Latest news with #Austin
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
SolarWinds promotes insider to CFO seat
This story was originally published on CFO Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CFO Dive newsletter. SolarWinds has promoted finance veteran Tim Karaca to the company's CFO seat, the software maker said Wednesday. Karaca most recently served for three years as the group vice president for strategic finance and investor relations at SolarWinds. His new role became effective on June 16, according to a press release. The finance leadership change comes as the Austin, Texas-based information technology management software provider defends itself against a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit stemming from a major cybersecurity breach in 2020. In 2023, the SEC sued the company and its chief information security officer, Timothy Brown, for allegedly defrauding investors by mischaracterizing cybersecurity practices that were in place at the company leading up to the 2020 breach. Both Brown and the company's then-CFO, J. Barton Kalsu, were put on notice during the agency's investigation that they could face charges. However, Kalsu ultimately wasn't named in the suit. In June 2024, SolarWinds announced that Kalsu resigned to 'explore other professional opportunities' outside the company. Karaca succeeds Lewis Black, who became CFO of the company following Kalsu's resignation. Black is 'transitioning out of the role after having led the company through many notable achievements,' a spokesperson said in an email. Prior to joining SolarWinds, Karaca did leadership stints at AIG, Microsoft and Bridgewater Associates. 'Tim's significant strengths in strategy, capital allocation, and operating discipline are critical to our growth-focused partnership with Turn/River Capital,' SolarWinds CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna said in the Wednesday release. 'There is no one better suited to serve as CFO as we embark on this next chapter.' The transition also comes less than two months after the company went private after completing an agreement to be acquired by Turn/River Capital for $4.4 billion. Recommended Reading Disney CFO, ex-CEO named in shareholder lawsuit
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Richards strike gives USA spot in Gold Cup quarters
Chris Richards grabbed the winner for the USA in their 1-0 CONCACAF Gold Cup win over Saudi Arabia on Thursday. (Omar Vega) The USA booked their place in the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup after a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Austin on Thursday. After a 5-0 win over a struggling Trinidad and Tobago in their opener, guest team Saudi Arabia presented a much tougher nut to crack but a 63rd-minute goal from Chris Richards was enough for the three points. Advertisement After a lifeless first half with the Saudis sitting deep and the USA lacking penetration, the game picked up after the interval. Crystal Palace defender Richards went close with a header from a Jack McGlynn cross which was well saved by Nawaf Al Aqidi. The breakthrough came when Sebastian Berhalter whipped in a free-kick from deep which, in a crowded box, Richards met with a half-volley on the slide which flashed home. There were clashes near the end of the game when USA substitute Tyler Adams was pushed over and the French coach of the Saudi team Herve Renard rushed on to the field to separate the players. Advertisement USA coach Mauricio Pochettino also entered the field to pull apart players in the melee. After a run of four straight losses going into the tournament, Pochettino's side showed solidity and organisation even if they lacked in the flair department. Richards said the game was simply about securing progress to the next round. "We needed it tonight. You know, it was a tough game against a tough opponent, props to them. But that's CONCACAF for you. Sometimes you've got to get physical, sometimes you gotta get nasty, I think that's exactly what we did tonight," he added. "We had a few problems in the first half building out, they adjusted well so, at halftime we said we just needed to get the right people on the ball and I think that's what we did," he added. The USA face Haiti on Sunday in the final game of Group D which they lead on six points. The Saudis are second on three points with Haiti and Trinidad on a point each. sev/rcw
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
USMNT, rescued by Chris Richards, clinches spot in Gold Cup knockouts with win over Saudi Arabia
