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Janusz Michallik reviews the United States' group stage performance in the Gold Cup and notes the key performers.

PHILADELPHIA -- From the outset of this Gold Cup, it was the plan of U.S men's national team manager Bruce Arena to add six players to his roster at the conclusion of the group stage. The tournament rules allow it, and Arena took full advantage.

All of which seems kind of a shame.

The U.S. manager has brought in the Toronto FC duo of Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. He's also added Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe, Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey, Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Tim Howard and FC Dallas goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez.

The infusion of experience is considerable. Out of those six, four of them -- Bradley, Altidore, Dempsey and Howard -- have more than 100 caps apiece. Nagbe has been a steady presence for the U.S. throughout 2017. Only Gonzalez, who just recently had his one-time switch of affiliation from Mexico to the U.S. approved by FIFA, can be considered a prospect.

The unlucky six who were sent back to their clubs were really an unlucky three. Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya and his wife Beatrice are expecting their second child this week, so his departure was long planned. It was also understood that goalkeepers Brad Guzan and Sean Johnson would be sent back to Atlanta United and New York City FC, respectively. That left Kelyn Rowe, Cristian Roldan and Dom Dwyer to be sent home.

It's peculiar in that Rowe and Dwyer have shown well over the course of the past three weeks, with each player scoring a goal and contributing to the attack in other ways. Roldan's situation is easier to understand, as he had his moments of struggle against Martinique, though he did take good care of the ball. But for these three players, it's clear that their playing time would have been severely limited going forward, considering who was called up. That is true especially for Dwyer given that Dempsey and Altidore will chew up the bulk of the forward minutes, while Juan Agudelo and Jordan Morris have the ability to play out wide if needed.

"All of [the decisions] are difficult because all of the players did well," Arena told reporters. "I thought Dom, Cristian and Kelyn did very well, and I told them that. They're players that we're obviously going to continue to keep an eye on, and continue to obviously have them in the program."

He added, "It's a difficult tournament, and when you play so many less experienced and younger players together, it's difficult. It's not easy. Probably the perfect way to do that is to mix in more veteran players. But we wanted to give everyone an opportunity, and that's the way we decided to do it, and I think they came through with passing grades, all of them."

It's an odd rule to be sure, one that I can't recall being replicated anywhere else in the world. Given how crowded the international calendar tends to get in the summer, as well as the fact that MLS shuts down for only the group stage, it's understandable that CONCACAF would want to allow some flexibility to teams in order to get the best players on display. But at the same time, it seems to undermine the integrity of the competition by allowing such drastic changes.

To be clear, the U.S. isn't doing anything wrong here, but it still seems unfortunate, in a way, for Arena to bring in reinforcements, and not just for the players sent home. With essentially five starters added, it's almost as if a different team will take the field for Wednesday's quarterfinal, and playing time will be much harder to come by for those group-stage players who remain.

Without question, the U.S. looked far from convincing during the group stage. It played poorly in a 1-1 draw with Panama and was given a fright by unheralded Martinique in a 3-2 win, before looking more like its old self in a 3-0 victory over Nicaragua.

But the whole point of this tournament, for the U.S. at any rate, was to give some playing time to some heretofore bit-part -- and, in some cases, no-part -- players. During the group stage, Arena did that and then some, giving starts to 22 out of the 23 players on the roster. So why not let them finish the job? Why not see how these players can do in a knockout game possessing a very different kind of pressure from the group stage?

Granted, the winner of this Gold Cup gets one foot in the door toward qualifying for the Confederations Cup, but that assumes there will be a Confederations Cup in four years' time. Considering Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup in the winter, holding the tournament in December 2021 is a no-go with the game's power brokers in Europe. Ditto for holding it in the searing summer heat. There is talk of using the 2021 Club World Cup as a dry run for the World Cup instead.

So what does the U.S. really gain by bringing in five new starters? Arena highlighted the quintet's experience, and it obviously gives the U.S. a much better chance of winning the tournament. The competition for places will certainly heat up. But it also seems unlikely that Arena will acquire more data about his player pool as opposed to if he had kept his roster the same.

That is precisely the approach Mexico has taken. Certainly, it's not quite an apples-to-apples comparison given that El Tri's participation in this year's Confederations Cup added an extra competition to their calendar. But manager Juan Carlos Osorio is giving his inexperienced side -- which had a stumble of its own in tying Jamaica 0-0 -- the chance to win the tournament, as opposed to making changes.

