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US U-18 player Tweets photo signing contract with Atletico Madrid

By Nicholas MendolaApr 7, 2014, 8:32 PM EDT
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His name is Dembakwi Yomba and he’s apparently headed to one of the biggest clubs in the world, according to his own Twitter profile.

Days after Marquette University let it be known that their recruit, U-18 striker Andrija Novakovich, would be forgoing college to sign with Reading in England’s Championship division, Yomba posted this photo on Twitter.

Yomba, a Georgia resident born in Sierra Leone, was one of the top-rated Class of 2015 high school players in the United States. He has played for the U-17 national team and was called up to the U-18 side along with Novakovich earlier this year.

The player does not turn 18 until Sept. 4. He was listed as a commitment to the University of North Carolina.

England smash six past Panama to reach last 16

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By Joe Prince-WrightJun 24, 2018, 9:54 AM EDT
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  • Kane has eight goals in his last five games for England
  • Stones scores first two England goals; Lingard nets stunner
  • England qualify for last 16 of World Cup
  • Panama knocked out

England battered Panama 6-1 in Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday, as the Three Lions qualified for the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup with a group game to spare.

John Stones and Harry Kane both scored doubles (with headers and penalty kicks respectively) and Jesse Lingard scored a stunner in a stunning first half performance. Kane then completed his hat trick in the second half as he leads the World Cup in scoring with five goals.

[ MORE: Latest 2018 World Cup news ] 

This marked the first time England had scored four goals in a World Cup game since 1966, while Panama have crashed out of their first-ever World Cup after conceding nine goals and scoring just once through Felipe Baloy’s late consolation.

England now face Belgium in Kaliningrad on Thursday in a clash for the top spot in Group G with both teams winning their opening two group games.

Click here for live and on demand coverage of the World Cup online and via the NBC Sports App.

Early on Panama carved out a few decent chances but Godoy fired over from a great position on the left and soon after England were ahead.

A Kieran Trippier corner from the right found John Stones completely unmarked and the Man City center back headed home his first goal. England’s first three goals at the World Cup had all come from their first eight corner kicks.

Panama responded well to going behind as Barcenas curled a shot just wide of the far post but then the killer second goal arrived for England midway through the first half. Jesse Lingard made a perfectly timed run towards but was then hauled down by Escobar and a penalty kick was awarded.

Kane slammed home the spot kick to make it 2-0 as England were in cruise control.

Harry Maguire nodded a header onto the roof of the net from another set piece opportunity, while Panama occasionally looked dangerous on the break but didn’t have a shot on target in the first half.

England then scored a third as Lingard curled home a stunner after fine interplay with Raheem Sterling, and soon it was 4-0. A superbly worked free kick saw Stones head home from close distance and soon after it was 5-0. Both Stones and Kane were wrestled in the box by Panamanian defenders and the latter stepped up to smash home his second and England’s fifth as Panama were in tatters.

[ LIVE: World Cup scores ]

After the break England continued to pour forward and Kane soon completed his hat trick.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek‘s shot from distance deflected off Kane’s heel and flew in and moments later he was substituted with his job well and truly done.

Panama had a decent chance to grab a consolation goal but Jordan Pickford flew off his line to close the angle on Murillo, then skipper Roman Torres somehow side-footed wide from a corner late on.

However the consolation did arrive as Baloy finished superbly from a free kick to score Panama’s first-ever goal at a World Cup to at least give their fans something to celebrate in the 6-1 defeat.

VIDEO: Lingard nets stunner as England demolish Panama

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By Joe Prince-WrightJun 24, 2018, 8:58 AM EDT
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The Three Lions are cruising towards the last 16 of the World Cup.

England led Panama 5-0 in Nizhny Novgorod as the half time whistle blew and Lingard’s curler was the pick of the bunch as Harry Kane and John Stones each had a double with penalty kicks and headers respectively.

Watch Lingard’s stunner in the video below.

