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19 minutes ago
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Attendance woes and hot weather creating problems for FIFA Club World Cup
Paris Saint-Germain's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, left, fouls Botafogo's Artur during PSG's 1-0 loss in FIFA Club World Cup group play at the Rose Bowl on Thursday night. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press) The FIFA Club World Cup is just six days old, but it has already provided a mixed bag of memorable experiences for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose trip to Southern California with Paris Saint-Germain marked his first visit to the U.S. 'I was in shock,' the veteran winger said. 'It's very beautiful here. I like it very much. One day we [went] bowling. And played mini golf. I was thinking when I finish football, to come to live.' Advertisement Then there's the soccer, where not all the memories have been good ones. After contributing two assists to a win in PSG's tournament opener, Kvaratskhelia was unable to get any of his game-high five shots past goalkeeper John Victor in Thursday's 1-0 loss to Brazilian club Botafogo before an announced crowd of 53,699 at the Rose Bowl. Read more: Inter Milan's packed schedule shows strains FIFA Club World Cup places on teams The upset, the tournament's most shocking result so far, snapped PSG's win streak at six games in all competition, marked the first time it has been held scoreless since March 5 and leaves in doubt the team's spot in the second round. Botafogo (2-0) leads the four-team group with PSG and Atlético Madrid (both 1-1) tied for second with a game remaining. With just two teams moving on, PSG will need a victory over the Sounders on Monday in Seattle to advance. Advertisement A draw would also send it through if Atlético Madrid loses its final group-stage match with Botafogo. It wasn't supposed to be this hard for PSG, the reigning French and European champion and a heavy pre-tournament favorite. Botafogo, which won last year's Copa Libertadores, is the reigning South American champion, but it is just eighth in Brazil's 20-team Serie A 11 matches into the current season. Whether Thursday's upset helps the struggling Club World Cup find an audience, it's far too early to tell. But it can't hurt, especially since Inter Miami also made history Thursday with a second-half goal from Lionel Messi in a 2-1 win over FC Porto, marking the first victory by a MLS club over a European rival in a competitive match. Igor Jesus of Botafogo celebrates after scoring against Paris Saint-Germain in FIFA Club World Cup group play Thursday. (Jam Media / Getty Images) The Club World Cup is the largest and most lucrative global club competition in soccer history but attendance has lagged in the early going, averaging just 36,433 through 20 matches. Nearly half the seats have been empty. Advertisement Six games have drawn more than 50,000 fans, including both of Paris Saint-Germain's matches at the Rose Bowl. But two got fewer than 5,300, with just 3,412 showing up in Orlando for a game between South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and South Korea's Ulsan HD and 5,282 for Pachuca-RB Salzburg at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. And that's despite the fact FIFA, alarmed at the slow pace of ticket sales, slashed prices on the eve of the tournament. 'The atmosphere was a bit strange,' Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said after his team beat LAFC in its tournament opener before nearly 50,000 empty seats at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. "This is a world tournament. It deserves more.' Read more: Paris Saint-Germain hopes Champions League title will help it expand its brand Advertisement That the competition hasn't produced more interest is largely FIFA's fault. World soccer's governing body has been unable to convince fans or players that the tournament — a 32-team, month-long competition wedged between the end of one European season and the start of the next — was necessary, or even desired. And until Thursday the tournament had produced little real excitement, with three of the first nine matches — including the opener featuring Messi and Inter Miami — ending in scoreless draws while Bayern Munich, ranked sixth in the world in the Opta Power Rankings, beat Auckland City, ranked 5,068 places lower, 10-0. With many games kicking off at midday or in the early afternoon, the hot and sticky summer weather has also been a factor on both the play and the attendance. Powerful Real Madrid, playing with Kylian Mbappe in 89-degree temperatures and 71% humidity in suburban Miami, struggled to a draw against Saudi club Al-Hilal while Atlético Madrid wilted under bright summer skies at the Rose Bowl in its first game. 'Playing in this heat is impossible,' Atlético's Marcos Llorente told reporters. 'The heat is terrible. My toes hurt, even my toenails. Advertisement Read more: Commentary: Angel City takes stand against immigration raids as others stay silent 'No one in Europe is used to it. I couldn't stop or start running. It's unbelievable, but since it's the same for everyone there's no point complaining.' It will be no cooler next year when the real World Cup returns to North America for the first time in 32 years. And in that sense, this summer's tournament is making good on one of its aims by exposing national team players to the kind of weather, travel and atmosphere they can expect then. 'We're going to come prepared next year,' said Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram, who played in the 2022 World Cup final for France. 'It's good preparation to manage the jet lag. America is very big. You get can a taste of what you will get next year. It's a great preparation.' Advertisement As for Thursday's game Kvaratskhelia, PSG's most dangerous attacker, was frustrated twice in the first 10 minutes, with Victor batting down his first shot and the second curling wide of the far post. That allowed Igor Jesus to put Botafogo in front to stay shortly before the intermission, splitting a pair of PSG defenders to run on to Jefferson Savarino's perfectly weighted through ball, then beating keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from the top of the box. Read more: Juventus players befuddled by visit with Trump at White House: 'I just want to play football, man' It was the first goal PSG has allowed in 366 minutes in all competition and it was all Botafogo would need, although Savarino nearly doubled the lead eight minutes into the second half, putting a strong header on goal that Donnarumma batted down. Bradley Barcola appeared to tie the score in the 79th minute, but two PSG players were well offside on the play. Then on the first touch of stoppage time, Kvaratskhelia sent a free kick just over the crossbar. Advertisement PSG dominated statistically, controlling the ball for three-quarters of the game, making more than three times as many passes, taking 10 corners to one for the Brazilians and outshooting Botafogo 16-4. But all four of Botafogo's shots were on target while Victor was called on to make just two saves. Staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this story. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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29 minutes ago
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Middle Eastern Sports Headlines at 4:29 a.m. GMT
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an hour ago
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🇺🇸 USMNT advance to Gold Cup quarters after difficult Saudi Arabia clash
The United States narrowly defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 on Thursday to advance to the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Scorers: Richards 63' It was a frustrating first-half for the USA as Saudi Arabia were defensively compact and resolute. Without any space in central areas, the Americans struggled to create chances despite having 73% of possession. The Saudis created the best opportunity of the half in transition as Chris Richards' sliding tackle blocked Abdulrahman Al-Aboud's shot after the American made a crucial recovery run. Advertisement The United States took the lead in the second-half after Sebastian Berhalter's lofted free-kick was met by Richards who slid in and finished past the Saudi goalkeeper. Following a routine 5-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago, Mauricio Pochettino's young side were thoroughly tested by the tournament invitees. At times, the Americans did not seem to have any answers for the Saudis. However, the United States get the result and will move on the the Gold Cup knockout stage. The USA will face Haiti in their final group stage match on Sunday. 📸 Omar Vega - 2025 Getty Images
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an hour ago
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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
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an hour ago
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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.
