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Club America will seek a first win of the new campaign as they square off with Necaxa in the second week of the new Liga MX season.

Watch Club America vs Necaxa on fuboTV (free 7-day trial)

Las Aguilas will welcome Los Rayos to Estadio Azteca as both teams go for three points, while the hosts have an eye on their Champions League semi-final in a fortnight.

Ahead of the game, Goal has the details of how to watch on TV, stream online, team news and more.

TV channel, live stream & how to watch

In the United States (US), Liga MX matches can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (watch with a 7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

Team news & rosters

With a Champions League semi-final on the horizon and plenty of high hopes for the new Liga MX season, Las Aguilas will hope that they can hit the ground running this term, after an opening draw with Queretaro got them off the mark.

They'll have to manage again without four key faces however - Guillermo Ochoa, Jorge Sanchez, Henry Martin and Sebastian Cordova - as the club finds their numbers cut thanks to Mexico's ongoing Olympic campaign at Tokyo 2020.

Predicted Club America starting XI: Jimenez, Layun, Valdez, Aguilera, Fuentes, Sanchez, Aquino, Suarez, Fidalgo, Lainez, Martinez. 

An opening defeat to favourites Santos Laguna did not exactly spell out promising omens for Guillermo Vazquez's side, but they will hope to sneak in a big win on the road with their hosts perhaps sidetracked by continental football.

Last term's bottom-place finish across the second half of the campaign has left them looking to bounce back this season, and unlike their hosts, they have suffered little disruption through both the Olynpics and the ongoing Gold Cup.

Predicted Necaxa starting XI: Hernandez; Dominguez, Julio Gonzalez, Quintana, Oliveros; Medina, Poggi, Zendejas; Aguirre, Quiroga, Sepulveda.

Last five results

Head-to-head

Africa is united in grief after Somalian club JCCI FC’s bus was attacked by unknown assailants at the southern city of Kismayo on Friday.

According to Europa Press, at least four people died from the attack while six others were seriously injured.

The portal further reported that the country's president, Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed, had also expressed his condolences for the attack.

A police officer Mohamed Sadiq who was at the scene said as quoted by rnn.ng: “The players were riding in a bus when the explosion went off, presumably inside the vehicle.

“There are investigations going on but we presume the device was planted onto the bus.

“The blast was huge and it caused a devastating fire which burned down the bus, people rushed to remove the dead bodies and wounded players.”

Many Africans have taken to their social media pages to express their sadness at the attack on the promoted side, who were heading for a match.

Below is how Twitter reacted to the attack.

Football Kenya Federation has moved to suspend five top referees accusing them of allegedly fixing matches in the Premier League.

In a statement obtained by Goal and signed by FKF CEO Barry Otieno, the referees who have been banned indefinitely include top Fifa official Raymond Onyango, Samuel Mwaura, Isaac Memusi, Collins Opiyo, and Japheth Juma.

What has been said?

“Football Kenya Federation, as a precautionary measure and in the interest of safeguarding the integrity of its leagues and competitions, has provisionally suspended five FKF-PL match officials suspected to be involved in match manipulations,” read part of the statement.

“The five, whose suspensions take effect immediately include Fifa accredited referee Raymond Onyango, Samuel Mwaura, Isaac Memusi, Collins Opiyo, and Japheth Juma.

“Moreover, the federation’s Integrity Department, with the assistance of Fifa, has initiated preliminary investigations against the said individuals, with a view of establishing their involvement, if any, in the said match manipulation practices.

“Even so, the federation remains confident on the integrity of the FKF-PL and has with the assistance of Fifa established and consistently continues to up-date, its match manipulation detection platform, with a view of protecting and safeguarding the integrity of all its competitions, against global match-fixers.”

When Fifa banned Zoo FC

The Kenyan league has been hit with complaints of match-fixing claims, a move that saw World governing body Fifa relegate Zoo FC from the top-flight.

In relegating Zoo on May 4, 2021, Fifa said in a letter obtained by Goal and signed by the Fifa Disciplinary Committee Chairman Alejandro: “The Fifa Disciplinary Committee finds the club Zoo FC responsible for activities related to manipulation of football matches and competitions.

“The club Zoo FC is hereby expelled from the Kenyan Premier League Season 2020/2021 as of the date of notification of the present decision. The Fifa Disciplinary Committee hereby orders the relegation of the first team of the club Zoo FC to the FKF Division One for the next season.

