Munro College handed STETHS their first loss of the season in the ISSA/Digicel daCosta Cup on Tuesday.
In the game played at Munro, the hosts got a vital 1-0 win over the Zone E leaders to move to 16 points from nine games, eight points adrift of the five-time champions and level on points with second placed B.B Coke who beat Maggotty 2-0 at STETHS. Lacovia beat Sydney Pagon 1-0 at home in Tuesday’s other zone game.
A Zone A double-header at Cornwall College saw the hosts and Irwin High come out as winners over St. James High and Anchovy, respectively.
Irwin secured a 5-1 win over Anchovy to move to 21 points from their nine games to lead the zone by six points ahead of Cornwall who stretched the gap between them and third-placed Green Pond to four points with a crucial 1-0 win over St. James. Green Pond and Maldon played out a 0-0 draw at Green Pond in the other game.
In Zone B, Frome remained perfect after seven games with a 3-1 home win over Green Island on Wednesday. Hopewell and Merlene Ottey played out a 2-2 draw at the Orchard Sports Complex in the zone’s other Wednesday game whereas on Monday, Rusea’s beat Green Island 2-1 at home to move to 18 points from seven games, trailing the leaders by three points.
William Knibb hammered Cedric Titus 6-0 in a Zone C top-of-the-table clash at William Knibb on Wednesday. Entering the game, both teams had 16 points from six games but now William Knibb have 19. Spot Valley are third in the zone with eight points after a 4-0 away win over Muschett.
In a clash of the top two teams in Zone D, Manning’s and Petersfield played out a 1-1 draw at Petersfield. Manning’s now have 23 points from their nine games while Petersfield trail them by seven while playing one less game. Godfrey Stewart moved to 12 points from nine games in third thanks to a 4-1 win over Grange Hill while Belmont Academy lost 0-1 away to Black River in the other game.
Zone F may be the most evenly poised in the first round as three teams have 19 points. Manchester leads the zone with 19 points from eight games with a goal difference of 23 after a 7-0 win over May Day at Kirkvine. They also beat May Day 8-0 at May Day on Monday. DeCarteret College and Belair are the other two teams with 19 points and have goal differences of 15 and 12, respectively. They played out a 0-0 draw at Belair on Wednesday. Both DeCarteret College and Belair have played one more match than Manchester. Wednesday’s other match saw Bellefield and Mt. St. Joseph play out a 2-2 draw at Bellefield.
Christiana and Mile Gully both moved within three points of leaders Holmwood in Zone G after a 0-0 draw at Christiana. They both have 11 points from six and seven matches, respectively. Mile Gully trail Christiana by three on goal difference.
Clarendon College have seven wins from as many games after an 8-0 hammering of Thompson Town at Turner’s Oval on Wednesday to lead Zone H. In the day’s other game, Lennon High moved to 13 points after eight games with a 1-0 win over Kellits High at Morant Housing Scheme. Also at the Morant Housing Scheme, Edwin Allen beat Kellits 4-1 on Monday to move within seven points of Clarendon College. They’ve also played seven games.
York Castle moved eight points clear in Zone I after a 2-0 win over Oracabessa at Clemhard’s Park on Monday. They now have 19 points from seven games. Browns Town beat Marcus Garvey 2-0 at home to second in the zone.
Paul Bogle rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 3-2 home win over Morant Bay to remain at the top of Zone L with 21 points from nine games. Yallahs have played the same number of games as Paul Bogle and moved within four points of the leaders with a 2-1 win over St. Thomas Tech at the Eastern Banana Complex.
Glenmuir got their fifth win in as many games to move to the top of Zone M. They beat Old Harbour 5-0 at home to move level on points with Central High who have played one more match and trail them by 11 on goal difference. Denbigh hammered Tacius Golding 8-0 at home in the zone’s other match on the day.
Zone N’s top two teams, defending champions Garvey Maceo and Vere, both were in the win column once again. Garvey Maceo moved to 19 points from seven games after a 2-1 win over Foga Road at Foga Road while Vere moved to 13 points from their seven outings after claiming a 3-1 away win over Kemps Hill.
Dewsbury-Hall: Maresca will surprise people at Chelsea
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will "surprise a lot of people" when they watch the Blues this season.
The Italian led Leicester City straight back to the Premier League as Championship winners in his only season in charge and succeeds Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
The Foxes topped the second division table with 98 points, with Dewsbury-Hall a key figure in his squad as he netted 12 goals and provided 14 assists last season – his best tally in a single campaign.
Dewsbury-Hall was also named Leicester's Player and Players' Player of the Year.
The midfielder made the switch to West London earlier this month for £30million and is confident that Maresca will have Chelsea challenging for trophies in no time.
"The manager was a big catalyst in wanting me to come," Dewsbury-Hall told BBC Sport.
"I knew from Leicester, a club that went down and had a lot of problems, how he managed to galvanise that if everyone manages to buy into the system.
"I genuinely think in a short space of time we can be pushing for minimum top four - but more than that.
"He may be unknown for a lot of people, but he is top, top level. He will surprise a lot of people."
Chelsea's pre-season got off to a frustrating start as they were held to a 2-2 draw by League One side Wrexham in Maresca's first game in charge on Wednesday.
