For the third consecutive time, Italy will not be at the World Cup. No Azzurri, no blue shirts filling the streets of Italian cities, no anxious summer evenings gathered around the television willing the nation over the line. Just absence, and the uncomfortable question that follows: who do you support now?

The 2026 World Cup in North America promises to be the most expanded in its history, with 48 nations, three host countries, and some of the greatest players on the planet competing for the biggest prize in football.

It would be a shame to watch it without a team to root for.

But we want to know what you think. Cast your vote in the poll below, let us know which nation has earned your support this summer – and leave a comment telling us why. Every vote counts.

Alternatively, if you don’t plan on supporting anyone, let it be known!

World Cup poll:

Milan are monitoring Andreas Christensen as a potential free transfer target, with the Danish centre-back set to leave Barcelona when his contract expires on 30 June.

According to Mundo Deportivo, via MilanNews24, the Dane would arrive at no transfer cost, allowing Milan to redirect their budget elsewhere, an appealing prospect for a club currently operating without a sporting director, coach or clear transfer strategy.

Christensen brings considerable experience from spells in the Premier League with Chelsea and La Liga with Barcelona, and his leadership qualities in defence are well regarded.

A further factor in his favour is his relationship with Ralf Rangnick, who remains in discussions with Milan over a potential director of football role, the two are understood to hold each other in high mutual esteem, which could accelerate any move should Rangnick’s appointment be confirmed.

Verbal Barcelona renewal agreement and wage demands complicate Christensen pursuit

The obstacles, however, are significant. Christensen is understood to have a verbal agreement in place to renew with Barcelona, who are actively pushing to retain the defender despite his contract expiry.

His age, 30, also sits awkwardly against Milan‘s stated desire to build a younger, more dynamic squad.

His wage demands of approximately €3-4 million per season would also represent a considerable commitment for a club already mindful of its salary structure amid a period of significant financial and leadership uncertainty.

Juventus have flatly rejected an approach from Arsenal for Kenan Yildiz, informing the Premier League champions in no uncertain terms that the 21-year-old Turkish international is not available at any price this summer.

According to The Athletic, Arsenal made contact with Juventus as part of their search for a new left winger, with Yildiz identified as a potential solution following uncertainty over the futures of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

The response from Turin was immediate and unambiguous, Yildiz is not for sale, and Arsenal have consequently shifted their attention to other targets.

Yildiz set for World Cup showcase as Juventus protect prized asset despite transfer pressure

The approach is a clear indication of just how highly the player is regarded across European football following a breakthrough season in which he established himself as one of the continent’s most exciting young forwards.

Juventus moved to protect their investment by securing him on a new contract earlier this year, and despite the financial pressures of missing out on Champions League football, the club have drawn a firm line over their most prized asset.

Yildiz will now head to the World Cup with Turkey, where a strong tournament could intensify interest further, but Juventus’s position appears unlikely to soften regardless of what the summer brings.

Napoli face a defining decision over the future of Antonio Vergara, with the 23-year-old midfielder attracting significant interest from clubs across Italy and England as his valuation rockets to at least €30 million following an impressive season under Antonio Conte.

The question internally is straightforward but far from easy to answer, commit to Vergara as a cornerstone of the new project, or cash in on a substantial profit while the market is at its peak.

His technical quality and personality in training have convinced the club of his potential, but the level of external interest is making that decision increasingly difficult to defer, according to reports from Sportmediaset, via TuttoMercatoWeb.

Spurs, Atalanta and Roma join Como in race for Vergara

In Serie A, Como have been the most prominently linked club, but as per the reports, both Atalanta and Roma have also made multiple enquiries to monitor his development.

The interest extends beyond Italy’s borders, with Tottenham understood to have placed Vergara on their list of priority young targets, and further Premier League clubs are expected to enter the race in the coming weeks.

For Napoli, the situation is a familiar but uncomfortable one.

Developing talent only to face pressure to sell at the peak of their value is a cycle the club know well, and with a new coach yet to be officially confirmed, the decision over Vergara may ultimately hinge on who takes the dugout and whether they see him as central to their plans.

Arsenal are looking to bring in a left-winger this summer, and they have identified Kenan Yildiz as a target.

The 21-year-old Turkish International has been exceptional for Juventus, and he is regarded as one of the finest young attacking players in the world. He has all the attributes to develop into a superstar, and Arsenal are hoping to sign him.

Yildiz has been likened to legends like Alessandro Del Piero and Michael Laudrup.

According to a report from The Athletic, Arsenal have already made an enquiry about signing the Juventus attacker, but have been told the player is not for sale. They are now looking at other potential options.

They have used Leandro Trossard as the left-winger this past season, but they need to bring in an upgrade. The Belgian has been very useful for them, but Arsenal need to aim higher if they want to dominate English football. They have Gabriel Martinelli at their disposal, but the Brazilian can be quite inconsistent.

It will be interesting to see if they can bring in a quality wide player in the coming weeks. Yildiz has 21 goal contributions this past season.

Meanwhile, Yildiz has all the tools to develop into a future superstar, and it is no surprise that top clubs are interested in him. Any club hoping to sign the player will have to pay well over the odds in the near future.

Juventus will not want to lose a player like him. They have not been able to fight for major trophies in recent years, and they will feel that the Turkish International could help them get back to the top of Italian football.

It will be interesting to see if Arsenal decide to return for the attacker in future.

The post Arsenal make enquiry for 21-G/A sensation likened to Del Piero and Laudrup appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing the PSG defender Emmanuel Mbemba during the summer transfer window.

According to a report from The Athletic, the club has discussed a move for the 18-year-old defender internally. He will be out of contract soon and can leave for a nominal fee. However, the French youth International could command substantial wages. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal is prepared to pay up.

The 18-year-old is highly rated across France, and he has a bright future. He could develop into an important player for Arsenal in the long-term. Arsenal have focused on signing talented young defenders under Mikel Arteta, and it is no surprise that they are keen on the 18-year-old.

Mbemba could be attracted to the idea of joining a big club like Arsenal. However, he needs regular opportunities to continue his development. Game time will be difficult to come by at Arsenal, and perhaps a loan move would be ideal for him if the Gunners do end up signing him. It remains to be seen how the situation develops.

Arsenal will be looking to dominate English football in the coming seasons, and they need to build for the future. Investing in young talent would be a wise decision.

PSG will not want to lose a talented player like him, but they are powerless to prevent him from leaving due to his contract situation. It remains to be seen whether they try to convince the player to sign a new deal with them.

Mbemba needs to sort out his future quickly so that he can focus on his football once again. The move to Arsenal would certainly be an exciting opportunity.

The post PSG set to lose prized defender as Arsenal weigh up summer move appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Manchester United are looking to add more depth to the goalkeeping department, and they have identified Sam Johnstone as a target.

The 33-year-old came through the ranks at Manchester United before leaving the club for regular opportunities, and the Athletic reports that the Red Devils want to bring him back. He is unlikely to be a regular starter for them, and he would be a backup option to Senne Lammens.

The Belgian has done quite well since joining Manchester United, but he needs more support. Adding an experienced goalkeeper as a backup option could be a wise decision. Manchester United are expected to sell Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir in the summer, and they will need to replace both players.

The opportunity to return to his boyhood club could be exciting for Johnstone. It remains to be seen whether he is prepared to accept the role of a squad player at Manchester United.

At his age, it will be difficult for him to hold down a starting spot at a Premier League club. It will be interesting to see whether he decides to stay at Wolves and play regularly.

The 33-year-old knows the club well, and he will be available for a nominal investment. The deal could be ideal for Manchester United if they can get it across the line.

Manchester United have secured Champions League qualification for the upcoming campaign, and they need a deeper, higher-quality squad. It is no surprise that they are looking to add more experience to the team. Johnstone has been hailed as “sensational” by Gary Lineker in the past.

They have been linked with multiple players over the last few weeks, and it remains to be seen whether they can sign the right players before the new season begins. They will be hoping to do well in the UEFA Champions League next season and close the gap with Arsenal and Manchester City.

The post Man United hatch transfer plan to bring “sensational” player back to the club appeared first on CaughtOffside.

TIME released its list of the 100 most influential sports figures, with luminaries such as LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani and Lionel Messi headlining the club. With that said, college sports was also represented by some high-performing individuals.

Indiana Hoosiers football coach Curt Cignetti made the cut, with TIME highlighting his journey from being hired at Indiana to his leadership during the program's national championship victory a few months ago.

Not to be forgotten was former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who led the nation in touchdown passes this past season. TIME noted that Mendoza led the Hoosiers to the first 16-win season in college football since 1894, while also mentioning his charitable efforts off the field.

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Another college athlete who made the list was Texas Tech softball superstar NiJaree Canady. TIME mentioned the lucrative NIL package she received from the Red Raiders, and discussed the accomplishments that have made her well worth the investment. Canady pitched a perfect game on senior day, perhaps putting the perfect regular season cap to an all-time collegiate softball career.

Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.

This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: College sports trio included in TIME's 100 most influential figures

The speculation over who Real Madrid President Florentino Perez will make a blockbuster move for continues, with no clear indication over whether it has indeed been sent, or who for. Last Thursday, Perez said he would be sending a €150m bid for a player on Tuesday.

Perez would not reveal who that player was, but promised an attempt to break the Real Madrid transfer record. Last week it was reported that Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise was the priority, but Paris Saint-Germain duo Vitinha and Joao Neves were alternatives. Yet it has been noted publicly in Bayern’s case, and privately in PSG’s, that none of the three stars are for sale, for €150m or more. In recent days, it has also been suggested that Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez could be the subject of their pursuit.

Atletico Madrid laugh off Real Madrid links

Image via Reuters

Given Alvarez is Barcelona’s preferred target for the number nine spot, it would certainly be something of a coup if Perez was able to pull the deal off. There may also have been a degree of people putting two and two together, as a number of reports have suggested that Los Colchoneros would consider selling Alvarez for €150m. Cadena SER say that so far they have heard nothing from Real Madrid, but that they have been laughing at the idea of Alvarez signing for Los Blancos, and that even if they did arrive with a bit, it would not be listened to.

Alvarez clause may not be €500m for everyone

Image via Getty Images.

One of the main reasons Atletico have felt as if they are in a position of strength is that the Argentina international has a €500m release clause. With little chance of that being activated, and Alvarez under contract until 2029, there is little danger of them being strongarmed into an agreement. Yet Ben Jacobs has suggested to GMS that certain Champions League clubs are able to sign Alvarez for a number less than the €150m negotiation point that has been suggested.

Lucas Chevalier is going to be a target for a few teams this summer, which could help out PSG if they look to sell him right away.

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Lucas Chevalier has had quite the year. He signed for PSG last summer as one of the most in demand young goalkeepers in Europe. But a poor start to the season saw him eventually lose his place, and now the Parisians are apparently keen to sell him.

Chevalier ready to move on, multiple teams interested

We’ve hard a few rumours as the months have gone by – now they’re getting serious. Tanzi Loic of L’Equipe has today put a few names out there.

He says that Besiktas have made strong enquiries, and also notes that Tottenham have been linked too.

It’s an interesting position for PSG to be in. It’s hard to see them getting their money back, and a loan that allows Chevalier to find some form and improve his standing could be the smart one, long term.

There are certainly no cash flow issues at the Parc des Princes, so the club are in a good position to gamble rather than cut their losses right away.

In other news…

Mateus Fernandes is attracting a lot of attention from top clubs this summer, and PSG have started to be put in that same bracket. We’re not yet sure how serious the interest is.

PSG are looking to sell playing including Randal Kolo Muani this summer, but are in no hurry to get rid of the striker.

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Rookie running back Emmett Johnson is expected to develop into a top contributor for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Johnson excelled with the Nebraska Cornhuskers last year before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. During his standout junior campaign in Lincoln, Johnson led the Big Ten in rushing yards with 1,451 and scored 12 rushing touchdowns.

The 22-year-old became accustomed to receiving a heavy workload in his final season with the Cornhuskers, receiving a conference-leading 251 carries in 2025.

Being able to hone his craft under Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will serve Johnson well — potentially enabling him to become faster, stronger, and more skilled at maneuvering his way through Kansas City's new-look offensive line.

Johnson's raw talent should help him earn a valuable role behind Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and might also aid his effort to supplant veteran Kareem Hunt as the Chiefs' No. 2 option in the ground game.

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs rumors: Here's how Emmett Johnson might fit in Chiefs' offense

The atmosphere surrounding the New York Knicks' first home game in the NBA Finals since 1999 was always going to be crazy.

Throw in an appearance by President Donald Trump and the usual celebrities who've publicly supported the Knicks for years and you have a recipe for complete chaos.

Not surprisingly, a planned public watch party outside Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the Finals was abruptly canceled for security reasons, depriving fans who couldn't afford the sky-high ticket prices of a chance to get as close as possible to the action.

But with Trump unlikely to attend Game 4 on Wednesday, June 10, will the watch parties return in full force?

More: Did Trump fall asleep at NBA Finals? Clips spark online debate

Will NYC have watch parties for Game 4?

The answer is most likely, yes.

Several watch parties officially sanctioned by the NBA did take place for Game 3, including ones at Central Park, Bryant Park and the Brooklyn Bowl. However, things did turn violent as fights broke out at the Bryant Park location, resulting in 21 arrests.

Still, with the overwhelming community support for the Knicks, watch parties will likely continue for every Finals game remaining both home and away, including the return of one outside Madison Square Garden.

The NBA has a dedicated web page for Finals watch parties. As of Tuesday morning, the information for Game 3 has all been deleted and replaced with "Check back soon for upcoming information on Game 4 Watch Parties!"

This information will be updated.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA Finals watch parties in New York likely to continue for Game 4

DETROIT (AP) — The next Rocket Classic will be the last.

“After nearly 13 years as a PGA Tour title sponsor, including eight years in Detroit, 2026 will mark the final Rocket Classic,” tournament director Mark Hollis announced Tuesday. “We are incredibly proud of what this tournament has meant to the city, from creating unforgettable moments for fans to raising more than $10 million for local organizations.”

Aldrich Potgieter will be the defending champion on July 30 when the final tournament begins at Detroit Golf Club. Cam Davis is a two-time Rocket Classic champion and Bryson DeChambeau is among the previous winners at the tournament.

Rocket Mortgage drew the world's top golf circuit back to Michigan in 2019, replacing the Quicken Loans National that had been run by the Tiger Woods Foundation in the Washington, D.C., area.

It gave the state a PGA Tour stop for the first time since Woods won the 2009 Buick Open at Warwick Hills, but the Detroit-based mortgage company doesn't seem to be interested in being part of the next era of golf.

The PGA Tour is moving to a new model for 2028 at the earliest with two tracks of tournaments, including one with elevated events that will have larger purses for the better players. The Rocket Classic has never been able to attract a star-filled field to the Motor City as it has moved around on the calendar, often squeezed between majors or after the majors and before the FedEx Cup playoffs.

“What you are going to see is an elevation of tournaments," Brian Rolapp, the new CEO at the PGA Tour, said last week. "I think what we have found as we’ve talked to sponsors both for Track 1 and Track 2, there’s a lot of demand for both. And the price points will be different.

"The bigger events, not everyone can afford and may not be sort of consistent with their business goals. That’s great. There’s other price points too for it, and I think there’s plenty of demand for both Track 1 and Track 2 in that regard because there’s definitely people who want to invest different amounts in these events.”

___

AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson contributed.

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

It's been more than 30 years since the United States hosted a World Cup. This summer, it will do so as part of a joint effort with Canada and Mexico.

In the lead-up to the tournament, there have been several issues to contend with including geopolitical tensions,anger over visa restrictions, and expensive tickets.

But there is also the matter of whether the US is prepared and able to handle the pressure of co-hosting what many see as the biggest global sporting event.

Brazil's national team have set up camp at the Red Bull training facility in Morristown, New Jersey.

As they run through drills, excited fans catch a rare glimpse of their favourite players in the flesh, and some are rewarded with autographs and photos.

Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha tells the BBC the fans have been amazing and, so far, it's off to a good start. He compliments the facility, the pitch and everything else, including the weather, which reminds him of Brazil.

"The only thing... it's called football, not soccer," he jokingly tells the BBC.

But for local fans, the excitement is tempered by fears that traffic - already congested in this region - will wreak havoc.

Brazilian-American Vivi de Castro says ticket holders could arrive late or miss matches if they don't plan correctly, as she found out during a March friendly between Brazil and France in Boston.

"We had pitchside access and we missed it, which sucks, because of how much traffic there was," she told the BBC. "People walking were getting there quicker than our bus that we had."

Across New York and New Jersey's motorways and tunnels, signs warn that traffic will be more congested than usual, and to check for advisories. At transit hubs, posters warn that streets and trains will be much busier this summer and to "know before you go".

The city is designating each matchday a 'gridlock alert day' to discourage unnecessary driving and will have dedicated travel corridors. New York is also deploying more than 100 staff throughout midtown to manage traffic operations, and public transport has also been modified to handle extra commuters.

At Brooklyn's Prospect Park, several young players from the SC Gjøa Soccer club told the BBC they were lucky enough to secure tickets to the tournament.

Goalkeeper Baxter Rowland is attending two matches - one with his family and the other with a group of friends who have chartered a bus.

But it turns out getting tickets was only the first battle. His mother, Alice Baxter, has decided to drive to the first game. She says she's been researching and is worried about the traffic getting to the stadium, parking and then leaving.

"I think it's going to be a little bit stressful, and I think it might be difficult for the first few games, at least," she says. "Hopefully it'll get better and they'll work out the kinks, especially with the final here in New Jersey and New York."

Similarly, Dennis Wyrwoll is excited he is able to take his 10-year-old son Nicholas to four matches, but has already accepted that getting there is going to be more painful than it was the last time the US hosted.

"I was here in 1994, when we had the last World Cup, and at that point, nobody knew anything about football," he told the BBC. "It was easy to get tickets. I think this time around, there's lot of excitement in New York but I'm curious to see how it builds outside of the big cities where there aren't as many soccer fans."

The beautiful game may have a smaller footprint in the United States, but the public interest has been growing over the years.

Coach Kaha Tavadze says that in the past year, the club has had triple the amount of players joining and trying out, and believes that's directly due to the World Cup being hosted here. He says children now follow the sport more closely, know every player and wear their favourite team's jersey.

This World Cup could even inspire some to dream of going professional, he suggested. "Watching live games, especially at that level, will change their mindset," he said.

Other families are hoping they'll be able to find last-minute tickets. Shantay Armstrong's seven-year-old son has been playing football with the club for five years and really wants to go. She recently tried the raffle for affordable tickets offered by New York, but says within minutes the website said the raffle was closed for any more submissions.

"It's almost heartbreaking that there's like a lack of accessibility for people who can't afford to go," she told the BBC. "I wanted to give him that opportunity, but that lack of opportunity makes me feel locked out, and almost like... we're here but we're not here."

Officials are hosting free fan zones where those without tickets can join in on the experience.

But there's also a push to get residents and visitors into local businesses in the hope they too will benefit from Fifa's financial windfall.

Enda Keenan owns Legends Bar - across from the Empire State Building and the home bar to many overseas clubs. He believes New York businesses will see a massive boost and has had to turn down business, including from Fifa.

"My son Evan had a meeting with one of the officials from New York, New Jersey Fifa," he said. "A lady came in to see in what way we could help. I said we can't help ourselves it's going to be so crazy. We'd love to help, but there's nothing we can do."

For the Champions League final, Legends had 1,300 people inside the bar and another 700 outside, where they had set up an 85in television and sold beers right on the sidewalk. They sent the overflow of customers to five other nearby bars.

With approximately 1.2 million visitors expected to travel to the New York, New Jersey region during the World Cup, Keenan anticipates it being even busier, saying it's a "different level altogether".

Whether the US is ready, or not, will be quickly apparent.

• Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor game
• World Cup fixtures and group standings
• How to watch the World Cup on the BBC
• Everything you need to know about the World Cup

It’s hard to miss the vibes around the Cincinnati Bengals right now. 

The Bengals are all-in and the moves by the front office have helped create the new energy. 

It also helps that there aren’t any major contract standoffs right now. Cornerback DJ Turner is the exception, but he’s in town and saying some notable things. 

“It’s definitely a good vibe right now,” Turner told Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “We did add a whole bunch of players on our side of the ball and it’s just exciting, honestly. Everybody wants to win. I was the last one here. This was my second day and I could tell everybody was just on the same page, wanting to work, wanting to win. That’s what it all comes down to — those two things.”

One year ago? 

Trey Hendrickson was in street clothes on the sideline giving an interview about his standoff while his teammates practiced behind him. 

Shemar Stewart, a rookie, was in the locker room bashing the front office before leaving. 

Now?

Hendrickson is gone, Stewart got his contract standoff ironed out and the Bengals have done things like trade for Dexter Lawrence. 

Make no mistake, there’s still time for things between the Bengals and Turner to go south. But given how the Bengals have moved this offseason and comments and attendance from Turner himself, there’s no reason to think a repeat of last year is on the way.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals’ DJ Turner’s telling comments about state of team

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen will be a founding owner in the WTGL with a team representing New York in the women’s team golf league that premieres this fall.

Launched in partnership with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the WTGL's New York team will be owned and managed by Cohen and Cohen Private Ventures (CPV), which oversees the family office activities for Cohen and his family. The CPV’s portfolio of sports investments also includes TGL’s New York Golf Club, PGA TOUR Enterprises and the Mets.

“We’re excited to be a founding team in WTGL at a moment when women’s golf is growing in visibility,” Cohen said in a statement. “TGL has been a real success. It’s fast-paced, tech-forward, and competitive. It connects more fans with the sport. We think WTGL can do the same for women’s golf, bringing the game to a broader audience and expanding its reach. We’re proud to build out a world-class women’s team that represents the best of New York.”

More: Aryna Sabalenka, Diana Taurasi among women's sports stars investing in WTGL

More: Nelly Korda calls keeping women out of TGL 'huge and unbelievable' miss

Cohen's TGL team, New York Golf Club, made the finals the first season, before being swept by Atlanta. But the team consisting of Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick failed to make the second season's playoffs earlier this year.

WTGL previously announced Arthur M. Blank and Alexis Ohanian to head its first two ownership groups. Blank owns the Atlanta TGL franchise and Ohanian's Los Angeles Golf Club won last year's TGL championship. They have been joined by Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures as the league’s lead capital partner.

WTGL’s current roster includes 14 committed players: Celine Boutier, Brooke Henderson, CharleyHull, Danielle Kang, Megan Khang, Lydia Ko, Andrea Lee, Minjee Lee, Jeeno Thitikul, Lexi Thompson, AlbaneValenzuela, Michelle Wie West, Lottie Woad and Rose Zhang. The group includes five of the current top 11players in the world and has combined for 95 LPGA Tour victories. More players are expected to be added asthe inaugural WTGL season approaches.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mets owner Steve Cohen will have New York team in first-year WTGL

In comparison to other NBA stars, former Duke alum Jayson Tatum is non-controversial. However, due to his success and the polarizing teams he's played for during his career, he receives a lot of hate from NBA and college basketball fans.

In a recent hate map made by RotoWire, Tatum was surprisingly named the second-most hated NBA player in the country behind Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.

Tatum was named the most hated player in 13 states, including North Carolina, where he played his college basketball. But this isn't because of Tatum's antics on the court. The former 2024 NBA champion is rarely involved in scuffles and, for comparison, has amassed less than half of Green's career total in technical fouls. But, due to his time with the Blue Devils and Celtics in addition to his success on the biggest stages, many opposing fans have grown to dislike the six-time All-Star.

This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum receives shocking distinction

Pat McAfee may soon become the king of sports media on ESPN. According to a recent report from Evan Sidery on X via The Athletic, ESPN and McAfee are currently negotiating a new contract that would reportedly pay him an astonishing $65 million per year. If the deal is finalized at that figure, McAfee would earn more annually than any active NBA player, a staggering development that highlights just how valuable top-tier sports media talent has become. The potential agreement has quickly become one of the most talked-about stories in the sports world.

MORE: President Donald Trump fires back at Stephen A. Smith following Knicks loss

McAfee’s Value To ESPN Is Clear

Whether viewers love his show or can’t stand it, there is no denying McAfee’s impact. Since joining ESPN, his daily program has consistently generated strong ratings, massive social media engagement, and viral moments that often dominate sports conversations. His unique style, which blends traditional sports coverage with entertainment and humor, has helped him build one of the most loyal audiences in the industry.

In an increasingly competitive media landscape, attracting viewers is more important than ever, and McAfee has proven he can do exactly that. That kind of audience appeal is difficult to find and even harder to replace.