"I think this group deserves the opportunity to continue [in the Gold Cup] and experience this tournament and the great responsibility that representing Mexico is," said Osorio.

He added, "[I feel] happy, very optimistic about the group. We're continuing to consolidate a very good group of talented, young players that are the future of Mexican football. That factor, for me personally, is the most gratifying and what I enjoy most in life."

As it stands now, a hypothetical U.S. lineup for Wednesday's quarterfinal could consist entirely of players who were on the roster for the World Cup qualifiers last June. So it looks like for Arena, the search for that kind of gratification Osorio referred to has been put on hold.

Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @JeffreyCarlisle.

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Arena won't learn more about US player pool by calling in reinforcements - ESPN FC (blog)

The ACC started their 2017 ACC Football Kickoff on Thursday, and commissioner John Swofford held his annual press conference in which he discussed various subjects about the conference.

Swofford answered a question about ACC division realignment and cross-rivalries such as Duke and North Carolina State that will only play each other now once every six years.

"I don't know," Swofford said. "I don't have an answer to that really. I think that's probably one of the -- one of those challenges that any league that gets to 14 has. I mean, there's no easy solution to that. And what's right for one conference might not be right for another conference. But it's pretty much -- it's very similar in every league of our size. I think that's one of the -- you know, in an ideal world you'd love for everybody to play everybody. The next thing you love is for everybody to play everybody as often as they can, since it can't be every year. And then beyond that, you just keep, I think, turning over, is there a better way to do this? If you ever get to the point where you just say, you know, there's not a better way to do it, that's not a good place to be. I don't care how well things are going, you need to be looking at is there a better way to do it? So far we haven't come up with one that's better than what we're doing in the minds of the majority of our schools, and that's how that works is a majority vote. Same thing with divisions."

Swofford believes that the two ACC divisions are very balanced right now.

"We haven't really talked about divisions in several years now," Swofford said. "There for a while, we talked about it and how to schedule every meeting. So I think right now where we are, things have settled in both in terms of how we schedule and in terms of the divisions, and you know, divisions can change. We all know that. Right now -- and if you look at -- surprisingly, to some, if you look at over the years the head-to-head competition with the Atlantic and Coastal, it's very close to 500. It's not imbalanced. But you know, we'll keep looking at it, but I wouldn't anticipate any change in the near future."

Honestly, with all due respect to Mr. Swofford, you got this one wrong as there is a severe imbalance in the ACC Atlantic with Clemson and Florida State. These two teams are top five type teams moving forward in the next decade and beyond and should be playing in the ACC Championship yearly in a must-see marquee national matchup, not in a knockout game in the middle of the regular season. College Football fans are smart and will turn the channel for better games if a 7-4 coastal team is playing in the ACC Championship.

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Swofford on ACC division realignment - TigerNet

Former Wake Forest star John Collins scored 25 points and pulled down nine rebounds in a losing effort for the Atlanta Hawks' summer league team Wednesday

The New Orleans Pelicans went winless during the three-game pool play portion of the NBAs Las Vegas Summer League this week.

Thanks to Quinn Cook, though, the Pelicans are advancing into the second round of the tournaments knockout round.

The former Duke star went 11 of 16 from the floor, made both his 3-pointers and led both teams with 26 points Wednesday to lead New Orleans to a 105-95 win against the Atlanta Hawks. He also added seven assists and five rebounds in helping his team advance to a second-round matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.

Cook, the captain of the Blue Devils 2015 national championship team, has scored 20 or more points in each of his last three games in Vegas.

Wake Forests John Collins also had an impressive performance in the game, scoring 25 points and pulling down nine rebounds in a losing effort for the Hawks. The recent first round draft choice completed a successful week, in which he averaged a double-double while showing NBA-ready skills on both ends of the court.

Veteran Ryan Kelly of Duke, auditioning to earn a spot on a team for the regular season, had 11 points and four rebounds for Atlanta.

Also Wednesday the Minnesota Timberwolves and their four North Carolina college players were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors 77-69. The result was a reversal of their pool play meeting one night earlier, when NC States C.J. Williams hit the winning basket in double overtime.

