Tag: Rangers

Saints-Texans could be overshadowed by Astros-Rangers in Sunday’s ALCS Game 1

Sunday’s Saints-Texans game could be overshadowed by the Astros-Rangers playoff game 20 minutes uptown. Major League Baseball is fine-tuning its schedule for ALCS Game 1:

The NFL might be overshadowed this Sunday, at least in the Houston metro area. The New Orleans Saints will kick off with the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium at Noon CT — with MLB’s American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers set to begin about 20 minutes uptown at Minute Maid Park.

Now, we aren’t sure when that playoff game is going to start; the MLB is fine-tuning their playoff schedule as various series wrap up around the country. But what’s certain is that the Saints and Texans are looking like an undercard matchup before a heated tilt between two in-state rivals.

There’s a lot on the line: whoever wins this best-of-seven series will earn the AL pennant and advance to the World Series. On top of that, the Rangers own a two-game lead in the “Lone Star Series” history with the Astros, but Houston won 9 of their 13 games in the MLB regular season this year.

At any rate — expect this MLB playoff game to start with plenty of time to spare between the Saints-Texans final whistle. Houston is a strong sports town and they’ll want a packed house, not to mention plenty of time for viewers at home to tune in. We’ll keep an eye out for a confirmed start time and any scheduling conflicts.

Update: MLB announced that first pitch for Astros-Rangers is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. CT. There’s plenty of time between the two games, but plan on heavy traffic in downtown Houston if you’re making the trip.

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James Dolan says he doesn’t ‘really like owning teams’ but somehow still refuses to sell the Knicks

Here’s an idea, Dolan. Maybe just sell your teams?

Knicks fans have had a tenuous relationship with owner James Dolan, to put it kindly.

To put it in not-so-kind terms, they might actually hate that man. And honestly, it’s hard to blame them. He’s embarrassed the team and the fanbase at every single turn.

Whether it was the incident with Charles Oakley, or his absolutely feckless stance on George Floyd’s killing, or the moments where he actually confronts fans for criticizing him, the dude has just been a terrible steward of the franchise. Fans have literally been begging for him to sell the team for years at this point.

And now, today, we find out the dude doesn’t even actually enjoy owning the team. Literally. He said he doesn’t like it.

In a sprawling New York Times profile on Dolan surrounding his new Las Vegas Sphere — which suddenly is a whole lot less appealing — he talked about his business empire and what the Sphere means to it.

He was also asked if owning other franchises was in his future and that’s when he dropped this gem.

“He considered expanding his sports portfolio, perhaps by buying a baseball or soccer team. But while the Knicks and Rangers are ‘near and dear to my heart,’ he said, ‘I don’t really like owning teams,’ calling the economics of major league sports ‘kind of sleepy.’ He ruled out that option.”

Y’all. This man really said he doesn’t really like owning sports teams. Yet, somehow, he still owns the Rangers and the Knicks.

Geez, man. What an unfortunate problem. If only there were some sort of solution where Dolan could just be rid of the multi-billion dollar assets that plague him oh so much.

OH, WAIT. There is. He could sell.

But he’s refused to sell either — particularly the Knicks. We’re not even a full year away from him telling us he has “no plans whatsoever” to sell the Knicks anytime soon. No plans, y’all. And here he is pulling this stunt? No way, man.

James Dolan is a troll. And, unfortunately for you, Knicks fans, you’re his target audience. I’m not going to lie — I’m so thankful I’m not one of you.

But, also, sorry your favorite team’s owner is a complete jerk.

Carter-Vickers, Tillman make PFA Scottish Premiership Team of the Year

It was a good year for USMNT players in Scotland

It’s been a good year for U.S. men’s national team players in Scotland.

Cameron Carter-Vickers and Malik Tillman were both named to the PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year for 2022-23, which was announced on Tuesday.

Carter-Vickers was one of seven Celtic players named to the squad, which is not particularly shocking when you account for the club winning the league by 13 points and winning 31 of their 34 matches. Carter-Vickers started 29 of those games, captaining Celtic seven times in the process. With Carter-Vickers in the lineup, Celtic conceded just 21 goals; their only loss to Scottish opposition this season (a 2-0 defeat at St. Mirren all the way back in September) was in one of the rare games he didn’t play.