For most of 90 sleepy minutes Thursday night in Austin, Texas, a U.S. men's national team littered with reserves probed and plodded. In their second Gold Cup group stage match, against a Saudi Arabia B-team, a makeshift squad of American fringe players suggested that they aren't quite ready for the international level. But in the 31st and 63rd minutes, one of a few exceptions, Chris Richards, saved the day. He led the U.S. to a 1-0 win, and to the Gold Cup knockout rounds. He also showed why he's a nailed-on starter at next summer's World Cup. Advertisement First, at the end of a 30-yard lung-busting sprint, Richards kept the U.S. goal unscathed in heroic fashion, with a lunging block, denying the Saudis their best chance of the game. And then, with the teams droning toward a 0-0 draw, Richards scored the evening's only goal off a set piece: The 1-0 win sent the U.S. through to the Gold Cup quarterfinals, likely atop Group D. There, in the knockout rounds, is where the fun — and the tougher tests — will begin, either against Costa Rica or Mexico. Here, in the group stage, was an opportunity for this depleted USMNT to put a rough pre-Gold Cup stretch behind them. But on Sunday, for the most part, they thudded back down to their underwhelming pre-tournament levels. USMNT struggles vs. Saudi Arabia The USMNT rode comfortably into Q2 Stadium, having relieved pressure and quieted noise with a 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in its opener. Advertisement Then it played comfortably. And for about 15 or 20 minutes, that was a good thing. It bossed possession, snuffed out all Saudi threats in transition, and established its attacking shape high up the field. But, once in that shape, the Americans did nothing. They were too slow, too safe, too predictable — with their passing and off-ball movement. They were too narrow, and the two players who did spend most of the first half wide — Max Arfsten and Jack McGlynn — did nothing incisive or creative. (They are, after all, a fullback and a central midfielder, respectively.) In a national team of fringe players, Chris Richards stood tall as one of the USMNT's few World Cup locks at this Gold Cup. (Photo by Aric Becker/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) (Aric Becker/ISI Photos/USSF via Getty Images) They raised questions about head coach Mauricio Pochettino's game model. But when Pochettino looked down the bench to find someone who could inject life into the U.S. attack, he saw … Brenden Aaronson, Paxten Aaronson and Quinn Sullivan. He typically has two international-level wingers, Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, but one of the two is resting; the other is with Juventus at the Club World Cup (and, last night, the White House). Advertisement So, there was hardly any vertical running. There was hardly any purposeful dribbling or passing. There were a few teasing crosses from Arfsten, McGlynn and Malik Tillman; but through 40 minutes, the U.S. had just one shot, none on target, and 0.03 Expected Goals. And eventually, Saudi Arabia took advantage of the USMNT's blandness. It broke out into a few counterattacks. In the 31st minute, the U.S. left Abdulrahman Al Obud all alone on the left wing. He strode into the box, and into a shot, which was blocked by a flying Richards. Patrick Agyemang finally registered the USMNT's first shot on target, with a tame header, in the 45th minute. But for the most part, he was sloppy. Neither Tillman nor Diego Luna could really get into the game. The teams went to halftime at 0-0. Only a set piece, it seemed, could wake up the game. And before long, one did. Chris Richards, an emerging leader, rescues the U.S. Eight minutes into the second half, Richards got free on a corner, but nodded his header right down the goalkeeper's gut. Advertisement A few minutes later, Saudi Arabia carved up the U.S. on a counter, and struck the crossbar — though the offside flag was up. And a few minutes after that, Richards delivered. He latched onto Sebastian Berhalter's inswinging free kick. He airplaned away in celebration. Of the 11 starters on Thursday — Matt Freese, Richards, Tim Ream, Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Berhalter, Luca de la Torre, Luna, Tillman, McGlynn, Agyemang — he is the only World Cup lock. And after an impressive season at Crystal Palace in England, he is one of the few U.S. players rising toward their unmissable moment in 2026. He is emerging as a leader, a consistent presence with a dynamic personality, and one that the USMNT can rally around as next summer approaches.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Sport
- Arab News
Richards' 2nd-half goal lifts US over Saudi Arabia 1-0 and into CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals
AUSTIN, Texas: Defender Chris Richards scored with a flick of the ball off a second-half free kick to lift the United States to a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia on Thursday night, sending the Americans on to the CONCACAF Gold Cuo quarterfinals. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Chris Richards bails out USMNT at both ends in win over Saudi Arabia