Williams had another big game in the rematch, scoring 19 points and pulling down four rebounds, but it wasnt enough for the win this time. UNCs Marcus Paige had eight points and six assists for the Timberwolves, while Davidsons Jack Gibbs scored 12 points and Dukes Amile Jefferson chipped in with three points and four rebounds.

Campbells Eric Griffin left a positive final impression in his effort to earn a spot on an NBA roster by recording 18 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and four blocked shots for the Utah Jazz in its 97-81 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

First round pick Tony Bradley of UNC, however, struggled in his final two games after posting two strong performances to start the Vegas event. He was held to just four points Wednesday, although he did grab eight rebounds and block a shot.

In the only other first round knockout game involving a player with state college ties Wednesday, the Sacramento Kings advanced to a second-round matchup against Dallas with a 69-65 win against the Milwaukee Bucks despite a 2-14 (0-5) shooting performance from UNCs Justin Jackson.

Last years ACC Player of the Year scored eight points in the game to go along with five rebounds and five assists.

Here are the cumulative stats for all state players participating in Las Vegas:

Brandon Ingram, Duke (Lakers): 1 game, 26.0 ppg, 9-17 FG, 1-4 3PT, 7-8 FT, 3.0 apg, 3.0 spg

Quinn Cook, Duke (Pelicans): 4 G, 21.8 ppg, 37-61 FG, 6-12 3PT, 7-8 FT, 4.0 rpg, 4.3 apg

Dennis Smith, NC State (Mavs) 3 G, 18.3 ppg, 17-36 FG, 5-14 3PT, 16-22 FT, 6.0 rpg, 5.0 apg

Jayson Tatum, Duke (Celtics): 3 G, 17.7 ppg, 19-45 FG, 2-3 3PT, 13-15 FT, 8.0 rpg

John Collins, Wake Forest (Hawks): 4 G, 17.5 ppg, 29-45 FG, 1-1 3PT, 12-16 FT, 10.3 rpg

Marcus Paige, UNC (T-wolves): 3 G, 14.3 ppg, 15-39 FG, 8-20 3PT, 5-5 FT, 2.3 rpg, 4.7 apg

Brice Johnson, UNC (Clippers): 3 G, 14.0 ppg, 16-28 FG, 10-13 FT, 5.0 rpg, 1.7 bpg

Kennedy Meeks, UNC (Raptors): 2 G, 13.5 ppg, 12-20 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-4 FT, 6.5 rpg

Justin Jackson, UNC (Kings): 4 G, 11.5 ppg, 18-54 FG, 4-22 3PT, 6-7 FT, 4.0 rpg, 1.8 apg

C.J. Williams, NC State (T-wolves): 4 G, 11.3 ppg, 15-38 FG, 4-18 3PT, 11-14 FT, 3.3 rpg

Ryan Kelly Duke (Hawks): 3 G, 10.7 ppg, 9-28 FG, 3-12 3PT, 11-13 FT, 4.0 rpg

Eric Griffin, Campbell (Jazz): 3 G, 10.7 ppg, 11-25 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-9 FT, 7.0 rpg, 4.0 bpg

Jack Gibbs, Davidson (T-wolves): 4 G, 9.8 ppg, 15-40 FG, 7-20 3PT, 2-4 FT, 2.3 apg

Tony Bradley, UNC (Jazz): 4 G, 8.5 ppg, 17-38 FG, 6.3 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Matt Jones, Duke (Rockets): 1 G, 7.0 ppg, 1-4 FG, 1-3 3PT, 4-5 FT, 2.0 rpg

Isaiah Hicks, UNC (Clippers): 3 G, 6.3 ppg, 7-11 FG, 5-8 FT, 2.0 rpg, 1.7 bpg

Kendall Marshall, UNC (Clippers): 2 G, 5.5 ppg, 2-5 FG, 1-1 3PT, 6-7 FT, 1.5 rpg, 8.0 apg

Amile Jefferson, Duke (T-wolves): 3 G, 2.8 ppg, 4-10 FG, 3-6 FT, 3.8 rpg, 1.0 spg

J.P. Tokoto, UNC (Jazz): 2 G, 2.5 ppg, 2-9 FG, 1-6 3PT, 2.0 rpg

Nate Britt, UNC (Hawks): 2 G, 1.5 ppg, 1-4 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, 1.5 apg

Scott Wood, NC State (Celtics): 2 G, 0.0 ppg, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT

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Former Duke star 'Cook-ing' in Las Vegas NBA Summer League - North State Journal (subscription)

Queenstown Rovers are looking to make history this weekend in the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup.

