Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida has reportedly filed an official complaint to FIFA against French referee François Letexier and his assistants, following Egypt’s 3-2 Round of 16 elimination against Argentina.

The complaint stems from a string of contentious officiating decisions throughout the match, which the Egyptian federation believes went against them at key moments.

Among the grievances, Egypt points to their second goal being disallowed after a VAR review flagged a foul on Lisandro Martinez in the buildup, wiping out what would have made it 2-0. The federation’s complaint also references a penalty claim for a foul on Mohamed Salah, moments before Enzo Fernandez’s header put Argentina up 3-2.

After Argentina‘s third goal completed an impressive 10-minute comeback, Egypt’s bench erupted at the referee, who showed a yellow card to head coach Hossam Hassan and sent off one of his staff members.

Egypt coach sounds off after elimination

Head coach Hossam Hassan was similarly critical in his post-match comments, directing his frustration squarely at the officiating rather than the result itself. “I’m going to say what I think regardless of the consequences, because I don’t care anymore. Clearly, the match was fixed, and everyone saw it,” Hassan said.

“And I want to say something else — if they wanted Argentina to win so badly, why bother inviting everyone to compete? We were the better team on the day, but soccer is unfair. We had a penalty claim, and the referee disallowed our third goal, and I don’t know why,” he added.

Hassan was also shown crossing his arms multiple times during the match while protesting Letexier’s decisions — a gesture that resembles FIFA’s anti-racism protocol signal, sparking confusion on social media.

Egyptian players and staff were seen trying to get him to stop mid-protest, and Letexier ultimately did not treat it as an anti-racism complaint.

Following the umpteenth destructive wave of layoffs at Xbox, which this time also led to four (possibly five) studio divestitures and thousands more job cuts at historic studios like Bethesda, Obsidian, and id, it has become abundantly clear that the whole strategy centered on Game Pass was flawed. Xbox head Phil Spencer, with the blessing of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, explicitly sought to replicate Netflix's subscription service boom in gaming. However, the reality is that the two forms of entertainment couldn't be more different: games are generally much longer than TV series, for starters. Moreover, unlike TV shows or movies, they […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/xbox-netflix-playbook-game-pass-reverse/

T-Mobile created a shockwave within the US telecommunication sphere last week when it axed the entire gamut of its legacy and grandfathered plans. Well, now the carrier's roving eyes have landed on consumer-facing cellphone subsidies, and the outcome is entirely predictable if a tad melancholic. T-Mobile is now ending its $800 per line cellphone subsidy for all existing users For the benefit of those who might not be aware, T-Mobile currently offers two promo-type cellphone subsidies: Up till now, even existing T-Mobile users could avail themselves of these lucrative subsidies by simply opening a new line. Well, good luck with […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/after-axing-all-of-its-legacy-plans-t-mobiles-grubby-hands-are-now-coming-after-your-800-cellphone-subsidies/

A cheap mini LED monitor has arrived with 1196 dimming zones. This is a Dual Mode monitor with up to 1200 nits of peak brightness. TCL Drops a $338 Gaming Monitor That Switches Between 4K 160Hz And FHD 320Hz On Demand Popular display maker TCL has debuted its latest mini LED monitor in mainland China. The company is responsible for making display panels for various vendors in the country and is well known for having a large market share in TVs, monitors, and home appliances. It's particularly well-known for its QD-mini LED displays, which are the latest offering, is pretty […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/tcl-launches-qd-mini-led-based-27c2a-gaming-monitor/

A timed-exclusive deal between Qualcomm and Samsung allowed the latter to equip its Galaxy S26 lineup with a non-binned version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with higher CPU and GPU clock speeds, but the Korean giant has something special planned for its Galaxy Z Fold 8 series to bring some form of differentiation to its foldable smartphone series. Based on the latest rumor, the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will be an even better binned part where the SoC delivers superior AI performance compared to the same SoC powering the Galaxy S26 lineup. New rumor claims the Snapdragon […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/better-binned-snapdragon-8-elite-gen-5-versions-headed-for-galaxy-z-fold-8-lineup/

Apple now expects to spend over $30 billion on Broadcom till 2031 to realize its lofty ambitions vis-à-vis the so-called Baltra ASIC, while securing preferential access to advanced radio frequency and wireless components. The deal is the biggest component of Apple's $600 billion American Manufacturing Program (AMP) so far. Tim Cook: "[This is] our largest ever American Manufacturing Program commitment and an important step in our work to build an end-to-end silicon supply chain in the US" For the benefit of those who might not be aware, Apple is investing around $600 billion in the US over the coming 4 […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apple-commits-30-billion-to-broadcom-for-the-secretive-baltra-asic-and-a-host-of-wireless-and-rf-components-the-biggest-piece-yet-of-its-600-billion-american-manufacturing-bet/

Bitcoin price pressure took BTC toward the "crucial" $61,000 mark as oil prices soared on the collapse of the US-Iran ceasefire.

Trabzonspor Aral Şimşir'i kadrosuna kattığını resmen açıkladı.

İşte Trabzonspor'un açıklaması;

"Profesyonel futbolcu Aral Şimşir’in, Kulübümüze kesin transferi konusunda Midtjylland Kulübü ve oyuncunun kendisi ile anlaşma sağlanmıştır."

KAP'A BİLDİRİLDİ

Bonservis: 13 M € (7 taksit)

Sonraki satışta kârdan pay: %15

Maaş: 2 milyon euro

Galatasaray'ın transfer gündeminde yer alan Ugochukwu için Burnley ile yürütülen müzakerelerde anlaşma sağlanamamıştı. Ancak sarı-kırmızılılar bu transferden vazgeçmeye niyetli değil.

Galatasaray'ın kiralama formülüyle kadrosuna katmak istediği Ugochukwu için Burnley, 30-35 milyon sterlinlik bonservis duvarı örmüş ve yolları kapamıştı. Yeni sezon hazırlıklarına başlayan sarı-kırmızılılar ise duvarı yıkmaya kararlı.

HT Spor'un aktardığına göre, Galatasaray, Lesley Ugochukwu için Burnley'ye 26 milyon euro'ya ulaşan kiralama teklifi yaptı.

Yabancı kuralındaki 10+4 sistemi aynı devam edince Galatasaray Yönetimi de +4 kategorisine uyan genç isimlerin peşine düşmüş ve Ugochukwu'yu gündemine almıştı. Burnley'de geçen sezon 38 maçta süre bulan 22 yaşındaki genç orta saha oyuncusu, 3 gol attı ve 2 asist yaptı.

20 Yaş Altı Ümit Kız Milli Basketbol Takımı, Avrupa Şampiyonası'nda çeyrek finale yükseldi.

FIBA 20 Yaş Altı Kızlar Avrupa Şampiyonası'nda mücadele eden 20 Yaş Altı Ümit Kız Milli Basketbol Takımı, son 16 turunda karşılaştığı İzlanda'yı 84-62 mağlup ederek çeyrek finale yükseldi.

Türkiye Basketbol Federasyonunun açıklamasına göre ay-yıldızlılar, müsabakaya İdil Yeniçulha, Zeynep Töremiş, Mina Berber, Ayşenaz Harma ve Feryal Atlı beşiyle başladı.

Rakibini 84-62 yenen milliler, adını çeyrek finale yazdırdı.

Türkiye, çeyrek finalde 10 Temmuz Cuma günü İspanya ile karşılaşacak.

Süper Lig ekiplerinden Çorum FK, Hırvat stoper Hrvoje Smolcic ile 2+1 yıllık sözleşme imzaladığını duyurdu.

Trendyol Süper Lig ekiplerinden Arca Çorum FK, Hırvat stoper Hrvoje Smolcic'i kadrosuna kattı.

Kulüpten yapılan açıklamada, 25 yaşındaki Hrvoje Smolcic'in transferi konusunda Bundesliga ekiplerinden Eintracht Frankfurt ile anlaşma sağlandığı ve futbolcuyla 2+1 yıllık sözleşme imzalandığı belirtildi.

Savunma oyuncusunun, Çorum FK'nin Düzce Topuk Yaylası'nda devam eden kampına katılması bekleniyor.

Samsung officially confirmed that the next Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on July 22 in London and it even hinted at the new foldable form factor – the wide Galaxy Z Fold8. But the event won’t focus only on foldables – Samsung Electronics CEO and President TM Roh penned an editorial titled “AI Doesn’t Need To Outthink You. It Needs To Understand You,” to offer some insight into the company’s strategy for the future. The editorial emphasizes that a smart AI alone isn’t enough – it needs to be part of an ecosystem of devices like the network of SmartThings that Samsung has built. The...

Rollme’s latest pair of open-ear-style headphones comes with a built-in camera. The aptly named AirCam is a pair of bone-conduction earbuds that also features an 8MP camera with a Sony sensor that records up to 1080p video at 30fps. Recordings are capped at 10 minutes to help preserve the 8 GB of on-device storage. The AirCam also features dual-band Wi-Fi 6 connectivity to help share clips between the headphones and your paired smartphone. Rollme AirCam features an 8MP camera You can also use the camera to snap photos or use the built-in AI assistant, which uses an LLM to...

Fransanın PSJ klubunun qapıçısı Matvey Safonov aliment ödənişi ilə bağlı hüquqi normaya etiraz edərək Konstitusiya Məhkəməsinə şikayət verib.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə futbolçunun vəkili Andrey Kryuçkov TASS-a açıqlamasında bildirib.

Onun sözlərinə görə, hazırda məhkəmənin müraciəti icraata qəbul edib-etməyəcəyi gözlənilir:

“Məhkəmənin müraciəti icraata qəbul edib-etməyəcəyini öyrənəcəyik. Əgər qəbul olunarsa, işə baxılıb-baxılmayacağı müəyyənləşəcək. Bununla bağlı qərarın təxminən iki aydan sonra məlum olacağını gözləyirik”, – deyə Kryuçkov bildirib.

Vəkil qeyd edib ki, şikayətin məqsədi alimentlə bağlı mübahisəli hüquq normasının Konstitusiyaya uyğunluğunun yoxlanılmasıdır:

“İstərdik ki, məhkəmə işi icraata qəbul etsin. Çünki etiraz etdiyimiz normalarda Konstitusiyaya uyğun olmayan məqamların olduğunu düşünürük. Ötən il keçirilən hüquq forumunda Ali Məhkəmənin nümayəndəsi də alimentlərin tutulması mexanizmində qeyri-bərabərlikdən danışmışdı. Buna görə də bu hüquqi yola əl atmaq qərarına gəldik”, – deyə o əlavə edib.

Qeyd edək ki, Matvey Safonov ötən ilin iyununda 3 il yarım ərzində yığılan və 64 milyon rubldan çox olan aliment borcunu tam ödəyib.

Futbolçunun keçmiş həyat yoldaşı Anastasiya Kazaçekin məsələ ilə bağlı mövqeyi açıqlanmır.

Zlatko Daliç doqquz illik fəaliyyətindən sonra futbol üzrə Xorvatiya milli komandasının baş məşqçisi vəzifəsindən ayrılmağa qərar verib.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Xorvatiya Futbol İttifaqının mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.

59 yaşlı mütəxəssis qərarını belə şərh edib:

“Millidə işləmək çox çətin qərarlar qəbul etməyi tələb edir. Amma bu, karyeramın ən ağır qərarı oldu. Mən həmişə demişəm ki, öz ölkənin millisini çalışdırmaqdan böyük şərəf yoxdur. Bu vəzifəyə gələndə futbolçuların keyfiyyətinə və özümə inanırdım, lakin bu illər ərzində əldə etdiyimiz uğurları xəyal belə etmirdim. Hər qələbə, hər medal və ən əsası komanda daxilində, eləcə də Xorvatiya xalqı ilə yaratdığımız birliklə fəxr edirəm. Dünya çempionatlarında qazandığımız medallardan sonra yaşadığımız unudulmaz bayramlar bunu bir daha göstərdi.

Son günlər aldığım böyük dəstək qərarımı yenidən gözdən keçirməyə vadar etdi. Ancaq düşünürəm ki, artıq vaxtı çatıb. Millidə yeni uğurlar qazanmaq istəyim qalsa da, bu möhtəşəm dövrü başa vurmaq üçün ən uyğun məqamın indi olduğuna inanıram. Xorvatiya futbolunun tarixindəki ən böyük nailiyyətlərdə payımın olması ilə qürur duyuram və varisimə, milli komandaya və Xorvatiya futboluna gələcəkdə yeni uğurlar arzulayıram”.

Xatırladaq ki, Zlatko Daliç 2017-ci ilin oktyabrından Xorvatiya millisini çalışdırırdı. Onun rəhbərliyi altında komanda 2018-ci ildə Rusiyada keçirilən dünya çempionatının gümüş, 2022-ci ildə Qətərdə təşkil olunan mundialın bürünc mükafatını qazanıb. Xorvatiya millisi, həmçinin 2023-cü ildə UEFA Millətlər Liqasının gümüş medalına sahib çıxıb.

DÇ-2026-da isə xorvatlar pley-offa yüksəlsələr də, 1/16 final mərhələsində Portuqaliyaya məğlub olaraq mübarizəni dayandırıblar.

Zlatko Daliç məşqçilik karyerası ərzində Xorvatiyanın “Riyeka” və “Slaven”, Səudiyyə Ərəbistanının “Əl-Feysəli” və “Əl-Hilal”, həmçinin BƏƏ-nin “Əl-Ayn” klublarını da çalışdırıb.

“Zirə” UEFA Konfrans Liqasında bu gün ilk oyuna çıxacaq.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, Rəşad Sadıqovun rəhbərlik etdiyi kollektiv I təsnifat mərhələsində “Torpedo”nu qəbul edəcək. Sumqayıt şəhər stadionunda keçiriləcək görüşə saat 20:00-da start veriləcək.

Cavab oyunu iyulun 16-da Gürcüstanda olacaq.

UEFA Konfrans Liqası
I təsnifat mərhələsi, ilk oyun

8 iyul

20:00 Zirə – Torpedo 0:0
Baş hakim: Yani Hüytiya (Finlandiya)
Sumqayıt şəhər stadionu

“Beşiktaş” heyətini yeni futbolçu ilə gücləndirib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, İstanbul təmsilçisi “Borussiya”dan (Dortmund) ayrılan Salih Özcanı transfer edib. Bu barədə klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb. 28 yaşlı futbolçu tibbi müayinədən keçdikdən sonra klubla müqavilə imzalayacaq.

Salih 2022-ci ildən “Borussiya”da forma geyinirdi. Yarımmüdafiəçi ötən mövsüm Bundesliqada 11 oyuna çıxıb.

Özcan Türkiyə millisinin də üzvüdür.

“Qarabağ”ın baş məşqçisi Qurban Qurbanov Avropa Liqasında sabah “Vestri”yə qarşı keçirəcəkləri oyundan əvvəl fikirlərini bölüşüb.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, mütəxəssis media nümayəndələri ilə görüşdə bunları deyib:

– İlk oyunumuzdur, dəyişikliklər var, çalışırıq ki, problemlərimiz hiss olunmasın. Əfsuslar olsun, bəzi çatışmazlıqlarımız var. Amma ümumi götürəndə, hazırlıq pis getmir. Zamanla hər şey axarına düşəcək. Yaxşı kollektiv formalaşdıracağıq və qələbələrimizlə azarkeşlərimizi sevindirəcəyik.

– Kamilo Duranın transferi ilə bağlı vəziyyət nə yerdədir?
– Duran “Seltik”in düşərgəsindədir. Bir neçə saat əvvəl məlumatımız var idi ki, tibbi müayinədən keçir. Hər şey qaydasında olsa, ayrılmaq ehtimalı böyükdür.

– Yeni oyunçuların adaptasiyası necə gedir?
– Yaxşı olanlar da var, pis də. Tez qoşulanlar özlərini yaxşı hiss edirlər. Bir neçə futbolçunun gec uyğunlaşması məsələsi də var.

– Duranın da gedişini nəzərə alsaq, hücum xətti ilə bağlı nələr düşünürsünüz?
– Duran bizim əsas oyunçumuz idi. Avropa oyunlarında özünü ən yaxşı tərəfdən göstərənlərdən biri oldu. İstəyi, qabiliyyəti var idi. Onun gedişi bizdə hansısa çatışmazlıqlar yarada bilər. Duranı itiririk, amma eyni zamanda Avropa bazarında iştirak etməyimiz də önəmlidir. Son vaxtlarda “Qarabağ”dan nə qədər oyunçu ölkə xaricinə gedib. Bu, özü bizim üçün əlavə üstünlükdür. Avropada bizə qarşı diqqət artır, oyunçularımıza baxan ölkələr çoxalır. Duran kimi futbolçunun daim komandamızda olmağını istərdim. Bir neçə mövqedə oynamağı bacarırdı. Yeni transferlərdən bəziləri sabah meydanda olacaq.

– Durandan başqa kiminsə gedişi gözlənilir?
– Ciddi təklifi olan futbolçu yoxdur. Hansısa oyunçunun getmək ehtimalı olduğunu bilmirəm.

– İslandiyaya uzun səfəriniz olacaq. Bu, hansı çətinlik yarada bilər?
– Püşkatmada heç vaxt fərq qoymamışam, istəyimlə olan bir şey deyil. Hər zaman Allahdan xeyirlisini arzu etmişik. O qədər olub ki, ilk mərhələdə güclü komandalarla qarşılaşmışıq, amma yenə razı olmuşam. Düzdür, 7 saat yarımlıq səfərimiz olacaq. Lakin püşkdən sonra buna uyğun proqram hazırlamışıq.

– Elvin Cəfərquliyev sabah meydanda olacaq?
– Elvinin oynamaq ehtimalı var. Startda, ya sonradan meydana çıxması ilə bağlı qərar verməmişik.

Şahin Cəfərov

Source

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Italy have failed to qualify for the Under-20 World Cup, having been the Finalists in 2023, losing in a penalty shoot-out to Denmark after their exit from the Under-19 European Championship.

The Azzurrini had started so strong and been among the favourites to win the tournament in Wales.

Italy U19 crumble in Wales

They beat Serbia 2-0 in the opening group game, but were then held to a 0-0 draw by Croatia and lost the final match 1-0 to Ukraine on Sunday.

By finishing third in the group, Italy still had the opportunity to earn a place in the Under-20 World Cup in 2027.

They faced off with Denmark in this afternoon’s play-off, which could not find a breakthrough even after extra time at 0-0.

It went to penalties, where Massimo Pessina saved from Alfred Gothler, but then Andrea Natali was denied too.

It went to sudden death, where Destiny Elimoghale blasted over the bar, allowing Simon Stuker to win it for Denmark.

Gianluca Gaetano will undergo his medical with Atalanta on Thursday to complete the transfer for €14m including add-ons from Cagliari.

The 26-year-old was a specific request of new Dea coach Maurizio Sarri and the negotiations started several months ago.

Gaetano all set for Atalanta

Multiple sources including Sportitalia, Sky Sport Italia, and transfer pundit Fabrizio Romano all confirm the deal is done.

The cost of the operation according to Sky Sport Italia is €12m plus another €2m in add-ons.

Gaetano is expected in Bergamo tomorrow for his medical tests, after which he can then put pen to paper on a contract.

A product of the Napoli youth academy, the creative midfielder had loan experiences with Cremonese and Cagliari before making the move permanent at a cost of €6.2m in June 2025.

Last season, he made 35 appearances for the Sardinians between Serie A and the Coppa Italia, scoring two goals and assisting another four for his teammates.

Dusan Vlahovic is reportedly willing to sit down with Juventus to negotiate a new contract after his previous deal expired last month, but should the Bianconeri bring him back?

