Cédric Bakambu rejoint officiellement San Diego FC

Libre depuis son départ du Real Betis en juin, Cédric Bakambu a trouvé un nouveau point de chute. À 35 ans, l’attaquant congolais s’apprête à découvrir un nouveau championnat en rejoignant San Diego FC, où il s’est engagé jusqu’en décembre 2026. La franchise américaine dispose également d’options permettant de prolonger l’aventure jusqu’en 2028. saltysenoritaaz.org

Un nouveau championnat pour Bakambu

Après la France, la Turquie, la Chine, la Grèce et l’Espagne, l’international de la République démocratique du Congo va donc poursuivre sa carrière en MLS. Son arrivée intervient quelques semaines après sa participation à la Coupe du monde 2026, conclue par une qualification des Léopards pour les seizièmes de finale.

Passé notamment par l’Olympique de Marseille en 2022, Bakambu avait ensuite poursuivi son parcours en Espagne, où son aventure avec le Real Betis s’est achevée cet été. Désormais, le buteur formé en France pose ses valises en Californie avec l’objectif d’apporter son expérience au secteur offensif de San Diego.

San Diego mise sur son expérience

Le club américain a officialisé l’opération ce jeudi et a confirmé un engagement courant jusqu’à la fin de la saison 2026, avec des options pour la MLS Sprint 2027 et la saison 2027-2028.

À 35 ans, Bakambu s’offre ainsi une nouvelle aventure loin du football européen. Pour San Diego FC, son recrutement permet surtout de miser sur un attaquant expérimenté, habitué à évoluer dans plusieurs championnats et capable d’apporter immédiatement son vécu au groupe.

Après près de quinze ans passés entre l’Europe et l’Asie, Bakambu ouvre désormais un nouveau chapitre de sa carrière de l’autre côté de l’Atlantique.

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EMBU, Kenya, Sept 3- Stakes are high at Embu 7s as the top teams battle for maximum points during the penultimate leg of the 2026 National 7s Circuit taling place this weekend at the Embu Stadium.

KCB currently lead the Division One standings on 76 points, just three ahead of Kabras Sugar on 73, setting up a closely fought contest with only the season-ending Christie Sevens remaining.

Menengai Oilers sit third on 58 points, followed by Daystar Falcons and Kenya Harlequin on 52 points each, while Mwamba are sixth on 45 points.

The Division Two standings are led by Stallions Rugby on 69 points, followed by Kabarak University and Zetech Oaks on 44 points each, with Northern Suburbs on 42.

Embu RFC Tournament Director Wilkister Miranga said preparations were complete and the tournament was ready to welcome teams and fans.

“We are all set for Embu Sevens and looking forward to hosting another exciting leg of the National Sevens Circuit. The tournament comes at a very important stage of the season, with the competition at the top very close, so we expect highly competitive matches. Embu Stadium is ready to welcome the teams and fans, and we are confident that everyone will have a great experience this weekend.”

The opening four legs have produced a highly competitive season, with KCB Rugby and Kabras Sugar both claiming two titles each.

KCB won the opening Prinsloo Sevens before retaining the Kabeberi Sevens title, while Kabras triumphed at Dala Sevens and most recently at Driftwood Sevens in Mombasa.

Miranga also welcomed Tusker’s support of the tournament, noting that the partnership would help enhance the overall event experience.

“We appreciate Tusker for coming on board and supporting Embu Sevens. Their contribution towards the tournament logistics and fan experience is a welcome boost, and the Tusker Village and entertainment offering will give fans another reason to come out and enjoy the weekend.”

The Embu Sevens will be followed by the Christie Sevens in Nairobi on September 12–13, where the 2026 National Sevens Circuit champions will be determined.

Tusker will also be on hand in Embu through its Tusker Na Rugby platform, with activations at the Tusker Village and an official after-party forming part of the weekend’s fan experience.

The Springboks managed to break their 100-cap curse against the All Blacks over the past weekend in Cape Town, when Pieter-Steph du Toit became the first Bok to win his 100^th game against their greatest foes.

Now the Boks will be targeting their first ever win over the All Blacks at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, in the third Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test on Saturday.

The 100-Test curse was a bigger one to break, as four previous Bok centurions had lost against the All Blacks in their landmark game.

The first ever Springbok centurion, Percy Montgomery, was the first in Cape Town in 2008, losing the match 19-0.

John Smit followed in Johannesburg in 2010, going down 29-22, while Jean de Villiers in Wellington in 2014 suffered a 14-10 defeat and Damian de Allende in Joburg again earlier this month lost 33-16.

Thus, Du Toit emerging victorious 33-26 in his 100^th Test this past Saturday was a superb achievement and a fitting way to celebrate the landmark game.

First of two

Former Bok captain Smit’s 100^th in 2010 was in fact the first of just two matches between the Boks and All Blacks at the FNB Stadium. They met at the stadium again in 2012 with the visitors again coming out on top, 32-16.

On 11 July 2010 Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 at the FNB Stadium, also known as the Calabash and Soccer City, to lift the 2010 Soccer World Cup trophy.

Fast forward six weeks and the Boks hosted the All Blacks at the stadium in Smit’s landmark match, in front of a record crowd of 94,713 people, and were heartbreakingly beaten in a frenetic finish.

It was the 2010 Tri Nations tournament and the Boks had already lost two games against the All Blacks, 32-12 in Auckland and 31-17 in Wellington.

The Boks held a tight 16-14 lead at halftime, thanks to three penalties from the boot of flyhalf Morne Steyn and a converted Schalk Burger try, while the All Blacks’ points came from three Dan Carter penalties and an unconverted score by prop Tony Woodcock.

Two more Steyn penalties pushed the Boks into a 22-14 lead by the 62^nd minute, but a Carter penalty four minutes later brought the All Blacks back within range.

With time ticking down and just three minutes left on the clock captain Richie McCaw crashed over for an unconverted try to draw the scores level, and in the final minute replacement wing Israel Dagg cruised over to clinch the win and break the Springboks’ and packed stadium’s hearts.

Second match

The match in 2012 was in front of a smaller, but still significant crowd of 80,753 people, and they again had to watch the Boks go down from a winning position.

This time the Boks had a slightly bigger lead at halftime, 16-12, thanks to a converted try by wing Bryan Habana, and three penalties, one from the boot of flyhalf Johan Goosen and two from replacement flyhalf Elton Jantjies, while the All Blacks’ points came from tries by lock Sam Whitelock and scrumhalf Aaron Smith, with one conversion from Carter.

But the second half was a complete blowout as the All Blacks added a further 20 points, through converted tries by centres Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith, as well as a drop goal and penalty from Carter, while the Boks were kept scoreless.

The Boks did manage to get a win at the FNB Stadium, in their third and last match to date to have been played at the stadium, a 73-13 thrashing of Argentina in the Rugby Championship in 2013.

But they will now be looking to finally beat the All Blacks there as well to also take a 2-1 lead in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, heading into the final Test in the USA next weekend.