Category: Sport News

Kallum Cesay features for Huddersfield in Central League Cup opener.
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Kallum Cesay features in Huddersfield’s win in Cup opener

Huddersfield Town’s B Team featured Sierra Leone international Kallum Cesay on trial in their 5-1 win over Rotherham United in the Central League Cup opener.

Cesay, who is having a trial with Huddersfield Town after leaving Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, will hope he has impressed enough for a deal.

The former Tottenham youth defender did well in a 5-1 win for the Terriers, impressing in the first half in a midfield role before departing in the second half.

Young Terriers forward Hazeem Bakre recorded a hat-trick, a goal for Mustapha Olagunju and one for another trialist in Padrao. Tom Lees scored an own goal for Rotherham.

Town’s team (3-4-3)

Giosue Bellagambi; Tom Lees, Mustapha Olagunju (c), David Adewoju; Neo Eccleston, Kallum Cesay (Myles Bright, 69’), Tom Iorpenda, Luke Daley (Dylan Helliwell, 46’); Cian Philpott, Hazeem Bakre, Stephan Padrao (Omari Mrisho, 69’)

Unused substitute

Francis Hurl

Town goals

Stephan Padrao (33’), Hazeem Bakre (38’, 49’, 62’), Mustapha Olagunju (74’

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Cesay, a few weeks ago, tried with the SV Werder Bremen first team but was unsuccessful. 
Cesay, a few weeks ago, tried with the SV Werder Bremen first team but was unsuccessful. 
Meet HSV Hoek defender Augustine Loof, named to Sierra Leone squad
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Loof: the Ex-Dutch U20 defender called up by Sierra Leone

Augustine Loof, 27, who is a former Dutch U20 defender, has been named in Coach Amidu Karim’s first 25-man squad for friendlies in Morocco against Benin and Somalia.

The Dutch/Sierra Leonean who grew up in Koewacht and has been playing for Hoek since August. HSV Hoek competes in the  Derde Divisie, the fourth tier of Dutch football.

The former defender from Koewacht signed a contract with the Zeeland-Flemish third-division player until the end of the season.

Loof is a former youth player of JVOZ and professional football club PSV, who has been without a club since last season after an adventure in Malta. 

Professional debut

Loof made his professional debut as Jong PSV player in the Jupiler League on 3 October 2014 against Roda JC Kerkrade in a 1-1 draw. He played the full throttle of the game. He appeared in 115 matches in the Kitchen Champion Division at first Jong PSV and later FC Eindhoven. 

He then moved to Maltese Balzan FC, where he played between 2019 and 2022.

International 

Loof has featured for the Netherlands U17, 19 and 20 sides, making a total of fifteen appearances. 

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Augustine Loof has been playing for Hoek since September © Sjaak van der Salm
Augustine Loof has been playing for Hoek since September © Sjaak van der Salm
Sierra Leone call-up delights veteran defender Curtis Davies
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sierra Leone call-up delights veteran defender Curtis Davies

Cheltenham defender Curtis Davies has expressed his delight at being called up to Sierra Leone for International friendlies matches in Morocco.

The veteran defender Davis, 38, was named in coach Amidu Karim’s 25-man squad for Benin and Somalia in readiness fir the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.

The former West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa defender took to Twitter to express his delight. “I’m delighted to formally announce that I will be joining the Sierra Leone national team for their upcoming friendlies.”

“I thought the opportunity to represent the country of my father’s birth had passed but I feel very proud and humbled to have received the call.”

It will be a proud moment for me to pull on the shirt of The Leone Stars and make my family in Sierra Leone proud, but most of all, my dad. He did everything in his power to give me the best chance to become a footballer, so I dedicate this all to him.”

Davies made his England under-21 debut on 28 February 2006 against Norway U21s before he was capped three times by the England under-21s from 2006 to 2007.

Davies was named in Fabio Capello’s first provisional England squad in January 2008 and initially expressed shock at the news of his call-up.

The former Derby man was also named in England’s squad to face Germany in November of that year but did not take the field.

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Head coach Amidu Karim names first 25-man squad for Friendlies against Benin and Somalia in Morocco
Head coach Amidu Karim names first 25-man squad for Friendlies against Benin and Somalia in Morocco
Sierra Leone line-up friendlies for World Cup qualifiers
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sierra Leone line-up friendlies for World Cup qualifiers

Veteran English defender Curtis Davies has been drafted to provisional head coach Amidu Karim’s 25-man sqaud for friendlies in Morocco.

The Cheltenham Town defender is set to join eleven (11) other foreign-based players for friendlies against Benin and Somalia in Casablanca, Morocco.

Sierra Leone to kick start the groundwork for World Cup 2026 qualifiers with matches against Benin and Somalia. The Leone Stars will take on the Cheetahs of Benin on the 14th before hosting the Ocean Stars of Somalia on the 17 October.

All engagements are for preparatory assessments for November’s World Cup qualification. 

Somalia are in Group G alongside Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique and Botswana. Benin is in Group C against Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho in the race to the 2026 World Cup. 

The Leone Stars defeated Benin 1-0 in their last meeting through a Kei Kamara spot kick during the AFCON race to Cameroon in Guinea in June 2021 as Sierra Leone secured a place at the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1996.

Ranked 124 in the global standings, Leone Stars’ journey to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Mexico and Canada will begin in November 2023. 

Coach Karim and the technical team will use these games in the North African region to assess the squad ahead of his first major task against Group A opponents Ethiopia and powerhouse Egypt in November.

The others in Group A are Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau and Djibouti in the race to the 2026 World Cup.

Leone Stars last outing in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying, Group Stage A final match ended in 2-1 defeat to Guinea-Bissua at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in September.

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Semifinal defeat for Daroma's Tacoma Defiance
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Semi-final defeat for Daroma’s Tacoma Defiance

Frank Daroma’s Tacoma Defiance suffered Western Conference semifinal 1-0 defeat to Austin FC II on Sunday night at Starfire Stadium.

The Sierra Leone-born, who has been a pivotal player for Tacoma Defiance, played the full throttle of the match.

Valentin Noël’s game-winning goal was the decider in an intense affair at Starfire Stadium. Austin FC II advanced to meet Rapids 2 in the Western Conference Final.

Noël found the end of a David Rodriguez cross in the 82nd minute, directing his shot powerfully into the back of the net. Austin FC II took control after a Defiance red card in the 69th minute. Austin FC II goalkeeper Damian Las made three saves to preserve a clean sheet.

The result concludes the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro campaign for Defiance, who won the Pacific Division and finished second in the Western Conference during the regular season.

Signed on January 27, 2023, Daroma, 22, started 57 of 64 appearances for Las Vegas Lights FC over the 2021-2022 USL Championship campaigns before joining Tacoma Defiance.

“It’s been quite a journey,” said Defiance Assistant Coach Michael Morris In a pre-match interview. 

“We haven’t been beaten in the last seven games,” said Morris. “We’ve been really consistent with the chances we’re trying to create and finishing in those specific moments.”

Last season, they were beaten in the same stage of the MLS NEXTPro conference semifinals of launched. The team closed out last season in a 2-1 Western Conference Final loss against St. Louis CITY 2, preventing them from advancing to the Final.

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