Fans Question ESPN’s Priorities

While the reported contract number is certainly eye-catching, it has also generated criticism from some sports fans. ESPN has laid off hundreds of employees throughout 2026 as part of the company’s ongoing restructuring efforts. Because of that, some observers have questioned how the network can justify committing $65 million annually to a single personality and his show while simultaneously reducing its workforce.

The optics of the situation have sparked heated debate across social media platforms, with many fans expressing frustration over the apparent contrast between budget cuts and a potentially record-breaking media contract.

Ratings Drive Everything

At the end of the day, sports media remains a business driven by viewership, engagement, and revenue. McAfee consistently delivers all three. Networks are willing to invest heavily in personalities who can attract audiences, create buzz, and keep viewers engaged on a daily basis. That reality is why top broadcasters and media figures continue to command increasingly massive contracts.

If the reported deal is completed, McAfee will not only solidify himself as one of the biggest names in sports media but also set a new standard for what elite talent can earn in the industry. Love him or hate him, ESPN appears prepared to pay a premium to keep him on its airwaves for years to come.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

Filming a reality TV show with Jon Jones has changed Daniel Cormier's mind about him.

Cormier and Jones served as coaches on ALF Global's "Alf Reality" series, a Russian spinoff to the UFC's "The Ultimate Fighter." The former UFC arch-rivals spent weeks together in Thailand, which allowed Cormier to see a different side of Jones.

Cormier lost twice to Jones in UFC title fights, with their rematch being overturned to a no contest after Jones tested positive for a banned substance.

"After spending that time with Jones over there in Thailand, honestly he annoys me still, but he's not as bad as I originally thought," Cormier said on his YouTube channel. "Because when you're around someone with that amount of time, obviously you grow and you learn more about them.

"I saw the video of him saying how stuffy I was and how horrible I treat the people around me, which isn't true. But even me, with all the history, I still can tell you straight up that he ain't what he was before to me. I don’t have the level of dislike for him that I had maybe in the past.”

Cormier does take solace in beating Jones' team in the reality show and considers that a victory over him.

"We were able to work alongside each other cordially and get the show done, which just wrapped very recently, which the result was I had both guys in the finals, and my guy beat Jones' guys," Cormier said. "And then I coached the guy to win the whole competition. So reality is, in that area, I already won, OK?

"When you see two guys that have been at each other's throats for so long, you start to wonder other ways they can compete. But remember: Jones beat me in the fight. Everything we have done since, I have beaten him in. I beat him in the soccer game, I beat him in the coaching."

The ALF brass and RAF are interested in having Cormier and Jones compete again but on the mats. While Cormier is confident he would beat Jones 10-0, he explains why he isn't too interested in a submission only match.

"If you're going to pay me seven figures to wrestle against Jon Jones, I'm in," Cormier said. "But if you're going to tell me that you want to compete against me but only in something where you don't run the risk of losing? Because I'll tell you this right now: I probably will not submit Jon Jones. I don't believe I can.

"I know his body style, and he's a good grappler. He's a world champion. He's tremendous. But I do know that if I get him on the ground, and I have to ride him and control him, I can do that. But if I take him down and I ride him and control him for eight minutes, and then we get up and they pick up both of our hands, then what's the point?"

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: How reality show changed Daniel Cormier's outlook on Jon Jones

The Miami Dolphins overhauled their wide receiver room this offseason, moving on from Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and replacing them with Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, Terrace Marshall Jr., Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr.

While the group catching passes from Malik Willis in 2026 will look very different than those who caught passes from Quinn Ewers to end the 2025, there's belief that at least one holdover can have a career year.

On Tuesday, CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan identified Malik Washington as an under-the-radar breakout candidate for the Dolphins this year.

“Washington was third on the team in targets (65) and receptions (46), and fourth in receiving yards (317) last season… it's conceivable that Washington becomes the No. 1 target in this receiver room and puts up career numbers across the board,” Sullivan wrote.

Washington has been a weapon on special teams, averaging 10.4 yards per punt return and 27.9 yards per kick return in two years while taking one punt return back for a touchdown.

This could be the year that Washington takes his offensive game to the next level, as he's the longest tenured wide receiver in the room and has the experience working with new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.

More Dolphins: Legendary Dolphins RB reveals eye-popping fact about his best season

This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Young Dolphins WR picked as under-the-radar breakout candidate in 2026

The Boston Celtics are working out prospects projected to go anywhere from the late lottery to out of the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft this offseason, and SMU guard Jaron Pierre Jr. is among them. a 6-foot-5 super senior out of New Orleans, Lousiana, Pierre is a likely trade-back option for Boston, with the 185-lb. guard being projected to go late in the second to out of the draft altogether.

At SMU, he put up 17.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field overall, 37.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 75.8 percent from the free throw line.

The folks behind the "ACC Digitial Network" YouTube channel put together a clip of his best plays for us to watch later. Check it out below!

Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:

Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp

iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47

YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics 2026 NBA Draft interviewee Jaron Pierre Jr. 2025-26 NCAA highlights

The Minnesota Wild signed center Michael McCarron to a six-year, $20 million contract on Tuesday, taking one of their impending free agents off the market after his productive arrival following a midseason trade.

The 31-year-old McCarron played in 20 regular-season games for the Wild after he was acquired from the Nashville Predators for a 2028 second-round draft pick on March 3. The 6-foot-6 McCarron had his best NHL season between Nashville and Minnesota in 2025-26, setting career highs with 109 shots on goal, 205 hits and 77 blocked shots. He had two goals, two assists, 27 hits and a team-leading 14 blocked shots over 11 games for the Wild in the playoffs. He also won 54.5% of his faceoffs.

Drafted in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens in 2013, the late-blooming McCarron made $900,000 this season on his expiring contract. The new deal through the 2031-32 season will carry an annual average value against the salary cap of $3.33 million.

___

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

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is arriving and it won’t be cheap.

With many fans experiencing sticker shock at $1,000 tickets, watching a game in the stadium may not be as realistic as a table at a pub somewhere near the match.

More: Texas to host 4 teams for 2026 World Cup training

Most every sports bar in America is going to go all-out for the World Cup; the matches will be easy to find on any bar TV, but for soccer fans, finding a bar dedicated to hosting soccer watch parties year-round- pubs that often open at 6 a.m. for random English Premier League games- adds to the experience.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Houston have plenty of those. Here is a sample.

More: Who is going to be the best dressed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Dallas-Fort Worth soccer bars

• Harwood Arms (Uptown Dallas). 2823 Mckinnon St., Suite 100, Dallas
• The Londoner (Addison). 14930 Midway Road, Addison.
• The Old Monk (Henderson Ave. Dallas). 2847 N Henderson Ave., Dallas
• Upper 90 on College (Fort Worth, Near Southside). 961 W Magnolia Ave.
• The Rabbit Hole Pub (Cultural District). 3237 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth
• Rogers Roundhouse (University Park Village). 1616 Rogers Road, Fort Worth
• Texas Live (Arlington).1650 E Randol Mill Road, Arlington
• The Derbyshire (Frisco). 6142 Frisco Square Blvd., Frisco

Houston soccer bars

• Pitch 25 (EaDo). 2120 Walker St., Houston
• Social Beer Garden HTX (Midtown). 3101 San Jacinto St., Houston
• Pimlico Irish Pub (River Oaks). 810 Waugh Drive, Houston.
• R Bar (Downtown). 1302 Houston Ave., Houston.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached, bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Cup 2026: Texas bars offer cheaper game-day viewing

Ali Krieger is "retired" in the lightest sense of the word. When we hop on a Zoom call just a week before the men's FIFA World Cup, she just put the finishing touches on her new garage gym and is gearing up for a 3v3 tournament during the games.

It's the athlete in her. At 41, the two time women's FIFA world cup champ wouldn't dream of stepping away from the sport entirely. "I still play pickup. I was just playing in Soccer Aid this past weekend," she tell Popsugar, while detailing her latest partnership with Fairlife Core Power. While no longer a member of an NWSL or women's national team, soccer and exercise is still very much top of mind for Krieger.

She's still in the gym two days a week, prioritizing strength training, taking regular Pilates classes, and running weekly — although she's cut back significantly from her pro days on the pitch. "I run like once a week and no more than like 15 minutes. You can't pay me out to run anymore," Krieger jokes. As for the strength training, that's motivated by her two kids, ages 3 and 5, who she's often chasing around. "I still want to be fit enough to do that and to have the energy to do that," Krieger adds.

On the other days of the week, she's focused on recovery (the Core Power vanilla protein shake is a go-to) and Pilates. The latter, Krieger swears could have extended her career if she started it sooner: "I wish I would have started [Pilates] way before I retired, because I think I would have lasted a little bit longer."

Still, she finds life as a spectator (and professional broadcaster) wildly rewarding, especially in these next two years with the women's World Cup set for 2027 and the men's tournament just days away.

"It's the biggest and best tournament in the world, coming to our backyard," she says. Her biggest hope for the games? A chance for unity. Krieger believes we could use something big to bring us together with "everything that we're going through politically in the world right now, and then more specifically within our own country."

"Having a team to cheer for and root for, but also feel like we're really a part of a family" — that's what Krieger's looking forward to the most. "I love that football can do that for people. I love that this beautiful game that I really enjoy and I'm so passionate about can bring people from all over the world together in one place to just have a moment of excitement and joy, because that's exactly what we need right now."

For Krieger, soccer has always been more than just a game; it's been a vehicle for change. She was one of the original 22 US Women's National Team players allocated to the NWSL for its inaugural season in 2013 and played professionally until retiring in 2023. She's witnessed the gender resource discrepancy first hand — from the stadiums they'd practice in to the checks they'd receive. Krieger was also a member of the USWNT during its landmark equal pay complaint filed against the US Soccer Federation, which ultimately led to a $24 million dollar settlement and the collective bargaining agreement in place today guaranteeing equal pay for the women's and men's US soccer teams through December 2028. "Out of all the championships and all the games we would win and the tournaments that we would play in — fighting for equal pay, I would say, that that is the most rewarding and proud moment," she says.

"I don't think [the younger players] would ever understand what we went and believe those stories that we have," Krieger adds, "but all of that has been so rewarding and worth it now and that's the way it's supposed to be."

Today, people are investing in women's sports like never before. "Globally, around $4 billion in equity assets under management (AUM) is now allocated to women‑focused investment mandates, 2.4 times the level in 2019," according to 2026 BofA Global Research. And the investment is paying off: women's sports revenues in the US were estimated to grow 250 percent (to $2.5 billion) between 2024 and 2030 (and that's on the conservative end), per McKinsey analysis mentioned in the BofA report.

As we head into World Cup season, Krieger is highly optimistic about the potential growth that could take place within the world of women's soccer. "If you're not invested now, you're going to be missing out on the future."

• What's Next in Activewear? We Asked the Co-Founder of Fabletics

Alexis Jones is the section lead of the health and fitness verticals at Popsugar, overseeing coverage across the website, social media, and newsletters. In her seven-plus years of editorial experience, Alexis has developed passions for and expertise in mental health, women's health and fitness, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, and chronic conditions. Prior to joining PS, she was the senior editor at Health magazine. Her other bylines can be found at Women's Health, Prevention, Marie Claire, and more.

Kings trade rumor should be of interest to Warriors, Lakers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers are facing the same problem heading into the offseason: their frontcourts are far from stable. 

Considering Kristaps Porzingis is one of the most injury-prone big men in the league (which he further proved this year by only appearing in 32 contests with the Warriors and Atlanta Hawks), re-signing him wouldn’t be the safest option for the franchise this summer. 

Regarding the Lakers, the 17-time NBA champions didn’t get the production they wanted from Deandre Ayton this year, and Jaxson Hayes isn’t a starting-caliber NBA center. The good news for both franchises is that Sacramento Kings’ standout forward Domantas Sabonis could be available this season, according to the Stein Line’s Jake Fischer.

“As for Sabonis, the Kings' former All-Star center is another name, behind (Giannis) Antetokounmpo and Memphis' Ja Morant, that league executives are projecting to be made available once again as part of this summer's trade landscape,” Fischer wrote Saturday. 

“Sacramento is known to be looking to shed some significant salary if it can this offseason and seems likely to field more interest in Sabonis than other veterans.”

Sabonis didn’t have the 2025-26 season he likely hoped for. The Gonzaga product was limited to 19 contests due to a torn meniscus, making it nearly impossible for him to develop a rhythm in Year 11. 

Sabonis’ track record makes it easy to envision contenders expressing interest in him this summer, though, as he’s averaged a double-double for eight straight seasons, has a knack for finishing through contact in the open floor, and recently turned the corner as a perimeter shooter (he shot 37.3% from beyond the arc in 2022-23, 37.9% in 2023-24, and 41.7% in 2024-25). 

If the Warriors and Lakers are looking for a high-profile big man who could give them their desired comfort, Sabonis could certainly be that guy.

More NBA news:

• Rockets predicted to swap ex-Lakers disgruntled forward for $285 million Celtics star

• Lakers rumor is good news for Luka Doncic, bad news for LeBron James

• Lakers predicted to cut ties with Dalton Knecht, acquire $175 million two-time MVP

As AJ Dybantsa attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals Monday night in New York City, he saw something more than just the Spurs beating the Knicks.

He saw an opportunity for himself.

After having previously not won a playoff series since 2017, the Spurs now find themselves three wins away from a championship, largely thanks to their third-year phenom Victor Wembanyama.

“(Having playoff success) won’t take that long, especially with my adaptability and my work ethic. I think that will be, I’m not going to say easy, but pretty similar to what (the Spurs) do in terms of the forecast.”

former BYU star AJ Dybantsa

The 7-foot-4 center known as “Wemby” has dominated in his first taste of the postseason, averaging 24.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 50% from the field and 36% from 3-point range.

Just three years ago, Wembanyama was drafted No. 1 overall by the Spurs. This year’s NBA draft is now just 14 days away, with Dybantsa widely projected to be the top selection.

Dybantsa has observed Wembanyama’s efforts in elevating the Spurs from mediocrity to title contention, and he believes he can make similar magic happen when he reaches the NBA.

“(Having playoff success) won’t take that long, especially with my adaptability and my work ethic,” Dybantsa told Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. “I think that will be, I’m not going to say easy, but pretty similar to what (the Spurs) do in terms of the forecast.”

While historically one of the NBA’s strongest franchises, the Spurs had endured six consecutive losing seasons prior to this current campaign. Wembanyama’s heroics have been joined by a number of other rising talents, including rookie Dylan Harper and former No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle.

Should the Washington Wizards take Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick, the BYU star’s path to playoff glory will be a bit more complicated, at least from a historical standpoint.

Washington hasn’t had a winning season since 2018, nor has it won at least 50 games since 1979. The Wizards currently boast the longest conference finals drought of any American sports team (47 years) and just led the NBA in losses.

But better days appear to be on the horizon in D.C., as recent first-rounders Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Will Riley and Kyshawn George have all shown promising flashes in Washington.

Additionally, the Wizards have traded for future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis and four-time All-Star Trae Young, giving their young core — and potentially Dybantsa — two veteran pillars to lean on and learn from.

“Learning from two All-Stars in my rookie year would be super exciting,” Dybantsa recently told Boston sports anchor Ari Alexander regarding the idea of being teammates with Davis and Young in Washington. “Just gathering that knowledge would be helpful for me.”

As a freshman at BYU, Dybantsa led the nation in scoring with a mark of 25.5 points per game, making 51% of his field goals and posting averages of 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists to earn First Team All-America honors.

While BYU fell to Texas in the NCAA Tournament’s first round, Dybantsa dazzled to the tune of 35 points and 10 rebounds in his brief stay at the Big Dance.

“I think my ability to get in the paint and dish out to my teammates, as well as creating for myself (will translate to the NBA),” Dybantsa said. “So I think I’m just a natural playmaker, meshing myself with others.”

Who will the Sacramento Kings draft in 2026? Lottery luck was once again not on the team’s side, with the club sliding to the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. While the blue-chip prospects will be gone, here are some compelling options who could and will be available for Sacramento.

Let’s dive into our rankings of potential Kings draft targets with the seventh overall pick. For this exercise, we’re focused entirely on guards and we’re focused on realistic targets who have a chance to be available.

1. Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois

We’re putting Keaton Wagler atop our list of Kings draft targets. However, the Illinois Fighting Illini guard is the unlikeliest to be available. Wagler, who turned 19 years old in February, earned second-team All-American honors this past season after averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game for Illinois. Wagler offers fantastic size for a point guard at 6-foot-5 and while he lacks elite athleticism, his processing ability is elite and he excels at spacing the floor. He also offers some added versatility, with experience playing both on and off ball. Below-average athleticism might limit his ceiling, but he could still become a high-end starting point guard.

Related: Kings Looking Into High-Upside 2026 NBA Draft Prospect

2. Mikel Brown Jr, PG, Louisville

Sacramento would be taking a bit of a risk on Mikel Brown Jr. with the seventh overall pick, but his upside might also land him as high as No. 5 overall. He was rated as a 247 Sports’ five-star recruit and the sixth-best player in the 2025 class, but he had a rocky season at Louisville. In the pre-draft process, he measured at 6-foot-5 and paired it with excellent athleticism with no ill effects from the back injury that kept him out of the NCAA Tournament. He is a playmaker, with a feel for the game and court vision and a deadly pull-up jumper. The lingering back injury is a worry and his decision-making is a concern, but there’s All-Star upside here.

Related: Kings GM Met with Family of Top Prospect

3. Kingston Flemings, PG, Houston

The pre-draft process did no favors for Kingston Flemings. Houston listed him at 6-foot-4, but he measured at 6-foot-2.5 inches. NBA teams have reason to be wary about undersized guards, but there is plenty to like about Flemings. The 19-year-old point guard is lightning-quick with the ball in his hands, easily the fastest player in the 2026 NBA Draft class. He receives rave reviews for his work ethic and maturity, which matters for a team that is desperately in need of a new face of the franchise. What should also matter for Sacramento, Flemings is the best defender at guard among the prospects in their range.

Related: 2 Teams Want to Force Kings Into Aggressive Move

4. Darius Acuff Jr., PG, Arkansas

It’s easy to see why the Kings front office is high on All-American guard Darius Acuff Jr. This past season at Arkansas, the freshman ranked seventh nationally in scoring (23.5 PPG) and he shot 48.4 percent from the field while averaging 6.4 assists per game. Offensively, there’s so much to like. Court vision, decision-making, he limits turnovers (2.2 per game), can score from all three levels and he wants to carry the weight of being the leader and star of an NBA franchise. All of that should appeal to Sacramento.

He’s last among our Kings draft targets because of his defense. Not only is Acuff the worst defender in the 2026 NBA Draft class, but the tape and analytics all point to him being one of the worst in the last decade. Great NBA franchises are moving away from smaller guards with significant defensive limitations. Things could work out for the Kings if Acuff is their point guard, but they could easily wind up in the same boat as the Atlanta Hawks did with Trae Young.

Related: Kings Enamored with Top Draft Prospect

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Some fans may have spotted that Djed Spence is wearing a protective mask for England as the Tottenham defender embarks on his first taste of the FIFA World Cup.

The former Nottingham Forest star is having to wear a black strap around his head after a moment he personally described as “crazy” in the penultimate game of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

So, what happened with Djed Spence? Let us take a look.

Djed Spence forced to wear protective mask after “crazy” elbow from Liam Delap

Tottenham suffered a 2-1 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the penultimate game of the Premier League season.

Spence – who Ange Postecoglou liked – was only introduced in the 69th minute as a replacement for Destiny Udogie, but just 18 minutes later, found himself writhing around on the floor in agony after Chelsea No.9 Liam Delap caught him with his elbow.

It was a bizarre challenge considering the Chelsea striker was practically through on goal with only the England international and Antonin Kinsky to beat – the former Manchester City attacker clearly tried to use his body to roll Spence, but got it all wrong.

Fortunately, the incident did not cost the 25-year-old his spot at the World Cup, although he still seems to hold some bitterness towards Delap by branding the challenge a “crazy” one.

BBC Sport quote Spence – who disliked Antonio Conte at Spurs – as saying: “It is a little bit uncomfortable, but it is what it is. I have a broken jaw so I have to wear it throughout the tournament.

“It is something I will have to get used to. It will be three months until it is fully healed, so it is a long time. It was painful, but luckily I play football with my feet and not my jaw so it is all good.

“I have been wearing it in training, getting used to wearing it in the heat, and trying to break it in properly. It was a crazy challenge, but it is in the past now. I’ve just got to focus on this tournament now.”

The Golden State Valkyries made WNBA history in 2025, becoming the league’s first expansion team to finish above .500 (23-21) and make the playoffs in their inaugural season.

In doing so, Golden State changed the blueprint for future expansion teams, proving that it was indeed possible to essentially build a team from scratch and be at least marginally competitive in the same year—a notion that the WNBA’s two newest franchises, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, seem to agree with.

This feat also raised the bar for the Valkyries themselves. Whereas they entered their inaugural season with close to zero expectations, they’re now under a microscope in 2026, with fans and analysts alike wondering if Golden State can repeat its success from last year.

The answer to that question appears to be yes.

The Valkyries (6-5) currently sit at No. 6 in the WNBA standings, having earned key wins against teams like the New York Liberty and Indiana Fever—teams that, if they’re going to be regarded as true contenders, they’ll need to be able to beat consistently.

But such results are no longer pleasant surprises. There’s now an air of confidence surrounding the Valkyries, and they’re playing like a team that knows they’ve truly arrived.

Golden State’s 3-point shooting has been a difference maker

Last season, the Valkyries made a name for themselves as one of the hardest-working teams in the WNBA.

This manifested in their defense; while Golden State, on paper, lacked the shooting and overall offensive skill of the WNBA’s top teams, they were mostly able to make up for it on the other end of the court, out-hustling their opponents more often than not and taking pride in playing a brand of basketball that was a nuisance to match up against.

While the Valkyries have maintained much of that plucky, underdog mentality emphasized by head coach Natalie Nakase, they’ve had a much easier time scoring the ball than they did in 2025. Golden State currently boasts an offensive rating of 110.2, which ranks No. 3 in the WNBA, and they’ve accomplished that via two key avenues.

The first is simple: They’re making their jumpshots.

No WNBA team takes or makes more 3-pointers than the Valkyries, who are knocking down a league-best 38.1 percent of their long-range attempts, and nearly 43 percent of their scoring has come from beyond the arc. Nakase’s offense was similarly dependent on the 3-pointer last season, but not nearly as efficient; this year, the Valkyries have five players (Cecilia Zandalasini, Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaün, Kayla Thornton and Veronica Burton) who are making at least 1.5 threes per game.

It’s difficult for any defense to contend with that much shooting for a full 40 minutes, even if one or more of the Valkyries happen to be running cold.

The Valkyries are also getting more out of their offensive possessions in general.

Specifically, their ball security has improved greatly since last season. Whereas Golden State ranked near the bottom of the WNBA in turnover rate in 2025, they now lead the league in that department, committing a turnover on just 12.7 percent of their possessions.

None of this means that the Valkyries have become an offensive juggernaut overnight, mind you.

For as good of a 3-point shooting team as they’ve been, their efficiency inside the arc has been poor; the Valkyries rank last in the WNBA in 2-point shooting (42.5 percent) and are finishing just 54.9 percent of their shots inside the restricted area. Factor in their mediocre free throw rate (0.280) and near-total lack of a post presence and you get an offense that some might say is overly reliant on hitting open jumpers—a strategy that could backfire in a playoff series.

This could be seen as a weakness, and rightfully so. Having some form of efficient paint scoring is more or less a prerequisite for championship-caliber teams, and the Valkyries don’t yet have a way to consistently put pressure on the rim. That’s something that will probably get exposed on nights when their long jumpshots aren’t falling.

The Valkyries’ identity is still defense-first

The Valkyries will always have their defense, though.

The addition of Williams—one of the WNBA’s most feared ball hawks—to a group that led the WNBA in opponents’ effective field goal percentage last season has been the perfect marriage of talent and scheme. Golden State’s defense, which also features hard-nosed, physical perimeter defenders like Burton and Thornton and one of the league’s best rim protectors in Kiah Stokes, plays with both aggression and composure. They cause enough havoc on the perimeter to take opponents out of their comfort zone but rarely compromise themselves, allowing the fewest fast break points (7.1) and points in the paint (29.1) of any WNBA team.

This is, at the end of the day, what makes the Valkyries such a formidable foe.

Their offense has taken a step or two forward from their inaugural season, to be sure, but while we don’t yet know if what they’re doing on that end of the court is sustainable, there are no such doubts about the Valkyries’ defense. Golden State is a team that visibly enjoys dragging its opponents into the mud, and now with even more defensive talent at their disposal, the Valkyries will continue building upon their own unique formula for success.

