Yesterday, we spotted a claim from Spanish insider Nash Weedle pointing to a Nintendo Direct event taking place next week, with Weedle predicting the exact date to be June 9, 2026. They didn't specify what kind of Direct event it would be, but a big, general Direct is top of mind as it's the only kind we've not seen yet this year. Now, the very reliable insider Nate the Hate has added fuel to the claims of a Nintendo event next week, though in this case instead of picking an exact date, he does claim that it will be the […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nintendo-direct-nintendo-switch-2-june-2026-summer-game-fest/

An efficient networking chip appears to be the need of the hour as AI data centers rapidly fill up with a giga-ton of ASICs, GPUs, and orchestration-oriented CPUs. As such, it is hardly a surprise that Google now appears to have tapped Marvell to design a custom networking chip for its TPUs on one of Intel's advanced node processes. Google is tackling the data latency conundrum head-on by tapping Marvell to design a custom networking chip for its TPUs on Intel's advanced lithography For the benefit of those who might not be aware, a networking chip links individual ASICs to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/marvell-scores-another-win-after-nvidia-ceos-trillion-dollar-praise-as-google-hands-it-a-custom-networking-chip-for-the-tpuv8e-on-intels-18a-18ap-process/

Ahead of the Xbox Games Showcase as part of Summer Game Fest 2026, the first batch of Xbox Game Pass games for June 2026 has been revealed, and so far its a wave of indie games to start the month with a heavy-hitting JRPG in Persona 5 Royal. 'So far' is the key phrase though, because it wouldn't be a surprise if there are some shadow-drop reveals set for the upcoming showcase. Of course, it's never a guarantee, but Xbox has made a habit of including shadow-drop releases in its showcases, with games players can download on the service immediately […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/xbox-game-pass-games-june-2026-revealed-ahead-of-xbox-games-showcase/

Chinese smartphone makers are notorious for bringing in the latest technology iterations, regardless of whether they take off. It’s not every day that companies are racing to overtake Apple’s iPhones in various areas, and according to the latest report, we could witness a superior OLED technology that’s missing in the iPhone 18 Pro but present in the Cupertino firm’s other products. As BOE looks to begin mass production of its 8.6th-generation tandem OLED to rival Samsung, one report says OPPO will be the first to adopt it Apart from the iPad Pro, the only other Apple product line that will move to […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/chinese-rivals-beat-iphone-18-pro-in-advanced-oled-technology/

Voleybol Sultanlar Ligi ekibi Türk Hava Yolları, Çağla Çiçekoğlu, Tuğba Şenoğlu İvegin ve Büşra Kılıçlı ile yollarını ayırdığını duyurdu.

Vodafone Sultanlar Ligi ekiplerinden Türk Hava Yolları Kadın Voleybol Takımı, üç oyuncuyla yollarını ayırdığını duyurdu.

Kırmızı-beyazlı kulübün sosyal medya hesabından yapılan açıklamada, şu ifadelere yer verildi:

"2024 yılından bu yana formamızı giyen Çağla Çiçekoğlu, Tuğba Şenoğlu İvegin ve Büşra Kılıçlı'ya kulübümüze yaptığı katkılar için teşekkür ediyor, kariyerlerinin bundan sonraki bölümünde başarılar diliyoruz."

Ahmet Kaplan, quad tekerlekli sandalye kategorisinde katıldığı sezonun ikinci grand slam tenis turnuvası Fransa Açık'ta (Roland Garros) yarı finale çıktı.

Dünya 5 numarası Ahmet, başkent Paris'te düzenlenen turnuvadaki quad tekerlekli sandalye çeyrek final maçında, klasmanın 9. basamağındaki Büyük Britanyalı Gregory Slade ile karşılaştı.

Ahmet, 44 dakika süren maçı oyun vermeden 2-0 (6-0, 6-0) kazanarak sonraki turda Hollanda'dan 1 numaralı seribaşı Sam Schroder'in rakibi oldu.

Genç erkekler kategorisinde mücadele eden Kaan Işık Koşaner ise 6 numaralı seribaşı ABD'li Keaton Hance ile oynadığı 3. tur maçını 2-0 (6-1, 6-1) kaybederek elendi.

Galatasaray'ın Arjantinli yıldızı Mauro Icardi, Wanda Nara ile görülen nafaka davasını kazandı. Mahkeme, Nara'nın ekonomik durumunu yeterli bularak aylık 250 bin euroluk nafaka talebini reddetti.

Galatasaray’ın yıldız futbolcusu Mauro Icardi ve eski eşi Wanda Nara arasında sular durulmuyor.

Futbolunun yanı sıra özel hayatıyla da gündeme gelen Icardi, 10 yıllık eşi Wanda Nara'dan ihanet yüzünden boşanmıştı.

