Meanwhile, Malawi's Temwa Chawinga did not have her best month in front of goal for Kansas City Current Banda scored two crucial goals for the Pride in April netting the only one in the 1-0 win over Seattle Reign and then an equaliser that helped secure a 3-2 comeback victory over Angel City Her goal against Seattle Reign came as a result of a Summer Yates assist as Banda was in the right position to tap home from close range when the ball was squared Against Angel City, the Pride found themselves 2-0 down after 71 minutes when Marta pulled a goal back an inch-perfect header from Banda levelled the scores Mary Vignola's own goal in stoppage time then handed the Pride the win The defending champions sit level on points goals scored and goals conceded at the top of the table with Kansas City Current Versatile attacking midfielder Echegini has been immense for PSG in April, matching Banda's output in terms of goals. She scored in the 6-0 drubbing of Stade de Reims and the 2-2 draw with Le Havre as PSG wrapped up second place in the Première Ligue regular season Ultimately, this counts for little as the league's format has changed to include a four-team playoff tournament. PSG will face third-placed Paris FC in the semi-finals on May 11 Echegini has hit top form at a vital point in the season and her teammates will be hoping that can continue in the playoffs giving them a better chance of bringing home the title 3. Jermaine Seoposenwe, Monterrey Seoposenwe scored in a 3-1 win over Queretaro and a 1-1 draw with Tigres UANL in Liga MX Femenil's Clausura The stoppage time equaliser in the quarter-final second leg against UANL was particularly important as she sent Monterrey through to the semi-finals at Thembi Kgatlana's Tigres' expense The teams drew 2-2 on aggregate but Monterrey advanced on account of their higher seeding Monterrey will face Pachuca in the semi-finals across two legs on May 2 and May 5 4. Gift Monday, Washington Spirit Nigeria striker Monday scored her first goal in the NWSL in April and it was some way to open her account as she netted the winner in a 1-0 victory over defending champions Orlando Pride Although they only had 40% of the possession and two shots on target all game to the Pride's nine, the Spirit won thanks to Monday's tenacious pressing. She closed down Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse winning the ball and tapping in to give her side the lead in the 63rd minute 5. Edna Imade, Granada April saw Imade score her 14th goal of the Liga F season as she bagged the winner in a 2-1 comeback victory over Deportivo de La Coruña Imade scored in the 75th minute after Ornella Vignola had equalised three minutes earlier She finished April as she had started it - second in the Golden Boot race Granada are still clinging onto faint hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Women's Champions League 6. Racheal Kundananji, Bay FC Kundananji scored Bay's goal in a 1-1 draw with Seattle Reign at PayPal Park. After they had almost fallen behind moments earlier, Bay hit Seattle on the counter and Caroline Conti played Kundananji in behind The Zambia forward did the rest as she drilled home off the post with her left foot It was her first goal of the 2025 NWSL season for Bay who sit eighth in the table after allowing seventh-placed Reign back into the game Chawinga won the Golden Boot in a record-breaking NWSL season in 2024 Nevertheless, Chawinga played an important creative role as she combined with Haley Hopkins for a one-two leading to Hopkins scoring against her former team Chawinga remains joint-fourth in the race for the NWSL Golden Boot this season with the Current sitting joint-top of the table 8. Chiamaka Nnadozie Nnadozie's injury, sustained from a challenge from Inès Konan which drew a yellow card, could be consequential for Nigeria with the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco two months away there are few more valuable assets anywhere on the pitch than the 24-year-old shot stopper Nigeria's Imo scored a late equaliser for Piteå in their Damallsvenskan clash with Djurgården she profited off Sharon Sampson's assist to head home at the near post and level the scores at 3-3 This was how the game ended as Imo scored her first goal of the season Piteå ended April fifth in the league with two wins 10. Toni Payne Nigeria playmaker Payne picked up an assist for Everton in their 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. She set up Katja Snoeijs to put her side 2-1 up but they allowed Brighton to clinch a comeback win It was the Everton attacking midfielder's fourth assist of the season. Everton sit eighth in the FA Women's Super League with two matches left in the season DAKAR, Senegal --Tunisia's US Monastir put one foot in June's Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs with a 91-83 win over Cape Verde debutants Kriol Star on Saturday. Kriol Star were without injured guard duo Richaud Pack and Patrick McGlynn - both of whom had been hugely influential in the Cape Verdean side remaining in contention for the playoffs. They had picked up two wins over hosts ASC Ville de Dakar (ASCVD) to head into Saturday's game trailing defending champs Petro de Luanda, Monastir and ASCVD only on points difference. All four teams had a record of 2-2 ahead of their Saturday and Sunday games to close the conference. Only the top two will automatically qualify for the playoffs, while the third-placed team will need a better record than at least one of FUS Rabat - who finished third in the Kalahari Conference they hosted last month - and the third-placed team at Kigali's Nile Conference (May 17-25). Monastir dominated the early stages of the game, with Patrick Hardy scoring 12 points in the first quarter alone. Ultimately, that was the difference between the sides at the end of the quarter as Monastir went in 29-17 up. American Patrick Hardy Jr's efforts in the first quarter set US Monastir up for a comfortable win over Kriol Star in the BAL. Armand Lenoir/NBAE via Getty ImagesJoel Ntambwe, Ivan Almeida, Cameron Parker and Kenneti Mendes were among the key players who helped keep Kriol Star in the fight as they went on a 9-0 run at the start of the second quarter. Monastir responded with an 11-0 run of their own as Radhouane Slimane found his best shooting form. The Tunisian giants were firmly in the driving seat by half-time as they led 48-34. As always, Kriol Star ensured that they gave the crowd some value for money even at their lowest. NBA Academy player Lewis Uvwo gave them a memorable dunk and they did their best to keep pace with the 2022 champions. However, despite a late Kriol Star run, Monastir still led 67-55 heading into the final quarter. Ntambwe finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, Parker 16 points, 10 assists and a steal and Ivan Almeida 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists as Kriol Star closed the gap further in the final quarter. However, Monastir's win was never truly in doubt in the late stages as Hardy finished with 29 points and 6 assists and Firas Lahyani 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. "Honestly, I don't really care about my personal baskets, rebounds and stuff like that. It's more about trying to get a win and to qualify for the playoffs in South Africa," Ntambwe said in the mixed zone after the game. All four teams remain in contention for the playoffs, but Saturday's losers will face an uphill battle on Sunday. The BAL airs on ESPN's channels in Africa (SuperSport 218 and 219, Starsat 248). Bill Solms is particularly proud of Clearview AI’s recent successes with national security customers, which are kept confidential, but a major federal law enforcement customer used the company’s software to search available but unidentified facial images from years of unresolved child exploitation cases and developed about 750 credible new leads. Solms and his team will continue to focus on strengthening national security and reducing crime, fraud and risk to create safer communities. Their facial recognition platform equips government agencies to investigate threats, protect the nation, and secure critical infrastructure. They support cases involving human trafficking, war crimes, fraud, child exploitation, drug and weapons trafficking, organized crime and national security threats. Clearview AI provides investigators with a powerful tool to improve case resolution and enhance security efforts. “The tremendous value of AI is in how we can use it to deliver actionable results to previously unsolvable challenges,” Solms said. “It is about applying AI to produce better, faster and more efficient outcomes in a way that aligns with American legal, moral and ethical values. I am privileged to work with an incredible team at Clearview AI that delivers on that promise every day.” Fun fact: Although Solms started his career as a soldier, one of his true passions is sailing. When he isn’t on the water, you can find him cheering loudly for Army football. Mark Solms talks about his work as the translator of the “Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud” Published: Jul 10, 2024written by Antonis Chaliakopoulos TheCollector recently had the pleasure of interviewing renowned psychoanalyst and neuropsychologist Dr Our conversation centered around his long-awaited revised translation of Sigmund Freud’s complete psychological works (The Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud) the relationship between Freudian psychoanalysis and the movement of Surrealism and Freud’s key contributions to the modern world Mark Solms is an acclaimed psychoanalyst and neuropsychologist known for the integration of contemporary neuroscience with psychoanalytic methods and theories and for his discovery of the forebrain mechanisms of dreaming He is Director of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital Science Director of the American Psychoanalytic Association and Co-Chair of the International Neuropsychoanalysis Society Antonis is an archaeologist with a passion for museums and heritage and a keen interest in aesthetics and the reception of classical art He holds an MSc in Museum Studies from the University of Glasgow and a BA in History and Archaeology from the University of Athens (NKUA) “go down in history as the Freudian century” To most of us Sigmund Freud is a figure of fun: the grumpy old man who imagined that all little boys wanted to sleep with their mothers and that all little girls wanted to have their own penis And that’s a more generous interpretation: over the years Freud has been criticised for being Even his admirers tend not to see Freud as a serious scientist Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal NewsSpencer Heath Madalynn Lambert NEW BRAUNFELS Texas – Large clouds of black smoke could be seen coming from a property in New Braunfels A KSAT viewer noticed the smoke around 4 p.m on Sunday off Interstate 35 near the North Solms Road exit KSAT reached out to the New Braunfels Police Department and the New Braunfels Fire Department for more information but has yet to hear back It will be updated once more information becomes available Copyright 2024 by KSAT - All rights reserved Madalynn Lambert is a Content Gatherer at KSAT-12 She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2024 with a degree in journalism and minors in global and science communication Email Newsletters KSAT RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us KSAT Internships Careers at KSAT Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications Copyright © 2025 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Trailblazing neurologist and father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud‘s work has left a legacy that continues to ripple through the world of art Freud’s exploration into the mysteries of the unconscious mind found a natural ally in Surrealism an art movement coined and championed by André Breton in the early 20th century Freud‘s theories underpinned artists such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte practices; the artists’ striking visuals of the bizarre and the uncanny were hallmarks of the subconscious mind as Freud described it His theories profoundly influenced literature sparking a cultural shift toward introspective investigations of the human mind Seminal texts like The Interpretation of Dreams (1899) and Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) provided frameworks for understanding the hidden forces that shape the interiors of the mortal mind I have made Freud more readable for contemporary audiences by modernising the English spelling and grammar I have brought the editorial apparatus up do date as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the complete release of Freud’s works we are presented with a renewed opportunity to reflect on his transformative contributions A newly revised standard edition of Freud’s complete works edited by renowned psychoanalyst and neuroscientist Mark Solms offers fresh insights into Freud’s legacy known for integrating contemporary neuroscience with psychoanalytic theory and discovering the forebrain mechanisms of dreaming continues expanding on Freud’s groundbreaking work We spoke with Solms to explore the enduring influence of Freud and the continued relevance of his theories in art and science today For those who may not be familiar with your work could you please introduce yourself and give us a brief overview of your career and contributions to the field of neuropsychoanalysis Mark Solms: I completed my neuropsychological training in 1985 I was frustrated by how little ‘psyche’ there was in neuropsychology – surely the most interesting thing about the brain is that it has subjective experiences – so much to the dismay of my neuroscientific colleagues I decided in 1989 to train also in psychoanalysis I made it my life’s work to integrate these two fields: to bring psychoanalytic methods and theories into the neurosciences and vice-versa I made interesting observations over the years starting with my discovery of the brain mechanisms of dreaming and culminating in my most recent work on the affective basis of consciousness You have been instrumental in integrating contemporary neuroscience with psychoanalytic methods and theories Could you tell us how this integration has influenced the revisions and new translations in the Revised Standard Edition (RSE) of Freud’s Complete Psychological Works Are there specific instances where modern neuroscience has provided fresh insights into Freud’s theories Mark Solms: Modern neuroscience has corrected many of Freud’s theories there are at least seven emotional drives that motivate human (and all mammalian) behaviour rather than just the two that Freud identified Modern neuroscience has also confirmed many of Freud’s basic claims nowadays we all agree that many mental functions are performedunconsciously that early childhood experiences are pivotal for later mental development and that dreams are motivated mental processes these new insights did not influence the RSE very much which Strachey translated as ‘instinct’ and I have since translated as ‘drive’ because instincts and drives are very different things modern neuroscience permeates only the editorial apparatus of the RSE.” The RSE includes extensive new annotations to address conceptual and lexicographic ambiguities in Freud’s original texts What were some of the most significant ambiguities you encountered and how were these clarified in the new edition Mark Solms: The strongest and most widespread criticism of Strachey’s translation concerns Freud’s technical vocabulary Strachey used neologisms derived from Ancient Greek and Latin where Freud wrote Besetzung (an ordinary word meaning ‘occupation’) Strachey put ‘cathexis Where Freud wrote Anlehnung (an ordinary word meaning ‘leaning-upon-ness’) Strachey put ‘anaclisis’ and where Freud write Ich (meaning simply ‘I’) Strachey put ‘ego’ This criticism is based on a lack of familiarity with the conventions of German versus English scientific writing Neuroanatomy was the science with which Freud was most familiar when he forged his psychoanalytic terminology what German chemists call Wasserstoff (meaning simply ‘water stuff’) and Sauerstoff (meaning ‘sour stuff’) we English speakers call ‘hydrogen’ and ‘oxygen’ These are the sorts of issues I clarify in the RSE.” have had a profound impact on the surrealist art movement Can you elaborate on how these theories shaped surrealism and how you see this influence evolving with the release of the RSE Mark Solms: The surrealist art movement was predicated directly upon Freud’s discoveries and methods the dream-like landscapes of Dali and De Chirico are literal depictions of the inner world that Freud explored the uncanny juxtapositions that inspired some of Magritte’s most famous works draw upon Freud’s theories concerning das Unheimliche and Breton’s automatic writing was a direct application of Freud’s method of free association The current renaissance of interest in Freud (prompted by no means solely by the appearance of the RSE!) might very well be reflected ina renewed version of surrealism how do you perceive the legacy of Freud’s theories on the unconscious mind Are there specific modern artists or art movements that have been particularly influenced by his work Mark Solms: I think the German and the abstract expressionists were every bit as much influenced by Freud’s theories as were the surrealists If you think of the influence upon contemporary art of just these three or four movements then the full extent of Freud’s influence comes into view I think that influence is so all-pervasive now that we do not even notice it anymore The release of the RSE coincides with the centennial of André Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto and the 50th anniversary of the final piece of Freud’s complete works How do these milestones highlight the significance of releasing the RSE now Mark Solms: There was no conscious intention for these two events to coincide (if you will excuse the pun) What can contemporary audiences and scholars gain from this new edition that might have been missed in previous decades Mark Solms: I have made Freud more readable for contemporary audiences by modernising the English spelling and grammar I have brought the editorial apparatus up do date (incorporating the 60 years of Freud scholarship that accumulated since the publication of the old SE) it has been possible to unravel the various disguises and distortions that Freud introduced to protect the confidentiality of his now-long-dead patients thereby shedding important new light on his famous clinical case histories I have revealed the many continuities between Freud’s neuroscientific and psychoanalytic works which previously remained hidden from view; and I have shown how he anticipated many modern neuroscientific discoveries I have provided much better (and more interesting) illustrations I have provided a proper index to each volume and to the 24 volumes as a whole (I have to say I have radically updated the bibliography of Freud’s works which is now almost five times longer than the previous one But perhaps the most important gain is the one that you address in the next question… The RSE includes 56 essays and letters not previously included in the Standard Edition Can you highlight some of these