In this week on the farm, we saw the first organizational no-hitter of the season in Scranton, several breakout hitting performances in Somerset, some real pitching struggles down in Hudson Valley, and a Tampa squad that’s putting it all together.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Record: 31-31, 7 GB in the International League East after a 3-4 week against the Syracuse Mets (Mets)

Run differential: +8

Coming up: Home vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies)

The first week of June was pretty meh for the RailRiders, who suffered a losing week due to a Wednesday doubleheader that threw in an extra game. They won the first two games, lost the next two, won on Friday, and then got unceremoniously shut down over the weekend. Despite losing more ground on the week, they had the org’s biggest highlight, which was the first no-hitter of the season on Friday.

Brendan Beck tossed seven no-hit innings in one of his finest starts of the season before Carson Coleman finished it off with a pair of no-hit frames, capping it off with a 6-6-3 double play to end the game. It’s the first RailRiders no-hitter since Sean Boyle’s seven-inning one in 2021 and the first nine-inning no-hitter since Luis Gil, Reggie McClain, and Stephen Ridings combined for one earlier that season:

With Spencer Jones moving back up to the big leagues due to Aaron Judge’s injury, the focus was back solely on George Lombard Jr., who had a okay week at the plate. Jasson Domínguez began a rehab assignment on Friday and went 0-for-7 across two games in left field. Could they give him some work in right field? I’d bet against that… for now. Tyler Hardman had some big hits this week, and the team also welcomed back Marco Luciano from the injured list.

Dom Hamel got the Tuesday and Sunday starts and was passable. Elmer Rodríguez bounced back nicely from a few tough starts in a row with 5.2 two-run innings with six strikeouts on Thursday, while Adam Kloffenstein took the loss on Saturday.

For the rest of the pitching staff, there was a pretty seismic shift with Carlos Lagrange moving to the bullpen. He still threw four innings on Wednesday in some of his best work of the season with seven strikeouts, but you have to think it’s more of a “deload” period, and it could be a few weeks before he’s in the 1-2 inning role.

Yovanny Cruz and Bradley Hanner took losses late in the week in a pair of close losses. Eric Reyzelman, the most MLB-ready relief prospect, was placed on the injured list with a reported back injury mid-week. While better than an arm injury, he had back issues last year that derailed his 2025 season.

Players of Note:

Spencer Jones: .269/.378/.571, 13 HR, 48 RBI, 9 SB, 32.4 K%, 144 wRC+
George Lombard Jr.: .206/.371/.298, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 7 SB, 92 wRC+
Brendan Beck: 5-2, 3.55 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 1.05 WHIP, 17.1 K-BB% (66 IP)
Carlos Lagrange: 1-3, 4.08 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 18.5 K-BB% (53 IP)
Elmer Rodríguez: 1-3, 2.95 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 16.0 K-BB% (39.2 IP)

Double-A Somerset Patriots

Record: 30-27, 1 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after a 4-2 week against the Harrisburg Senators (Nationals)

Run differential: +27

Coming up: Home vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets)

How is it possible to have a winning week, but your run differential goes down by eight runs? Well, that happens when your loss on Friday night was one of the worst in team history, 21-4. Outside of that game, they won four close, medium-scoring games and lost another one by one run in a solid week that saw them inch closer to the division lead.

Somerset’s high-powered offense had one of its worst weeks of the season after Jace Avina was placed on the injured list early in the week. The May Eastern League Player of the Month was en fuego. Garrett Martin hit another three home runs and is up to 19, while DJ Gladney caught fire with four home runs and seven extra-base hits. I’d also like to mention Cole Gabrielson, who was promoted to fill Avina’s spot in the outfield and homered twice in Friday’s blowout loss.

Outside of Jack Cebert’s rough outing on Friday, it was a good week for the starting pitching. Trent Sellers tossed a quality start, Cade Smith finally came around with five solid innings on Wednesday, Xavier Rivas struck out nine in four innings on Thursday, Chase Chaney tossed six shutout innings, and Kyle Carr continued a strong stretch with nine strikeouts in five innings. Ben Hess only pitched one inning on Sunday, getting stuck in a 40-pitch inning.

The bullpen was up-and-down. Guys like Hayden Merda and Kelly Austin traded good and bad outings, while Chris Veach and Ben Grable pitched well in multi-inning efforts on Friday. 2024 UDFA Tony Rossi got a promotion on Friday and tossed a scoreless inning in his Double-A debut after a terrific year and change in Hudson Valley.

Players of Note:

Jace Avina: .276/.358/.583, 14 HR, 35 RBI, 30 XBH, 145 wRC+ (injured)
Garrett Martin: .258/.317/.556, 19 HR, 47 RBI, 13 SB, 126 wRC+
Coby Morales: .263/.349/.479, 10 HR, 44 RBI, 12 SB, 121 wRC+
Hayden Merda: 0-0, 2.31 ERA, 2.22 FIP, 0.99 WHIP, 35.5 K-BB% (23.1 IP)
Kyle Carr: 5-4, 4.32 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 1.38 WHIP, 19.2 K-BB% (50 IP)

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades

Record: 25-31, 11 GB in the South Atlantic League North after a 2-4 week against the Frederick Keys (Orioles)

Run differential: -19

Coming up: Home vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies)

Hudson Valley’s been in a big-time rut over the last few weeks for a variety of reasons. This week? It was a really rough one for the pitching. Outside of a 10-1 win on Thursday, they allowed at least seven runs in every other game, combining to allow 55 runs across six games. The one silver lining was the offense’s late explosion to come back from a 10-3 deficit on Friday, winning 14-13.

Offensively, Core Jackson continued to hit. Since returning from the injured list, he’s raised his OPS by 120 points. Josh Moylan (8-for-23, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 2 2B) caught fire mid-week to help him out, while Roderick Arias showed some life at the plate as well. Wilson Rodriguez and Eric Genther had worse weeks, while Kaeden Kent homered early in the week before getting seven hits in a two-game span.

It was harder to find a good start this week than you’d like. Bryce Cunningham scuffled, Luis Serna, Chase Hampton, Sean Paul Liñan, and Franyer Herrera all got lit up by the Frederick offense, and Rory Fox got brutalized by his defense, allowing seven unearned runs out of 10 in 4.2 innings. The bright spot was Allen Facundo (more on him later) on Thursday.

In a week where you allowed over nine runs a game, you probably could’ve expected a rough week from the bullpen. There was some good, but not many relievers got through the week without allowing a run in some way. Losing Rossi to a promotion continued to batter their depth there, as guys like Thomas Balboni Jr. and Wilmy Sanchez get higher-leverage innings.

Players of Note:

Kaeden Kent: .299/.364/.416, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 21 XBH, 15 SB, 111 wRC+
Core Jackson: .260/.369/.455, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 14 SB, 124 wRC+
Luis Serna: 2-3, 4.11 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.52 WHIP, 16.7 K-BB% (46 IP)
Bryce Cunningham: 0-2, 6.43 ERA, 6.44 FIP, 1.30 WHIP, 11.7 K-BB% (21 IP)
Sean Paul Liñan: 1-6, 5.89 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 1.31 WHIP, 26.4 K-BB% (36.2 IP)

Single-A Tampa Tarpons

Record: 30-27, 6 GB in the Florida State League West after a 5-1 week against the Palm Beach Cardinals (Cardinals)

Run differential: +22

Coming up: Away @ Bradenton Marauders (Pirates)

The Tampa Tarpons are arguably playing the best of any Yankee affiliate. When was the last time you could say that? They had a phenomenal week against Palm Beach, scoring 26 total runs in the first two games and eight on Friday before winning two close games during the weekend. A shutout loss on Thursday was all that stopped them from their first sweep of the season.

It was a quieter week for Jackson Lovich, but the train kept rolling for Hans Montero and Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek. JoJo Jackson had his best week since a strong April, while Willy Montero seems to be finding something over the last few weeks. It also helps that they got a talent infusion when Logan Maxwell (7-for-13, HR, 4 RBI, 2B, 2 BB, 4 SB) returned from the injured list.

Thatcher Hurd (4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 K) had a great bounce-back game on Tuesday after a miserable Single-A debut. Wyatt Parliament struggled on Wednesday, Henry Lalane (5.1 IP, 1 R, 6 K) tossed a third straight strong outing on Friday, and both Tyler Boudreau and Brennan Stuprich continued strong stretches with good starts over the weekend.

The bullpen had a terrific week, with the likes of Jose M. Rodriguez, Pedro Rodriguez, and Jose Martinez pitching well. Justin West seems to have unlocked something moving into a multi-inning relief role, tossing another three scoreless innings on Tuesday. The same can be said for JT Etheridge, who pitched well on Wednesday. Mac Heuer had six strikeouts in 2.2 scoreless innings, but was pulled mid-AB due to an undisclosed injury. He hasn’t been placed on the IL… yet.

Players of Note:

Jackson Lovich: .305/.384/.616, 11 HR, 34 RBI, 23 XBH, 13 SB, 143 wRC+
Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: .274/.386/.427, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 17 SB, 135 wRC+
Hans Montero: .269/.389/.513, 7 HR, 32 RBI, 24 XBH, 15 SB, 145 wRC+
Tyler Boudreau: 2-2, 3.40 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, 22.0 K-BB% (45 IP)
Henry Lalane: 1-1, 3.79 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 16.3 K-BB% (35.2 IP)

FCL Yankees

Record: 14-13, 6 GB in the FCL North after a 3-2 week.

Run differential: +15

Some good and some bad here. Wilberson De Pena looked human this week, but his down week was made up for in spades by the likes of Richard Matic and a suddenly blisteringly hot Dexters Peralta, who’s now up to seven home runs on the year. The strikeout rate is concerning, but he’s still young. Jose Castro returned from injury late in the week, but the looming dread hanging over the bats is the fact that Dax Kilby hasn’t played in 10 days. Did he re-aggravate the hamstring injury?

Omar Gonzalez continued to be a force for the rotation. He’s been the best pitcher on the team. Blake Gillespie has been so-so, and Sabier Marte has been better of late, but Stanly Alcantara and Manuel Cruz have struggled. 2025 UDFA Austin Breedlove out of Tennessee has been a revelation in the bullpen, allowing just three runs in 13.2 innings with 18 strikeouts and just five walks. He should be in Tampa soon.

Players of Note:

Wilberson De Pena: .376/.432/.729, 7 HR, 32 RBI, 15 XBH, 11 SB, 184 wRC+ (95 PA)
Jose Castro: .345/.568/.621, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 SB, 199 wRC+ (44 PA)
Richard Matic: .325/.456/.506, 10 XBH, 11 RBI, 7 SB, 147 wRC+ (103 PA)
Sabier Marte: 12.2 IP, 7.82 ERA, 3,77 FIP, 1.89 WHIP, 14.3 K-BB%
Omar Gonzalez: 21 IP, 2.57 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 0.81 WHIP, 30.5 K-BB%

DSL Yankees & Bombers

DSL Yankees:
Record: 1-5
Run differential: -1

DSL Bombers:
Record: 1-5
Run differential: -28

Woof. What a rough week for these two. The DSL Yankees have had some abysmal closes to games. They blew a 14-7 lead to DSL Mets Blue, a 6-2 lead to DSL Rangers Red, and a 4-3 lead to DSL Tigers 2 in the ninth. Meanwhile, it’s either been high-scoring losses or blowouts for the Bombers, including being no-hit on Monday.

Isaias Castillo is the standout bat here. The 17-year-old hit for the cycle on Tuesday and carried it through the week to lead the DSL in home runs through six games. Juan Torres, Stiven Marinez, and Alessandro Rodriguez are all hitting well around him.

On the pitching side, it’s a lot of ugly, but there were some impressive performances. Yunior Jerez tossed five no-hit innings with seven strikeouts. Kevin Centeno and Sebastian Rivas also stood out in brief, 2-3 inning spells.

Prospect of the Week: Allen Facundo

Weekly Stats: 6 IP, 0 R, 4 BB, 12 K, 21 whiffs
Season Stats (Tampa/HV): 3-2, 3.69 ERA, 2.64 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, 22.6 K-BB% (46.1 IP)

How do you take the Prospect of the Week mantle from a guy who tossed seven no-hit innings? How about tossing six of your own, but being even more dominant?

Facundo’s been a niche prospect for a good bit, often producing in the FCL and Tampa over the last few years while battling injuries that stagnate him. A strong start to 2026 earned him a promotion to High-A Hudson Valley, where he’s traded good starts and bad starts. Last time out, he walked four and hit a batter in a miserable first inning before gritting his way through six.

On Thursday, Facundo was brilliant. He did continue to struggle with command, but he had every pitch working in six brilliant innings. We don’t have Statcast data for High-A, but he kept Frederick hitters off balance all night, which is pretty impressive considering they scored over 10 runs a game in the other five.

#88 De’Arieun Hicks

Redshirt Sophomore | 6-3 | 287 lbs. | Richmond, Indiana

• Position: Defensive Tackle
• Previous College: Gardner-Webb University
• Projection: Third-String
• Status: On Scholarship

De’ArieunHicks (b. April 7, 2006) is an FCS transfer defensive tackle who is majoring in sociology. He redshirted and did not see any game action in 2024 for the Bulldogs.

Last season, Hicks played in 12 games, posting 21 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.

He had a season-best three tackles against Charleston Southern, Tennessee-Martin and Southeast Missouri; registered a season-high two tackles for loss against Charleston Southern; posted a sack at Lindenwood; had half a sack against SEMO; and recovered a fumble in the season opener at Western Carolina.

Hicks prepped under head coach Randy Kerns at Richmond (Ind.) High School, where he totaled 77 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup during his prep career.

He chose K-State over an offer from Big 12 rival Iowa State, despite the Cyclones’ having the first visit.

His primary recruiter was his position coach, defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt.

I’ll say this upfront: There’s going to be a fair amount of numbers in this article, and some of those numbers aren’t going to look all that great, because Troy played a tough schedule and dealt with injuries throughout the year. But make no mistake, this Troy team is a deserving one of being one of the last 8 college baseball teams standing this postseason. As an anonymous coach told D1Baseball, “You can be a bad team and have a great weekend in the regular season, but you can’t be a bad team and go on a three-week run like they are.”

Troy has been a pesky Sun Belt team for years now, but this year, they were right up there with the top of the conference and are on a pretty magical run, winning their first Division 1 Regional and Super Regional (and thanks to Little Rock coming out of the Hattiesburg regional, Troy got to host their first Super Regional, too) in program history on their way to getting here. They were one of the last teams in the field as an at-large team, but despite their 32-29 record as a mid-major looking maybe less than impressive, this team played one of the toughest schedules in the country — by RPI, their strength of schedule was 8th, with all 7 teams ahead of them being high-end SEC squads who boosted their numbers by playing each other in weekend series. They racked up a midweek win against Georgia early in the year, but really came on in a 14-5 finish to their season that included a midweek win against Alabama and a game win against Southern Miss. They finished tied for 3rd in a 5-bid Sun Belt before beating Florida twice to come out of the Gainesville Regional.

This Troy team is a pretty balanced squad, with pretty high-end talent and decent team results both at the plate and on the mound. Offensively, the headliner is catcher Jimmy Janicki, one of few homegrown players on this roster. Janicki has absolutely raked this season, putting together a slash line of .341/.413/.648. He leads the team in doubles (24), home runs (19), RBI (85), and OPS (1.061). He’s one of the best players remaining in the tournament, even though he hasn’t been up to his standard in the postseason — he’s gone just 6/21 through their 7 games, including 1/9 in their Super Regional sweep of Little Rock. His teammates have picked him up, though, and if he’s going to get back into his groove in Omaha, this offense could go from good to scary in a hurry. Other guys to look out for include right fielder Aaron Piasecki (.346/.454/.539, 24:39 K-BB), who’s got some Kane Kepley in his game as an on-base machine batting leadoff with a flat swing and more than one helping of grit; Indiana transfer third baseman Josh Pyne (.291/.372/.496, 23 2B), who is a doubles machine but strikes out a lot; and junior college transfer DH Jabe Boroff (.264/.393/.670), a hard swinger who missed time with injury and a really slow start to the season but has been on fire in the postseason. He’s got 15 extra base hits out of his 24 total knocks and they’re calling him “Jabe Ruth,” which I must say is an incredible bit.

As a team, the Trojans slash .290/.399/.484 and have hit 93 home runs — the on-base and average numbers rank in the 60-70 range nationally while the home runs rank near top-20, with slugging somewhere in the middle. So this is a team that relies on home runs to score, and to their credit they do that pretty successfully to the tune of 7.2 runs per game. They’re also really, at times detrimentally, aggressive at the plate — they record 1.6 strikeouts per walk, a similar mark to USC and not one that compares favorably to the rest of the field. This isn’t a team that runs a lot, with their stolen bases leader being CF Steven Meier with 11 on 20 attempts. And, oddly, they have 3 guys with at least 17 hit-by-pitches. It’s also a very good defensive lineup — as a team, they’re fielding at a .977 rate and converted four double plays in the game that sent them to Omaha.

Troy has a couple of decent starters in senior duo Tommy Egan (R, 5.38 ERA) and Benjamin Stubbs (L, 4.93 ERA). Egan usually pitches first for them and he’s a crafty guy, with a fastball/cutter combo that doesn’t overpower with velocity but does keep you guessing, and then a curveball/slider off-speed mix. He’s got 99 strikeouts and 32 walks in 87 innings pitched, and threw 7.1 strong frames against Little Rock last weekend. Stubbs has a more typical arsenal, headlined by a fastball that sits 94-96 with average life but good location. He doesn’t miss as many bats as Egan does, but an 83:37 K-BB is still plenty respectable. Hayden Smith has emerged as a third starter for them and has been putting up the best numbers of the bunch lately, albeit with a smaller sample size. He’s got a 2.94 ERA and a .226 batting average against compared to the other two being around .265, but he doesn’t have the strikeout stuff or the zone command of his compatriots, shown by a 28:21 K:BB in 49 innings.

All that said, the real strength of the Trojans’ pitching staff, in my opinion, is in the bullpen. Zach Crotchfelt (L, 3.50 ERA, 74:22 K-BB) is a relief ace who spent time at Auburn and Texas Tech before landing with the Trojans for his senior year, and he’s a flamethrower who’s playing his best baseball of late. Closer Dylan Alonso (R, 4.63 ERA, .204 BAA) is another hard-throwing reliever with a 95-97 heater to go with a slider/curve breaking ball mix; he’s a legit draft prospect this year. Cooper Ellingworth and Noah Thigpen have been hit around a little more, but they’ve eaten a ton of innings for the Trojans as well; they’re dangerous if they get run support. And freshman Matt Dill could be a wild card, with a respectable ERA of 5.50 and other stats that make him look like a real strike-thrower — the kind who might not wow you, but could also get through 3 innings in a blink.

It’s a tough world for mid-majors in college baseball, and Troy coach Skylar Meade has done a really admirable job building this roster basically anew through smart transfer portal adds from just about every level of the sport, with Janicki as the centerpiece. This has been a fun team to watch and they’re capable of doing damage, especially with the bats in the top half of their lineup. While neither their offense nor their pitching is necessarily the best in the field, Troy certainly has a team that’s plenty good enough to compete with anybody, and a star who’d be one of the 3 best players on any of the teams in Omaha.

Liverpool enjoyed a record-breaking summer transfer window last year.

Indeed, the Reds spent in excess of £400m, signing the likes of Alexander Isak, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.

However, despite a massive summer spend as champions, Liverpool went backwards last season, finishing fifth and struggling under Arne Slot.

Slot has now left Liverpool, and he’s not the only departure from Anfield this summer.

Mohamed Salah has left the club, and after protracted contract negotiations, Ibrahima Konate has also left.

Speaking on The Blood Red Podcast, Paul Gorst has provided some insight into Liverpool’s transfer plans and one realisation they came to when speaking to Konate.

Liverpool came to a realisation during Ibrahima Konate talks

Konate leaves Liverpool under strange circumstances.

Indeed, at one point, Konate was so confident that he was staying at Liverpool that he basically came out and said as much.

However, the talks broke down as Konate was supposedly asking for astronomical wages.

Apparently, during those conversations, Liverpool realised that their budget needs to accommodate a replacement for Hugo Ekitike next season, and that plays into why Konate wasn’t offered the mammoth deal he was after.

“What was interesting was some of the conversations that came out from the Konate stuff was maybe Liverpool realising that they need someone to effectively cover for Eketike as much as they need someone to replace Mo Salah,” Gorst said.

When will Hugo Ekitike return?

Liverpool need to replace Ekitike due to the fact he’s out with injury.

Sadly, Ekitike has one of the worst injuries a footballer can get – a ruptured Achilles.

A ruptured Achilles can easily keep a player out for 12 months, so Ekitike may well miss the majority of next season.

Therefore, Liverpool need a signing – perhaps a loan player or a youngster to fill that gap until the Frenchman returns.

With Mo Salah also departing, it’s clear that there’s a ton of work for Liverpool to do in their attack this summer.

It is Day 96 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.

On Day 96 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff we revisit one of the biggest offensive explosions in Cowboys history. Long before Cowboys-49ers became the defining NFC rivalry of the early 1990s, Tom Landry’s team delivered one of the most lopsided results the series had ever seen, a 59-14 demolition at Texas Stadium. Dallas improved to 5-1 with the win, while San Francisco fell to 3-3.  

Sunday, October 12, 1980 — 3:00 p.m. ET

Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 59, San Francisco 49ers 14

The Cowboys wasted no time turning this into a rout. Danny White opened the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson, and Ron Springs followed with a short touchdown run to give Dallas a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Rafael Septien added a field goal early in the second, then White and Pearson connected again from 22 yards out to make it 24-0.  

San Francisco briefly answered when Steve DeBerg found Dwight Clark for a 52-yard touchdown, but that only delayed the avalanche. Tony Dorsett scored from two yards out, Pearson caught his third touchdown of the first half, and the Cowboys went into the locker room ahead 38-7. By then, the game was no longer competitive. It was turning into an annihilation.  

Dallas didn’t take their foot off the gas and kept rolling in the third quarter. White threw another touchdown to Billy Joe DuPree, Springs broke loose for a 20-yard score, and Robert Newhouse added a fourth-quarter touchdown run to push the Cowboys to 59 points. The 49ers added a late DeBerg-to-Clark touchdown, but the final score told the real story, Dallas had overwhelmed San Francisco in every phase.  

White was spectacular, finishing 16-of-22 for 239 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Pearson caught only three passes, which isn’t much, but all three of his catches went for touchdowns. Springs led Dallas with 81 rushing yards and two scores, Dorsett added 75 yards and a touchdown, and the Cowboys piled up 460 total yards.  

The defense was just as important. Dallas intercepted DeBerg five times, with Anthony Dickerson grabbing two and Aaron Mitchell, Dennis Thurman, and Charlie Waters each adding one. The Cowboys also forced five San Francisco fumbles, meaning the 49ers officially finished with 10 turnovers. Dallas held the ball for over 46 minutes on offense, which explains how a good team turned a regular season game into a historic blowout.  

This game belongs on the countdown because it remains one of the best examples of the Landry-era Cowboys machine at full power. Dallas threw for touchdowns, ran for touchdowns, dominated time of possession, won the turnover battle, and tied the highest point total in franchise history. It was not a last-second thriller or a postseason classic, but it was iconic for a different reason, the Cowboys nearly hit 60. And they did it against San Francisco, a rival throughout team history. 

Interesting Facts About the Game

The Cowboys’ 59 points tied the franchise record for most points scored in a regular-season game. Dallas also scored 59 points in a 59-13 win over the Detroit Lions in 1968.  

Countdown To Kickoff by day: 

100, 99, 98, 97

Throughout NFL history, most of the greatest defenses have had their own great nicknames.

The Purple People Eaters. The Fearsome Foursome. The Steel Curtain. The Monsters of the Midway. The Legion of Boom.

Atlanta Falcons fans know all about the Grits Blitz defense of 1977, designed by head coach Leeman Bennett, defensive line coach Jim Champion, and defensive backs coach Jerry Glanville. That defense allowed the fewest points (128) ever in a 14-game season, and the average of 9.2 points per game is still an NFL record.

Now, there’s another metric that puts forth the proposition that the Grits Blitzers were the NFL’s best. DVOA, the opponent-adjusted efficiency metric invented by Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz decades ago, finally got the 1977 metrics up (hey, it takes a long time to get all the games on video from that long ago), and the Grits Blitzers had the No. 1 defense overall that season — ahead of the Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys and their Doomsday defense, and the AFC Champion Denver Broncos with their Orange Crush squad.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the 1977 Falcons defense is how bad the 1976 Falcons defense was. That defense had little but uncooked grits to show for itself, ranking 20th among 28 teams in yards allowed, and 22nd in points allowed. For that group to rise all the way up to second in yards allowed (behind only the Cowboys) and first in points allowed — especially with the retirement of legendary linebacker Tommy Nobis in the interim — is one of the more remarkable accomplishments in pro football history.

