(UPDATE: The LA Galaxy beat the New York Purple Bulls 2-1 Saturday to win the MLS Cup.)

The New York Purple Bulls have made an unbelievable run to the MLS Cup last. They’re not letting the second go to waste.

On Saturday, the underdog Purple Bulls will face the LA Galaxy of their first last look since 2008. The return to the championship comes because the franchise is using its finest income yr ever, because the group has watched its attendance bounce 10% from final season. Whereas the gamers have been outlasting opponents within the playoffs, the enterprise operations employees has been making calls and shutting offers.

“We see the momentum,” Purple Bulls president Marc de Grandpré stated in an interview. “We now have a variety of people who have been on the fence about renewing and now are renewing. The enterprise goes in the best route. … It’s a terrific alternative for us to capitalize.”

The Purple Bulls are going up in opposition to the five-time champion Galaxy because the lowest playoff seed to ever attain the ultimate. The Purple Bulls, the seventh-seeded group within the Japanese Convention, look to persuade potential sponsors and season ticket holders that this season wasn’t a fluke. That has not been a lot of a difficulty, as renewals with companions like Audi and Heineken have elevated by greater than 100% from the earlier offers, in response to de Grandpré.

These latest partnerships present the worth that the membership’s dream season has supplied, with an emphasis on the longer term. The Purple Bulls have the second-youngest beginning lineup in MLS this season, and plan to open a brand new privately funded coaching facility in New Jersey subsequent fall.

The membership, owned by the Austrian vitality drink large, has extra leverage because it appears to be like to fill a number of sponsorship classes from airways to know-how.

This record additionally consists of the naming rights to Purple Bull Enviornment, the group’s 25,000-seat stadium in Harrison, N.J. The membership’s dad or mum firm hasn’t been in a rush to promote these rights; it’s reaping the good thing about advertising and marketing its namesake year-round for what de Grandpré calls the “Most worthy asset for the model.”

The Purple Bulls nonetheless wish to discover the best associate and imagine that this memorable postseason run might assist get the group “throughout the road” subsequent yr. That is very true in the event that they pull off another upset and safe their first MLS Cup in franchise historical past.

“Everybody desires to be related to a group that’s successful and performing on the prime of its sport,” de Grandpré stated. “Our group must be on level and leverage it as finest as we will.”

The membership plans to not solely put money into the roster but in addition desires inner employees to understand the second. The group house owners have flown entrance workplace staff, meals and beverage companions, and custodial and safety employees to Los Angeles for the match. They’ve bought greater than 2,000 tickets that will probably be utilized by season ticket holders and sponsor companions. A choose variety of supporters are having their journey to the West Coast backed by the group, which is planning to host execs who work out of Purple Bull North America headquarters in Santa Monica.

“You by no means know while you’re going to again on this second,” de Grandpré stated, “so you need to ensure you leverage it throughout the board.”

La rumeur voulait qu’Igor Shesterkin, des Rangers de New York, désirait devenir le gardien le mieux payé de la LNH. Son souhait a été exaucé.

Différents médias rapportent que le Russe de 28 ans a signé une prolongation de contrat de 8 ans qui lui rapportera un whole 92 hundreds of thousands de {dollars}. Il empochera donc une moyenne de 11,5 hundreds of thousands à compter de la saison prochaine, et ce, jusqu’en 2032-2033.

Ce nouveau pacte déclasse les ententes monstres signées au cours des dernières années par Carey Worth (8 ans, 84 hundreds of thousands), Andrei Vasilevskiy (8 ans, 76 hundreds of thousands) et Sergei Bobrovsky (7 ans, 70 hundreds of thousands).

Arrivé dans la LNH au milieu de la vingtaine, après quelques années passées dans la KHL, Shesterkin s’est rapidement imposé comme l’un des gardiens les plus dominants du circuit. Il a notamment remporté le trophée Vézina, remis au portier par excellence de l’année, au terme de la saison 2021-2022. Il avait alors maintenu un taux d’arrêts de ,935 et une moyenne de buts alloués de 2,07. Il a aussi terminé quatrième au scrutin de 2024.

À l’picture de son équipe, il connaît toutefois un début de campagne difficile en 2024-2025 (,908 et 3,05). Il n’a remporté que huit de ses 18 départs jusqu’ici, lui qui avait signé au moins 36 positive factors au cours de chacune de ses trois saisons précédentes.

