USMNT chooses Irvine, Calif., for World Cup base

The U.S. men's national team will set up its World Cup training base at Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine, Calif., this summer.

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the decision on Tuesday.

The Irvine location is less than 50 miles from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where the USMNT will play two of its three group-stage matches. The other match will be played in Seattle.

Should the U.S. win the group, its first knockout-stage match would be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Great Park features 24 soccer fields, including a 5,000-plus-seat stadium that is the home of Orange County SC, a soccer team in the USL Championship. The USMNT will train at the stadium with sessions that won't be open to the public.

Advertisement

U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement, "We are delighted to have Great Park as our training site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The facilities are simply outstanding and will provide the perfect training environment for our team to prepare to be successful at the World Cup."

Irvine Mayor Larry Agran said in a statement, "We are honored that the U.S. Men's National Team has chosen to train at the Great Park during the FIFA World Cup. This decision reflects the caliber of the Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium and the professionalism of the staff who operate it. Irvine is proud to welcome the players, coaches, and supporters from around the world to our great city for one of the world's most celebrated sporting events."

According to The Athletic, U.S. Soccer first looked to UC Irvine, but the university and FIFA didn't reach an agreement on the proposal. U.S. Soccer then pivoted across town to Great Park.

The USMNT has four friendly matchups scheduled ahead of the World Cup: March 28 vs. Belgium and March 31 vs. Portugal, both in Atlanta; May 31 vs. Senegal in Charlotte; and June 6 vs. Germany in Chicago.

The U.S. opens World Cup Group D action against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, then faces Australia on June 19 in Seattle. The USMNT's final group game, on June 25 in Inglewood, will be against the winner of a UEFA playoff, either Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey or Romania.

--Field Level Media

byAdministrator

in

01:06

USMNT chooses Irvine, Calif., for World Cup base

The U.S. men's national team will set up its World Cup training base at Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine, Calif...

Read More

USA stunned by Italy, needs help to reach WBC quarterfinals

Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci and Jac Caglianone all homered for Italy, which moved to the top of the World Baseball Classic Pool B standings by holding on to upset the United States 8-6 on Tuesday night in Houston.

Italy, which raced out to an 8-0 lead before Team USA rallied in the final four innings, is 3-0 in Pool B play and would clinch a spot in the quarterfinals with a win against Mexico in Wednesday's finale.

An Italy win Wednesday would secure the final Pool B spot for Team USA, which finished 3-1.

If Mexico (2-1) beats Italy, those teams along with the United States will finish Pool B at 3-1. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, which would be 1-1 for all three teams. The second tiebreaker is the fewest runs per out in head-to-head games.

Team USA allowed 11 runs against Italy and Mexico and recorded 54 outs (.2037 runs per out), while Mexico got 24 outs against Team USA and gave up five runs (.2083 runs per out). Italy yielded six runs against Team USA on Tuesday over 27 outs (.2222 runs per out).

As a result, Team USA needs Italy to win, which would eliminate Mexico, or Mexico to win while allowing at least five runs (assuming the game ends in nine innings). Mexico and Italy would advance, eliminating the United States, if Mexico wins and permits four or fewer runs in a nine-inning game.

Italy starter Michael Lorenzen earned the win, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two over 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

Advertisement

Teel hit a solo blast and Antonacci added a two-run homer off Team USA starter Nolan McLean in the second. Caglianone hit a two-run shot in the fourth off Ryan Yarborough before Italy added three more runs in the sixth. J.J. D'Orazio scored on an error by Team USA pitcher Brad Keller and Dante Nori lofted a sacrifice fly before Antonacci scored on Keller's wild pitch.

Gunnar Henderson's solo shot began Team USA's comeback bid in the sixth before Pete Crow-Armstrong hit the first of his two homers, a three-run blast, in the seventh to make it 8-4. Roman Anthony had an RBI single in the eighth and Crow-Armstrong went deep with one out in the ninth off Ron Marinaccio to cut the deficit to 8-6.

Greg Weissert entered and gave up a single to Bobby Witt Jr. before striking out Henderson and Team USA captain Aaron Judge to earn the save.