How on Earth did they pull it off?

A new brain trust blows up the NFL

The Falcons hired Leeman Bennett to replace Marion Campbell as head coach on February 3, 1977. Bennett brought Glanville, the former Detroit Lions’ defensive assistant and special teams coordinator, to help run the defense along with Champion, the former New York Jets defensive line coach. It was Glanville who was widely credited with the blitz-heavy schemes that set opposing offenses on edge and created the nickname.

The blitzes were one part of the story, but the 30,000-foot view also saw the Falcons taking the 3-4 defensive concepts recently popularized in the NFL by Chuck Fairbanks of the New England Patriots, and Bum Phillips of the Houston Oilers, to a different level. As Bennett said that season, the Falcons of the time used five-man packages that would be more commonly seen in today’s game.

“The main thing we’re doing differently is using an odd-man front or a 5-2,” Bennett said. “Our philosophy is to stop the run. There’s a big difference between third-and-1 and third-and-4. We try to put pressure on the quarterback, and so far, we’ve been doing a pretty good job.”

It wasn’t just that. For all of those blitzes, the 1977 Falcons ranked sixth in the NFL with 42 sacks — not bad, but not historic. Where they were completely devastating was in their pass defense overall. “Leeman’s Demons” allowed a 44.1% completion rate, and nine touchdowns to 26 interceptions — only the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Colts had more. And the Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt allowed of 1.1 is absolutely ridiculous. Basically, opposing quarterbacks weren’t even getting in the car against the Grits Blitz guys, never mind even getting the engine started.

In October of that year, Bennett had scouting reports on all his defenders, even and especially the ones nobody knew about — then or now. Among the highlights:

EDGE Claude Humphrey (who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014): “Everybody knows about Claude, an excellent pass-rusher. They used to turn him loose all the time. He has accepted our philosophy, and stays home a little bit more to protect against the run. But he still gets his sacks.”

EDGE Jeff Merrow: “A street-fighter type, rough and ready to go get ’em. He gets the most out of his ability. A great hustler.”

Linebacker Ralph Ortega: “Plays exceptionally well against the pass. Calls our defensive signals. Has been under pressure because he had to take over a job Tommy Nobis always had until he retired.”

Cornerback Rolland Lawrence: “A winner. Always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. Last Sunday against the Bears, he intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble, and recorded a quarterback sack on a cornerback blitz.”

Safety Ray Easterling: “A strong hitter, and real tough. Runs the safety blitz really well. Had a great game last Sunday, too. Made a heck of a tackle on Walter Payton that forced a fumble.”

Why the Grits Blitz wasn’t enough

Unfortunately, the Falcons were unable to turn all that defensive excellence into a winning record. Their offense, led by quarterback Scott Hunter after 1975 No. 1 overall pick and two-time Pro Bowler Steve Bartkowski suffered a serious knee injury before the season started and was limited to half the season in a reduced role, was about as had as the defense was amazing. The 1977 Falcons ranked 25th of 28 teams in both yards gained and points scored.

“One of theese days,” Bennett said in late October, “our offense is going to have to start putting points on the board.”

Sadly, that never happened. The 1977 Falcons scored more than 20 points in just two games — both against the horrible New Orleans Saints, who ranked 26th in points allowed that season. The Falcons scored in single digits (seven points or less) in six of their 14 games. The offense left the defense with absolutely no margin for error, and that will always catch up to you at some point in time. Only a 35-7 win over the Saints in the season finale allowed the Falcons to finish 7-7, which given that defense, was a major disappointment.

“We didn’t score the points, and we didn’t make the mental adjustments that were necessary at times,” Bennett said after the season ended. “A busted play cost a touchdown just before the half at Los Angeles. Without that, we could have gone into the half trailing only 9-7. That could have made a lot of difference.”

The Grits Blitz was a one-hit wonder with a big legacy

Defense tends to have more year-to-year variance than offense, and you didn’t need to tell the 1978 Falcons about that. The Los Angeles Rams supplanted the Grits Blitzers as the No. 1 defense in DVOA, while the Falcons fell to sixth in that metric, and dropped to fifth in yards allowed and 14th in points allowed. The ‘78 Falcons did finish with a 9-7 record and made it to the divisional round of the playoffs, but the Grits Blitz was perhaps a remnant of an era in which the NFL’s rules (which changed radically to favor offenses in 1978) were more balanced in an overall sense.

Still, the legacy sticks. If the 5-2 structure with frequent blitzes reminds you a bit of the 46 defense that Buddy Ryan developed to terrorize offenses in the 1980s and beyond… well, there’s something to that. Bennett lasted as the Falcons’ head coach through the 1982 season, but it was Glanville who really carried the theme forward. When he became the Falcons’ head coach in 1990, he resuscitated the “Grits Blitz” name… though the results were not quite the same. The franchise under Glanville never ranked higher than 20th in points allowed (1991), and 19th in yards allowed.

That aside, those who know and remember one of the greatest defenses football has ever seen — even if it lasted only one season — will never forget what a few coaches who want off the rails with pressure and coverage did to the rest of the NFL.

Gary Player punched well above his weight throughout his golfing career, quite literally.

A diminutive figure who experienced an incredibly difficult upbringing, Player came over to America in the late 1950s and managed to compete with some of the game’s biggest names, including Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

The South African’s long and storied career was far from a fluke either.

Gary Player had the heart of a lion, and he was one of the hardest workers in the professional game, if not the hardest worker.

He won 159 tournaments worldwide including 24 PGA Tour titles and nine major championships.

Gary Player has always given back by sharing golf tips with amateur golfers who are looking to improve their games.

And one of his best ever golf tips pertained to the best four ways to improve hitting from bad lies in the rough.

Gary Player’s four tips to help amateurs hit better shots out of the rough

During an instructional video for Sonic Titan Golf, Player shared his four best tips with amateur golfers to help them extricate their balls from difficult lies in the rough.

“I think where strength really comes to the fore, is out of the rough,“ Player said.

“Now, the only thing I can say when you’re playing in the rough, you always hook the ball out of the rough because the grass catches the club and turns the toe over. Always.

“So you’ve got a grip very, very tightly with those last three fingers in your left hand.

“And I think you should address the ball with your club face slightly open because it turns it over.

“So this is gonna help to prevent it turning over, and having the club face open when it does turn it, it sort of turns it back to square.

“Then, make sure that you pick the club up, a little quicker, because you want to get the club out of the grass, and keep it out of the grass with a descending blow as much as possible.

“If you drag it back, you’re going to catch the grass, and if you come through low, it’s gonna catch it even worse.

“And then, the final thought is get through the ball.“

More strategy required out of the rough to lower your scores

Always plan for more release out of the rough.

The thick grass between your ball and the clubface means that you will not be able to impart as much spin on your shots.

More spin equates to a higher ball flight, and without that, your ball will come out lower with more topspin.

Obviously this becomes a huge problem if there is water short of the green, or any form of hazard for that matter.

In these instances, your safest bet is to take your medicine and lay up short of the trouble. Get your ball back in play and go from there.

Bogeys will never damage your scorecard, but doubles or worse will.

Florida football secured a commitment from long snapper Jaydee Lane on Monday, giving the Gators their 23rd pledge in the 2027 class.

Lane committed to the Orange and Blue shortly after attending a camp in Gainesville this summer. The 6-foot-1-inch, 220-pound special teamer is a product of Simpson County Academy in Mississippi. He was also offered a scholarship from Mississippi State, which he turned down to become a Gator.

Florida's special teams coordinator, Jonathan Galante, has a longstanding relationship with Lane dating back to his tenure at Tulane, according to 247Sports. Kohl's Kicking, a national special teams showcase, praised Lane as a "rare talent," as the junior shone during camp evaluations with multiple snaps of 0.66 seconds.

Lane is regarded as one of the nation's top long snappers, with his On3 profile noting that he's ranked No. 1 by Prokicker and No. 2 by Rubio Long Snapping.

Jaydee Lane's recruiting summary

Lane is a 6-foot-1-inch, 220-pound prospect out of Mendenhall, Mississippi. He's currently slated as the No. 1801 overall recruit in the cycle and the No. 2 long snapper according to On3 industry rankings. Lane does not currently hold a 247Sports composite rating. He had nine unofficial visits to Ohio State, Alabama, Arkansas and Virginia Tech.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Top long snapper Jaydee Lane commits to Florida football

Josh Allen’s 2025 season ended in heartbreaking fashion when the Buffalo Bills lost in the divisional round of the playoffs, but the quarterback was a winner in player sales.

Allen was No. 1 on the NFL Players Association’s year-end top 50 player sales list. The annual list tabulates consumer purchases from March 2025 through February 2026 across online and in-store retail. The purchases include jersey, encompassing apparel, collectibles, bobbleheads, figurines, wall decals, backpacks, drinkware, pet products and more, according to the NFLPA.

It’s the fifth time Allen’s made the top 10 in NFLPA’s year-end top 10. A total of seven quarterbacks made the top 10, including Patrick Mahomes, who continues a streak of eight consecutive seasons in the top 10 of NFLPA player sales list.

NFLPA’s top 20 player year-end sales list

1. Josh Allen
2. Drake Maye
3. Saquon Barkley
4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
5. Jayden Daniels
6. Patrick Mahomes
7. Jalen Hurts
8. Caleb Williams
9. Jordan Love
10. Micah Parsons
11. Bo Nix
12. Christian McCaffrey
13. Justin Jefferson
14. Aidan Hutchinson
15. T.J. Watt
16. Jahmyr Gibbs
17. Amon-Ra St. Brown
18. Brock Purdy
19. Lamar Jackson
20. C.J. Stroud

According to the NFLPA, NFL player merchandise generated more than $1.9 billion in retail sales.

Shedeur Sanders breaks revenue record

Shedeur Sanders was among five rookies to make the Top 50 list. The Cleveland Browns quarterback came in at No. 31 and was joined by Travis Hunter, Cam Ward, Ashton Jeanty and Jaxson Dart.

Sanders netted a record-topping $17.7 million in licensing income, but it was generated mostly from trading cards.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Josh Allen tops list of NFL jersey, merchandise sales. 7 QBs in top 10

During the 2025 NFL season, no player sold more merchandise than Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. The star quarterback topped the NFLPA’s list of year-end top-50 player sales, the union announced Tuesday.

Allen — who has ranked in the top-10 multiple times over his career — finished ahead of other superstars like Patrick Mahomes, a constant finisher near the top of the list, and Saquon Barkley, who topped the list last year after his historic 2024 performance with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Both Mahomes and Barkley finished in the top-10 in 2025, per the NFLPA, which explained that it used merchandise sales between March 2025 and February 2026 to make the list.

Here’s how the entire top-10 shook out:

1. Josh Allen, quarterback, Buffalo Bills

2. Drake Maye, quarterback, New England Patriots

3. Saquon Barkley, running back, Philadelphia Eagles

4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks

5. Jayden Daniels, quarterback, Washington Commanders

6. Patrick Mahomes, quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs

7. Jalen Hurts, quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles

8. Caleb Williams, quarterback, Chicago Bears

9. Jordan Love, quarterback, Green Bay Packers

10. Micah Parsons, linebacker, Green Bay Packers

As you might expect, quarterbacks led the way on the top-10 list, accounting for seven of the 10 spots. Those quarterbacks ranged in experience, with veterans — like Mahomes, Allen and Love — and newcomers — Daniels, Maye and Williams — sharing spots near the top.

Only one running back, wide receiver and defensive player made the top-10, providing even more evidence that the NFL is a quarterback-driven league.

Allen claimed the No. 1 spot by selling a ton of jerseys, including being the top international jersey seller in the NFL. He also ranked highly in youth apparel, Fathead and bobblehead sales.

Allen’s presence in the top spot shouldn’t come as a major surprise. In eight seasons in the NFL, Allen has established himself as a true superstar, and one of the few franchise quarterbacks within the sport. He’s made four Pro Bowls and was named the 2024 NFL MVP after scoring a combined 40 touchdowns.

Allen’s grasp on that top spot could be tenuous, however. The leader in merchandise sales tends to change with each season, and there are more than a few youngsters breathing down Allen’s neck. A big season from any of those players could vault them above Allen next season, ushering in a next era of quarterback play in the NFL.

An era has officially come to an end in Cleveland. Joel Bitonio, the heart, soul, and literal anchor of the Cleveland Browns' offensive line for over a decade, has announced his retirement from the NFL.  

In a move that perfectly mirrors the grace and humility he displayed throughout his 12-year career, the 34-year-old left guard bypassed a standard press release and instead penned a deeply moving, reflective letter directly to the Dawg Pound.

Drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Nevada, Bitonio was famously a part of a rookie class that included highly publicized, ill-fated first-round picks Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel. While those names faded into Cleveland folklore for the wrong reasons, the "West Coast kid" became the pillar of stability.

Bitonio didn't just play through the lean years, including the infamous 0-16 season, he survived them to help pioneer a complete culture shift in Northeast Ohio. He became the ultimate embodiment of the Cleveland ethos: tough, loyal, uncomplaining, and fiercely dedicated to the community.

Joel Bitonio's resume with the Browns

His resume speaks volumes:

• 178 career games (all starts)
• 7 Pro Bowl selections
• 5 All-Pro honors (2 First-Team, 3 Second-Team)
• 6-time team captain
• 6,481 consecutive offensive snaps played between 2017 and 2023

By the time he finished his final season, Bitonio had surpassed his close friend and mentor, Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas, for the most starts by a Browns player since the franchise returned to the league in 1999.

In his heartfelt goodbye letter, Bitonio retraced the steps of his journey, pointing to a January night against Pittsburgh as the moment he truly fell in love with winning in Cleveland:

"When I watched Baker keep the football and run around the right end for the first down, clinching the playoffs and beating the Steelers, all I could think at first was that we had finally made it. I'd worked hard my whole career and hadn't made the playoffs; but that moment – a team-oriented, surreal moment – made it worth it. It was also a moment in my head that I thought, 'Man, it'd be really special to finish my career here in Cleveland.'"

Bitonio emphasized the code of the offensive line room, passed down to him by legends like Joe Thomas, Alex Mack, and Mitchell Schwartz. "You're an NFL offensive lineman; you come in, you play when you can play, you don't miss any snaps," he wrote. He also dedicated heavy praise to his family—his wife Courtney, his children, his mother, and his late father, whose mantra of "you can outwork anybody" carried Joel to the pinnacle of professional sports.

His final game in the orange and brown provided the perfect fairy-tale ending: a Week 18 walk-off field goal victory on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, with his entire family watching from the stands.

The retirement, while expected after the front office restructured his contract's void dates earlier in the spring to give him time to contemplate his future, doesn't lessen the emotional weight of his departure.

When asked by Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot what his 12 years in the uniform meant to him, the normally stoic guard fought back tears in a moment that tore at the heartstrings of Browns fans everywhere.

"You know, I just tried to give it everything. It’s tough, you know, you try to go out there and be the best version of yourself and do what you can to help the team win, and I try to do that every day. That’s what I did."

He did that and so much more. As the sun sets on the career of one of the finest interior linemen to ever play the game, Cleveland fans won't remember him just for the blocks or the snap streaks, but for the fierce, unbroken loyalty he showed to a city that loved him right back.

Don't cry because it's over, Cleveland. Smile because No. 75 was ours.

Thank you, Joel.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio announces retirement after 12 years

The Las Vegas Raiders players are now fully uniformed.

The team began its mandatory minicamp on Tuesday morning and players had the Raiders’ famous shield logo on their helmets. The team went through the entire OTA field session work without the shiieds on their helmets.

First-time head coach Klint Kubiak said the roster must earn their the right to don the shield for with their work on and off the field.

Apparently, Kubiak was satisfied with his team’s effort to start the mandatory part of the season with the shield in place.

In other minicamp notes:

• New Raiders’ linebacker Nakobe Dean reportedly was not at the the start of the mandatory minicamp. He was not at the voluntary sessions attended by media members, either. He was present Monday at media day, though. He reportedly was missing those sessions because of family reasons and the team had no problem with it. Dean signed a three-year, $36 million contract with the Raiders with $20 million in guaranteed money in March.
• Rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy was not on the field. He missed the last two OTA sessions attended by media members as well. He had been previously doing some things on the practice field. He is working through a knee injury with hopes of playing this season.
• Reportedly, every player but Dean and McCoy were present Tuesday. As he has all offseason, star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby was on the field for stretching but didn’t practice because he is recovering from knee surgery. The plan is for Crosby to practice when training camp starts late next month.
• Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson was on the field for the team period, so second-year player Caleb Rogers worked with the first team.
• Second-year cornerback Darien Porter and fifth-round pick Hezekiah Masses rotated with the first unit opposite Eric Stokes. That’s a big opportunity for Masses.

Somalia on Tuesday defended award-winning referee Omar Artan after he was denied entry to the United States, preventing him from becoming the first Somali official to officiate at a World Cup finals.

In a statement, Somalia's Ministry of Sports expressed "deep regret" over Artan's denial of entry, saying despite diplomatic engagement with US authorities and world football governing body FIFA, it was "not possible to achieve a positive outcome".

Artan, who in 2025 was named men's referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was barred from entering the US on Saturday after arriving at Miami International Airport.

Artan's appointment had been a huge source of pride for his compatriots, the country's president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declaring in April he was "a symbol of inspiration for the new generation of Somalis".  

A spokesperson for the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said he was denied entry following a routine inspection.

He was among the 52 referees selected by FIFA for the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Somali reaffirmed "its unwavering support" for Artan adding it "has full confidence in his integrity, professionalism, and continued contribution to the advancement of football both in Somalia and internationally."

"Artan represents the very best of Somali talent," reads the statement.

FIFA confirmed to AFP Artan will not be participating in the quadrennial football extravaganza set to start on Thursday.

He "will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States," a FIFA spokesperson said.

A source at CAF told AFP on Tuesday the continental body could not intervene, but added: "We certainly feel sorry for Artan."

- Football should unite -

A government adviser in Mogadishu told AFP earlier Monday that Artan had a valid visa for the US.

Artan's rejection has sparked outrage.

Former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said he was "deeply disappointed" and assured Artan that "Africa and the world stand with you."

"He represents not only Somalia, but also the aspirations of millions of young Africans who believe excellence should be recognized on the world stage," Khaire wrote on X.

Ex-Somali government minister Abdirashid Hashi called on FIFA to stand with Artan, saying, "Football is supposed to unite people, not exclude."

He "should be judged by his merit and professionalism -- not by the passport he carries," Hashi added, describing the move as a "political decision" by the United States.

"I hope Canada and Mexico issue visas to Artan. There is no reason a referee denied entry to one host country cannot still contribute to a World Cup being hosted across three countries," he added.

In a statement to AFP, Artan said he was in a "positive mood" and focussed on the "next challenges" in his career.

Somalia is one of several countries on a travel ban list introduced by President Donald Trump's administration as part of a broader immigration crackdown.

str-jf-mnk/pi

Members of Iran's national soccer team paid their respects to the reported 168 children who perished in the Minab school bombing upon their arrival in Mexico ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

On February 28, Iranian authorities reported that 175 people - the majority of whom were children - lost their lives in a Tomahawk missile strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in southern Iran. A subsequent investigation concluded that the U.S. was likely responsible for the attack, with American Central Command officers alleged to have generated the target coordinates using outdated intelligence.

The national squad departed their training base in Turkey on Saturday, embarking on a 20-hour trip to Mexico, where they will establish their World Cup headquarters. Iran had originally intended to set up camp in Tucson, Arizona, but relocated their training base late last month, as per The Mirror US.

• FIFA release statement after Somali referee turned away at US border
• FIFA faces backlash over World Cup emissions as scale of expansion takes dramatic toll

Upon touchdown, Iranian players - among them team captain Ehsan Hajisafi, midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh, and goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand - were photographed wearing "#168" pins as they disembarked the aircraft.

This is not the first occasion that the Iran men's national team has honored the victims of the Minab school bombing. Back in March, players wore black armbands and carried school backpacks as the national anthem rang out before kickoff in a friendly match against Nigeria.

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Iran has accused the United States of perpetrating the "worst possible form of politically biased interference in sports" after claiming that visas were denied to a "large portion" of its national football team's support staff.

In the run-up to this year's World Cup, the United States has enforced strict visa requirements that Iranian players must satisfy. Members of Iran's national squad are obligated to enter and depart America on the same day for their group stage fixtures, which include matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt.

To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE

"We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day," Iran's envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh told reporters.

With only days left before the quadrennial tournament kicks off, Iran also alleged that visa applications for multiple members of its coaching staff and technical personnel were turned down. Iranian state television reported that Iran Football Federation secretary-general Hedayat Mombeini and vice president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi were among the 15 staff members refused U.S. visas.

Taking to social media, United States ambassador Tom Barrack praised the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for processing the Iran team's visas. U.S. officials confirmed that visas were issued to all players, coaches, trainers, and "necessary support staff" connected with the Iranian club.

The Iranian Embassy in Ankara responded sharply to Barrack's announcement, accusing the United States of breaching its World Cup host duties by escalating "discriminatory treatment" toward Iran. "You cannot whitewash conduct that violates FIFA regulations and breaches the United States' host obligations merely by praising yourselves," a statement read.

"Why do you not say that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team? You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level."

The Iranian Embassy proceeded to claim that its national squad would be compelled to perform under "undue pressure and stress" as a direct consequence of how the United States handled the visa approval process.

"By extending your whimsical hostilities against the Iranian nation into the realm of sport, the U.S. government in practice is depriving Iran's national team of its right to play in the World Cup under normal conditions and without undue pressure and stress," the message continued.

"This represents the worst possible form of politically biased interference in sport. FIFA must hold the US accountable for violations of its rules and for the discriminatory treatment of Iran's national football team."

Regular starting goaltender Frederik Andersen isn't the main reason the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves down 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final. I would attribute most of their shortcomings so far to sloppy and haphazard defense. However, with 12 goals allowed (!) in three games so far, Andersen isn't exactly backing his Hurricanes teammates up and giving them much of a chance to win, either. That sort of performance just isn't going to cut it from your goaltender, whether it's his fault or not.

Sometimes your skaters won't have "it," and you simply need to do better in net. Full stop.

That means the Hurricanes should make the obvious but hard decision in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night. They should start Andersen's backup, Brandon Bussi, and never look back (unless he also turns out to be a sieve in net). For what it's worth, Bussi was in the starter's crease during Sunday's practice, but that appeared to be more about maintenance for Andersen.

They have not yet made an official decision at the time of this writing:

There's no sign of Frederik Andersen on the ice for Hurricanes practice. Brandon Bussi is in the starter's crease at practice. pic.twitter.com/SCINhhnS7O

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 8, 2026

To be sure, in the same way Andersen isn't at fault for a shoddy Hurricanes defense, Bussi wasn't the main reason the Hurricanes almost pulled off one of the most astonishing comeback wins in hockey history after trailing 4-0 in the third period. Three goals in 39 seconds doesn't happen only because you made a change at goalie, you know?

Still, after subbing in for Andersen, Bussi did make 18-of-19 total saves in the third period and both overtimes. That's the sort of performance that gives your skaters a chance and keeps them motivated to keep pushing when the chips are down. Plus, it's not as if the one shot that Bussi didn't save, the game-winner for Vegas, was his fault.

It was a brutal own goal that no goaltender should be expected to reasonably save:

SHEA THEODORE WINS IT FOR VEGAS IN @ENERGIZER DOUBLE OVERTIME TO TAKE A 2-1 LEAD IN THE #STANLEYCUP FINAL 🚨 pic.twitter.com/zpOANju87a

— NHL (@NHL) June 7, 2026

The Hurricanes are effectively up against the wall with one more loss in this Stanley Cup Final. They have little to no margin for error. It's time for them to give someone like Bussi a real chance to be Carolina's catalyst, and hope they can continue to be inspired enough by his play to go on and win the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 20 years.

Where did Brandon Bussi come from?

This is actually the 27-year-old's first season in the NHL. Bussi spent each of the last three years with the Providence Bruins, the AHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Brandon Bussi: Hurricanes should start goaltender in Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final

The expectations surrounding rookie edge defender David Bailey continue to grow, and honestly, it’s easy to understand why.

Bailey was the second player taken in the most recent NFL Draft. The New York Jets seemingly struck oil with the acquisition of the 2025 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, one who was also named a Unanimous All-American.

ESPN’s Mike Clay recently released his projections for rookie leaders across 10 major statistical categories, and when it came to sacks, the New York Jets rookie edge rusher sat at the top of the list. Clay projects Bailey to lead all rookies with 7.6 sacks in 2026. That number may not leap off the page compared to elite veteran production, but context matters. Clay also noted that rookie sack production has dipped recently.