Tillman, meanwhile, joined Rangers on loan from Bayern Munich this past summer, and has been a clear success at Ibrox. The 20-year-old became a critical part of the recipe for Rangers right away, going on to score 10 times and adding four assists in 28 league appearances. He joined James Tavernier — who leads Rangers in goalscoring despite being their right back — representing the blue half of Glasgow on the team of the season.

While Carter-Vickers has a contract running for the next three seasons at Celtic, Tillman’s future is far less clear. His loan from Bayern expires at the end of the season, and Rangers manager Michael Beale has repeatedly said he’d love to see the club make the move permanent. However, even if Rangers did opt to lay out the required fee, Bayern reportedly has a buy-back clause and could end up retaining him regardless of the Scottish side’s plans.

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USMNT’s Sands says Rangers spell didn’t offer tests like battling MLS stars

It doesn’t sound like Sands felt challenged at Rangers

James Sands is glad to be back with the U.S. men’s national team, and back in the parity-driven battles that make up an MLS schedule.

Sands is on the USMNT roster for Wednesday’s Continental Clásico, giving him a chance to break a bit of a strange gap in his national team resume. The 22-year-old was in uniform in half of the team’s World Cup qualifiers, but has been stuck on seven caps since starting in a September 2021 qualifier against Honduras.

Since then, Sands has won an MLS Cup with NYCFC, and spent 14 months playing for Rangers on loan in Scotland. He certainly saw plenty of time playing for one of the Scottish Premiership’s big clubs, appearing 41 times, but his loan was terminated early so he could return to MLS and sign a new contract with NYCFC.

For Sands, the reason for that move might be simple: being truly tested in every single game.

Speaking to NYCFC’s team site, Sands said that facing off with Atlanta United star Thiago Almada is an example of an advantage MLS has over the Scottish top flight, where the concentration of elite players is virtually entirely held by Rangers and their Old Firm rival Celtic.

“I really look forward to those sorts of challenges,” said Sands. “That’s something that I get here in MLS that I didn’t get at all really in Scotland in the league there, so it’s a nice change. Those guys will get the better of me sometimes, but it’s all about learning. I’m still a young player, and I’m trying to improve.”

Tough assignments key for Sands

While playing for Rangers came with Europa League and Champions League clashes and the pressure that comes in a country where soccer is king, the everyday of the Scottish Premiership meant regularly facing teams who were just looking to hang on for dear life rather than pose any new difficulties for Sands.

Since opting to return to MLS, Sands has started in all seven of NYCFC’s matches, and that has helped get him back in the frame for the USMNT. In that time, he’s faced players like Almada, Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar, Xherdan Shaqiri with the Chicago Fire, and Carles Gil of the New England Revolution.

“I’ve been out of the national team for a little bit now, so it’s nice to have another opportunity,” explained Sands. “It’s just a couple days I’m there, so I just have to give it everything. I think I’ve worked really hard over the last couple months, so I’m very excited.”

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Malik Tillman is still very undecided on his club future

Rangers or Bayern? The USMNT midfielder needs some time to figure it out

Amid his breakout campaign at Rangers, Malik Tillman has said he needs some time to sort out where he’s playing next season.

The U.S. national team midfielder has scored 10 league goals on loan from Bayern Munich this term, becoming one of the top attacking midfielders in the Scottish Premiership during his first full season of senior-team soccer.

Rangers head coach Michael Beale has consistently stated he’d like to sign the 20-year-old on a permanent basis at the end of the season, with Rangers holding a reported £5 million purchase option.

But Bayern also reportedly holds a buy-back clause that it could trigger immediately after Rangers use their own purchase option.

That has left Tillman’s future very much in the air. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Saturday’s Old Firm derby against Celtic, the USMNT midfielder said he’d need to chat with both of his prospective managers before making a decision.

