Day: August 12, 2024

chicago fire sporting director georg heitz to leave club

Chicago Fire sporting director Georg Heitz to leave club

Chicago Fire announced on Monday, that sporting director Georg Heitz will leave the club. This will be after the 2024 MLS season. 

Mentioning personal reasons, Heitz will return to Switzerland after five seasons managing Chicago’s football operations. He will remain on the board of directors at partner club FC Lugano. And will keep playing a major role in the relationship between both teams.

“I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to [Chicago Fire owner] Joe Mansueto and his family for their unwavering trust and loyalty. Their commitment to the club is exceptional, and working alongside them has been an honor,” Heitz said in an official statement.

“… Although the results have fallen short of our expectations, I am proud of our progress in other important areas and the working culture we’ve established, which will serve the organization well moving forward.”

Heitz became Chicago sporting director in December 2019. During his stint, the Fire signed 10 homegrown players. They also completed two major outbound transfers: goalkeeper Gaga Slonina joining Chelsea FC and forward Jhon Durán joining Aston Villa. 

He also presided over the signing of Swiss player Xherdan Shaqiri and club-record signing Hugo Cuypers. 

Additionally, Chicago formed MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Chicago Fire II. They set up an international, multi-club network by buying of Swiss Super League side FC Lugano during Heitz’s tenure. 

But, the Fire failed to reach the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs under Heitz. With nine matches left in their 2024 campaign, Chicago are 14th in the Eastern Conference. They are on pace to miss the postseason for the seventh straight season. 

“Georg recently informed me of his decision to step away from the Fire after the season, and while I respect his choice to return to Switzerland, his presence and leadership will be greatly missed,” Mansueto said in a release.

“I would like to sincerely thank Georg for his dedicated efforts to expand our football operations and build a structure that will set the club up for success.”

matthijs and noussair fly to manchester united medicals

Bayern Munich pair Matthijs and Noussair fly to England for Manchester United medicals

Bayern Munich defenders Matthijs and Noussair are in Manchester today. 

Bayern have received an offer on behalf of centre-half De Ligt and fullback Mazraoui.

They are now scheduled for their medicals in Manchester and will sign United contracts this afternoon. 

Matthijs and Noussair will join the Red Devils for a combined fee of £60m.

manchester united ready offer for brighton striker evan ferguson

Manchester United ready offer for Brighton striker Evan Ferguson

Manchester United are deciding a move this month for Brighton striker Evan Ferguson.

The Red Devils had had a long-term interest in the Irish national and could sign him this month.

The new United technical director Dan Ashworth signed Ferguson from Bohemians when he was in charge of transfer at Brighton. 

According to the Daily Star, Ashworth could now want to reunite with Ashworth in the coming weeks. 

United  believe they can draft Evan Ferguson for £50m before the summer market ends.

judge hits 299th hr for winning margin

Aaron Judge hits 299th HR for winning margin: ‘Such an incredible hitter’

Outfielder Aaron Judge continues to expand his legacy. On Sunday afternoon, he hit his 42nd home run of the season off Rangers left-hander Andrew Chafin. That was in the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium, helping New York to an 8-7 victory over Texas. 

“It was a win. It was another good one. I’m happy to win the series and get back [to] the winning ways,” Judge said.

Judge’s shot was three pitches after Juan Soto hit his second home run of the game and 30th of the season. It gave the Yankees an 8-3 lead at the time, which turned out to be essential. Similarly, the Rangers scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth before Clay Holmes cleared a four-out save. 

“Every time Judge hits a home run, it’s incredible. It was a tough pitch outside of the strike zone. The ball went out,” Soto said. “He is such an incredible hitter.”

Judge entered the game on track to his 56 homers for the campaign, which would be six short of the American League record he set in 2022. He could become the third player to have multiple 60-plus home run seasons, joining Sammy Sosa (three) and Mark McGwire (two).

Judge has 42 homers through 119 team games this season. He had 46 through that number of games in 2022. He played his 952nd career game, and is one home away from 300 for his career. 

The lowest matches needed to attain 300 career home runs in AL/NL history is 1,087, set by Hall of Fame Ralph Kiner, who did most of his damage with the Pirates from 1946-53. 

“I try to remind myself every now and then that I take him for granted,” manager Aaron Boone said. “His greatness … I’m getting to watch over there every day what he is able to do and be just the player that he has become. It is remarkable.”

For Judge, hitting this milestone will only be relevant if the Yankees win the match. 

“[The numbers] are not what we play for,” Judge said. “I’m just here to help this team win and put them in a good position. Hopefully, it comes with a win. It would be something special.”

Soto has batted in front of Judge for a greater part of the campaign, and he knows that means he will often get something to hit. 

“You have to make sure you are swinging because they are not walking you at all,” Soto said. “It’s always great to hit in front of him. … They are always trying to attack the strike zone like [the Rangers]. They know he is coming behind me, but they want to make sure they get me out before facing him. They leave the lefty [Chafin for Judge]. At the end of the day, we did our job and helped the team win the ballgame.”

a'ja wilson crowned mvp of women's basketball tournament

A’ja Wilson crowned MVP of women’s basketball tournament at 2024 Olympics

Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson added another title to her legendary career. The two-time WNBA champion received the MVP title for the women’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Olympics. 