"James Pearce Jr. led the way with 10.5 sacks last season, but no other rookie had more than 5.5, and only two others reached 5.0 (Jalon Walker and Nic Scourton). Micah Parsons' 13.0 sacks in 2021 was the most by a rookie over the past decade, and only five other freshmen (including Pearce) reached double-digits. Four of the five were first-rounders. (Maxx Crosby was a fourth-rounder in 2019.)"

That’s a great explanation, one that makes Bailey’s projection extremely notable. Clay also pointed out that five edge rushers were selected in the first round this year. That means opportunities, reps, and production will be split among several talented pass rushers. Even so, Bailey still landed atop the list. That shouldn’t surprise Jets fans.

Much is expected of David Bailey's first season, and for good reason

New York made Bailey the No. 2 overall pick for a reason. He wasn’t simply the first defensive player selected because of upside alone. The expectation was always that he’d make an immediate impact. And if Clay’s forecast proves accurate, Bailey won’t just be productive. He’ll immediately enter Defensive Rookie of the Year territory. It seems to be a conversation that is already happening.

Bailey currently holds the shortest odds to win the award, and projections like this only strengthen the argument. Edge rushers who pile up sacks naturally generate headlines, and if Bailey approaches eight sacks while flashing consistently in a major market, the attention will come quickly. Of course, projections are projections, but this one feels less like wishful thinking and more like a fairly logical expectation.

The Jets drafted Bailey to disrupt quarterbacks immediately. ESPN clearly believes that’s exactly what he’ll do. Many pundits, fans, and media members agree, and it isn't just those who are residing in Florham Park or surrounding areas that Jets fans are known to congregate.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: ESPN projects Jets EDGE David Bailey to lead all NFL rookies in sacks

Tensions have risen between the headliners of this week’s UFCWhite House event, with Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria trading insults about divorce and family.

On Sunday, Topuria will defend the UFC lightweight title against interim champion Gaethje, as they meet in the main event of a unique fight card on the South Lawn.

The event is a celebration of 250 years of the United States, and it coincides with the 80th birthday of US president Donald Trump. As such, six of the seven bouts will feature US fighters – including Gaethje, whose opponent is of Spanish and Georgian heritage.

And things have begun to get personal between the White House headliners, with Topuria hitting back at Gaethje over an alleged comment on “El Matador”’s recent divorce.

“All that guy is, is a gimmick,” Gaethje said recently. “He calls himself the king, he thinks he’s a God. What an annoying little b*****d. I couldn’t imagine being in a room with him for 30 minutes, listening to him talk about himself.

“And I can say this: I would leave him. That’s all I’m saying: I would leave him. No way I would put up with his s***.”

Topuria responded on Monday, writing on X: “Justin crossed a line. What happened between my ex-wife and me is our business. We may no longer be together, but she is the mother of my daughter.

“To everyone insulting her or speaking about things they know nothing about: show some respect. You don’t have to respect our relationship. But respecting someone’s mother should be one of the most basic codes in life. Be better.”

Gaethje, 37, soon replied: “Proving my point. Insufferable little b***h boy. Never said a thing about your wife. You want to speak words to my father then act like I crossed some line. We already fighting buddy.”

Addressing Gaethje’s remark about his own father, Topuria, 29, said: “You should’ve kept your father out of this. He was the one calling me a short guy and saying you’d smash me, all while holding a beer in his hand. Then you started talking about my divorce and telling the world you wouldn’t want to be my roommate.

“Idiot. First, we’re fighting, not dating. Second, I’m not looking for a roommate. When I put you to sleep and you’re lying there next to the rose, I’ll look at your father and ask him one simple question: Who’s the short one now? I’m gonna break you Justin.”

Topuria was referencing a white rose that he plans to hold in the Octagon after his fight with Gaethje, if he beats the two-time interim champion. Topuria is undefeated, and he has held a red rose in his recent post-fight interviews, declaring the flower a tribute to his beaten rivals.

In his most-recent fight, Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight belt in June. Oliveira is a former UFC champion, like Topuria’s two preceding opponents: Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.

They also fell to El Matador via knockout, as Topuria stopped Volkanovski to win the featherweight title in 2024 and did the same to Holloway to retain the belt later that year.

Meanwhile, Gaethje last competed in January, dominating Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett to win a decision and claim the interim lightweight strap.

Gaethje previously held the interim title in 2020, but he failed to unify the belts when he fought then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov submitted Gaethje, who lost his second undisputed-title fight by the same means in 2022, when he fought Oliveira.

Sunday therefore marks the “Highlight”’s third shot at the undisputed lightweight belt.

Packers might be spiraling toward a Jordan Love nightmare originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

To be clear: This is the glass-half-empty point of view.

If you're an optimist about the Green Bay Packers, this may strike you as a bit harsh, but it's worth analyzing, because the Packers always have high expectations and this season will be no different.

Love appears, most of the time, to be a franchise quarterback. This season will test that more than ever before.

The Packers let two receivers go this offseason, losing Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks without really replacing them.

Josh Jacobs, the bellcow running back, is dealing with off the field trouble.

Micah Parsons is out for at least the first month of the season.

And Love himself still hasn't proven he can stay healthy for a full campaign.

So if things go bad here, they could actually go quite bad.

To avoid that, the Packers will need Love to reach a new level.

"More than ever in Green Bay, Love will be asked to pick up some of the slack for the rest of the roster," ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote as part of a new article on Tuesday. "He's under pressure to stay healthy, to elevate his wide receiver group and maybe to help the offense carry the defense a little bit -- at least early in the season. The Packers play in a brutally tough division and always have high expectations. This will be a big year for Love to show if he's the guy who can deliver on them."

MORE: Will they still be called the Chicago Bears if they play in Indiana?

Every offseason, analysts try to figure out which players will take a step forward and which will take a step back.

Love is in a situation where even if he improves, it may look like he's stuck in neutral, because the situation around him has gotten worse.

And if Love doesn't take any forward steps, the Packers may end up moving backward. They haven't arranged things in a way conducive to Love's success.

More NFL news:

• The Aaron Rodgers problem no one is talking about for the Steelers
• Josh Allen called out by a coach with a major losing record
• Lamar Jackson has an obvious reason not to sign right now
• Myles Garrett's Browns career comes to the most Cleveland of endings
• There's a risk the OBJ signing is a mistake

The schedules for UConn men’s and women’s soccer’s 2026 seasons are out. Chris Gbandi’s squad will play 17 games, 12 at home, while Margaret Rodriguez’s side will take the field 18 times, with half of those coming at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium in Storrs.

UConn women’s soccer

UConn will play a pair of exhibitions, first on the road against UMass on Aug. 5 followed by UNH at home on Aug. 9. The Huskies will kick off the 2026-27 athletic season with a trip to Stony Brook on Aug. 13. The official home opener comes against former Big East rival Rutgers on Aug. 20, which will be part of a double-header with the men.

The rest of the non-conference slate features Boston University (Aug. 23), LIU (Sept. 6) and Vermont (Sept. 25) at home as well as Brown (Aug. 27), West Virginia (Sept. 13) and Harvard (Sept. 20) on the road.

UConn begins Big East play at St. John’s on Sep. 30, one of five conference matches away from home alongside Xavier (Oct. 10), Creighton (Oct. 21), Marquette (Oct. 24) and Villanova (Nov. 7) in the regular season finale. The Huskies will host Providence (Oct. 3), Seton Hall (Oct. 7), DePaul (Oct. 17), Butler (Oct. 28) and Georgetown (Oct. 31).

Last season, UConn posted an 11-4-3 record and finished third in the Big East but were snubbed by the selection committee and left out of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies lost three-time All-American forward Chioma Okafor as well as starting center back Anna Carson and a handful of other contributors, but return midfield stalwart Anaya Johnson, starting goalie Ava Yamas and a strong core beyond them.

UConn has won 10+ games in three straight seasons, its longest such streak since 2013-16.

UConn men’s soccer

UConn begins play as part of the doubleheader on Aug. 20 against Syracuse. After that, the Huskies will travel to UMass on Aug. 23 before beginning a five-game homestand against Fairfield (Aug. 27), Western Michigan (Aug. 30), Brown (Sept. 30), Fisher College (Sept. 6, also a doubleheader) and Sacred Heart (Sept. 9). A trip to Harvard (Sept. 12) as well as home games with Siena (Sept. 22) and Bryant (Oct. 6) close out the out-of-conference portion of the schedule.

They open the Big East slate against Seton Hall on Sept. 18 and will also host DePaul (Oct. 10), Providence (Oct. 24) and Georgetown (Nov. 6). They’ll journey to St. John’s (Sept. 26), Marquette (Oct. 16) and Xavier (Oct. 31) for conference games as well.

UConn men’s soccer is coming off a 12-5-4 campaign and its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018. As the 13th overall seed, the Huskies earned a bye into the second round and knocked off Cornell 3-1 at Morrone Stadium. They were then eliminated by No. 4 Maryland, 3-0.

This season, UConn will play seven teams that also made the field of 48 in 2025: Syracuse, Western Michigan, Seton Hall, Siena, St. John’s, Bryant and Georgetown.

For the men, this will be its final fall-only season. In 2027, Division I men’s soccer will move to a two-semester schedule with a maximum of 18 games from late August to the Saturday before Thanksgiving followed by no more than 10 contests from mid-February through the end of the regular season. The NCAA Tournament will take place in in the spring.

Women’s soccer will continue to play exclusively in the fall.

The Kansas City Chiefs bringing back L’Jarius Sneed on a bargain deal has drawn a familiar comparison to the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick Patriots era.

Sneed is returning to Kansas City on a one-year contract worth up to $5 million after a difficult two-season stay with the Tennessee Titans.

For the Chiefs, it is a low-cost reunion with a cornerback who already knows Steve Spagnuolo’s system and helped them win two Super Bowls.

Chiefs L’Jarius Sneed deal compared to Brady Belichick Patriots move

Trey Wingo summed up the roster-building angle behind Kansas City’s reunion with Sneed.

“Such a classic move: draft and developed the player, let someone else pay him, and then bring them back for pennies on the dollar. A move that the patriot perfected during the Brady/Belichick era.“

The comparison is straightforward. Kansas City drafted and developed Sneed, traded him before paying a top-market deal, then watched Tennessee take on the expensive contract risk.

Now the Chiefs get him back at a much smaller price after the Titans moved on.

L’Jarius Sneed Titans move never delivered expected return

Tennessee acquired Sneed from the Chiefs in March 2024, sending Kansas City a 2025 third-round pick and swapping 2024 seventh-rounders.

The Titans then signed Sneed to a four-year, $76.4 million contract, including major guarantees, hoping he would become a foundational cornerback.

Instead, injuries shaped his Titans tenure. Sneed played only 12 games across two seasons, failed to record an interception and was released in March 2026 as Tennessee cleared cap space.

Chiefs secondary gets proven Super Bowl fit back

Sneed’s first Chiefs run is why this reunion still matters. From 2020 to 2023, he became one of Kansas City’s most trusted defensive backs.

He won two Super Bowls with the franchise and produced 10 interceptions, 40 passes defended, four forced fumbles and 6.5 sacks across that first stint.

If healthy, the $5 million ceiling gives Kansas City experienced cornerback help without forcing a major cap commitment. That is exactly why Wingo saw a Patriots-style value play.

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If people who have had a better calendar year than Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba exist, then the list is awfully short. Seattle's super star in the making led the NFL in receiving yards, earned the Offensive Player of the Year award, and became a Super Bowl LX champion. Oh, and let's not forget the fact he was rewarded handsomely with a mega-contract extension to make him the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history!

Now, JSN has another accolade he can add to his already growing Wikipedia page...

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been named as one of TIME Magazine's Top 100 most influential people in sports. The top tier was listed as "Icons" which of course included the likes of LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, and Roger Goodell. But the next tier down, labeled "Titans," is where we see JSN. The Seahawks champ is among the likes of Aaron Judge, Rory McIlroy and Victor Wembanyama to name a few!

JSN has only gotten better in each of his first three years in the league. His best, of course, came last year when he set a Seahawks franchise record with 119 receptions for 1,793 yards and ten touchdowns. While he has a ways to go to catch up to the likes of Steve Largent, Tyler Lockett and the other top receivers in Seahawks franchise history... the distance is not as great as you may think. JSN already has the 11th most receiving yards by a Seahawk ever, and is only 17 away from claiming the No. 10 spot all to himself.

Seattle doesn't just have have a genuine super star who will be with them for years to come, they have a player who has the potential to be among the faces of the league itself.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks WR JSN makes TIME 100 most influential people in sports list

It was supposed to be a redemption year for Caitlin Clark, but it is turning into a season marred by controversy. After being limited to only 13 games last season, Clark came into 2026 healthy, motivated and with championship expectations sitting squarely on her shoulders. 

However, she has only played 11 games this season, and some are already urging her to leave the Fever, specifically Jason Whitlock, who is imagining her out of Indiana immediately. 

Following an animated sideline exchange between Clark and Coach Stephanie Whiteduring a 100-84 blowout loss to the Portland Fire on May 30, intense media speculation suggested internal drama within the team. 

In this vacuum, Whitlock strongly believes everything is wrong inside the organization and that she cannot trust anyone, not even her head coach or her agent.

Jason Whitlock urges Caitlin Clark to demand a trade from Fever

Sports commentator Whitlock recently argued that Caitlin Clark’s situation with the Indiana Fever cannot be fixed. Without any hesitation, he claimed that Clark needs to get out and she needs to do it now.

“Caitlin Clark has to demand a trade right now. Immediately, it’s the only way to fix this Indiana Fever situation. She has to take care of herself,” Whitlock said. “She can’t trust anyone, not her head coach, not the assistant coaches, not the general manager, not the team president.”

He went further, saying even Clark’s own inner circle cannot be trusted. “Let me tell you who she really can’t trust. She can’t trust her agent either. Caitlin Clark is in the middle of a hot mess that I am very familiar with… She is surrounded by people that don’t have animus towards her, but she is just way too piping hot, and they’re all running for cover,” he said.

Caitlin Clark needs to realize her relationship with the Indiana Fever is not salvageable and demand a trade before it destroys her career. pic.twitter.com/AHDvqJ52FW

— Jason Whitlock (@jasonwhitlock) June 8, 2026

The Whitlock take lands against a real backdrop. Clark and White both publicly described the Portland sideline incident as “two competitive individuals disagreeing on one point” and insisted they had moved past it. 

But the Fever have continued to struggle, losing to the New York Liberty 83-75 after blowing a 12-point lead, and the outside noise has not slowed down. Clark herself acknowledged the pressure, saying, “I want to win. This team wants to win and I’m the point guard, so it’s on me to help this team and this franchise win.” 

During her Fever media day in April, Clark openly admitted that bringing the ball up the court against constant defensive pressure is exhausting. She emphasized the team’s need to find another ball-handler who could take over those duties and give her a much-needed break during games. 

While it remains unclear if she ever truly got that break, the narrative shifted entirely after her recent sideline argument with her coach. Commentary grew messy and Whitlock really believes that her relationship with the Fever is no longer salvageable, urging her to demand an immediate trade before it destroys her career.

More WNBA news:

• Caitlin Clark’s Buzzer-Beating Triple Lifts Fever Past Mystics in Thriller
• “Paige Is 1 Of 1”: Paige Bueckers Ties Franchise Assist Record As Teammate Reflects On Missed Chances
• Caitlin Clark Admits to Wanting to Partake in Activity Her Security Staff Won’t Allow During NBA Finals
• WNBA Fans Shocked As Longtime Fever Writer Gets Credentials Revoked
• “Just Because She Straight?”: Fans Shocked As Stephanie White Humbles Caitlin Clark Mid-game After Heated Argument

Samsung's Galaxy A27 has been leaking a lot lately, with renders followed by even more renders, as well as its full specs being outed. There was however a missing piece of the pie: the price. That's now been revealed too. The Galaxy A27 will allegedly go for €349 in the Eurozone with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and €439 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. For reference, note that its predecessor, the Galaxy A26, launched at €299 and €369, respectively, so we're looking at a €50 price hike for the base model and a €70 hike for the top of the line offering. That's quite a...

Gigabyte's Radeon RX 9070 XT is available for $649 ahead of Prime Day, matching AMD's launch MSRP. Equipped with 16GB of GDDR6 memory, a factory overclock, and a triple-fan cooling design, it offers an appealing entry point into high-end 1440p and 4K gaming without a huge premium.

Apple's claimed stance towards user privacy is admirable. Unfortunately, it is riddled with compromises and beholden to expediency, which substantially undermines the moral high road that Apple wants to appear to be a champion of. The European Commission spokesperson: "The decision not to allow Siri AI in the EU is Apple's and Apple's only" For the benefit of those who might not be aware, Apple lobbed a surprise at the end of its WWDC 2026 keynote presentation on Monday, when it disclosed that the all-new Siri AI won't launch in the EU and China on iOS and iPadOS, but would […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apple-stores-icloud-data-on-government-servers-in-china-but-throws-a-hissy-fit-in-the-eu-over-siri-ai/

While today's Nintendo Direct was stuffed mostly with ports of games previously released elsewhere and a few new titles and DLC updates sprinkled in between, it capped off with a couple of major reveals. One was the expected reveal of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake, while the other was another look at Kingdom Hearts 4 after years of silence, alongside a reveal that the rest of the series will make its way to Nintendo Switch 2 in one jam-packed collection. Kingdom Hearts 4 was first announced back in 2022, and since then we've barely seen any updates […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/kingdom-hearts-4-gameplay-kingdom-hearts-collection-release-date-nintendo-switch-2/

The Final Fantasy series is back in full swing for the upcoming month, as Square Enix had another surprise waiting in the wings besides Final Fantasy VII Revelation, revealing it during today's Nintendo Direct. This surprise is Final Fantasy Resonance, the first HD-2D entry in the series, bringing back the turn-based combat fans have been demanding for years on October 22 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The new entry in the series is poised to be an evolution of the pixel art entries in the series of the 90s, such as Final Fantasy VI, as Square Enix describes the game as […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/square-enix-fan-demand-final-fantasy-resonance-turn-based-october-22/

A loyal Verizon subscriber would continue sticking with the service even after numerous attempts to sway him over to T-Mobile, but he believed that the reception quality kept him from changing sides. However, he might not have the same opinion about the U.S. carrier as he claims that not only were the representatives misinformed and incompetent, but they also employed shady tactics by removing cellphone insurance. He only found this out when he tried to claim his wife’s missing device. Customer is still making payments for a missing phone, but takes responsibility for not going through previous Verizon bills to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/verizon-representatives-removed-cellphone-insurance-without-informing-customer/

Square Enix revealed the release date for Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World today during the first general Nintendo Direct event of 2026, which is officially set for December 3, 2026, on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. In a Summer Game Fest season of release date reveals that were all seemingly trying to avoid GTA 6, this spin-off Dragon Quest game is one of the few brave enough to launch within two weeks of Rockstar's upcoming blockbuster. Of course, it's not like Dragon Quest Monsters is directly aimed at players who's tastes may have them more aligned with GTA […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/dragon-quest-monsters-withered-world-release-date-gta-6/

The Nintendo Switch 2 is cementing its status as the system to get to enjoy the best JRPGs. During today’s Nintendo Direct, developer Monolith Soft confirmed not only that the entire Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy is making the jump to the new hardware with significant enhancements, but also unveiled a brand-new entry in the series arriving in 2027. Xenoblade Genesis Marks a New Beginning The next major project from Monolith Soft is titled Xenoblade Genesis. Scheduled for a 2027 release on Nintendo Switch 2, this entry appears to move away from the established universe of the previous trilogy to explore a […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/xenoblade-genesis-nintendo-switch-2-xenoblade-chronicles-trilogy-4k-60-fps/

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Creators use Skiddee for lessons, ads, training, campaigns, and social posts. Choose from dozens of styles or describe your own to create distinctive videos that people actually watch.

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Bitcoin bear market analysis showed copycat BTC price moves ongoing despite new hopes of a US-Iran peace deal.

Throughout history, Nigeria have been one of the most renowned national teams in Africa, producing numerous stars. In addition, they recently finished third in the Africa Cup of Nations, surpassing Egypt. Despite this, they failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, disappointing many supporters. As a result, they have now gone eight years without appearing in the tournament, bringing a strong streak to an end.

After finishing second in Group C of the African Qualifiers, they were forced to decide their qualification against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a short playoff. Even though they drew the game, they lost on penalties, being eliminated from World Cup participation for the second consecutive edition.

Despite having players such as Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, and Akor Adams, they have failed to reestablish as one of the best teams in Africa. Unlike Senegal or Morocco, Nigeria have not developed a collective playing style, causing them to be consistently outperformed. In addition, head coach Eric Chelle has not managed to get the best out of his biggest star, Victor Osimhen.

As one of the best teams in Africa, Nigeria being surpassed by South Africa proved fatal to their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup. Not only do the Super Eagles possess more globally recognized stars, but they also were not in a particularly competitive group. Despite this, head coach Eric Chelle remains in charge, aiming to build a competitive project for the long term.

How many times have Nigeria played in the World Cup?

Throughout their history, Nigeria have become one of the most representative teams in Africa. Making their tournament debut in the 1994 edition, they have gone on to participate in a total of six World Cup editions. In addition, they were coming off a strong run, having secured their place in the 2010, 2014, and 2018 editions, where their best result was reaching the Round of 16.

Even though they failed to qualify for the 2026 edition, the Super Eagles have a strong opportunity to rebuild their squad and return for the 2030 World Cup. However, they may need to build their sporting project around Victor Osimhen, as he is one of the best players in Africa and could be a difference-maker. In addition, they have shown the ability to stabilize their performances, providing a solid foundation for the future.

Galatasaray ve Lille, Midtjylland forması giyen Aral Şimşir için çalışmalarına devam ediyor. Bu arada Beşiktaş'ın da milli futbolcuyla ilgili nabız yoklamaya başladığı öğrenildi.

Galatasaray'ın kanat alternatifleri arasında Midtjylland forması giyen Aral Şimşir de bulunuyor. TFF'nin 10+4'lük yabancı kontenjanının ardından Aral hamlesi ekstra önem kazandı. Bu arada Ligue 1 temsilcili Lille de devrede... Onlar da pazarlıklarını sürdürüyor...

23 yaşındaki sol kanat oyuncusunun Danimarka ekibiyle 31 Aralık 2029 tarihine kadar mukavelesi bulunuyor. Aral geçen sezon toplam 54 resmi maça çıktı. 12 gol ve 21 asist üretti. Midtjylland, kapıyı 15 milyon eurodan açtı. Bu rakamın altı kabul edilmiyor...

Beşiktaş'ın da iyi koşullarla birlikte masaya oturmaya hazırlandığı ifade edildi. Midtjylland tarafı, talip sayısının artmasından son derece memnun... Böylece kendi kazançları da artacak. Beşiktaş hem sağ hem de sol kanat bölgesini güçlendirecek. Aral gibi yerli bir seçenek de tıpkı Galatasaray gibi onları da cezbediyor.

Galatasaray'la sözleşmesinin son senesine giren Abdülkerim Bardakcı'yla yeni kontrat konusunda anlaşma sağlandı. Milli futbolcunun maaşına ciddi oranda zam yapılacak.

Galatasaray, 2022 yazında Konyaspor'a 2.8 milyon euro ödeyerek Abdülkerim Bardakcı'yı kadrosuna katmıştı. O dönemde Fenerbahçe'nin de oyuncuyla ilgili girişimleri vardı. Ancak yaşanan bazı olayların ardından tecrübeli stoperin tercihi Sarı-Kırmızılılar oldu...

1.85 boyundaki stoper, Galatasaray'la üst üste 4 şampiyonluk yaşadı. Milli Takım'ın vazgeçilmez parçalarından biri haline geldi. Ayrıca şu anda Icardi sonrasında Aslan'ın ikinci kaptanı pozisyonunda bulunuyor. Abdülkerim Bardakcı'nın mevcut sözleşmesi 30 Haziran 2027'de bitiyordu.

Yönetim, kontratının son senesine giren tecrübeli stoperle el sıkıştı. Abdülkerim Bardakcı'nın 90 milyon TL olan senelik maaşı 140 milyon TL'ye çıkarılacak (Türk oyunculara TL ödemesi yapılıyor). Konuyla ilgili resmi açıklamanın kısa süre içinde yapılması bekleniyor. 31 yaşındaki futbolcu, mevcut kadrodaki tek sol ayaklı stoper...

Şu anda bütün kulüplerin gözü Dünya Kupası'na çevrildi. Galatasaray'da Leroy Sane'ye dev organizasyonun ardından bazı tekliflerin gelebileceği öğrenildi.