additions and discuss their relevance to understanding Freud’s impact on both psychology and the arts Mark Solms: Some of the most interesting new works concern early lectures that Freud gave on hysteria and some other neuroses some strong attacks on the homophobic views of his colleagues (including his psychoanalytic colleagues) a defence of women’s rights with respect to marriage law a blistering critique of everything American (!) a psychological analysis of President Woodrow Wilson a new theory of Christianity — in which he claimed that priests suppress their homosexuality by identifying with Christ – and some humorous remarks upon the attitude of Jews towards death.” As The Interpretation of Dreams is one of Freud’s most influential works it has inspired numerous surrealist artists How does the revised translation in the RSE potentially alter or deepen our understanding of this seminal text Mark Solms: I have mentioned already that I inform readers in my editorial introduction of subsequent developments in the science of dreams and of the remarkable support that new discoveries provide for his (apparently unlikely) theoretical claims I draw attention also to the fact that Freud reported dreams in the present tense whereas Strachey rendered them in the past tense I included the running heads that Freud used in the first German edition which read as a sort of summary of his argument There are only a few places where the old translation needed correction Freud’s theories have notably influenced surrealist artists like Salvador Dalí Could you discuss how these theories specifically influenced Dalí and perhaps mention particular works that were directly inspired by Freud’s ideas on the unconscious Mark Solms: I think Dali almost literally illustrated Freudian themes (I don’t think he was a great artist!) Freud was impressed with his technical prowess as a painter As for individual works: ‘The persistence of memory’ comes to mind immediately Also ‘The great masturbator’ and ‘The metamorphosis of Narcissus’ Also ‘The melting watch’ and ‘The lobster telephone’ How do you see the interplay between psychoanalytic theory and artistic expressionwithin the surrealist movement Did Freud’s ideas provide a framework for artists toexplore dreamlike and fantastical scenes I think some of them (the least interesting of them) merely depicted dreamscapes and explored Freudian themes in a fairly concrete and literal way was the use of Freud’s methods in automatic writing and drawing had a deeper and more intellectual appreciation of Freud than most of the surrealists did how do you envision the ongoing dialogue between Freud’s theoriesand the art world Are there emerging trends in art that you think will draw from thenewly clarified and revised works of Freud in the RSE Mark Solms: I think it is impossible to trace the influence of Freud upon contemporary art; it is just too ubiquitous I hope that the RSE will make that influence more explicit once more the most interesting artist working with Freudian ideas (in a deep and non-obvious way) is William Kentridge The Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud was commissioned by the Institute of Psychoanalysis who chose Rowman & Littlefield as the publishing partner editor Mark Solms has undertaken this major work of comparative scholarship reviewing James Strachey’s English text against Freud’s German original The 24-volume set includes 56 new notes, essays, letters, and lectures and is available to purchase for £1,500/ $1,950.00. For more information visit: Rowman.com Len is a curator and a contributing writer at Art Plugged a platform for contemporary art; he also engages in web development Art Plugged is a contemporary platform inspired by a relationship with the broader arts communities We provide our audience with curated insight into the world of art from exhibitions to artist interviews and more We strive to showcase all mediums of art from all corners of the globe so we have you covered whether you’re a casual art lover or a serious collector The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. Launch conference for the Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud A joint Institute of Psychoanalysis and UCL Psychoanalysis Unit in-person only event This conference to mark and celebrate the publication of the new Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud (RSE) will explore the continuing relevance of Freud’s work in the 21st century The conference will feature presentations about the RSE as well as clinical cultural and historical perspectives from distinguished psychoanalysts and scholars Conference Programme    Rosine Perelberg  Psychoanalyst and anthropologist Alessandra Lemma  Psychoanalyst and psychologist Jacqueline Rose  Literary and cultural critic Follow IoPA on X at @theIoPA and on LinkedIn at uk.linkedin.com/company/institute-of-psychoanalysis You have reached ESPN's Australian edition. Stay on current site or go to US version bad and unbelievable from Manchester United (1:22)Steve Nicol reacts to a thrilling ending to Manchester United's clash with Lyon as Ruben Amorim's side advance into the Europa League semifinals Steve Barker's Stellenbosch FC will visit Fadlu Davids' Simba SC in Zanzibar in Sunday's CAF Confederation Cup semi-final first leg the furthest the South African side has ever gone in continental competition The Maroons stunned Egyptian giants Zamalek in the quarter-finals and will now aim to topple another African giant in Tanzania's Simba It would be unfair to label Stellenbosch underdogs for the clash - their squad is as good as Simba's on paper if not even better - but they certainly are the less established club in terms of history Simba were runners-up in the CAF Cup in 1993 before the tournament merged with the African Cup Winners' Cup to become the CAF Confederation Cup in 2004 Barker was appointed as head coach in 2017 which also saw Davids take over as head coach at Maritzburg United their careers have taken off along divergent paths which will cross again with a place in a continental final at stake The first leg was originally scheduled for Dar es Salaam's Benjamin Mkapa Stadium but was relocated due to maintenance at that stadium The clubs will face off again at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium for the second leg on April 27 due to a scheduling conflict with Cape Town-based rugby side the Stormers both Simba and Stellenbosch will play their home games away from their usual homes CAF still uses the away goals rule even though it has been scrapped by UEFA so if Stellies can come away with Zanzibar with a goal and a result to their name Stellenbosch FC shocked Egyptian giants Zamalek in the Confederations Cup quarterfinals to set up the semifinal against Simba SC. Ahmed Gomaa/Xinhua via Getty ImagesKey details:Date: Sunday How to watch: The match is available on SuperSport Stellenbosch captain Sage Stephens looks set to return from a minor injury that kept him out of the 1-0 Betway Premiership win over AmaZulu However, striker Ashley Cupido is unlikely to feature as he was forced off with a hamstring injury GK Moussa Camara LB Mohamed Hussein Mohamed | CB Abdulrazack Mohamed Hamza | CB Chamou Karaboue | RB Shomari Kapombe CM Fabrice Ngoma | CM Yusuph Kagoma LW Kibu Denis | AM Jean Charles Ahoua | RW Elie Mpanzu Kibisawala ST Leonel Ateba LB Fawaaz Basadien | CB Thabo Moloisane| CB Ismaël Olivier Touré | RB Enyinnaya Godswill LM Genino Palace | CM Sihle Nduli | CM Thato Khiba | RM Devin Titus ST André de Jong | ST Sanele Barns Stellenbosch have not conceded in their last three games in all competitions This will be Stellenbosch's first ever CAF inter-club semi-final and Simba's first in 32 years Tunisia's US Monastir brought them crashing back to earth with a comfortable 88-72 victory on Tuesday Kriol Star welcomed point guard Patrick McGlynn IV back from injury but they were hit with a fresh blow as Richaud Pack missed the game with an injury sustained on Sunday with Ivan Almeida on a tear in the early minutes -- scoring their first nine points as they went 9-2 up Radhouane Slimane and Firas Lahyani all on song but Kriol Star held an 18-17 lead at quartertime before Monastir dominated the second stanza to lead 45-30 at halftime and Deng Acuoth took over and Monastir led 64-48 at the final break The Almeida brothers each hit double-figures as Kriol Star fought until the final buzzer four assists and a steal arguably made him the best player on either side while Joel Almeida chipped in with 10 points and two steals Hardy was their top scorer with 19 points and five assists while Lahyani scored 15 points with eight boards Kriol Star's Joel Ntambwe credited Monastir for being more prepared for the match and Deng Acuoth hailed the impact of Monastir coach Vasco Curado's scouting system "The coach is great," Acouth said in the post-match press conference He prepares us right for the game -- defensive schemes.. Kriol Star coach Hugo Salgado said that he and his players were outclassed but he hoped to have a full roster available for Thursday's rematch against ASC Ville de Dakar "It's an injury from the last game," Salgado said of Pack's absence "We are [doing everything] to have him back as soon as possible I hope [he recovers] already [by] Thursday and we have one game at least with a full roster Kansas City Current's Chawinga broke the league's goalscoring record last season eclipsing NWSL legend Sam Kerr's tally of 18 she is joint-first in the race to the Golden Boot this season Chawinga's elder sister, Tabitha Chawinga, has found her best scoring form for France in the Première Ligue and the UEFA Women's Champions League making it almost impossible to split the top three in this month's Power Rankings we have done our best to settle the debate it is no attempt to separate the trio on overall quality we will continue to sit on the fence until further notice The reigning NWSL MVP wasted no time getting out of the blocks this season scoring within four minutes in the Current's opener against the Portland Thorns She followed up by scoring in the eighth minute of stoppage time to secure a 2-0 win over the Washington Spirit Chawinga then extended her scoring streak to seven games, a new league record, with a 22nd-minute opener in the 3-0 victory over Utah Royals The Current are second in the league with three wins from as many games, behind the Orlando Pride only on goal difference 2. Tabitha Chawinga, Olympique Lyon The elder Chawinga had yet to hit top form in front of goal for Lyon this season In March, she found her scoring boots, netting in a 4-0 league win over Strasbourg and then home and away in a 6-1 aggregate drubbing of Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-finals Lyon will face Arsenal in the semi-finals and are 10 points clear of Tabitha's former side, Paris Saint-Germain The reigning CAF Women's Footballer of the Year picked up two goals and an assist for the defending champions in her first three NWSL appearances of 2025 Zambia striker Banda was on target twice in the 6-0 win over Chicago Stars, also picking up an assist for Julie Doyle Banda was running at defenders and causing headaches all night but second goal was particularly impressive as she found the net from around 20 yards out Banda's season hasn't been all sunshine though, as she's been subjected to horrid abuse from some fans, notably in the game against Gotham FC play2:07Krieger: Fan abuse toward Barbra Banda is 'blatantly unacceptable'Ali Krieger and Jeff Kassouf condemn the alleged fan abuse directed toward Orlando's Barbra Banda 4. Thembi Kgatlana South Africa forward Kgatlana found the net in a 4-0 win over Necaxa in Liga MX Femenil She followed that up with another goal in the 2-1 defeat to Club América Tigres sit fourth in the Clausura - the second stage of the Liga MX Femenil season It has not been the best of seasons for them but Kgatlana's goals have ensured that they will advance to the eight-team playoffs - the Liguilla 5. Jermaine Seoposenwe, Monterrey have struggled uncharacteristically in the league phase of the Clausura this season While UANL have sealed their spot in the Liguilla Monterrey need two points to do so with two matches remaining The fact that they are in the driving seat is largely thanks to Seoposenwe's contribution She scored two vital goals in March - a stoppage time winner in a 2-1 victory over her former side 6. Chiamaka Okwuchukwu Okwuchukwu, the Nigeria U20 forward who signed for San Diego Wave FC in January making it the second-fastest by an NWSL player on debut Having come on as a substitute for Adriana Leon on the hour-mark, Okwuchukwu headed home a Kenza Dali cross from deep and equalised against the Pride Marta's penalty ended up handing the defending champions a 2-1 win it was a debut to remember for the 19-year-old 7. Rinsola Babajide Nigeria's Babajide started the month with an important goal - an equaliser in UD Tenerife's 1-1 draw with Levante Badalona. She rounded it up in similar fashion, scoring in a 4-1 win over Espanyol UD Tenerife sit sixth in Liga F. Gift Monday's 10 goals have been invaluable this Liga F season Babajide looks set to take on the mantle and now has nine league goals in 2024-25 herself 8. Edna Imade, Granada Moroccan-born Nigerian forward Imade, who has expressed a desire to represent the Super Falcons, remained in second place in the Liga F Golden Boot race, netting in Granada's 2-0 win over Sevilla 9. Hildah Magaia Banyana Banyana international Magaia was yet another South African player who showed her brilliance in front of goal in March She scored twice in Tijuana's match against Club Leon three points behind eighth-placed Atlas with two games left to catch them and qualify for the Liguilla 10. Toni Payne, Everton USA-born Super Falcons player Payne took time to find her best form for Everton but appears to have settled in now She scored her first FA WSL goal for the Toffees in a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal Despite losses to the Gunners and fellow giants Manchester United, March was a decent month overall for Everton as they picked up wins over Aston Villa and Crystal Palace playHutchison: Man United and Tottenham are an embarrassment (2:15)Don Hutchison has labelled Man United as "not a big team" following their 1-0 defeat at home to Wolves Orlando Pirates and Pyramids FC only had one shot each on target in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final at FNB Stadium However, there will have to be a winner when the teams run it back for the second leg at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Friday, with the winner meeting either Al Ahly or Mamelodi Sundowns in the final Fiston Mayele and Sodiq Awujoola saw goals disallowed by VAR for Pyramids which could have completely changed the complexion of the tie Pirates have the major advantage of having played at home without conceding in a competition which still uses the away goals rule The last time Pirates were in a CAF Champions League final in 2013 the second leg was in Cairo and they went into it on level terms with their rivals they return to Cairo on level terms again to once again earn the opportunity to compete in African club football's biggest game they may even find themselves going up against Al Ahly again it will be Mamelodi Sundowns - the club who in recent years replaced them as Africa's best hope of silverware on the continent Pirates have once again become a powerhouse on the continent the reinvigorated Buccaneers face a major challenge against another emerging powerhouse - Pyramids - who will be playing to earn a first ever Champions League final appearance Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro discusses tactics with midfielder Thalente Mbatha. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesKey details:Date: Friday Venue: 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt GK Ahmed El Shenawy LB Mohamed Hamdi | CB Mahmoud Marei | CB Ahmed Samy | RB Mohamed Chibi LM Mostafa Fathi | CM Mohanad Lasheen | CM Walid El Karti | CM Blati Touré | RM Karim Hafez GK Sipho Chaine LB Deon Hotto | CB Mbekezeli Mbokazi | CB Nkosinathi Sibisi | RB Deano van Rooyen CM Thalente Mbatha | CM Makhehlene Makhaula LW Relebohile Mofokeng | AM Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi | RW Mohau Nkota ST Tshegofatso Mabasa The two South African teams remaining in the CAF Champions League semi-finals have yet to concede in six games between them in the knockout stages Orlando Pirates have kept five clean sheets in a row in all competitions South Sudan have suffered a major blow ahead of the Olympics as their headline player, the Phoenix Suns' Bol Bol is out of the roster for Paris for undisclosed "personal reasons" an assistant coach for the national team and the older brother of the South Sudan Basketball Federation's president confirmed to ESPN that Bol would not make it to the Olympics despite having been included on their initial 25-man roster for the recent training camp in Kigali South Sudan beat Great Britain 84-81 on Thursday in Bol's absence reminding the world of the quality they possess in abundance even without star players such as Bol They qualified for the Olympics by being the best-placed African national team at the FIBA World Cup despite being without these key men at the time Ajou Deng said: "Bol Bol has had a situation that he's been going through in the NBA he wanted to focus on himself and his career." As a result of South Sudan's struggle for independence many people from the region had to become refugees in other countries and thus the federation often faces difficulties either convincing their top talents to play for the country or getting their clearance through FIBA the federation tried to get Basketball Africa League (BAL) MVP Jo Lual-Acuil to participate in their pre-Olympic training camp but the South Sudanese-Australian big man initially declined - and by the time he fully committed to South Sudan Luol Deng told ESPN ahead of the training camp: "Anytime any player calls me and says: 'I want to play for Australia,' or they want to play for any other country what makes us so good is that each player wants to play and it's hard for me to say no so when someone tells me they don't want to play I'd rather take someone who really wants to do it there was a lot of stuff going on with him Al Ahly Ly's Jo Lual Aquil takes on South Sudan countryman Khaman Maluach at the BAL Nile Conference in Cairo. Nacer Talel/NBAE via Getty ImagesFormer Baylor big man Lual-Acuil subsequently joined the Sacramento Kings for NBA Summer League and has impressed there he declined to comment on his position with regards to the South Sudan national team He is not the only South Sudanese-Australian player the national team has struggled to get in Bright Stars colors - with another being Thon Maker, who was drafted 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks and has represented Australia internationally Once a player has represented another national team, it becomes even more difficult for the federation to get them in South Sudan's colors - as they have found with former Los Angeles Lakers draft pick Ater Majok who thus far has been unable to switch from Lebanon to South Sudan The team nevertheless does feature several experienced players, such as former Chicago Bulls point guard Carlik Jones former Los Angeles Lakers center Wenyen Gabriel Center Khaman Maluach - an elite NBA Draft prospect who has signed for Luol Deng's alma mater Duke - also featured against Great Britain There could yet be further surprises as the final roster is announced after Saturday's showcase game against the USA it has been confirmed that his Olympic dream will have to wait another four years none of them are assured of a passage to the semifinals of what is essentially South Africa's version of the FA Cup Defending champions Orlando Pirates will play SuperSport United -- one of South Africa's most famously difficult teams to beat in cup competitions -- in Polokwane to kick off Saturday's action. Chiefs will then face emerging powerhouse Stellenbosch FC at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Sundowns will draw the curtain on Saturday's fixtures as they host CAF Confederation Cup-chasers Sekhukhune United at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville. Finally, on Sunday afternoon, Durban City will host Marumo Gallants at Chatsworth Stadium The Nedbank Cup is South Africa's premier knockout cup competition and the only tournament that allows second- and even third-tier teams to face the top teams in the country South Africa's top two tiers -- the Premiership and First Division (otherwise known as the Motsepe Foundation Championship) -- are administered by the Premier Soccer League the Second Division (otherwise known as the ABC Motsepe League) is an amateur league administered by the South African Football Association The Nedbank Cup sees the 16 Premiership teams enter the tournament in the round of 32 along with eight First Division and eight Second Division teams -- all of whom won preliminary games against other teams in their divisions a world of possibilities exists in the draw including this year's round-of-32 clash between the famously wealthy Sundowns and third-tier Sibanye Golden Stars but the Nedbank Cup has produced some astonishing upsets over the years such as third-tier Maluti FET College's 4-1 win over Orlando Pirates in 2013 How to watch: The matches will be available to watch on SuperSport Kaizer Chiefs are the most successful team in the history of the Nedbank Cup with 13 titles. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesQuarterfinal fixturesSaturday who have won the past two Nedbank Cup titles the last team to have gone back-to-back before them in 2016 and 2017 so there is plenty riding on the Nedbank Cup However, United have shown glimpses of what they are capable of -- notably in a recent 4-1 Premiership win over Kaizer Chiefs -- and Pirates, who got the season off to a superb start, are showing the first signs of wear and tear in a small squad as the fixtures begin to pile up in the Premiership, Nedbank Cup and CAF Champions League Pirates have won the past two fixtures between the sides with Evidence Makgopa scoring in both games but it is unlikely to be a walk in the park Stellenbosch had to move their clash with Kaizer Chiefs to Gqeberha -- 726 km from their home ground at the Danie Craven Stadium -- due to the lack of availability of a suitable venue in the Western Cape but they have not fared any better than Steve Barker's side in recent seasons Stellenbosch won their first trophy in last season's Carling Knockout -- South Africa's equivalent of the League Cup -- while Chiefs have not won a major honour since storming to the 2014-15 Premiership under Stuart Baxter and this is likely to be one of the tightest quarterfinals Sekhukhune United are fourth in the Premiership, and fighting with the likes of Stellenbosch FC and Polokwane City to qualify for next season's CAF Confederation Cup but Sundowns are a cut above the rest in South African football and are on course to break the 30-game Premiership points record they set last season Sundowns beat Sekhukhune 4-2 in the Premiership on Feb It would be a major upset if they were to suffer their first defeat to Lehlohonolo Seema's men now The only remaining second-tier side in the Nedbank Cup Durban City have the opportunity to make a statement against Marumo Gallants a Premiership club seeking to stave off the threat of relegation When they were based in Pietermaritzburg and known as Maritzburg United the club now known as Durban City FC after their 2024 relocation made the final of the 2018 Nedbank Cup A new era beckons for the side sitting atop the First Division table they will need every ounce of energy from the stands as they look to beat a team that showed its potential in a 2-0 win over Pirates on Mar The two weakest teams remaining in the tournament on paper this fixture will decide who will have the opportunity to slay the giants of South African football in the semifinals playOnuoha admits he was surprised to see resilient Spurs win (1:24)Nedum Onuoha credits Tottenham for their defensive solidarity in their 1-0 win at Frankfurt that puts them in the Europa League semifinals Fresh off progression to the Nedbank Cup final, Orlando Pirates will host Egypt's Pyramids FC at FNB Stadium on Saturday in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final as they attempt to secure passage to yet another major final The Buccaneers do not appear to have been affected on the pitch by the news that head coach José Riveiro will be departing at the end of the season Pyramids are arguably as close to becoming an African powerhouse as they have been The club was founded as Al Assiouty Sport in 2008 Turki Al-Sheikh bought them in 2018 and changed the name to Pyramids FC Salem Al Shamsi acquired the club a year later having won last season's Egypt Cup to clinch their first ever major title With Al Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns facing off in the other semi-final this could be a statement year for Egyptian or South African football This is the first encounter ever between the two sides but all indications are that they are here to stay at or near the top of Africa Leading from the front - Orlando Pirates' CAF Champions League progress will rely heavily on the boot of star striker Relebohile Mofokeng. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesKey details:Date: Saturday Venue: FNB Stadium, Nasrec, Johannesburg, South Africa Soccer Laduma reported that winger Monnapule Saleng is nearing a return after being out of the team for over four months amid a rumoured contractual dispute LB Deon Hotto | CB Mbekezeli Mbokazi | CB Nkosinathi Sibisi | RB Deano van Rooyen LM Mostafa Fathi | CM Mohanad Lasheen | CM Walid El Karti | CM Ahmed Atef | RM Karim Hafez ST Fiston Mayele Orlando Pirates are unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competitions Pyramids are winless in their last three matches in all competitions (1 D Orlando Pirates have not conceded in four matches in all competitions and have only conceded once in their last six Read this week's magazine Sigmund Freud is having something of a moment Psychoanalysis is suddenly everywhere: on such hit shows as Couples Therapy where troubled lovers probe their unconscious minds; in upstart magazines which applies the tenets of the talking cure to modern life and politics; at bookstores where new titles on the Viennese psychologist with psychoanalyst and neuropsychologist Mark Solms spearheading the once-in-a-generation project Solms began translating Freud’s neuroscientific writings which amount to more than 200 individual titles fewer than 10 of which had previously been translated into English This endeavor put him on the radar of the U.K.–based Institute of Psychoanalysis (IOPA) amid growing criticisms of Strachey’s translations that a revised version of the Standard Edition was sorely needed The IOPA appointed Solms as editor of the Revised Standard Edition in 1994 was “a mammoth task.” He not only needed to revise Strachey’s translations but “update his editorial apparatus” to accommodate and incorporate the reams of Freud scholarship that have come out since the 1960s Solms had to add and translate “some 50-odd” new works by Freud—some omitted from the Standard Edition others discovered in the last half century—which include previously unknown notes and essays on such topics as homosexuality and women’s rights which Solms said “reveal Freud to have been more progressive than has been appreciated.” Solms was uniquely suited to the task of translating Freud's newly discovered writings having grown up in a part of Namibia where the late-19th-century German dialect of Freud's era is still spoken He is also an ambitious and fastidious scholar and editor completely reworking the Standard Edition's index and bibliography and adding nearly 1,400 entries throughout the editing process Solms lamented that the sheer amount of work required to put together the edition which he did alongside his day job as a neuroscientist and clinician it has taken me a full 30 years to complete it!” The two dozen volumes of the original Standard Edition were copublished from 1953 to 1974 by the IOPA and Hogarth Press which was established in 1917 by Virginia and Leonard Woolf and is now an imprint of Penguin Random House Solms said that it was “initially assumed” that the IOPA would publish the Revised Standard Edition with PRH but the IOPA’s publications committee instead decided to invite a number of publishers to make proposals Rowman & Littlefield was selected unanimously “on the basis that they were an independent publisher that would give the Revised Standard Edition the ‘bespoke’ attention that it requires and deserves.” R&L was eager to make the Freudian canon “available to a new generation of scholars and general readers” with the Revised Standard Edition R&L proposed a plan to make the Revised Standard Edition available globally in print and digital editions and to build a secondary product portfolio of works related to the new edition seeing as R&L “already had a strong presence in psychoanalytic publishing” thanks to its 2003 acquisition of Jason Aronson Publishers the publisher felt confident it could not only do the job right but reach the work’s intended audience “The RSE has made it increasingly possible to understand the continuity between Freud’s work as a neuroscientist and his role as the architect of psychoanalysis,” Kirsch said “We need this revised edition so that Freud’s work speaks clearly to a society that has changed in so many ways while his insights into the fundamental nature of human beings remain a foundation of our understanding of ourselves.” and is distributed by National Book Network in the U.S and Ingram Publisher Services internationally As for the forces behind Freud's resurgence Kirsch and Solms agree that it's because his ideas are both timeless and timely Kirsch calls Freud's theories “essential to understanding the human condition," not to mention ubiquitous in everyday life “It’s easy to forget how many of his concepts have entered our mainstream vocabulary,” said Kirsch who cited his “enormous impact” on art Solms sees the culture's "growing disenchantment" with the treatment of psychiatric drugs as a panacea as well as “the fact that Freud’s major scientific claims have been increasingly supported—perhaps surprisingly—by neuropsychological research findings,” as reasons for Freud’s renewed relevance because "we are living in such troubled times," Freud's work has become a salient reminder of "all of how irrational we human beings are." Metrics details Fusarium equiseti was isolated from the weed plant Tridax procumbens in an agricultural field and a crude extract produced with 75% ethanol for use as active ingredient material in natural herbicides equiseti extract was tested on water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) by leaf disk assay at concentrations of 0.05% Dose-dependent visual toxicity symptoms were evident after three days yellow leaves surrounded by dark brown edges and carotenoids) and membrane integrity (as electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content) were evaluated following the leaf disk test photosynthetic pigment contents showed dose-dependent decreases while both measures of membrane integrity showed dose-dependent increases with increasing extract concentration a cytogenetic assay was conducted on Allium cepa L in which mitotic index reduction and depigmentation were evident as early as 24 h after herbicide application crassipes leaves revealed degradation or damage of the ground tissue equiseti crude-based natural herbicide cloud as a sustainable alternative in agriculture Water hyacinth is among the fastest-growing plants known; it reproduces mainly by runners or stolons which eventually give rise to daughter plants a single plant is capable of yielding thousands of seeds annually and these seeds are viable for more than 28 years development of natural herbicides is required to manage water hyacinth and other agricultural weeds in a sustainable manner equiseti may be a candidate source for natural herbicide production The present study aimed to characterize the phytotoxic effects of F equiseti crude extract on the aquatic weed water hyacinth under laboratory conditions and included evaluation of some physiological properties in water hyacinth Cytogenetic toxicity was evaluated on Allium cepa L. and an anatomical analysis was performed on E Samples of diseased tridax daisy (Tridax procumbens L.) were obtained from the Ladkrabang area and fungal strains were isolated by the tissue transplanting method the leaves were thoroughly washed in running tap water to remove dust and debris The cleaned samples were then surface sterilized with 70% ethanol and finally washed twice with distilled water All sterilized samples were cut under sterile conditions into small pieces (1 × 1 cm) Each piece of infected tissue was transferred to a Petri dish containing water agar medium then incubated at 25 °C for seven days until fungal mycelia were observed The emergent hyphal tips of the fungi were cut and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium (Merck The purified fungal isolates were then transferred to PDA slants and maintained at 4 °C until further use 7.2 with sequences from the GenBank database Phylogenetic analysis utilized the maximum likelihood (ML) method with combination datasets of rpb2 and was performed in MEGA 11 with 1,000 bootstrap replications The outgroup consisted of Fusarium camptoceras CBS 193.65 and F Fusarium equiseti was cultured through submerged fermentation fungal disks (5 mm) were transferred to fermentation flasks containing autoclaved medium broth under aseptic conditions The fermentation broth contained 50.0 g/L potato extract and 20.0 g/L glucose then cultures were incubated at room temperature for 30 days Mycelia were collected from the medium by filtering through a sterilized muslin cloth and then incubated at 45 °C in a hot-air oven (Binder World FP400UL-208V The resulting mycelium powder was extracted with 75% ethanol (ratio 1.0 g of dried mycelia: 20.0 mL of solvents) for 24 h then ultrasonic oscillated for 30 min at 50 °C The obtained supernatants were filtered through one layer of Whatman No The resulting filtrate solutions were evaporated using a rotary vacuum evaporator (BUCHI Rotavapor R255 Switzerland) under partial vacuum at 45 °C to obtain the crude extract the crude extract was redissolved in 75% ethanol and stored at 4 °C until further experiment equiseti extract were identified using GC/MS A Scion 436 gas chromatograph was coupled to a triple quad (Bruker Operating parameters were as follows: helium flow rate of 1 ml/min; detection range of 30–500 amu; starting oven temperature of 50 °C (2 min); ramping to 250 °C (20 °C/min); and then holding for 18 min ID 0.25 mm) was filled with 1 mL sample in splitless mode The temperature of the transfer line was 250 °C and that of the ion source 230 °C Individual ingredients were identified by comparison of obtained mass spectra (molecular mass and fragmentation pattern) with the internal reference library (National Institute of Standards and Technology Components were quantified in terms of the percentage peak area relative to total peak area Water hyacinth was collected from the Ladkrabang district of Bangkok The research on this plant species has comply with relevant institutional and international guidelines and legislation equiseti crude extract) was diluted with 75% EtOH to produce concentrations of 0.05% The optimal concentration was observed in the range 0.01 to 1% w/v by no experimental design (data not shown) Water hyacinth leaves were cut into 24 disks (diameter = 0.6 mm) and transferred to 9-cm Petri dishes containing the treatment solutions All dishes were incubated in dark boxes at room temperature (25–27 ºC) for three days Visual toxicity symptoms were observed at intervals every day Visual toxicity symptoms were evaluated after one day. As per Rao25 symptoms were scored on a scale of 0–10 where 0 = none (without toxicity symptoms) 1–3 = slight effect (slight injury or discoloration and some stand loss) membrane integrity and photosynthetic pigment contents were assessed The experiment utilized a completely randomized design with four replicates fresh leaf disks were floated on 10 mL of water for an hour at room temperature the conductivity of the medium was measured (EC1) boiling at 100 °C was performed for 20 min and then the conductivity was measured again (EC2) Measurement was conducted using a Consort C3010 multi-parameter analyzer (Consort Relative electrolyte leakage (REL) was calculated by the formula: Emerged onion roots were treated with the F The optimal concentration was observed in the range 0.05–0.5% w/v by no experimental design (data not shown) the root tips were washed and hydrolyzed in an enzyme mixture comprising 8.0% w/v cellulase and 6.0% w/v pectinase in a 0.01 M acetate buffer (pH 4.5) for 40 min at 37 °C the meristematic region was squashed onto a drop of 2% Giemsa solution (Merck Co. Photomicrographs of the slides were captured at 10X magnification using an EP50 digital microscope camera (Olympus CX23 The following parameters were determined: mitotic index The aquatic macrophytes were carefully placed in buckets under natural conditions (average temperature 28–30 °C equiseti crude extract was applied manually by wiping leaf surfaces (adaxial and abaxial) and petioles with a cotton ball dipped in extract preparation (here 2.0% and 8.0% w/v) so as to thoroughly coat the foliage The optimal concentration was observed in the range 0.1 to 16% w/v by no experimental design (data not shown) Water and a surfactant solution were used as control agents The experiment utilized a completely randomized design with ten replicates plants were continuously monitored for visual toxicity symptoms Treated leaf samples were sectioned into thin pieces by hand using a razor blade All samples were stained with 0.1% safranin for 10 min The slides were examined and photomicrographs captured at 4× and 10× magnification using an EP50 digital microscope camera (Olympus CX23 The data were expressed as mean value ± standard deviation (SD) Tukey’s multiple range test (p < 0.05) was used to identify significant difference between means using SAS version 9.00 Phylogram derived from ML analysis of the combined rpb2 Numbers above branches represent BS percentages; values ≥ 50% are shown Scale bar indicates the expected number of nucleotide substitutions per site The red arrow highlights the sequence obtained in this study equiseti