Wilfried Nancy has insisted that his full focus remains with Columbus Crew amid links to the vacant United States managerial position ahead of their meeting with Atlanta United this weekend.
The Crew extended their unbeaten run to six matches in the MLS following their 1-1 draw with Charlotte FC in midweek as they aim to keep pace with the top two in the Eastern Conference.
Nancy’s side sit third in the standings, five points behind FC Cincinnati following their defeat to Chicago Fire last time out, with Inter Miami now at the summit of the table.
Despite their recent form, Nancy is hungry for more success with Columbus, going on to rubbish the rumours linking him with a move to the international stage following Gregg Berhalter’s dismissal last week.
"I don't talk about rumours, simple as that,” Nancy said.
“Like I said, I am limitless. I want to be limitless, so the idea is to push myself, to challenge myself, but at the moment I'm here. I'm happy here. We'll see in the future."
“I’m really happy because the task that we had was very difficult, knowing the context, knowing the situations.
"But my players found a way to be ourselves and to play the way we wanted to play and to play really good sequences, but also to be disgusting to play against."
Meanwhile, Atlanta halted their three-game pointless run in the league with a draw against New York City FC, despite squandering their two-goal advantage in the second half.
The Five Stripes sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference table and are among a cluster of teams tightly packed at the wrong end of the division.
Interim head coach Rob Valentino is looking for a much-improved performance from his players, picking out his side’s individual errors that have cost them in recent weeks.
"We were under some pressure, and we tried to make adjustments at half-time about being better and just more brave," said Valentino.
"There were individual errors. So, it is about eliminating those moments."
"We were braver, more direct and playing in there. The goal came right away. The big thing is that we have to find out why we dropped off."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Atlanta United – Daniel Rios
While the Five Stripes may have forgotten how to win in the MLS, Daniel Rios has had no such trouble in finding the back of the net, scoring his third goal in his last four matches.
Rios’ strike against NYCFC was clocked at just 21 seconds, the fastest goal in Atlanta’s history, and they will be hoping for another quick start at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez
Cucho Hernandez continues to be the attacking spark for the Crew, with his strike against Charlotte FC his 13th of the season, scoring in each of his last three appearances.
Hernandez's goals saw him become the first player in the club's history to record 60 goal contributions over a three-year span, notching 38 goals and 22 assists in that time.
MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN
Columbus come into the contest as the hot favourites following their impressive recent run, with their draw against Charlotte meaning they are undefeated in their last six games in the MLS. Their last longer unbeaten streak was from 13th November 2023 to 16th March 2024, a run of eight games.
Hernandez's strike for the Crew was also the 12th consecutive time they have found the back of the net, scoring 34 times during that run.
Atlanta have failed to win in their last two games against Columbus Crew, but their last triumph against them came back in November 2023, last losing at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Crew in May 2022.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Atlanta United – 23.7%
Draw – 22.6%
Columbus Crew – 53.7%
St Kitts announces squad for Concacaf Nations League October matches
St Kitts and Nevis Senior Men’s National team head coach Francisco Molina has named his squad for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League home matches in October. The team will face off against the British Virgin Islands on October 9 and the Cayman Islands on October 15, with both matches set to take place at Warner Park at 3:30 pm.
The squad will feature experienced goalkeeper Julani Archibald, who will be relied upon to provide stability between the posts. He will be supported by defenders such as Kai Trotman, Ash-on Maynard, and Kalonji Clarke, while Raheem Hanley and Omarion Liburd add versatility to the backline.
Midfield will be anchored by Malique Roberts, Marvin McSheen, and Devion Harvey, who are expected to drive the team’s transition between defense and attack. Mervin Lewis and Nequan Browne will also play pivotal roles in midfield, with the likes of Tyquan Terrell and Yohannes Mitchum adding creativity and energy.
Kyle Kelly and Tiquanny Williams will be tasked with providing the attacking flair, while Kimaree Rogers, Dequan Hamilton, and Gvaune Amory add depth in forward positions. Javern Matthew, Shevene Boston, Jahlyan Burt, and Dionis Stephens are all set to contribute to the team's efforts as well, with Trimar Samuel and Jahmarli Connor adding further options to the squad.
The squad also boasts the experience of Romaine Sawyers, who will bring leadership and composure to the midfield, making him a key figure in the team's campaign.
As St Kitts & Nevis look to build on their performances in the Concacaf Nations League, these home matches offer an opportunity for the team to secure valuable points and continue their push toward regional success.
Portland Timbers 0-0 FC Dallas: Neville's men held after securing playoff spot
The Portland Timbers were held to a goalless draw by FC Dallas on Sunday, having already clinched an MLS Cup playoff berth by virtue of results elsewhere.
Austin FC's 2-1 defeat to the LA Galaxy on Saturday, which led to the team firing head coach Josh Wolff, ensured they could not overhaul Portland for the Western Conference's final wild-card spot.
The Timbers still went with a strong lineup for their final home game of the regular season but had to settle for a point.
Both Portland and Dallas had their chances, having 19 and 18 shots respectively, with the hosts almost finding a winner in second-half stoppage time as Dario Zuparic's header was cleared off the line.
Perhaps their best opportunity came in the 88th minute, but Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer pushed Felipe Mora's attempt over the crossbar to preserve the visitors' clean sheet.
Dallas, who had already been eliminated from the playoff race, sit 11th in the West, while Portland missed a chance to close the gap to the automatic qualification spots, which are now out of reach due to seventh-placed Minnesota United boasting two more wins with one game remaining.
Data Debrief: Timbers end playoff exile
Portland enter the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2021, having missed out in both of the last two campaigns.
They finished as runners-up when they last made the postseason, while three of their last six playoff appearances have seen them make the MLS Cup Final.
'Grades are given at the end of the season' – Luis Enrique calm as PSG lose top spot
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique was not disheartened by seeing his side relinquish top spot following Sunday's 1-1 draw at Nice in Ligue 1.
PSG were forced to come from behind to maintain their unbeaten start to 2024-25, with Nuno Mendes cancelling out Ali Abdi's opener early in the second half.
The French champions were unable to find a winner despite enjoying 71.1% of the possession and attempting 19 shots to Nice's eight. Nice's possession share of 28.8% was their lowest in Ligue 1 since December 2011 (28.7% versus Lille).
The result leaves PSG second in the table with 17 points, two adrift of Monaco.
It is the second season in a row that PSG have not led Ligue 1 after seven matchdays, having sat fifth at this stage last term. They topped the table after seven games in five of the previous six campaigns (second in 2020-21).
"We are at the beginning of the season. The start seems promising to me. I like what I see. I think it's a much better start than last season," Luis Enrique told a press conference on Sunday.
"Grades are given at the end of the season. When the season is over we'll see the grade...
"The important thing is to win the league. The most important thing is to be in contention for all the titles."
The Spaniard did add, however, that simple errors had proven costly, saying: "There was a level of inaccuracy from most of the players that was not usual and a lot of very simple technical actions, easy passes, situations that we normally solve, a very high number of unusual mistakes.
He was, though, proud of his players' reaction to falling behind midway through the first half.
"I am especially proud after a bad first half. A really bad one. I'm proud of their spirit. They concentrated on the game, on trying to turn the game around," he said.
PSG face Strasbourg in their next league game on October 19, before taking on PSV in the Champions League three days later.
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