Galatasaray, Bayern Münih'le sözleşmesi biten Leroy Sane'yi geride bıraktığımız sezonun başında bedelsiz olarak kadrosuna katmıştı. Alman yıldızla 30 Haziran 2028 tarihine kadar mukavele yapıldı. 30 yaşındaki futbolcu Süper Lig'de 28 karşılaşmaya çıktı. Sahada 2.288 dakika kaldı. 7 gol ve 5 asist üretti.

Sane'nin ülkesi Almanya'dan bazı eleştiriler olsa da yıldız isim Milli Takım kadrosuna dahil edildi. Şu anda özellikle bazı Suudi Arabistan ekiplerinin 1.83 boyundaki futbolcuyu takibe aldığı belirtildi. Dünya Kupası'nın ardından Galatasaray'a çok sayıda teklif gelebilir.

Eğer Leroy Sane, dev organizasyonda iyi bir performans sergilerse bazı Avrupa ekiplerinin de devreye girmesi bekleniyor. Alman futbolcu, Galatasaray'ın satış listesinde değil. Ancak kulübe astronomik teklifler gelirse, durum değişebilir. Muhtemel bir ayrılıkta onun yerine takviye yapılması gerekecek.

İtalyan basını, Şampiyonlar Ligi biletini alan Roma'nın, Barış Alper Yılmaz'ı istediğini yazdı. Bu transferin gerçekleşme ihtimali henüz bilinmiyor. Ancak Roma'nın çözmesi gereken büyük bir sorunu var...

Galatasaray, 2021 yazında Keçiörengücü Kulübü'ne 2.1 milyon euro ödeyerek Barış Alper Yılmaz'ı kadrosuna katmıştı. Milli futbolcunun haklarının %20'si hala Keçiörengücü'ne ait... Yani olası bir satışta, bonservis bedelinin %20'si oyuncunun eski takımına verilecek...

HERKESİN DİKKATİNİ ÇEKTİ

Milli yıldız, üst üste kazanılan başarılarda büyük bir rol oynadı. Bu sezon da istikrarını sürdürdü. Doğal olarak birçok takımın dikkatini çekti. Bunlardan biri de Roma... İtalyan basınındaki haberlere göre; Şampiyonlar Ligi biletini alan Serie A temsilcisi, Barış'ı kadrosuna katmak istiyor.

UEFA'DAN CEZA İHTİMALİ

Ancak şu anda Roma'nın büyük bir problemi var... İtalyan ekibi, UEFA'dan ceza almamak ve yeni takviyeler yapabilmek için 30 Haziran'a kadar kasasına 56 milyon euro sokmalı... Bu yüzden kadrodaki bazı futbolcuların satılması gerekiyor. Özetle Roma, 30 Haziran'a kadar Barış konusunda hiçbir şey yapamaz... Sonrasında neler yaşanabileceğini ise zaman gösterecek...

Aston Villa'nın merkez orta saha adayları arasında Gabriel Sara da bulunuyor. Ancak İngiliz ekibi, Dünya Kupası'nın sonuna kadar hamlede bulunmayacak. Elbette bunun bir sebebi var...

Galatasaray, 2024 yazında Norwich City Kulübü'ne 18 milyon euro ödeyerek Gabriel Sara'yı kadrosuna katmıştı. Brezilyalı futbolcuyla 30 Haziran 2029 tarihine kadar mukavele yapıldı. Şu anda birçok Avrupa ekibi onunla ilgileniyor. Talipler arasında Aston Villa da yer alıyor...

PARLAYAN BİRİ ÇIKMAZSA

Premier Lig ekibi, Sara konusunda istekli... Fakat Dünya Kupası bitene kadar herhangi bir teklif sunmaları beklenmiyor. Çünkü Villa'nın listesindeki bazı oyuncular, dev organizasyonda boy gösterecek. Onların durumları da yakından takip edilecek. Eğer parlayan bir isim olmazsa, Sara transferi için Galatasaray'la masaya oturulacak.

BREZİLYA KADROSUNDA DEĞİL

Gabriel Sara, dev turnuva öncesinde Brezilya Milli Takımı'na çağrılmıştı. Ancak Dünya Kupası kadrosunda yer almıyor. 26 yaşındaki merkez orta saha oyuncusuyla Aston Villa dışında Napoli ve Newcastle United da ilgileniyor. Galatasaray Yönetimi'nin kafasındaki bonservis bedeli; 40 milyon euro civarında...

Galatasaray, Eintracht Frankfurt forması giyen Can Uzun konusunda temaslarını sürdürüyor. Ancak Alman ekibinin yüksek bir bonservis beklentisi var. Sarı-Kırmızılılar, olası bir ayrılığa karşı B Planını belirledi.

Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu, son anda bir değişiklik olmazsa yeni sezonda 10+4'lük yabancı kontenjanının geçerli olacağını açıklamıştı. Karar sonrasında hem Türk hem de genç yabancı futbolcuların önemi arttı. Galatasaray'ın 10 numara bölgesindeki 1 numaralı hedefi Eintracht Frankfurt forması giyen Can Uzun...

O İSİM BATRAKOV

Alman ekibi, 20 yaşındaki milli futbolcuyu ucuza bırakmayı düşünmüyor. 55-60 milyon euroluk bonservis bedellerinden bahsediliyor. Sarı-Kırmızılılar, Can transferi için şartlarını zorlayacak. Yine de bir sonuç elde edilemezse Sarı-Kırmızılılar'ın B Planı hazır... Cim-Bom, Lokomotiv Moskova forması giyen Aleksey Batrakov'u da yedekte tutuyor.

20 MİLYONA SERBEST KALIYOR

21 yaşındaki Rus 10 numaranın, 20 milyon euroluk serbest kalma maddesi bulunuyor. 1.73 boyundaki futbolcu, TFF'nin belirlediği "genç" yabancı kontenjanını fazlasıyla karşılıyor. Aleksey Batrakov bu sezon Rus Ligi'nde 28 maça çıktı. Sahada 2.494 dakika kaldı. 13 gol ve 10 asist üretti. Cim-Bom, Can Uzun'un durumuna göre; Batrakov'u İstanbul'a indirebilir. Can dışında bu konudaki temaslar da devam ediyor.

Siyah-beyazlıların, Cagliari'nin başarılı eldiveni Elia Caprile ve Bologna'nın hücum dinamiti Nicolò Cambiaghi için resmi girişimlere başladığı ileri sürüldü.

İtalyan gazeteci Daniele Longo’nun haberine göre; Beşiktaş, Cagliari forması giyen başarılı kaleci Elia Caprile ve Bologna’nın yetenekli sol kanat oyuncusu Nicolò Cambiaghi ile yakından ilgileniyor.

İdari ve teknik heyetin, her iki oyuncu için de "çok güçlü bir ilgi" duyduğu ve transfer şartlarını masaya yatırdığı belirtildi.

24 yaşındaki İtalyan file bekçisi, refleksleri ve çizgi çizgideki başarısıyla tanınıyor. Beşiktaş'ın genç eldiveni uzun vadeli bir yatırım olarak gördüğü gelen bilgiler arasında.

Sol kanatta görev yapan 25 yaşındaki Cambiaghi, sürati, adam eksiltme becerisi ve içeri kat ederek yarattığı tehlikelerle Serie A'nın dikkat çeken kanat oyuncularından biri konumunda.

Beşiktaş, Balkan futbolunun son dönemde yetiştirdiği en parlak yeteneği olan Ermin Mahmic'i kadrosuna katmak için resmi adımları attı.

Beşiktaş, yeni sezon transfer çalışmalarına hız kesmeden devam ediyor. Orta sahaya yaratıcı ve gelecek vadeden bir isim eklemek isteyen siyah-beyazlı kurmayların radarına, Çekya ligi ekiplerinden Slovan Liberec forması giyen Ermin Mahmic girdi.

SportSport'un paylaştığı özel habere göre; Beşiktaş, 21 yaşındaki genç yıldız adayı ile ciddi şekilde ilgileniyor. Haberin detaylarında, siyah-beyazlı yönetimin transfer için resmi adımları atmaya başladığı ve oyuncuyu kadrosuna katmak konusunda oldukça kararlı olduğu vurgulandı.

Geçtiğimiz Mayıs ayında FIFA'dan spor vatandaşlığı onayını alarak Avusturya yerine Bosna Hersek Milli Takımı'nı seçen Mahmic, sergilediği performansla Balkan futbolunda büyük ses getirdi. Milli takım formasıyla çıktığı ilk maçların ardından Bosna medyasında ve taraftarlar arasında performansı efsane isim Miralem Pjanic ile kıyaslandı.

Anadolu Efes Basketbol Takımı'nda ABD'li oyun kurucu Saben Lee ile yolların ayrıldığı duyuruldu.

Lacivert-beyazlı kulübün ABD merkezli X şirketinin sosyal medya platformundaki hesabından yapılan paylaşımda, "Sezon içerisinde takımımıza katılan Saben Lee ile yollarımızı ayırmış bulunuyoruz. Kendisine kulübümüze verdiği emekler için teşekkür eder, kariyerinin bundan sonraki dönemi için de başarılar dileriz." ifadeleri kullanıldı.

Saben Lee, bu sezon Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi'nde çıktığı 22 maçta 15,45 sayı, 3,14 ribaunt ve 5,27 asist ortalamaları yakaladı.

Kayserispor Kulübü, sözleşmesi sona eren teknik direktör Erling Moe için "teşekkür" mesajı yayımladı.

Trendyol 1. Lig'e 11 yıl aradan sonra düşen sarı-kırmızılı ekibin sosyal medya hesaplarından yapılan paylaşımda, şu ifadelere yer verildi:

"Teknik direktörümüz Erling Moe'nun kulübümüzdeki görev süresinin sona ermesiyle birlikte kendisiyle vedalaşmış bulunuyoruz. Kulübümüze sunduğu katkılar ve çalışmalar için kendisine ve teknik ekibine teşekkür ediyor, kariyerlerinin devamında başarılar diliyoruz."

Moe, Kayseri ekibiyle 25 Şubat 2026'da, 1 yılı takımın Süper Lig'de kalması opsiyonlu 1,5 yıllık sözleşme imzalamıştı.

AI forms opinions about your brand from what it can see online. That’s your digital footprint.

The problem is that AI often sees only fragments of your business. It sees your website, content, reviews, and mentions, but much of the expertise, customer insight, and operational knowledge that makes your business valuable never makes it into the digital footprint.

The solution is to surface that knowledge, organize it into a single source of truth, and turn it into machine-readable signals. Here’s how to collect it, organize it into a single source of truth, and distribute it across the channels AI uses to understand, evaluate, and recommend brands.

What you feed the machines is understandability, credibility, and deliverability (UCD)

Everything you put into your footprint is fodder for three things AI has to decide about you. Together, they provide the fodder for the whole funnel.

Understandability

Does AI know who you are, what you do, and who you serve? You already know where your understandability comes from: 

• Your about page.
• Your product pages.
• Your structured data. 

What often gets missed is the operational detail that explains what you actually do once a client is inside.

Credibility

Does AI believe you’re good at it? This is N-E-E-A-T-T credibility — notability, experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness, and transparency, an extension of Google’s E-E-A-T.

You know what credibility signals you currently feed: your case studies, your credentials, and your testimonials. What many businesses don’t realize is how much N-E-E-A-T-T credibility is already embedded in their day-to-day operations.

Deliverability

Does the AI engine have the content to hand you to the subset of its users who are your audience? 

You know where your deliverability comes from: the topical content, the marketing, and the authority pieces you commission. Deliverability is often hiding in plain sight, in the content generated by your business operations and offline activities.

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5 streams of business data feeding every commercial surface

All three elements of the UCD trio are fed by the five inputs below, and how much each contributes varies by business.

The point isn’t to file each input under one letter. Organized and codified, the five together give AI the fodder it needs from top to bottom of the funnel.

1. Products and services: What you sell, and you already do it

Your products and services data: what you sell, at what price, under what conditions, and with consistent names and identifiers. This is mostly about understandability, with credibility riding alongside it.

Most businesses already do this, so the work is in the depth, not the effort. Don’t just list what you sell. Describe who each offering is for, what problem it solves, what it costs, what it doesn’t do, and how it differs from the next option.

A thin product page tells AI a product exists. An exhaustive one tells it when to recommend that product and to whom.

Keep it accurate, complete, and consistent with everything else in your footprint. A price or product name that differs across pages reads as doubt.

2. Authority content: Your expertise, and almost everybody does it

This is the marketing you already create to show you know your field: your articles, videos, guides, data studies, and the thought leadership you publish to tick the box marked “content created.”

People put effort into it to build authority, rank, do SEO, and position themselves as experts. That’s fine. It leans toward deliverability because it’s what tells AI which territory to surface you in.

But everybody does it, which is exactly why it’s the least differentiating of the five on its own. It earns its weight only when it’s tied to the rest: the same expertise proven by your operations and corroborated by third parties, not just asserted in a blog post.

It’s necessary, but it’s not where your advantage hides.

3. Brand narrative and voice: Who you are, who you serve, and why you’re the best

All marketers create brand narratives, so the work here is about consistency and clarity rather than invention. Everybody communicates who they are, what they do, and who they serve, and keeping that clear and consistent matters enormously. 

But three things are often left out, and AI needs all of them.

• Intent: It isn’t enough to name your ideal customer profile (ICP). You have to pair your ICP with what they’re after: the cohort-to-intent combinations from the funnel query pathway. AI has to know not just whose problem you solve, but which problem, and at which moment, before it can hand you to them.
• Credibility: The thing that feeds your N-E-E-A-T-T. Many people leave it out because they feel awkward saying it. You have to set it out because AI won’t work out your true value on its own. Be clear and bold about why you’re credible, then make sure you can back it up with evidence.
• Making the relationship with your clients explicit: Validation from the people you serve that you deliver on what your narrative and cohort-to-intent mapping promise. Say who you are, what you do, and who you serve. Then explain why a customer should choose you and prove it.

Voice is the part corporations get wrong most often. Narrative is what you say. Voice is how you say it. One team may write the narrative once, but voice escapes through every rep, every support reply, every social post, and every deck. 

When it drifts, and in most large companies it drifts constantly, AI reads the same brand as five different brands and loses confidence in all five.

So standardize your voice and keep it consistent everywhere. Consistency is a credibility signal in itself. Inconsistency is a tax you pay without seeing the bill.

In short, make sure your brand narrative clearly sets out your ICP, who you are, and why you’re the best fit for them, in a voice that stays consistent wherever AI finds it.

4. OPID business operations: The stream almost nobody harvests

This is everything your business generates by running: onboarding, performance, integration, devotion, and all the day-to-day activity around them. 

It’s the most powerful of the five because the material comes from your clients and from the work your team does to serve them, which is exactly the material that rarely makes it online. It sits behind closed doors, buried in a CRM, parked on a platform nobody values, and almost nobody harvests it.

It feeds all three elements of understandability, credibility, and deliverability more effectively than anything else you own. 

• Understandability comes from the granular detail of what you actually do and the exact circumstances in which you help. Most of that is only ever discussed inside the business. A review where a client describes precisely what they got from you puts something on the record you’d never say about yourself, and the machine reads it as fact.
• Credibility is your N-E-E-A-T-T, and this is the most convincing kind because it comes from clients themselves, not from your marketing.
• Deliverability comes from the match. The content here aligns exactly with your cohort-to-intent combinations because it was created around the clients you attracted and served well. Whether it comes from you or from them, it fits the audience and intent you need to communicate to the engines.

Once you start looking, you’ll find the richest material you own:

• Customer voice is the highest signal because it’s real questions in real language: reviews across every platform, written and video testimonials, FAQs, unpublished support questions that should become FAQs, support and sales call transcripts, onboarding and churn-exit interviews, and free-text survey responses.
• Evidence and outcomes provide the proof you need: case studies with real before-and-after numbers, patent filings, academic deposits that are public but underused, and independent third-party studies that corroborate your claims.
• Methodology covers the rest. SOPs, playbooks, training materials, glossaries you currently keep private, and long-form spoken content such as webinars, keynotes, and podcast appearances, transcribed.

Look for material that answers a question an assistive engine or agent actually gets asked, in the questioner’s own words, with a verifiable fact attached. 

A support ticket, churn interview, or sales call transcript will often outperform polished marketing copy in that test because it’s already phrased the way real people ask questions.

That’s the whole point of harvesting OPID business operations: taking information from a place AI can’t see and moving it to a place where it can, while making it visible to your human audience, too. It’s convincing to both because it’s true and because it matches the cohort-to-intent combination exactly.

5. Bringing the offline online: The stream almost nobody runs

This section is all about the marketing and audience engagement you do offline: the talks you give, the festivals or hackathons you sponsor to support your community, the interviews, the panels, and the rooms full of clients. It’s obvious to you, but largely invisible to AI.

Bring the offline online and feed it to the machines by publishing self-reporting content and linking to the social posts and summary articles others write. That’s a huge win most brands miss.

But it works the other way, too. Your codified source of truth can feed your offline communication, so the story a client hears from you at a conference, in a newspaper, on the radio, or face to face is consistent with the story you’re telling AI on the web.

That matters more than it seems. If the two differ, you lose the person because the gap reads as doubt to a human and as low confidence to a machine.

Clarity and consistency over time, online and offline, is the name of the game.

Organize and codify the five into one source of truth

Once you’ve harvested all five streams, organize and codify them into a single source of truth: a database you build to output whatever format each surface needs, including HTML, schema, MCP, RDF, prose, audio, video, and images.

Organize the data once, centralize it, set up a system that codifies it on the way out, and from there you can distribute it in a few clicks while your digital footprint stays clear and consistent as it grows.

Then distribute it across your digital ecosystem in the format your human audience expects and packaged so machines can ingest it cleanly.

Where you publish affects how much the machine believes you, and the rule is simple: the less of you there is in it, the more it trusts it. You’re working across three tiers.

First-party: You claim 

You publish on your own properties, in your own voice. You state who you are and set the frame. It’s the baseline, and on its own it proves nothing because you wrote it and you published it.

Second-party: You corroborate

Here, you’re still publishing, but across a broader footprint and with other voices in the mix. Two things widen here.

• The platform: In addition to your own entity home website, you publish on platforms where you own the account, such as YouTube, LinkedIn, Medium, and press releases. You’re stating your case the same way you would on your website, just on another property you control.
• The voice: You can publish your own words, or you can publish what a client or user said, such as a review, quote, or case study, on your own site and across those other accounts.

It’s a step up from first-party because the substance is no longer solely your own assertion, even though you’re still the one choosing it and publishing it.

Third-party: They prove you

A third party publishes in its own voice, on its own site or social accounts, or on a neutral platform such as Trustpilot, with no involvement from you. 

Think clients and partners sharing their experiences, journalists, analysts, academics, and the long tail of user-generated content that assistive engines lean on.

It’s the strongest evidence because you had no hand in creating it.

You can’t write that third tier, but you can feed it. Your clients publish because you’ve served them well enough that they want to, so earn it.

Independent publishers can’t see inside your business, so give them something to work with: a client story they can build on, a view into your operation, or data about your business and industry they can cite.

Giving outside parties a true, detailed version of your business to publish is what PR, marketing, and content teams have always done. The only thing that’s changed is that now you do it so machines read the result as proof, not just so humans read it as coverage.

Point all three tiers at the same picture — you, your audience, and the independents — and they align into one answer the machine can’t miss.

Read the grid by how much of you is in the publication.

• First-party is all you. Your words on your own site. It’s pure claim, and the machine treats it as the baseline because you wrote it and you published it.
• Third-party is none of you. Someone else’s words on a platform you don’t control. That’s why it’s the strongest proof.
• Everything in between is second-party corroboration. Your own words carried onto an account you run elsewhere, or someone else’s words that you chose to publish on your own page.

The same review is second-party when you surface it on your site and third-party when the client publishes it on their own account. The words are identical. The weight is different. The difference is determined entirely by who publishes it.

Step back, and you have a powerful loop: You harvest your operations, codify them into a single source of truth, and distribute them across the tiers machines read. Then the machines recommend you, your ICP arrives, and serving them generates the next round of operations to harvest.

Each turn feeds the next, so your digital footprint compounds instead of resetting.

The mirror principle is why this is the whole game

When an AI engine recommends a brand, think of it as an impartial broker. Much as a travel agent carries every airline or a mortgage broker has the whole market on screen, an AI engine carries every brand in your category and recommends whichever it judges to be the best solution for the person asking.

That impartiality is why buyers trust it. It’s also why the engine recommends your competitor without hesitation. It was never on your side. It’s on the buyer’s.

That’s good news once you see it the right way. An AI engine can only recommend what it clearly understands and trusts. You don’t need to trick a rigged system. You need to provide the clearest, most complete picture of who you are, what you do, who you serve, and why you’re the right fit.

Build a clearer, better-corroborated case than your competitors, and, on merit, you become the name the engine reaches for throughout the funnel. Many brands aren’t losing because they’re being outspent. They’re losing because the picture AI has of them is incomplete.

And that picture comes from your digital footprint. AI forms its view of you from the world’s view of you: the reviews, coverage, and corroboration scattered across the market. What it shows about you is its opinion of the world’s opinion of you. That’s the mirror principle.

You can try to flatter the system, trick it, or lean on it, and that might work for a while. But the approach that lasts is changing what the world can see. When you do that, you’re not manipulating anything. You’re providing proof: something that was always true, but underrepresented or invisible.

That’s exactly what this article has laid out. Harvest the five streams, organize and codify them into a single source of truth, and distribute them across the channels AI reads. Do that, and you’ve provided the fullest, truest, and best-corroborated picture of your business at the moment that matters most: when someone is looking for what you sell, and AI is deciding what to recommend.

Do it consistently, across everything AI can see, and you shape how it understands your business over time.

This is the 17th piece in my AI authority series.

• Part 1, “Rand Fishkin proved AI recommendations are inconsistent, here’s why and how to fix it,” introduced cascading confidence.
• Part 2, “AAO: Why assistive agent optimization is the next evolution of SEO,” named the discipline.
• Part 3, “The AI engine pipeline: 10 gates that decide whether you win the recommendation,” mapped the full pipeline.
• Part 4, “The five infrastructure gates behind crawl, render, and index,” walked through the infrastructure phase.
• Part 5, “5 competitive gates hidden inside ‘rank and display’,” covered the competitive phase.
• Part 6, “The entity home: The page that shapes how search, AI, and users see your brand,” mapped the raw material.
• Part 7, “The push layer returns: Why ‘publish and wait’ is half a strategy,” extended the entry model.
• Part 8, “How AI decides what your content means and why it gets you wrong,” covered annotation, the last gate where you’re alone with the machine.
• Part 9, “Why topical authority isn’t enough for AI search,” opened the competitive phase proper with topical ownership.
• Part 10, “The funnel flip: Why AI forces a bottom-up acquisition strategy,” named the process.
• Part 11, “The framing gap: Why AI can’t position your brand,” exposed the gap between evidence and recommendation.
• Part 12, “The 10-gate AI search pipeline: Find where your content fails,” showed you how to find (and repair) your F grades in the AI engine pipeline.
• Part 13, “The delegation boundary: How AI decides which brands win,” mapped how delegation moves between user and engine across Search, Assistive, and Agent modes.
• Part 14, “The funnel query pathway: A framework for measuring AI visibility,” built the measurement instrument.
• Part 15, “The micro-macro shift: How to measure AI visibility now that precision is gone,” moved measurement from micro precision to macro trend.
• Part 16, “How SEO turns customer success into AI-readable proof,” put SEO inside post-sale operations.
• Up next: Why Google isn’t dying: paid and organic just collapsed onto every AI surface.

For large websites, server logs often reveal technical SEO problems long before rankings decline. They show how search engines crawl your site, where crawl budget gets wasted, how quickly servers respond, and whether important pages remain accessible.

Unlike Google Search Console, analytics platforms, and third-party crawlers, server logs capture every request search engines make to your infrastructure. 

Yet many organizations never analyze them — missing one of the most valuable sources of technical SEO data available.

Why server logs reveal what other SEO tools miss

Many SEO teams rely on Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, third-party crawlers, and analytics platforms. Those tools help, but they all rely on data samples, delayed reporting, or simulated crawls. 

Server logs capture direct interactions between crawlers and infrastructure. That distinction matters on websites with hundreds of thousands or millions of URLs.

A log file records every request processed by a server. For SEO purposes, the most useful entries come from crawlers such as Googlebot, Bingbot, GPTBot, Applebot, and other verified search engine bots. 

Each request generates operational data, including the requested URL, response code, timestamp, user agent, and response timing. Over time, those records form a detailed crawl history.

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Hidden SEO issues in crawl data

Most technical SEO issues begin as crawl inefficiencies that gradually compound over time. A search engine crawler may:

• Request a page and receive an unexpected response.
• Encounter a category section that slows under heavy load.
• Follow redirect chains that expanded after a deployment. 