Teel was 2-for-2 before exiting with a leg injury following a sixth-inning double. Caglianone also had two of Italy's six hits.

Witt and Will Smith had two hits apiece for Team USA, which posted 11 hits.

McLean gave up three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings.

--Field Level Media

byAdministrator

in

01:06

USA stunned by Italy, needs help to reach WBC quarterfinals

Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci and Jac Caglianone all homered for Italy, which moved to the top of the World Baseball Classi...

Read More

Cricket-Quick-witted wife saves India's World Cup hero's train ruse

By Amlan Chakraborty

NEW DELHI, March 11 (Reuters) - India's Twenty20 World Cup hero Shivam Dube thought a train ride in disguise would keep him ‌incognito - until a ticket-checker yelled his name.

But just when Dube feared his ‌ruse would fall apart, his quick-witted wife saved the day for the 32-year-old.

Dube planned to return ​home soon after India won the World Cup, beating New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday to be with his four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter.

With all flights to Mumbai fully booked on Monday, Dube decided to travel by ‌train along with his wife ⁠Anjum and a friend despite the risks of getting identified and mobbed.

"There was no flight available, so I decided to ⁠take a train from Ahmedabad early in the morning to Mumbai," the all-rounder told the Indian Express newspaper.

"I wore a cap, a mask, and a full-sleeved t-shirt."

While his ​companions ​boarded first, Dube slipped on at the ​last moment, made for his coach ‌and climbed to the top berth, hoping for a quiet eight-hour ride.

Advertisement

He, however, had his heart in his mouth when the ticket-checker walked in and inquired loudly if the Shivam Dube among passengers was the famous cricketer.

Anjum quickly stepped in saying: "No, no. How can he be here?"

Dube eventually had to seek police ‌help before he got down in Mumbai, ​though.

"They thought I was landing at the airport, ​but were surprised when I ​told them that I was travelling by train," he told ‌the paper.

"I was provided a police escort ​so things were ​easy and the exit was smooth."

Cricketers enjoy rock-star-like status in India, where the game is considered something of a religion.

The game further cemented its ​popularity in the world's ‌most populous nation on Sunday when India became the first team ​to win three men's T20 World Cup titles.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty ​in New Delhi; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)

byAdministrator

in

01:06

Cricket-Quick-witted wife saves India's World Cup hero's train ruse

By Amlan Chakraborty NEW DELHI, March 11 (Reuters) - India's Twenty20 World Cup hero Shivam Dube thought a...

Read More

What we know on the 12th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

A wave of strikes on Iran hit the capital and northern areas overnight into Wednesday, while Tehran launched what it called its "most intense" operation ofthe war,targeting Israel and Gulf nations.

Throughout the region, a humanitarian crisis is mounting – withthe UN warningof toxic black rain, mass displacement and disrupted supply chains for life-saving goods. And the death toll continues to rise.

Advertisement

Here's what you need to know on day 12.

What's happening in the region?

• Israeli strikes: Israel launched a wave of strikes in the Iranian capital overnight into Wednesday, with the Iranian Red Crescent saying a residential area in Tehran had been targeted. Beyond the capital, CNN staff in northern Iran also reported major nighttime air raids. Israel also said it struck targets in Beirut in Lebanon. Videos showed parts of a high-rise building engulfed in flames. Further south in Lebanon, a paramedic was killed after an Israeli strike hit a Red Cross ambulance.

• Iran ramps up: Iran's military said it launched its "most intense and heaviest operation" since the start of the war overnight into Wednesday, according to state media. The attack targeted locations in Israel and US assets in the region, state media reported.

• Regional attacks: Gulf states have been intercepting new waves of Iranian drones and missiles early Wednesday local time. A suspected Iranian drone also hit a US diplomatic facility in Iraq Tuesday, near the Baghdad airport, two sources told CNN. A cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile, while another vessel was damaged earlier Wednesday by a suspected projectile off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

• Toxic black rain: The World Health Organization is warning that black rain - contaminated rainfall - resulting from pollution could pose health risks after strikes in Iran. After fuel depots were hit last week, including in Tehran, thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the air, mixing with precipitation in the air to create toxic rain.

