0, eliminating them from the Champions Cup Round of 16. With goals from Brian Rodríguez, Diego Valdés, Alejandro Zendejas, and Álvaro Fidalgo, secured their spot in the next phase of the tournament, where they will face Cruz Azul.

  The match went into halftime with a 2-0 lead for André Jardine’s team. Chivas needed just one goal to qualify for the quarterfinals due to the away goal rule, but just one minute into the second half, Alan Mozo was sent off, and América took advantage to secure a dominant victory.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  arrived at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes with a 1-0 advantage after winning the first leg at Estadio Akron. Meanwhile, América came into the match with something to prove to their fans, as they had failed to score against Chivas in their previous two encounters last week.could not afford elimination, as the Champions Cup remains the only title that André Jardine's team has yet to win.

• Getty
  

  WHAT BRIAN RODRÍGUEZ SAID

  "We had it very difficult, the Clásico is a different game, we had the frustration of going to Guadalajara and not being able to score, but we showed why we are the three-time champions," Brian Rodríguez said. "We came out with a lot of attitude and desire. I want to thank the people who never stopped supporting us."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  In the past year, América and Chivas have faced off seven times in El Clásico – and not a single Chivas player has found the back of the net. The only goal Chivas have managed in those seven matches came from an América own goal in last week’s first-leg clash in the Champions Cup Round of 16.

علق أحمد فتحي لاعب الأهلي وبيراميدز السابق، على التعادل في مباراة اليوم بين الفريقين بهدف لكل فريق، وذلك ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، منتقدًا كولر في تغيير أشرف بن شرقي وحسين الشحات.

والتقى الأهلي مع بيراميدز، على أرضية استاد الدفاع الجوي، في إطار الجولة الثانية من عمر المرحلة النهائية لبطولة الدوري.

وقال أحمد فتحي في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “تشعر وكأن هناك (دوشة) في الأهلي، من بعد مباراة الزمالك ودخول لاعبين جدد، (الدوشة) تأخد من اللاعبين، لذلك تجدهم يُحاولون في المباراة ولكن ليس بنفس التركيز السابق، الأجواء المحيطة بالفريق في الفترة الأخيرة ليست الأفضل”.

طالع أيضاً..سيد عبد الحفيظ: تعجبت من تصرف كولر أمام بيراميدز.. والأهلي لم يفقد آماله في الدوري

وتابع: “بعد أن طُرد من بيراميدز، لاعبوا الأهلي أصبحوا أسوأ، تشعر وكأن لاعبي الأهلي استسهلوا اللقاء، حتى سجل الشيبي الهدف، فشعر اللاعبين أن الدوري قد يفقدوه”.

وأوضح: “كولر لم يكن مُحقًا في خروج بن شرقي والشحات، بن شرقي في أي توقيت ممكن يُسجل هدف حتى لو وهو ليس في أفضل حالاته يكون عنده الحل، والشحات أيضًا يمتلك حلولًا”.

وأضاف: “طبيعي عندما تكن هناك (دوشة) كبيرة حول المنظومة، بالتأكيد تأخد من اللاعبين”.

وأتم: “طبيعي بن شرقي مستواه يقل خاصة لأنه عائد من إصابة، لكن سيستعيد مستواه بعد ذلك، أنا أرى إجمالًا أنه لاعب مختلف”.

Katherine Brunt and Danni Wyatt rediscovered some form to dovetail with England’s World Cup resurgence as the defending champions made it three wins in three matches with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Pakistan in Christchurch.Brunt, the veteran England seamer, had taken just one wicket from five matches in the tournament before she and Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets each to help contain Pakistan to 105 all out inside 42 overs.Related

• 'About time' – Wyatt and Brunt give England a leg up with 'most complete performance'

Wyatt then scored an unbeaten 76 off 68 balls to bring it home with 30.4 overs to spare for England, who remain in control of their own semi-finals destiny. They moved to six points and into fourth place on the table, fractionally ahead of India on net run rate, after South Africa secured their place in the top four by sharing the points in a rained-off match with West Indies, who must now rely on other results to get through.England, who lost their opening three games, made a slow start to their chase as Diana Baig caused them some trouble, helping restrict the openers to just six runs in the first three overs. Wyatt got a second life on four when she cut Fatima Sana to gully where Nida Dar got her fingertips to the ball but couldn’t hold on.Wyatt made it count, hitting the next three balls for four runs each, pulled through square leg, driven in the air through cover and threaded fine through fine leg.Once Baig removed Tammy Beaumont lbw for just two, with Pakistan overturning the initial not-out decision, she then had new batter Heather Knight watchful, squaring her up first ball with one that just managed to evade slip then, next over, twice beating the bat and tangling her up with a yorker that the England captain just managed to dig out.After four overs, Diana had 1 for 7 as Wyatt hit her stride against Aiman Anwer, helping herself to four more boundaries including a powerful drive between point and cover-point as she moved to 36 from 32 balls to guide England to 48 for 1 at the end of the powerplay.Wyatt was elevated to open in England’s third match, a three-wicket loss to South Africa, replacing the out-of-form Lauren Winfield-Hill. Her previous best score of this tournament had been 33 batting at No. 7 against West Indies before Thursday.Danni Wyatt thrashes celebrates her fifty•ICC via Getty Images