In other cases, product pages disappear from inventory while still returning a 200 status code. These problems rarely occur as isolated incidents. 

Search engines encounter them repeatedly across thousands or millions of crawl requests, creating patterns that can quietly erode crawl efficiency, indexing, and visibility.

Server logs expose those patterns clearly. 

• On large ecommerce platforms, logs often show crawlers spending excessive time on filtered navigation URLs while strategic product pages receive limited recrawling. 
• On publisher websites, crawlers sometimes revisit outdated archive paths more aggressively than newly updated content. 
• SaaS platforms frequently expose staging environments or parameter-driven duplicate URLs through internal systems without realizing how heavily those URLs consume crawl activity. 

Without logs, those problems remain hidden behind aggregate reporting.

Server logs also provide historical visibility. Unlike Google Search Console data, which expires over time, retained logs reveal crawl trends tied to migrations, infrastructure changes, indexing shifts, and platform redesigns.

Where crawl resources go

Search engines don’t crawl every page equally. Large websites compete internally for crawl attention. 

Search engines allocate resources based on perceived importance, internal linking, infrastructure quality, content freshness, and historical performance. Logs reveal those crawl decisions directly.

A retailer with five million URLs may assume high-value category pages receive regular crawling because they appear in XML sitemaps and navigation systems. Log file analysis may show Googlebot spending a disproportionate share of crawl resources on parameterized URLs created through faceted filtering instead.

Another site may discover crawlers revisiting redirected legacy URLs years after a migration. These situations are common because search engines work from observed behavior rather than internal assumptions.

Server logs also help identify sources of crawl waste that quietly consume large portions of crawl activity. Common examples include:

• Infinite URL combinations.
• Session parameters.
• Crawlable internal search pages.
• Open faceted navigation systems.
• Duplicate mobile URLs.
• Exposed staging environments.
• Broken canonical structures. 

As web platforms expand over time, crawl efficiency increasingly becomes an infrastructure challenge as much as a traditional SEO problem.

When infrastructure limits crawling

Response timing data is among the most valuable information in server logs. Search engines monitor how efficiently servers respond during crawling. Slow or unstable infrastructure affects how aggressively crawlers move through a site.

A difference between 300 milliseconds and 3 seconds may appear minor on a single request, but across hundreds of thousands of crawler requests, the impact becomes substantial. Response timing analysis helps isolate infrastructure bottlenecks under real crawl conditions and exposes performance issues that traditional SEO tools often miss.

In production environments, these patterns appear frequently. Product pages may bypass cache layers and generate database-heavy responses, image optimization services can slow down media crawlers, and API-driven templates often create inconsistent latency during crawl spikes. JavaScript rendering systems may delay crawler access to content, while regional CDN routing can introduce performance issues in specific markets.

Synthetic monitoring tools often miss these patterns because simulated testing doesn’t fully replicate crawler behavior. Logs capture what crawlers experience at the request level. Timing analysis also helps separate isolated incidents from persistent operational issues.

A temporary deployment issue differs from a structural bottleneck. Logs reveal the difference through historical request patterns.

Search engines, particularly Google, tend to reward reliable infrastructure with more consistent crawling. Fast, stable responses support efficient crawl allocation and improve recrawl frequency on important pages.

On enterprise systems, response timing analysis frequently influences infrastructure planning beyond SEO. Operations teams use log data to prioritize cache improvements, CDN adjustments, scaling decisions, and deployment scheduling.

Soft 404s at scale

Soft 404s remain one of the most overlooked yet highly consequential SEO issues for large online brands. Unlike a standard 404 page, which correctly returns an HTTP 404 status code, a soft 404 returns a 200 OK response while serving thin, empty, or functionally useless content.

To search engines, these pages appear crawlable and indexable despite offering little or no value, which can quietly waste crawl budget and dilute overall site quality signals.

Common soft 404 examples include:

• Out-of-stock product pages that remain live without meaningful replacement content.
• Empty category templates created through faceted navigation.
• Broken internal search result pages.
• Placeholder inventory URLs with little usable information.
• Expired listings that still return a 200 OK status code. 

Failed rendering can create similar issues when JavaScript content doesn’t fully load for crawlers. On large web platforms, these low-value pages often accumulate quickly and consume significant crawl activity without contributing meaningful search visibility.

Search engines eventually classify many of these pages as low quality. The issue becomes operational when crawlers continue revisiting those URLs repeatedly. Document size analysis within logs provides one way to identify potential soft 404 patterns at scale.

Landing pages with nearly identical response sizes can sometimes indicate templated low-value responses. A group of 60,000 product URLs all returning responses smaller than 100 bytes after inventory expiration usually points toward placeholder templates rather than meaningful content.

Internal search systems create another common example. Empty search result pages often generate highly consistent response sizes because the template loads correctly while no actual content appears.

Response codes alone rarely expose the full pattern of crawl behavior. A clearer operational picture emerges when HTTP status codes are analyzed alongside response sizes, crawl frequency, and URL patterns. Together, these signals reveal how search engines interact with different sections of a web platform and where crawl inefficiencies begin to accumulate.

Large publishers, such as news websites, also encounter soft 404 issues through broken pagination systems or empty archive states. 

SaaS platforms sometimes expose onboarding placeholders through crawlable public URLs. 

Marketplace websites frequently generate thin pages for inactive listings while still returning successful responses. Document size analysis helps identify these patterns quickly across large datasets.

The case for log retention

Short log retention periods limit the quality of server log analysis. Many crawl patterns develop gradually, with search engines adjusting crawl allocation over weeks or months rather than days. 

Historical log data reveals long-term shifts in crawl behavior, including:

• Changes in crawl frequency.
• Legacy URL activity.
• Migration effects.
• Infrastructure instability.
• Seasonal crawl patterns.
• Redirect persistence.
• Broader crawl budget fluctuations.

For large websites, six to 36 months of logs often provide meaningful operational history.

Historical data is especially valuable during migrations. Teams compare crawler behavior before and after structural changes to determine whether important sections gained or lost crawl visibility. Without retained logs, those comparisons disappear permanently.

Many organizations still overwrite logs quickly or don’t retain them at all. Once lost, historical crawl data can’t be reconstructed later.

Separating search crawlers from bot noise

Raw server logs contain large volumes of automated traffic unrelated to SEO. Many bots impersonate Googlebot or Bingbot, making accurate filtering essential before meaningful analysis can begin. Effective validation typically combines user agent analysis, reverse DNS checks, and trusted IP verification to separate legitimate crawlers from scrapers, monitoring systems, and malicious automation.

Once filtered correctly, server logs reveal clear behavioral differences between crawler types, including Googlebot Smartphone, Googlebot Image, Bingbot, Applebot, AdsBot, and newer AI-oriented crawlers. Each interacts with web platforms differently, creating distinct crawl patterns, resource demands, and indexing behavior.

Image crawlers place heavier demands on media infrastructure. Mobile crawlers focus more heavily on rendering consistency. AI-focused crawlers often revisit large archive sections repeatedly.

Crawler segmentation helps technical teams prioritize infrastructure improvements based on actual crawl demand rather than assumptions.

Monitoring migrations with log data

Migrations are one of the highest-risk periods in technical SEO, as even well-tested launches can introduce crawl instability. 

Server logs provide direct visibility into how search engines respond after deployment, including which redirects crawlers continue to follow, whether redirect chains form, which legacy URLs remain active, and where 404 spikes occur. 

Logs also reveal how crawl allocation shifts across the platform, whether response times begin to deteriorate, and which sections search engines continue to prioritize after the migration goes live.

A migration may appear successful during browser testing while crawlers encounter entirely different behavior through caching systems, CDN routing, or redirect logic.

Large ecommerce migrations often reveal persistent crawl activity on old URL structures weeks or months after launch. International platforms sometimes discover regional redirect inconsistencies affecting only certain crawlers. Logs expose those failures early enough to correct them.

Collecting the right log data

Useful log analysis depends on complete records. At a minimum, logs should include:

• Remote IP address, including originating IP and optional (X-)Forwarded-For information.
• User agent string.
• Request protocol, such as HTTP, HTTPS, or WSS.
• Request hostname.
• Request path.
• Request parameters.
• Request time, including date, time, and time zone.
• Request method.
• Response HTTP status code.
• Response timings.

These fields create the operational baseline required for meaningful crawl analysis.

Hostname and protocol fields often receive less attention than they deserve. Missing these values creates blind spots on multilingual websites, subdomain-heavy platforms, and CDN-driven architectures.

Many organizations simplify analysis by storing the full request URL as a normalized field containing protocol, hostname, path, and parameters.

Additional fields can further improve analysis quality:

• Response byte size.
• Cache status.
• Referrer.
• CDN edge location.
• Upstream timing.
• Compression type.

Response size data becomes especially valuable during soft 404 investigations and duplicate content analysis.

Why logs remain underused

Server logs often fall between departments. Infrastructure teams view them as operational data. Security teams use them for threat monitoring. SEO teams focus on crawling and indexing. Analytics teams prioritize user behavior reporting.

As a result, one of the most valuable technical SEO datasets within an organization often remains completely unused. Yet server logs answer operational questions that few other systems can.

They reveal which pages absorb the largest share of crawl resources, which sections return unstable responses, and which deprecated URLs continue receiving heavy crawler activity years later. 

Logs also expose latency issues affecting specific crawler groups and low-value pages that dilute crawl efficiency. These insights directly influence rankings, crawl allocation, and search visibility.

Technical SEO and GEO increasingly overlap with infrastructure engineering because search engines continuously evaluate operational quality. Server logs expose those operational realities in detail. 

For large websites, log analysis stops being optional once crawl scale reaches enterprise complexity. The data already exists. The advantage comes from retaining it, structuring it properly, and using it consistently.

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The business value of server logs

Ultimately, server log retention delivers value far beyond SEO alone. In particular, preserved log data can strengthen buyer confidence by providing verifiable operational evidence of site performance, infrastructure stability, and historical activity. 

That additional transparency can materially support due diligence and even contribute positively to company valuation, making a compelling case that the cost of recording and retaining server logs is often outweighed by their long-term strategic value.

Not long ago, broad match was positioned as the future of paid search. Today, that role belongs to AI Max.

Over the last few months, I’ve heard repeated recommendations to enable AI Max on brand campaigns, even when those campaigns are already performing exactly as intended.

The problem is that many accounts still lack the foundations AI Max needs to work well. Conversion tracking is unreliable, offline conversion imports are missing, and generic campaigns remain constrained by budget or structure.

AI Max depends on strong conversion signals, sufficient volume, and enough variation for the system to learn effectively. In many accounts, brand campaigns provide most of that signal. 

But using AI Max on brand means introducing additional automation into your most predictable and efficient traffic source.

The promise and limitations of AI Max

AI Max expands search targeting beyond your existing keyword list by using keywords, landing pages, and site content as signals rather than strict targeting parameters.

Like dynamic search ads (DSA), AI Max can match to queries you didn’t explicitly target. But it goes further, reaching beyond the intent boundaries defined by your keyword set.

Google has positioned AI Max as the next step in Search automation, with DSA, automatically created assets, and campaign-level broad match settings scheduled to transition into AI Max in September.

The platform includes controls such as brand exclusions, URL exclusions, text guidelines, and location targeting. In accounts with strong conversion tracking, sufficient search volume, and reliable performance signals, AI Max may uncover incremental growth opportunities.

Many accounts haven’t reached that stage yet.

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Why AI surface eligibility isn’t a reason to rush into AI Max

Much of the recent interest in AI Max stems from Google’s push toward AI-powered search experiences.

AI Overviews now reach 2.5 billion monthly users, according to Google. Ads appear in 25.6% of AI Overview results, Semrush data shows.

As Google continues expanding AI-driven search experiences, advertisers are understandably focused on maintaining visibility across those surfaces.

That concern is reasonable. The problem is that AI Max is often presented as the solution before advertisers address the measurement, conversion, and account structure issues that determine whether the automation can succeed.

Google Ads representatives typically pitch AI Max for brand campaigns by claiming it’s necessary for eligibility in AI Mode and AI Overviews on brand searches. But this isn’t accurate.

Ginny Marvin, Google Ads liaison, confirmed that three campaign types are eligible to serve in AI Overviews: broad match with Smart Bidding, Performance Max (PMax), and AI Max for Search.

However, exact match keywords aren’t eligible to serve in AI Overviews at all, even when identical broad match keywords exist in the same account.

So, the eligibility picture looks like this:

PMax and AI Max do broadly the same job in terms of AI surface eligibility. So if you run PMax brand campaigns, you’re already covered. Adding AI Max won’t unlock anything new, as it’ll only add another automation layer to a setup that’s already eligible.

So, when reps position AI Max on brand as the answer to AI surface eligibility, advertisers should stop and ask why this feature takes priority over fixing the account’s foundation.

Test data doesn’t support Google’s AI Max claims

When AI Max was in beta, Google stated that advertisers who activate the feature would see 14% more conversions, and those running exact and phrase match keywords would likely see a 27% increase in conversions.

Google also indicated that advertisers who enable the full AI Max feature suite see 7% more conversions on average. Independent testing has produced more mixed results.

The evidence for AI Max remains mixed

Across 600 accounts, Smarter Ecommerce found that AI Max delivered a 35% lower return on ad spend (ROAS) than traditional match types. AI Max accounted for just 0.57% of total ad spend in those accounts, indicating that advertisers kept the budget to a minimum.

After running a four-month test, Xavier Mantica found that AI Max had the most expensive conversions. While AI Max cost $100.37 per conversion, phrase match cost $43.97 per conversion, and exact match cost $52.69 per conversion. And Ezra Sackett tested 30,000 search terms with AI Max, only to find that 99% of impressions delivered zero conversions.

After a 23-test analysis of 16 advertisers, Andy Goodwin noted improved Quality Score and ROAS when advertisers used the AI Max full feature suite. But he tested mature advertisers and used text customization in only 50% of tests and URL optimization in just 44%. This suggests advertisers were cautious about enabling every AI Max feature.

However, none of this data is brand-specific. AI Max may deliver value in the right context, but an exact match defensive brand campaign that already performs well isn’t the ideal place to test a new automation product that depends heavily on signal quality. This is especially true for accounts that haven’t solved the underlying data problems feeding the automation.

AI Max attribution gets murky on brand

AI Max doesn’t always find genuinely new search terms, according to Adalysis. In some cases, it simply takes credit for the queries that exact and phrase campaigns were already winning.

Because AI Max treats keywords as signals rather than targeting parameters, impressions that would previously have been attributed to your exact match keyword can end up attributed to AI Max instead.

This reporting issue can be significant for brand campaigns. Brand traffic is already the highest converting traffic in most accounts.

Flip on AI Max, and suddenly you see an uplift. But it’s difficult to tell if it’s incremental or if preexisting branded performance simply appears in a different automation bucket.

Brand controls don’t work consistently

Google’s pitch leans heavily on brand controls. AI Max offers inclusions, exclusions, and guardrails that supposedly keep the match type tightly focused. In practice though, these controls don’t always work well.

Adalysis notes that competitor terms occasionally slip through and brand terms sometimes match to non-brand queries. DAC reports overlap between brand and non-brand terms as well as unintended language matching. And LBBOnline finds relevance hovering around 50% in some campaigns.

Brand controls could improve over time. But the available evidence doesn’t support treating AI Max as a low-risk switch for tightly controlled defensive brand campaigns.

What to consider before testing AI Max on brand

Before expanding automation into a defensive brand campaign, ask these questions.

1. Are the conversion signals trustworthy?

Have you separated macro and micro conversions? Do offline imports work correctly? Does lead quality feed back into the platform, or does Google still optimize equally toward every form fill?

If the signal quality underneath the account is poor, AI Max will amplify it instead of fixing it.

2. Have you already explored generic growth?

In many of the accounts I audit, budget, weak landing page alignment, poor structure, and outdated query management limit generic campaigns. This is where you usually find incremental growth, not inside an already dominant brand campaign.

3. Does the account give automation enough useful learning data?

AI Max isn’t magic. It reflects the quality of the signals underneath it.

If most of the account’s meaningful conversion volume comes from brand, then turning AI Max on in a brand campaign may reinforce existing dependency on branded traffic rather than helping the account grow beyond it.

4. Are brand + modifier searches already structured properly?

“Brand + reviews,” “Brand + pricing,” “Brand + near me,” and product intent variations often deserve their own campaign strategy entirely. AI Max shouldn’t become a substitute for good account architecture.

5. Do you have a strategic reason to expand the brand campaign?

If so, test carefully using experiments. That’s a business decision, not a checkbox recommendation from a rep who hasn’t looked deeply enough at the account to understand where the real opportunities actually are.

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AI Max only works as well as the signals feeding it

AI Max may grow into something genuinely useful over time. Remember, PMax went through a similar evolution and is in a much stronger place now than it was early on.

But automation only works as well as the signals feeding it. Right now, the issue is that the foundations underneath the automation still aren’t strong enough. Better conversion frameworks, measurement, account structure, and feedback loops make automation smarter.

If brand remains the best-performing campaign in the account, the bigger question is why the rest of the account hasn’t caught up yet. 

Above all else, don’t confuse Google’s automation priorities with your account priorities.

Futbol üzrə Türkiyə Super Liqasında 2025/2026-cı illər mövsümünü uğursuz başa vurmuş “Eyüpspor” baş məşqçisi Atila Gerin ilə yollarını ayırıb.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Super Liqa təmsilçisinin mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.

İstanbul klubu başa çatmış mövsümü 33 xalla 15-ci pillədə başa vurub və elitadakı yerini çətinliklə qoruyub. Komanda 34 oyunda 8 qələbə qazanıb, 9 heç-heçə edib, 17 məğlubiyyətə üzülüb. Klub rəhbərliyi belə bərbad çıxışı Atila Gerinə bağışlamayıb. Komandanın yeni baş məşqçisinin adına tezliklə aydınlıq gəlməsi gözlənilir.

Xatırladaq ki, Atila Gerin bu ilin yanvar ayından “Eyüpspor”u çalışdırırdı. O, daha öncə İstanbul klubunda köməkçi məşqçi kimi də fəaliyyət göstərib. Atila Gerin bu komandanı baş məşqçi kimi 20 oyuna çıxarıb, 6 qələbə, 6 heç-heçə, 8 məğlubiyyət görüb.

Türkiyə mətbuatının yazdığına görə, Atila Gerin bundan sonra “Kayserispor”un baş məşqçisi kimi fəaliyyət göstərəcək.

Qəbələdə təlim-məşq toplanışında olan 17 yaşadək futbolçulardan ibarət Azərbaycan millisi (U-17) bu gün növbəti yoxlama oyununa çıxıb.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, millimiz bu dəfə də Qazaxıstanın müvafiq yaş qrupundan ibarət komandası ilə üzləşib.

Qəbələ şəhər stadionunda baş tutmuş görüşün taleyini bir qol həll edib. U-17 millimiz ikinci yoxlama oyununda da uduzub. Aqil Nəbiyevin baş məşqçisi olduğu komanda rəqibinə 0:1 hesabı ilə məğlub olub.

Xatırladaq ki, bu komandalar arasında keçirilmiş ilk görüşdə də Qazaxıstan millisi 5:2 hesablı qələbə qazanmışdı. Azərbaycan millisi həmin oyunda 2 qol vursa da, ardından qapısından 5 top buraxaraq ağır məğlubiyyətə üzülmüşdü.

AFFA futbol üzrə Azərbaycan milli millisinin və Almanyanın “Kayzerslautern” klubunun hücumçusu Mahir Emreli ilə bağlı video hazırlayıb.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, yığmanın hücumçusunun toplanışdakı bir günü haqqında hazırlanmış videomaterial AFFA-nın “Youtube” kanalında yayımlanıb.

Xatırladaq ki, Mahir Emreli 2025-ci ilin yayında “Kayzerslautern”lə 3 illik müqavilə bağlayıb. Azərbaycanlı futbolçu artıq geridə qalmış mövsümdə bu komandanın heyətində 13 oyuna çıxıb, 2 qola imza atıb.

Mahir daha öncə Almaniyanın digər klubu “Nürnberq”də də forma geyinib. Azərbaycanlı futbolçu sözügedən komandanın heyətində 25 rəsmi matça çıxıb, 11 qol vurub, 1 assistlə yadda qalıb.

“Bakı”nın yetirməsi olan Emreli karyerası ərzində “Qarabağ”, “Legiya” (Polşa), “Konyaspor” (Türkiyə) və “Dinamo” (Zaqreb, Xorvatiya) klublarında da forma geyinib. Hücumçu Azərbaycan milli komandasının heyətində meydana çıxdığı 60 oyunda 6 qol vurub, 3 məhsuldar ötürmə müəllifi olub.

Azərbaycanlı beynəlxalq dərəcəli boks hakimi Anar Babanlı hakimlər üzrə ekspert imtahanından uğurla keçərək tarixi ilkə imza atıb.

Arena.az bu barədə Azərbaycan Boks Federasiyasının rəsmi saytına istinadən xəbər verir.

Bildirilir ki, o, bu nailiyyətə Taylandın paytaxtı Banqkokda gənclər arasında baş tutmuş Olimpiya Təsnifat Kubokunda imza atıb. “World Boxing” lisenziya xarakterli yarışda nəzəri və praktiki dərslərə qatılan həmyerlimizin imtahandan uğurla keçdiyini, Babanlının bundan sonra hakimlərin işini qiymətləndirəcəyini açıqlayıb. Bu, Azərbaycan boks tarixinə ilk kimi düşüb.

Xatırladaq ki, Anar Babanlı Tokio-2020 Yay Olimpiya Oyunlarında, 2 dünya, 10-dan çox Avropa və Asiya çempionatlarında referilik edib.

“Sumqayıt”dan ayrılan Saşa İliçin yeni iş yeri məlum olub.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, mütəxəssis “Partizan”a baş məşqçi təyin edilib. Bu barədə Serbiya klubunun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.

Saşa futbolçu kimi də Belqrad təmsilçisinin formasını geyinib. O, klubda ən çox oyun keçirən (873) oyunçu rekorduna sahibdir.

Serb mütəxəssis 2025/26 mövsümündə “Sumqayıt”a rəhbərlik edib.

Qəbələdə təlim-məşq toplanışında olan 17 yaşadək futbolçulardan ibarət Azərbaycan milli komandası bu gün ikinci yoxlama oyununu keçirib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, U-17 Qazaxıstanın müvafiq yaş qrupundan ibarət komandası ilə qarşılaşıb. Qəbələ şəhər stadionunda baş tutan görüş rəqib komandanın 1:0 hesablı qələbəsi ilə yekunlaşıb.

Komandalar arasında baş tutan birinci görüşdə də qazaxlar qələbə qazanmışdı – 5:2.

AFFA-nın təşkilatçılığı, UEFA ilə Elm və Təhsil Nazirliyinin dəstəyi ilə həyata keçirilən “Məktəblərdə Futbol Dərsi” layihəsinin 2025/2026-cı illər mövsümü üzrə keçirilən minifutbol turnirinə yekun vurulub.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, turnirdə Bakı və Sumqayıtı təmsil edən ümumilikdə 20 məktəbin komandası mübarizə aparıb.

III yer uğrunda keçirilən oyunda Sumqayıtı təmsil edən 11 nömrəli məktəbin komandası 307 nömrəli məktəbin komandasına qalib gələrək turnirin bürünc mükafatçısı olub.

Final görüşündə isə 299 nömrəli məktəbin komandası ilə Elitar Gimnaziyanın komandası üz-üzə gəlib. Əsas vaxtda qalib müəyyənləşmədiyindən, oyunun taleyinə penaltilər seriyasında aydınlıq gəlib. Daha dəqiq oynayan 299 nömrəli məktəbin komandası rəqibini üstələyərək turnirin qalibi adına yiyələnib. Elitar Gimnaziyanın komandası isə ikinci yeri tutub.

Mükafatlandırma mərasimində qalib komanda AFFA tərəfindən kubokla təltif olunub, ilk üç yeri tutan kollektivlərə isə müvafiq medallar təqdim edilib.

Bununla yanaşı, yarış boyu fərqlənən iştirakçılar müxtəlif fərdi nominasiyalar üzrə mükafatlandırılıblar. Elitar Gimnaziyanın üzvü İnci Hüseynli final oyununun ən yaxşı oyunçusu seçilib. 299 nömrəli məktəbin komandasında çıxış edən Süleyman Vəliyev turnirin ən yaxşı qapıçısı nominasiyası üzrə mükafata layiq görülüb. 11 nömrəli məktəbin oyunçusu Nihat Eminli isə turnirin ən yaxşı futbolçusu seçilib.