• Growing death toll: Iran has accused the US and Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, with strikes killing more than 1,300 since the conflict started, according to Iran's UN ambassador. In Lebanon, Israel's strikes have killed more than 10 children every day so far, according to the UN's children's agency. Dozens more have been killed elsewhere around the region, including by Iranian strikes. Seven US service members have been killed and 140 troops wounded, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

What are the other headlines?

• Mines in the Strait: The US military said it destroyed Iranian naval ships — including 16 minelayers — near the Strait of Hormuz. Sources earlier told CNN that Tehran has begun laying mines in the waterway, the world's most important energy chokepoint, through which about one-fifth of all crude oil travels.

• US terms: The White House laid out demands for what an "unconditional surrender" by Iran could look like, saying it will be personally determined by President Donald Trump. This includes dismantling Iran's ballistic missile arsenal that "protects" their nuclear ambitions, it said – adding that Trump does "not rule options out" in the war, including deploying US ground troops.

• School strike: The Pentagon will release its report into a strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed at least 168 children, the White House said Tuesday. The US military was likely responsible, according to CNN and expert analysis of evidence. And footage has emerged that appears to show a US missile targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval base adjacent to the school.

• Iranian women's soccer team: Seven members of the Iranian football team were granted humanitarian visas in Australia after seeking asylum, though one member changed her mind afterward and said she wanted to return home. The rest of the team left Sydney late Tuesday.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byAdministrator

in

00:34

What we know on the 12th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

A wave of strikes on Iran hit the capital and northern areas overnight into Wednesday, while Tehran launched what it call...

Read More

Six killed in Swiss bus blaze after person reportedly sets themselves on fire

By Dave Graham and Olivia Le Poidevin

KERZERS, SWITZERLAND, March 11 (Reuters) - At least six people died and three others were injured in a bus fire on ‌Tuesday in a small town in western Switzerland, in what police said may have ‌been a deliberate act following reports that a person on board set fire to themselves.

Police said the bus became engulfed ​in flames on a road in Kerzers, a town in the canton of Fribourg, about 20 km (12 miles) from the Swiss capital Bern.

"At this stage, we have elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus," Frederic Papaux, a spokesperson for Fribourg police, said.

Investigators were ‌looking into reports that a ⁠person had poured fuel on themselves, said Christa Bielmann, another local police spokesperson. It was too early to say whether the incident was terror-related, she ⁠told a news conference.

"We have no indication that suggests we might be dealing with a terrorist attack," Swiss politician Romain Collaud, a state councillor, told the Swiss-French broadcaster RTS on Wednesday morning, adding ​that ​investigations are ongoing.

Three injured people were taken to hospital, ​police said. Two other people caught ‌up in the blaze also received attention but did not need to be hospitalised.

Advertisement

On Tuesday evening passengers were seen escaping from the burning bus, panicked and injured, Papaux said, adding that no other vehicle was involved.

Swiss media outlet 20 Minutes said it had seen a video taken at the scene in which an injured person said: "A man set himself on fire. He ‌poured gasoline over himself and then lit himself."

Video after ​the flames were extinguished showed the charred remains of ​the vehicle, a yellow so-called Postauto.

Swiss President ​Guy Parmelin offered his condolences and said the incident was being investigated.

"It ‌shocks and saddens me that once again ​people have lost their ​lives in a serious fire in Switzerland," he said in a statement on X, noting investigations were under way.

In January, Switzerland was rocked by a fire in a bar ​in the Swiss ski resort ‌of Crans Montana that killed 41 people and injured 115.

(Reporting by Dave Graham ​in Kerzers, Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva; additional reporting by Cecile Mantovani; Editing ​by Neil Fullick, Lincoln Feast and Michael Perry)

byAdministrator

in

00:34

Six killed in Swiss bus blaze after person reportedly sets themselves on fire

By Dave Graham and Olivia Le Poidevin KERZERS, SWITZERLAND, March 11 (Reuters) - At least six people died and ...

Read More