
With Marc de Grandpre as president and GM and Julian de Guzman as sporting director, the New York Red Bulls come with a distinctly Canadian flavour. Read this article for free: Already have an account? As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $14.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! With Marc de Grandpre as president and GM and Julian de Guzman as sporting director, the New York Red Bulls come with a distinctly Canadian flavour. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? With Marc de Grandpre as president and GM and Julian de Guzman as sporting director, the New York Red Bulls come with a distinctly Canadian flavour. On Saturday, both will be cheering on their team as it takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy, led by former Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney, in the MLS Cup final in Carson, Calif. De Grandpre is in his second stint with the Major League Soccer club while de Guzman, a Toronto native and former Canada captain, joined the front office in February. The New York Red Bulls celebrate their championship after beating Orlando City in an MLS Eastern Conference finals soccer match, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Kevin Kolczynski “We’re all excited. This is a big moment for the club,” said de Grandpre, a Montreal native. “We haven’t been here since 2008 (when the Red Bulls lost 3-1 to Columbus in their first final appearance). “This is like a Game 7 ultimately and we’re going to leave it all out there and hope for the best,” he added. “We’re very proud of the team, the players and where we’re at. (Saturday), I guess, before kickoff anxiety will kick in but we have to enjoy the moment. These are not moments that occur every year or every other year. We’re lucky, fortunate and we’re grateful to be here and we’ll soak it all in as an organization.” While the fourth-place Galaxy (19-8-7) finished 12 places and 17 points ahead of the Red Bulls (11-9-14) in the overall league standings, one can argue the New Yorkers arrive at Dignity Health Sports Park as the team of destiny. Entering the playoffs as the seventh-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, the Red Bulls are the lowest-ever seed to reach the MLS championship game. The Red Bulls started the season with just one loss in their first 10 league outings (4-1-5) and went unbeaten in their first 12 league outings at Red Bull Arena (7-0-5) before losing 2-0 to Philadelphia on Aug. 31. But they limped into the playoffs after winning just one of their last nine regular-season outings (1-5-3). The lone win (4-1) during that run came Oct. 2 at lowly Toronto. De Grandpre points to the break for the Leagues Cup, which ran July 26 to Aug. 25, for the loss of form during that run. The Red Bulls played just two Leagues Cup games, losing to Toronto and Mexico’s Pachuca both on penalty kicks, with a 25-day pause before resuming MLS play. “The team managed to persevere, stay resilient and get us into the playoffs,” said de Grandpre. “And they’re true to the form they were showing early in the season. “It’s a group of players who truly enjoy being with each other, love each (other), care for each other and have totally embraced what (German coach) Sandro (Schwarz) has brought to the table in terms of culture and the way we approach the matches. You can feel it in the room. It’s a special group of people.” The Red Bulls are making the most of their record 15th-straight post-season appearance. They started the playoffs with a bang, upsetting defended champion and second-seeded Columbus 1-0 on the road and then via penalty shootout in Harrison, N.J., to win the best-of-three first-round series. They went on to dispatch No. 6 New York City FC 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinal and No. 4 Orlando City 1-0 in the conference final. The Red Bulls have made sure their fans will be on hand to cheer on the team. The club bought almost 2,000 tickets for members of its supporters groups and season-ticket holders as well as for its front office, custodial and security staff from its stadium and training facility, and food and beverage partners. “We want to make sure we reward our fans and that our most important human capital is with us — our staff, the people who make it happen ever day. We want to reward them as well,” said de Grandpre. Some 700 members of the Red Bulls supporters groups also each received US$300 as well as a ticket to help defray travel costs. De Grandpre started with Bauer Hockey in Montreal and then, after graduate school in the U.S., became one of the first marketing employees for Red Bull North America in late 1999. In 2006, when the Austria-based energy drink giant bought the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, de Grandpre was tasked with rebranding the franchise to the Red Bulls. He spent two years as the team’s managing director before moving on to Qualcomm (wireless technology), Imax (immersive cinema) and KIND (healthy snack foods), rejoining the Red Bulls in April 2014 as GM. “Ever since then, it’s been a pleasurable experience, very rewarding. I’ve surrounded myself and the organization with the best talent in the business,” he said. “And I believe that is why we are here today. It’s been a long road, but the right way to get there, that’s for sure.” In 2015, de Grandpre was honoured with the league’s Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year award. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024. Follow @NeilMDavidson on the X platform. Advertisement AdvertisementHot honey, brie & chorizo garlic bread recipe perfect for New Year's Eve
US billionaire businessman Frank McCourt is crafting a fundamental overhaul of TikTok's business model as part of a plan to bid for the Chinese-owned short-form video app, he told Reuters. McCourt, who formerly owned the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, said he has received verbal funding commitments totaling $20 billion from a consortium of investors to rescue the app from legal purgatory as it awaits a Supreme Court decision to determine if it will be forced to sell its US operations. His vision for TikTok includes revamping the company's advertising model so that users will have control over the ads and type of content they want to see. Over time, TikTok could earn revenue through ecommerce and licensing data for artificial intelligence training models - with users' consent - which will diminish the business' reliance on ads. "When you give permission for your data to be used and you receive compensation, it's flipping this 180 degrees and giving the user the power," McCourt said this week. The plan faces several hurdles, including TikTok's repeated assertions that it cannot be divested from its owner, Chinese tech firm ByteDance . 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The Chinese government in 2020 added content recommendation algorithms to its export-control list, requiring a divestiture or sale of TikTok's algorithm to go through its administrative licensing procedures. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories TikTok's appeal to the Supreme Court is a last-ditch effort to overturn a law signed by U.S. President Joe Biden that seeks to force a sale over national security concerns, or else the app will be banned on Jan. 19. McCourt said he believes the Supreme Court will uphold the law, after which ByteDance could be open to negotiations. Until then, he is focused on smoothing the path to an acquisition. McCourt said he and his team have had "preliminary conversations" with members of President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration. Trump tried to ban TikTok in 2020 but has since reversed his view, saying on Dec. 16 that he has "a warm spot in my heart for TikTok." A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment. The team is also speaking with potential CEO candidates for the new TikTok, McCourt said. One source familiar with the matter said the team approached V. Pappas, TikTok's former chief operating officer. Pappas did not respond to a request for comment. McCourt declined to name who he is speaking with for the CEO role. The plan for TikTok will also include migrating its technology onto an open-source protocol developed by Project Liberty, an organization founded by McCourt. The protocol would allow users to control their data and easily move it elsewhere on the internet. The plan is influencing the search for a CEO. "This is both a big project to scale the technology that we've built, but it is also a vision for a better internet. We're talking to people who share that vision and have the capacity and skills to do both," McCourt said.LNG Energy Group Reiterates Value Proposition and Announces Financing and Process to Review Strategic Initiatives
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk spent at least $270 million to help Donald Trump win the US presidency, according to new federal filings, making him the country's biggest political donor. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk, the world's richest person, was an ardent supporter of Trump's White House campaign -- funneling money into door knocking operations and speaking at his rallies. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Student arrested after allegedly bringing gun into Wisconsin high schoolNASSAU, Bahamas — Scottie Scheffler birdied every hole but the par 3s on the front nine at Albany Golf Club on Friday and finished his bogey-free round with an 8-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead in the Hero World Challenge. Two months off did nothing to slow the world's No. 1 player. Scheffler already has eight victories this year and is in position to get another before the end of the year. Scheffler was at 13-under 131, two ahead of Akshay Bhatia (66) and Justin Thomas (67), both of whom had to save par on the 18th hole to stay in range going into the weekend. Scheffler started with a lob wedge to 2 feet for birdie and never slowed until after he went out in 29 to seize control of the holiday tournament against a 20-man field. Scheffler cooled slightly on the back nine, except it didn't feel that way to him. "Front nine, just things were going my way. Back nine, maybe not as much," Scheffler said. "A couple shots could end up closer to the hole, a couple putts go in, just little things." Asked if he felt any frustration he didn't take it lower — he once shot 59 at the TPC Boston during the FedEx Cup playoffs — Scheffler sounded bemused. "I think in this game I think a lot of all y'all are looking for perfection out of us," he said. "Today I shot 8 under on the golf course, not something I hang my head about. A lot of good things out there — clean card, bogey-free, eight birdies. Overall, I think I'm pretty pleased." Thomas felt his 67 was stress-free, particularly the way he was driving the ball. The wind laid down again, rare for the Bahamas, though it is expected to pick up on the weekend. Thomas wasn't concerned to see Scheffler get off to a hot start, especially with three par 5s on the front nine and a short par 4 that at worst leaves a flip wedge to the green. "You literally can birdie every hole as soft as the greens are," Thomas said. "He's a great player, a great wedge player, and you have a lot of birdie holes to start. I'm honestly surprised he only shot 8 under. It's a sneaky course because if you fall asleep on some shots, you can get out of position. But if you're on and focused and really in control of everything — like these last two days with no wind — you can just make so many birdies." Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley had a 67 and was four shots behind. No matter how benign the conditions, it wasn't always easy. Cameron Young, who opened with a 64 for a two-shot lead, followed with a 75 despite making five birdies. That included a double bogey on the final hole when his approach tumbled down the bank into the rocks framing the lake that goes all the way down the 18th hole. Patrick Cantlay was trying to keep pace playing alongside Scheffler, but he had three bogeys over the final seven holes and fell seven shots behind with a 71. The tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods, is unofficial but offers world ranking points to all but the bottom three players because of the small field. It's the weakest field in 25 years, but Scheffler at No. 1 gives it enough cachet. He is the first player since Woods in 2009 to start and finish a year at No. 1 in the world. And even after a layoff — giving him time to tinker with a new putting stroke — it looks like it might be a while before anyone changes that. Get local news delivered to your inbox!President-elect Donald Trump announced he created a new role for his administration, White House Artificial Intelligence and Crypto Czar. Filling the role will be tech entrepreneur and podcast host David Sacks. Sacks "will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness. David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas," Trump said in his announcement. "He will safeguard Free Speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship. He will work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the U.S.," Trump continued" "David will also lead the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology," the president-elect said. Sacks is a longtime Silicon Valley ally of Elon Musk and invested in SpaceX. They worked together at PayPal, a company in which Sacks is a co-founder of and later became the COO. During that time, Musk was the CEO until 2000 when Confinity went through a rebrand and became PayPal. Sacks held major fundraisers for the Trump-Vance ticket, including one at his home for Trump in San Francisco, California in June. Trump did an interview with Sacks on his "All In" podcast earlier this year, in which he advocated for "automatically" giving noncitizens in the U.S. green cards when they graduate from college -- not just people who go through the vetting process. " [ What ] I want to do, and what I will do, is you graduate from a college, I think you should get, automatically as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country. That includes junior colleges, too," Trump said during the episode. Trump's response came after one of the hosts, Jason Calacanis, asked Trump if he could promise to "give us more ability to import the best and brightest around the world to America."