Il s’agit d’une journée chargée pour les Rangers. Un peu plus tôt, le directeur général Chris Drury avait échangé le capitaine de son membership, le défenseur Jacob Trouba, aux Geese d’Anaheim, en retour du défenseur Urho Vaakanainen et d’un choix de quatrième tour au repêchage de 2025. Il va sans dire que les 8 hundreds of thousands qu’économisera l’organisation à compter de l’an prochain en se libérant du contrat de Trouba serviront principalement à éponger le nouveau salaire de Shesterkin.

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool was postponed on Saturday due to Storm Darragh, which introduced harmful winds and heavy rain to the west coast.

The Premier League match was as a consequence of kick off at 12.30 p.m. U.Ok. time, however Everton issued an announcement within the morning to say it might not go forward.

The Met workplace mentioned components of Wales had skilled wind gusts of over 90 mph.

“Storm Darragh continues to carry robust and doubtlessly damaging winds this afternoon. Heavy rain may also persist for a lot of,” the workplace mentioned on social media.

The 4 different Premier League video games Saturday remained on as deliberate.

Manchester United will host Nottingham Forest at 5:30 p.m. native time at Previous Trafford — situated about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Liverpool.

“The membership will proceed to seek the advice of the related authorities all through the day and can replace supporters instantly if something modifications,” United mentioned.

The remaining video games begin at 3 p.m. native time. Aston Villa hosts Southampton and urged followers to make use of additional time to get to Villa Park in Birmingham, within the West Midlands.

“We wish to advise all supporters to permit additional time for journey to right now’s recreation as a consequence of poor climate situations throughout the nation. Please take additional care and keep secure. We stay up for seeing you on the recreation,” the crew mentioned in an announcement.

In London, Brentford will host Newcastle, and Crystal Palace will host Manchester Metropolis.

Brentford and Palace each mentioned their video games shall be performed.

“In the present day’s match remains to be scheduled to go forward regardless of the dangerous climate,” Brentford mentioned. “Please journey safely, plan forward, and permit additional time to your journey.”

Storm Darragh was anticipated to “step by step ease from late morning because it crosses the UK, so the strongest winds within the west will begin to scale back by Saturday,” Met Workplace chief meteorologist Steve Willington mentioned.

Everton and league chief Liverpool issued practically an identical statements concerning the postponement.

“Following a Security Advisory Group assembly at Goodison Park, attended by officers from each golf equipment, in addition to representatives from Merseyside Police and Liverpool Metropolis Council this morning, it was determined that, as a result of threat to security within the native space as a consequence of robust wind gusts, and an amber extreme wind warning that continues to be in place till 6 a.m. on Sunday, right now’s fixture needs to be postponed on security grounds,” Everton’s assertion learn.

The Premier League mentioned “the rearrangement of the fixture shall be introduced in the end.”

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Monetary establishments collaborating in Egypt’s low-income mortgage finance initiative supplied a complete of EGP 78.66bn in funding to over 606,839 beneficiaries in November 2024. A report from the Social Housing Fund and Mortgage Finance Fund revealed that 22 banks contributed EGP 76.151bn, benefiting roughly 587,048 shoppers, accounting for 96.6% of the initiative’s complete funding. Mortgage finance firms supplied EGP 2.511bn to 19,791 shoppers, representing 3.2% of the entire.

The Nationwide Financial institution of Egypt (NBE) led the initiative, delivering EGP 19.432bn to 155,275 shoppers, equal to 24.7% of the entire funding. Banque Misr adopted with EGP 18.345bn for 141,472 shoppers, representing a 23.3% share. The Housing and Growth Financial institution (HDB) ranked third, offering EGP 7.659bn to 75,105 shoppers, equal to a 9.7% share. Banque du Caire carefully matched HDB with EGP 7.659bn allotted to 56,333 shoppers, additionally claiming a 9.7% share.

QNB got here subsequent, contributing EGP 5.176bn to 30,340 shoppers, representing 6.6% of the initiative. The Business Worldwide Financial institution (CIB) ranked sixth, providing EGP 4.440bn to twenty-eight,808 shoppers, accounting for a 5.6% share. The United Financial institution supplied EGP 2.049bn to 14,715 shoppers, representing 2.6% of the funding, whereas the Industrial Growth Financial institution (IDB) contributed EGP 1.999bn to 17,781 shoppers, reaching a 2.5% share. Subsequent Financial institution adopted with EGP 1.445bn for 9,041 shoppers, representing 1.8%, whereas the Arab African Worldwide Financial institution (AAIB) delivered EGP 1.339bn to 10,834 shoppers, making up 1.7%.