Officially, ex-Juventus star Vlahovic is without a club as his contract in Turin expired this past June.

The Serbia international was linked with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, but none of these clubs has made a formal contract offer for the 26-year-old, prompting him, according to Tuttosport, to reconsider his future in Turin.

Juventus failed to match Vlahovic’s contract demands and signing bonus under Damien Comolli, while new CEO and General Manager Giovanni Carnevali didn’t resume contract talks with the Serbian.

“Personally, I have never spoken to Vlahovic. Anything is possible in football; there can be possibilities tomorrow that do not exist today,” Carnevali said at the end of June.

Should Juventus bring Vlahovic back?

“He is an important player, but today is not in our thoughts.”

According to Tuttosport, Vlahovic has remained in touch with some of his former teammates and has directly called Juventus to potentially negotiate a new contract, given that the only proposal he has received has come from his ex-Fiorentina coach, Vincenzo Italiano, at Besiktas.

No clubs from Europe’s top five leagues have progressed talks with the Serbia international, who remains the highest-valued free agent on the market.

Juventus are still struggling to reach an agreement with PSG for Randal Kolo Muani and, according to Sportitalia, have made initial contact with Parma about Matteo Pellegrino.

The Bianconeri are also waiting for offers for Lois Openda and Jonathan David, who are not part of Spalletti’s plans.

Vlahovic scored 68 goals in 168 matches with Juventus over the last four and a half years, but should the Bianconeri bring him back, or look for a fresh start?

Let us know in the poll below and in the comment section.

Ruben Amorim explains why he is ‘sorry’ for Manchester United fans, warns he is ‘nothing like’ Jose Mourinho, and refuses to be drawn into an attack on Milan predecessor Max Allegri.

The Portuguese coach was fired at Old Trafford in January, but is back in business on the bench of Serie A side Milan.

He was presented to the media with his first press conference this afternoon, and you can read everything he said here.

As it is the first experience since his ill-fated spell at Manchester United, the 41-year-old was asked what he had learned from that tenure and which lessons he would take with him at this next job.

Amorim on Manchester United lessons

“It’s hard to explain the mistakes, because I would have to explain the context of the last adventure, and I am a Milan coach, so I talk about Milan. All I can say is that I learned a lot, and I did make some mistakes,” said Amorim.

“I didn’t have the opportunity, and I’m sorry for that, to say something to the Manchester United fans. I was very proud to be their coach for a year, but this is a different history. There are a lot of things I could’ve done better in that experience, but sometimes like is like that, you need to learn and find the right spot to reach a different level. That is my thinking here.

“Everyone learns from experiences, there are some things you can never change, but I think I will be a better coach for it. That’s all.”

Amorim is taking over from Allegri, who was fired the day after failing to secure a Champions League spot for Milan last season.

RedBird patron Gerry Cardinale has not been shy of attacking the Italian’s style of football, repeatedly stating he chose Amorim because he wanted to ‘win and not just try not to lose’ in future.

So when asked about that, the new man knew he had to tread very carefully.

“I can say the way I want to play. I know where you want to go, but I have huge respect for Mister Allegri, none more than me, he’s so experienced. I will not talk about the past, the way Milan played. I can say the way I want us to play,” replied Amorim.

“We want the ball, we want to dominate the opponent. I know that this team can defend really well, we have different ideas and that is normal, every coach has different ideas. I can change when I see my players up close, they can give me ideas, but I can talk about the principles.

“The principles are that we want to recover the ball really fast, we want to entertain the fans, we want to be exciting to watch. When you want to win the game, when you have that responsibility coaching big teams, you cannot run away from the fact that you need to win, that a draw is like losing, and that’s what we are going to do, try to score goals and be dominant.”

There were other Portuguese coaches at Milan in recent years, Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao, but both struggled to get their ideas across.

The most successful from this school was Mourinho, who won the Treble at Inter in 2010, so is Amorim going to follow the Special One’s approach to communication?

“No, I’m completely different to Jose Mourinho. I’m a different person, I learn a lot from him of course, but as a coach you have to follow your personality, you cannot copy anyone else. I have a different style of playing, I hope to win like he won in Italy, that’s the only thing I want to be the same!

“I have a lot of respect for Mourinho, I can call him a friend, but I am completely different. Don’t expect that from me. You know guys that sometimes I’m upset with a loss and say a lot of things I shouldn’t say.

“I learn with all the mistakes that I made in Manchester. I learned a lot. I will try to improve on the small details, to help my players to be better, and also I expect to win more games than draw. I will not talk about losing games, because that communication is going to be easy if we’re winning games.”

Juventus risk missing out on Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani for €40m, as Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are reportedly ready to out-bid them.

The Bianconeri already had the centre-forward on loan for seven months in 2025 and failed to agree terms to renew the arrangement, so he joined Tottenham Hotspur instead.

That loan petered out too, so Juve are trying to get him on loan with obligation to buy for a total fee of around €40m.

Kolo Muani saga drags on for Juventus

Juventus are hampered by failing to qualify for the Champions League, further damaging their financial capabilities, and are struggling to get a deal over the line.

Now Footmercato in France claim that two Premier League clubs are ready to swoop in with their economic largesse, as the Old Lady risk being out-bid by Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

Borussia Dortmund are also showing interest in Kolo Muani, whose contract with Paris Saint-Germain only runs to June 2028.

PSG had until now been prepared to wait it out for Juve, considering the player’s intentions, but are fast losing patience.

Ruben Amorim assures ‘perfect’ Christian Pulisic and Luka Modric will be key players in his Milan squad, but his description of the USMNT player’s role suggests Rafael Leao is on the way out.

The new coach held his first press conference this afternoon, sat alongside RedBird owner Gerry Cardinale, and you can read everything the tactician said here.

Although he tried not to discuss individual players, insisting that he would prefer to speak about the team as a whole, he was drawn on two who are reconsidering their futures after the World Cup.

Pulisic and Modric key for Amorim’s Milan

“Pulisic is a really talented player, of course he had an injury again in the World Cup that we need to assess,” said Amorim.

“He is perfect for the way I think about football, especially here in Italy where sometimes the teams defend so well there is less space between the lines, he is a player who can make the difference in that kind of space.”

When it came to describing where Pulisic could play in his team, Amorim’s small laugh and shrug suggested he knew full well what message this comment would send.

“I have a clear idea of where I want him to play, especially with the right foot on the left side, is the perfect position for him, he can play the other side also, inside too and not on the line.”

Pulisic has almost exclusively played on the right for Milan because the left flank is taken up by Rafael Leao, so might no longer be sacrificed to make room for the Portugal international.

“I know the strengths of Pulisic, I believe in him, he will be supported in our clubs, I know he had some criticism after the World Cup elimination, but I am here to say we believe a lot in him, have a clear plan to use all the qualities that he has, so I can say to you that Pulisic is really important for us,” added Amorim.

Another player who is still trying to decide his Milan future is Modric, who has not ruled out retirement or a move to MLS after the World Cup elimination for Croatia.

“Modric is a player we want to keep for his experience. I spoke with him two times, if he needs, I will come and get the guy,” confessed Amorim.

“He played really well, he is a key point for us, especially at the beginning to have more possession. I’m not saying he will play every game, but we really want to count with Modric for next season.

“I know the board spoke with Modric, I spoke with Modric, so I hope to have Modric in some days with us. I will give him some days to rest.”

Sitting around a real-life bonfire in my backyard, a safe distance from the online firestorm still raging around Caitlin Clark, Alyssa Thomas and the WNBA, a friend waded into the conversation everyone wanted to have this past July 4th weekend. 

"Ya know," he said. "It seems to me like Caitlin Clark just wants to hoop." 

Talk about some cold water splashed onto a red-hot saga that won't end. 

It became clear many controversies ago that Clark just wants to play basketball, talk basketball and live basketball. It's true she is quick to jump into (or jump-start) the fray on the court. Yet, off the court, she steps away from making anything messier than it already is simply because her name is attached. 

She is as aware as most of us that the nonsense erupting around her is not about her. But, damn, it must be exhausting. Which is largely what Clark said, with much more eloquence, late last week in one of the more raw and vulnerable moments we've seen from her of late. 

"It can be really frustrating to me at times," the 24-year-old said. "I think it's difficult. I think a lot of people sometimes think I'm a robot. I'm not a robot. I have emotions, I have feelings, and it can be really difficult to go through a lot of that." 

In the three-time All-Star's first appearance back at team practices on Friday, she opened her media availability with nearly five minutes of unscripted remarks on the flagrant 2 foul called on Alyssa Thomas (of which she agreed without question), officiating (including specific ways the league can improve), the discourse around the incident ("none of that is OK"), how it took all the oxygen ("that's just a real disservice to our league") and the difficulties navigating all of that as Caitlin Clark.  

Michael Hickey via Getty Images

"There are times that it is hard," Clark said. "And there are times that it probably affects me a little bit more than I do put on. I would never change any of that for the world. But I do think it's important that people do remember that part of it, too."

The insight was a rare crack in her massaged public veneer amid the chaos that has followed her with increasing vigor since the 2023 national championship game. When each of these incidents takes on a life of its own in the media landscape, it is lost that at the epicenter is a human burdened by too many people expecting her to be someone or something she's not.  

One side wants the Midwest product to stand as a symbol of the political far-right, using her as a pawn in their agendas. That aspect is amplified in a league that is predominantly Black (around 70-80%) and queer. That these people either claim to be Clark/Fever fans or are assumed to be such by the other group further inflames the rhetoric.

The other side insists that the most well-known player in the league be a far-left social activist using her voice and actions for their causes. It is intensified by the WNBA Players Association's heavy involvement in social justice work. A forced ideology that they are "Anti-Caitlin," again, inflames. 

Clark has repeatedly made clear she's not going to stand on either of these things, at least not at this stage in her career. Amid one of the most divisive periods in the United States' 250-year history, the woman nearly always in motion sits solidly in the Overton Window. She will make no overtures or grand proclamations to incite either edge. 

Michael Jordan may have said "Republicans buy sneakers, too" in jest, but his reasoning is rooted in comparable truth. Even when Clark takes one small step toward either end of the spectrum, she is blasted for it not being enough or correct. 

Repeatedly over the years, she has spoken out against racist, misogynistic and overall hateful comments directed at her peers. 

"People should not be using my name to push those agendas. It's disappointing. It's not acceptable," Clark said months into her rookie season. "... Treating every single woman in this league with the same amount of respect, I think, it's just a basic human thing that everybody should do."

Later that same year: "Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful, hateful comments and threats. Those aren't fans. Those are trolls."

In a 24/7 news cycle, it's as if anything further back than a day is lost to history. Again last week, she was criticized for not speaking out or potentially not doing so, since she missed practices with her back injury. Context boxes appeared on X posts with links to these quotes. 

"A lot has obviously come after [the flagrant foul]," Clark said on Friday. "As I've stood up here and said before, harassment, hate, none of that is OK. … There should never be a question of character. I've always stood up here and said that, and that's truly what I believe, that's how I was raised." 

Social media lit up with outrage that she didn't directly address racism or use the word. She can't win. There is nothing Clark can say or do that is deemed acceptable to either of these clashing sides, which become so loud that the fervor reaches the threshold of the national nightly news. To bounce around in nuanced shades of gray, as do most Americans, is to abscond from the stark line they've each drawn. 

"People [are] just using my names in ways that are inappropriate," Clark said last week. "You don't know me. You don't know who I am."

We don't know exactly who Clark is beyond what she wants us to know, despite pushes to publicly be what these feuding entities desire. She took issue with a story claiming the Clark Effect and Fever aren't fun anymore. That it's a season full of frustration. To be fair, it's hard to see. 

The Indiana Fever keep Clark closely guarded, limiting access and media availability. Clark herself is becoming the same way, an increasingly understandable move given how every aspect of her life, from relationships to interests, are scrutinized in unhealthy ways. One year ago, a man pleaded guilty to stalking her and received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. A man was charged last month with stalking Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham. 

The irony is that what we do know for certain about Clark is exactly what makes her great for the WNBA. She is a basketball junkie who never misses an opportunity to redirect questions with a historic lens. The cries about respecting the game and women who came before her miss what is right in front of everyone's face. 

This is a kid who actually watched the WNBA, unlike many of her peers. Her father, Brent, took her to Minnesota Lynx games. She met her favorite player, Maya Moore, as a child. By a stroke of luck, the Lynx hosted the Fever the night of Moore's jersey retirement. Clark stayed out on the floor after the loss to watch it in the celebration's signature T-shirt. 

At every turn, she's done this wraparound. During the trio of NCAA scoring records that included AIAW star Lynette Woodard. On "Saturday Night Live," a cultural touchpoint unimaginable before her time. Amid collective bargaining negotiations built on the foundation of prior players' efforts. 

Following more than a week of increasingly toxic rhetoric — plus a passing mention of the Clark-Thomas play by the president on Monday amid comments on U.S. soccer — Clark voiced frustration that it remained a talking point, taking away "from the product that's being put on the floor." 

"It's a disservice to my team, but it's also a disservice to the other teams of this league and the other players in this league," Clark said. "There's so much amazing talent, and there's so many amazing players that are playing at an incredibly high rate." 

"Honestly, I felt bad for the players playing the games [last weekend]. And also I feel bad for my teammates." 

While everyone worked themselves into their own various knots over their preconceived notions, Clark practiced individually and rehabbed an ongoing back issue. The third-year point guard is expected to return either Wednesday against the Sparks or Thursday in Las Vegas on their West Coast trip, though she cautioned that playing both would be difficult. 

She has made no small point that missing the majority of last season with soft tissue injuries was hard, as well as a mental challenge. The Fever, despite falling short of early expectations, have a roster with championship aspirations. The powerhouse Aces and Liberty will have plenty to say. She wants to focus on basketball. 

It's highly on brand for Caitlin Clark. 

Manchester United’s pursuit of Real Madrid superstar Aurelien Tchouameni is turning into the transfer saga of the summer, offering fans a throwback to the hunt to sign FC Barcelona maestro Frenkie de Jong four years ago.

And whereas a big-money move for the 29-year-old Dutchman ultimately fell through, it remains uncertain whether the Red Devils will be able to pull off a a blockbuster deal for Tchouameni, even with Real Madrid opening the door to an exit – as conflicting reports in the Spanish media illustrate.

The Case for Tchouameni Staying

Earlier today, Madrid-based reporter Miguel Serrano claimed Real Madrid have ruled out the sale of Tchouameni. While there had been suggestions Los Blancos were interested in signing Manchester City maestro Rodri – a natural replacement for the France international – Serrano dismisses this, saying a deal for the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner is not being pursued.

Spanish outlet Defensa Central mirrored this view, claiming Tchouameni is set to be an “undisputed starter” under Jose Mourinho next season, rejecting the idea that the ‘Special One’ is willing to sacrifice the No.14.

In order to reverse this position, Serrano alleges, Madrid would demand an “exorbitant figure” for their midfielder, with a valuation as high as £154 million – a price which would shatter the British transfer record, currently held by Liverpool for their £125m capture of Alexander Isak.

“Real Madrid is not considering selling Tchouameni. He’s an essential player in the club’s plans and also for Mourinho’s style of play. Real Madrid would only agree to sell Tchouaméni to United if they receive an offer of €180 million (£154m), an exorbitant figure because they don’t want him to leave.”

A report relayed by The Peoples Person corroborates Mourinho’s intention to build his new side around the Frenchman, while a separate update revealed sources at Old Trafford believe the player will remain in the Spanish capital beyond the summer.

Fans could be forgiven for feeling disheartened by this pessimistic assessment. But it is only one side of the coin; the other half offers a far more positive outlook on United’s pursuit, with a well-respected Real Madrid expert asserting the Spanish giants would be prepared to do business with their Old Trafford counterparts at a “reasonable price.”

The Case for Tchouameni Going

Spanish journalist José Luis Sánchez, who writes for Marca and is a professor at Villanueva University in Madrid, is widely considered one of the best sources for LaLiga updates, particularly those involving Real Madrid.

On the topic of Tchouameni’s future at the Bernabeu, Sánchez states: “The main team interested in him [Tchouameni]…is Manchester United. United are going to come to Madrid to talk. I don’t know if it’s this week or when the World Cup is over, but United will go.

“Manchester United have been Madrid’s best customer with Varane and Casemiro. The feeling is Manchester United is not one of the clubs that mess around with money when it comes to Madrid. [They] would be willing to sell Tchouameni to Manchester United for a reasonable price. I’ve told you and maintain that almost all players, if not all, have a price at Real Madrid.”

This is supported by Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo, which reveals Madrid are “open” to proposals for Tchouameni in order to fund a pursuit of one of their priority targets in midfield. United are “prepared to offer a substantial sum to both Real Madrid and the player to finalise the deal” – with Marca reporter Sergio Valentín claiming the Spanish giants have given their “green light to the transfer.” A bid in the region of €100 million (£85m) is mentioned.

Earlier today, there was an update from AS editor Jose Felix Diaz, in which he revealed United had tabled a five-year contract offer to Tchouameni with a “very good” salary. A previous report by Fabrizio Romano detailed that INEOS had communicated to the player’s camp he would have to accept a different wage packet than his existing one, suggesting a compromise may have been reached between the two parties.

Final Thoughts

Alongside FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United are unquestionably the two biggest teams in world football. Any hint of a big-money transfer between them will spark a tidal wave of reports, arguing both in favour of and against the prospective deal. Cutting through the noise is a difficult task, but putting faith in reliable sources over click-bait merchants is the path towards clarity.

The Athletic, the gold standard for transfer news, contends Madrid are prioritising sales to help fund new recruits, with United “ready” to move for Tchouameni if afforded the opportunity. Sánchez, an excellent source in the Spanish capital, corroborates this viewpoint, overruling the more sensationalist offerings of Serrano and a £154 million asking price.

While INEOS can be accused of many things, the hierarchy in M16 have proven they are no mugs in the transfer market, willing to pull out of deals that prove exorbitant – such as Elliot Anderson or Mateus Fernandes – or press ahead with targets they believe are worth paying the piper for, like Benjamin Sesko or Leny Yoro.

The fact that United remain in the race for Tchouameni suggests the quiet optimism well-placed sources are offering is matched along the corridors of power at Old Trafford. If any club in Europe is going to sign the Frenchman, it looks certain to be the Red Devils.

Featured image Dan Mullan via Getty Images

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The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Liverpool are reportedly among numerous clubs to have dispatched scouts to watch a teenage defender who caught the eye at the 2026 World Cup.

FSG have implemented a clear strategy to invest in long-term potential at centre-back, with several young signings in that position over the past year, including Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet for the first team, and the likes of Dara Jikiemi and Mor Talla Ndiaye for the academy.

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The defensive recruitment drive mightn’t have finished, either, judging by a report which has emerged on Wednesday afternoon.

Liverpool scouts have watched Lucas Herrington

According to Graeme Bailey for TEAMtalk, Liverpool are among several Premier League clubs to have assigned scouts to keep a close watch on Lucas Herrington, who plays for Colorado Rapids in MLS and represented Australia at this year’s World Cup.

‘Intermediaries working on behalf of’ the 18-year-old are currently involved in discussions with a wide range of prospective suitors throughout England and Europe, ranging from elite names such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich, to more humble prospective destinations like Union Saint-Gilloise.

The teenager has been with Colorado for less than six months (having joined from Brisbane Roar in the winter), but the Rapids are open to an arragement which’d see him remain in the United States for another year before then moving to Europe.

