London
German soccer manager Thomas Tuchel was announced as the new manager of England’s national men’s soccer team Wednesday by the English Football Association.
The 51-year-old takes over from former English manager Gareth Southgate, who left his role after taking the country to the two major tournament finals — a World Cup semifinal in 2018 and a quarterfinal finish in 2022. Tuchel has made a career out of managing elite European clubs, such as Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, but has made the leap to international soccer.
“I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team,” said Tuchel in a statement. “To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.”
The appointment is mired in controversy, as Tuchel becomes the third non-English manager in charge of the national team, after the late Sven-Göran Eriksson of Sweden in 2001 and Italy’s Fabio Capello in 2007. British coaches have voiced their “dismay” at a German being hired over a homegrown coach, especially considering that Germany and England have maintained a soccer rivalry for over a century.
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said Tuchel was chosen out of a list of “approximately” 10 names.
“Fundamentally we wanted to hire a coaching team to give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament, and we believe they will do just that,” said Bullingham at a press conference. “Thomas and the team have a single-minded focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the World Cup in 2026.”
England has not won a major title since their first and only World Cup win on home soil in 1966.
Los Angeles
The first seed Los Angeles Dodgers swept third seed New York Mets 9-0 on Sunday, marking the start of their National League Championship Series. The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Enrique Hernandez each scored two runs, with right fielder Mookie Betts adding a solid three RBIs and one run.
The Mets returned in game two to beat the Dodgers 7-3 on Monday. They held LA to only three runs from Betts, Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy. The Mets earned two runs out of shortstop Francisco Lindor’s four at bats, and ended their opponent’s record-tying 33 scoreless inning streak.
The Mets clinched the NLCS wildcard spot, qualifying for the postseason despite not winning their division after their last “disappointing season.” Lindor smashed a two-run home run in the ninth inning in the team’s final regular season game against the Atlanta Braves.
Dating back to Sept. 19, Ohtani is 17 for 20 for his last at bats, with runners in scoring position, including six home runs. However, Ohtani is not the only Dodger to hit homers. In game three, Hernandez tied Babe Ruth’s record in all-time postseason home runs with 15.
LA played another shutout in game three, winning 8-0. Muncy and Hernandez both recorded two runs with Ohtani, Hernández, Will Smith and Tommy Edman scoring one each.
Sydney
On Thursday, Cricket Australia announced a “better-than-expected” net deficit of AU$31.9 million for the 2023-24 financial year. This year was predicted to be a slump in the sport’s four-year cycle because the Ashes — a five-day test match between England and Australia — and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup were not played this year.
“The better than forecast financial result … is the result of a strong collaborative effort across Australian cricket to both manage costs and drive revenue,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said in a press release.
This follows an AU$16.9 million loss in the 2022-23 financial year despite Australia hosting the T20 World Cup. However, officials from Cricket Australia are expecting a greater flow of revenue in the next 18 months, when they host a five-test series against India and the biennial Ashes toward the end of 2025.
This year, AU$7 million was injected into the governing body’s piggy bank due to higher-than-expected crowds at last season’s international games against Pakistan and the West Indies, while a further AU$11 million was added from the International Cricket Council matches, the Indian Premier League and the Indian tax office.
Contact Sidney Snider at [email protected].
