Saudi coach Mancini wants his players getting more time in a Ronaldo-dominated league

While the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar thrill supporters of Saudi clubs, Roberto Mancini is concerned that his national team players aren’t getting enough time in the league to prepare for World Cup qualifying.

Saudi Arabia was among the high-profile Asian teams that struggled in third-round openers last week in continental World Cup qualifying. The Saudis were held 1-1 by Indonesia, the lowest-ranked of the six-teams in Group C. Tuesday is a crucial match against China at Dalian for coach Mancini’s team.

“We have had problems capitalizing on opportunities, which have been evident in the last few games,” Mancini said.

With most clubs in the Saudi Pro League using their full quota of 10 foreign imports, Mancini, who left his job as head coach of Italy a year ago to join Saudi Arabia's national team, has complained that local players are not getting enough action.

“Saudi Arabia’s national team players must participate as core players with their clubs," Mancini said. “I have 20 players sitting on the bench in local matches.”

He said there needed to be greater cooperation between the national team and clubs.

Australia’s attempt to qualify for a sixth successive World Cup tournament was damaged by a shocking 1–0 loss to Bahrain at home.

“It’s a learning curve for the players. It wasn’t our night,” Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said. “You could see physically they were ready for us. These types of things happen in football, it’s how you get over it.”

Australia faces a relatively short trip to Jakarta to face a much-improved Indonesia squad that will be supported by 60,000 fans. “We are not afraid of anyone and we are looking forward to the challenge,” Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong said.

The early pacesetters in Group C meet when Bahrain hosts Japan, which opened with a thumping 7-0 win over China.

The 18 teams in the third round of qualification have been divided into three groups of six. The top two from each automatically qualify for the World Cup. The teams that place third and fourth will advance to a fourth round to compete for two more places.

In Group B, South Korea also started with a disappointing result, a 0-0 draw with the Palestinian team in Seoul. Led by English Premier League stars Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan as well as Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in, South Korea travels to Muscat to face Oman, which lost 1-0 to Iraq.

Son suggested the poor pitch condition in Seoul was a reason for the result.

“We weren’t able to play at a high tempo and I am sure fans were disappointed with that,” Son said. “The fact that pitch conditions are better for away matches is a shame, but I also think it’s fortunate for us at the same time.”

The Palestinians will play Jordan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as the team is unable to host games at home. Jordan had a 1-1 draw with Kuwait in its opening game a nd now faces Iraq, the only team in the group to win.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

South Korea's Son Heung-min, center, is tackled by Palestine's Michael Termanini during the Asian qualifier group B match for 2026 World Cup between South Korea and Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Japan's Takumi Minamino and China's Liu Yangyi compete for the ball during a World Cup and AFC Asian Qualifier between Japan and China at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

Japan team celebrate after defeating China after a World Cup and AFC Asian Qualifier between Japan and China at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

South Korea's Son Heung-min reacts during the Asian qualifier group B match for 2026 World Cup between South Korea and Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Bahrain's Mahdi Abduljabbar Mahdi Darwish Hasan, front left, competes with Australia's Harry Souttar for a high ball during their World Cup 2026 qualifying match at the Gold Coast, Australia, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)

Japan's players celebrate Japan's fourth goal during a World Cup and AFC Asian Qualifier between Japan and China at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, north of Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday launched his family's cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, with an interview on the X social media platform in which he also gave his first public comments on the apparent assassination attempt against him a day earlier.

Trump did not discuss specifics about World Liberty Financial or how it would work, pivoting from questions about cryptocurrency to talking about artificial intelligence or other topics. Instead, he recounted his experience Sunday, saying he and a friend playing golf “heard shots being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five.”

“I would have loved to have sank that last putt,” Trump said. He credited the Secret Service agent who spotted the barrel of a rifle and began firing toward it as well as law enforcement and a civilian who he said helped track down the suspect.

World Liberty Financial is expected to be a borrowing and lending service used to trade cryptocurrencies, which are forms of digital money that can be traded over the internet without relying on the global banking system. Exchanges often charge fees for withdrawals of Bitcoin and other currencies.

Other speakers after Trump, including his eldest son, Don Jr., talked about embracing cryptocurrency as an alternative to what they allege is a banking system tilted against conservatives.

Experts have said a presidential candidate launching a business venture in the midst of a campaign could create ethical conflicts.

“Taking a pro-crypto stance is not necessarily troubling; the troubling aspect is doing it while starting a way to personally benefit from it,” Jordan Libowitz, a spokesperson for the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said earlier this month.

During his time in the White House, Trump said he was “not a fan” of cryptocurrency and tweeted in 2019, “Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity." However, during this election cycle, he has reversed himself and taken on a favorable view of cryptocurrencies.

He announced in May that his campaign would begin accepting donations in cryptocurrency as part of an effort to build what it calls a “crypto army” leading up to Election Day. He attended a bitcoin conference in Nashville this year, promising to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet” and create a bitcoin “strategic reserve” using the currency that the government currently holds.

Hilary Allen, a law professor at American University who has done research on cryptocurrencies, said she was skeptical of Trump's change of heart on crypto.

“I think it’s fair to say that that reversal has been motivated in part by financial interests,” she said.

Crypto enthusiasts welcomed the shift, viewing the launch as a positive sign for investors if Trump retakes the White House.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has not offered policy proposals on how it would regulate digital assets like cryptocurrencies.

In an effort to appeal to crypto investors, a group of Democrats, including Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, participated in an online “Crypto 4 Harris” event in August.

Neither Harris nor members of her campaign staff attended the event.

Gomez Licon contributed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump waves as he boards a plane at Harry Reid International Airport after a campaign trip, Saturday, Sept.14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)