MAHKEMEDEN KARAR ÇIKTI

Olaylı bir şekilde ayrılan ikiliden Wanda Nara, Icardi'ye nafaka davası açmıştı.

Mahkeme, Mauro Icardi'nin 110 bin dolarlık çocuk nafakasıyla 3 bin 500 dolar faiz ve masrafları ödemesine hükmetmişti.

Arjantinli oyuncu cephesinden karara itiraz gelmesinin ardından duruşma yeniden görüldü.

İtalya'nın Milano kentindeki mahkemede görülen davada, Wanda Nara'nın Mauro Icardi'den talep ettiği geçici nafaka isteği kabul edilmedi.

AYLIK 250 BİN EUROLUK NAFAKA TALEBİ REDDEDİLDİ

Ünlü İtalyan gazeteci Nicolo Schira'nın aktardığına göre Icardi, Wanda Nara ile görülen yeni nafaka davasını kazandı.

Mahkeme, Nara’nın ekonomik durumunu yeterli bularak aylık 250 bin euroluk nafaka talebini reddetti.

The ESMA says crypto companies without MiCA authorization must stop serving EU clients from July 1, even if their licence applications remain under review.

The whale is now backing Arthur Hayes’ favored HYPE, ZEC and NEAR plays, signaling a sharp pivot toward momentum-led crypto bets.

Ethereum price slides to a 14-week low as weakening demand and persistent ETF outflows put the key $1,800 support at risk.

A Binance legal document disclosed a revenue-sharing agreement with Alpaca, which includes sharing 50% of the stock custodian’s order flow revenue with the cryptocurrency exchange.

Qadın futbolçulardan ibarət milli komandalar arasında baş tutacaq Azərbaycan – Macarıstan oyununa hakim təyinatları müəyyənləşib.

Arena.az bu barədə AFFA-nın rəsmi saytına istinadən xəbər verir.

Xəbərdə bildirilir ki, qadın futbolçulardan ibarət komandalar arasında dünya çempionatının (DÇ-2027) seçmə mərhələsi çərçivəsində C Liqasının 3-cü qrupunun Azərbaycan – Macarıstan oyununun hakim təyinatları açıqlayıb.

Qarşılaşmanı Sloveniyadan olan hakimlər briqadası idarə edəcək. Oyunun baş hakimi Vanya Yankoviç olacaq. Ona Staşa Şpur və Helena Buh yardım edəcəklər. Dördüncü hakim funksiyasını Aleksandra Çesen yerinə yetirəcək.

Qeyd edək ki, sözügedən qarşılaşma iyunun 5-də Mehdi Hüseynzadə adına Sumqayıt şəhər stadionunda keçiriləcək. Oyuna saat 18:00-da start veriləcək.

Minifutbol üzrə Azərbaycan milli komandası Slovakiyada təşkil edilmiş Avropa çempionatında bu gün növbəti oyununa çıxacaq.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, Elşad Quliyevin baş məşqçisi olduğu kollektiv yarımfinalda Serbiya yığması ilə üz-üzə gələcək.

Qarşılaşma “Tipos Arena”da baş tutacaq. Oyuna Bakı vaxtı ilə saat 22:45-də start veriləcək.

Digər yarımfinal matçında Macarıstan və Ukrayna yığmaları münasibətlərə aydınlıq gətirəcəklər. Bu görüş isə saat 21:15-də başlayacaq.

Xatırladaq ki, F qrupunda yer almış Azərbaycan millisi Avstriya (1:0), İtaliya (3:0) və Fransanı (3:2) məğlub edərək 1/8 finala vəsiqə qazanmışdı. Millimiz bu mərhələdə Qazaxıstanı (3:2), 1/4 finalda isə Çexiyanı (5:2) üstələmişdi.

Minifutbol üzrə Avropa çempionatına iyunun 4-də keçiriləcək final matçı ilə yekun vurulacaq.

UEFA Azərbaycan təmsilçisi “Turan Tovuz” klubunun avrokubokların 2026/2027-ci illər mövsümündə iştirakına qadağa qoyub.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Tovuz klubun bəyanatında bildirilib.

Tovuz təmsilçisi bu qərardan İdman Arbitraj Məhkəməsinə (CAS) müraciət edəcək:

“2025/2026-ci illər mövsümündə bütün idman prinsiplərinə əməl edərək mövsümü 3-cü pillədə başa vurduq və haqqımız olan Avropa Konfrans Liqasında çıxış etmək hüququ qazandıq. UEFA İntizam Komitəsi klubumuzun kriteriyalara cavab verib-verməməsinə dair araşdırma aparıb. AFFA İntizam Komitəsinin 13 dekabr 2019-cu il tarixli qərarını (https://www.affa.az/ind…/news/ntizam-komitsinin-qrar/65952) əsas götürən qurum 2 iyun 2026-cı il tarixində klubumuzu 2026/2027-ci illər mövsümündə UEFA-nın idman yarışlarında iştirakdan kənarlaşdırılıb”.

