• The Canadian Press

    Lacazette and O'Brien on target for Lyon in exciting 3-2 win at Toulouse

    TOULOUSE, France (AP) — Irish defender Jake O’Brien scored a late winner for Lyon in a topsy-turvy 3-2 win at Toulouse in the French league on Friday. The victory opened a five-point gap between Lyon in 10th and Toulouse in 11th and extended Lyon’s recent fine run. It has won nine of its last 12 games under Pierre Sage, the coach who took over in November when the seven-time champion was on the bottom of the Ligue 1 table. The latest triumph was always in doubt in a thrilling end-to-end encounte

  • The Canadian Press

    Lille midfielder Bouaddi, 16, looks to follow in Hazard's footsteps

    PARIS (AP) — When Eden Hazard visited his former club Lille during a French league game last weekend, it was a timely reminder of what the northern club did so well in the past. Turning young players into future stars. Next in line could be Ayyoub Bouaddi, a 16-year-old midfielder who has caught the eye and is being touted as Lille's best prospect since Hazard. Hazard joined Lille's academy as a youth, made his league debut two months before his 17th birthday, then helped the club win the French

  • The Canadian Press

    Interim coach Mauro Biello looks to "cultural reset" with Canadian men's soccer team

    If not a changing of the guard, interim coach Mauro Biello is overseeing what he calls a "cultural reset" ahead of Canada's crucial Copa America qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago later this month. The 23-man squad for the March 23 game against the 96th-ranked Soca Warriors in Frisco, Texas, is filled with youth. "If I had to analyze the squad, it's kind of slipped over the last year, post-World Cup (in late 2022 in Qatar)," Biello told a virtual availability Tuesday. "And for me, It's about

  • The Canadian Press

    Slumping Nice lose again at home to Montpellier in Ligue 1

    NICE, France (AP) — Nice’s early season promise looks more distant with every game after losing at home to lowly Montpellier 2-1 extended its winless streak to six French league matches on Friday. After leading Ligue 1 in the early part of the season, the south coast club has fallen away in recent weeks. Its last league victory was on Jan. 27 and it has slid to fifth place in the table. Nice’s poor league form was set aside a month ago when it beat Montpellier 4-1 in the French Cup but although