extract containing 2,3-dimethylmaleic anhydride may save human health and crop plants the phytotoxic activity discovered in the current study may be connected to the abundance of these compounds and potential synergistic interactions Mean visual toxicity scores of water hyacinth leaf disks treated with F. equiseti crude extract at different concentrations (% w/v). The same letters are not significantly different at p < 0.05. equiseti crude extract on water hyacinth leaf disks at 3 days after treatment equiseti crude extract on relative electrolyte leakage (%) from water hyacinth leaves Means with the same letters are not significantly different at p < 0.05 equiseti crude extract on MDA content in water hyacinth leaves Representative images of the chromosomal aberrations induced in onion root tips by F equiseti extract: (A) binucleate cell (asterisk); (B) normal and condensed nucleus (arrow); (C) spindle disturbance at late prophase; (D) C-mitosis; (E) anaphase bridge and diagonal anaphase; (F) aberrant telophase with precocious chromosomes (arrow) an abnormality that ultimately causes formation of micronucleated cells Abnormal chromosomal structures could cause cell division to cease Plant growth depends on these division processes; therefore any interference with cell division activity eventually results in reduced plant growth Phytotoxicity symptoms observed in E. crassipes plants exposed to F. equiseti extract at 24 h after treatment: (A–D), visual symptoms; (E–H), stereomicroscopic views of adaxial surface in green leaf area (1X). Red arrow indicates a twisted leaf blade. crassipes leaf anatomy 24 h after treatment ethyl acetate extract applied to Amaranthus tricolor in concentrations of 0.187–0.750 mg/mL and through via germination and initial growth assays found it to have anti-mitotic and enzyme inhibitory activities The present study characterized a natural herbicide based on F equiseti crude extract for controlling the aquatic weed water hyacinth The results showed the extract to induce toxicity symptoms the extract affected mitosis index and chromosomal aberration in Allium cepa L equiseti crude extract demonstrated its multiple modes of action on the treated plant Developing natural herbicides and providing farmers with a safer alternative could benefit greatly from the crude extract this crude extract is a candidate for the production of natural herbicides for sustainable agriculture equiseti crude extract is necessary to enhance its herbicidal potential and stability in formulation However more research is needed to determine whether using the extract to manage weeds under various hydrogeological and geochemical conditions in the field is efficient DNA sequence data of Fusarium equiseti TP001 from this research have been deposited in the NCBI repository (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) with the following accession numbers: rpb2 (PP266450) Effectiveness of Myrothecium roridum for controlling water hyacinth and species identification based on molecular data impacts and prospects for the rural economy Occurrence and diversity of fungal pathogens associated with water hyacinth and their potential as biocontrol agents in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia Ecological and socio-economic impacts of invasive water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes): A review Natural herbicide activity of Satureja hortensis L essential oil nanoemulsion on the seed germination and morphophysiological features of two important weed species Allelopathy: An alternative tool for sustainable agriculture Citronella essential oil-based nanoemulsion as a post-emergence natural herbicide Allelochemicals change macromolecular content of some selected weeds Interspecific inhibitory interference of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viv Screening of alleopathic activity of the leaves of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viv Phytotoxicity of above-ground weed residue against some crops and weeds Allelopathic potential of secondary metabolites produced by Alternaria brassicicola and physiological mechanisms on Amaranthus tricolor Fungal secondary metabolism—from biochemistry to genomics Antimicrobial evaluation of fungal extracts produced by endophytic strains of Phomopsis sp Production and characterization of chitosan-fungal extract films Investigation of biological activity of soil fungal extracts and LC/MS-QTOF based metabolite profiling Biological activities of extracts from endophytic fungi isolated from Garcinia plants Phytotoxicity of equisetin and epi-equisetin isolated from Fusarium equiseti and F Production of trichothecenes and other secondary metabolites by Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium equiseti on common laboratory media and a soil organic matter agar: An ecological interpretation Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics MUSCLE: a multiple sequence alignment method with reduced time and space complexity Internet-accessible DNA sequence database for identifying Fusaria from human and animal infections Multiple evolutionary origins of the fungus causing Panama disease of banana: concordant evidence from nuclear and mitochondrial gene genealogies A method for designing primer sets for speciation studies in filamentous ascomycetes Singh, H. 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Physiological and cellular mechanisms of natural herbicide resource from Aglaia odorata Lour Determination of genotoxic effects of chlorfenvinphos and fenbuconazole in Allium cepa root cells by mitotic activity Spent Pot Liner (SPL) induced DNA damage and nuclear alterations in root tip cells of Allium cepa as a consequence of programmed cell death Toxicity evaluation of gold nanoparticles using an Allium cepa bioassay Low-dose toxicity of biogenic silver nanoparticles fabricated by Swertia chirata on root tips and flower buds of Allium cepa Effects of ethidium bromide on mitosis and chromosomes: A possible material basis for chromosome stickiness Cytotoxic allelochemicals induce ultrastructural modifications in Cassia tora L and mitotic changes in Allium cepa L.: A weed versus weed allelopathy approach Phytotoxic and cytotoxic effects of Eucalyptus essential oil on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Chitosan nanocomposite as an effective carrier of potential herbicidal metabolites for noteworthy phytotoxic effect against major aquatic invasive weed water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) Production of compounds by phytopathogenic fungi for biological control of aquatic macrophytes 4-D herbicide from aqueous solution by Pleurotus ostreatus Effect of sethoxydim herbicide in the leaf anatomy and physiology of Brachiaria grass under water stress Download references This research was supported from “National Science Research and Innovation Fund (NSRF)” (Grant number RE-KRIS/FF66/05) from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang was responsible for writing—review and editing was responsible for writing-review and editing The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-70694-y Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Microbiology newsletter — what matters in microbiology research playJan Åge Fjørtoft: "Can United attract the best strikers in the world No" (2:28)Jan Åge Fjørtoft joins "ESPN FC" and questions how Liam Delap could fit into a struggling Manchester United side Orlando Pirates will look to defend their 1-0 aggregate lead as they host MC Alger in the second leg of their CAF Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday April 9 Pirates now have three wins in a row in all competitions including their 2-1 win over Mamelodi Sundowns before the international break they are still reeling from the news that José Riveiro will not be renewing his contract as head coach at the end of the season That may only serve to motivate Pirates more as they look to deliver continental glory for the coach who made them truly competitive at home and on the continent again MC Alger have a less crowded schedule than Pirates which could work in their favour particularly with the Buccaneers facing several injuries it would be a major upset if Pirates did not finish the job in front of their home supporters at Orlando Stadium Venue: Orlando Stadium, Soweto, South Africa Can Orlando Pirates maintain their six-game unbeaten streak when they take on MC Alger in the CAF Champions League quarterfinals? PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesTeam news:Buccaneers fan favourite Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi returned from a quad strain injury in the 1-0 win over Polokwane City after missing the first leg against MC Alger Thabiso Monyane, Zakhele Lepasa, Olisah Ndah, Thabiso Lebitso and Thabiso Sesane have been out of action Meanwhile, Monnapule Saleng remains out of the fold amid a reported contractual dispute with Orlando Pirates LB Deon Hotto | CB Mbekezeli Mbokazi | CB Nkosinathi Sibisi | RB Deano van Rooyen LW Relebohile Mofokeng | AM Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi | RW Mohau Nkota LB Marwane Khelif | CB Ayoub Abdellaoui | CB Ayoub Ghezala | RB Réda Halaïmia CM Larbi Tabti | CM Mohamed Benkhemassa | CM Akram Bouras LW Amine Messoussa | ST Mohamed Saliou Bangoura | RW Tayeb Meziani Mohau Nkota has scored three goals in three appearances against Algerian sides in this season's CAF Champions League Orlando Pirates are undefeated in their last six matches in all competitions MC Alger drew all three of their away games in the CAF Champions League group stage playRodman: Not fun to play against Kundananji & Oshoala (0:43)Trinity Rodman speaks about the challenges of facing Racheal Kundananji and Asisat Oshoala in the NWSL Bay FC and Zambia forward Racheal Kundananji has shot to soccer stardom but she wants to be remembered for her foundation's work improving lives in her home country -- combatting issues like addiction Speaking to ESPN head of the newly-commenced NWSL season the world's most expensive women's footballer that is not what she wants to be remembered for Kundananji said: "My belief is that being successful in life is not about how much money you have made or what you have done for yourself or your family "Being successful is making a change - helping others who are down and bringing them up; people who want to make it in life - at least making the ladder for them." Kundananji launched the Racheal Kundananji Legacy Foundation in July 2024 she was named a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Education Plus "work with UNAIDS to champion HIV prevention advocate for girls' education to help reduce new HIV infections and sexually transmitted infections "She will also highlight the importance of preventing teenage pregnancy and advocate for an increase in HIV testing and access to health services for young people." Bay FC striker Racheal Kundananji may be a global star now but she's not forgotten her roots in Zambia and has formed a foundation to help the youth there. Alex Goodlett/NWSL via Getty ImagesDuring the NWSL off-season aside from what she already knew from purely living in Zambia I came to realise that if I want to help a lot of people I don't need to create a team; I need to create a foundation which will help a lot of people - not just my team but also people from different communities "That's how we came up with the Racheal Kundananji Legacy Foundation which is looking to help athletes through education even other ways of helping them with training equipment Key to Kundananji's vision is that she aims to not only work on empowering girls but also working with boys and educating them about societal problems: "I went to visit the rehabilitation centre where I spoke to some guys who are recovering from addictions "We had a good chat where I learned a lot of things from them and I also talked to them Using existing education tools is a key element to her plan she added: "We were just printing some exercise books with the Racheal Kundananji [Legacy] Foundation pillars and everything written on the book and also the photos I want to be this,' so that they're just happy every time." Sanity House posted on their Facbeook page in January: "Racheal Kundananji visited us and gave a very powerful session to our clients in recovery She spoke about the power of having a positive mindset when faced with challenges [as well as the] importance of having discipline and positive coping mechanisms "She shared her transformation story from being an unruly teenager to being the world's most expensive female player in history [ until Naomi Girma later in January] Continue raising the Zambian Flag Rachael; we wish you well." After finding form towards the end of last season Kundananji will be looking to pick up where she left off as Bay look to improve on last season's quarter-final exit and giving kids back home even more to aspite to playCommanders' Maguranyanga on transferring rugby skills to the NFL (1:43)Zimbabwe's TJ Maguranyanga talks about his journey through the NFL's International Player Pathway programme Maguranyanga moved to South Africa aged 12 rugby union was where he excelled initially and he rose up the ranks all the way to Clermont - a prestigious club which he played for from 2021-2024 the legendary Lewis was his gateway towards NFL obsession told ESPN of the origins of his interest in American football: "It started when I was a bit younger "I found them pretty inspirational - just the physical side of the game - so I'd watch hyper videos of Ray Lewis before I played rugby games While many NFL IPP and NFL Academy talents did not know the sport before they started playing it Maguranyanga always held onto what seemed a distant dream of playing in the league I'd been watching it a lot and hoping that this was what I was going to be able to do I was a bit delusional - thinking that I was going to be a two-sport athlete "I was going to play professional rugby and then switch to play American football I was like: 'If this is part of God's plan for me Former rugby winger TJ Maguranyanga participates in a drill during the 2025 NFL IPP Pro Day at USF in March before being signed by the Washington Commanders. NFL UK & IrelandHis prayers were seemingly answered soon afterwards He was approached to set up IPP trials the day after his season with Clermont ended last season he took into his training for the Edge rusher positions much like a running back combined with a wide receiver explained: "Being able to track defenders and get off the line of scrimmage very quickly - those are things that translate very well between the two sports - just as well as the size and athleticism "We've got guys who are coming from playing against big guys in rugby and it will just be the same as American football." there are some adaptations he has had to make: "There's a lot more cutting and change of direction in football and I'll be running at a much lower height we can pretty much run upright and get into contact you want to keep everything pretty low and compact." The defensive end anticipates that many more rugby players will make the switch to American football: "It's an attractive move to make "I believe that rugby - particularly rugby players; our characteristics would work well in the NFL and we've definitely seen it with guys like Jordan [Mailata, who played rugby league before joining the Philadelphia Eagles via the IPP Program] "I think NFL scouts will be looking a lot more at rugby players to convert them into American football players." this would make him one of the best-paid rugby players in the world This would be more than triple his reported salary at Gloucester The downside is that Maguranyanga will have to compete fiercely for minutes in a sport he has little experience in being from a family that is effectively sporting royalty in Zimbabwe he is receiving nothing but encouragement back home I think they really understood it," he said They definitely grasp the gravity and magnitude of what I'm going for right now." Maguranyanga will likely be given a chance to prove himself in preseason in August before the new season gets underway on September 4 It is unlikely that he will play any significant role for the Commanders early on but given Mailata's Super Bowl success with the Eagles in 2025 the NFL IPP's rugby converts can now so - more than ever - dare to dream New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke found time in his offseason to participate in the NFL Africa camp in Lagos Nigeria - a city which he has deep ties to - and was called a 'top three player' by Giants legend Osi Umenyiora Umenyiora - a two-time Super Bowl champion at defensive end for the Giants - praised Okereke for his work both on and off the football field "He's just a fantastic player - probably a top three player in his position - and I think he's just now getting the recognition that he rightly deserves," Umenyiora told ESPN Okereke had his best season yet statistically over the past year after joining the Giants from the Indianapolis Colts Despite his personal stats looking good, Okereke is not satisfied with where he is and wants to do more both for the Giants and Nigeria, as the season kicks off on September 5, and the Giants take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Sept 8 "There's a statement that complacency kills I'm always telling myself that last season wasn't good enough I still have to improve; I still have to get better," Okereke told ESPN my number one goal is to win a Super Bowl eventually in my career so I still have a lot of work left to do and I'm very inspired to do that work." has linebacker Bobby Okereke excited for the New York Giants' prospects this new NFL season. Perry Knotts/Getty ImagesThe Giants have only appeared twice in the playoffs since their last Super Bowl win in February 2012 they have recruited well enough to ensure that they do more in the upcoming season than merely making up the numbers Okereke is heading into his sixth year in the NFL after being drafted 89th overall in the third round by the Colts out of Stanford The NFL airs live on ESPN's channels in Africa (DStv 218 and 219 but expects to represent South African team Made By Ball (MBB) in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) REG failed to qualify for the 2025 BAL after losing to eventual champions Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) in the semi-finals They subsequently hired Nigerian coach Ogoh Odaudu who led Rivers Hoopers to third place in the 2024 BAL and won Coach of the Year Now, the 2022 and 2023 BAL quarter-finalists have added former Cape Town Tigers captain Prinsloo, who played college basketball in the USA at Marist Red Foxes Having been training with MBB, who recently appointed Sam Vincent as head coach Prinsloo has linked up with his new team in Rwanda and made his debut in the 92-58 win over Espoir When asked if he would still represent MBB at the BAL despite signing for REG Prinsloo told ESPN: "That's the plan at the moment I'm going to play for REG [until MBB's BAL campaign starts] and then [go] back to REG to finish the season in Rwanda MBB owner Cyril Shabalala confirmed that Prinsloo was in his plans but also that his contract had yet to be finalised Prinsloo - who was most recently at Chile's Las Ánimas de Valdivia said: "I was looking at some possible interest from some teams in Europe - Germany and in Spain - and then also potentially from Mexico They're interested.' We came to an agreement because of the way that everything works out with the BAL." Odaudu said: "He brings size because that's what we have been missing and because he can stretch the floor it makes him even more effective for what we have going here "He made a difference in the first game already and it can only get better." Odaudu is scheduled to leave during the BAL where he is set to once again coach Rivers Hoopers with the first conference hosted there from April 5-13 The playoffs and finals will be in Pretoria the RBL season is scheduled to last until at least late July and could continue into early August depending on playoff results REG's final regular season game will be against APR on June 29 so regardless of how far MBB go at the BAL and REG in the RBL Prinsloo is set to re-join his teammates in Rwanda once the BAL season is complete You have reached ESPN's UK edition. Stay on current site or go to US version Melchiot react to nightmare night for Onana (2:57)After Andre Onana made two errors in Manchester United's 2-2 draw at Lyon in the Europa League Shaka Hislop and Mario Melchiot try to make sense of what's gone wrong for the keeper Off the back of their CAF Champions League quarter-final success, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates will look to continue their dominant seasons and set up a second straight Nedbank Cup final clash Defending champions Pirates will kick off the semi-finals on Sunday at 3pm CAT as they host Marumo Gallants at Orlando Stadium. At 6pm CAT, Sundowns will play host to Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld in a clash of titans The final is scheduled for May 10, with the host city and stadium yet to be confirmed. A Sportswire report claimed that Cape Town's DHL Stadium is the frontrunner to host the climax of South Africa's premier cup competition for the first time since 2018 Pirates and Sundowns beat MC Alger and Espérance respectively in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals Both teams won their first legs 1-0 and drew the second 0-0 While CAF Champions League ties head straight to penalties if the scores are level after two legs and away goals cannot separate the sides the Nedbank Cup features 30 minutes of extra time in the case of a draw The single-legged ties are then decided by spot-kicks only if no winner emerges Kaizer Chiefs manager Nasreddine Nabi has it all to do in the Nedbank Cup semifinal against PSL leaders Mamelodi Sundowns. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesOrlando Pirates vs Marumo GallantsSunday Orlando Pirates are having their most successful season in over a decade and will be eager to win at least one of the three trophies they are still in contention for but Marumo Gallants are in a decent run of form themselves with seven points in their last three Betway Premiership games Gallants have the likes of former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi and former Pirates striker Gabadinho Mhango on their books and José Riveiro's men cannot afford to take them for granted Indeed, the last time Pirates lost a game in any competition, it was 2-0 against Gallants on March 1, with Mhango opening the scoring before a Thalente Mbatha own goal Mamelodi Sundows and Orlando Pirates are the frontrunners for the Betway Premiership title this season Can they also do battle in the Nedbank Cup final by getting past Kaizer Chiefs and Marumo Gallants in the semis? PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesMamelodi Sundowns vs Kaizer ChiefsSunday Mamelodi Sundowns emerged victorious from a tough two-legged battle against Tunisian champions Espérance de Tunis and will now turn their attention to one of their biggest local rivals Chiefs have not won a trophy since 2015 and given that they are only two games away from ending that run the Nedbank Cup will be a huge priority for them whose fixture schedule is congested due to the Betway Premiership and CAF Champions League Having lost last season's final 2-1 to Orlando Pirates Sundowns will be eager to settle the score Being the frontrunners in the Betway Premiership race they will fancy their chances of an historic Betway Premiership Nedbank Cup and CAF Champions League treble even with their backs against the wall following four matches without a win Chiefs can never completely be written off playWill Chelsea's youth transfer policy finally work (1:47)Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens react to Chelsea signing Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo from Sporting in deals worth up to $81 million A slight majority of the players in the squad (13 out of 23) are based in South Africa. However, by far the best-represented foreign league is Mexico's top-flight Kgatlana recently told ESPN that playing against international colleagues in Mexico - particularly fellow experienced forward Seoposenwe with whom she regularly fights for titles - has been an enriching experience "It brings a lot of excitement to the games between me and Jermaine [that] we play for different teams.. we take it back to the national team whenever we get a chance to play together," Kgatlana said Hildah Magaia and Thembi Kgatlana are two of the four Mexico-based players called up to the South Africa squad to face Malawi in April. Joe Allison - FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesThe Liga MX Femenil season is split into two parts - the Apertura and Clausura each consisting of the same 18 teams and following the same format (round-robin followed by two-legged knockout ties from the quarter-finals onwards) This is a common format for the football season in Latin America Kgatlana's Tigres are third in the currently ongoing Clausura This season's Apertura champions Monterrey have fallen to sixth and Tijuana are 11th The fact that Tigres and Monterrey - who have dominated Mexican women's football in recent years - can no longer assume they will be fighting for the title speaks volumes of how competitive the league has become Kgatlana confirmed this: "The league is getting better and better each season and that's beautiful because you can see teams are investing in good quality players two or four teams to compete [and rather] for everyone to be competitive." More notably still, Noko Matlou who plays for second-tier Spanish side Cacereño and has publicly flirted with potential retirement is expected to feature in what will likely be a final appearance for the national team she was the first South African to be crowned CAF Women's Footballer of the Year in 2008 Only Kgatlana (2018) has repeated the feat since The squad features a balance of the old and new for Banyana. Western Michigan University defender Shakira O'Malley has been recalled after making her debut during back-to-back friendly defeats to Jamaica late last year The other player in the squad playing her club football outside South Africa is TP Mazembe midfielder Kgaelebane Mohlakoana eyes will be on JVW FC's Nompumelelo Nyandeni Defenders: Lebohang RAMALEPE, Tiisetso MAKHUBELA, (both Sundowns Ladies), Fikile MAGAMA, Lonathemba MHLONGO (both UWC Ladies), Gabriela SALGADO (JVW FC), Shakira O'MALLEY (Western Michigan University, USA), Noko MATLOU (Cacereno FC, Spain) Midfielders: Bongeka GAMEDE (Nordsjælland, Denmark), Linda MOTLHALO (Glasgow City, Scotland) Forwards: Samkelisiwe SELANA (TS Galaxy Queens) playWhy a swap deal between Rashford & Watkins makes sense for Man United (2:05)Rob Dawson assesses a potential swap deal between Man United and Aston Villa involving Marcus Rashford Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly played to a 0-0 draw in the first CAF Champions League semifinal leg at Loftus Versfeld and so it all comes down to the second leg in Cairo as a winner-takes-all contest Sundowns dominated possession in the first leg with 74% Miguel Cardoso's side were at least handed a boost by the return of Themba Zwane who came off the bench after a lengthy layoff with an achilles injury The 35-year-old attacking midfielder/winger has been arguably the most central component of their success in recent years and was part of the team that won the 2016 CAF Champions League he remains an important player at the club and recently signed a contract to remain at Chloorkop next season but for Sundowns to repeat their 2022 win over Ahly in Cairo they will have to rediscover their cutting edge Venue: Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt Themba Zwane (18) faced Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League semis in 2023 and is back for Sundowns for the second leg of this year's final four. Ayman Aref/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesTeam news:Despite Zwane's return in the first leg Miguel Cardoso has said that he is not ready to play the full 90 minutes Ahly adapted to the injury absentees of Karim El Debes and Yahya Attiat Allah in the first leg by playing with three centre-backs Attiat Allah is expected to remain out for the second leg while Marcel Koller opted not to bring Ali Maâloul into the fold in the first leg and is unlikely to change his mind in the second GK Ronwen Williams CM Marcelo Allende | CM Teboho Mokoena | CM Jayden Adams LW Peter Shalulile | ST Iqraam Rayners | RW Lucas Ribeiro Costa GK Mohamed El Shenawy RWB | Mohamed Hany CB Yasser Ibrahim | CB Ramy Rabia | CB Achraf Dari | LWB Mostafa Mahmoud Al Aash CM Marwan Attia | CM Akram Tawfik AM Taher Mohamed | AM Emam Ashour The two South African teams remaining in the CAF Champions League semi-finals, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates Sundowns are unbeaten in their last eight matches against Al Ahly (4 W Sundowns have kept clean sheets in their last three matches against Al Ahly The last three matches between Sundowns and Al Ahly have only produced one goal in total playWhich NWSL side has the best secondary jersey (1:42)Cristina Alexander and Herculez Gomez name their favourite secondary NWSL jersey for the 2025 season Heading into her second season with Bay FC in the NWSL, Racheal Kundananji is expecting better of herself than in 2024 when she was the record transfer in women's football The Zambia forward scored five goals in her first season, showing glimpses of her best form towards the end as her brace in a 3-2 win over Houston Dash fired Bay into the playoffs Zambia striker Kundananji is the first to acknowledge that she is capable of more consistent performances telling ESPN: "I believe that this is the year that we need to show the world something different [to what they've] seen before I'm looking forward to continuing where I ended from - individually - and also as a team We now belong to the NWSL because this is our second season so we need to do something different - something beautiful." she said: "I feel like I missed a lot of chances The firepower of Zambia's Racheal Kundananji and Nigeria's Asisat Oshoala didn't translate into as may goals as expansion side Bay FC would have liked in 2024 but the former says the 2025 NWSL season will be more consistent. Alex Slitz/Getty ImagesKundananji believes that she showed with her brace against Houston Dash that her best performances come when she plays freely She added: "I just need consistency in what I do and overall just to be myself in the stadium and I'm not thinking about other things - [just] focusing on enjoying [it] and giving the fans the enjoyment that they needed The 24-year-old has developed a technique for dealing with critics from Zambia they really do want her to succeed: "I don't have pressure right now The only thing I want is just to enjoy the game I've just come up with an idea to say: when they support me I will go back and use that support [as fuel] "I will just go [back] to [the support I had in good times] and say: 'Ok Bay FC will kick off their 2025 NWSL campaign against Utah Royals on March 15 (kick-off is at 1:30 AM CAT on March 16) The next clash with international teammate Barbra Banda's defending champions Orlando Pride is scheduled for June 13 in San Jose (4AM on June 14 CAT) Kundananji will hope that rather than another clash between a dominant force in the NWSL and a team fighting for the playoffs the next encounter is a clash between two teams fighting for the title playHow much trouble is Nigeria in after tie vs (0:44)Colin Udoh breaks down Nigeria's tough going in CAF World Cup qualifying Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) secretary general Mokhosi Mohapi confirmed the association lodged a formal enquiry with FIFA and CAF over Bafana Bafana's fielding of Teboho Mokoena in a World Cup qualifier Mokoena had picked up yellow cards in previous World Cup qualifying games against Benin in November 2023 and Zimbabwe in November 2024 This should have rendered him ineligible for Bafana Bafana's 2-0 win over Lesotho on Friday Bafana may have been handed a lifeline due to the fact that Lesotho did not play the game under protest But Mohapi confirmed to ESPN that LeFA's formal enquiry with FIFA over Mokoena's eligibility was lodged on Tuesday March 25 - four days after the match was played "It was meant to alert FIFA on their records," he told ESPN FIFA's Legal handbook states: "Protests must reach the Disciplinary Committee in writing within 24 hours of the end of the match in question." It further states: "The 24-hour time limit cannot be extended For the sake of the smooth running of the competition the corresponding competition regulations may shorten the deadline accordingly." Lesotho have lodged a formal complaint to FIFA after their 2-0 loss against South Africa in World Cup qualifying, protesting Teboho Mokoena's presence on the pitch despite having accumulated two yellow cards. Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty ImagesIn separate comments attributed to Mohapi by SowetanLIVE he was quoted as claiming FIFA were still duty-bound to examine the complaint - even though it was submitted over 24 hours after the match was finished We are awaiting their response," Mohapi was quoted as saying on claims LeFA had missed the deadline He was also quoted as saying he had heard Nigeria - currently sitting fourth in Group C six points behind Bafana - were looking into the matter too According to the FIFA Legal Handbook published in September 2024 the organisation has the right to hand Lesotho a retrospective victory via forfeit This would move Likuena up to second from fifth out of six teams in FIFA World Cup qualifying Group C while Bafana's five-point lead at the top of the table would be reduced to one Only the top team in the group will automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup while the four best second-placed teams across nine groups will participate in a knockout tournament The winner of that will progress to the inter-confederation playoffs for the final two World Cup spots which they will contest with one team each from AFC Nigeria head coach Éric Chelle gave little away on the matter when addressing the media on Wednesday: "I don't want to tell you about that I said yesterday [Tuesday] we are focused on our game so this is why I talked to my guys after the game "I told them [players] to look forward to second place So they deserve this qualification [World Cup] and maybe if South Africa loses three points We will see what happens in the coming days if it is true." Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos said: "I cannot comment on that at this point It is an issue that will be resolved in the coming days so I ask that you not expect any further information from me Ethiopia were docked three points for fielding an ineligible player in their 2014 World Cup qualifier against Botswana on June 8 It is unclear when a protest was lodged with FIFA in this instance but news only broke of it over a week after the match was played and the points were stripped the following month playDu Plessis "can't wait" to show evolution in rematch (3:54)Dricus Du Plessis has promised his rematch with Sean Strickland won't go the full five rounds as he plans to demonstrate the improvement in his skill set since their first fight Ahead of his UFC 312 rematch with Sean Strickland in Sydney on February 8 (Feb. 9, 5am SA time), middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis says his childhood goals have been achieved Du Plessis won the middleweight title by split decision against Strickland at UFC 297 in Toronto last January before defending it against Israel Adesanya by fourth round submission at Perth's UFC 305 in August Having spent half his life working towards becoming a UFC champion 'Stillknocks' is now staying motivated by considering his legacy and aiming to be rated as the Greatest Of All Time The Pretoria-based fighter told ESPN: "Fighting for your first UFC world title - my whole life since the age of 16 has been about that moment Have I achieved what I want to achieve or is there more?' "I always set my goals way higher than that but that is a massive milestone and one that needs to be celebrated thoroughly You have to sit and reflect on what's happened and what it means "Even walking out to a fight like that [first Strickland fight] knowing that it's your first UFC world title - it's a big deal That feeling is obviously something you don't get when you defend it "Once you defend it - I don't think it was the first defence that played the [motivational] role UFC Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis says there will be no doubt about his win over Sean Strickland come February 8 at UFC 312 after debate surrounded his decision win the first time they fought in January 2024. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesDu Plessis admitted that facing Nigeria-born New Zealander Adesanya a fighter who had dominated the middleweight division for several years who has been in that situation so many times - that's the difference in that fight He had to at short notice fight a world title [and] got it "Adesanya [previously] had more fights as a champion [in at least one division] than as a non-champion so that is a completely different situation to deal with it all comes down to the same thing: my first ever pro fight and my last pro fight - or fighting for the belt - felt exactly the same "[I always told myself]: 'I need to win this next fight because this is the fight that is going to get me the next one This is the fight that's leading to the ultimate goal of being the greatest If Du Plessis aims to become the greatest middleweight of all time, then two of his top competitors in terms of legacy are Adesanya and Robert Whittaker - both of whom du Plessis has already beaten Du Plesssis indicated a desire to eventually train with both of them but said that he believes Whittaker will be his rival for longer than Adesanya: "In their trajectory in the sport I think Rob has a little bit more time than Izzy just in terms of age I would love to train with both of those guys they know they're not going to meet up again "I actually thought that he would be closer to [the point where] I could train with him but you have to understand that he still has his title aspirations and that's going to be weird.. having to train together and then having to fight each other maybe UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis cut a confident figure at his press conference in Sydney ahead of UFC 312 He will be defending his belt against Sean Strickland on Feb 8. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCDu Plessis is aware that he has his critics - including those who point to longer gaps in his fight than those between Adesanya's bouts when he was middleweight champion adding that he takes his time because his training camps are tougher than fights themselves: "I was critiqued like: 'Dricus is being inactive.' "It's [been] 13 months and three fights - not even a full 13 months - one year and three weeks and it's my third fight I'd be happy to fight every four or five months." Du Plessis has made no secret of his desire to fight Khamzat Chimaev he intends to leave no room for doubt in anyone's mind over who is the better fighter "There was nobody sitting at the fight thinking: 'This is boring When is it ending?' That doesn't happen in my fights I remember a lot of people didn't see it that way Even better - breaking him down until he gives up "Going out there and absolutely dominating - putting on a performance where it's undoubtable that I'm the best middleweight in the world; nobody can doubt that I'm the greatest middleweight in the world right now - that's what I'm after playMbappe on his wax statue - 'He's handsome' (2:00)Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe says it's a "big honour and achievement" to have a wax statue at Madame Tussauds Orlando Pirates will visit Algeria's MC Alger at the Stade du 5-Juillet-1962 on April 1 looking to continue their unbeaten CAF Champions League campaign in the quarterfinal first leg The Buccaneers entered the tournament at the first qualifying round and saw off Madagascar's Disciples FC and then Botswana's Jwaneng Galaxy to earn a spot in the group stage There, José Riveiro's men shocked Africa's most successful club - Egypt's Al Ahly - by beating them 2-1 away after a 0-0 draw at home Algeria's CR Belouizdad third and Stade d'Abidjan bottom of the pile Soufiane Bayazid has been effective upfront for MC Alger in this season's CAF Champions League with two goals in the group stage after another against Watanga in the first qualifying round so anything the Buccaneers can get on the road could go a long way towards securing their passage to the semi-finals Leading from the front - Orlando Pirates' CAF Champions League progress will rely heavily on the boot of star striker Relebohile Mofokeng. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesKey details:Date: Tuesday Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi has had limited minutes recently due to injury setbacks but after missing South Africa's recent World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin he is likely to be well-rested and available LB Kamel Hamidi | CB Ayoub Abdellaoui | CB Ayoub Ghezala | RB Réda Halaïmia LW Amine Messoussa | ST Sofiane Bayazid | RW Tayeb Meziani LW Relebohile Mofokeng | ST Tshegofatso Mabasa | RW Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi Orlando Pirates picked up more points than any other team in any group in the CAF Champions League group stage (14) Relebohile Mofokeng was the joint-third highest scorer in this season's CAF Champions League group stage with 3 goals - all in his last 3 appearances in the competition Relebohile Mofokeng has scored 3 goals in his last 3 appearances for club and country combined in all competitions playWhich players were generating the most buzz at TransferRoom Rob Dawson reveals the players clubs are most itching to sign from the TransferRoom meeting in Berlin As Stellenbosch FC prepare to face Egyptian giants Zamalek over two legs in the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals (April 2 at Cape Town's DHL Stadium & April 9 in Cairo) they will do as a club that has consolidated its position near the top After finishing 10th and 14th in their first two Premiership seasons Stellies are now on course for a fourth consecutive top-six finish they are also huge favourites to hold onto third place and a passage to the competition for a second season running Last season, Steve Barker's side won the Carling Knockout Cup and narrowly missed out on second place in the league to Orlando Pirates which would have gained them entry into the CAF Champions League settling for the Confederation Cup as consolation This season was always set to be a challenge with departures in key positions on and off the pitch - some to the benefit of their more illustrious rivals Mamelodi Sundowns snapped up striker Iqraam Rayners in August 2024 and midfielder Jayden Adams in January 2025 Orlando Pirates signed right-back Deano van Rooyen in August last year and supplemented that with head of performance Ruan Rust in a move confirmed three months later buoyed largely by the grit and newfound experience of players who had joined them as under-rated and overlooked journeymen Having reached the quarter-finals of the Confederation Cup at the first attempt they will face Zamalek with now-familiar faces at the highest levels in Africa on board Kyle Jurgens has been developed from youth level at Stellenbosch FC and is now part of the first team squad, along with the likes of Devin Titus, and their strength is in their homegrown core. Cameron Smith/Getty ImagesOne is left-back Fawaaz Basadien who joined Stellies from Swallows FC in 2022 Swallows had handed him his Premiership debut but he earned more top-flight minutes in his first season in Barker's system than he had across the course of two Premiership seasons in Johannesburg Now 28, Basadien is not only holding down his starting spot for Stellies but has started the last three games for Bafana Bafana after coming off the bench for his debut against Uganda in November. His club teammate, Thabo Moloisane was also in the squad for World Cup qualifying wins over Lesotho and Benin In the recent international window, Basadien assisted Lyle Foster's opener in the 2-0 over Benin Playing for Bafana has been an experience that he believes has helped him prepare to face one of Africa's biggest clubs Basadien told ESPN: "If you look at the players who play in the national team most of the players play in the CAF competitions [for their clubs] "You're competing at the highest level and that does prepare you for the international stage because you're competing with these types of players and you're learning and growing as a player also." Having played predominantly on the wing in his first season at Swallows, Basadien played at left-back in his second. Barker has found a way to combine his strengths at both ends of the pitch, keeping him at left-back but allowing him to bomb forward in search of goals and assists. In eight Confederation Cup matches, he already has two of each for Stellenbosch Basadien said of Barker's coaching: "He makes it easy for you by implementing a gameplan that will not only benefit you It's how to work around those things and to bring other players that can assist in helping for the things to work [that matters] "It's the environment that we as players are in and it brings the best out of us it just gave me that extra confidence to express myself and enjoy this beautiful game you always put in good performances and this is one of the main things that this club has given me as a player "I think he knows that I have a good passing range I'm a good set-piece taker and I can provide good crosses I think that's mainly how he works around it and the movement off the ball for me to play those progressive passes is what he tries to implement." Egyptian giants Zamalek will be tough to get past for South Africa's Stellenbosch FC, who are inexperienced on the continental stage. Abeer Ahmed/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesAccording to New Zealand forward André de Jong - son of former Fortuna Sittard striker Fred de Jong - Stellenbosch is a club where all aspects of attack and defence are valued rather than simply the final touches While Fred had the privilege of playing in the Eredivisie Andre was a renowned scorer in New Zealand who also played for semi-professional Australian side Maccabi Hakoah Sydney His first opportunity in South Africa came in 2019 when AmaZulu were looking to replace another player they had signed from New Zealand - Argentine-born Emiliano Tade De Jong moved to Stellenbosch in January 2023 after three years at AmaZulu and six months at fellow Durban side Royal AM I was looked at just to score the goals or provide the assists they see me for all the smaller things - obviously work rate and maybe getting other people on the ball and getting out of tight spaces," he told ESPN "I think it's a very stats and numbers driven club I've enjoyed learning about that rather than just how you felt about a game Having hard evidence to back it up has been a nice change and really refreshing." De Jong described AmaZulu as an "enjoyable environment" which enabled him to play in the CAF Champions League who is capable of playing across the front four and in midfield has found his niche as a footballer at Stellenbosch you didn't really get time to show your worth they've been nice and patient and it's been a good relationship," de Jong said "I think we've got a really good technical team The player-to-coaching staff relationship is really strong and very open which wasn't always the case at other clubs so I enjoyed having my input to the coaching staff and vice-versa." Heading into the clash with Zamalek, both de Jong and Basadien have personal goals to add extra fuel along with the desire for team success. Basadien wants to catch the eye of overseas clubs as well as the traditional giants in South Africa, while de Jong is trying to win back his place in the New Zealand squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup His last cap was against Australia in September 2022 he maintains contact with All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley I've already put in a lot and contributed a lot to be in the conversation there's more chance of some more eyes looking at it and pushing your case a bit more I do think I'm there or thereabout and hoping to one day get the call-up," de Jong said Stellenbosch is a club where everybody has become accustomed to fighting for silverware and a place in the top three who grew up around an hour-long drive from Stellenbosch in Grassy Park qualifying for CAF competitions is particularly important to the club and community "This is basically a community team that helps and supports those who have talent in the community and they give them opportunities to express themselves and create something out of this beautiful game," he said playing in this CAF competition means so much to the community New Zealand international Andre de Jong provides some international experience for Stellies and hopes to earn more caps for the All Whites despite last playing for them in 2022. Chris Hyde/Getty ImagesIf this season's Nedbank Cup final is a repeat of last season's - Mamelodi Sundowns against Orlando Pirates - then both the third and fourth-placed teams in the Premiership will both qualify for next season's Confederation Cup Stellies will have to clinch third in the league again to reserve their spot in next season's tournament Stellies will know they face a fight to retain their place on the continental stage their main focus will be slaying another giant Zamalek are the defending Confederation Cup champions and one of Africa's biggest clubs Stellenbosch may be an unfamiliar opponent for them but Zamalek are well aware of CAF Champions League quarter-finalists Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates - two clubs who are now regularly turning to Stellenbosch for personnel while struggling to shake them off in league and cup competitions Kaizer Chiefs the other member of South Africa's traditional "big three" are on course to finish behind Stellenbosch for a third time in four seasons Chiefs - all of those teams are CAF Champions League quality teams They have more or less the type of players or calibre of players that Zamalek have," Basadien said "I would take it as maybe facing those kinds of teams in the same kind of way as facing Zamalek "To see what the club and the sport means to those people [in Cairo] so I would like to see for myself what it is like "I think our home game is going to be different to when we go to Egypt so we have to take advantage of our home game put as much pressure on we can as Zamalek and impose our game plan on them but the most important thing is to try to get the result at home." UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis told ESPN that he would have preferred a fight against Khamzat Chimaev over his UFC 312 rematch with Sean Strickland in Sydney on February 9 Du Plessis beat Strickland by split decision in January 2024 at UFC 297 in Toronto to clinch the middleweight title. Seven months later, he defended it against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth 'Stillknocks' told ESPN: "I was rallying for the Khamzat [Chimaev] fight just because it was [a case of trying to] strike while the iron is hot The hype was there - it would have been good for all of us I would have preferred the Khamzat fight - I think he deserved it more even though he didn't have as many fights." Whether or not Du Plessis' stated preference for a fight against Russia's Chimaev over Strickland is simply fighting talk is unclear what is absolutely certain is that the South African is determined to put any debate about the rightful middleweight champion to bed He added: "If you look at Strickland's last fight against [Paulo] Costa thinking: 'What?' It was a dominant performance by Strickland Khamzat comes in and he [beats] Rob [Whittaker] - the way he did it - that's what gets you to jump the line." UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis wants to put the 'did he win or didn't he?' debate to bed when he takes on Sean Strickland again 9. Vaughn Ridley/Getty ImagesHe continued: "I thought that [a Chimaev bout] was going to happen I thought it would have been great for me; I would have loved that "But putting the Strickland thing to bed - I have two decisions in my whole life, one being a split against Strickland [and the other a unanimous decision win over Brad Tavares at UFC 276] "The guy who has evolved more over the last year since we last fought is the guy who is going to win this fight and I can't wait to show the evolution on February 9 you can really compare the Dricus that fought him the first time and the Dricus that fought him the second time because styles make fights at the end of the day "You can't necessarily say: 'He beat this guy; he lost against this guy that's where you're going to see the improvement." Du Plessis said that he was unphased by how the victory over Strickland came about as long as this time there would be no doubt in anyone's mind over who the winner was playMarcotti: Liverpool would be 'stupid' to give Salah anything he wants (1:46)Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens disagree over the current contract standoff between Liverpool and Mohamed Salah CAPE TOWN -- When Stellenbosch FC kick off their CAF Confederation Cup campaign against Stade Malien on Wednesday, they will continue to show that they are a perennial threat to South Africa's Big Three in the Premier Soccer League Mamelodi Sundowns have dominated the PSL in recent years, winning seven Premiership titles in a row. Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates remain the two most popular clubs in the country due to their storied history and traditions Being rooted in one of the country's biggest cities may have something to do with Chiefs and Pirates' popularity but they have supporters across the country Stellenbosch have finished above Chiefs in two of the last three seasons After finishing fourth in 2021/22 and sixth in 2022/23 they were pipped at the post by Pirates on goal difference in the race for second place and a CAF Champions League place third in the league and a place in the CAF Confederation Cup served as some consolation Head coach Steve Barker, the nephew of the late Clive Barker -- who coached South Africa to their only Africa Cup of Nations title in 1996 -- told ESPN: "[Competing in CAF Competitions] is what we want footballers - our club - we want to be competing on the highest level so it's a desire that we have - we want to put this club on the map on the continent." Crucially, Stellenbosch have been able to maintain a high standard of football even after a busy transfer window which saw star striker Iqraam Rayners sign for Sundowns and right-back Deano van Rooyen exit for Pirates. