Sports

Preview: Seattle Sounders vs. Inter Miami – prediction, team news, lineups

Inter Miami continue their Major League Soccer campaign on Saturday as they head to Lumen Field to face the Seattle Sounders for the first time in club history.

Last weekend, an outstanding individual performance gave the Herons their first victory of the regular season, 3-2 over the New England Revolution, while Seattle advanced to the final of the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) on Wednesday, defeating New York City FC 4-2 on aggregate.

Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer looks on after the Concacaf Champions League semifinal match against the New York City FC at Lumen field on April 6, 2022

© Reuters
The Sounders return to MLS play feeling pretty good about their form, unbeaten in their last seven matches in all competitions.

After losing their first two domestic encounters this year, the quality that we all expected from the Rave Green is starting to shine through.

Brian Schmetzer has a variety of weapons to choose from, and with some key players returning to 100% fitness, the expectations will be that they can get back into a playoff position, currently three points behind Nashville SC for that final postseason berth.
In their previous MLS fixture, the Sounders put on a midfield masterclass, as some dogged defending broke up the Minnesota United possession game, helping Seattle to a 2-1 victory.
There may not be a team in the league with more versatility at every position than the two-time MLS Cup champions.

The Rave Green can rotate players in various areas of the pitch, which is a vast luxury considering the number of injuries this club have suffered through over the past couple of seasons.

They have created plenty of scoring opportunities on home soil and are looking incredibly potent in the final third, scoring nine goals in their previous three matches played at Lumen Field.

Inter Miami CF forward Leonardo Campana (9) reacts after scoring a goal against the New England Revolution during the first half at DRV PNK Stadium on April 9, 2022

© Reuters
It took six games, but finally, the 2022 MLS campaign in Miami is on the move, as they defeated the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners in a back and forth affair.

Given how disappointing their start to the season has been, Phil Neville will take anything he can at this stage, as his team have been badly outplayed through many matches this year.

They put together a solid defensive performance in their opener, drawing 0-0 against the Chicago Fire, though it has only got worse since then, as Miami have conceded multiple goals in five consecutive games, currently leading the league with 15 goals allowed thus far.

Last Saturday, we saw this group put together their best attacking display of the year, creating plenty of opportunities and finishing them off, scoring on three of their four efforts on target.
The other good news in the sunshine state right now is that the season is still young, and another victory would put them back into the playoff conversation, which shows how quickly things can turn around in this league.

Neville has talked about having a side that can dribble the ball effectively and maintain possession for long stretches, but his players have rarely been able to deliver in either of those departments as they have only had over 50% of the ball in two matches this season.

© Reuters
On Wednesday, Raul Ruidiaz scored his first goal of the year for Seattle, while Stefan Frei was spectacular in between the sticks, making seven stops as the Sounders drew 1-1 versus the Pigeons in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Joao Paulo continues to be a standout performer for this team, scoring the opening goal against the Loons, while Jordan Morris and Nicolas Lodeiro were instrumental in their CCL tie against New York as Morris scored once and picked up an assist, while the Uruguayan put home what ended up being the winning strike to send them into the final.

Yeimar Gomez Andrade remains sidelined with a high ankle sprain, while Andrew Thomas is questionable with a right calf strain.

Leonardo Campana, who replaced Gonzalo Higuain at centre forward, made history last week, becoming the first player to ever score a hat trick for the Herons, while Robbie Robinson and Ariel Lassiter each collected their first assists of the campaign.

Ian Fray is out with a right ACL issue, while Nick Marsman, Victor Ulloa, Ryan Sailor, Kieran Gibbs and Edison Azcona are all question marks with undisclosed injuries.

The Herons have a trio of players who are very familiar with the Rave Green, as Joevin Jones, Damion Lowe and DeAndre Yedlin all featured in Seattle at one point.

Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A. Roldan, Cissoko, Arreaga, Tolo; Paulo, Rusnak; Rowe, Montero, Bruin; Ruidiaz
Inter Miami possible starting lineup:
Marsman; Yedlin, Lowe, Mabika, McVey; Adams, Gregore, Duke; Lassiter, Campana, Robinson

SM words green background
Miami should be the fresher of the two sides on Saturday, but unfortunately, Seattle appear to be hitting their stride this season, scoring plenty of goals and rarely being caught out in transition, and we expect their depth to carry the day this weekend.

source

Sports

CLASH Endurance Miami 2023: Start time, preview and how to follow live

On Friday, some of the best middle distance athletes in the sport will head to Florida to chase those all important PTO points and a slice of the $50,000 prize purse at CLASH Endurance Miami.

The race will also contribute towards the Challenge Family World Bonus and results will count towards qualification for the Challenge Family The Championship.

Below are details on the start times of the races, information on how to watch, and a preview of the elite men and women that are looking to kick their season off in style in the Sunshine State.

We should stress though that the start lists are very much subject to change, with a number of big names – such as Vincent Luis, Joe Skipper and Jackie Hering – initially announced but now not taking part. And there looks to be bad news on the coverage front this year, with no live pictures but instead a post-race production…

Start time and how to follow
The elite race at CLASH Endurance Miami takes place on Friday March 10th, 2023.

The start times are as follows:

Elite Women – 0830 local time / 1330 UK / 1430 CET
Elite Men – 1200 local time / 1700 UK / 1800 CET
Past editions of the event have been streamed live – and for free – on the CLASH Endurance Facebook and YouTube channels.