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Herrington has already shown great ‘courage’ at a high level

Herrington started Australia’s last two matches at the World Cup, cruelly missing a penalty in the shootout loss to Egypt in the round of 32, after which Zlatan Ibrahimovic told him in a classy public message that he showed ‘a lot of courage’ to step up for his country in such a high-stakes situation.

The teenager has played fewer than 50 senior club games but, in addition to impressing on the world stage, has also been a consistent performer for Colorado, with the figures below (via Fotmob) showing how he’s compared with other centre-backs in the 2026 MLS season so far.

The idea of allowing him to continue his upwardly mobile development with the Rapids for another year before then coming to Europe could be perfect for Liverpool, with the youngster probably not quite yet ready for such a significant step-up in quality.

How Herrington responds to his World Cup penalty heartbreak will tell us a lot about his strength of character, although that quality was already demonstrated by him stepping forward to take a spot kick against Egypt in the first place despite his tender age.

The public support from Ibrahimovic must surely come as a huge morale boost for the Australian, who appears to have an incredibly bright future in the game judging by the extent of the interest in him across England and Europe.

At this point, you’re in the minority if you weren’t invited to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. Adam Sandler was the officiant. Paul McCartney and Stevie Nicks were there. As were Brad Pitt, Zoë Kravitz, Sabrina Carpenter, Peyton Manning, Tom Hanks, George Stephanopoulos, Selena Gomez, Justin Thomas, Tim McGraw, Machine Gun Kelly, Karlie Kloss and Mike Vrabel. Charles Barkley? Well, he was invited, but he was one of the few who said, “No, thank you.”

That’s right. The NBA Hall of Famer and golf obsessive turned down the very, very pricey Madison Square Garden bash in favor of ... well, in favor of not going.

RELATED: Charles Barkley holes out incredible eagle (!), shoots his lowest round in 30 years (!!) at 2025 American Century Championship

“I don’t go to weddings or funerals,” Barkley admitted while on “Unfiltered with Ricky Bo and Bill Colarulo” on 97.5 The Fanatic. “But I did get an invite, and I politely declined because I thought it was going to be a crap show.

“I love Travis and Jason [Kelce], and I’ve only met Taylor one time, but yeah, I did get an invite. But I said, that’s just too much. I just want to hang out and play golf, and I don’t want to dress up and all that other stuff. But I appreciate the invitation; it was pretty special.”

We can’t say we’re shocked that Barkley skipped the wedding. The guy does (and says) what he wants, when he wants. If he doesn’t want to put on a suit and venture over to Penn Station, he’s not going to.

More importantly, Barkley has the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe this week. You can even bet on how he’ll do, with the number in the sportsbooks hovering around a top-63 finish. Barkley couldn't risk a wedding buffet or an injury on the dance floor, as the man only cares about three things: 1. Golf 2. Ridiculing San Antonio women3. More golf.

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The 2026 World Cup continues as eight teams remain in the tournament. Sadly, the United States is not among them, but the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final should still have plenty of action as one team will eventually stand tall as champions.

France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Argentina, and Switzerland are the remaining teams in the World Cup, with each team having a decent chance of winning. Together, they are the subject of this week’s World Cup Reacts:

Who are you rooting for the rest of the way to win the World Cup?

Are you hoping for France and Kylian Mbappé? Are you Team Messi? Do you hope Belgium breaks through since they beat the USMNT? Are you hoping for a new team like Erling Haaland and Norway to push through and lift the trophy? Make your choice known in the survey and then hit the comments to discuss your answer!

On the heels of questionable behavior from fans towards Wyndham Clark at the U.S. Open, the R&A announced Wednesday that a code of conduct will be enforced at this year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

With a crowd of 300,000 expected to visit the Southport, England venue next week, the protocol “aims to ensure that players, spectators, volunteers, officials, staff and the local community can enjoy a welcoming, inclusive and memorable experience.” The guidelines will be outlined to fans through on-site signage, digital channels and ticket communications.

At last month’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, the Long Island galleries were occasionally hostile to Clark during Sunday’s final round. This behavior included unfriendly remarks, jeers for misses and, perhaps most curiously, silence towards well-played shots. Several fans were escorted off the property due to their behavior. The reception did not deter Clark, who went on to secure his second national championship by a stroke.

While the Open crowds are historically warm and respectable, they too have crossed the line, most notably in 2023 in their treatment towards eventual champion Brian Harman at Royal Liverpool.

“The atmosphere at the Open is unlike any other major sporting event and one of the things that makes it so unique. It is built on a shared respect for the players, the course, fellow fans and the traditions of the Championship,” said R&A CEO Mark Darbon. “Every year, our fans play a huge part in creating that experience.

"The Open Commitment isn't about changing what makes the Open so special, it is about maintaining its long-standing traditions. By following a few simple principles, everyone can help ensure the Open remains a welcoming, respectful and unforgettable experience for all."

The Open begins next week. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champ.

It's looking to be a perfect day for the 49th running of Utica's Boilermaker Road Race, with the Binghamton National Weather Service predicting a cool morning from racers.

The annual event reached its entry caps at the end of June with 4,500 runners signed up for the 5K run through the city presented by Utica National and 11,000 for the featured 15K.

Binghamton National Weather Service Meteorologist Adam Gill said the average temperature for the Road Race weekend to be in the mid to upper 80s.

"It looks like it will be mostly sunny through the day, with cloud cover only being about five to ten percent," Gill explained, adding that Sunday is looking dry with winds of about three miles per hour.

Currently, Gill said there looked to be no signs of precipitation on race day. "The humidity will be on the lower end, but definitely drink water and wear sunscreen."

The early morning is expected to start in the 60s at 8 a.m. and rise to the upper 80s by 4 p.m.

"Expect temperatures to be in the upper 60s and low 70s before noon," Gill said. Come evening, the meteorologist said it will cool right back down to the mid-70s by 8 p.m.

Gill explained that a cold front coming through Thursday night into Friday will dry things out for the weekend and the area isn't expecting to be hit by another front to Monday or Monday night.

"It's tough to plot out the whole 24 hours [of the Boilermaker's race day] but I think it's going to be fairly nice," Gill said.

For more information about the National Weather Service in Binghamton, visit www.weather.gov/bgm/

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Weather looking good for Boilermaker Sunday

Who is in the Home Run Derby? Tracking the rumors, confirmed participants for 2026 contest originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Baseballs will be flying at Citizens Bank Park on July 13, when eight of MLB's biggest power bats will step into the batter's box and chase the crown captured by Cal Raleigh last summer.

Following tradition, at least one hometown favorite will be among them. The Phillies have some prime Home Run Derby candidates, including Kyle Schwarber, so the local fans should have something to cheer for.

The derby is returning to a swings-based format rather than a time-based format, which should allow players to take their time in the box. All eight hitters will be figuring out how to take advantage of the new format in real time, which adds another layer of intrigue to the event.

Who's in this year's Home Run Derby? Here are the confirmed participants and the latest rumors.

MORE:See the fight between Willson Contreras, Cade Cavalli

Home Run Derby 2026 participants updates & rumors

Confirmed participants

• Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays
• Ben Rice, 1B, Yankees
• Jac Caglianone, OF, Royals

Follow along for the latest Home Run Derby announcements and rumors below.

Jac Caglianone to participate in first Home Run Derby

• Date: July 8

Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone will be taking swings in the Derby, he announced on social media on Wednesday, which MLB then made official. 

The 23-year-old will join Caminero for the chance to be the youngest Derby winner ever. With 14 home runs this season and 21 as a big-leaguer since making his debut in 2025, will be the Royals' first representative at the event since Bobby Witt Jr. in 2024. 

While Caglianone was not named an All-Star, he has shown off plenty of long-range homer power in the past. He was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and quickly moved through the minors to become a cornerstone outfielder for the Royals.

Ben Rice to participate in first Home Run Derby

• Date: July 7

Yankees 1B Ben Rice announced he will participate in the Home Run Derby for the first time, with his dad as his pitcher.

The 27-year-old Rice has enjoyed a remarkable rise, as he was a 12th-round pick in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic washed away much of his college career at Dartmouth. Called up out of desperation in 2024, Rice hit .171 as a rookie but broke through with 26 home runs in 2025 and already has 25 home runs through 85 games this season.

Rice is looking to become the first Yankee to win the derby since teammate Aaron Judge in 2017.

Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper in the running for Home Run Derby

• Date: July 5

Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are both hoping to participate in the Home Run Derby in front of their home fans in Philadelphia.

Schwarber will participate as long as his back feels well enough, while Harper said he needs to find the right pitcher before committing.

NEWS: Kyle Schwarber tells Tom Verducci that he is planning to participate in the Home Run Derby as long as his back feels fine. pic.twitter.com/CFVGPczu8u

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) July 5, 2026

Harper won the derby at home in 2018 while playing for the Nationals, and he also participated as a 20-year-old in 2013. Schwarber has also participated twice, including a runner-up finish to Harper in 2018.

Pete Crow-Armstrong won't participate in Home Run Derby

• Date: June 30

Cubs star outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has turned down the All-Star Game yet again. After declining his invitation in 2025, PCA said that he'll do it "someday", but that time would not be in 2026. 

It is notable to point out that the 2027 MLB All-Star Weekend will take place at Wrigley Field, home to Crow-Armstrong's Cubs team. So perhaps he is waiting to make his Derby debut in front of the home Chicago crowd. 

Junior Caminero confirms Home Run Derby participation

• Date: June 30

Rays star Junior Caminero became the first confirmed Home Run Derby participant, announcing his return to the competition after a strong runner-up finish last season. 

The 23-year-old slugger has established himself as one of baseball's best power hitters regardless of age, as he hit 45 home runs for the Rays in his first full MLB season and has 26 home runs through 88 games this season after a recent stretch of 11 home runs in 11 games.

No Rays hitter has ever won the Home Run Derby, though Caminero came close in 2025.

James Williams Jr.

*Note: Name links to official Purdue Bio.

Bio

Position: Interior Offensive Line

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 295

Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana

High School: Lawrence Central

Recruiting Class: 2026

View Post↗

Eligibility Remaining: 5 Seasons

High School Recruiting Rankings: Rating 3*(86.5) – National Rank: 1063 – Position Rank: 102

High School

• 2025: Named to the IndyStar Super Team and Preseason Top 22
• 2024: IFCA 6A All-State

High School Highlights

2026 – Season Outlook

Deep Bench / Special Teams

Thoughts

The new eligibility rules won’t have much of an effect on offensive linemen. James Williams Jr. is a talented in-state kid with a long runway at Purdue. Michigan State wanted him, but Purdue managed to keep the big man home. Ideally, he sits this season, plays as a reserve next season, and challenges for a starting job in his 3rd season.

If things are going according to plan, that’s the progression for pretty much every high school offensive lineman who enrolls at Purdue. Hopefully, Williams is fully weaponized and ready to dominate in the trenches by 2028.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — More World Cup teams. Same World Cup story.

This edition started with 48 teams; it’s now down to eight, with six of those from Europe. And unless Morocco pulls off a series of surprising outcomes over the final two weeks, the champion will come from Europe or South America.

Again. As always.

A tournament that has been around for nearly a century — the first World Cup was in 1930 — has been contested on 22 previous occasions. The champions: 12 from Europe, 10 from South America, zero from the rest of the globe combined.

This year’s quarterfinal lineup: six from Europe, one from South America, one from Africa. Not exactly a history-bucking set of outcomes there.

That said, it seems like even some of Europe’s best players are surprised at how well this World Cup has gone.

“I thought it was not possible to do some things,” Norway star Erling Haaland said after his two goals helped his team beat Brazil for a spot in the quarterfinals — the first time his nation has gone this deep in a World Cup. “I guess I’m wrong.”

He was wrong in a good way. The tournament hosts were wrong in a not-so-good way.

North America had three cracks at breaking through this year in a bigger-than-ever, 48-team World Cup with the U.S., Mexico and Canada all co-hosts.

None of those teams even made the quarterfinals.

“We need to get over that next hurdle,” U.S. star Christian Pulisic said in a televised interview after the Americans were ousted by Belgium in the round of 16, a lopsided 4-1 defeat that shows how far North America still has to go. “Trying to compete and beat the world’s best, that’s our next step … There’s still another step that we have to take.”

The three hosts all got through the group stage and the round of 32 with ease. The U.S., Mexico and Canada had a combined 9-2-1 record in those matches, outscoring opponents by a total of 20 goals. Things looked promising, to say the least.

Then came the round of 16. Thud.

England ousted Mexico 3-2, the U.S. got rolled by Belgium in a match that looked one-sided from the outset and Canada was outclassed in a 3-0 loss to Morocco. Combined numbers from that trio of matches: 0-3-0 record, outscored by seven goals.

“Levels,” French soccer legend Thierry Henry said in his role as an analyst on Fox after the U.S. defeat. “The World Cup is different in the group stage. Round of 32 never existed before. Everyone made history in the round of 32. It never existed before … Unfortunately, one host, two hosts, three hosts, out. That’s exactly what you don’t want at a World Cup. That is annoying for me.”

If it annoys Henry, imagine how it feels for the Canadians, Mexicans and Americans.

There hasn’t been a CONCACAF — the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football — team in the World Cup quarterfinals since Costa Rica in 2014.

Before that, it was the U.S. in 2002 in its best showing at the World Cup since finishing third in 1930. Canada has never been past the round of 16. Mexico has played in each of the last nine World Cups; it reached the round of 16 in eight of those, never going further in that span.

“Everyone gave everything,” Mexico midfielder Erik Lira said. “But, in the end, it wasn’t enough.”

That seems to be an every-four-years refrain for every place other than Europe and South America.

There was some diversity in the makeup of the 2002 World Cup quarterfinal field with five confederations — Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and North America — all represented that year.

It was a rare blip. Of the 48 available quarterfinal spots over the six World Cups since, Europe has claimed 30, South America 14, Africa three and North America one.

Morocco is carrying Africa's hopes now and that continent came out of the group stage looking poised for a breakthrough. It sent 10 teams to the tournament; nine made it into the round of 32.

And then, most of the teams saw their hopes end by surrendering late goals.

Ivory Coast, South Africa and Congo all surrendered decisive goals in the 86th minute or later of what became their exits from the knockout phase. Cape Verde's magical ride ended after giving up an own goal to Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina in the 111th minute. And for Senegal and Egypt, the endings were particularly harsh — both led 2-0 late in the second half, then fell by 3-2 scores to Belgium and Argentina, respectively.

Egypt felt the match was stolen by officiating decisions.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition," Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said. “Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the competition.”

The counterpoint to that was how, once again, a powerhouse like Argentina found a way. For the fifth time in the last six World Cups, Messi's team is in the quarterfinals.

Some things just don't seem to change.

“It wasn’t easy to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a World Cup knockout match — especially given how games are going these days, where no one gives you anything for free,” Messi said. “But thank God, we did it once again.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The yellow card shown to France winger Michael Olise in the World Cup last-16 match against Paraguay will stand, coach Didier Deschamps said on Wednesday after an appeal failed.

Deschamps told a news conference before Thursday's quarter-final against Morocco near Boston that he had received a corresponding notification from FIFA in the morning.

If Olise is booked again against the North Africans, he would be suspended for a possible semi-final.

Olise was shown what France deemed to be an unjustified yellow card in stoppage time of the heated 1-0 win against Paraguay.

Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev was sharply criticized by several pundits for his overall performance last Saturday in Philadelphia.

The French federation was given hope of overturning the booking by the highly controversial case involving US striker Folarin Balogun.

The suspension of the forward, who had been shown a red card in the last-32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, was lifted by the world governing body and he played in the last-16 defeat to Belgium.

US President Donald Trump confirmed he had called FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to try to get the ban overturned but Infantino said Trump's intervention had no impact of the eventual decision.

Bosses at Sheffield United knew player Maddy Cusack had issues with her former coach before they hired him to manage the women's team, an inquest into her death has heard.

Cusack, 27, was found unconscious by her father David at their family home in Horsley, Derbyshire, on 20 September 2023 and pronounced dead the same day.

Carl Shieber, head of football administration at Sheffield United, gave evidence to an inquest into Cusack's death at Chesterfield Coroner's Court on Wednesday.

The inquest heard he received an email from former head of women's football Zoe Johnson, before Jonathan Morgan's interview, which said he had a "good CV" but he did not have "the greatest reputation".

In the week after her death, her inquest heard her family sent a written complaint to the club, outlining issues allegedly stemming from her relationship with Morgan.

Morgan coached Cusack from February 2023, while she was at Sheffield United.

The inquest also heard from Grace Riglar, who played for the team and was in a relationship with Cusack, who said Cusack was "anxious" about Morgan joining the club after her experience of working with him at Leicester City.

Cusack's mother Deborah described Morgan as her daughter's "nemesis", adding he had made comments about her weight and relationship to "cut her down to size" and be "in control".

On Monday, the inquest heard Morgan had told the Football Association (FA) that Cusack was "generally a liar", saying she had "omitted a lot of information" when she spoke to her family about his behaviour.

He told the inquest on Tuesday that he had offered Cusack a full-time contract at the club and was "really happy" to have her on his team.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, Shieber said he had asked Johnson to clarify what she meant by the comment that Morgan did not have the "greatest reputation" - to which she referenced a "personal comment" on the touchline.

However, in cross-examination, Morgan asked Shieber whether it was "uncommon" for coaches to have an "isolated spat". In response, Shieber said it was not.

Shieber told the inquest in Morgan's interview, Cusack was mentioned along with a couple of other players he had previously worked with.

The inquest heard Morgan acknowledged that he and Cusack had difficulties at Leicester, which he said he had resolved and "was capable of working in a professional manner with her".

"He spoke fondly about Maddy and light-heartedly about [how] there had been some moments or issues," Shieber said.

"I felt Mr Morgan was being very transparent in his relationship with her."

The inquest heard Shieber understood previous issues between the pair were related to "selection", which he said was not "uncommon" for players and managers.

He added: "Mr Morgan said their paths had crossed and were on a good working relationship.

"They even laughed and joked about the time they had at Leicester."

In cross-examination when asked whether Cusack was informed the club was considering appointing Morgan, Shieber said: "In any industry, you would not be approaching the junior staff employees regarding the appointment of a manager."

The inquest continues.

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, support is available via the BBC Action Line

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More on this story

• Coach was 'happy' to have Maddy Cusack on team
• Coach told FA Maddy Cusack was a liar, inquest hears
• Maddy Cusack's coach her 'nemesis', mum tells inquest
• Maddy Cusack 'struggled with girlfriend move'
• Coach called Maddy Cusack a 'psycho', inquest told
• Maddy Cusack feared mental health stigma - inquest

Related internet links

• HM Courts and Tribunals Service

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — England midfielder Jordan Henderson rejoined The Three Lions at their World Cup training base Wednesday after undergoing surgery on his left wrist following a freak injury that he sustained while celebrating their Round of 16 triumph over Mexico last weekend.

The 36-year-old Henderson posted a photo on social media of his left arm wrapped after the procedure at the Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, which is about a 10-minute drive from their team hotel in the suburb of Prairie Village, Kansas.

“Surgery done!” Henderson said. “Now let's get ready for the big one Saturday.”

Henderson, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup, had been an unused substitute for Sunday's match against Mexico at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The Three Lions had just survived a 3-2 thriller to advance to a quarterfinal against Norway when Henderson hurt his wrist while climbing over an advertising billboard.

“I’m sad because Jordan injured his wrist,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said after the match. “It’s quite serious.”

Henderson was taken from the field on a stretcher and remained in Mexico City while the rest of England's players returned to their base camp in Kansas City, Missouri. He later returned to the United States and underwent surgery on the wrist.

Henderson's only World Cup appearance this year came in the group stage, when he came off the bench against Panama. It was his 91st career cap and made Henderson the first player from England to have appeared in four different tournaments.