“The Fifa Disciplinary Committee orders the club Zoo FC to contact Fifa in the next 30 days from the notification of this decision and implement a prevention plan as an educational directive designed to prevent and combat the manipulation of football matches and competitions.”

The Kenyan league is set to conclude on August 22.

Further FKF Premier League reading 

Kerala Blasters have announced the signing of former Chennaiyin FC defender Enes Sipovic for the upcoming 2021/22 Indian Super League (ISL) season.

The 30-year-old centre-back becomes the second foreign signing of the club for the upcoming season after Uruguayan midfielder Adrian Luna.

What did Sipovic say after joining Kerala Blasters?

“I am so excited to join one of the biggest clubs in India, with an army of amazing fans. I must say that my actions speak for myself, So on the field, I will be LOUD,” said the new Kerala Blasters recruit.

Who is Sipovic and how did he perform in the ISL last season?

Enes Sipovic began his professional career at Romanian club Oțelul Galați where he spent six seasons. In between, he had moved to Petrolul Ploiești and Farul Constanta on two loan spells in 2011 and 2012 respectively. He has represented the Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 side in 15 matches.

Last season, Chennaiyin FC signed the defender who played in 18 league games in the ISL. He made 49 tackles, 20 interceptions, 79 clearances and 30 blocks and picked up one red card.

Which players have Kerala Blasters signed so far?

The Yellow Army have so far signed two foreigners Adrian Luna and Enes Sipovic and one Indian player Harmnajot Khabra who joined the club from Bengaluru FC. They have also secured the services of Serbian coach Ivan Vukomanović as their new manager.

When are Kerala Blasters conducting their pre-season?

The South Indian club are all set to kick-off their pre-season preparations on July 30. Ivan Vukomanovic, coaching staff, and players will arrive in Kochi to commence the first leg of their preseason before flying abroad to complete the rest of their pre-season training.

The month-long training camp will allow the players to complete their vaccinations and medical checks before focusing on physical conditioning. Vukomanovic is set to give the first-team exposure to at least 6 academy players, 4 of whom are from Kerala.

Reserve team players Sachin Suresh, Sreekuttan VS, Shahajahas Thekkan, Bijoy V, Sukham Yoihenba Meitei, and Anil Gaonkar are all in line for playing time across the Blaster’s preseason friendlies. 

Jose Mourinho jokingly labeled the video game Fortnite as a "nightmare" for managers in a quickfire Q+A as he also revealed his thoughts on Instagram and his new home in Rome.

Mourinho was hired as Roma's manager this summer, having been dismissed by Tottenham earlier this year.

He received a warm welcome upon arriving in Rome earlier this month and has now revealed his thoughts on several fun topics, including the popular videogame. 

What did Mourinho say?

“Fortnite is a nightmare," the Portuguese manager said. "Football players stay up all night playing that s*** and they have a game the next day.”

When asked about his feelings about his new club, Roma, he replied with three words: "History, power and passion".

And Mourinho, who has emerged as something of a social media superstar due to his posts on Instagram, described the platform as simply "fun".

What is Fortnite?

One of the most popular video games of all time, Fortnite was originally released in 2017 with the game's Battle Royale mode ultimately pushing it into the mainstream.

Many of the world's top players have shown their affinity for the game, with the likes of Harry Kane, Neymar and Pele all being featured within the game itself.

Mourinho's history in Italy

This isn't Mourinho's first stop in Italy as he previously managed Inter to unprecedented success.

He famously won the treble while in charge of the club before leaving to manage Real Madrid.

In the years since, he's also taken charge at Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham before returning to Italy with Roma this summer.

Further reading

Tigres boss Miguel Herrera says he will not rush Andre-Pierre Gignac and Florian Thauvin back onto the field after the duo recently returned from the Olympics.

Gignac, Thauvin and France shockingly crashed out of the tournament in the group stage, finishing behind Japan and Mexico with just three points from as many games.

But, with Tigres set to face Toluca this weekend, Herrera says the duo shouldn't expect to be involved as they recover from the tournament and go through coronavirus protocols.

What was said?

"Because of them and what they were looking for, we did not expect them to return so soon," Herrera said at a press conference."They are already here and, honestly, in this game, they're not likely to be ready because of jetlag and the coronavirus protocol that takes time to deliver," he said at a press conference.