Klubun bəyanatında qeyd olunub ki, AFFA İntizam Komitəsi tərəfindən 2019/2020-ci illər mövsümündə Birinci Divizionda çıxış edən komandanın 7 futbolçusuna futbolla bağlı bütün növ fəaliyyətlərinə qadağa qoyulmuşdu:

“Bildirmək istəyirik ki, klubumuz tərəfindən qərarın dəyişdirilməsi və bütün idman prinsipləri qorunaraq vəsiqə qazandığımız Avropa Konfrans Liqasında iştirakımızın təmin edilməsi üçün bu gündən etibarən bütün hüquqi addımlar atılacaq və İdman Arbitraj Məhkəməsinə (CAS) müraciət olunacaq. Əlavə olaraq bildiririk ki, Avropa Konfrans Liqasına hazırlıq planlarımızda hər hansı dəyişiklik yoxdur. Bu ay komanda üzvləri toplanacaq və Türkiyəyə təlim-məşq toplanışına yollanacaq”.

Qeyd edək ki, 2019-cu ildə Birinci Divizionda çıxış edərkən danışılmış oyunlarla əlaqədar “Turan Tovuz”un 7 futbolçusu – Sənan Qocayev, Misir Rüstəmov, Emin Bağırov, İlkin Sadıqov, Rüfət Məmmədov, Eltay Tağıyev və Şahin Quluzadənin futbolla bağlı bütün növ fəaliyyətlərinə qadağa qoyulub.

ABŞ, Kanada və Meksikanın ev sahibliyi edəcəyi dünya çempionatının startına 10 gün qalıb. “Futbolpress” yeni rubrikaya başlayır – bu müddətdə qrupları, komandaların mundiallardakı çıxışlar və şansları haqda məqalələr dərc edəcək.

Ötən yazılarımızda A və B qrupunu dəyərləndirdik. İndi isə C qrupuna nəzər salaq:

Qrup C: Braziliya, Mərakeş, Şotlandiya, Haiti

Braziliya

Qrupun favoriti “sambaçılar”dır. Beş dəfə mundiallarda qızıl medal qazanan Braziliya bu göstəricidə rekordçdur. İlk çempionluğu 1958-ci ilə təsadüf edən “sarı-yaşıllar” bundan sonra 1962, 1970, 1994 və 2002-ci illərdə qızıl medalın sahibi olub.

Mundiallar tarixinin ən çox qələbə qazanan (76) komandası olan amerikalılar bu dəfə də favoritlərdəndir. Karlo Ançelottinin rəhbərliyi altında iddiasını artıq bildirən Braziliya son çempionatda 1/4 finalda dayanmaqla fanatlarını məyus etmişdi. Görək, bu dəfə rekordlarını təzələyə biləcəklərmi?

Tarixdən söz açmışkən, maraqlı bir faktı qeyd etmək yerinə düşər. Braziliya indiki sarı-yaşıl formaya 1050-ci ildən keçib. Buna qədər ağ dəstlərdə çıxış edən “sambaçılar” həmin ilin finalında Uruqvaya məğlub olmuşdu və bu, həmin dövr üçün komanda adına faciə hesab edilmişdi. Məşhur “Marakana”da 200 min tamaşaçının önündə uduzan Braziliya həmin ildən sonra formalarını dəyişmək qərarına gəlib.

Komandanın heyətində Neymar, Vinisius Junior, Rafinya, Kunya kimi ulduz adlar var. Heyətin dəyəri 912.20 milyon avrodur. Futbol tarixinin ən güclüləri arasında adı çəkilən Neymarın son mundialıdır və komanda bir tərəfdən də onun üçün döyüşəcək.

Braziliya millisi mundiallarda:
114 oyun, 76 qələbə 19 heç-heçə, 19 məğlubiyyət.

Mərakeş

Qrupun Afrikadan olan təmsilçisi Mərakeş də iddialılar arasındadır. 2022-ci ildəki mundialda dördüncü yeri tutan və tarixinin ən yaxşı göstəricisinə imza atan “Atlas Şirləri” bu dəfə də sürpriz arzusundadır.

Komandanın mundiallardakı ilk uğuru isə 1986-cı ilə təsadüf edir. Mərakeş həmin dünya çempionatında 1/8 finala yüksəlmiş və bunu bacaran ilk Afrika təmsilçisi olmuşdu. Portuqaliyaya 3:1 hesablı qalibiyyət isə sensasiya kimi tarixə düşmüşdü.