“Time goes very quickly,” Henderson said that day in East Rutherford, N.J. “It’s very special to represent my country in four World Cups, so, yeah, I’m just delighted to be a part of this team. It’s still as special now as when I made my debut in 2010. Time goes quickly, but I’m just delighted that I can help the team as much as possible, both on and off the field and just try and give everything I can to help us achieve our dreams, really.”

England failed to make it out of the group stage in 2014, lost to Belgium in the third-place match four years later, and fell to France in the quarterfinals four years ago in Qatar. The Three Lions' only World Cup title remains their 1966 triumph over West Germany.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The return of Conor McGregor for a rematch with Max Holloway will surely draw most of the attention this week at UFC 329 in Las Vegas. But don’t sleep on the rest of the card, featuring several former champions and title contenders.

Let’s break down some key spots where we can perhaps take advantage.

Max Holloway (-218) vs Conor McGregor (+180)

Full disclosure: The five-year layoff precludes me from running the models on any Conor McGregor matchup. I need a minimum of three appearances within the trailing five years, as I don’t trust data older than that. However, we do have all the usual performance metrics to look at, and they help define both fighters’ relative strengths.

The narrative will obviously be McGregor early or Holloway late — and the data agrees. Both men have equally excellent distance striking accuracy, but also somewhat mediocre head strike avoidance. And they like to use similarly high outputs while standing and trading, without many takedowns. So, we’ll definitely see plenty of time in a striking duel.

What differentiates is McGregor’s range and power. He’s always been dangerous out of the gates, but has little experience in bonus rounds, plus big questions about his stamina that always come with long layoffs and ring rust. And that parallels Holloway’s late game strength in accumulating damage and wearing down opponents with high volume.

Uncertainty and volatility are extreme in comeback fights like this, and this call is not predictive by numbers alone. But I like Holloway’s chances to weather the early storm or force McGregor to be conservative early. That means letting the fight develop and opens the door for Holloway to do what he does best and finish strong. He just has to ensure he maintains tight defense early when welterweight McGregor wields far more power behind his early punches.

Best bet: Side is an official pass. Over 1.5 rounds.

Adrian Yanez (-410) vs Cody Garbrandt (+320)

The combined knockdowns between these two fighters are high at 28, with 18 scored and 10 received. They both hit hard, but have taken some damage of their own. However, I think Garbrandt’s defensive liabilities will define this fight and are the reason for the steep price.

In a striking shootout, a fighter with soft defense and seven knockdowns received at a higher than usual pace against a younger, rangier and more accurate striker are factors too skewed to ignore. Yanez gets the strong lean by the numbers, but that price is risky given Garbrandt’s threats. Better to play the finish angle.

Best bet: Fight Does Not Start Round 3 at even money.

Cory Sandhagen (-142) vs Mario Bautista (+120)

This matchup between top-five bantamweights could decide the pecking order for future title shots, and it looks as close on paper as the odds suggest. Both guys are elite for the division and also have very similar performance metrics. While Sandhagen arguably has the better strength of schedule, Bautista gets the edge in pace and efficiency, which are normally Sandhagen’s strengths. I expect close rounds where Bautista might step on the gas and turn this into a barnburner.

I had an early lean on Bautista, and the lines have tightened. I’d still play him as long as he’s even money or better, and I do think this one goes the distance. And if you see a significant strike total to play, take the over.

Best bet: Fight Goes The Distance. Lean Bautista at plus money.

Heat Central: Brian Windhorst believes Miami and Cleveland are in their own category for LeBron’s next team: “One other thing I think is going to come down here that LeBron will have to decide is how much he cares about what people will think if he goes to a team he’s never played for before. Basically if he chooses somebody besides CLE or MIA. CLE or MIA, it’s a very clean decision. It makes sense. Both of them have cases. Does he want to deal with in his life what the reaction will be if he went to Philadelphia, MIN, DEN? Also deal with people calling him a ring chaser. I think that’s an extra layer. I think CLE and MIA are in their own category. To this day he repeats Miami Heat Mantras. When I watch him play and hear him talk, you feel the Miami Heat part of his basketball DNA.” (Via @YahooSports)

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: I think CLE and MIA are in their own category. To this …

Heat Central: “I think Giannis is clearly hopeful that LeBron will come and I think that was a good sign… If you’re LeBron you think it’s cool that Giannis is so wrapped up in what you might do and certainly the Heat are still absolutely on the board.” — @WindhorstESPN on LeBron to Miami rumors

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “I think Giannis is clearly hopeful that LeBron will …

Hunter Dickinson has signed a contract to return to the New Orleans Pelicans on a two-way contract. Dickinson spent his rookie season with the Pelicans on a two-way deal.

RealGM

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Hunter Dickinson has signed a contract to return to …

Fullcourtpass: Per @ZachLowe_NBA “I think there was at least one or two other teams who might have been interested in Jaylen Brown and who got intel that Jaylen Brown wasn’t interested in them and to maybe stay out of the bidding. I think Boston felt the circle closing.”

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “I think there was at least one or two other teams who …

‪Yossi Gozlan‬: The Wizards remain elite at using trade exceptions before they expire. Their $13.4 million trade exception (expires today) fits Deandre Ayton ($8.1 million) & Khris Middleton ($5.6 million) to give him exactly three years, $17.6 million. This allows them to create two new TPEs.

bsky.app

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Their $13.4 million trade exception (expires today) …

NBA Hoops: Bob Myers defends Jaylen Brown after Max Kellerman said analytics don’t favor him. Myers points out, “You know who else analytics didn’t favor? Klay Thompson. Analytics doesn’t value the nuances of the game like shutting down the opposing teams best player

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Bob Myers defends Jaylen Brown after Max Kellerman …

NBA Courtside: Jeff Teague on Shams Charania report on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown personal relationship: “Don’t nobody be cool with people like that on a team, bro. I’m going to tell y’all the truth don’t nobody hang with nobody for real, for real, like you might have a couple people that hang but people be work homeboys. I think about all the teammates I was cool with when I was on the team we done had some of them, “You want to do the pod?” They like Nah, I ain’t fu*k with you, I be like damn I used to what the fu*k, it just ain’t my homeboy.” (Via @club520podcast)

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “Don’t nobody be cool with people like that on a team, …

Eddie A Johnson: What people need to understand is this is not abnormal among athletes at a high level. Those two guys were as professional on the court as any two teammates i have ever observed! I had over 400 teammates and trust me i didnt like them all but i was their bro on the court!

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: What people need to understand is this is not abnormal …

Warriors reportedly need $175M saving grace to sign LeBron James for Steph Curry, Draymond Green originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Golden State Warriors are trying to position themselves for one final run at an NBA championship. With Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr nearing the end of their current window, the franchise is pursuing some of the biggest names available this offseason.

One of those names is LeBron James, who remains the most intriguing player on the market. The Warriors have been heavily linked to James throughout the offseason, and Green is reportedly meeting with him this week.

“LeBron James and Draymond Green are meeting up as the NBA's all-time leading scorer looks to join a new team for the 2026-27 season, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Charania reported that James and Green are spending some time here together this week at an undisclosed location during a Tuesday appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Bachar wrote.

Golden State's interest in James has been well documented. The Warriors have also been connected to a potential trade for Anthony Davis as they look to reshape their roster.

“The Golden State Warriors are planning a pursuit of LeBron James in free agency and Anthony Davis via trade this week, league sources told ESPN's Shams Charania, opening up the flexibility for such a possibility after Draymond Green declined his $27.6 million player option Monday morning,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater wrote.

However, a week into free agency, optimism appears to be fading. Recent reports suggest the Warriors may not have a realistic path to signing James unless they can first acquire Davis.

“The Warriors now believe they are out of the LeBron James sweepstakes unless they trade for Anthony Davis, per Shams Charania. After making acquiring LeBron their top offseason priority, Golden State’s plans could soon be unraveling,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.

From Golden State's perspective, trading for Davis would come at a significant cost. The Warriors would likely have to part with several key pieces to complete a deal, making it a major gamble for a franchise attempting to maximize its remaining championship window.

Davis is currently on a $175 million contract, meaning Golden State would have to make significant financial and roster adjustments to acquire him. As each day passes, it feels like the Warriors' chances of landing James continue to diminish. Still, if the reports are accurate, acquiring Davis may be the clearest path available for Golden State to keep its pursuit of James alive.

More NBA news:

• Lakers predicted to trade Dalton Knecht, Jarred Vanderbilt for $46M ex-Warriors NBA champion

• Warriors' Draymond Green reportedly meeting with ex-Laker LeBron James in final recruiting pitch

• Lakers predicted to pass on Jonathan Kuminga, sign $73M ex-Spurs 6-time All-Star, 17-year veteran

• 76ers, Heat, Cavaliers reportedly in bidding war for $101M four-time NBA champion, former MVP

Tom Weal has joined Leicester City as the League One club's new first-team goalkeeping coach.

He left fellow League One club MK Dons to become part of Russell Martin's coaching staff.

Weal rejoined Milton Keynes at the start of the 2025-26 season having been part of the Sunderland coaching set-up when the Black Cats won promotion to the Premier League, before helping Paul Warne's side finish second in League Two.

He has also previously coached at Huddersfield Town, Nottingham Forest, Norwich City, Notts County and Carlisle United.

MK Dons have named former Rotherham United goalkeeper and coach Andy Warrington as Weal's replacement.

The New York Yankees have a shortstop problem, and Francisco Lindor could be the answer.

Lindor was the face of the New York Mets before they committed $765 million to Juan Soto over 15 years. There are reports that Soto and Lindor are not on the best terms and do not like each other. While both have publically denied anything of the sort, some still believe there is some beef between the two. Radio host Mike Francesa reported on Monday that the Mets are "trying to trade" Lindor and that he and Soto are still not on great terms, despite what they say in the media.

"Someone who I trust very much told me this started when the only one who did not call him when he came to the Mets was Lindor,” Francesa said on the "Mike Francesa Podcast" on Monday. “And it kind of went from there. They’ve had their ups and downs, but I still hear it’s not good. Now, Cohen addressed that when he did his interview and said, ‘Oh, I hear it’s much better now.’ That’s not what someone’s telling me. So unless they’re telling me something wrong, they’re telling me that it’s not any better. That’s never going to be good, and it’s time for Lindor to leave. And I think the Mets have decided that, from what I understand, they are trying to trade him, or will be trying to trade him in the next couple of weeks.”

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If he is on the move, the Mets' crosstown rivals may be the perfect fit. Anthony Volpe has been terrible offensively since making his big league debut in 2023. Lindor is not having his best year at the plate, but was an All-Star just last season, and has already proven he can perform under the pressures of a big market, which is always a concern for players coming to the Yankees.

Lindor has received MVP votes in nearly every season of his career. The Mets are a dumpster fire right now, and perhaps a change of scenery will do Lindor some good. The Mets are going to have to make some tough decisions in the offseason and may decide to build a future around Soto. They could use Lindor to jumpstart that rebuild and land some young talent.

Lindor would not be cheap for the Yankees, but he would give them a much better chance at winning a World Series than with Volpe at shortstop. Lindor is a Platinum Glove Award winner, two-time Gold Glove Award winner, five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger. Getting him in a lineup with Aaron Judge and Ben Rice could be amazing for the Yankees.

More MLB: How Unlikely Is An Aroldis Chapman To Yankees Trade?

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What happened between the Royals and Mets on Tuesday was a game that vaguely resembled the sport of baseball. The wet noodle fight of MLB took place in New York over the course of nine innings, and gave us a play so mind-numbingly bad it needs to be seen to be believed.

Carson Benge is at the plate with runners on first and second. He taps the ball into the infield, as the Mets are want to do — and it’s here that everything goes wild. Jac Caglianone fails to field the ball, he then rips it to third where it’s wildly off target. The ball is then thrown to home, except it’s off target again and trickles back to first.

The result is three errors on one play, and a Little League home run for Benge — which feels like an insult, because no children should ever be associated with a play this bad. Now, you might think that naturally the Mets won this game after being spotted three runs like this in the first, but you’d be wrong. The Royals went on to score seven runs in the seventh, record 19 hits total, and win the dumbest game of the year.

I don’t know when we’ll ever see a play this bad again.

Some offseason additions require months before their impact becomes visible. Others begin changing a football team the moment they sign their contract. The latter is the category that Trey Hendrickson falls into. The Baltimore Ravens haven't played a meaningful snap with their new All-Pro edge rusher, yet his arrival has already altered the conversation surrounding the defense.

Expectations about what Baltimore might look like have changed. Opposing offenses are preparing differently. Even discussions about their biggest strengths suddenly sound different with one of the NFL's premier pass rushers now wearing purple.

The Ravens look outstanding on paper, yet we know games aren't played on paper. Still, few would argue that, with this amount of talent, Baltimore can return to the tier of the AFC's biggest contenders. They have a shot at being elite, especially in terms of their pass rush. Enter Trey Hendrickson, one of the most gifted edge defenders in the game today.

Trey Hendrickson changes more than the Ravens' pass rush

The Ravens defense is loaded with talent and is led by returning starters like Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton, but it shouldn't take long for Hendrickson's presence to be noticed. That's because elite pass rushers rarely impact only one position group.

Hendrickson arrives after showcasing one of the most productive runs by any defender in recent seasons. Injuries forced him to miss all but seven games last season, but he's an all-star talent in every sense of the phrase. He immediately gives Baltimore the proven edge presence that it lacked a year ago. Some could even argue he became the Ravens' best pass rusher by simply walking into the building.

His ability to consistently pressure quarterbacks should create more favorable opportunities for teammates across the defensive front while also making life easier for the secondary behind him. Suddenly, cornerbacks won't be asked to maintain coverage quite as long. Safeties may have more opportunities to capitalize on hurried decisions, and interior linemen could find themselves facing fewer double teams as offenses devote extra attention to slowing Hendrickson off the edge.

Trey Hendrickson is one of those players who can elevate an entire defense

It's hard not to daydream about the immediate impact that Hendrickson should provide. That's the ripple effect elite defenders create. The Ravens have never lacked defensive talent. Kyle Hamilton remains one of football's most versatile defenders. Roquan Smith continues to anchor the middle of the defense, and Nnamdi Madubuike is expected to return after his injury-shortened 2025 campaign.

Add Hendrickson to that foundation, and Baltimore suddenly features difference-makers at every level of the defense. The scary part for opposing offenses is that none of Hendrickson's influence has shown up in a box score yet.

He hasn't recorded a sack. He hasn't forced a fumble, nor has he pressured an opposing team's quarterback. Yet he's already changing how people evaluate Baltimore's defense because everyone understands what a premier edge rusher can do for the other ten defenders sharing the field with him.

That's why the Ravens didn't simply sign one of the NFL's best pass rushers this offseason. They invested in a player capable of making everyone around him better before the regular season even began. If Trey Hendrickson performs anywhere near the level Baltimore expects (and there aren't many reasons to believe he can't), the Ravens won't simply have added another star. They may have unlocked the full potential of an already championship-caliber defense.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Why Trey Hendrickson changes more than the Ravens’ pass rush

Argentina are throwing everything at the defence of their World Cup title - and they have needed to.

After being expected to steamroller past Cape Verde and Egypt in the first two knockout rounds, La Albiceleste had to fight tooth and nail for 3-2 victories.

But the win over Egypt came with an edge as the African nation asked Fifa to kick the officials in charge of their last-16 defeat out of the tournament.

Egypt have alleged bias in favour of Argentina and favouritism towards their star player, Lionel Messi.

After the game, coach Hossam Hassan said Egypt had been "treated unfairly" and "suffered injustice".

Hassan went on to allege some kind of bias from Fifa.

"Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running," he said.

BBC Sport examines whether there is anything in the conspiracy theory that everything is being set up for Argentina to succeed.

Is there any merit to Egypt's complaints?

It is easy to understand why Egypt would feel so frustrated after Tuesday's 3-2 defeat.

The Africans had led 2-0 with 11 minutes to play, on the brink of a historic first-ever quarter-final appearance.

But it all went wrong as Argentina stormed back to turn the game on its head and score the winner in stoppage time.

Egypt say there was something more suspect at play. They put their exit down to "serious refereeing mistakes" and "double standards" from French referee Francois Letexier and his team.

The Pharaohs had a goal ruled out through a video assistant referee (VAR) intervention.

They also claim Argentina's winner should have been disallowed, and a penalty awarded to them instead.

Mostafa Zico's brilliant goal was chalked off after Marwan Attia was penalised for stepping on the foot of Lisandro Martinez at the start of the move.

It was controversial, but they were leading 1-0 and did score a second goal nine minutes later. You cannot prove the game would have taken a different path had Zico's goal stood.

Egypt believed there were two potential penalty claims in their favour before Enzo Fernandez headed home the clinching goal.

Hamdi Fathy went to ground claiming he was held by Alexis Mac Allister, which was unclear on replays, while Mohamed Salah felt he was tripped by Julian Alvarez.

There were some similarities between the Martinez and Salah situations, with foot-on-foot contact, but not enough to constitute a penalty.

Egypt stood a better chance of getting the goal chalked off if Salah had been outside the area. The VAR would merely be judging a foul - as was the case with Martinez - rather than a penalty.

Controversial? Absolutely. But it is hardly proof of a conspiracy in favour of Messi.

• Egypt want officials kicked out of World Cup
• A striker duel for the ages & Qatar revenge - what to expect in quarter-finals
• Has the World Cup signalled the end of chaos at corners?

France to face a complete team of Argentine officials

Take a look at the appointments for Thursday's semi-final between France and Morocco.

For the first time at this World Cup the whole on-field officiating team - referee, both assistants, fourth official and the reserve - are from the same country.

And that country is Argentina.

In Facundo Tello's other two appointments, the fourth official and reserve were first from Saudi Arabia, and then Colombia.

The argument is that Argentina would want France to be knocked out. After all, they are the tournament favourites.

This is one of the biggest games of Tello's career, his second World Cup quarter-final in successive tournaments. Such a high-profile referee is not going to act without the utmost integrity.

But perception is often just as important, and appointing Argentine officials against France in the quarter-finals is not a great look.

Messi avoids a red card and goes on to score five goals

Cast your minds back at the start of the tournament and a potential red card for Messi.

Messi did not even receive a booking for his challenge on Algeria captain Aissa Mandi.

Then, last week, occurred one of the most high-profile incidents of this World Cup.

Folarin Balogun was sent off on VAR review against Bosnia in similar circumstances. Both made contact on the opponent's upper calf.

The United States are believed to have made this point when fighting to get Balogun's ban removed.

If sent off, Messi would not have scored his two goals against Algeria, nor the double against Austria, as he would have been banned - unless Fifa decided to enact article 27 as it did with Balogun.

Messi would also have been unavailable for the final group game against Jordan when he again scored.

That takes away five of the eight goals he has scored at the tournament.

Was this special treatment of Messi?

How Infantino has made sure Messi plays in the past

Fifa president Gianni Infantino seems to like having Messi at his tournaments.

Take the inaugural Club World Cup last year, held in the United States.

There was a bit of a delay before it was confirmed which team from the host country would take part.

Surely it would be the 2025 champions? After all, this is a tournament for the best teams based on defined merit.

Close, but not quite.

Inter Miami won the 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield, which is awarded to the team with the most points.

But it was LA Galaxy who went on to be crowned champions, winning the play-offs.

Yet Inter Miami were chosen for the Club World Cup.

That allowed Messi to play in the opening game, at Inter Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, against Al Ahly.

The World Cup bracket favours Argentina

Fifa made a small but significant tweak to the World Cup draw in December.

