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Messi-less Defending Champ Miami Wins Leagues Cup Opener

Luis Suárez of Inter Miami dribbles between defenders during the defending Leagues Cup champions' 2-0 victory over Puebla of Mexico - AFP
Luis Suárez of Inter Miami dribbles between defenders during the defending Leagues Cup champions' 2-0 victory over Puebla of Mexico - AFP
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Messi-less Defending Champ Miami Wins Leagues Cup Opener

Luis Suárez of Inter Miami dribbles between defenders during the defending Leagues Cup champions' 2-0 victory over Puebla of Mexico - AFP
Luis Suárez of Inter Miami dribbles between defenders during the defending Leagues Cup champions' 2-0 victory over Puebla of Mexico - AFP

Defending champion Inter Miami, playing without injured star Lionel Messi, blanked Mexico's Puebla 2-0 at home on Saturday to begin defending their Leagues Cup crown.

Paraguay's Matias Rojas opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez added an insurance goal in the 72nd minute to deliver Inter Miami's triumph.

Miami was without Argentine striker Messi, who is still recovering from a left ankle injury suffered two weeks ago in Argentina's victory over Colombia in the Copa America final, according to AFP.

Messi, who sparked Miami to the Leagues Cup title just after his arrival last year, missed two Inter Miami MLS regular-season matches and the MLS All-Star Game three nights ago.

The Leagues Cup sends MLS clubs and Mexico's Liga MX teams into a World Cup-style tournament with three-team groups where two clubs advance to knockout rounds.

Miami faces Mexican side Tigres next Saturday in its other group-stage match.

In Saturday's other group openers, Mexico's Atlas blanked Houston 1-0, New England beat Mazatlan 1-0, Philadelphia edged Charlotte 1-0 and Toronto beat the New York Bulls 5-4 on penalties after playing to a goal-less draw.

US midfielder Jack Panayotou scored in the 69th minute to boost New England to victory while Israeli striker Tai Baribo scored in the 33rd minute to give Philadelphia a triumph and Mexican defender Jose Lozano netted the winning goal for Atlas in the 83rd minute.

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Olympic Surfers Sleep on Cruise Ship in Tahiti, a 1st for the Games

Paris 2024 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Round 1 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - July 27, 2024. A rainbow is seen near the judging towers. Ben Thouard/Pool via REUTERS
Paris 2024 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Round 1 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - July 27, 2024. A rainbow is seen near the judging towers. Ben Thouard/Pool via REUTERS
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Olympic Surfers Sleep on Cruise Ship in Tahiti, a 1st for the Games

Paris 2024 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Round 1 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - July 27, 2024. A rainbow is seen near the judging towers. Ben Thouard/Pool via REUTERS
Paris 2024 Olympics - Surfing - Women's Round 1 - Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia - July 27, 2024. A rainbow is seen near the judging towers. Ben Thouard/Pool via REUTERS

Cardboard beds might be Paris' solution to providing athletes a place to sleep for the 2024 Olympics. But some 10,000 miles away in Tahiti, where the surfing competition is taking place, it's a cruise ship.
About 45 minutes from the surfing venue, the Aranui 5 ship is able to accommodate about 230 passengers in over 100 cabins, with eight guest decks, a spa and gym, according to its website. It's anchored just off shore and the surfers, coaches and others take small boats to get back and forth, The Associated Press reported.
“They have a wonderful location for the village, which is on a ship,” French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson told AP. “It’s unusual, but they seem to like it.”
While media have been restricted from boarding the ship, athletes have shared photos and video on their social media that offer a glimpse into what the Olympics say is the first-ever floating athlete village.
“I think our athlete village in Tahiti is better than the actual one in Paris,” surfer Kanoa Igarashi of Japan said on TikTok, sharing a video tour of the accommodations.
In the video, he shows the amenities on board, including a 24-hour dining hall, fully stocked Olympic gift store and activity center with ping pong and foosball tables.
Matt Scorringe, a coach traveling with the New Zealand surfing team, shared an Instagram video from the ship showing a pool with a statue of the Olympic rings at one end.
On TikTok, German surfer Tim Elter posted the sea view from his cabin, jokingly tapping the bed frame, saying how it's not cardboard like those at the Olympic village for athletes in Paris.
The ship helps alleviate some of the larger-than-usual crowds and need for new buildings that locals and activists said could affect the small town at the end of the road on the small island.
Not all athletes competing in Tahiti are staying on the ship.
Some national teams or individuals have rented houses closer to the waves, sharing photos of boardwalks leading from their back doors to the shore, communal dinners with teammates and lush green lawns lined with palm trees.