Wyatt brought up her maiden World Cup half-century with a single to cover off Nashra Sandhu, and she drew England within 14 runs of victory with back-to-back fours off Dar before hitting the winning runs with a four off Fatima through fine leg, her 11th boundary of the innings. It was Wyatt’s second-highest ODI score as Knight settled into a supporting role to end not out on 24.Having won the toss and opted to bowl first on a Hagley Oval pitch boasting some live grass, England struck first ball via Brunt. She looked skywards with arms outstretched in relief when she had Nahida Khan, called into the Pakistan side to open in place of Muneeba Ali, caught at slip by Knight playing a long way forward to a full, late-moving outswinger that found the outside edge.Pakistan then lost their captain, Bismah Maroof, when she turned a full ball off Anya Shrubsole to the vacant region at backward square leg and called for a second run as wicketkeeper Amy Jones sprinted after the ball and fired it in sharply to the striker’s end, where Sophia Dunkley was waiting to remove the bails with Bismah short of her ground.That left Pakistan at 2 for 11 inside the first four overs, and by the end of the powerplay, they had added just 17 more runs.Omaima Sohail was run out rushing a single off Kate Cross as Beaumont swooped at mid-off and threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end with an excellent direct hit.Pakistan were largely well contained, facing 18 scoreless balls and nine overs without a boundary before Sidra Ameen – having survived an England review for lbw off the previous delivery on umpire’s call – threaded Cross through square leg for four.Brunt struck again to remove Dar, trying to sweep a full-length ball that struck low on the front pad directly in line. She claimed her third with a gem of a length ball that seamed back in slightly as Ameen tried to steer it toward third man but managed only to get an inside edge onto her stumps to fall for 32, the top-scorer on an underwhelming Pakistan scorecard.After leaving impressive off-spinner Charlie Dean out of the side in favour of an extra batter in Emma Lamb, Knight brought herself into the attack to great effect when she tempted Aliya Riaz into a sweep and got a top edge to loop to Shrubsole at short fine leg.Ecclestone claimed three wickets in as many overs when she had Fatima Sana and Aiman Anwer caught behind by Jones and then wrapped up the Pakistan innings with a wonderful ball that was full and straight to peg back Diana’s middle stump. In between, Cross was miserly with her relentless line and length and she was rewarded on an excellent full-length ball that nipped back in to take out Sidra Nawaz’s leg stump.

The 2019 summer window was a significant time for Everton Football Club. The Toffees splashed the cash to bring in some expensive stars and also made a couple of sales that helped to fund those incomings.

Attacking midfielder Alex Iwobi joined the club from Arsenal, and striker Moise Kean made an exciting move from Italian giants Juventus. The club also brought Andre Gomes in on a permanent deal after a loan the season prior, and Fabian Delph joined from Manchester City. Idrissa Gueye and Nicola Vlasic were two of the notable outgoings.

However, there was one sale that summer, that of Ademola Lookman, that the Toffees might well wish they had never commissioned.

Why Everton might regret selling Lookman

It has been a fairytale few months for former Everton man Lookman. He has been in phenomenal form for his current club Atalanta, even though he never showed the best of his ability at Goodison Park.

In 48 games for the Merseysiders, the Nigerian winger managed just four goals and two assists, with only one of those strikes coming in the Premier League. Lookman was loaned to RB Leipzig in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, before making the move to Germany permanent in 2019 for £22.5m.

He bounced around a few clubs after leaving Goodison Park. The former Charlton academy starlet also played for Fulham and Leicester City before finally settling at Atalanta. It is fair to say the winger has taken Italy by storm.

In 96 games for La Dea, he has scored an impressive 43 goals and has 23 assists to his name. After a stellar season in 2023/24, he finished in 14th place in the Ballon d’Or rankings, ranking above the likes of Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka.

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This term, the Atalanta number 11 has 11 goals and five assists in 18 games in all competitions. His latest outing saw him score against Real Madrid in a 3-2 Champions League defeat.

Despite the fact he was playing against the likes of Jude Bellingham, who got the crucial third goal for Los Blancos, Chris Hamill of The Athletic said he was “the best player on the pitch”.

Lookman is not the only player Everton have sold in recent years who is now playing to the same levels as Bellingham. James Rodriguez has been thriving and is surely someone they regret moving on.

James Rodriguez’s life after Everton

The year after moving Lookman on from the club, Everton snapped up James Rodriguez from Madrid for a reported £12m, where he linked up with former manager Carlo Ancelotti, who coached him at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Aged 29 when he made the move to Merseyside, Rodriguez was in his prime years after some tough seasons beforehand. He was excellent for the Toffees, described as a “genius” by football statistician Statman Dave.

In 26 appearances in that famous Blue shirt, the Colombian international scored six times and grabbed eight assists.

Perhaps the attacking midfielder’s finest game for Everton came against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League. Everton won the game 4-2, with Rodriguez getting two goals and an assist.

His stats on Sofascore show just how dominant he was that day, having 74 touches of the ball and creating two chances. In fact, his stats from that entire season were fantastic.

Stat

Number

Starts

21

Goals

6

Assists

4

Big chances created

11

Key passes per game

1.8

Dribbles completed per game

1.5

Duels won per game

4.7

Since leaving Everton for an undisclosed fee, Rodriguez has played in Qatar, for Greek giants Olympiacos, in Brazil with Sao Paolo and finally back in La Liga for Rayo Vallecano.

He was also spellbinding for his country in the 2024 Copa America. The 33-year-old scored once and registered six assists as Colombia reached the final but lost to Argentina.

His form has subsequently seen FIFA nominate the former Madrid midfielder for the Men’s XI in The Best awards. He is nominated alongside the likes of Bellingham for a place in the best men’s side of 2024.

Reflecting on his short career at Goodison Park, Everton fans may well wish they still had Rodriguez at the club. He has been back at his creative best and is getting international recognition alongside players such as Bellingham, which is no mean feat.

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