The top four nations in the Fifa world ranking - France, Argentina, Spain and England - were drawn into separate quarters.

If those countries were to win their groups - which they did - they would not be able to meet until the semi-finals.

France and Spain are in one half and on course to meet in the semi-finals, with Argentina and England in the other.

The idea is it limits the chance of marquee ties early in the tournament.

But, depending on how the groups finish up, it also gives those countries a more favourable path.

In the first two knockout rounds, there were only two meetings of the world's top 10 - Netherlands v Morocco and Spain v Portugal.

Argentina would appear to have been given the kindest route, even though they only just beat Cape Verde (67th in the world) and Egypt (29th) 3-2.

Next up in the quarter-finals it is Switzerland (19th).

England will not face one of the top 10 unless they come up against Argentina in the potential semi-final. They did have to beat Mexico (14th) in the Azteca.

Spain have beaten Portugal (5th) and now play Belgium (9th), while France meet Morocco (7th) in the quarters.

Argentina have had the best of this.

• The key players walking disciplinary tightrope

Are referees showing Argentina fewer yellow cards?

The quarter-finals come with a risk. Seventeen players are one booking from being ruled out of potential semi-final.

There is not so much jeopardy for Argentina, with only Gonzalo Montiel at risk of missing a last-four date with England or Norway.

England coach Thomas Tuchel has four players on a booking, and that includes key players Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.

Norway, who have received the fewest bookings, have only Antonio Nusa on a yellow.

To assess this you need to take into account just how 'dirty' a team has been. Does the number of yellows match the number of fouls?

Argentina have received a caution every 19.7 fouls.

Only three teams - Czech Republic (37.0), Norway (24.0) and Tunisia (27.0) - have a higher yellow-to-fouls ratio.

Of the teams still active, England have been treated most harshly, with a yellow card every 7.7 fouls.

Argentina have committed more fouls than England, yet have received half as many cautions.

This could suggest Argentina are treated more favourably compared to the number of fouls they commit.

The penalties keep stacking up for Argentina

When Argentina won the World Cup in 2022 they set a new record in the process.

The five penalties they were awarded was the most any team had ever received in one tournament.

In 2026, they again lead the way with three spot-kicks - though Messi has missed two of them, against Austria and Egypt.

England and Switzerland have been awarded two, with Belgium, France and Norway on one.

• World Cup 2026 knockout path
• How to watch the World Cup on the BBC and ITV
• Everything you need to know about the World Cup

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is set to take place in Philadelphia, but one of the city’s biggest stars won’t be taking part, and he isn’t happy about it. Phillies star Zack Wheeler has publicly voiced his frustration after learning he will not be allowed to participate in the All-Star festivities, despite several pitchers withdrawing from the game. For Wheeler, the issue isn’t simply about missing another All-Star appearance. It’s about what he believes is an outdated rule that no longer makes sense.

MORE: Ranking MLB players based on their chances of being traded this season

Wheeler Doesn’t Hold Back

After missing the beginning of the 2026 season while recovering from surgery, Wheeler has been nothing short of outstanding since returning to the Phillies’ rotation. His performance has been good enough to warrant serious All-Star consideration, especially given that this year’s game is being played in front of the Philadelphia faithful.

Instead, Wheeler was left off the roster. Even more frustrating for the veteran right-hander is that, according to MLB’s current rules, he still isn’t eligible to replace pitchers who have since withdrawn from the event.

Calling Out MLB

Wheeler didn’t mince words when discussing the rule. He referred to it as “dumb” and sarcastically questioned how the league could still have policies like this after hosting All-Star Games for decades.

His comments have resonated with plenty of fans, who also struggle to understand why one of baseball’s best pitchers can’t participate in the sport’s showcase event simply because of technical roster rules.

A Rule Worth Revisiting?

The All-Star Game is designed to feature the best players in baseball. When deserving players are excluded despite openings becoming available, it’s fair to question whether the current system is accomplishing that goal.

Wheeler’s case is especially unique because he has pitched like an All-Star since returning from injury, and the game is being held in his home ballpark. Allowing him to take the mound in front of Phillies fans would have been one of the event’s biggest storylines.

Fans Have Every Reason to Be Frustrated

While Wheeler’s disappointment is understandable, Phillies fans have even more reason to be frustrated. Watching one of the league’s hottest pitchers sit out an All-Star Game hosted in Philadelphia feels like a missed opportunity for both the team and Major League Baseball.

Whether the league eventually revisits the rule remains to be seen, but Wheeler’s criticism has certainly sparked a conversation. If the goal of the All-Star Game is to showcase baseball’s brightest stars, MLB may want to take another look at the rules that prevent deserving players like Zack Wheeler from taking part.

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

https://x.com/UnderdogMLB/status/2074702690853249197?s=20

One of the biggest concerns facing Michigan football this offseason has been the linebacker room. At this time last year, the Wolverines had at least four players who were expected to contribute, and contribute they did. Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham started out the season in the middle of the defense, but by the end of the year, Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan were the primary stars there, with Hausmann out for the season and Barham having mostly transitioned to an edge rusher role. Now all four are gone, with Rolder having declared early and having gone to the NFL, Sullivan having transferred to Oklahoma, and the other two out of eligibility, so there are big question marks at linebacker at the moment.

On Wednesday, Wolverines linebackers coach Alex Whittingham spoke with Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast and detailed what he's seen from some of his inherited players. Perhaps the one spoken of most generally is former four-star Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, and Whittingham likes what he's seen from him thus far.

"Nate has done a great job of buying into what we're trying to do," Whittingham said. "And he dealt with some injuries this spring, just got a little minor things got dinged up here and there. But he showed his toughness by playing through it and doing the best that he could to get his body out, his body healthy to get out there and practice for us. And he's getting more physical each and every day."

While Owusu-Boateng may have the name cache, it's his 2025 classmate, former three-star Chase Taylor, who has gotten perhaps the most hype behind the scenes.

There have been rumblings that the staff is ecstatic about what Taylor brings to the table and that he may be the one who has the star power, ultimately. And what Whittingham said about him certainly won't dissuade anyone from that opinion.

"Chase Taylor, man, he's going to be special," Whittingham said. "I think we should be really excited about him. He's filling out, putting on weight, maturing as a student, as a player, as a person. He makes things look easy out there and just has so many athletic gifts that he's been blessed with, and he's going to be fun to watch for sure."

There are a lot of others who may contribute this year, from the two transfers who played under Jay Hill at BYU-- Aisea Moa and Max Alford; transfer Nathaniel Staehling, who was also injured this spring; and the three true freshmen who have come in early.

Whittingham said that he anticipates that all will see the field, but there's still a lot of wait-and-see due to injuries that prevailed through spring.

"So our young freshmen class that has come in -- Aden Reeder, Markel Dabney, Kaden Catchings -- they've done a fantastic job kind of getting up to speed, and they're doing a good job picking up the system," Whittingham said. "There's some senior-type leadership that has transferred into the program with Aisea Moa, Max Alford, Nate Staehling. Two of those guys were not healthy this spring, so we haven't seen what they can do on the field just quite yet. But having Aisea Moa in the room has been fantastic. His having been in the system before and kind of being that extra coach in the room has been crucial. But those young guys are really picking things up, and we expect them to contribute this fall."

The team is currently in summer conditioning with fall camp set to begin on August 1 with eyes on the September 5 season opener.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football coach praises rising linebacker stars

Concrete supports in a section of the stands adjacent to the Ostkurve or East Stand at Bremen's Weserstadion have fractured. 

This was first reported by regional news program ‘Buten un Binnen’ followed by Sky Germany later this afternoon.

Initially, there was no information regarding the cause of the damage,but the club has since issued a statement on its website: 

“An incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon during the modernization of the Weserstadion,” said Hans-Jörg Otto, managing director of Bremer Weserstadion GmbH.

"A load-bearing column was accidentally damaged during renovation work in a section of the VIP area where window panes were being removed.

"This resulted in a partial collapse of the stand in the upper tier of Block 53. No one was injured in the incident. There is no risk of collapse for the other sections of the stands.

“We are currently analyzing the situation and the damage incurred, and we hope to be able to restore the stand as quickly as possible”. 

The 2025/26 season for the Bianconeri’s Youth Sector has just drawn to a close on a highly positive note, thanks to the Under-16 Boys’ league title and the Under-17 Girls’ league title won just a few days ago, but the 2026/27 season is already just around the corner and the world of Juventus Youth is gearing up, starting with the finalisation of the management structure.

Claudio Chiellini has extended his contract until 30 June, 2028 as Head of the Next Gen Area, whilst also broadening his remit.

In addition to the Next Gen programme, Chiellini will also oversee the Under-20 and Under-18 teams, with a view to further integrating and developing the growth pathway for Juventus’ young talents.

His role is central to the consolidation of a technical and organisational structure capable of supporting the young players at every stage of their journey, fostering continuity, identity and progressive preparation for professional football.

Massimiliano Scaglia’s tenure also continues, having renewed his contract as Head of the Academy until 30 June, 2028, leading the division that encompasses teams from the Under-17s to the Under-7s.

Davide Bellotto will continue to work alongside him, having been confirmed in the role of Youth U13 to U7 Manager until 30 June, 2028, supporting the development of the youth sector and the growth of the youngest players.

The establishment of this new structure confirms the Club’s commitment to investing wholeheartedly in the Youth Sector, prioritising expertise, continuity and vision in an area that is fundamental to both the present and the future of Juventus.

Mets' 2.23 ERA reliever named potential Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper stopper originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Unless they go on a miraculous winning streak over the next three weeks, the New York Mets are obvious sellers at this year's trade deadline. 

In what's been a disappointing season for the Mets, cornerstone players like shortstop Francisco Lindor and left fielder Juan Soto will not be going anywhere. 

Other players, on both sides of the ball, could be on the move. 

One of them might be left-handed reliever Brooks Raley. Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly labeled the 38-year-old as a "buy-low" trade candidate for interested clubs. 

"Brooks Raley might not be the guy an NL contender acquires to get Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper or Matt Olson out in the eighth inning, but he could be someone an aggressive manager turns to in the sixth to try to get out of a jam against a tough lefty," Kelly wrote. 

Well, Harper or Olson may be that tough lefty that steps up to the plate in a game-changing moment.

Left-handed swingers have a .188 batting average against Raley in his 36 appearances this season. 

Righties haven't fared much better, as they are hitting .236 off Raley. 

MORE: Mets scored 3 runs on a crazy 3-error 'Little League home run'

"Raley is 38 years old, and on an expiring contract, so he's not going to bring back much for the Mets," Kelly added. "Both he and A.J. Minter are interesting left-handed options that David Stearns likely will deal in the coming weeks." 

It makes no sense for the Mets to hold on to Raley.

They might not get more than a non-prospect minor leaguer in return, but it's better than nothing. 

More MLB news:

• How a Dodgers, Yankees battle for Tarik Skubal is looming
• One thing stands between the Phillies and a trade for Byron Buxton
• How Joe Ryan is a bad reminder for the Red Sox
• Dodgers needed 92 games to do something that's normally pretty easy for MLB teams
• Kyle Schwarber is closing in on a Babe Ruth record

Experienced goalkeeper Sarah-Lisa Dübel has joined ÖFB-Frauen Bundesliga’s SK Sturm Graz from SC Freiburg ahead of the 2026/27 season.

SK Sturm Graz had already added Sara Pavlović from ÖFB-Frauen Bundesliga champions Austria Wien. Alongside Pavlović and now Dübel they’ve added young talent Johanna Riedler from LUV Graz. Graz also boosted their offense by adding prolific goal-scorer Lillia Sopos to their side.

Dübel joins from SC Freiburg in the German Bundesliga and has previously represented SC Sand, Werder Bremen and Altach.

SK Sturm Graz is an ambitious club

Speaking at her signing Dübel made it clear that Graz is a club not content with their third placed finish in the 2025/26 season. “I am very excited about the new challenge at Sturm.” The 28-year-old admitted. “The club stands for ambitious football and clear development. I am convinced that this is the right step for me. I want to contribute my qualities, continuously develop myself, and be successful together with this team.”

Sporting Director at SK Sturm Graz Michael Erlitz stressed the clubs belief that they’ve signed one of the best keepers available. “With Sarah-Lisa Dübel, we’re gaining a goalkeeper who proved several years ago that she’s among the best in her position in the Austrian Women’s Bundesliga” he clarified.

“I’m all the more pleased that she decided to join SK Sturm Graz after her time at SC Freiburg. With her quality, experience, and presence, she will give our team added stability and play an important role in our further development.” Erlitz summarised.

What lies ahead for SK Sturm Graz in 2026?

Graz will start the 2026/27 season in August with a home fixture against SCR Altach in the Frauen Bundesliga. It will be an exciting season in Austria as new champions Austria Wien look to defend their first ever title. With ambitious sides Sturm Graz, Rapid Wien, RB Salzburg all investing heavily in their sides and former perennial champions SKN St. Pölten looking to regain their title.

Related articles from Her Football Hub:

• WSL: West Ham complete signing of Young Lioness Sienna Wareing
• SWPL: Ruby Seaby signs for Glasgow City
• ÖFB-Frauen Bundesliga: LASK make six new signings ahead of 2026/27 season

Celtics Trading Jayson Tatum? ESPN Insider Reveals True Boston Plans originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Celtics traded away Jaylen Brown after years of moving away from all the rumors that suggested that.

And such a bold move -- to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George and draft capital -- has raised a follow-up question in the minds of some fans regarding Jayson Tatum.

Would the Celtics trade Tatum, too?

Recent rumors haven't included Tatum's name, and if anything, Tatum always seemed to be held in slightly higher regard in Boston than Brown.

It's a fair question, though. Brown won Finals MVP over Tatum, and he just had the best season of his career while Tatum sat out most of the year rehabbing his torn Achilles.

Maybe the Celtics would have plans of totally changing their look. It wouldn't be impossible.

A new update, though, suggests Tatum probably isn't going anywhere.

MORE: A crazy connection between Jaylen Brown and A.J. Brown

Is Jayson Tatum being traded?

Tatum is not expected to be traded by the Celtics.

ESPN's Shams Charania said during a radio appearance that when the Celtics were approached recently about dealing Tatum, they answered, "No, we're not trading Tatum. Untouchable."

On the flip side, when the Celtics were asked about Brown, Charania said they replied, "Give us your best offer."

That feeling through the years that Tatum and Brown weren't quite equals in Boston? It seems to be true.

Tatum will be back to lead the new-look Celtics.

Brown will now be his rival in Philadelphia.

There's plenty of intrigue still to come, but Tatum trade speculation doesn't appear to be a part of that future uncertainty.

More Celtics

• Latest Celtics news
• TD Garden fan guide: What to know before you go
• Complete history of Celtics championships

Against new-look Ukrainian club

This Thursday, July 9th, we will conclude our training camp with a friendly match at 17:30 CEST in Saalfelden.

Anyone with a passing interest in Ukrainian football may be racking their brains at the name of our opponents, Kharkiv FC. The club that finished fifth last season underwent a rebranding this summer to emphasise its heritage - and Metalist 1925 became Kharkiv FC in June.

While our opponents, like us, will start their league season on 1 August with a home game, head coach Mladen Bartulovic's team are unable to play in their own stadium currently. Due to the Russian attacks, the team from the Eastern Ukrainian city is currently forced to play its home matches in exile in the capital, Kyiv, under strict security measures.

The club has strengthened its squad this summer with several youngsters in midfield and attack, primarily focusing on possession-based football. However, in a recent match against Young Boys, the Ukrainians suffered a 0-2 defeat.

Tickets available online | Free live stream

Those wishing to watch the match live in Saalfelden from 17:30 CEST can purchase tickets from the FC Pinzgau Saalfelden online shop. We will also be covering the game via a free YouTube stream.

get your Tickets now!  

After 27 straight days of the FIFA World Cup, we’re experiencing (or surviving) the first day WITHOUT a World Cup match.

And the worst part: there are only eight matches left before the final goodbye to the 2026 World Cup. After that, it’ll be a long four-year wait until the next edition.

A day without the World Cup, of course, is generating plenty of memes on social media. Existential crisis, emptiness, loneliness... Check out the reactions below.

The memes 😅

What’s coming next 👇

Despite this existential emptiness, the next few days promise plenty of action, with the quarterfinal matchups taking place between Thursday (9) and Saturday (11).

France and Morocco open the quarterfinals on Thursday (9) at 5 p.m. Spain and Belgium face off for another spot on Friday (10) at 4 p.m.

Two more FIFA World Cup matches will be played on Saturday (11). At 6 p.m., it’s Norway vs. Argentina. And at 10 p.m., Argentina vs. Switzerland.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

Wicklow manager Oisin McConville hopes this weekend's Tailteann Cup final against Down proves a launchpad for the county as he chases his first trophy in inter-county management.

Having fallen just short of shocking Dublin in the Leinster SFC quarter-finals in April, the Garden County recorded wins over Limerick, Tipperary, Antrim and Offaly to set up a shot at silverware at Croke Park on Saturday (15:30 BST).

Since being introduced in 2022, the second-tier Tailteann Cup has given winners Westmeath, Meath, Down and Kildare the opportunity to compete in the All-Ireland series - and McConville hopes Wicklow can follow suit.

"I look at the teams that have won the Tailteann Cup, Down, Meath and Westmeath - all those teams are capable of challenging at the highest level and they've already proved that," said McConville, an All-Ireland winner with Armagh in 2002.

"If our trajectory was something similar to what they've gone through, then definitely.

"But we can't be accepting of the fact that we're just in the Tailteann Cup final, we want to go ahead and win it now."

Wicklow have shown impressive spirit en route to Croke Park. They overturned a nine-point deficit to beat Antrim by the minimum in Belfast in the quarter-finals (2-19 to 3-15) before a second-half surge against Offaly saw them roar back from eight points down to win a dramatic semi-final 2-26 to 4-15.

But 2024 champions Down have serious pedigree at this level having edged past Fermanagh in the semi-finals to reach their third Tailteann Cup decider.

"They've got a lot of dangers, they've been playing at a high level over the last couple of years. They were in Division Two, back down to Division Three and are going back to Division Two next year," McConville, who took over as Wicklow boss before the 2023 season, said of the Mournemen.

"[In the] Ulster Championship, they beat Donegal and that's the standout result. If you look at that game on a standalone, that's a scary thought.

"The likes of [Odhran] Murdock, [Daniel] Guinness and Pat Havern, they're very hard to pin down. That's the job that's ahead of us.

"We know the enormity of the task, but we have to have confidence in our ability and how good we've been in the past four games. A lot of the concentration has to be on ourselves."

When it comes to pass rushers, few NFL franchises have the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But this current group of edge defenders is a confusing lot. The team has invested a massive amount of money into T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig but over the last three seasons, Watt is the only one who has mustered double-digit sacks in a season and he did it twice.

So we suppose it isn't a huge shock that Watt made ESPN's Top 10 edge rushers as voted on my NFL executives and coaches although no one would have batted an eye if Watt had gotten left off or one of the other Steelers edge defenders had made the cut instead.

This is a huge fall for Watt. Landing at No. 7 after being No. 2 in 2025 and 2024 is telling of just how bad the Steelers defense was under former DC Teryl Austin. Watt is eyeing a big comeback with new DC Patrick Graham and after missing several games last season with a lung injury.

As a side note, Highsmith and Herbig did receive votes and the Steelers are the only team with three players to get votes.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers get 1 edge rusher on ESPN rankings for 2026

It’s time to talk football.

