Pumas suffers another Liga MX defeat; loses to Miami

▲ Inter Miami's recent signing, Argentine Rodrigo de Paul (left), scored the U.S. team's first goal yesterday. Spanish defender Rubén Duarte was powerless to stop the goal yesterday at Chase Stadium in Florida. Photo @InterMiamiFC

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, August 7, 2025, p. a11

Pumas missed out on a spot in the 2025 Leagues Cup quarterfinals and were eliminated from the tournament after falling 3-1 to Inter Miami, who were without their star player, Argentine Lionel Messi, in the third and final match of the initial phase, played yesterday at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

With this result, the auriazul team, which in turn appeared without its brand new reinforcement, the sanctioned Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, was left with five points and without the possibility of advancing to the next round, while the Major League Soccer (MLS) team from the United States, accumulated eight points and became the second club to achieve its qualification, after Toluca, current champion of the Liga Mx.

The feline team, directed by Efraín Juárez, excited their fans in the 34th minute, when they took the lead thanks to a goal by Jorge Ruvalcaba, who, after a great assist from Ecuadorian Pedro Vite, unleashed a right-footed shot from the center of the area to beat goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo and put the scoreboard at 1-0.

In the absence of Messi, who was sidelined for this match due to a muscle injury but watched the game from a stadium box, Uruguayan Luis Suárez took charge of the team and contributed to the Garzas' first goal. In the final stretch of the first half, in the 45th minute, the Pistolero sent a pass to Inter's new signing, Argentine Rodrigo de Paul, who with a subtle shot invaded the Auriazul goal, protected by substitute goalkeeper Miguel Paul, to tie the score at 1-1 and score his first goal in the pink jersey.

In the second half, the home side managed to come back with a penalty from Suárez in the 59th minute. The Uruguayan, who had gone nine matches without scoring, deceived the Uruguayan goalkeeper with a Panenka-style shot to make it 2-1.

Already inspired, Suárez himself assisted Argentine Tadeo Allende to seal the final 3-1 in the 69th minute.

For the qualifiers, which begin on August 19, Miami hopes to have Messi back, who led the team to victory in this tournament in 2023.

This defeat allowed Pachuca, coached by Jaime Lozano, to secure their spot in the quarterfinals with their seven-point record.

At Inter&Co Stadium in Florida, veteran Colombian striker Luis Muriel scored three goals in just 11 minutes as Orlando City thrashed Necaxa 5-1, coached by Argentine Fernando Gago, who finished the tournament with just four points.

Orlando sits provisionally in second place in the MLS with seven points, and its qualification will depend on the final results of the first phase, which concludes this Thursday.

Atlas, meanwhile, lost 4-1 to Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Georgia, also eliminating them from the competition with three losses and no points.

With information from AFP

Karla Torrijos

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, August 7, 2025, p. a11

Rayados de Monterrey coach Domenec Torrent called for a second round of consideration regarding the Leagues Cup's new format, stating that clubs that have nothing to play for in the third and final round of the initial phase, as is currently the case with his team, are only wasting time and missing out on the opportunity to continue preparing for the Liga MX tournament.

Unlike previous editions of the binational tournament, where all Major League Soccer (MLS) teams participated, only 18 of the 29 clubs from the US league and 18 from the Mexican tournament competed in the 2025 Leagues Cup. During the first phase, each team plays three matches against opponents from the opposing league. The four teams from each league with the most points in these matches will advance to the quarterfinals, while the other 14 will be eliminated.

In the case of Rayados, they lost their first match against Cincinnati, while in the second, after a 1-1 draw, they won in a penalty shootout against the New York Red Bulls, earning them the extra point to reach two points, so, despite taking the victory in their last match, they no longer have aspirations of qualifying for the next phase.

The line is so thin, we could have done better and tomorrow what happens, not just us, America, many important teams, Chivas, they have taken away our training time, we have not been able to practice well, and it is not an excuse, it is a reality, the game that really matters to us is against León (of matchday 4 of the Apertura 2025 tournament), tomorrow there will be changes (in the lineups), almost all the teams will do the same, we come to the competition knowing that things are like this, but we have to reflect on whether it is the best way to go to a tournament with this format , he declared in a videoconference before his game today against Charlotte FC, his last commitment within the Leagues Cup 2025.

▲ Monterrey's coach calls for an evaluation of whether it's worth attending the tournament with the current format. Photo @rayados

The strategist also compared this tournament with the last Club World Cup, and indicated that there was more motivation in the latter.

"It's obvious, it happens in everyone's mind when you face powerful teams; they're different competition formats. In the Club World Cup, you knew you'd take points off your opponents; there we were all away, and we all had the difficulties of training, but not here.

My players competed well. They want to win even in training. They get angry when they don't. And there's something imperceptible about human beings: How many Mexican journalists are there here? That's the answer to everything: the motivation isn't there , he commented.