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stellenbosch Football Club (@stellenbosch_fc) Despite these headline departures among a total of three sales Stellenbosch beat The Brazilians home and away in the semi-finals of the MTN8 - a tournament consisting of South Africa's top eight teams in the previous league campaign They would go on to lose the final to Pirates missing out on a second ever trophy after winning their first last season in the Carling Knockout However Stellenbosch have remained steady in the league and currently sit fourth in the table This continuity suggests that Stellies are here to stay at or near the top Much of their success is due to the constant stream of players emerging from the DSTV Diski Challenge squad that has won South Africa's reserve league twice in a row under Evangelos Vellios Vellios operates in a dual role as Diski Challenge head coach and first team assistant coach third-in-command behind Barker and first assistant Wesley Sergel Stellenbosch has an academy going down to U12 boys' level with plans to add newly-established junior teams to their recently established women's senior team "I think when we started [in the top flight in 2019] there's usually two full years where a club has to survive It's their first year in which you sort of get into the league and then there's that wretched second season that everyone always talks about," Vellios told ESPN "After surviving those first two seasons, the club started getting some more stability. Some younger players started to get more mature; some players started getting promoted within the Diski to the PSL - guys like Jayden Adams "We started to recruit some exciting players and then the club was stable we got third place with the Carling [Knockout Cup]." Brendon Fourie - a former student of the Johan Cruyff Institute who like many other Stellenbosch players and staff members grew up in the town - is the club's head of recruitment with his data-driven processes leading to astute signings such as André de Jong and Lehlohonolo Bradley Mojela - both of whom have played better at Stellenbosch than at previous clubs Fourie insists that beyond the numbers and systems Barker's shrewd management of players is an asset the club has which simply cannot be quantified "Coach Steve's man-management skills are incredible He understands when a player needs an arm around the shoulder or when he needs a little bit of a stern talking to Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners was developed at Stellenbosch FC into one of South Africa's premier strikers. Billel Bensalem/APP/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesFourie cited the example of Bafana Bafana striker Rayners who turned into one of the most clinical finishers in the country in his second stint at Stellenbosch after struggling at SuperSport United and has now taken his fine form with him to Mamelodi Sundowns "Iqraam Rayners is a number nine that needs to be in the box and he will get you goals He's not someone that takes on tactical instruction the best you let other players compensate for his lack of defensive ability then Iqraam will get you goals," Fourie said when [Rayners] scored one or two goals over the weekend because Coach Steve understood that [in the upcoming] weekend "That is very important - understanding the players It's nice for me because the way that we play is so clear so it's easy to profile [players like] Mojela." attributes this to education from his uncle in addition to his time in the South African Air Force where he was a physical training instructor "I think my whole career - I've had a long career in the Air Force [and] in coaching training and development - so I've always had develop them and educate them and grow them as individuals "I've always had a heart towards people and helping them become the best version of themselves and become the best footballers that they can be and reach their full potential so I've seen people grow and become better and that's part of being a leader and man-manager and dealing with certain situations "Being a professional footballer looks nice and easy from the outside so I've learned over time to just be there for the players and be supportive to encourage them and push them to reach their limits that is one of the reasons - I think - I've been able to get players to perform at a high level "I think I have [learned some of it from Clive Barker] I spent a couple of months training with him when he was at Bush Bucks and obviously followed his career One of his strengths was that he was a real father figure to the players and allowed them to express themselves and be themselves and he was there to support them throughout Kyle Jurgens has been developed from youth level at Stellenbosch FC and is now part of the first team squad and their strength is in their homegrown core. Cameron Smith/Getty ImagesOne player who has reaped the benefits of Barker's astute management has been Kyle Jurgens who was promoted to the first team last year and is now vying for the right-back spot that was vacated by Van Rooyen While Fourie witnessed how Rayners' training regime and position were adapted to make him feel at home Jurgens told ESPN that he was given more freedom to roam forward than he was initially allowed once the staff realised his unique crossing ability I was always told to not go forward until they saw That's the reason why I have freedom to go forward," Jurgens told ESPN lives at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport but also the South African national Sevens rugby team the Blitzboks - as well as several other top athletes Having been based there since he was 16, Jurgens has had access to top class facilities and he has been able to learn from players in his own sport - such as former Borussia Dortmund defender Lasse Sobiech "It's really a privilege - the facilities we have; I always use it and seeing other people coming from different countries seeing how they'll be looking and interacting with them There's a quote that I saw: 'Once you surround yourself with great people "I had a centre-back, Lasse, that came in from Germany He helped me also play right-back - he was guiding me a lot that come over and teach you things - it's really good to have." Barker - never one to get too carried away in the hype that comes with highs like the club's current spell of success or too low in droughts like in 2020 - remains coy about his expectations for the season ahead "I think we're not a club that sets specific targets and that but we've always said that we want sustainable success," Barker said Although cognisant of fixture congestion caused by the club competing in the Confederation Cup methodically planned ascent up South Africa's ranks continues "Sustainable success means consistency," he continued "We will regard this season as being a very successful season if we show the same consistency that we showed in the last three seasons." playAFCON groups revealed in draw ahead of 2025 tournament (1:42)Recap the draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco Although both clubs have struggled to keep pace with Mamelodi Sundowns in recent years, the Soweto Derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs remains South African The clubs will face off in the Betway Premiership on May 3 they will also contest the Nedbank Cup final in Durban on May 10 Orlando Pirates are in the hunt for the Premiership title Despite Sundowns' recent dominance of the Premiership Chiefs and Pirates remain South Africa's most popular clubs due to their storied histories and the size of Soweto Soweto is by far South Africa's biggest historical township with a population of close to 2 million people This makes up almost a third of the broader metropolitan area of Johannesburg One of the reasons why Orlando Pirates are so popular is their age They were formed in 1937 and have lasted through several gigantic shifts in the South African football landscape Their initial great rivals were Moroka Swallows but they have avoided the financial woes of Swallows and remained relevant Orlando Pirates are having an excellent season chasing Mamelodi Sundowns for the Betway Premiership title in a race that will go down to the wire while Kaizer Chiefs are in fifth and have played three more games than Pirates. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesPirates were a source of inspiration to black South Africans specifically during the apartheid years who were formed by former Pirates star Kaizer Motaung in 1970 The formation of the club and their early success coincided with the rise of the Black Consciousness Movement - a radical resistance movement during the days of apartheid This is not to say that Chiefs or their supporters were all necessarily proponents of the views of Steve Biko but rather that Chiefs seized the moment to engrain themselves in the national psyche as a symbol of Black excellence Chiefs made history as the first predominantly Black team to defeat a traditionally 'white' side when they triumphed over Cape Town's Hellenic in the Chevrolet Champions of Champions 2-1 at the Rand Stadium in 1975 South Africa's first multiracial football league kicked off - with football 16 years ahead of the rest of the country in terms of unification South Africa's first democratic election only took place in 1994 Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates will always be remembered for being at the forefront of the revolution within South African football and their success continued in a democratic South Africa Orlando Pirates became the first South African club to win what is now the CAF Champions League - or the African Cup of Champions Clubs as it was then known The Buccaneers beat Côte d'Ivoire's ASEC Mimosas 3-2 on aggregate winning the second leg 1-0 with a goal from Jerry 'Legs of Thunder' Sikhosana Sikhosana comes from a Kaizer Chiefs-supporting household and one of the most-watched derbies in the world and the image shows the teams' passion. Touchline/Getty ImagesOrigins & Crossing the Soweto Derby divideSikhosana's love of Kaizer Chiefs is just one of many more links between the two clubs which is hardly a surprise given the history involving founder Kaizer Motaung Sr Motaung founded Kaizer Chiefs because after he left his beloved Orlando Pirates and played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for Atlanta Chiefs and Denver Dynamos Motaung responded by creating his own team and turning it into a powerhouse were the first three players to cross the divide and represent Motaung's newly formed club In the modern era, many players and coaches have represented both clubs. The most controversial in recent memory was Jimmy Tau a right-back who captained and won the league title with Orlando Pirates before doing the same with Kaizer Chiefs He was a league champion in 2002-03 with the Buccaneers and a decade later with Amakhosi Even among the current Kaizer Chiefs squad his arrival was not anywhere near as controversial as Tau's two decades ago Orlando Pirates have closed the gap significantly to Mamelodi Sundowns this season with a talented team. The name on everybody's lips is winger Relebohile Mofokeng, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona keep an eye on Uruguayan winger Gaston Sirino Sirino was a key part of a Mamelodi Sundowns team that has bucked previous trends by outshining the Soweto giants over the past decade with the help of heavy financial backing from the Motsepe family He still possesses the skill and intelligence to make a difference when these two giants clash playEuropa League win 'worth it' for Amorim and Man United (1:09)Ruben Amorim believes Manchester United's last-minute winner against Lyon at Old Trafford should spur the team on to win the Europa League One of the CAF Champions League's great modern rivalries will resume on Saturday as South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns host Egypt's Al Ahly in a semi-final first leg clash at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria Sundowns are smarting from a 2-1 Nedbank Cup semi-final loss to Kaizer Chiefs which dashed their treble hopes this affords them an opportunity to focus all their resources on the Champions League and Betway Premiership Masandawana have a superb record against Al Ahly in recent years Ahly have been more consistent in the knockout rounds of the CAF Champions League Sundowns have been a powerhouse in African football over the last decade but have only won the 2016 Champions League and the 2023 African Football League to show for it Defending champions Ahly are the most successful team in African football history with 12 Champions League titles to their names Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso lost last season's final to Ahly while in charge of Tunisia's Espérance Having beaten his former club with Sundowns in this season's quarter-finals he will now look to settle the score with the Egyptian giants Mamelodi Sundowns boast a formidable line up and will hope they have enough in the tank to defeat Al Ahly in their CAF Champions League semifinals first leg clash. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesKey details:Date: Saturday As per Egyptian publication Masrawy, Al Ahly were dealt a double injury blow in the 1-1 Egyptian Premier League draw with fellow CAF Champions League semi-finalists Pyramids FC Attiat Allah suffered a hamstring strain and his replacement at left-back LB Aubrey Modiba | CB Grant Kekana | CB Lucas Suárez | RB Khuliso Mudau LB Karim El Debes | CB Ramy Rabia | CB Achraf Dari | RB Mohamed Hany LW Achraf Bencharki | AM Nejc Gradišar | RW Emam Ashour Al Ahly have won four of the last five CAF Champions League titles Mamelodi Sundowns are unbeaten in their last seven matches against Al Ahly (4 W Seoposenwe has been every bit as prolific as Kgatlana overall since moving to Mexico a year earlier in 2022 - initially with Juárez before her 2023 move to Monterrey Fellow South Africa internationals Hildah Magaia and Amogelang Motau (Club Tijuana) are also in Liga MX Femenil the experience of facing Seoposenwe has been particularly exciting for Kgatlana with both teams regularly fighting for titles Kgatlana told ESPN: "It brings a lot of excitement to the games between me and Jermaine [that] we play for different teams.. we take it back to the national team whenever we get a chance to play together." Kgatlana has been a key part of a generation of Banyana players which has broken barriers at major tournaments. They competed at their first ever FIFA Women's World Cup in 2019, with Kgatlana scoring their first ever World Cup goal in a 3-1 defeat to Spain Subsequently, they won the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in 2022 and made the round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Kgatlana scored the winner against Italy to send them through to the knockout rounds, where they fell at the first hurdle against the Netherlands in Sydney. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Club Tigres English (@clubtigresen) Meanwhile, Malawi's Temwa Chawinga broke Sam Kerr's single season NWSL goals record and won the league's MVP award While Kgatlana enjoys a strong run of form in Mexico she is not surprised to see her African counterparts excelling in the USA: "I've seen them; I know them "I think they were not so exposed to playing in that league for many years because they were playing in Europe and in China and a lot of people didn't know about them a lot of people knew about them because of the exposure at the league the number of games that are shown [on television and] the number of people who are watching it.. "When everyone was talking about Temwa and Barbra Kgatlana has played in NWSL herself, for Houston Dash and Racing Louisville FC. She has also featured for China's Beijing BG Phoenix, Portuguese giants Benfica and Spain's Eibar and Atlético Madrid Speaking on her experience in Liga MX Femenil compared to other league's she has played in Kgatlana said: "The league is different here compared to Europe "The league in the US is more physical; it's very demanding physically everyone has to be fast; everyone has to step up in terms of physicality "Europe is tactical - watching a lot of video You need to understand the game before you even go to play the game it's a bit of both (physical and tactical)." they will be counting on her to deliver silverware to add to the Apertura title she picked up last season South Africa captain Thembi Kgatlana will be key to South Africa's hopes if they're to defend their Women's Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco. Keith McInnes/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty ImagesApart from making history on the pitch Banyana's current team also made waves off it when they protested ahead of the 2023 World Cup over compensation issues and other problems with the South African Football Association (SAFA) The protests took the form of a boycott of a warm-up game against Botswana which was played at Tsakane Stadium - a venue which the World Cup squad deemed unfit for international football Kgatlana said: "There was a build-up and it led to us protesting Everyone asking for really small things to help us become professional players "[Some of us] are playing overseas [and know] what the standards are We've sacrificed so much to go to the national team and when we get there "I think it was fair for the players to ask for what they deserved and it had been coming for a long time I think the protests were coming anyway - whether it happened in the year of the World Cup or not they were coming because of the successes of Banyana Banyana and players seeing that they do not deserve [mistreatment] "Thank you to the (the South African Football Players') Union because they helped us see what had been missing for a long time." South Africa's next big challenge will be to defend their WAFCON title in July in Morocco and Kgatlana will hope to go into that tournament on the high of taking the league title off Seoposenwe's Monterrey but Africa was not short of stars who stood out Gift Monday continued her Liga F scoring exploits with UD Tenerife teammate Rinsola Babajide also getting in on the action Thembi Kgatlana carried the flag for South Africa while Racheal Kundananji may not have been in action at club level but starred for Zambia in two friendlies against Malawi Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie continued her superb run in between the posts for Paris FC while Banyana midfielder Linda Motlhalo returned to Scottish league title chasers Glasgow City from Racing Louisville African women's stars continue to play key roles for their teams Monday scored in a 2-0 win over Sevillla and then a 2-1 victory over Valencia in Liga F Her six-match scoring streak finally came to an end as Tenerife drew 1-1 to Eibar in their last match of the month The Super Falcons forward finished February in third place in the Spanish top scorers' race behind only Ewa Pajor and compatriot Edna Imade in both the wins over Sevilla and Valencia UD Tenerife's other goals in addition to Monday's both came from Rinsola Babajide who also has experience with the Super Falcons Babajide played for England U21 while she was at Liverpool she transitioned to the Super Falcons for her senior international football Babajide is in her second season at UD Tenerife and her fourth in Spain This has been her most productive to date and she continues to play a huge role in Tenerife's bid to qualify for the UEFA Women's Champions League Racheal Kundananji's superb form for Zambia could translate to more success with Bay FC. Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty ImagesKgatlana found her best scoring form in February netting for Tigres in a 2-1 win over Cruz Azul and crucially 10 points behind leaders Club América with a game in hand they appear to be back on track largely thanks to the form of the diminutive Banyana Banyana forward Echegini had a superb month for Paris Saint-Germain scoring in the 4-0 win over Le Mans and the 4-1 triumph over international teammate Ifeoma Onumonu's Montpellier The versatile 23-year-old winger burst onto the scene with Juventus last season scoring 10 Serie A goals in 14 appearances Echegini now has four Division 1 goals in her first season at PSG Thembi Kgatlana was relatively prolific for Tigres UANL in February. Azael Rodriguez/Getty ImagesKundananji had a superb start to life under new Zambia women's national team head coach Nora Häuptle scoring in back-to-back friendlies against Malawi Hauptle took responsibility for switching her tactics and allowing Malawi back into the second game Nigeria playmaker Payne is finding her feet at Everton and provided two assists in a 4-1 win over Leicester City adding a third for the month in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea The win over Leicester was crucial for Everton who currently sit ninth in the FA Women's Super League (WSL) Seven points clear of 12th-placed Crystal Palace at the time of writing Brian Sørensen's side are on course to survive another season February saw Imade score her 12th league goal of the season for Granada as she netted their first goal in a 2-1 comeback win against Espanyol The visitors had taken a 30th minute lead before Imade fired Granada level in the 65th are keeping the pressure on Athletic Club and Atlético Madrid in the race for top three positions and the UEFA Women's Champions League Ihezuo scored the first goal for Pachuca in their 2-1 win over high-flying Club América who at the time of writing are two points behind the league leaders with a game in hand handed América their first defeat of the Clausura campaign Ajibade broke the deadlock in extra time to help Atléti see off Cacereño 2-0 in the Copa de la Reina It was the versatile winger's seventh goal of the season in all competitions Her contribution will be vital as the Rojiblancas chase Champions League qualification Nnadozie did not concede a single goal in February for Paris FC who are keeping pace with Paris Saint-Germain in the race for second place in Division 1 Had Nnadozie had more to do between the sticks in February she would likely have been higher up the rankings the Nigeria goalkeeper was solid when called upon and has not conceded since the December 7 1-1 derby draw against PSG Mamelodi Sundowns welcome Orlando Pirates to Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday February 8 in what is effectively a South African Premiership title race six-pointer Sundowns beat second-placed Pirates to the league title by a whopping 23 points last season They currently trail table-topping Sundowns by six points with a game in hand Masandawana have struggled against Orlando Pirates recently Their last three encounters have featured two cup ties which have gone the way of the Buccaneers (in the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup) and draw in last season's Betway Premiership The teams have yet to face each other this season This game and the reverse fixture hosted by Pirates will go a long way in deciding the title race as it is abundantly clear that there are only two teams in it Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns last faced each other in the PSL in February 2024, which ended in a 1-1 draw. But overall, Sundowns have won 16 of their 30 meetings over the years. PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty ImagesTeam news:Monnapule Saleng has been largely out of the fold at Pirates amid exit rumours but with Mohau Nkota having missed the SuperSport United game with a knock sustained in the Soweto Derby Deon Hotto is capable of playing on the wing if not left-back he also did not have his best game against Chiefs LB Aubrey Modiba | CB Malibongwe Khoza | CB Grant Kekana | RB Zuko Mdunyelwa CM Marcelo Allende | CM Teboho Mokoena | CM Jayden Adams LW Tashreeq Matthews | ST Peter Shalulile | RW Lucas Ribeiro Costa LB Paseka Mako | CB Nkosinathi Sibisi | CB Thabiso Sesane | RB Deano van Rooyen CM Thalente Mbatha | CM Makhehlene Makhaula LW Relebohile Mofokeng | AM Patrick Maswanganyi | RW Deon Hotto Mamelodi Sundowns are winless in their last three games against Orlando Pirates in all competitions Mamelodi Sundowns have won their last three games by three or more goals Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates have only conceded a combined total of 11 goals this Premiership season with Sundowns shipping five and Pirates six Mamelodi Sundowns have won the last seven Premiership titles with Orlando Pirates finishing as runners-up in four of those seasons Senegal's Khadim Rassoul Mboup, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard from NBA Academy Africa in Senegal, committed to the BYU Cougars in the offseason after injury diverged his path from birthday twin Born on the same day as Maluach, who has committed to Duke Blue Devils their trajectories stayed in tandem at the NBA Academy in Senegal both playing in the Basketball Africa League's Elevate programme before being snapped up by the US College system Mboup made his BAL debut in April 2022 against Maluach while playing for Egypt's Zamalek - coached by new BYU assistant coach Will Voigt represented South Sudan's Cobra Sport at the BAL Both impressed for their respective teams as Zamalek won 80-63 but their trajectories since have differed partially due to an injury keeping Mboup out of the 2023 season after he was drafted by Nigeria's Kwara Falcons Mboup told ESPN: "I didn't play that year because I had a contusion of the thigh That injury that I had last year impacted my career because I went down a little bit "We went to Angola for a trip and I was playing [for the NBA Academy Africa] against Petro de Luanda I was driving and the big man was waiting for me and gave me a hit with his knee on my thigh." BYU Cougars commit Khadim Rassoul Mboup spent the 2024 BAL season with AS Douanes in his home country of Senegal and impressed enough that coach Will Voigt made sure to sign him for the new NCAA season. Armand Lenoir/NBAE via Getty ImagesMboup returned to the BAL with Senegal's AS Douanes in 2024 with his dream of reaching the NBA driving him on trying to go to a good college first," he said before committing to BYU Mboup had limited time on the court for Douanes but his performances for the NBA Academy Africa in Road to BAL qualifying showed his quality Mboup averaged 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game across three matches in Johannesburg against Kenya Ports Authority Burundi's Urunani and hosts Cape Town Tigers Voigt was watching on - undeterred by Mboup's injury troubles - and took the first chance he got to bring him in now that the moment was right Voigt told ESPN: "I'm the one that recruited Khadim to BYU after I was hired He was great as a young player with Zamalek Held his own defensively and had a quiet confidence that I liked but neither of us would have ever expected that we would be reunited at BYU "Khadim is a strong athlete that plays hard and can defend 1-5 His positional size gives him a chance to become a special player He has a great attitude and is willing to work hard." Mboup knows exactly which NBA player to use as his North Star as he looks to build on his game. "I really like LeBron James his athleticism - he's more than basketball In the 2024 NCAA tournament, BYU were the #6 seed, but lost in the first round to #11 seed Duquesne. Head coach Mark Pope subsequently left for Kentucky and has been replaced by former Phoenix Suns associate head coach Kevin Young NCAA Basketball airs on ESPN's channels in Africa (DStv 218 and 219 Morocco - Egypt's Al Ittihad made a clear statement of intent in the late Saturday tip-off - the second game of the Basketball Africa League season - as they beat Kalahari Conference hosts FUS Rabat 71-60 After Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers beat Mali's Stade Malien 81-60 in a scrappy opening game, the atmosphere was turned up several notches for the home team's clash with the tournament favourites. Ittihad were missing Jo Lual-Acuil, who was last season's MVP while playing for Al Ahly Benghazi of Libya. With his season still ongoing with Manisa BBSK in the Turkish Süper Ligi, he is unable to join the team for now, but could be available for the playoffs in Pretoria. Still, Ittihad held their own in front of a vocal partisan crowd, with the teams deadlocked at 21-21 at the end of the first quarter. The teams continued to trade blows in the second quarter. A spectacular dunk from Abdelhakim Zouita got the crowd going and then an equally brilliant Deng Deng dunk, followed by a three, silenced them. Momentum was with Ittihad and the Egyptian champions and they took a 37-28 lead into half-time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Basketball Africa League (@thebal) Ittihad initially pulled away at the start of the third quarter but FUS began to claw back towards the end with John Jordan sinking a two-pointer with the final shot of the quarter FUS tried to mount a fourth-quarter fightback but Ittihad's depth was ultimately too much to counter Both teams will likely be in the running for the BAL championship in Pretoria come June but it was first blood to the favourites over the Kalahari Conference hosts Majok Deng had the most statistically impressive game with 18 points and 12 rebounds "I feel like this was a very winnable game That's just something we've got to work on and clean up.. It's the little things," said FUS Rabat's Jordan although he credited Ittihad for being a tough opponent. FUS will be desperate to put their first win on the board when they face Nigeria's Rivers Hoopers Only two teams in each group are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs in Pretoria They will be joined by the two best third-placed teams across three conferences What looks almost certain now is that for teams competing in all of the BAL conferences this year READ: Everything you need to know about the BAL Chiefs are eighth in the Premiership and their first task is to secure an MTN8 spot but they remain in the hunt for third place and CAF Confederation Cup football have their own MTN8 ambitions and will be buoyed by memories of their 1-0 win over Chiefs in the reverse fixture in January Kaizer Chiefs' 2-1 win over Cape Town City in the 2023 MTN8 was their only win over the Citizens in their last nine encounters Currently coached by former Chiefs boss Muhsin Ertugral City have long been a bogey side for the Glamour Boys Together with his permanent appointment as City's technical director Ertugral took over the coaching reigns on an interim basis following the mid-season departure of Eric Tinkler offside and a handball in the same passage of play Stellies committed everyone forward in search of an equaliser, leaving them vulnerable to the counter which saw Mfundo Vilakazi tap into an empty net for Chiefs' third goal It is unclear whether or not Chiefs truly have turned the corner and a fixture against a team that has posed all sorts of problems for them over the last four years will go some way towards providing answers Thulani Serero has been working his way to full fitness after relocating to Cape Town and it is unclear whether or not he is ready to start this game for the Citizens Cape Town City have won two and drawn one of their last three games in all competitions against Kaizer Chiefs Cape Town City are unbeaten in their last eight Premiership matches against Kaizer Chiefs (6 W playThe history of women's football transfer fees (1:05)Take a look back at the evolution of transfer fees over the last two decades in women's football Zambia placed third at WAFCON 2022, also in Morocco, qualifying them for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand They also featured at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 whose transfer to Bay FC last year was a world record fee at the time is already off to a superb start under new Zambia women's national team coach Nora Häuptle having scored in a recent 2-0 win over Malawi Before her first international window under Häuptle - the former Ghana women's coach who replaced disgraced Bruce Mwape -- Kundananji spoke to ESPN ahead of her second NWSL season with Bay FC Kundananji told ESPN: "I'm just looking forward to being part of her team and to know her on a personal level because now we'll be able to talk to her and everything I'm trying to imagine how Zambia is going to play I know we have a very big team - a best team who can win a lot of games and a lot of trophies I believe that because Zambia is a special team "We have broken so many records as this generation - I feel like it's a chosen generation for Zambia's women's national team Kundananji had the opportunity to face national teammate Banda in her debut season in the NWSL Banda's winner was the only goal in an encounter which she relished even though according to Kundananji She said of the experience: "It's something which makes it special because whenever we are playing against Orlando you see the fans will turn out to come not only in the stadium Kundananji!' It's something which is so special and something which I enjoy too." Zambia will be in Group A with hosts Morocco, along with Senegal and DR Congo The top two will advance to the quarter-finals along with the two best third-placed teams across three groups With Banda having missed the last WAFCON due to CAF's controversial testosterone requirements for players in the tournament she is expected to return after being cleared to play in the World Cup and Olympics This is expected to give the Copper Queens a major boost "It's so exciting looking at our national team but we've kept on improving each and every day," Banda told ESPN "I'm hoping to achieve better things once it comes to WAFCON in July with the new coaching staff that we have It's going to help in one or two ways and the most important thing [for preparation] we have is the club here which is helping me to be at my level best (given that she has limited time in camp with the national team) "I'm just wishing all the best to the new coach that has been appointed and I'm ready to work with her and see the vision that she has for the team." Brian Onyango's red card in the 35th minute left Stellenbosch a man light and handed Pirates a golden opportunity to capitalise. However, they had a poor second half and Tshegofatso Mabasa rightly saw what would have been a late winner ruled out for offside Pirates are the only realistic obstacle to Sundowns winning an eighth straight Premiership title. However, after Peter Shalulile and Arthur Sales scored in a 2-0 win over AmaZulu - also on Tuedsay - José Riveiro's men are 18 points behind the Brazilians closing that sort of gap to a side which has only dropped eight points all season is a tough task Sundowns beat Pirates 4-1 in the reverse fixture but have also proven vulnerable against Pirates in some recent clashes - most notably last year's Nedbank Cup final Orlando Pirates Fan favourite Patrick Maswanganyi came back from injury with a cameo off the bench in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final win over SuperSport United and he got more minutes against Stellenbosch It is likely that he will be fit to start against Sundowns despite having been used sparingly in the Buccaneers' last two matches Sundowns have signed former Lille and Strasbourg striker Lebo Mothiba but he has yet to work his way to full fitness as he recovers from injury Bafana Bafana forward Lebo Mothiba most recently played for Strasbourg in France before signing with Mamelodi Sundowns earlier this year. PASCAL GUYOT/AFP via Getty ImagesExpected lineups:Orlando Pirates LB Deon Hotto | CB Nkosinathi Sibisi | CB Mbekezeli Mbokazi | RB Deano van Rooyen LW Relebohile Mofokeng | AM Patrick Maswanganyi | RW Mohau Nkota LB Aubrey Modiba | CB Malibongwe Khoza | CB Lucas Suárez | RB Khuliso Mudau LW Tashreeq Matthews | ST Iqraam Rayners | RW Lucas Ribeiro Costa Mamelodi Sundowns are only two shy of their 2023-24 tally with eight games remaining Peter Shalulile (127 Premiership goals) is now only two away from equalling Siyabonga Nomvethe's record of 129 Sundowns have three players (Lucas Ribeiro Costa 6 goals) with more Betway Premiership goals this season than Pirates' top league scorer in 2024/25 playIs the NWSL becoming a two-tier league of competitiveness (2:23)Jeff Kassouf wonders if the top four NWSL teams are in danger of becoming uncatchable for the rest of the league The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the USA is home to quality players from around the world including some African stars who have taken it by storm in recent years the NWSL is the most stable top-tier professional league that has existed in American women's soccer history The NWSL was a successor to the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS; 2007-2012) and the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA; 2001-2003) The WUSA was the first women's league in the United States in which all of the participating players were paid as professionals. It folded after significant cumulative financial losses and the WPS faced similar financial challenges as well as some legal woes caused by disputes with team owner Dan Borislow The NWSL, by contrast, is in comparatively healthy financial shape - buoyed by a global surge in interest in women's soccer The league was founded in 2012 for the 2013 season after the WPS officially announced it would not return The initial season featured only eight teams The league quickly grew into a powerhouse with an initial salary cap of $200,000 for the initial season growing into $2,750,000 in 2024 There are currently 14 clubs who play in the NWSL but it is rapidly expanding with two new sides set to join in 2026 Malawi and Kansas City Current striker Temwa Chawinga was the NWSL's Golden Boot in 2024, and broke the singe-season scoring record, previously held by Sam Kerr. Al Chang/ISI Photos/Getty ImagesKey playersThe NWSL boasts some of the greatest talents in global women's soccer. These include last season's MVP Temwa Chawinga the Malawi striker who took the league by storm in 2024 one of the greatest players in the history of the game Kundananji plays for Bay alongside Asisat Oshoala a six-time African women's footballer of the year The regular season is set to conclude on November 2 with the playoffs officially starting five days later and culminating in the Championship Final - scheduled for November 22 the NWSL will be available on ESPN Africa - channels 218 and 219 on DSTV (and Starsat 248) Greek-Nigerian forward Giannis Antetokounmpo reiterated his status as Africa's biggest NBA star in December leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Cup who has ties to DR Congo through his father is breathing down his neck in the race to be the biggest star in the league with ties to Africa The 20-year-old grows month on month and is now a genuine player to watch in the MVP race Jonathan Kuminga (DR Congo), Pascal Siakam and Yves Missi (both Cameroon) also had moments to remember in December Antetokounmpo starred for the Bucks in their NBA Cup final win over Oklahoma City Thunder with 26 points proving again that he is one of the NBA stars most capable of contributing in all aspects on the court Not only was Antetokounmpo the NBA Cup MVP but he is also the main challenger to Nikola Jokić for the league MVP December saw Antetokounmpo average 32.1 points 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals per game in the league Antetokounmpo was the NBA MVP in 2019 and 2020, and a champion and finals MVP in 2021. In terms of Africans in the MVP race, he has generally played second fiddle to Cameroon's Joel Embiid in recent years but this season he is indisputably Africa's frontrunner Wembanyama's December form was almost on par with Antetokounmpo's and last season's Rookie of the Year will soon be the new face of the league -- let alone the next star with ties to Africa The big man's Christmas performance against New York Knicks was the standout moment for the NBA in December Kuminga had a tough start to this season after a breakout campaign in 2023-24 but December saw him play exactly like a player who was regarded among the most talented in his age group as he entered the NBA The forward/guard from Goma averaged 21.0 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game in December, with three 30-point outings. After scoring 33 points with 7 rebounds in a 99-93 Golden State Warriors win vs. Houston Rockets early in the month he had back-to-back 30+ performances three weeks later Kuminga's 34 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists against LA Clippers came in a 102-92 defeat, but he followed up with 34 points and 9 rebounds in a 109-105 win over Phoenix Suns Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam's quality is no secret but the Cameroonian power forward had one game in particular in December that is worthy of special mention Siakam led the Pacers to a 120-111 victory over the Suns with 25 points and 18 rebounds just under a fortnight ago. The game saw Siakam and Kevin Durant play out of their skin for their respective teams Siakam's compatriot -- the New Orleans Pelicans' rookie center Yves Missi -- also had a superb December. He averaged 11.2 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game, with his standout performance coming in a 124-112 loss to Atlanta Hawks Missi scored 23 points with 12 rebounds and he continues to rise higher month after month as one of the season's surprise packages.