AUSTIN — Chris Richards is on the field for the U.S. men's national soccer team because of his defensive aptitude, and in the first half of a sluggish Concacaf Gold Cup match against Saudi Arabia on Thursday, the 25-year-old center back executed a magnificent rescue. If that had been the extent of Richards's notable contributions, Coach Mauricio Pochettino would have been satisfied. But the Premier League-based Alabaman also found his way into winning the Group D affair, getting on the end of Sebastian Berhalter's 63rd-minute free kick for a 1-0 victory at Q2 Stadium. The Americans (2-0-0) clinched a quarterfinal berth and all but secured first place heading into the group finale Sunday against Haiti (0-1-1) in Arlington, Texas. Saudi Arabia, a guest in the regional tournament, is 1-1-0 with Sunday's game remaining against Trinidad and Tobago (0-1-1) in Las Vegas. The United States had a much rougher time Thursday than last weekend, when it thumped Trinidad and Tobago, 5-0, in San Jose. A sloppy, uninspiring first half yielded to a sharper second half before Richards scored his second goal in 27 appearances. Berhalter — son of former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter in his first national team camp — served a pinpoint free kick from 35 yards into the heart of the box. Onside by inches, Richards stabbed the ball with his left foot on the short hop from eight yards. The Gold Cup is the biennial championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean. So what in the world is Saudi Arabia doing here? Concacaf has a history of inviting guests, and while teams from South America have made sense, the governing body has also welcomed South Korea and South Africa. The previous two tournaments, Qatar participated. Concacaf cites an agreement with the Asian Football Confederation to work together. Inviting Qatar and now Saudi Arabia to the Gold Cup brought along corporate interests as well. Qatar Airways was a major sponsor in 2021 and '23, and this year's tournament backers include the Saudi tourism arm; Riyadh Air; Aramco, the state-owned oil company; and PIF, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund that owns LIV Golf. In Austin, some fans held up green placards with 'Goal' on one side and 'PIF' on the other. The crowd was sparse at kickoff. On a warm weeknight with high ticket prices, an underwhelming U.S. team that had played a friendly here in October and an unfancied opponent, the match was a tough sell — even at a 20,738-seat stadium where Austin FC has sold out 80 consecutive MLS matches. After a pair of World Cup qualifiers, the Saudis arrived at the Gold Cup without several key players who are on assignment with their Riyadh club, Al Hilal, in the FIFA Club World Cup, which is running concurrently at U.S. venues. That group included midfielder Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored in the 2022 World Cup opener against Argentina. Because of absences for a variety of reasons, the U.S. team is far from full strength. With a largely inexperienced roster, Pochettino is evaluating the broader player pool to help determine who will remain in the mix leading to World Cup roster decisions next spring. Pleased with the performance in the opener, Pochettino did not make any lineup changes. That included goalkeeper Matt Freese, who debuted in a June 7 friendly against Turkey and beat out veteran Matt Turner for the Gold Cup opener. 'The opportunity for [Freese] is an opportunity he deserved because he's doing well in his club [New York City FC], and of course, it's to now give some continuity to see how he deals with the pressure to be number one in the national team,' Pochettino said Wednesday. Through 30 minutes, neither team was able to make its mark. The Americans failed to find a rhythm and surrendered possession too easily. The lone highlight was provided by Richards, who rushed back into the box and make a wonderful sliding block on a shot by free-running Abdulrahman Al-Aboud. That was one more threat than the Americans manufactured. Late in the half, they were better keeping the ball but didn't have the ideas or service from the flanks to pierce the penalty area. The pace picked up in the second half. Richards had a golden chance off a corner kick, but his close-range header streaked into goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi's hands. Still, the match begged for someone to do something special in the run of play. Pochettino made his first changes in the 62nd minute, inserting veteran midfielder Tyler Adams and newcomer Damion Downs. On the first action after the substitutions, the goal arrived before an announced crowd of 11,727. The lead held up without any major scares, improving the U.S. record in Gold Cup group play since 1991 to 42-1-5. Notes: Forward Haji Wright, who scored late in the opener, was not in uniform because of a left Achilles' tendon issue, a U.S. team spokesman said. The severity was not immediately disclosed. Goalkeeper Chris Brady and defender Nathan Harriel were noninjury scratches. (The match-day roster is limited to 23 players.) … With a first-place finish, the Americans would play their quarterfinal June 29 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Second place would send them to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on June 28.