Big 12 media days have begun, signaling the unofficial start of college football season. New Utah head coach Morgan Scalley will be on hand for his first appearance at the annual meeting, along with quarterback Devon Dampier, running back Wayshawn Parker, linebacker Johnathan Hall and defensive end Lance Holtzclaw.

Last year’s Big 12 media day for Utah revolved around former coach Kyle Whittingham and his decision to return for his 21st season in charge of the program. This time around, the hot topic will be Scalley, who took over the program this December after Whittingham “stepped down,” then took the Michigan job after it opened up.

While Scalley has already coached (and won) a bowl game for Utah — the Utes’ 44-22 victory over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl — had an introductory press conference and completed spring practices, Wednesday will be a chance for the former star Ute safety to speak his vision for the program to a national audience.

Outlets from across the country will be on hand at The Star — the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility and headquarters in Frisco, Texas — and the always-engaging Scalley will be featured on TV, radio and social media both on Wednesday and beyond.

Scalley will take the main podium at The Star at noon MDT for a 15-minute press conference that will be streamed on the Big 12’s YouTube page and broadcast on ESPNU, and he’ll also have a separate interview on ESPNU before having another scrum with the media at 2 p.m. MDT.

Expect Scalley to talk a lot about the team’s RSNB (relentless, smart, nasty, ballhawks) culture, his vision for the program and Utah’s new offense led by coordinator Kevin McGiven.

Of course, he’ll also be asked about filling Whittingham’s shoes — and the transition that took place — over the course of the day.

While the Big 12 no longer releases a preseason poll, Phil Steele’s annual preseason magazine has the Utes finishing No. 3 in the 16-team conference, while Athon Sports’ magazine pegs the Utes at No. 4.

Vegas odds line up with those projections, with Utah generally having the third-best odds to win the conference behind Texas Tech and BYU.

The Utes have proven players at some of the most important positions on the field, including Dampier, backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin, Parker, Hall and safety Jackson Bennee, but will have new starters on both the offensive and defensive lines.

While Scalley himself will be one of the key Utah storylines Wednesday, here are two others to keep an eye on.

The trenches

Last year, Utah’s offensive line was a big topic of conversation for a different reason than this year. The Utes brought offensive tackle Spencer Fano to last year’s media days, where there was plenty of conversation about how good Utah’s offensive line would be.

That group lived up to the preseason hype, powering one of the nation’s top rushing attacks and breaking school records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in a season along the way.

Fano and fellow tackle Caleb Lomu were both selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

With all five starters having either graduated or moved onto the NFL, new offensive line coach Jordan Gross essentially has a blank starting slate, though that doesn’t mean inexperienced.

Keith Olson, Alex Harrison, Zereoue Williams, Solatoa Moea’i and Roger Alderman all played at least 130 snaps last season. Four of Utah’s projected starting five in Harrison, Olson, Williams and Montana State transfer Cedric Jefferson are veterans, while senior Moea’i and five-star true freshman Kelvin Obot will battle for a guard spot.

On the other side of the ball, the Utes also lost all of their starters in the trenches.

In the middle, Karson Kaufusi and Pupu Sepulona, two freshmen who earned a lot of playing time last season, will need to take the next step forward, and the Utes brought in San Jose State transfer Jireh Moe for reinforcement.

On the ends, senior Holtzclaw and redshirt sophomore Kash Dillon will step into starting roles after playing 682 combined snaps a season ago.

Scalley told the Deseret News earlier this summer that one of the biggest spring camp surprises was the play of both of the lines.

“Because a lot of question marks losing five guys, two first round draft picks, I’m really excited about our offensive line, really excited about our defensive line,” Scalley said,

“And if you’re going to win championships, you have to have great offensive, defensive lines. Higher levels of competition expose soft play, expose poor line play, and so that’s what I’m excited about and probably the two biggest pleasant surprises is the development already of the offense and defensive line.”

A new offense … but just how new?

Offensive coordinator Jason Beck’s helped reverse the Utes’ offensive fortunes last season as Utah put up 41.2 points per game and 482.9 yards per game.

Now, the mastermind of last year’s successful offense is off to Michigan with Whittingham.

Scalley hired McGiven from Utah State to run the offense, and while McGiven will bring his own ideas and own offense, it could be similar to Beck’s, which utilized Dampier’s skill set in the RPO and also played to Utah’s strengths up front. He’s even incorporated some of the verbiage from the last regime to make things smoother.

“That’s the beauty is you pull that film up and go, ‘Look boys, doesn’t that look similar?’” Scalley said.

Like any good offensive coordinator, McGiven’s offense will be designed around the strength of the team, and with Dampier at quarterback, that means utilizing him, and Ficklin, in the run game.

“I’ve always wanted a system that has that type of versatility to be able to cater it to the personnel group, to the personnel that you have,” McGiven said.

“I would say multiple, first and foremost, just in trying to change up the looks, and again, just in an attempt to create as much conflict for the defense as possible, reducing and expanding with your formations, shifting in motion and just different layers any way you can to attack a defense and trying to be able to dictate a game that way.”

While the run game could be the focus of this year’s offense again, especially with Parker, Utah has also upgraded Dampier’s passing options.

Utah State transfer receiver Braden Pegan, who caught 60 passes for 926 yards and five touchdowns in McGiven’s offense last season, is the favorite to lead the Ute receivers, and Utah also added Kyri Shoels, who caught 59 passes for 768 yards and two touchdowns last season for San Jose State.

Another addition who drew buzz this season is Mississippi State transfer Ricky Johnson. Returners Creed Whittemore, Larry Simmons and Tobias Merriweather round out the room, which should be better than last season.

In case you missed it

I sat down with Utah head coach Morgan Scalley for a wide-ranging interview covering everything from his leadership to NIL ahead of his debut season as the Utes’ head coach.

From the archives

Extra points

• Can Noah Bennee make his mark among new-look Utah tight end room?

There are many ways to use AI in marketing, and it feels like for every smart initiative, 10 AI vendors have cropped up with a tool to address it.

At the beginning of this wave, I took more calls and answered more emails than I do these days. Over time, I realized I was asking vendors the same handful of questions to assess whether their tools were worth deploying.

If you’re in the same boat and overwhelmed with vendor outreach, here are five questions to help you figure out whether they’re worth your time, along with my rationale for asking them and what I’m looking to hear — or not hear.

1. What problem does your tool solve? 

This question should help you understand the purpose of the tool and — crucially — whether the value it creates maps to real business outcomes. 

If the vendor can’t clearly state the challenges or use cases the tool addresses, it wasn’t purpose-built to solve a real problem your team faces, whether you’re in-house or at an agency. Beware of vendors who try to dazzle you with feature-heavy language but can’t explain the business benefits those features deliver.

If a vendor identifies at least one existing team problem the tool solves and explains how it improves business outcomes, it’s a good idea to keep talking. A great follow-up question is to ask for a case study showing how the tool was used and the outcomes it delivered for an organization similar to yours in size and vertical.

Look for benefits such as “increases output” or “identifies gaps in tracking to speed up troubleshooting.” But don’t rush to invest in tools that promise to “save time” (even if they truly do) unless you have a plan for how you’ll use that extra time.

2. What expertise do you have in the space where this tool solves a problem?

The answer to this question should tell you whether the vendor built this tool for advertisers or just at advertisers.

Technical chops matter, but so does understanding how a media buyer actually spends their day. If the vendor doesn’t have personal experience in media buying, they need to explain how they researched the media-buying market and incorporated those insights into the tool.

If they have a shallow understanding or lack expertise, that’s a red flag. It’s fine if a rep doesn’t have that expertise directly, but someone on their team should, and you should have access to that person as soon as possible if you intend to keep talking.

If a vendor has a story or background that led them to identify a problem you can relate to firsthand and decide to build the solution themselves, that’s compelling. A founding mission that addresses your existing challenges is a solid foundation for a tool that can make a difference in your team’s performance.

3. What case studies, real use cases, and results can you share?

I touched on case studies a few paragraphs above, and they’re a must-have in a new, fast-developing industry. I’d be looking to understand whether the vendor has an appealing track record with customers like me or whether we’d be an early adopter.

If you fall into the latter camp, there are pros and cons, just as there are with any advertising beta you can access before your competitors. You may get a leg up by finding an important growth accelerator before your competitors do, you may spin your wheels trying to work through bugs, or you may find that the tool simply doesn’t deliver on its promises.

If you can’t trust a tool or there’s a risk you’ll need to provide detailed feedback to get it working, it might not be the best use of your time and money unless you believe what it could eventually deliver would be a game-changer.

If you’re clearly going to be an early adopter and the vendor isn’t willing to be flexible on contract terms that help mitigate risk, that’s a nonstarter. More established tools will likely deliver more value consistently, although they’ll have less wiggle room on pricing because of it. Newer tools that take a hard line on pricing and contract terms, however, likely won’t be good long-term partners.

For established vendors, you need to see specific, relevant case studies with real numbers from advertisers in a similar space, of a similar size, or with a similar use case.

If they’re early-stage companies, the best answer is honesty: “You’d be one of our first clients in this vertical. Here’s what we’ve seen elsewhere, and here’s what that partnership would look like.” That transparency is a green flag.

4. Who owns my data, and how is it being used to train models?

It’s interesting how easily people share data with AI and AI tools in the rush to find a competitive edge. This is something I’d strongly caution potential buyers to consider before signing anything.

Watch for any answer that suggests your data is used to train shared or third-party models without your explicit consent. Another red flag is vague or deflecting answers or terms of service that contradict or muddy what the salesperson tells you verbally.

You own your data, full stop.

The vendor should be able to clearly explain its data-handling practices, including where your data is stored, how long it’s retained, whether it’s used for model training (and, if so, only to refine your own instance), and what happens to your data if you stop using the tool. This needs to be in the contract, not just a verbal assurance. If it’s not there, insist that it be included before you sign.

5. What does implementation actually look like, and what does success require from our team?

Before you commit money, you need to understand the real cost of adopting this tool. That cost includes more than the price. It’s the time, the internal lift (including integration, training, and QA), and any potential disruption to your existing martech stack.

If this requires resources your team doesn’t have, or if you realistically can’t dedicate the time to make good use of the tool, it’s not worth the investment just yet. Many marketers could avoid wasted martech spend if they asked this question and seriously considered the answer.

No tool should be one-size-fits-all, but easy implementation and intuitive design are crucial to getting your team to adopt and stick with it.

Don’t let AI hype rush your decision

I know firsthand that a lot of these tools sound too good to be true — and often, they are. You need to balance growth ambition and curiosity with a bit of caution.

Remember that we’re still in the early stages of AI adoption. If a tool seems too expensive or hard to onboard, or the contract is more rigid than it should be given the tool’s track record, a more attractive solution will likely emerge in the next few months.

When in doubt, ask for a free trial. Assuming it won’t create too much work for your team to integrate the tool, that could be the right next step in determining whether you’ve found your next competitive advantage.

The SEO industry has become extraordinarily good at improving its technical craft, making strides in crawl architecture, Core Web Vitals, content frameworks, entity optimization, and link acquisition at scale, to name a few.

What has lagged behind is its ability to connect that craft to the financial realities of the businesses it serves. SEO has trouble speaking the language that gets budgets approved and strategies prioritized.

Getting more funding and a better seat at the table requires a shift in how SEO teams define what they’re trying to achieve.

Let’s look at how SEO can become more commercially aware.

Why paid search gets more funding

Paid search often structures its goals around commercial inputs and outputs: Spend goes in, revenue comes out, and the difference between the two determines whether investment in the channel increases or decreases. Every campaign exists within a financial framework.

Even if paid search is expensive or inefficient, leadership can clearly see its goals and numbers and make resource decisions accordingly.

SEO teams often present rankings as an end in themselves rather than a means to an end. They report traffic figures without connecting them to transactions and highlight technical improvements that may be meaningful from an SEO perspective but translate poorly to financial goals.

When organic search doesn’t get enough funding, it’s often attributed to leadership not understanding SEO. A more honest explanation is that SEO hasn’t clearly made its commercial case. Leadership needs to see organic search measured in sales, margins, and channel ROI.

What commercial awareness requires

SEO teams usually need to change the questions they ask before planning any work.

Instead of asking which topics have the highest search volume, ask which categories and product lines carry the highest margins, then evaluate the demand landscape within them.

Instead of asking where to create content, ask which existing pages would generate meaningful revenue if they ranked better, then work backward from there.

Instead of measuring success in organic sessions, measure it in organic profit, which requires knowing what the channel costs and what it returns.

Financial metrics for commercial awareness

These are the performance metrics I use when running organic search as an acquisition channel:

• Organic sales.
• Organic revenue.
• Organic profit.
• Average order value from organic traffic.
• Average margin per organic sale.
• Channel ROI.

These aren’t exotic or difficult to calculate. They simply require connecting analytics data to backend transactional data, which most organizations can do with a modest investment in reporting infrastructure.

One metric I keep coming back to is organic profit per sale, calculated as organic profit divided by organic sales.

This metric can transform an organic channel into a customer acquisition channel with a measurable cost-per-outcome. It’s a concrete metric you can benchmark against other channels.

Breaking this metric down by category, subcategory, and page lets you make strategy decisions based on commercial data, with SEO execution layered on top.

Focus on value-side metrics

Most SEO strategies rely primarily on demand-side metrics:

• Search volume.
• Keyword difficulty.
• Current ranking positions.
• Traffic estimates.

These are necessary inputs, but they represent only half of the information you need to make good commercial decisions.

Layer value-side metrics on top of your demand data, including:

• Categories with strong margins.
• Pages that drive high transaction values.
• Customer segments that remain profitable over time.

From a revenue and profit perspective, categories with modest search volume can outperform higher-traffic segments when they have stronger margins or higher average order values.

SEO tactics that move the commercial needle

With a commercially aware approach, strategic decisions, including those about informational content and authority building, are evaluated against commercial outcomes rather than traffic projections.

Informational content, topical authority, and brand visibility still matter, and a channel that only pursues transactional queries will eventually hit a ceiling.

Here are some tactics for taking a more commercially focused approach to SEO.

Score opportunities on demand and business value together

Apply a second filter that accounts for business value alongside search demand.

I look at margin potential, average sale value by category, and current organic performance relative to where it needs to be, alongside search demand.

High-priority work sits at the intersection of meaningful demand and a strong commercial signal, which is often a different set of pages than traditional keyword prioritization surfaces.

Update commercial pages rather than create new content

Commercial pages naturally decay over time as competitors improve their content, SERPs evolve, and freshness signals fade. This decay translates directly into lost revenue from pages that were previously performing well.

To update commercial pages:

• Use comprehensive keyword and competitor research to identify gaps in your content.
• Restructure information into formats that search engines and AI interfaces can easily extract. Tables are particularly valuable here.
• Use a large language model to review first drafts, stress-testing the content against what competitors are offering.
• Strengthen internal linking to these pages.

Increase internal linking

Linking internally from strong informational assets and high-authority pages to commercial pages with high revenue and margin potential creates business value.

I spend a significant amount of time internally linking to commercial page clusters, particularly where there’s a gap between the authority of supporting content and the rankings of the connected commercial pages.

Borrow conversion intelligence from paid search

SEO typically can’t see which specific keywords drive conversions. We often have page-level conversion data, but the queries that generate visits and purchases remain invisible.

The best workaround I’ve found is to pull recent PPC campaign data, generally from the last 30 to 90 days, and adjust for seasonality, to identify keyword patterns that generate sales and high-value customers in paid search.

These insights can inform which organic landing pages to prioritize, which commercial content to update, and where conversion optimization efforts are most likely to pay off.

Recover transactional positions just outside Page 1

A meaningful group of transactional keywords often sits in positions 10 through 20 of the SERP. These are commercial-intent terms where you’re already in the conversation but not yet positioned to convert traffic at a meaningful rate.

Identify these opportunities by filtering for commercial intent and business potential, then apply targeted improvements such as content updates, internal linking, and relevant authority building.

Build digital PR campaigns with commercial architecture

Digital PR campaigns that exist solely to acquire links rarely produce meaningful commercial impact. Instead, build a linking environment you can direct with deliberate commercial architecture:

• Focus on topics that are thematically relevant to the product categories you care about.
• Create an on-site content asset that serves as the campaign’s destination and links back to relevant commercial pages.
• Build the asset with internal links to the commercial page clusters it’s designed to support.

Treat branded search protection as a profit issue

When affiliates rank for discount and voucher terms and capture that traffic, you’re effectively paying a commission on customers who were already in your funnel and likely would have converted directly.

The fix is straightforward: Improve on-site pages that target branded intent, strengthen internal signals, monitor branded click share, and enforce affiliate program terms on branded bidding.

You’ll improve margins alongside revenue by eliminating acquisition costs on conversions that should have been organic in the first place.

Choose an attribution model

Choosing an attribution model can be challenging because organic sessions can appear as direct traffic, GA4 and backend platforms may report different numbers, and multi-touch journeys often resist clean channel assignment.

These issues aren’t unique to organic search. As AI-mediated search continues to complicate organic referral paths, attribution will become even more challenging.

Choose an attribution model your organization can agree on, be transparent about its limitations, and focus on growing the revenue attributed to organic search under that model.

When leadership consistently sees how organic search contributes meaningful and growing revenue, attribution nuances become less important.

Think of your budget as a lever, not a constraint

An SEO budget should be viewed as a variable you can adjust based on commercial KPIs.

Here’s a simple model: SEO profit equals the business margin generated from organic search minus the cost of running the channel.

When the priority is revenue growth, invest more aggressively in link acquisition, digital PR, and content production to expand visibility and capture incremental demand.

When the priority is channel profitability, perhaps at a point in the business cycle when margin preservation matters more than top-line growth, you can reduce spending to improve short-term profit, provided you’re clear about the competitive risk of sustaining those reductions for too long.

How to secure internal alignment

Commercial SEO requires cross-functional cooperation. Here are some talking points to help secure internal alignment.

Speak the language of decision-makers

Commercial and finance leaders care about growth, margins, and competitive position. Frame SEO in those terms, with revenue and margin projections tied to specific strategic initiatives.

Generate proof before asking for investment at scale

SEO takes time to produce results. To earn buy-in, run a contained test first and use the results to make the case for additional investment. For example, update a group of commercial pages, complete a targeted internal linking project, or launch a branded search protection initiative.

Use competitive visibility strategically

Show leadership where competitors outrank you for high-value commercial terms, and quantify how that translates into lost market share and revenue. Concrete numbers can be persuasive.

Build cross-functional relationships to execute faster

When SEO is positioned as part of an integrated commercial growth engine with shared data flows and coordinated prioritization workflows, it becomes easier to get things done. SEO naturally touches paid search, content, product, and PR, so treat those teams as allies rather than separate workstreams.

Prioritize commercial awareness in your SEO strategy

SEO’s technical sophistication has advanced tremendously. What’s lagged behind is its ability to speak the language of commercial leaders and connect its work to the outcomes that influence budgets and priorities.

Hold SEO to the same standards of commercial accountability as other marketing investments. Doing so allows organic search to become a cost-effective driver of growth and profitability.

Commercial awareness requires only a willingness to redefine what success means and the discipline to organize your strategy around that definition.

You can publish consistently, follow SEO best practices, and still watch competitors outrank you. More often than not, the problem isn’t content quality. It’s content coverage. Your competitors are answering questions your audience is asking, and you’re not in the conversation yet.

That’s where a content gap analysis comes in. It helps you identify topics your competitors rank for that you don’t, then decide which opportunities are actually worth pursuing.

Finding the gaps isn’t the hard part. SEO tools make that easy. The challenge is making sense of thousands of keywords spread across multiple reports and deciding what deserves your attention first.