Amongst mortgage finance firms, Al-Taameer Mortgage Finance took the lead with a portfolio of EGP 991.923m for 7,429 shoppers, representing 1.3% of the initiative. Contact Mortgage Finance adopted with EGP 838.728m for six,167 shoppers, representing a 1.1% share. Al-Ahly Mortgage Finance ranked third with EGP 284.429m for two,535 shoppers, accounting for 0.4%. Amlak Mortgage Finance contributed EGP 252.133m to 2,320 shoppers, representing 0.3% of the entire.

Tamweel Mortgage Finance got here fifth among the many firms with EGP 68.666m supplied to 602 shoppers, representing 0.1%. The Egyptian Housing Finance Firm adopted with EGP 43.042m for 429 shoppers, equal to 0.1%, whereas Ahli United Financial institution supplied EGP 19.973m to 200 shoppers. The Arab African Worldwide Firm concluded the record with EGP 12.2m allotted to 109 shoppers.

This complete effort displays the numerous position of each banks and mortgage finance firms in increasing entry to reasonably priced housing for low-income people, driving social and financial progress in Egypt.

FC Barcelona got here frustratingly near what would have been an eighth consecutive win away to Betis, and the continuation of their return to profitable type that had begun on Tuesday in Mallorca. However a late objective for the house facet meant there may be solely some extent to point out for his or her efforts on a dramatic afternoon in Seville.

The Catalans’ first half lead was cancelled out by a considerably ambiguous penalty resolution that, to make issues worse, additionally meant enjoying the ultimate half hour with solely ten males.

To grab what appeared just like the winner beneath such hostile circumstances was as exhilarating because the give up of these three factors to an harm time equaliser was despairing.

The purpose remains to be sufficient to go away Barça 5 factors away from Actual Madrid and 6 forward of Atlético, however each these sides have two video games in hand. Actual go to Girona later right now, and the mattress-makers host Sevilla on Sunday.

27 passes!

Barça took their time to get off the mark, however there was a transparent sample of occasions main as much as Robert Lewandowski’s thirty ninth minute opener.

Betis appeared full of life early on, with Raphinha and Iñaki Peña coming to the rescue after two notably harmful early possibilities for Betis, the latter for Ez Abde, one among three former blaugrana males within the dwelling facet’s beginning XI.

However Barça quickly settled into the sport, and with that the probabilities began to return. Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo had come closest earlier than a rare sequence of no fewer than 27 passes terminated with ball on the toes of the Polish Pichichi. All Lewandowski needed to do was pop the ball dwelling and begin celebrating his sixteenth objective of the season. And one more help for Jules Kounde’s admirable assortment!

Like the primary half, the second additionally started with a green-and-white cost. After two headers had come worryingly shut, Iñaki Peña produced maybe the best save of his profession to go away Chimy Àvila with nothing to point out for a good chance.

Penalty woe

Barça nonetheless had the lead, but it surely was beginning to look very delicate, and ultimately collapsed when a controversial penalty was awarded towards them simply previous the hour mark.

It was extraordinarily ambiguous whether or not Frenkie de Jong actually did convey down former team-mate Vitor Roque, and it took an eternity for the officers to achieve their conclusion. Ultimately, a crimson card for the Dutchman, plus one other for Hansi Flick for protesting, and an opportunity for Giovani Lo Celso to stage up from the spot. And he did.

Not solely had the momentum swung towards Barça, however they’d be enjoying the ultimate minutes a person down.

Agonising climax

Which made the response all of the extra spectacular. Lamine and Ferran Torres had already come shut with motion that was invalidated for offside anyway once they did so once more. That one was additionally initially disallowed, however VAR overview revealed that Torres had been performed onside and Barça had been again in entrance with simply eight minutes of standard time on the clock.

With solely ten males on the pitch, Barça naturally opted to take a seat again and defend their lead. Sadly, it didn’t work out. 4 minutes into harm time, Assane Diao nicked one again for the Andalusians.

