Sports
Fans To Choose Man-Of-Match In S/Africa
Fans from across the globe rather than FIFA officials will now determine the man-of-the-match awards at the World Cup in South Africa.
The technical study group of world soccer’s govering body have until now selected
the best player from each game, but for the first time it will be left to online and mobile text voting.
The innovation is part of a digital media push unveiled on Friday by World Cup sponsor Anheuser-Busch, the world’s larger beer company and brewer of Budweiser, whose name is attached to the man-of-the-match awards.
Through promotions, fans will be chosen to present the trophies to players at the 64 matches.
The brewing group is also behind “Bud House”, a “Big Brother” style show bringing
32 fans from each of the qualifying nations under one roof in Cape Town.
At the start of the tournament, the 16 female and 16 male participants will sleep
in rooms based on the World Cup group phase pools. The two fans of the finalists will get tickets for the match.
Organisers expect up to 450,000 foreign fans in South Africa for the month-long tournament which starts on June 11, while tens of thousands of local supporters are expected to watch games at fan parks across the country
LA Galaxy won a record-extending sixth MLS Cup title as they beat New York Red Bulls to delight a home crowd at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The MLS Cup is the showpiece match at the end of the US season, pitching the champions of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals together.
This was the first MLS Cup between two sides from the largest cities in the United States, Los Angeles and New York, and it produced a hectic opening with all three goals scored in the first half-hour.
Red Bulls were the lowest seed to ever reach the final after finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, and their underdog status initially showed as Galaxy dominated the 29th MLS Cup early on.
Galaxy led after nine minutes when Joseph Paintsil squeezed his shot under goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, and it was 2-0 soon after as Dejan Joveljic ran through the Red Bulls defence and finished with the outside of his boot.
Both men celebrated by holding up the shirt of team-mate Riqui Puig, the former Barcelona player who ruptured his ACL in the Western Conference Final which Galaxy won to reach this championship game.
Galaxy threatened to overwhelm their opponents as Sean Nealis headed a free-kick against his own crossbar.
But Red Bulls centre-back Nealis pulled his team back into the game after 28 minutes when he chested down and volleyed in from 15 yards when Galaxy players failed to clear a corner.
Both sides hit the woodwork in the second half: Galaxy right-back Miki Yamane struck the outside of the post, before Emil Forsberg curled an effort off the upright for Red Bulls.
But Galaxy, who had home advantage because of their better record in the regular season, held on to win their first MLS Cup since 2014.
Red Bulls remain without an MLS Cup title in their history after losing on what was their second appearance in the championship game.
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