Wilson assisted in propelling Team USA women to an exciting victory over France in the final to win an eighth straight gold medal for the United States. 

“It’s amazing,” Wilson said after the win. “It truly is a dynasty that we have built here at USAB and it has been incredible. And I am so proud of the resilience that my team showed. We could have fumbled it many times, but we pulled through. To say I am a two-time gold medalist, I am so blessed.”

Wilson scored 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in the 67-66 victory and averaged 18.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks over six matches at the Olympics. 

Additionally, she was listed among the All-Star Five for women’s basketball at the Paris Olympics alongside teammate Breanna Stewart, Gabby Williams of France, Alanna Smith of Australia and Emma Meesseman of Belgium. 

The eight straight golds snapped a tie with the American men’s program that won seven in a row from 1936-68. The USA women’s win came less than 24 hours after the U.S. men’s team also defeated France in the match. This was the first time in Olympic history that both gold medal games featured the same two teams. 

nix heads four scoring drives in broncos preseason debut

Bo Nix heads four scoring drives in excellent Broncos preseason debut

Jarrett Stidham might have gotten the start, but rookie Bo Nix started the scoring for the Denver Broncos. 

Nix, the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, made his preseason debut in the Denver’s Sunday’s 34-30 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. He led the Broncos on four scoring drives to highlight a remarkable initial showing. 

In five drives, Nix was the quarterback that led the Broncos to two touchdowns and two field goals, with a laser of a 1-yard touchdown to Marvin Mims. 

“It was a good day,” Nix said postgame. “I thought we ran the ball efficiently. Made some good plays in the pass game. Converted some third downs. Got points when we needed to; it was a good job going into half with points and coming out with points, felt like that was a good point in the game. Overall, I thought we did a good job, a huge team win.”

Nix completed 15 of 21 passes for 125 yards for his final line. His touchdown has a 102.3 passer rating, complemented by three runs for 17 yards. Meanwhile, Stidham was 4 of 7 for 37 yards, no TDs, an interception and 32.1 rating. In all fairness to the veteran, neither his interception nor the two futile drives were on him. 

“All three of them did a good job,” Payton said, including Zach Wilson, who played for most of the second half and concluded 10 of 13 passes for 117 yards.

Nonetheless, the highlights were for Nix and the first-rounder delivered a spectacular performance. His release was quick, his scrambling capacity sensational, and his command of Sean Payton’s offense was on the mark for his first time. 

Early in the week, Payton announced that Nix would start for the Broncos in the Week 2 preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, August 18th. 

guardians vs cubs betting predictions

MLB EXPERT PICKS: Cleveland Guardians VS Chicago Cubs betting Predictions

The Cleveland Guardians and Chicago Cubs will begin their three-game series tonight with a Guardians VS Cubs matchup at Progressive Field. 

MatchPlug has the MLB Expert Picks, predictions, and odds for Guardians VS Cubs. We are a Hot Prediction Site that offers accurate MLB previews and match analysis.

Predictions And Betting Preview For Cleveland Guardians VS Chicago Cubs 

  • Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio.
  • When: Monday, August 12th, 2024.
  • Time: 23:40
  • Teams to play: Guardians and Cubs.
  • MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.881.

Odds as seen on 1XBet.

Betting On The Cleveland Guardians

  • 1XBet Spread: +1.5
  • 1XBet Moneyline: 1.982
  • 1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5

After winning on August 2nd, the Cleveland Guardians went on a five-game winning streak. They ruined their efforts with seven consecutive losses, allowing the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals to move within four matches of first place. The Guardians eventually won on Saturday to stop the lossing, but it was too late. Their fight in the division will continue with a Ben Lively start. Lively has a 3.14 ERA and holds opponents under three runs in four of five outings.

Saturday’s win was Cleveland’s fifth straight game without scoring over three runs. The lineup has been stuck since July, with periodic victories. For the season, the Guardians have the 12th-most runs per match, 4.59. Their success is due the fourth-lowest strikeout rate and the seventh-most stolen bases. They have hit more home runs that all of last season. 

Betting On The Chicago Cubs

  • 1XBet Spread: -1.5
  • 1XBet Moneyline: 1.881
  • 1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5

The Chicago Cubs won the Crosstown Classic, taking their winning streak to four matches. They had an unusual Sunday off due the two-game set. A refreshed Cubs will nominate All-Star rookie Shota Imanaga in the race for another victory. Imanaga has a 2.75 ERA on the road and has only been charged with over three runs in one road match. 

If Chicago wants to keep winning, it’ll need the offence to maintain their performance this month. They average over five runs per match in August, especially because of a .480 slugging percentage. This is above their season averages of 4.23 runs (19th) and .385 slugging (20th). For the season, Chicago is also 23rd in batting average, 21st in home runs, 19th in strikeout percentage, and 17th in OBP.

MatchPlug Prediction For Cleveland Guardians VS Chicago Cubs 

The Guardians will start Ben Lively, who has permitted nine home runs in his last seven starts. While the Cubs have handed the home run stroke in August; their best in terms of HR%. Leaving the yard a few times, combined with strong pitching, will lead Chicago to a fifth straight win. 

Final Prediction: Chicago Cubs Moneyline. 

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