There was no sample to the dying minutes as each side frantically tried all the things to steal a late winner. Neither did and all of it ended 2-2.

Consideration now switches to the midweek journey to Dortmund within the Champions League, whereas La Liga resumes at dwelling to Leganés subsequent Sunday.

LaLiga leaders Barcelona needed to accept a 2-2 draw at mid-table Actual Betis after substitute Assane Diao scored a stoppage-time equaliser on Saturday to offer Manuel Pellegrini trigger to have fun in his five hundredth LaLiga sport as a supervisor.

Barca have 38 factors from 17 matches however second-placed Actual Madrid, who’ve 33 with two video games in hand, can slim the hole to 2 factors in the event that they win at Girona afterward Saturday.

“We weren’t capable of end issues off within the second half, to place the consequence past doubt. However we now look ahead to the subsequent sport, there is no time,” mentioned Barcelona’s Ferran Torres, who acquired their second after Robert Lewandowski had put them 1-0 up.

The guests created plenty of probabilities early on and Lamine Yamal, making simply his second begin after a four-week absence with an ankle harm, was largely within the thick of the motion.

The 17-year-old precipitated quite a few issues for Betis within the first half along with his silky footwork and ingenious passing.

Barca opened the scoring within the thirty ninth minute by a flowing transfer orchestrated by Yamal and neatly completed by Lewandowski for his sixteenth league aim of the season.

Betis confirmed extra intent after the break as Sergi Altimira and Abde Ezzalzouli despatched headers simply huge earlier than the hosts’ stress was rewarded with a penalty within the 68th minute.

Frenkie De Jong clattered into Barca loanee Vitor Roque and the spot kick was given after a VAR evaluation, with visiting coach Hansi Flick being despatched off for his vociferous protests.

Giovani Lo Celso stepped as much as convert and stage the match, however Barcelona regained the lead within the 82nd minute as Yamal’s brilliance as soon as once more shone by, along with his well-disguised by ball discovering its strategy to Torres who scored.

Nonetheless, there was one last twist in an exhilarating contest, and Pellegrini’s substitutions paid dividends as two of them mixed for the equaliser, with Aitor Ruibal’s harmful cross flicked into the online by Diao with a cheeky backheel.

“Nicely, I believe we deserved a minimum of a draw,” Diao mentioned. “We defended and attacked as a group. We went for the three factors. We could not get that, however we deserved a draw.”

Betis, who stay eleventh, will likely be glad to have snapped a two-game shedding streak however they haven’t gained a LaLiga match since October.

“When it comes to efficiency, we wanted it,” Pellegrini mentioned. “I believe the group has to regain confidence with at present’s efficiency, and hopefully construct as much as three factors.”

(Paris) La réouverture de Notre-Dame a pris des airs de grand-messe diplomatique samedi à Paris. Sous les yeux de cooks d’État ou de gouvernement, de riches mécènes et de fidèles de l’Église, la France s’est appliquée à offrir au monde un spectacle d’envergure internationale.

Comme lors de la cérémonie d’ouverture des Jeux olympiques, en juillet dernier, les organisateurs ont dû composer avec des situations météo catastrophiques. La pluie et les bourrasques froides ont entraîné l’annulation de tous les évènements qui devaient se tenir à l’extérieur, y compris le live performance, qui a dû être enregistré la veille.

Qu’à cela ne tienne, des milliers de spectateurs, en grande majorité des Parisiens, se sont massés sur les quais de la Seine pour admirer la cérémonie sur cinq écrans géants, à l’endroit même où nombre d’entre eux avaient vu la cathédrale brûler en 2019.

« Je me souviens que le jour de l’incendie, il y avait une panique et une torpeur dans tout Paris », s’émeut Cécile Boursier, venue avec un parapluie et un bonnet pour faire face au froid. « Je n’avais pas le choix de venir, des inaugurations de cathédrales, il n’y en a pas tous les quatre matins ! », s’amuse-t-elle.

La « gratitude » des Français

Dans la chapelle comme sur les quais, un silence solennel s’est installé lorsque le bourdon de Notre-Dame, la cloche la plus large et la plus grave, a longuement sonné pour marquer le début de la cérémonie. Une longue file de soutanes blanches s’est alors dirigée vers la cathédrale, précédée de peu par le président Emmanuel Macron. Applaudi par la foule, l’archevêque de Paris, Laurent Ulrich, a ouvert le portail en le frappant trois fois de sa crosse.