This workflow shows how to combine competitor data, first-party search data, and AI to prioritize content opportunities and build a roadmap based on business impact, not just search volume.

Bring your SEO data together before you analyze it

In this workflow, I use Semrush to identify competitive opportunities, Google Search Console to validate where my site is already showing signs of authority, and Google Analytics to add business context. Claude then brings those datasets together, grouping related opportunities, identifying patterns, and helping prioritize what belongs on the content roadmap.

There are two ways to follow this process:

• You can export reports directly from the platforms and upload them to Claude.
• Or, if you’ve connected those platforms through MCP (Model Context Protocol, a standard that allows AI models to connect securely to your data sources), Claude can pull the data directly without manual exports. The workflow changes, but the analysis doesn’t.

Below, I’ll walk through the process I use to turn a pile of SEO data into a prioritized content plan.

Step 1: Choose the right competitors

A content gap analysis is only as good as the competitors you compare yourself against. That sounds obvious, but it’s one of the easiest mistakes to make.

If you compare your site to Amazon, Reddit, or Wikipedia, you’ll end up with thousands of keyword “opportunities” that were never realistic to begin with. The goal isn’t to find every site ranking for your target keywords. It’s to find businesses competing for the same audience.

I typically start with Semrush’s Organic Competitors report. Rather than relying on a list of known competitors, this report identifies domains competing for many of the same keywords. From there, I narrow the list to three to five sites that closely match your business and target audience.

Don’t be surprised if a few familiar names don’t make the cut. Business competitors and organic search competitors aren’t always the same.

You should also filter out sites that will skew the analysis, including:

• Large marketplaces like Amazon
• Community-driven sites like Reddit or Quora
• Reference sites like Wikipedia
• Local directories or review sites
• Publishers that don’t directly compete with your business

There are exceptions. If you’re a publisher, comparing yourself against other editorial sites makes perfect sense. The key is choosing competitors that create the type of content you’re realistically trying to outperform.

Finally, sanity-check the list with stakeholders. Your sales or product teams may point out competitors that don’t appear in Semrush because they’re newer or competing in a strategically important niche.

Once you’ve settled on your competitors, you’re ready to find the gaps that matter most.

Step 2: Gather and prepare your data

With your competitor list finalized, it’s time to collect the data Claude will analyze. Whether you’re uploading exports or connecting through MCP, the goal is the same: bring together competitive rankings, your site’s search performance, and engagement data so you can separate meaningful opportunities from noisy keyword lists.

I like to pull data from three sources.

Semrush: Find the gaps

Start with Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool using the competitors you selected in Step 1.

Pay close attention to three buckets:

• Competitors rank, you don’t. These are your biggest content opportunities and often point to missing topics or content hubs.
• You rank, but competitors rank higher. Focus on keywords where you’re already on Page 1 or 2. These are often quicker wins because Google already associates your site with the topic.
• You rank, competitors don’t. These are your strengths. Don’t ignore them. They highlight topics where you already have an advantage and should continue investing.

Google Search Console: Validate the opportunity

Next, check Google Search Console before assuming every missing keyword deserves a new page.

For example, Semrush may show that you don’t rank for a particular keyword, but GSC could reveal that you’re already receiving impressions for closely related queries. That tells you Google has started associating your site with the topic, even if rankings haven’t caught up yet.

Those “almost there” topics often deserve a higher priority than starting from scratch.

Look for:

• Queries with high impressions but average positions between 8 and 20.
• Existing pages ranking for related terms.
• Long-tail queries that reveal additional search intent.

Google Analytics: Add business context

Search volume is only part of the story. Engagement metrics help answer an equally important question: If you improve visibility for this topic, is it likely to support your business goals?

Review metrics such as:

• Organic sessions.
• Engagement rate.
• Average engagement time.
• Key events or conversions.
• Landing page performance.

If a related content hub already drives engaged visitors or conversions, expanding that topic may be a smarter investment than chasing a completely new keyword with higher search volume.

Clean your data before handing it over to Claude

If you’re manually downloading the data and uploading it to Claude, I recommend cleaning it first. Claude is excellent at finding patterns, but it can only work with the data you give it. A cleaner dataset leads to cleaner topic clusters and better recommendations.

Remove:

• Duplicate keywords.
• Competitor-branded terms.
• Careers, login, and support queries.
• Locations or product lines outside your business.
• Keywords with clearly different search intent.
• High-intent commercial keywords that are too broad to compete for. (For example, generic industry terms that don’t match your business model.)

Two ways to gather your data:

• Manual workflow: Export Keyword Gap data from Semrush, along with query data from Google Search Console and landing page performance data from Google Analytics, then upload the files to Claude.
• Connected workflow (MCP): Ask Claude to retrieve the Keyword Gap report, GSC query data, and GA4 landing page metrics directly from your connected accounts. You can then move straight into the analysis without downloading CSVs.

Step 3: Ask Claude to find the story in your data

At this point, you should have a clean dataset that combines competitive keyword gaps, Search Console performance, and Google Analytics data.

Now comes the fun part.

Instead of scrolling through thousands of rows looking for patterns, ask Claude to organize the data into something you can actually build a strategy around.

The mistake I see most often is asking AI to “cluster these keywords.”

You’ll certainly get clusters back, but they’ll usually be based on keyword similarity alone. That’s useful, but it doesn’t tell you what to do next. Instead, ask Claude to think like an SEO strategist.

Provide context about your business, including:

• Your products or services
• Your target audience
• Your primary business goals
• Any content priorities or constraints
• The exported reports or connected data from Semrush, GSC, and Google Analytics

Then ask Claude to organize opportunities by factors such as:

• Search intent
• Funnel stage
• Business relevance
• Existing authority signals from GSC
• User engagement from GA4
• Recommended content format
• Internal linking opportunities

Rather than returning a spreadsheet of grouped keywords, Claude should produce topic clusters with a clear recommendation for each one. I’ve provided an example below.

For example, one cluster might be labeled Technical SEO Audits and include:

• Supporting keywords.
• Estimated opportunity.
• Existing pages that could be updated.
• Whether a new page is needed.
• Internal linking recommendations.
• Priority score.
• Reasoning behind the recommendation.

Another cluster might reveal that several competitor keywords can be addressed by expanding an existing guide instead of publishing three separate articles. That’s the kind of insight that’s difficult to spot manually but easy for AI to surface.

Separate quick wins from long-term investments

Not every opportunity belongs on the same roadmap. As part of your prompt, ask Claude to classify each cluster into categories such as:

• Quick wins: Existing pages that can be refreshed, expanded, or better optimized.
• New content opportunities: Topics that deserve dedicated content because you have little or no visibility.
• Authority plays: Larger subject areas that may require multiple pieces of content and ongoing investment to compete effectively.

This simple step helps you move from an overwhelming keyword list to a roadmap with both short-term wins and long-term initiatives.

Don’t skip the human review

Claude can organize information remarkably well, but it doesn’t know your business the way you do.

Before moving on, ask questions such as:

• Does this topic support our business goals?
• Are multiple search intents being combined into one cluster?
• Do we already have content that could satisfy this need?
• Is this a realistic opportunity given our authority and resources?
• Would I actually assign this topic to a writer?

If the answer is “no,” refine the cluster or remove it.

The goal isn’t to accept every recommendation. It’s to spend less time organizing data and more time making strategic decisions.

Prompt template: I’ll share the full prompt I use at the end of this article, but the biggest takeaway is this: Don’t ask Claude to organize keywords. Ask it to recommend what your content strategy should be based on the data you’ve provided.

Step 4: Score and prioritize the opportunities

Once Claude has grouped your keywords into topic clusters, the next step is deciding what deserves your attention first.

This is where many content gap analyses fall apart. Teams naturally gravitate toward the biggest search volumes, but volume is only one piece of the puzzle. A topic that attracts qualified visitors and supports your business goals is often a better investment than a high-volume keyword that’s difficult to rank for or unlikely to convert.

I like to score each opportunity across several criteria before building a roadmap.

Business relevance

Start by asking a simple question: If this content performs well, does it help the business?

Topics that align with your products, services, or customer journey should receive more weight than informational topics with little commercial value.

Existing authority

Next, look at the signals from Google Search Console.

If your site already earns impressions or ranks on the second page for related queries, Google has likely established some level of topical authority. Improving an existing page or expanding a content hub may produce results much faster than starting from scratch.

Search demand

Search volume matters, but it shouldn’t dominate the scoring model.

A collection of related long-tail queries with moderate demand can sometimes generate more qualified traffic than a single broad keyword.

Ranking difficulty

Review the current search results before committing to a topic.

Ask questions such as:

• Are authoritative brands dominating the first page?
• Is the intent primarily informational, commercial, or transactional?
• What types of content are ranking?
• Can you realistically create something more useful or complete?

This quick reality check can save your team from chasing opportunities that aren’t practical.

Estimated effort

Finally, consider the work involved. Some opportunities require a light refresh of an existing article. Others call for a new content hub supported by multiple pages.

Both can be worthwhile, but they shouldn’t carry the same priority if resources are limited.

Let Claude apply the framework

Once you’ve defined your scoring criteria, Claude can evaluate every topic cluster consistently.

For example, you might ask Claude to score each opportunity on a five-point scale for:

• Business relevance.
• Existing authority.
• Search demand.
• Ranking difficulty.
• Content effort.

Then have it calculate an overall priority score and explain why each recommendation received that score. The explanation is just as valuable as the number. If you disagree with a recommendation, you can adjust the weighting, add additional business context, and ask Claude to score the opportunities again.

By the end of this step, you should have more than a list of content ideas. You should have a prioritized content strategy that clearly identifies what to tackle next, what can wait, and what isn’t worth pursuing. I’ve provided an example of Claude’s output below.

Step 5: Turn priorities into page-level recommendations

Once you’ve prioritized your opportunities, the next step is figuring out exactly what to change.

Rather than handing your team a ranked list of topics, ask Claude to generate page-level recommendations for your highest-priority opportunities. This is where connected data becomes especially valuable.

Because Claude has access to your Semrush research, Google Search Console performance, Google Analytics metrics, and your prioritization framework, it can evaluate each page in context instead of treating every recommendation the same.

For each priority page, I ask Claude to produce a recommendation that includes:

• Why the page was selected.
• The primary keyword cluster.
• Current rankings and impression data.
• Supporting evidence from GSC and competitor research.
• Recommended updates.
• Estimated effort.
• Expected impact.
• Priority level.

One of the biggest advantages of this approach is validation.

Before recommending a refresh, Claude can compare URL-level Search Console data against the original analysis. Sometimes what looks like a great opportunity turns out to be misleading. A keyword may have inflated impression counts, a URL could have been mislabeled in an export, or the page simply isn’t as close to ranking as it first appeared.

Catching those issues before assigning work can save hours of unnecessary effort.

The recommendations also make conversations with stakeholders much easier. Instead of saying, “We should update this page,” you can point to the supporting data, explain why it’s a priority, estimate the effort involved, and tie the recommendation back to your overall content strategy.

Think of these recommendations as implementation plans rather than content briefs. They’re designed to help your SEO and content teams understand what should change, why it matters, and where to focus first. Writers can then use those recommendations to create or update content with confidence.

Below is an example of a page-level refresh brief generated by Claude.

Step 6: Measure whether the gap is closing

Publishing your content isn’t the finish line. It’s the start of the next round of analysis.

I begin with Google Search Console, tracking whether target queries are gaining impressions, improving in average position, and generating more clicks. When I refresh an existing page, I compare performance before and after the update to see whether the changes actually moved the needle.

Next, I look at Google Analytics. Better rankings don’t always translate into better business outcomes, so I review organic traffic alongside engagement and conversion metrics. If an updated page attracts more visitors but fails to keep them engaged or contribute to conversions, it’s probably time for another round of optimization.

If you’re using Claude through MCP, you can also ask it to compare performance over time and summarize what changed. For example:

• Which refreshed pages improved the most?
• Which content clusters gained the most visibility?
• Which recommendations drove the strongest business results?
• Which opportunities still need attention?

Instead of comparing reports month after month, Claude can quickly surface significant changes and point you toward the pages that deserve your attention.

Finally, don’t treat content gap analysis as a one-time exercise. Competitors publish new content, search behavior shifts, and your own authority evolves. I recommend repeating this workflow every quarter, or more often in fast-moving industries, to find new opportunities and stay ahead of your competition.

The tools will continue to advance, but a repeatable workflow is what creates the advantage.

Build a repeatable content gap analysis process

A content gap analysis helps you prioritize the opportunities worth pursuing instead of chasing every possible keyword.

Semrush helps uncover competitive gaps. Google Search Console shows where you already have momentum. Google Analytics adds the business context that rankings alone can’t provide. Claude brings those datasets together, helping you identify patterns, prioritize opportunities, and create actionable recommendations in a fraction of the time it would take manually.

Whether you upload reports or connect your tools through MCP, the workflow stays the same. Gather the right data, validate the opportunities, let AI organize the information, and apply your own expertise to decide what comes next. That’s the part AI can’t replace.

The biggest advantage isn’t having better prompts or faster analysis. It’s having a repeatable process that helps your team make smarter content decisions every quarter.

Prompt template: Build a prioritized content gap roadmap

Here’s the prompt I promised. Use it after you’ve gathered your data, whether you’ve uploaded exports from Semrush, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics or connected those tools to Claude through MCP.

“You are an experienced SEO strategist helping me perform a content gap analysis. 

I’ll either provide exported reports from Semrush, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics, or you’ll access those tools through connected MCP integrations. 

My goal is to identify the highest-impact content opportunities based on competitor visibility, existing authority, business value, and implementation effort. 

Here’s my business context: 

– Company: 
– Industry: 
– Products/services: 
– Target audience: 
– Primary business goals: 
– Geographic focus: 
– Any strategic priorities or constraints:
– Tone of voice: [Insert brand voice adjectives here (e.g., authoritative, conversational, technical)].

Using the available data, complete the following tasks.

1. Identify content gaps 

Organize keywords into these categories: 
– Competitors rank and we don’t. 
– We rank below competitors. 
– We rank and competitors don’t. 

Highlight any content gaps, opportunities to consolidate pages, or keyword cannibalization issues. 

2. Validate the opportunities 

Use Google Search Console data to determine: 
– Which topics already receive impressions. 
– Which pages rank between positions 8 and 20. 
– Which existing URLs have the strongest chance of improving with optimization.

Use Google Analytics data to determine: 
– Which pages drive meaningful engagement. 
– Which pages contribute to conversions. 
– Which content hubs are worth expanding.

3. Create strategic topic clusters

Group related opportunities by:
– Search intent
– Business relevance
– Funnel stage
– Recommended content type
– Internal linking opportunities

Don’t cluster based only on keyword similarity. Focus on topics that should become part of the same content strategy.

4. Prioritize every opportunity

Score each topic cluster using:
– Business relevance
– Existing authority
– Search demand
– Ranking difficulty
– Estimated effort

Assign each opportunity a priority (High, Medium, Low) and explain why.

Separate recommendations into:
– Quick wins
– New content opportunities
– Long-term authority investments

5. Recommend next steps

For every high-priority opportunity, recommend whether we should:
– Refresh an existing page
– Consolidate multiple pages
– Create a new page
– Build a pillar page with supporting content

Include supporting evidence for every recommendation.

6. Deliver the results

Create:
– An executive summary
– Prioritized topic clusters
– A scored opportunity table
– Page-level recommendations for the highest-priority URLs
– A phased implementation roadmap (30, 60, and 90+ days)

If you find conflicting data between Semrush, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics, explain the discrepancy and recommend which source should guide the decision. The output should both be HTML and a Google Sheet.

Before presenting your final recommendations, validate your own analysis. If reviewing Search Console or Analytics data changes your original recommendation, explain why and update your prioritization accordingly.”

This prompt is a starting point. Add any business context, editorial guidelines, or scoring criteria that are unique to your organization. The more context you give Claude, the more useful and actionable its recommendations will be.

Performance marketing is under more pressure than it’s been in a decade — budgets are flat or reduced, expectations are rising,, and AI is raising the bar on what “good” looks like.

For years, performance marketing has been built on a familiar playbook. When performance plateaus, add another vendor. When targeting weakens, buy another dataset. When activation becomes difficult, introduce another layer of technology. But as budget constraints tighten and expectations for immediate ROI rise, this constant expansion of the stack is becoming unsustainable.

The challenge facing enterprise marketers today is not a shortage of data. It’s an inability to operationalize the data they already have.

At the same time, AI is exposing a hard truth about modern marketing architecture. Most AI failures are not model failures. They are data failures. The most sophisticated agent, model, or automation workflow cannot compensate for fragmented customer profiles, disconnected activation systems, or stale audience definitions. Yet much of the conversation in the customer data platform (CDP) market remains focused on shipping more AI agents.

That misses the point.

The real question isn’t whether your platform has an AI agent. It’s whether your data foundation can support the leap from automating tasks to partnering on strategic outcomes.

For too long, the industry’s north star was self-service — a mandate to bypass engineering tickets and data science queues. But that was a solution for the last decade. It effectively turned the marketer into a manual operator of complex systems. The new bar isn’t just self-service; it’s self-directed performance at scale.

We are witnessing a fundamental shift in the marketer’s job-to-be-done: you are moving away from the operational heavy lifting of building and managing audiences toward the high-level strategy of setting outcomes. Instead of spending your day wrangling segments, you now define your goal — whether it’s maximizing customer lifetime value or reversing churn — and the system suggests the optimal audience definitions and activation pathways to achieve it. By bridging the gap between intelligent agents and a clean data foundation, you move from managing technology to orchestrating outcomes. This is the new blueprint for performance.

At mParticle, we describe our approach as a performance engine: a model in which the data foundation and activation layer operate as a single system. The goal is not simply to collect customer data, but to make it immediately usable for performance outcomes.

The Audience Agent is one expression of this. Marketers describe what they want in plain language — e.g.,high-value customers who haven’t repurchased in 60 days — and the agent proposes the underlying logic for the marketer to review and approve. 

The shift isn’t automation; it’s a marketer-led workflow with an expert collaborator alongside. The longer you work with it, the better it understands your business — your data, your customers, the patterns that actually move your performance. That understanding is only as deep as the data foundation it draws on — and ours was built for this long before AI demanded it. The marketer leads. The agent elevates and expands. Together, they push the limit of what’s possible.

That philosophy is also reflected in capabilities such as Audience Expansion and Household Reach. Audience Expansion helps marketers identify additional high-potential users directly from their own first-party datasets — without relying on third-party lookalike audiences or external data sources — giving teams precise control over the balance between scale and quality. 

Household Reach addresses one of digital marketing’s most persistent blind spots: the reality that purchasing decisions rarely happen in isolation. By bringing your first-party customer data and enriching it with trusted 3rd party signals, Household Reach lets marketers engage the full decision-making unit — not just the individual who happened to convert first. 

The key distinction: marketers only need to bring their own first-party data. The householding solution does the rest, enabling more reach across the household without spending resources building additional audiences or manually configuring your campaigns.

What unites these approaches is a shift in mindset. Better performance should not require more vendors, more engineering resources, or more external data. It should come from extracting more value from the customer relationships brands already understand.

In an era of unprecedented performance pressure, the advantage will go to the marketers who stop looking for more vendors to solve their problems. Success won’t come from adding to the stack, but from using a solid data foundation to navigate these rising expectations and activating more of the data they already own.