Click here for live and on demand coverage of the World Cup online and via the NBC Sports App.

Dempsey scores first goal of season, Sounders tie Fire

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Associated PressJun 24, 2018, 7:35 AM EDT
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SEATTLE (AP) Clint Dempsey scored his first goal of the season to match the Seattle regular-season career goals record, helping the Sounders tie the Chicago Fire 1-1 on Saturday night.

Dempsey tied the club record for regular-season goals with 47 set by Fredy Montero from 2009-12. It was Dempsey’s 57th goal across all competitions for the Sounders, three away from Montero’s overall mark.

Harry Shipp started the scoring play for the Sounders (3-8-3) midway through the first half, taking the ball up the attacking right side. He sent it ahead to Will Bruin, who took it to the top right corner of the 6-yard box. Bruin tapped the ball across, and Dempsey slid into it, sending his shot into the upper left side.

It was Dempsey’s first goal since last Nov. 30, when he scored in a 3-0 win over Houston in the second leg of the Western Conference final. His last regular-season tally was last Sept. 27 in a 3-0 victory over Vancouver in Seattle.

Chicago (5-7-5) went up 1-0 in the ninth minute. Brandt Bronico backheeled a pass to Aleksander Katai, who took control about 35 yards up from the goal. He dribbled up to the top left of the penalty area restraining arc and fired a shot past Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei to the back right corner for his sixth of the year.

MLS roundup: SKC roar back vs. HOU; FCD hammered by RBNY

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By Andy EdwardsJun 24, 2018, 7:10 AM EDT
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A roundup of, plus a few quick thoughts about, all of Saturday’s action from Week 16 of the 2018 MLS season…

[ MORE: Latest 2018 World Cup news ] 

Sporting Kansas City 3-2 Houston Dynamo — FULL HIGHLIGHTS

Peter Vermes’ side fell 2-0 behind by halftime, courtesy of a costly error by reigning Defender of the Year Ike Opara in the second minute and a disastrous midfield breakdown in the 45th — both scored by Mauro Manotas. Sporting KC, who entered the weekend level on points with FC Dallas for first in the Western Conference (and four back of Atlanta United in the Supporters’ Shield race), were read the Riot Act at halftime, per Vermes, and responded accordingly.

Daniel Salloi bagged his fifth goal of the season in the 59th minute, and it was one-way traffic favoring Sporting from that point forward. Diego Rubio’s equalizer (assisted by Salloi, also his fifth) didn’t came until the 85th minute — the same minute in which he entered the game as a substitute — and Khiry Shelton’s winner (also assisted by Salloi) came three minutes later.

New York Red Bulls 3-0 FC Dallas — FULL HIGHLIGHTS

Despite playing with 10 men for more than an hour, the Red Bulls hammered the aforementioned side from Dallas to the tune of 3-0 at Red Bull Arena. The defeat snaps a four-game winning streak for FCD, as well as a seven-game unbeaten run dating back to late April.

Bradley Wright-Phillips opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, followed by Aaron Long (now a man down) in the 39th and Kemar Lawrence in the 48th (assisted by Kaku, making the 23-year-old Argentine-turned-Paraguayan the first player to reach 10 assists this season).

Los Angeles FC 2-0 Columbus Crew SC — FULL HIGHLIGHTS

LAFC did their damage early — Laurent Ciman in the 4th minute and Adama Diomande in the 8th — and Bob Bradley‘s side held on for 82 more minutes while limiting Crew SC to just one shot on target and handing Gregg Berhalter’s side a second straight loss and extending their current winless skid to five games. After riding alongside Atlanta atop the East standings a few weeks ago, Columbus have fallen to fourth and trail the Five Stripes by six points.

Elsewhere in MLS

Philadelphia Union 4-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
Orlando City SC 0-2 Montreal Impact
Colorado Rapids 3-2 Minnesota United
Real Salt Lake 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes
Seattle Sounders 1-1 Chicago Fire