The Jamie Whitmarsh-coached side will host Nelson Suburbs on Saturday at the Queenstown Events Centre as they look to make the quarterfinals for the first time in New Zealand Footballs premier knockout cup competition.

Nelson Suburbs have decided to drive to Christchurch and then fly from there to Queenstown. The match which will be played in bitterly cold conditions a high of 2 degrees Celsius and a low -2 is forecast for Saturday in Queenstown and is expected to be an evenly fought contest.

Whitmarsh said playing at home would be a big factor as they look to go one step further than last year when they were edged by Southern Premier League champions Caversham in the fourth round.

There is a history and tradition associated with the Chatham Cup and like any cup competition there is that added sense of excitement that comes with playing a one of knockout game, said Whitmarsh. For our club this is only the second time we have reached this stage so the excitement levels are that bit higher.

Whitmarsh said it has been great to get his team back into full training after they lost their facilities for a few days when the British and Irish Lions rugby team were training in town.

Queenstown Rovers made their way into the fourth round thanks to a first half hat-trick from Carlos Herrmann which helped them defeat Dunedin Technical 3-2 away from home.

Meanwhile, Nelson Suburbs progressed to the fourth round courtesy of Ross McPhies goal in the 39th minute to overcome Coastal Spirit 1-0.

Whitmarsh is expecting a tough challenge from Suburbs who have also never won the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup.

I get a sense that they will be similar to us in the way they play. Any team that gets to this stage cant be taken lightly and needs to be respected.

Whitmarsh described his Queenstown squad as a global team. Historically Rovers have had players from all over the world and this season is no different with players from Brazil, Uruguay, Spain, Germany, England, Scotland, New Zealand and Japan to name a few.

He said it would mean a huge amount to his squad to book their place in the quarterfinals and be one step closer to ISPS Handa Chatham Cup glory.

We all still remember the buzz around town when we played Caversham at the same stage last year for a developing club like ours it would be massive. We have hopes and aspirations to one day become a household name in New Zealand football circles and this is another opportunity to show the people of the country that continue to do good things in football.

Meanwhile, Dunedin club side Caversham face a tough away clash with Mainland Premier League heavyweights Cashmere Technical in the other match featuring South Island teams.

Defending champions Birkenhead United, who made history with their first win of the title last year, are away to Three Kings United.

Miramar Rangers, four-time champions of the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup, are again drawn away from home and will have a tough challenge on their hands when they come against Wairarapa United who have former Wellington Phoenix star Paul Ifill in their squad.

Six-time champions North Shore United, who have not lifted the trophy since 1986, will look to upset another five-time champions in Central United at Kiwitea Street.

There are also other great matches in store when Onehunga Sports hosts Melville United and Western Springs are at home to meet Bay Olympic.

The final match of the round is Stop Out Sports Club hosting Western Suburbs in the Capital / Central region.

The ISPS Handa Chatham Cup is an open knockout competition from throughout New Zealand which is one of the oldest sporting trophies in the country dating back to 1923.

The most successful teams in the history of the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup are Mount Wellington (seven wins, two of them since amalgamation with Auckland University), Christchurch United and North Shore United (six wins each).

Posted on Thursday, July 13th, 2017

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Queenstown look to make history - New Zealand Football

The Brumbies are the only side to have qualified from the Australian conference for the Super Rugby quarter-finals and the duo were injured in Friday's 16-15 loss to the Queensland Reds.

Toua has been ruled out for between four to six weeks after being diagnosed with a grade one high ankle sprain while Godwin is expected to miss up to three months after being taken off in the second half with a knee injury.

"We are disappointed for the guys who have done so much for us this year," head coach Stephen Larkham said in a Brumbies statement.

"The boys may not be able to take to the park in finals but they will certainly take part in the preparation with the rest of the team."

Flanker Chris Alcock sustained a deep gash to his thigh but is expected to be in contention for the knockout game at home against the Highlanders on July 21, the Brumbies added.

Wallabies lock Rory Arnold suffered a shoulder injury but has recovered well and will be in contention for the last-eight clash. (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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Brumbies lose backs Godwin and Toua to injuries - Eurosport.com