Dewsbury-Hall did not play in that match but is training with the squad in the United States and could feature in their next outing against Celtic on Saturday.
The 25-year-old is confident the manager's tactics will come across soon, with the players buying into his style.
"We've only been doing it for two or three weeks, but the combination plays are really quick and tidy," he added.
"That's after two weeks. I remember he said to us at Leicester after six months or a year, there might be teething problems at the start, but it will improve.
"Within the first week at Leicester, I was convinced this was top, top level. I felt a bit stupid; I thought I knew a lot about football, but he was teaching me things on a daily basis that I didn't really know before. He has an aura, he can be strict, or gentle and soft - he has both sides.
"I am getting the same feedback here with the lads. They've bought into it here from minute one which is exciting. With a system and philosophy, you need everyone to buy in because, if they do, you can really achieve something."
Ederson slams reports of rift with Man City backup Ortega
Ederson has hit out at reports of a rift between himself and fellow Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
The Brazilian was substituted after suffering a fractured eye socket in City's penultimate game of the Premier League season, a vital 1-0 win over Tottenham.
Ortega replaced him and made a brilliant save to deny Son Heung-min as City maintained their slender lead over Arsenal at the top of the table, sealing an unprecedented fourth straight title by beating West Ham five days later.
Ortega was widely lauded for his role in that triumph, and an article published by The Athletic this week suggested Ederson took issue with that praise.
However, the goalkeeper – who missed the Copa America as a result of his injury – has now moved to shut down those suggestions with a post to his Instagram story.
"I would like to clarify that the note published by The Athletic yesterday, referring to my alleged dissatisfaction with a co-worker, is completely false," he wrote.
"The alleged day reported was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult days of my career, when I suffered a fracture that prevented me from playing in the final stretch of the season and, consequently, from representing my country in the Copa America.
"At the time of the injury, my only thought was to continue in the match, defending City in the fight for the title.
"But the emotion of the match would be greater than the reality and, inevitably, I would not be able to continue as I would have liked due to the damage it caused, completely blocking my field of vision. I remain focused on preparing for the season."
Ederson has been linked with a transfer in recent days, reportedly attracting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs.
Slot's Liverpool success will be measured by trophies, says McAllister
Gary McAllister says Arne Slot must be prepared to aim high by targeting trophies if he is to be successful with Liverpool.
The Dutchman is set to begin his first season in charge of the Reds after being appointed as Jurgen Klopp's successor in May.
Liverpool enjoyed a trophy-laden spell under the German, winning their first-ever Premier League title, as well as a Champions League, a Club World Cup, a Super Cup, an FA Cup and two EFL Cups.
However, Slot was no stranger to success while at Feyenoord, leading the team to the Eredivisie title in 2022-23 before lifting the KNVB Cup in April during his final season with the club.
McAllister, who won five trophies in the two years he spent at Liverpool, says Slot's success will be determined by the silverware he collects.
"Liverpool is a club that's synonymous with winning, and when you don't win you fail," McAllister told Stats Perform.
"When there's a new management team, you're given a little bit more time, but the facts are Liverpool's target, I felt, and as a player that played against them for most of his career, the targets that Liverpool set, you go into every tournament looking to win it.
"You try to win every game and that's the expectation of the club and that's what makes it a very special club."
Klopp spent nine years at Liverpool, breaking club records as his team pushed for trophies on a regular basis.
The Reds enjoyed a club-record 68-match unbeaten run at Anfield over nearly four years in the Premier League between April 2017 and January 2021.
Klopp also oversaw three of the four most prolific seasons in Liverpool's history, including the club-record total of 147 goals scored in 2021-22.
Slot has admitted he has "big shoes to fill", but McAllister believes the 45-year-old will be able to live up to the high expectations left behind by Klopp.
"Arne arriving at the club, following Klopp, realising that it's such a difficult job anyway, but to follow somebody who's done particularly well at the club over an eight, nine-year period is going to be tough, and I don't think the new manager is under any illusions," he added.
"What I would say is he's a man that seems to be a very strong character, good personality, and he's just got to come in and be his own man and trust what he does.
"He's done very well in his previous managerial career and coming to Liverpool I feel is a natural progression in the levels of the game that he's worked at.
"So, everybody at the club will be deeply backing him and be right behind him, he'll have amazing support."
Liverpool's first pre-season game under Slot ended in a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End last week before the players flew out to the United States for a three-game tour.
They are also only one of two Premier League clubs yet to conduct any business in the transfer window so far, but McAllister urged fans to be patient with Slot while he gets settled in his new role.
"Whenever there's a change at a club, I think the fans have got to realise that it does take time for a new manager, a new coaching group to come in and get their ideas over to the players," he said.
"There's got to be a modicum of patience, but at Liverpool, expectation levels are very, very high and sometimes, in professional soccer, in elite soccer, patience is something that most managers don't get.
"As much as the fans have got to be aware that everything is new and there are new ideas, Arne and the players will want to get off to a quick start.
"I feel that this pre-season tour is going to help them start the season against Ipswich Town very strongly. I feel the games that they've got here in the US, here in Pittsburgh against Betis, and then we go to play Arsenal and Manchester United, the build-up is pretty good."
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