"We want them to rest well, not by using them for 15 or 20 minutes, which is what they can play. Let's not overload them with travel and fatigue. We are very happy to have them here on one hand because we now have a larger team, but, on the other hand, what they were trying to accomplish makes us sad that they have returned so soon."

New signing incoming?

Herrera went on to confirm that the club is looking to sign a central defender, which could happen in the near future.

Tigres recently saw Francisco Meza suffer a ligament injury and Herrera says, as the team's Mexican internationals prepare for a return, a replacement could also be brought in soon.

"We have four or five names and we are going to try to land one, but there is no rush," he said. "We are not going to go out desperately to look for someone. Fortunately next week we will have Carlos [Salcedo]. ([uan Jose] Purata has left me calm and continues to do things well.

"I have four good Mexican central defenders, three from the national team and a young man with great poise and good ball-handling, but we also understand that we can bring a player who will give us that security and we will look for him."

Further reading

Cruz Azul defender Pablo Aguilar has admitted the team allowed winning the Liga MX title last season change its mentality in their Apertura opener last weekend.

With the weight of a 23-year championship drought no longer on the shoulders of every player who joins La Maquina, they have become too arrogant in their success, Aguilar told reporters, leading to a shock 2-0 defeat to Mazatlan last weekend.

So, the center back has asked for Cruz Azul to "go back to being that humble team" that triumphed last term over Santos Laguna.

What has been said?

"Honestly we did not enter with the same hunger in that debut match, we have to go back to being that humble team as we came in the last tournament," Aguilar told reporters via TUDN.

"We have to have the same mentality [as before]. We were [a little arrogant] in that first game, we lacked humility.

"But we know what we have to do. We trust the teammates we have, we have to be humble, go step by step in the obligations that we have as a great team and go for the objective each day."

Even the relations with fans are different

"[Winning the title last May] has changed a lot," Aguilar said. "I can tell you that wherever they see you, they greet you. Wherever they see you they say they feel proud of the team or of the players that belong to the team that got that title that was so much awaited.

"It is the folklore of soccer. ... I have noticed a radical change."

Further reading

Canada star Tajon Buchanan opened up on the racial abuse he received on social media after scoring in Thursday's loss to Mexico, saying that "we as a society must do better".

Buchanan scored a stunning goal on Thursday, but it wasn't enough as Canada fell 2-1 to Mexico in the Gold Cup semifinals.

After the game, Buchanan logged on to social media and was greeted by numerous examples of racism directed toward him, with the New England Revolution attacker later responding with a message thanking those that have supported him.

What was said?

"Unfortunate end, but extremely grateful to get my first international goal and to be a part of this special group," he said on Instagram. "Another huge step forward in our journey and I couldn’t be more proud of everyone throughout this Gold Cup.

"Those who personally know me know that I typically prefer to keep to myself, but I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t see the racial abuse I’ve received. Crazy the world we live in and all I can say is we as a society must do better. A special thank you to those for the constant love and support."

Who is Buchanan?

The young Canada winger has emerged as a star in recent months, shining in MLS to earn reported interest from overseas.

Buchanan, 22, contributed three goals and three assists in 12 appearances for the Revs before heading to the Gold Cup this summer, with Thursday's finish proving to be his first international goal.

In the hours following that goal, rumors began to swirl linking Buchanan to Europe, with Revs head coach Bruce Arena acknowledging on that there have been offers.

"Well, we have offers, and they're for significant amounts in my view, in my income bracket, anyway," Arena said on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

"We're pretty adamant on the fact we're not going to move any players this year and if there's a move it'll be made in January. I've spoken to clubs in four different countries in Europe that have an interest [in Buchanan], and some of our other players as well.

"That's the economics of our sport is transfers, that's all part of it. But right now, and I believe [ownership] feel the same way, we want to keep our team together this year and see if we can be a little bit more successful as we enter the playoffs."

Further reading

Paris Saint-Germain are ready to kick-off the 2021-22 campaign with a title when they battle Lille, according to Idrissa Gueye. 

The French Cup champions are scheduled to battle the Ligue 1 champions in the first game of the season at the Bloomfield Stadium on Sunday. 

After back-to-back Trophee des Champions triumphs, Gueye is in the running for his third and he has disclosed the team's determination to stretch their dominance in the season-opener.

"We are going into this game with a lot of desire and determination," the Senegal international told the club's website.