AMD's Medusa Point "Zen 6" APUs have leaked out once again at Geekbench, showcasing even higher performance than earlier. AMD Medusa Point "Zen 6" CPU Showcases Strong Single & Multi-Core Performance At 2 GHz A few months ago, we reported the first sighting of AMD's Medusa Point within the Geekbench database. The chip was spotted on the Plum-MDS1 platform, which features the new FP10 BGA socket, and is the Evaluation platform designed for next-gen AMD SoCs in the 28-45W range. The last performance numbers were quite good given that the chip was operating at 2.40 GHz, but now we have […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amd-medusa-point-10-core-cpu-beats-strix-by-29-percent-in-single-core-at-just-2-ghz/

Fallout 3 Remastered has long been one of the worst-kept secrets in gaming. Originally revealed via a FTC hearing concerning Xbox’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, subsequent retail toy listings have repeatedly suggested that the project is actively in the works for PC and modern consoles. While an official announcement from Bethesda has yet to be made, footage of the project is seemingly circulating, as recently revealed by veteran games journalist Jeff Gerstmann. "In fact, someone else has put in quite a lot of work into a Fallout 3 remake that has yet to officially materialize," the journalist said during the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/fallout-3-remastered-lives-on-footage-circulating/

Yesterday, South Korean developer Pearl Abyss held a corporate briefing in which it updated investors on the roadmap for its highly successful game, Crimson Desert. As reported by Inven Global, company CEO Huh Jin-young provided an update on the Switch 2 port, which entered the R&D (research and development) phase back in March. According to the executive, it's still early days for optimization, so there's nothing to share yet on possible release timing. We believe it is important to showcase Crimson Desert on as many platforms as possible. We are reviewing the Nintendo Switch 2, and it is currently being […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/crimson-desert-multiplayer-mode-switch-2-port/

AMD has been winning in Germany for a long time, but NVIDIA is back with the most sales as of June 2026. NVIDIA Ships 8% More GPUs Through Mindfactory, Taking Back the Lead, But AMD RX 9070 XT and RX 9060 XT are Still the Most Popular GPUs NVIDIA is back at the top this month, and it's because of the RTX 50 series. While the RTX 50 and RX 9000 series debuted in the same time frame, the majority of buyers preferred RDNA 4 GPUs in Germany, especially if we talk about the popular retailer, Mindfactory. The trend can […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nvidia-retakes-germanys-gpu-crown-with-8-more-sales-yet-amds-rx-9070-xt-still-outsells-every-single-card/

Samsung Good Lock has quietly expanded its wallpapers section with new additions. Your Galaxy’s customization engine is no longer limited to backing plugins and modules. It now has some incredible features for all Galaxy smartphone users.

Good Lock has its own wallpapers, with Samsung taking it to 14 titles. You can have them on the lock screen or home screen, or both. The wallpapers are either driven by plugins or modules or offered by Good Lock itself.

Notably, Good Lock’s wallpaper section wasn’t that big before. The app has added new wallpapers over the past few updates. Samsung’s changelog never had any mention of these additions, but they are now finally on our radar.

Good Lock wallpapers include:

1. The Moon – Designed to match the moon-themed ClockFace watch.
2. Zodiac – Crafted to match the zodiac-themed ClockFace watch.
3. Good Lock Simple White – Featured retro digital ClockFace watch.
4. WoCool – Created to match the animation-style ClockFace watch.
5. Somewhere – Matches the city-travel-themed ClockFace watch.
6. Good Lock Big Icon
7. Good Lock x Sticky Monster Lab
8. Theme Park x Sticky Monster Lab
9. NotiStar x Sticky Monster Lab
10. ClockFace x Sticky Monster Lab
11. Home Up x Sticky Monster Lab
12. Wonderland x Sticky Monster Lab
13. DropShip
14. SoundAssistant

How to access and use these wallpapers

Getting these wallpapers applied to your Galaxy’s home/lock screen is easy. Well, having the Good Lock app installed is necessary, as the titles reside inside the app only.

If you don’t have Good Lock, get it from Galaxy Store now – it’s absolutely free.

On the Good Lock homepage, tap the Gift Box icon that sits with Settings Gear. You will see two sections: Widgets and Wallpapers. Widgets are also worth using on your home screen, but they are not so impressive.

Wallpapers list is placed beside Widgets; tap on your pick, followed by “Set as wallpaper.” The process will be familiar then: getting your confirmation for the lock screen, home screen, or both lock and home screens.

The post Samsung Good Lock app has 14 stunning wallpapers appeared first on Sammy Fans.

Samsung is bringing its AI-powered Intelligent Eyewear (Smart Glasses) this year, and Apple may have finally decided to join the trend. A new industry report sheds light on major shifts happening behind-the-scenes within the supply chain.

TheElec report suggests Apple may now see a future in AI-powered Smart Glasses, rather than an XR headset. The company has reportedly postponed its affordable XR headset project and is reportedly focusing on smart glasses.

Samsung Display, which had been working with Apple on XR headset’s display panels, has reportedly terminated the project. It involved the development of Micro-OLEDs based on glass substrates.

The US tech giant had reportedly planned to bring an affordable XR headset by the year 2028. However, the development of the device’s core component has been dumped, indicating

Although mass production was initially projected for 2028 or later, the development project itself has recently been completely scrapped.

Meanwhile, Samsung Display is continuing its research capabilities on developing OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) for Samsung’s XR devices and next-generation RGB OLEDoS.

Samsung Display has recently unveiled key related technologies at global exhibitions. Notably, at AWE USA 2026, the company showcased a 1.3-inch, 40,000-nit RGB OLEDoS and a smart glass demo featuring a 0.62-inch RGB OLEDoS.

The post Apple sees future in AI glasses, moving away from XR headset appeared first on Sammy Fans.

The non-custodial Bitcoin exchange petitioned to annul a French decree implementing DAC8, arguing the rules could create surveillance and physical risks for up to 135 million European crypto holders.

India’s tax department reportedly found that fewer than a quarter of the 645,000 people who made crypto transactions reported them on tax returns.

Tokenized Real World Assets span treasuries, real estate, stocks, commodities and private credit. The sector is still small in TradFi terms but it's growing very, very fast.

Vlahovic transferinde pazarlıklar uzayınca Beşiktaş B planını devreye soktu: Siyah-beyazlılar, Arsenal'in dünyaca ünlü Brezilyalı santrforu Gabriel Jesus için kolları sıvadı.

Beşiktaş, bu yaz kadrosuna kaliteli bir golcü katmak için transfer çalışmalarını çift koldan sürdürüyor. Siyah-beyazlıların öncelikli hedefi, şu an bonservisi elinde olan Dusan Vlahovic. Ancak Sırp yıldızla yürütülen pazarlıkların uzaması ve sürecin tıkanması üzerine yönetim, B planını devreye soktu.

Vlahovic transferinde yaşanan gecikmeleri göz önünde bulunduran Beşiktaş, alternatif olarak Arsenal'in Brezilyalı santrforu Gabriel Jesus için harekete geçti. Siyah-beyazlı kurmaylar, gol yollarındaki boşluğu dünyaca ünlü bir isimle doldurmaya kararlı.

Beşiktaş bir yandan serbest statüdeki Vlahovic’i ikna etmeye çalışırken, diğer yandan masanın altından Gabriel Jesus hamlesiyle elini güçlendiriyor. İki büyük isimden birinin siyah-beyazlı formayı giymesi an meselesi.

Roma, Fenerbahçe'nin astronomik teklifine rağmen İngiliz forvet Mason Greenwood ile el sıkıştı. Marsilya fiyatta direniyor, Manchester United ise kasasına koyacağı %40'lık dev payı bekliyor. İtalya'da taraftarlar ayağa kalktı.

Goal.com İtalya'ya göre Fenerbahçe ve Suudi Arabistan kulüplerinin yıllık 7-8 milyon avroluk tekliflerini elinin tersiyle iten Mason Greenwood, tercihini Serie A’dan yana kullandı.

Roma Teknik Direktörü Gian Piero Gasperini ile gizli telefon görüşmeleri gerçekleştiren 24 yaşındaki forvet, İtalyan hocanın "Koşmaya hazır mısın?" sorusuna kesin bir "Evet" yanıtı verdi. Greenwood, Roma ile yıllık 4.5 milyon avrodan 5 yıllık prensip anlaşmasına vardı.

Oyuncuyla anlaşan Roma, Marsilya’ya bonuslar dahil 45 milyon avroluk bir paket sundu. Ancak Fransız kulübü 50 milyon avro net talebinden geri adım atmıyor. Marsilya’nın bu dik duruşunun arkasında, Fenerbahçe’nin masaya koyduğu yüksek bütçeli teklif yer alıyor.

Transfer kontratındaki özel madde nedeniyle gözler Old Trafford’da. Manchester United, Greenwood’un bir sonraki satışından %40 pay alacak. Marsilya’nın 50 milyon avroya satması durumunda İngiliz devinin kasasına 20 milyon avro nakit akışı sağlanacak. Fransa'da sağlık kontrollerinden geçen Greenwood ise sabırsızlanıyor; oyuncunun menajerleri, hedefin Şampiyonlar Ligi'nde yer alan Stadio Olimpico olduğunu kulübe resmen iletti.

Saha içinde bu gelişmeler yaşanırken, Roma tribünleri ahlaki bir ikilemle karşı karşıya kaldı. Greenwood’un geçmişteki yasal sorunları ve aile içi şiddet iddiaları nedeniyle taraftarlar transferi durdurmak için imza kampanyası başlattı. Kulübün cinsiyet temelli şiddete karşı yürüttüğü "Amami e Basta" (Beni Sev ve Yeter) projesine dikkat çeken taraftarlar sert bir bildiri yayınladı:

- Bu kişisel bir husumet değil, kulüp armasını kimin temsil edeceğini seçme sorumluluğudur. Greenwood, dünya çapında tepki çeken ciddi tartışmaların odağındaki bir isimdir.

Kulüpler arasındaki "örtülü anlaşma" ve yürütülen sıkı pazarlıkların ardından transferin kısa sürede netleşmesi bekleniyor.

Fenerbahçe altyapısında Müjdat Yetkiner, Oğuz Çetin'in 3 gün önce getirdiği Orhan Şam'ı görevden alarak deprem yarattı. Başkan Aziz Yıldırım ise Greenwood transferine isyan edip hayran kaldığı Kongo DC'li Cipenga için kurmaylarına yüklendi; Yıldırım'ın beğendiği 9 numaranın Anadolu kulüplerine bedava önerildiği ortaya çıktı.

Fenerbahçe altyapısında taşlar yerinden oynuyor. Sarı-lacivertli kulübün yeni Altyapı Koordinatörü Müjdat Yetkiner, göreve hızlı bir başlangıç yaptı.

Yetkiner, sadece 3 gün önce Oğuz Çetin tarafından U19 Teknik Direktörlüğü koltuğuna getirilen Orhan Şam’ın görevine son verdi. Bu ani hamle, kulüp içinde Oğuz Çetin’in de koltuğunun sallandığı yorumlarına yol açtı.

Aziz Yıldırım'ı kendisine hayran bıraktı: Bir tane şöyle adam getiremediniz

Fenerbahçe Başkanı Aziz Yıldırım, Kongo DC-İngiltere maçında izlediği Cipenga’ya hayran kaldı. Performansını çok beğendiği futbolcu üzerinden kurmaylarına yüklenen Yıldırım, Oğuz Çetin’e ve 50 milyon Euro'luk Mason Greenwood transferine şu sözlerle isyan etti:

Geçmişte Dünya Kupası sırasında Romelu Lukaku'yu "pehlivan" diyerek eleştiren Yıldırım, İngiltere maçında 9 numara Cipenga yüzünden Çetin'e isyan etmişti.

Galatasaray Erkek Basketbol Takımı, yeni transferi Chimezie Metu ile 1+1 yıllık sözleşme imzaladı. Metu'nun futbola olan ilgisini keşfeden Mecit Mert Çetinkaya'nın hamlesiyle devreye giren futbolun süper yıldızı Victor Osimhen, vatandaşıyla görüşerek transferin fitilini ateşledi ve Nijeryalı uzunu Galatasaray'a gelmeye ikna etti.

Galatasaray'da futbolun süper yıldızı Victor Osimhen, bu kez de basketbol şubesine yaptığı dev asistle gündemde. Sarı-kırmızılılar, MCT Technic sponsorluğundaki erkek basketbol takımı için Nijeryalı uzun Chimezie Metu’yu kadrosuna kattı. İşte bu transferin perde arkasındaki Osimhen etkisi:

Galatasaraylı yönetici Mecit Mert Çetinkaya, Chimezie Metu’nun futbola olan özel ilgisini fark etti. Bu bağlamı değerlendirmek isteyen Çetinkaya, Metu’yu vatandaşı Victor Osimhen ile görüştürdü.

Yapılan görüşmede Osimhen, Metu'ya Galatasaray kulübünü, taraftarını ve İstanbul'u anlattı. Sarı-kırmızılı formayı giymesi halinde burada çok mutlu olacağını belirterek vatandaşına referans oldu.

Osimhen'in bu yapıcı konuşmasından çok etkilenen Metu, Galatasaray’ın teklifini kabul etmeye karar verdi.

Yaşanan bu sıcak diyaloğun ardından sarı-kırmızılı yönetim elini çabuk tuttu. Galatasaray, bu sabah Chimezie Metu ile 1+1 yıllık resmi sözleşmeyi imzalayarak transferi noktalandırdı.

Galatasaray'da Davinson Sánchez depremi! İtalyan ekibi Como, Kolombiyalı stoper için 20 milyon Euro'luk resmi teklif yaparken, Serie A devi Inter de devreye girdi. İşte Aslan'ın bonservis inadı ve transferin tüm detayları...

Galatasaray'ın Kolombiyalı stoperi Davinson Sánchez için transfer piyasası fazlasıyla hareketlendi. Serie A ekiplerinin kıskacında olan yıldız savunmacı için resmi adımlar atılmaya başlandı. İtalyan gazeteci Sacha Tavolieri'nin haberine göre, Serie A'nın yeni ekiplerinden Como, Sánchez için Galatasaray’a 20 milyon Euro teklif etti. Sarı-kırmızılı yönetim bu teklifi yetersiz buldu. Galatasaray, başarılı stoperi için kapıyı 30 milyon Euro'dan açıyor.

EL MÁS AFECTADO
Uno de los jugadores que quedó más afectado por la eliminación de la Selección de Colombia del Mundial 2026 fue Davinson Sánchez, el jugador cafetero que falló su tiro desde el punto penal, tuvo que ser consolado por sus compañeros e integrantes del cuerpo técnico pic.twitter.com/dQCUHdoHik

Kolombiyalı stoper için yarışta sadece Como yok. İtalya'nın dev kulübü Inter de oyuncuyu kadrosuna katmak için devreye girdi.

Serie A ekiplerinin yoğun ilgisiyle Davinson Sánchez'in Galatasaray'dan ayrılık süreci iyice hızlandı. Masadaki rakamlar 20 milyon Euro'dan başlasa da Cimbom'un inadı sürüyor.

Fenerbahçe, dünyaca ünlü yıldız Mason Greenwood transferinde Roma ve Atletico Madrid'i saf dışı bırakarak mutlu sona yaklaştı; İtalyan basını sarı-lacivertlilerin 45+5 milyon euro karşılığında bu tarihi transferi bitirmeye çok yakın olduğunu duyurdu.

"Fenerbahçe işi bitirdi" dedikoduları spor gündemini sarsarken, transfer piyasasının kalbi İtalya ve İspanya'dan gelen dev iddialarla hızlandı. Sarı-lacivertliler, dünyaca ünlü yıldız Mason Greenwood'u kadrosuna katmak için adeta zamanla yarışıyor.

Ünlü gazeteci Di Marzio'nun paylaştığı bilgilere göre Fenerbahçe; Roma ve Atletico Madrid gibi Avrupa devlerinin önünde yarışı lider götürüyor.

Kulübü Marsilya, İngiliz kanat oyuncusu için 50 milyon euro talep ediyor.

Roma henüz resmi bir teklif sunmazken; Atletico Madrid ise elindeki hücum oyuncularını satmadan bu transferi gerçekleştiremiyor.

Sarı-lacivertli yönetim, rakiplerinin bu kararsızlığını ve mali sıkışıklığını fırsata çevirerek hem Marsilya hem de Greenwood cephesiyle temaslarını en üst seviyeye çıkardı.

Transfer dünyasının bir diğer güvenilir ismi Matteo Moretto ise taraftarı heyecanlandıracak net rakamları verdi. Moretto, Fenerbahçe'nin 45 + 5 milyon euro gibi devasa bir paket teklifle Mason Greenwood transferini bitirmeye "çok çok yakın" olduğunu duyurdu.

Sosyal medyada "Fenerbahçe bu işi tamamen bitirdi" söylentileri yayılırken, Marsilya cephesinden kafa karıştıran bir paylaşım geldi. Kulüp, Mason Greenwood ve Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang'ın antrenman görselini "İş başında" notuyla paylaştı.

Sosyal medyada Aubameyang’ın Çorum FK'ya geleceği yönündeki asılsız ve esprili iddialar, transfer hareketliliğinin ortasında eğlenceli bir detay olarak kalmaya devam ediyor.

Fenerbahçe'nin bu tarihi transfer hamlesinde önümüzdeki birkaç günün belirleyici olması bekleniyor.

Kocaelisporlu futbolcu Tayfur Bingöl, transfer tekliflerini reddederek tüm konsantrasyonunun takımında olduğunu belirtti. 15 gol hedefini bu sezon da sürdüreceğini söyleyen Bingöl, futbolu Kocaelispor'da bırakmak istediğini vurguladı.

Yeşil-siyahlı ekibin 33 yaşındaki futbolcusu Tayfur Bingöl, yeni sezon öncesi heyecanlı olduklarını dile getirerek, "Geçen sezon 15 gol sözü vermiştim. 5 golün yanı sıra asistlerle ve çok da gol kaçırarak maalesef tamamlayamadım. Hedefimi hala devam ettirmek istiyorum. Bu sezon aynı şekilde 15 gol ve hızlı bir başlangıç yapıp taraftarı coşturarak güzel bir sezon geçirmek istiyorum." diye görüş belirtti.

Transfer teklifleriyle ilgili de konuşan Tayfur, "Arayanlara beni rahatsız etmemelerini söyledim. Tek konsantrasyonum Kocaelispor. Hiçbir takımı düşünmüyorum. Futbolu Kocaelispor'da bırakmak istiyorum. Taraftarla çok iyi bir bağ yakaladık. Onları çok seviyorum." ifadelerini kullandı.

Fenerbahçe Erkek Basketbol Takımı, ABD'li oyuncu Trent Forrest'ı kadrosuna dahil etti.

Sarı-lacivertli kulüpten yapılan açıklamaya göre son olarak İspanya ekibi Baskonia'da forma giyen 28 yaşındaki basketbolcuyla 2+1 yıllık sözleşme imzalandı.

Amerikan Basketbol Ligi'nde (NBA) Utah Jazz ve Atlanta Hawks formalarını giyen Forrest, 2024'te Baskonia'ya transfer oldu.

Trent Forrest, geçen sezon Avrupa Ligi'nde çıktığı 27 maçta 10,9 sayı, 4,4 asist ve 2,8 ribauntluk performans sergiledi.

Trendyol Süper Lig ekiplerinden Arca Çorum FK, sağ bek Gökhan Sazdağı'nı kadrosuna kattı.

Kulüpten yapılan açıklamada, 31 yaşındaki Gökhan Sazdağı'nın transferi konusunda Beşiktaş ile anlaşma sağlandığı ve futbolcuyla 2+1 yıllık sözleşme imzalandığı belirtildi.

Tecrübeli oyuncunun, Çorum FK'nin Düzce Topuk Yaylası'nda devam eden kampına katılması bekleniyor.