Après un hommage senti aux pompiers et aux artisans, la cérémonie s’est surtout articulée autour de la liturgie catholique. L’archevêque, après un discours de remerciement, a dirigé une messe ponctuée par les chants d’une centaine de jeunes choristes tout en bleu. L’orgue de la cathédrale, qui avait miraculeusement échappé à l’incendie, a aussi retenti pour la première fois depuis cinq ans.

Le discours d’Emmanuel Macron, qui devait initialement avoir lieu sur le parvis pour respecter la séparation entre l’Église et l’État, a finalement été prononcé à l’intérieur à trigger du mauvais temps. « Je me tiens devant vous […] pour vous dire la gratitude de la nation française, gratitude envers tous ceux qui ont sauvé et rebâti la cathédrale », a déclaré le président de la République, devant un parterre composé en partie de mécènes ayant contribué à amasser les 850 hundreds of thousands d’euros (1,3 milliard CAN) nécessaires à la reconstruction.

« La cérémonie est très jolie, mais on despatched que c’est aussi un rendez-vous de gens riches et puissants », exprime Zachary Gauvin, un jeune touriste québécois.

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Gratin diplomatique

Avant même le début de la cérémonie, les médias du monde entier commentaient le ballet diplomatique qui avait lieu dans la capitale française. « C’est très caractéristique de la France d’utiliser ses atouts culturels et sa capacité à organiser de grands évènements comme un outil de rayonnement à l’international », analyse Cyrille Bret, chercheur en géopolitique à l’Institut Jacques Delors.

Brésil, Congo, Italie, Serbie, Géorgie… Au total, une quarantaine de chefs d’État ou de gouvernement se sont déplacés pour assister à la réouverture. C’est toutefois un futur chef d’État qui a surtout retenu l’attention : Donald Trump, qui a eu le privilège d’être reçu en tête-à-tête par Emmanuel Macron un peu avant la cérémonie. « C’est seulement la troisième fois depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale qu’un président désigné [des États-Unis] fait un voyage officiel à l’étranger », souligne Julien Tourreille, chercheur spécialiste de la politique étrangère et des États-Unis à la Chaire Raoul-Dandurand de l’UQAM.

« Ça peut être un message rassurant pour les alliés de l’OTAN, y compris pour le Canada », explique le chercheur. « Sur le plan de la politique internationale, c’est un très bon coup pour Emmanuel Macron », ajoute le professeur, qui estime cependant que cette invitation pourrait être « incomprise » dans l’opinion publique française.

« Moi, sans être vulgaire, ça me gave qu’un homme comme ça ait été invité à un évènement si symbolique », dit d’ailleurs Nicolas Pillot, un cinquantenaire assistant à la cérémonie avec sa conjointe. « Mais je comprends l’intérêt diplomatique, surtout s’il parle à Volodymyr Zelensky », concède-t-il en ajustant son imperméable.

Le président ukrainien était l’autre invité très attendu de la réouverture. Comme il l’espérait, il a pu rencontrer en soirée le futur président américain, en présence d’Emmanuel Macron au palais de l’Élysée.

Du côté du Canada, le premier ministre Justin Trudeau a annoncé vendredi qu’il ne ferait pas le déplacement à Paris. François Legault, en revanche, a bien assisté à la cérémonie, accompagné seulement de son épouse. Dans un communiqué de presse, il a remercié le président français pour l’invitation et l’a qualifiée de « belle preuve » du « lien historique et culturel fort entre nos deux nations ».

Live performance en rediffusion

Après la clôture de la cérémonie par une Marseillaise, le live performance enregistré la veille devant la cathédrale a été diffusé à la télévision et sur les écrans géants. L’artiste québécois Garou, célèbre en France pour sa participation à la comédie musicale Notre-Dame de Paris, a ouvert le spectacle en interprétant son titre phare Le temps des cathédrales.

Sur les quais de la Seine, d’où l’on pouvait voir la façade de l’édifice s’illuminer, l’heure était à la fierté. « C’est un second d’union où tous les Français sont fiers », déclare Henri Boras, un étudiant en mathématiques qui a passé plus de quatre heures sous la pluie pour ne rien manquer. « Avec ce qui se passe en France et dans le monde, je pense qu’on en a tous besoin. »