But this week the following message was posted about current plans: “If you know CLASH Endurance, you know we’re always trying new things. There will be no live coverage, however a post-race show will be released after the event.”

So if you haven’t got it already, then adding the CLASH Endurance app to your phone / mobile device is recommended for racing splits and results. It’s pretty much identical to the layout and structure of the IRONMAN app – which given that has proven itself over many years, is a good thing.

Event history and course
In 2021 the event was held under the ‘Challenge Miami’ banner, prior the rebranding of the Challenge Family North American events to ‘CLASH’. In 2022, CLASH provided some of the most thrilling races on American soil, in both Miami and Daytona.

In Miami, the race venue is the Homestead Miami Speedway, a self-enclosed motor racing circuit event. As with the Daytona International Speedway, a very convenient lake sits nicely within the centre of the circuit, primed and ready for swimmers.

Unlike the racing at Daytona however, CLASH Miami utilises the roads within the racing oval, and so is far more technical than the pure straight-line speed efforts that are the focus there.

The event will be raced over the following distances:

Swim: 1.7km / 1.05-mile (2 laps)
Bike: 62.7km / 39-miles (17 laps of 2.2 miles + one part lap to start)
Run: 16.9km / 10.5 miles (7 laps of 1.5 miles)
Pro Women
Last year, Ashleigh Gentle dominated, with the Australian winning by almost eight minutes in a performance that really set the tone for what was in store throughout the rest of the season for the PTO World #1.

This year, however, looks set to be a much more competitive race, with the absence of the defending champion from the start list really opening up the competition to a whole host of contenders.

Last season’s runner up, Brazil’s Pamela Oliveira, is an athlete who knows what it takes to get on the podium in Miami, but will face stiff competition if she has any hopes of going one better than last season.

The 35-year-old, who won IRONMAN Brasil as well as Challenge Brazil in 2022, will rely heavily on her endurance in Miami, and will have to hope her strong swim-bike combination will be enough to keep her away from some of the lightning quick runners in the field.

Sara Perez Sala (ESP) and Haley Chura (USA) are also likely to be to the fore from the outset.

Perez Sala, who won the Challenge Championship in 2022, before also finishing second at CLASH Daytona behind Angelica Olmo, will be hoping to build an insurmountable lead over the swim and the bike this Friday, with athletes such as Chura and Sif Bendix Madsen (DEN) the likely candidates to contribute to an early break.

Sports

Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta 2023

After a one-hour postponement ashore waiting for breeze, followed by a general recall, race 1 got under way at 1320 hrs in a light 7-9 knots southerly. The breeze increased at the first windward mark to 10 knots, before easing to remain between 7-9 knots for the rest of the 8nm race.

Impressive form from Denmark’s Jørgen Schönherr/Markus Koy, who found the formula to convert their position outside the top ten at the first mark to nail a decisive opening win.

We are feeling great”, smiled Koy. “I mean winning a race is always like, it couldn’t be better.”

“We feel confident, because we won the last two Bacardi Cup Races”, added Schönherr, in reference to winning the final race of the 2022 Bacardi Cup and today’s opening race.

Leading off the start and upwind were two big name teams in the Star, defending Bacardi Cup champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada and Austria’s Hans Spitzauer/Christian Nehammer. Between them they have more Olympic history than fits on two hands, counting thirteen appearances in total. Add to that multiple World and Continental Championships appearances and podium finishes across different classes and we have serious talent. The last time the two teams faced each other was at the 2021 Star Worlds, where it was advantage to Spitzauer/Nehammer who secured bronze, with Kusznierewicz/Prada in fifth.

Sports

McDaniel Discusses Coaching Staff Moves

Mike McDaniel explained the decision to make a change with his offensive line coach but retain special teams coordinator Danny Crossman after a tough year in the kicking game.

INDIANAPOLIS — The hiring of Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator has been the big move of the offseason so far for the Miami Dolphins, but it’s been far from the only news involving the coaching staff.

One item involved the switching of offensive line coaches (from Matt Applebaum to Butch Barry) and another involved the escision to retain Danny Crossman as special teams coordinator after a difficult 2022 season in the kicking game — with the idea element that Crossman is a coach who was retained from Brian Flores’ staff.

McDANIEL ALWAYS IN CROSSMAN’S CORNER
The decision to retain Crossman raised eyebrows in part because McDaniel made the move to replace Josh Boyer as defensive coordinator and Boyer also was a holdover from Flores’ staff.

But McDaniel said Wednesday the idea of removing Crossman never really crossed his mind.

“That just comes as a result of daily evaluations of all coaching involved in the building,” McDaniel said. “I think that the Miami Dolphins fan base, the players and Danny and myself would all agree that the desired results, we have more to achieve, but if I would have determined that that was solely his … if I thought that we couldn’t get to where we need to get to go with Danny Crossman, I would have made a move. I definitely didn’t feel that way. And that just comes as a result of daily investment into the coaching staff and what he brings to the table.”

As we have suggested before, Smith was heavily involved with coaching the offensive line last season after Applebaum was hired out of Boston College. McDaniel said that needed to change and the implication clearly was that Applebaum was ready to be a full-time NFL offensive line coach.

“Realistically, from the way the staff was orchestrated the previous year, I really needed to get more offensive coordinator work out of Frank Smith and he was devoted a little too much to the offensive line,” McDaniel said. “And I needed more selfishly to alleviate some stuff off my plate. And so that was the motivating factor to make that move was to facilitate Frank Smith being able to appropriate his time more as a coordinator and less in the offensive line room.”