Finally, the coach acknowledged that Rayados could have performed better in this Leagues Cup.

We didn't achieve our goal of qualifying. We could have done better. When you win, you enjoy it, and when you lose, you learn. I'm not surprised by American teams. You can't always win, and because you're unfamiliar with the MLS, you come here and think you're going to take everything with you. Our intention was to win, of course. For next year, we already know what we're going to find , he concluded.

▲ A 48-year-old New Jersey native, Pawol worked in this season's training camp. AP Photo

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, August 7, 2025, p. a12

New York. Major League Baseball (MLB) announced yesterday that Jen Pawol will be the first female umpire in a regular-season game in its more than 100-year history.

The New Jersey native, a minor league umpire since 2016, will be part of the umpiring crew for the three-game series between the Marlins and Braves in Atlanta on Saturday and Sunday.

Baseball has done a great job of being completely inclusive , Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I'll be watching. It's good for the game ."

At 48 years old, Pawol worked spring training games in 2024 and this year.

The MLB's decision comes 28 years after the gender barrier for referees was broken in the NBA, 10 years after it was dissolved in the NFL, and three years after the men's World Cup employed a female referee. The NHL still has no women on the ice.

In 2024, Pawol became the first woman to umpires major league spring training games since Ria Cortesio in 2007. Cortesio spent nine years in the minor leagues, including the last five in the Double-A Southern League, and was released after the 2007 season.

"We'd seen a lot of her in spring training ," said Philadelphia Phillies star Trea Turner. "I don't know much about her, stats or anything like that, but if she's doing a great job, I love the opportunity and I'm happy for it. I talked to her a little bit in spring training, and she seems like a great person; I wish her all the best ."

Pawol was a New Jersey All-State softball and soccer player for three seasons in each sport at West Milford High School. She attended Hofstra University on a softball scholarship, was selected to the All-Conference team three times, and was a member of the 2001 U.S. Women's National Baseball Team.

Pawol earned a master's degree and lived in the Binghamton, New York area, where he pursued certification at Elmira College while continuing to play on-site.

I wasn't really satisfied , she said last year.

After competing in NCAA softball from 2010 to 2016, she attended an MLB umpire tryout camp in 2015, was invited to the Umpire Training Academy in Vero Beach, Florida, and was offered a position in the Gulf Coast League in 2016.

Violet Palmer became the first female NBA referee when she officiated the Dallas-Vancouver game on October 31, 1997, and Sarah Thomas became the first in the NFL when she served as a linesman for the Kansas City-Houston game on September 13, 2015.

France's Stéphanie Frappart did the same when refereeing a men's World Cup match, overseeing Germany's 4-2 group stage win over Costa Rica on December 1, 2022. Rebecca Walsh became the first to referee in the English Premier League, overseeing Burnley's 2-0 win over Fulham on December 23, 2023.

MLB has 76 full-time umpires and uses substitute umpires to fill vacancies due to injuries and vacations.

Reuters and AP

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, August 7, 2025, p. a12

The U.S. Open announced that $90 million in prize money will be distributed this year, the largest purse in tennis history and 20 percent more than in 2024, when the total compensation was $75 million.

Top ATP and WTA players have called for a more equitable distribution of revenue across this season's four Grand Slams , as those at the top can benefit from increased prize money while lower-level players often struggle.

Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, as well as reigning champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, were among 20 players who signed a letter sent to the Big Four bosses in March, calling for more prize money and a greater say in decisions that directly impact them .

Now, the winners of the men's and women's singles categories will each receive $5 million, up from $3.6 million last year. The U.S. Open singles competition has been extended to 15 days due to increased attendance, and will run from August 24 to September 7.

This year sees the introduction of a new format for mixed doubles, which will feature many renowned players, as it will be played over two days in the week preceding the start of the main competition at Flushing Meadows. Attendance at the US Open surpassed one million fans for the first time in 2024.

At Wimbledon, which ended last month, prize money increased by about seven percent to approximately $73 million when the All England Club announced its payouts to players. Singles champions received about $4 million each.

The 2025 US tournament prize pool includes singles, doubles, and qualifying. The announcement comes after the United States Tennis Association announced in May that its main stadium, the Arthur Ashe Stadium, would be renovated as part of an $800 million project. It was touted as the largest investment in the tournament's history.

▲ Mexican cyclist Isaac del Toro (front left) finished 37th in the second stage of the Vuelta a Burgos, placing him 21 seconds behind the leader and 28th in the overall standings. The Ensenada native was just outside the top 10 in a race where Italian Matteo Moschetti won after a photo finish ahead of Matteo Malucelly and Colombian Juan Sebastian Moreno, who finished third. Despite not occupying the top spots, Del Toro completed the route without incident after his spectacular fall in the first phase of the tour. He will face the mountains over the next three days, where he could climb the ladder. Photo @uae_teams_emirates

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, August 7, 2025, p. a12