"We want to start the season well against a great Lille team. We want to win this trophy to kickstart our season." 

Gueye went further to hail their new signings Achraf Hakimi and Georginio Wijnaldum whom he has faced previously in his career.

"We knew Achraf before he arrived. I played against him, for Senegal against Morocco," he continued. "He is a very valuable player for us. The fact that we have very good players like him is a great asset.

"He brings a lot to the table going forward, he creates chances, he can score and provide too. We are delighted to have him with us.

"Gini is a great player. I played against him when I was at Everton, he's won the Champions League. We are hoping he will help us win trophies. 

"The competition will be tough, but we will have to work hard for the team because individualities come after the team."

The Senegal midfielder took up a leadership role in Mauricio Pochettino's team in the absence of captain Marquinhos during their pre-season. 

He wore the captain's armband on several occasions in their pre-season friendlies and described the opportunity as a great feeling for him. 

"I was very happy to have worn it during pre-season," Gueye said. "It's a sign that the manager trusts me. I'm happy to have been able to talk with the youngsters, both on and off the pitch."

With the anticipated launch of the Mamelodi Sundowns 2021/2022 kit around the corner and the new season drawing closer, Mamelodi Sundowns and Puma have once again joined forces to bring a brand-new jersey that is stylish, exciting, and as bold as the football we play.

As Mamelodi Sundowns, we have enjoyed a successful relationship with our technical sponsor Puma since the very first year that the partnership began in 2016.

It was in this year that Mamelodi Sundowns achieved the highest accolade in African football by winning the 2016 Caf Champions League.

We have proudly donned the Caf Champions League star above our badge from that moment onward.

Since winning our 10th Premier Soccer League title in September 2020, it was widely reported in the media and expected by our supporters that Mamelodi Sundowns would add a star to its badge that would symbolize its 10 PSL titles; as is common practice in leagues on the continent and across the world.

Due to the unprecedented nature of our achievement, there had not been any previous provision in the PSL rules to deal with the awarding of this accolade.

Mamelodi Sundowns presented this to the PSL at the close of the 2019/2020 season, and we are still awaiting permission to place a ‘10th title star’ on our badge.

We thank all our Masandawana family for their unwavering support.

We miss you very much and look forward to welcoming you back to the stadiums when Covid-19 regulations permit.

The majority of South African football fans have tipped Kaizer Chiefs to win this year's Carling Black Label Cup when they face their Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates.

A Poll conducted on the Goal South Africa Twitter handle shows 56.7% per cent of the fans tipping Amakhosi to emerge as winners on Sunday, while a minority - 43.3% - feel Bucs will lift the trophy.

The poll came at a time when Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer confirmed he would not have five players at his disposal due to injuries.

Captain Happy Jele, Tshegofatso Mabasa, Zakhele Lepasa and Zimbabwean attacker Terrence Dzvukamanja has been ruled out of the Soweto Derby.

"It’s a big thing as a coach that you have more weeks now. Important as well is that you have players on the pitch," Zinnbauer said in an earlier interview.

"This time we don't have so many injuries like last season. Okay‚ right now we have four or five players out‚ like [Tshegofatso] Mabasa‚ [Zakhele] Lepasa‚ Happy [Jele]‚ [Terrence] Dzvukamanja and Vincent Pule. That’s a little bit disruptive, but it's much better than last season."

The Glamour Boys - who had a dream season on the continental front having sailed to the Champions League final despite their PSL struggles - have a new coach in Stuart Baxter during Sunday's encounter.

Orlando Pirates head coach Josef Zinnbauer has stated his team will be aiming at winning all titles possible in the new campaign, starting with Sunday's Carling Black Label Cup against Kaizer Chiefs.

Bucs won the MTN8 competition last season but fell short in the race for the PSL title, where Mamelodi Sundowns won it for the fourth time in a row. They also reached the quarter-finals of the Caf Confederation Cup and Nedbank Cup.

While they finished third in the race for the league title, they did end a six-year trophy doubt when they won the MTN last December.

We want to win all titles

"We have a good squad, and [after] last season, yes we are happy that we finally have a title after going for six years without getting one," Zinnbauer said as quoted by iDiskiTimes.

"I know this, normally when you get a title then [fans] want more. We saw it last season, you won a title and they said ‘wow now to the top, let us get the title; the next title is now maybe the Nedbank Cup or please win the league,’ yeah, I know. 