“I think I have to listen to both managers, the Rangers one and the Bayern one, and see what they say and where they see me and see what the plan is for the future and then I can decide,” Tillman said.

Tillman’s teammate Todd Cantwell expressed his desire to see the U.S. international at Ibrox for the long term.

“As a Rangers player but also as Rangers fans he’s the sort of player you want to keep here. He’s only going to get better as he gets older which is pretty scary actually,” Cantwell said.

“We want him here. He’s a fantastic footballer and I think he’s pretty aware of how much he is loved here.”

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Police investigating Rangers coach for post-game headbutt on Celtic coach

Not the ideal way to react to conceding a late equalizer

Police are investigating Rangers women’s assistant coach Craig McPherson, who delivered a post-game headbutt to Celtic head coach Fran Alonso following Monday’s 1-1 draw between the rivals.

A late equalizer by Caitlin Hayes earned Celtic a point in the match, which was followed by players and coaches shaking hands on the pitch.

As Alonso was shaking hands, an angry McPherson came up behind him and headbutted the Celtic boss, which led to a minor scuffle as Celtic players rushed in to defend the manager.

Speaking after the game, Alonso told Sky Sports: “Someone pushed me from behind. I never talked to him the whole game.

“I was called a little rat, but I don’t know why.”

In a statement to the BBC, Police Scotland said it had received a complaint over McPherson and added: “Inquiries to establish any criminality are at an early stage.”

The Scottish Women’s Premier League also released a statement, saying: “This incident is currently being investigated by Police Scotland and the Scottish FA. The SWPL will not make any further comment at this time, whilst these investigations are ongoing.”

Watch McPherson’s headbutt on Alonso

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James Sands returns to NYCFC after cutting Rangers loan short

The 22-year-old heads back to his parent club four months before his loan was set to end

James Sands has returned to New York City FC, cutting his loan at Rangers short and signing a new contract through 2027 with the MLS club.

Sands joined Rangers in January 2022 on an 18-month loan but after the 22-year-old fell out of favor in Scotland, he’s returned to his parent club four months early.

“The opportunity to return to NYCFC for the start of the MLS season, where he will be a key player in their squad, was something that we felt was correct for all parties,” Rangers manager Michael Beale said in a club release.

The Daily Record reported that Rangers opted against paying a £4 million fee to sign Sands at the end of the current season.

Sands made 41 appearances for Rangers during his time with the club, rotating in and out of the starting lineup and playing both center back and defensive midfield.

The 22-year-old was NYCFC’s first-ever Homegrown signing in 2017, and went on to make 76 appearances for the club before his move to Scotland. Sands has also been capped seven times by the U.S. national team, all of which came in 2021.

In a club release, NYCFC sporting director David Lee said that Sands still harbors ambitions to return to Europe.

“It was a priority for us to try and ensure James returned to New York this season,” Lee said. “Despite opportunities to continue his career in Europe, we are pleased that we’ve been able to reach an agreement on a new contract and convince James that this is the right place for his continued career progression. We know James’ ambition remains to play at the highest levels in Europe and we will continue to support him with his career aspirations.”

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It’s official: Rangers had the worst Champions League group stage ever

Six games, two goals scored, 22 conceded, and one big yikes

Rangers returned to the Champions League group stage this year for the first time since the 2010-11 season. It was a huge accomplishment for the Scottish giants, and a boost for USMNT duo Malik Tillman and James Sands.

The club surely knew the group stage would be a major step up from the qualifying rounds, but they could’ve never anticipated the pure carnage that would await them upon reaching the club game’s highest heights.

After losing 3-1 to Ajax on Tuesday, Rangers secured a piece of unwanted history. With six defeats in six games, two goals scored and 22 conceded, Rangers have officially had the worst group stage campaign in Champions League history.

Being drawn against red-hot Napoli and less-hot-but-still-Liverpool Liverpool was always going to be a big ask for Rangers, who lost those four games by a combined score of 15-1.

More curious was the team’s two defeats to Ajax by a combined score of 7-1. Ajax is in first place in the Eredivisie, leading PSV by just one point. To reach the group stage, Rangers defeated PSV 3-2 over two legs in the final qualifying round. Clearly, the transitive property didn’t quite bear out here.

