Tag Archives: defender

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Benjamin Mendy: Manchester City defender charged with four counts of rape and suspended

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Benjamin Mendy has been suspended by Manchester City after being charged by the police with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

France international Mendy will appear at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

Cheshire Police released a statement which read: “The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised Cheshire Constabulary to charge a man in connection with allegations of sexual assault.

“Benjamin Mendy, aged 27, has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

“The charges relate to three complainants over the age of 16 and are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021.

“Mendy, of Prestbury, has been remanded in police custody and is set to appear at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Friday 27 August.

“Cheshire Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service would like to remind everyone that criminal proceedings against Mendy are live and that he has a right to a fair trial.

“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice ongoing proceedings.”

A statement from the club said: “Manchester City can confirm that following his being charged by police today, Benjamin Mendy has been suspended pending an investigation.

“The matter is subject to a legal process and the Club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete.”

(Photo: Visionhaus/Getty Images)



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AFC East rival defender vouches for former teammate Tua Tagovailoa

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Some things run deeper than NFL divisional rivalries — even between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. The Jets and Dolphins usually go together like cats and dogs; even amid the downturn of both franchises over the course of the past decade. But when asked about his former teammate Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins on ‘The Zach Gelb Show’ last week, Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams offered his quarterback plenty of love nonetheless.

“I think (Tagovailoa will) be an amazing quarterback, man. He’s an amazing leader. Great arm, great player, great leader, just a great teammate in general, man, and I just think, just like me, some guys need more time than other guys to become that player that everybody know they can be in the NFL,” said Williams.

“He probably struggled a little bit his first year, man, but I’m pretty sure he’s not going to struggle his second year just due to the learning and experience that he had getting a chance to be on the field his first year, and the things he did wrong his first year he won’t let hisself do wrong again his second year. It’s just how we built at Alabama.”

Williams and Tagovailoa overlapped for the 2017 & 2018 seasons in Tuscaloosa and won a National Championship together in early 2018 after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff. So Williams has seen the best Tagovailoa can offer. And, to be fair, the Dolphins saw the best that Williams can offer with his play in 2020 against Miami. Williams was an absolute terror in both games against the Dolphins, winning gaps up front with quickness and power alike. Williams tagged the Dolphins for 1.5 sacks in their second matchup of the season, a 20-3 Dolphins victory with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm amid a thumb injury to Tagovailoa.

The next time the two teams cross paths figures to be the first time Williams and Tagovailoa will line up as starters against one another in the NFL — and here’s hoping Tagovailoa can prove his former college teammate right to help Miami stay comfortably ahead of the New York Jets in the standings.

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Liverpool monitor USMNT, NY Red Bulls defender Long

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New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long has caught the attention of English Premier League giants Liverpool with an eye towards taking the defender on loan, multiple sources have told ESPN.

Liverpool has been beset by injuries to their backline, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all sidelined. Such has been the Reds need that midfielder Jordan Henderson has been forced to deputize in the center of Liverpool’s defense. Long would provide a short-term depth option to alleviate the Reds’ shortage of backline options.

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Manager Jurgen Klopp made it clear after Liverpool’s 3-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur that he would be keen to add a new central defender in this month’s transfer window.

“If you have a center-half available at a reasonable price, and one with the quality we need, then send me a message,” he said on BT Sport.

“We thought [about making signings] and we think the whole time but it’s about doing the right thing. We need to find the right player. It’s incredible what’s happening in the defensive line.”

Liverpool did not officially confirm interest in the defender when approached by ESPN for comment.

The link with Long comes amid increasing European interest for the USMNT international defender. The Washington Post reported that English Championship side Reading want to bring Long in on loan, while MLSSoccer.com said there was “interest from clubs in England and France.”

A league source told ESPN on Thursday that the Red Bulls had yet to receive any formal offers for Long. The transfer window in Europe closes Monday night.

Long, 28, is something of a late bloomer. He was drafted by the Portland Timbers in 2014, but was released in midseason having had loan stints in the USL Championship with Sacramento Republic and the Orange County Blues.

He soon latched on with the Seattle Sounders and spent 2015 playing for their reserve team. In 2016 Long went on trial with the Red Bulls and was signed to their reserve team, New York Red Bulls II, and spent the entire 2016 season in the USL.

In 2017, Long made a breakthrough into the Red Bulls first team, and has been a mainstay ever since, making 120 league, cup and playoff appearances, scoring nine goals. He was named MLS Defender of the Year in 2018, a season in which the Red Bulls claimed the Supporters Shield, which goes to the team with the highest regular season points total.

Long’s form then caught the eye of U.S. men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter, with Long making 18 appearances for the U.S. while scoring three goals. Long is in training camp with the U.S. side, and is expected to suit up in a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago this Sunday in Orlando.

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