"We want [to] win all titles. As a coach and as a player you want to win titles, that is clear."

It is not easy but it is our target

The German concedes it will not be an easy task but still remains confident it is an achievable target.

"It is special, especially for clubs like Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, or Mamelodi Sundowns. That is the target that we have," Zinnbauer continued.

"But in most of the times, as we have seen in the last years, it is not so easy [because] all teams fight for titles. Just look at AmaZulu [who ended] in second place last season. 

"Nobody in the room, before the season, spoke about AmaZulu but it is possible, in football all is possible."

The tactician will be aiming at getting better than champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs -who are recruiting in readiness for the title, and AmaZulu who finished second. 

Pirates and Chiefs open the domestic season with the Carling Black Label Cup on Sunday.

U.S. women's national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski and forward Lynn Williams saluted Alyssa Naeher after the goalkeeper's penalty heroics against the Netherlands helped the USWNT reach the Olympic semi-finals.

With Friday's quarter-final tied 2-2 late in the second half, Naeher produced a save from the spot to deny Lieke Martens and send the game into extra time.

Naeher was again heroic in the penalty shootout, saving spot kicks from Vivianne Miedema and Aniek Nouwen to help give the U.S. a 4-2 shootout victory.

What was said?

"She’s got a huge personality, she’s an amazing teammate, an amazing human being," Williams, who had a goal and an assist in the game, said at the post-match press conference.

"I think the calmness is what helps her in goal and that’s what we saw tonight.

"She had an incredible game, she kept us in the game and I don’t know how she does it. I’m amazed."

Andonovski added: "Alyssa is actually a true pro, she would do anything for this team and she shows that on a daily basis, whether it’s in training, in games or just in the environment anywhere in the hotel.

"She’s a trooper. I’m just happy that I have a chance to work with someone like her."

What's next for the USWNT?

After defeating the Dutch in the rematch of the 2019 World Cup final, the USWNT will face Canada on Monday in the semi-final.

The Canadians reached the last four with a penalty shootout win of their own on Friday, defeating Brazil in spot kicks. 

Canada will be looking for their first win against the USWNT since 2001.

Further reading

Football at the Olympics is one of the main attractions of the Games, with both men's and women's teams competing for the coveted gold medals.

Though national teams compete at the Olympics, the process is slightly different than what happens for the likes of the showpiece international European Championships and Copa America.

Goal has what you need to know about how football teams qualify for the Olympic Games and more.

On this page

What are the qualification routes for football at the Olympics?

Participating nations qualify for the Olympics based on the qualification rules of their respective association. Each regional body (UEFA, CONMEBOL) determines how each nation qualifies, with each federation having a maximum number of teams they are allowed to have compete.

The host nation automatically qualifies for the Games.

UEFA, for example, use the Men's European Under-21 Championship as the path for nations to qualify for the Olympics. For the 2020 Olympics, the final four finishers in the competition earned qualification to the Games – France, Germany, Romania and Spain.

UEFA use the top three finishers of the Women's World Cup to fill the three berths to the women’s Olympic tournament, which is why England's third-place finish at the 2019 Women's World Cup earned them a spot through Team GB.

Gold-medal winners do not earn automatic qualification to the next Games, so 2016 Women's Olympic gold winners Germany were not at the 2020 Olympics.

Other associations like CONCACAF have their own separate Olympics qualification tournament to determine which nations qualify. 

You can view the full breakdown of how each association determines Olympic qualification in the tables below.

Once qualified, the teams are drawn into their groups for the competition group stage via a seeded draw. This is done months in advance of the actual Olympics.

The tournament proper, then, consists of a group stage and a knockout stage (that consists of single-elimination quarter-finals, and then semi-finals which determine the bronze and silver winners), with the final determining the Olympic gold medalists.

How many teams qualify for the Olympics & qualification rules

For Tokyo 2020, 16 men's football teams qualified, while 12 women's football teams qualified.

The participation rules for Men's and Women's players are different. 

For Men's football, International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules state that only players under the age of 23 are allowed to compete, with a maximum of three over-23 players permitted. 

For the purposes of the 2020 Olympics, which was delayed a year due to Covid-19, players under the age of 24 were allowed.

For Women's football, there are no age restrictions on players, so full internationals are permitted to compete.

Men's Olympic football qualification

*For 2020 tournament.

Women's Olympic football qualification

*For 2020 tournament.