Tillman and Sands each started four of Rangers’ six games and neither had any particularly shining moments. Sands was sent off against Napoli in Rangers’ second match, picking up a second yellow card early in the second half of a 3-0 defeat.

Speaking after Tuesday’s loss to Ajax, Rangers coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst sounded like the leader of a team who went into games knowing they were likely to lose.

“I won the competition (as a player with Barcelona) so I know the other side when you’re the team who comes on the pitch and already knows you’re going to win because of the difference,” he said.

It’s hard to escape the feeling that in hindsight, Van Bronckhorst and his players may well wish they’d lost to PSV and parachuted safely into the Europa League, a competition where they’d be unlikely to make the kind of unwanted history they must now carry with them.

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Malik Tillman makes World Cup statement with solo stunner for Rangers

The 20-year-old scored one of the goals of the season for Americans abroad

Malik Tillman appears to be right on the bubble for the U.S. national team World Cup roster.

USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter called Tillman out after naming him to his September roster, saying the 20-year-old “needs to do better. He needs to increase his level.”

Tillman didn’t make much of an impact for the U.S. in two September substitute appearances, and has been mostly used as a reserve after returning to Rangers.

That’s why Sunday’s stunning solo goal could be so important for Tillman.

Making his first league start since September 3, Tillman picked the ball up near midfield against Motherwell and proceeded to dribble right through several defenders before clipping a finish over the goalkeeper for the game’s opening goal.

Rangers would go on to win 2-1, picking up three vital points that saw them move to within two points of first-place Celtic in the table.

It was also a crucial confidence-booster after a 7-1 midweek thrashing at the hands of Liverpool in the Champions League, the fourth group-stage defeat in a row for the Scottish side.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Tillman admitted that his goal would be a major boost to his and his team’s mental state.

“The last few weeks were a bit tough,” Tillman said. “[We] didn’t win in the Champions League and I think it’s an extreme boost for me. We have to keep looking forward and hope we win the next few games as well.”

Watch Tillman’s solo goal vs. Motherwell

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Rangers’ USMNT pair gets good view as Mo Salah scores record-breaking Champions League hat trick

It’s probably for the best that Sands and Tillman didn’t play in this one

Maybe Rangers should have put James Sands and Malik Tillman in?

Liverpool had a very rare sort of comeback win in the Champions League Wednesday, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 7-1 victory thanks in no small part to Mohamed Salah scoring a hat trick in all of six minutes and 12 seconds.

Rangers scored their first group stage goal in the 17th minute to take the lead at Ibrox, and though Roberto Firmino replied seven minutes later, the Scottish club — with both Sands and Tillman on the bench — got into halftime with the scores level.

Unfortunately for Rangers, the referees and Liverpool decided to play the second half rather than simply letting everyone go home early. Firmino struck again in the 55th minute, followed by a goal from Darwin Núñez, as Liverpool looked to be cruising to a win.

However, things were about to get worse for Rangers. Salah hadn’t even entered the game at that point, only entering the fray to replace Núñez after the Uruguayan had finished celebrating his goal.

With the clock reading 74:43, Salah took his first step towards a new Champions League record, stabbing a left-footed shot past Allan McGregor from an acute angle to make it 4-1.

The Egyptian star then added Liverpool’s fifth in the 80th minute, with a sneaky shot that used the scrambling Rangers defense as a screen. 96 seconds later, he had his hat trick, characteristically curling home from the right side of the box as the clock ticked over to 80:55.

Salah broke Bafétimbi Gomis’ 11-year-old record, as the French striker had scored an eight-minute hat trick for Lyon against Dinamo Zagreb back in 2011.

For Rangers, who ended up not putting Sands or Tillman into the match at all, it’s been a rough return to the Champions League. They are one of two teams to have lost all four of their matches, and Viktoria Plzen’s -13 goal difference in Group C is slightly better than the -15 mark Rangers has in Group A.

Watch Salah make Champions League history

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