Mükafatları və qalib komandaya kuboku AFFA-nın Kütləvi Futbol Departamentinin rəhbəri Fərrux İsmayılov təqdim edib. O, iştirakçıları uğurlu çıxış münasibətilə təbrik edərək məktəblilər arasında futbolun inkişafına xidmət edən bu cür yarışların əhəmiyyətini vurğulayıb.

Qeyd edək ki, “Məktəblərdə Futbol Dərsi” layihəsi məktəblilər arasında futbolun kütləviliyinin artırılması, sağlam həyat tərzinin təşviqi, həmçinin uşaqlarda komanda işi, məsuliyyət və qarşılıqlı hörmət kimi dəyərlərin formalaşdırılması məqsədilə həyata keçirilir.

“Yuventus” futbolçusu Kenan Yıldızla bağlı qərarını verib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, Turin təmsilçisi türkiyəli yarımmüdafiəçini daha bir mövsüm komandada saxlayacaq. Bu barədə “The Athletic” nəşri məlumat yayıb.

“Arsenal” yarımmüdafiəçi üçün “qoca sinyora”ya təklif göndərib və rədd cavabı alıb.

Yıldız başa çatan mövsümdə A Seriyasında 36 oyunda 10 qol vurub, 6 məhsuldar ötürmə edib.

Azərbaycan və Özbəkistan antidopinq agentlikləri arasında əməkdaşlıq memorandumu imzalanıb.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Azərbaycan Milli Antidopinq Agentliyinin mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.

AMADA ilə Özbəkistan Milli Antidopinq Agentliyi (UzNADA) arasında əməkdaşlıq memorandumu AMADA-nın icraçı direktoru Təhminə Tağı-zadə və Özbəkistan Milli Antidopinq Agentliyinin direktoru Abdüşükür Sadıqov tərəfindən imzalanıb.

Memorandum antidopinq təhsili, dopinq nəzarəti, terapevtik istifadə üçün istisnalar (TUE), idmançıların bioloji pasportu (ABP), ADAMS sistemi, nəticələrin idarə olunması, araşdırma və təhqiqat fəaliyyəti, həmçinin beynəlxalq idman tədbirlərində əməkdaşlığın inkişafını nəzərdə tutur. Bundan əlavə, tərəflər təcrübə mübadiləsi aparmaq, birgə təlim proqramları təşkil etmək, informasiya və metodik materiallarla qarşılıqlı əməkdaşlığı gücləndirəcəklər.

ABŞ, Kanada və Meksikanın ev sahibliyi edəcəyi dünya çempionatının startına iki gün qalıb.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, mundialda iştirak edəcək 48 komandanın 28-ni əcnəbi məşqçilər çalışdırır. 20 kollektiv isə öz ölkəsinin mütəxəssisinə etimad göstərib.

Dünya çempionatında əncəbi məşqçiləri olan komandalar:

Panama, Cənubi Afrika, Avstriya, Kolumbiya, Konqo, Portuqaliya, Uruqvay, Yeni Zelandiya, Türkiyə, Əlcəzair, Haiti, Kanada, İordaniya, Ekvador, Paraqvay, ABŞ, İngiltərə, Belçika, Qətər, İraq, Braziliya, Özbəkistan, Tunis, Mərakeş, Qana, Səudiyyə Ərəbistanı, Kürasao.

Yerli məşqçiləri olanlar:

Fransa, Xorvatiya, Yaponiya, Argentina, Şotlandiya, Kabo Verde, Norveç, İsveçrə, Niderland, İspaniya, İran, Almaniya, Misir, Fil Dişi Sahili, Bosniya və Herseqovina, Cənubi Koreya, Meksika, Avstraliya, Seneqal, Çexiya.

Dünya çempionatında argentinalı məşqçilər üstünlük təşkil edir. Altı “tanqoçu” mundialda komandalarına rəhbərlik edəcək: Nestor Lorenso (Kolumbiya), Lionel Skaloni (Argentina), Marselo Byelsa (Uruqvay), Sebatyan Bekkakeke (Ekvador), Qustavo Alfaro (Paraqvay), Maurisio Poçettino (ABŞ).

Mundialın ən gənc məşqçisi Yulian Naqelsmanndır. Almaniyaya rəhbərlik edən mütəxəssisin 38 yaşı var. Ən yaşlısı isə Kürasaonu çalışdıran Dik Advokatdır – 78 yaş.

Dünya çempionatına 11 iyunda start veriləcək.

Luciano Spalletti is committed to his Juventus project despite a difficult start to the summer transfer window, with reports suggesting the coach could walk away firmly dismissed by those close to the situation.

According to Calciomercato.com, Spalletti has already absorbed a series of setbacks: Alisson Becker’s unavailability, the collapse of the Bernardo Silva pursuit and Dusan Vlahovic’s contract situation, but remains fully focused on building the squad he needs for next season.

The moment to resign, had he wanted to, would have been his post-season meeting with John Elkann and CEO Damien Comolli. He instead chose to stay.

Spalletti targets Kim Min-jae, Martinez and Sorloth as Juventus rebuild takes shape

Spalletti is working methodically along what he considers the spine of a winning team: goalkeeper, centre-back, central midfielder, attacking midfielder and striker.

For each position a primary target and an alternative exist.

Emiliano Martinez and Guglielmo Vicario in goal; Kim Min-jae or Joel Ordonez in defence; Leon Goretzka in midfield despite wage complications; Brahim Diaz at attacking midfielder; and both Sorloth and Kolo Muani up front. The coach personally called Sorloth to push for his signature.

Spalletti is fully aware that without Champions League football, not every target will be achievable. He has accepted that reality and will work with whatever the club can deliver.

Atalanta have officially parted ways with Raffaele Palladino, bringing an end to a tenure that lasted just 39 matches and paving the way for the imminent appointment of Maurizio Sarri as the club’s new head coach.

The Bergamo club confirmed the decision in a brief official statement, thanking Palladino and his entire coaching staff for their commitment and professionalism.

Palladino had been appointed on 11 November 2025 as a replacement for the sacked Ivan Juric, signing a contract through to June 2027.

He inherited a side struggling in the lower reaches of the Serie A table and guided them to a sixth-place finish, securing Conference League football for next season.

Palladino leaves Atalanta with 18 wins from 39 games after Champions League and Coppa Italia runs

His record of 18 wins, eight draws and 13 defeats tells only part of the story.

Palladino also oversaw a Champions League run that ended at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Round of 16, and reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals before elimination on penalties against Lazio.

A respectable return for a coach parachuted into a difficult situation mid-season, but one the club have decided does not justify continuation given the direction they wish to take under Sarri.

Sarri’s official announcement is expected in the coming days once the contractual formalities are completed.

Ralf Rangnick has yet to commit to Milan despite the club being his preferred option, with the Austria national team coach harbouring significant doubts about whether the promises made to him will actually be honoured.

According to Austrian outlet Wiener Zeitung, via CalcioMercato, the 67-year-old met with Milan representatives in Vienna at the end of May and is understood to be attracted by the prospect of taking over as technical director of such a prestigious club. However, he is not fully convinced.

The report reveals that Rangnick does not trust the situation entirely, citing concerns about the numerous influential figures surrounding the club and whether the full executive control he has been promised would genuinely materialise. He is now demanding written guarantees and clear commitments before agreeing to anything.

Austrian federation offer Rangnick renewed deal as Milan stalemate continues

Milan have offered Rangnick what he desires most: total control at the top of the sporting pyramid with complete decision-making authority.

But Rangnick wants more than verbal assurances, and the complex power structures at San Siro, which include the significant influence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, appear to be giving him pause for thought.

The alternative on the table is a contract extension with the Austrian football federation, who have increased their financial offer following the arrival of new sponsors.

Despite initial resistance from federation officials who feared Rangnick would turn the organisation into a personal fiefdom, a renewed deal is now on the table.

According to Wiener Zeitung, money is not Rangnick’s priority: his ambition is to professionalise Austrian football as a whole, and that mission remains unfinished with Euro 2028 on the horizon.

Reports in Italy claim that Roma are hoping to renegotiate the terms of their financial fair play settlement agreement with UEFA, which could otherwise lead to the sales of a number of first-team stars including the likes of Manu Kone and Evan Ndicka. 

Could UEFA extend Roma’s financial fair play deadline?

It has been widely reported that Roma must raise around €50m in funds by the end of June in order to comply with the settlement agreement they reached with UEFA back in September 2022 following the club’s break of financial fair play regulations during the 2021-22 season. 

UEFA imposed a series of restrictions upon Roma for the following years spanning from 2022 until 2026. The exact terms of the settlement agreement can be read on the UEFA website. 

What has become clear is that the Giallorossi still need to raise funds in order to comply with the agreement they reached with UEFA back in 2022, and reports across Italy claim that Kone, Ndicka and goalkeeper Mile Svilar are among the most likely of the current Roma squad to be sacrificed. 

If Roma do not comply with the terms of their settlement agreement, they are likely to be handed a significant fine and will also face restrictions on the number of new players they are able to register for the 2027-28 season, and could also be barred from entering UEFA competitions for the following three seasons from 2027-28 onwards. 

Roma have qualified for the 2025-26 Champions League and are not at risk of being kicked out if they do not comply with their settlement agreement. But, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are hoping to improve their squad in terms of talent and numbers, not decrease it. There have been reports that the Giallorossi are keen to add the €55m-rated Mason Greenwood to their attack this summer, for instance. 

In order to facilitate a summer of spending ahead of their return to the Champions League, Roma are reportedly attempting to renegotiate the terms of their settlement agreement with UEFA. 

According to reports from Corriere della Sera (via Calciomercato.com), Roma are hoping to postpone the deadline that is currently set for the end of this month until the end of the 2026-27 season, specifically until June 30, 2027. The club’s Friedkin owners are reportedly hoping to speak with UEFA officials in the near future to discuss the possibilities. 

If UEFA are to agree to an extension of the deadline, Roma will likely have to compromise in a few other areas, potentially a limit on the number of signings they are allowed to register or the amount they are allowed to spend during the 2026-27 season. 

This might complicate incoming deals, but would put Roma in a stronger position to keep hold of the likes of Kone, Ndicka or even goalkeeper Mile Svilar.

Chelsea are looking to make a statement signing in the summer, and they have identified Arda Guler from Real Madrid as a target.

According to Sports Boom, they are showing serious interest in signing the Turkish playmaker. However, the Spanish outfit has no intention of letting the player move on. He is a young player with great potential and could become a star for Real Madrid.

Xabi Alonso worked with the player during his time as Real Madrid manager and is looking for a reunion. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea can convince Real Madrid with a lucrative offer.

Guler can operate as the central attacking midfielder as well as on the flanks. He will help create opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well. Chelsea have been overly dependent on Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez for goals and creativity. They need more quality going forward.

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Liverpool are also monitoring his situation. The 21-year-old Turkish international is highly rated across Europe, and it is no surprise that top clubs are interested in him. Guler scored six goals last season and picked up 14 assists.

However, Real Madrid is looking to build a formidable team, and they will not want to lose one of their best young prospect. They will look to fight for league titles and the UEFA Champions League in the coming seasons. They need to keep their best players and plug the gaps in the squad. It will be extremely difficult for any club to convince Real Madrid to sell the Turkish International.

Guler is already playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and he has no reason to force an exit. The young midfielder is unlikely to push for a movie either.

The post Alonso eyes blockbuster Chelsea move for 20-G/A La Liga star as Arsenal and Liverpool circle appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Evan Ndicka has been linked with a move away from AS Roma, and a move to the Premier League could be on the cards for him.

According to Sports Boom, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are closely monitoring the 26-year-old defender, and they could look to make a move in the coming weeks.

He has been a reliable defender for the Italian club, and he has the quality to succeed in the Premier League as well. Jose Mourinho has hailed Ndicka for his “great” displays in the past.

Roberto De Zerbi wants to add more depth to the defensive unit, and signing the Ivory Coast International could be ideal. He is at the peak of his career, and he could make an immediate impact in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old has the recovery pace and physicality to operate in a highline and a pressing system. He could be the ideal fit for the Italian style of football. Ndicka is quite capable with the ball at his feet and a technically gifted player as well. Tottenham would do well to secure his signature.

Cristian Romero has been linked with an exit, and they need to replace him properly. It remains to be seen whether they can convince Roma to sell the player.

Tottenham were quite poor at the back last season, and they finished 17th in the League table. They will look to bounce back strongly and compete towards the top end of the table next season. They need to tighten up at the back, and signing a quality defender like the Ivorian would be a step in the right direction.

Similarly, Newcastle need to tighten up at the back. They need long-term alternatives to players like Dan Burn and Fabian Schar. It remains to be seen whether they can convince the Roma defender to join the club.

The post Tottenham and Newcastle battling for ‘great’ player Jose Mourinho once praised highly appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The Georgia Bulldogs lost out on a major in-state safety recruit earlier in the week. Four-star safety Chance Gilbert shockingly committed to the Auburn Tigers over the Bulldogs, according to Rivals.

Gilbert is a four-star safety from the class of 2027. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect plays high school football and runs track and field at East Coweta High School in Sharpsburg, Georgia. Gilbert is the No. 4 safety prospect and No. 56 overall prospect in the nation.

East Coweta just recently saw twin brothers Courtney and Courtlin Heard, both three-star offensive tackles, sign and enroll at Georgia Tech. Three-star wide receiver Walter Maestre is from the class of 2027, and according to Rivals' prediction model, Wake Forest is projected to earn his commitment.

With Gilbert's commitment, Auburn's class is ranked no. 15. Along with Gilbert, the Tigers have seven four-stars, including linebacker Isaac McNeil, whom Georgia targeted. Auburn has 16 total commits in their class, and they rank No. 5 in the SEC.

Georgia, meanwhile, has the No. 24 class in the nation and the No. 7 class in the SEC. However, the arrow is pointing up at them, too. On June 5, they earned a commitment from four-star quarterback Colton Nussmeier, brother of former LSU gun-slinger Garrett Nussmeier. They've also secured commitments from four-star linebacker Joakim Gouda and three-star edge Olayiwola Taiwo in June.

They haven't earned a commitment in the secondary in this cycle, but they earned some significant ones last season. They flipped 2026 four-star cornerback Caden Harris, who was Vanderbilt's top 2026 recruit at the time. They also nabbed Tyriq Green, and he made some impact plays at G-Day. Georgia's secondary looks poised to be one of the best in the nation yet again.

Chance Gilbert's commitment announcement

🚨BREAKING🚨 4-star CB Chance Gilbert has committed to Auburn, @SWiltfong_ reports🦅

Read: https://t.co/j6aq9MQVcfpic.twitter.com/wJ94Xwe8Jl

— Rivals (@Rivals) June 9, 2026

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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: No. 4 safety prospect in nation commits to Auburn over Georgia

Chile is playing today against DR Congo in the final FIFA international match before the 2026 World Cup.

With no fans at the Stade de la Sourc in Orleans (France), this is the Chile national team lineup for the friendly.

Chile: Lawrence Vigouroux; Felipe Faúndez, Francisco Sierralta, Guillermo Maripán, Gabriel Suazo; Vicente Pizarro, Felipe Méndez, Nils Reichmuth; Darío Osorio, Lucas Cepeda and Gonzalo Tapia.

Cepeda, Méndez, Reichmuth and Sierralta are some of Córdova’s new additions. 

DR Congo: Lionel Mpasi; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Chancel Mbemba, Axel Tuanzebe, Arthur Masuaku; Meschak Elia, Noah Sadiki, Samuel Moutoussamy, Nathanaël Mbuku; Yoane Wissa and Cedric Bakambu.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

Del Monte Foods Inc., a division of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., has landed a new partnership that further ingrains the brand into the city.

Del Monte Foods is partnering with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the company announced, entering into a multi-year agreement that will see the company’s signage be featured on the left field wall, as well as sponsorship of the Pirates grounds crew and in-game activations throughout the season.

The stadium signage will be debuted at the June 9 home game at PNC Park against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Click here to read more from our partners at the Pittsburgh Business Times.

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Jake Hastings, Football reporter

Warning: this article contains references to sexual misconduct. Reader discretion is advised.

The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) has contacted West Ham saying it will “use statutory powers to seek urgent information from David Sullivan”, and could force the sale of his stake in the club if he is deemed unsuitable.

It has been reported that David Sullivan could be forced to sell his share in West Ham after he was accused of “serious historical allegations” by multiple women, including using his power and preying on them for sex.

The accusations – which the billionaire “categorically” denies – also detail that this occurred when the 77-year-old was owner of the Daily and Sunday Sport Newspapers and some of the alleged victims were in their late teens.

Sullivan resigned as a director and co-chair of the London club after 16 years on Saturday, before a joint investigation by the BBC and The Times uncovered the women’s allegations.

In a statement published on West Ham’s website, Sullivan said: “I have recently become aware that factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life are due to be broadcast and published.

“The false allegations levelled against me have been sensationalised by the media. After a lifetime spent building businesses in the adult industry, in which I have met thousands of women, it is sadly inevitable that a small number of improper conduct claims are being made against me. I categorically deny these claims.

“I have not been provided with any proper explanation as to how these individuals or their claims were independently verified or assessed for credibility prior to publication.

“I believe that the entire process has been fundamentally unfair and completely lacking in any due impartiality. I will be suing the BBC for libel, along with any other media outlet that repeats any libellous allegations.”

Since the release of his statement, several outlets have covered the story, including The Times and the BBC, the latter of which released a 30-minute Panorama documentary investigating Sullivan’s conduct.

A spokesperson for the IFR said: “These are extremely serious allegations. We are in contact with West Ham on this matter and will use our statutory powers to seek urgent information from David Sullivan relating to his suitability under our Owners, Directors and Senior Executives regime. We are unable to comment further at this stage.”

Despite his resignation, Sullivan still has the largest stake in West Ham United (38.8%) of West Ham’s Ownership Board, ahead of Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský (27%), the Vanessa Gold Family Trust (25.1%), and American investor Albert Smith (8%).

However, this could soon change with action from the Independent Football Regulator, which has the power to remove owners who are considered unsuitable.

The IFR is a statutory body introduced in last year’s Football Governance Act to help safeguard the financial sustainability and heritage of English men’s professional football.

Falling under the IFR’s remit are football clubs’ owners and directors, this being why the suitability test was introduced, with the body stating that it would be able to “assess [their] honesty, integrity, and financial soundness”.

It also stated that it would ensure such individuals have the necessary skills and experience in order to do so – Sullivan has amassed over 30 years working in football, but the allegations will raise serious suitability questions.

In effect, if they find Sullivan does not meet that criteria, they can step in and, as a last resort, could force Sullivan to sell his stake in West Ham to a different investor – be it someone already on the Ownership Board or elsewhere.

If the 77-year-old were to sell his stake, it remains unclear who would purchase it. It has been reported that Křetínský could look to increase his stake in the club, especially after their first relegation to the Championship since 2011.

Lena, after 14 years at SGS Essen, you’ll be joining Borussia Dortmund this summer. What made you decide to make the move?I knew that I wanted to play for Borussia Dortmund at some point. I’m from Dortmund, I grew up with BVB, I used to watch the matches even as a child, and it was clear to me that I would have to play for this club one day. Now the time has come.

Even so, is there a touch of sadness about leaving Essen?Yes, of course. I grew up and developed as a footballer in Essen. I owe a great deal to Essen. It’s a very close-knit environment that welcomed me with open arms and supported me over many years. So, it’s by no means an easy step to make the move now. Nevertheless, I’m happy to be playing for BVB now and to experience something new.

Even though the manager, Markus Högner, is an old acquaintance?Without Markus, I wouldn’t be where I am today. He brought me up from the U17s and I’m incredibly grateful to him for everything he’s made possible for me. After a year apart, I’m glad to have him back as my manager because we simply know what we can expect from each other. Of course, we’ve both developed over the past year, so I’m also curious to see what it’ll be like to train with him again.

How would you describe yourself as a player?I’m a hard worker. I throw myself into every tackle and love it every time I win one, sliding in and giving it my all. In attack, I enjoy coaching the players. That means I can control the team from the back and help my teammates that way.

You were at home in the Bundesliga. Now it’s the Regionalliga next season. Why are you still convinced that this is the right move for you personally?I’ve noticed how committed BVB are to developing the women’s team. Everything and everyone behind it, everything that’s achieved off the pitch – it’s top-level professionalism. I want to be part of it, take the next step with BVB and help the club move forward.

You were born in Schwerte, started playing football at SV Sölderholz, did your PhD at TU Dortmund and are active in the volunteer fire brigade. What does Dortmund mean to you as a city?Dortmund is my home. I grew up in Lichtendorf and still live in Lichtendorf. You could almost say I belong to Dortmund just as much as BVB (laughs).

And how much is BVB a part of you?I grew up with BVB. As a small child, I first played football myself in Sölderholz. Afterwards, I’d always watch the BVB matches, get caught up in the excitement, and sometimes head straight back out into the garden afterwards because I wanted to do better if BVB had lost (laughs). So, BVB played a big part in my life from an early age, and it’s lovely that I can now do something for BVB.

You didn’t have that chance back then, as there was no women’s football at BVB. How have you experienced the developments over the past few years?I’ve been following it ever since it was discussed at the general meeting. When it was decided that there would be a women’s team, I was absolutely delighted. I also thought it was absolutely the right move to build women’s football from the ground up rather than buying our way into a higher division. That’s what makes BVB what it is. Of course, I would have been happy if it had happened a bit sooner, but I’m still glad that the women’s team is now where it is and that I’m part of it from now on.

What does it mean to you emotionally?It’s simply a childhood dream. Back then, you didn’t really think about it that much. At some point, it became clear that you couldn’t actually play for BVB because there was no women’s or girls’ team. That’s why I’m all the more delighted that I’ll finally be able to fulfil that dream from this summer.

What are your goals – both personally and with BVB?I’d obviously like to get as much playing time as possible. And to be perfectly honest, I want to win titles with BVB. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to win a single title at Essen. That’s why I’d be absolutely delighted if we could celebrate league titles and promotion here. But the most important thing, above all else, is to stay healthy.

Instead of Hafenstraße, it’ll be Strobelallee for you from now on. As a Dortmund native, how much are you looking forward to the Rote Erde stadium?At Essen, we certainly had one of the best stadiums in the top flight. But the Rote Erde stadium is much richer in tradition and has a completely different character. I was at the stadium for the derby against Schalke. That was very special and I even got goosebumps just sitting in the crowd. Now I’m just incredibly excited that I’ll soon be on the other side and get to experience and take it all in from the pitch.

The Knicks can no longer sweep the NBA Finals, and as a result, money in the ticket resale market is quickly shifting toward a potential Game 6 next week at Madison Square Garden.

New York’s 115–111 loss to San Antonio in Game 3 on Monday generated yet another day of chaotic movement across an already frenetic ticket market for the event. 

As of Tuesday morning, low-end, get-in pricing for Wednesday’s Game 4 sank below $4,800 per ticket. That’s less than a third of where the market was on Saturday and just over half the level on Monday. The precipitous drop is happening as Game 4 is no longer a potential clinching scenario as the Knicks seek their first NBA title since 1973.

A potential Game 6 on June 16, meanwhile, is seeing another resurgence in pricing after a slight dip prior to Monday’s Game 3—which included a heavy show of security for a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Game 6, if necessary, now carries a get-in price of nearly $12,000 per ticket—up from $11,000 on Monday and roughly even with Saturday—and now represents the last remaining possibility for a title clinch by the Knicks at home.

Even with the massive drop in demand for Game 4, the current pricing for the games at MSG exceeds the comparable figure of $3,800 for February’s Super Bowl LX. The Knicks’ loss on Monday, meanwhile, was their first since April 23 in what has been a torrid postseason run by the team.

As has been the case throughout the NBA Finals, games in San Antonio remain a relative bargain to anything happening in New York. Game 5 on Saturday at Frost Bank Center, a game now assured of happening, has a get-in resale price of about $1,700 per ticket. Pricing for a potential Game 7 in San Antonio, meanwhile, begins at around $4,400. 

The post Ticket Prices for Game 4 at MSG Drop Following Knicks Loss appeared first on Front Office Sports.

VfL Bochum's managing director Ilja Kaenzig has opened the door for Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka for a return to his hometown club. 

“Leon made many people in Bochum proud. He will now play at the highest level once more before hopefully returning.

"That is our great wish, and hopefully his as well. Once the Ruhrstadion is fully renovated, that would be a good time.

"We'll see how long his next contract runs; after that, he might sign his last one at Castroper Straße," Kaenzig said, speaking to BILD.

Although it seems more likely that Goretzka will move abroad next, fans of Bochum will undoubtedly have high hopes for a comeback.

The midfielder played a total of 36 games for Bochum in the 2012-13 season, contributing his share of 4 goals and 8 assists.