Yeddinci dəfə dünya çempionatının əsas mərhələsində iştirak edəcək Mərakeşin heyətində Brahim Dias, Əşrəf Hakimi, Bilal Əl Xannus, Abde Ezzalzuli kimi tanınmış adlar var.

“Atlas şirləri” qrupda Braziliyaya müqavimət göstərmək potensialında olan yeganə kollektivdir.

Mərakeş millisi mundiallarda:
25 oyun, 7 qələbə, 8 heç-heçə, 10 məğlubiyyət.

Şotlandiya

Qrupun Avropadan olan yeganə təmsilçisi Şotlandiya yığmasıdır. Mundiala pley-off mərhələsi keçməklə gələn şotlandlar üçüncü yerə namizədlərdəndir. Lakin komanda sürpriz etmək potensialında olanlar arasında yer alır.

İlk dəfə 1954-cü ildə dünya çempionatında yer alan komanda ötən əsrdə yaxşı nəticələrlə diqqət çəksə də, son dönəmlərdə enişdə olub. Şotlandiya bu mundialdan əvvəl sonuncu dəfə 1998-ci ildə dünya çempionatında mübarizə aparmışdı. Avropalılar hələlik qrupdan çıxmağı bacarmayıb. Bu dəfəki niyyət ilki bacarmaq olacaq.

“Tartan Army” ləqəbli komandanın əsas ulduzu Skott Maktomineydir. Ondan başqa heyətdə Aaron Hiki, Con Makqin, Endryu Robertson, Lyuis Ferqyuson kimi tanınmış adlar var. Heyətin dəyəri 176.23 milyon avrodur.

Şotlandiya millisi mundiallarda:
23 oyun, 4 qələbə, 7 heç-heçə, 12 məğlubiyyət.

Haiti

Karib hövzəsinin təmsilçisi tarixində ikinci dəfə dünya çempionatında iştirak edəcək. İlki 1974-cü ildə yaşayan “Qrenadirlər” ləqəbli komanda həmin vaxt İtaliyaya qol vurmaqla özləri üçün böyük uğur əldə etmişdi. Komanda həmin mundialı qələbəsiz başa vurmuşdu.

KONKAKAF zonası üzrə seçmə mərhələdən mundiala vəsiqə qazanan Haiti 52 il sonra dünya çempionatında mübarizə aparacaq. “Qrenadirlər” üçün də bura gəlmək böyük nailiyyət hesab edilir.

Heyətin dəyəri 55 milyon avrodur. Qrupun zəif bəndi sayılan kariblilərdə ən tanınmış oyunçu Vilson İzidordur. İngiltərənin “Sanderlend” klubunda çıxış edən hücumçu komandasının ən dəyərlisidir – 18 milyon avro.

Haiti mundiallar tarixində qələbə qazana bilməyən komandalar sırasındadır.

“Qrenadirlər” dünya çempionatlarında:
3 oyun, 3 məğlubiyyət.

C qrupunun afişası:
13 iyun Braziliya – Mərakeş
14 iyun Haiti – Şotlandiya
19 iyun Şotlandiya – Mərakeş
20 iyun Braziliya – Haiti
24 iyun Mərakeş – Haiti
24 iyun Şotlandiya – Braziliya

Şahin Cəfərov

Avstriyada təlim-məşq toplanışında olan Azərbaycan milli komandasının iyunun 5-də Malta yığmasına qarşı keçirəcəyi yoldaşlıq görüşü öncəsi təşkil olunacaq mətbuat konfransının və açıq məşqinin başlanma saatında dəyişiklik edilib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, hər iki tədbir öncədən planlaşdırılan vaxtdan bir saat gec başlanacaq.

4 iyun

Azərbaycan milli komandası
20:30. Mətbuat konfransı
21:30. İlk 15 dəqiqəsi mətbuat üçün açıq məşq

Qeyd: Mətbuat konfransı və açıq məşqin başlanma saatı Bakı vaxtı ilə göstərilib.

AFFA Konfrans Liqasından kənarlaşdırılan “Turan Tovuz”la bağlı növbəti dəfə açıqlama yayıb.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, qurum CAS tərəfindən yekun qərar qəbul edilənə qədər klubun avrokuboklarda nəzərdə tutulan yerinin qorunub saxlanılacağı bildirib:

“Turan Tovuz” klubunun UEFA Apellyasiya Orqanının 2 iyun 2026-cı il tarixli qərarına əsasən, UEFA Konfrans Liqasının 2026/2027-ci illər mövsümündə iştirak hüququndan məhrum edilməsi barədə qərardan İdman Arbitraj Məhkəməsinə (CAS) müraciət etmək hüququ var.

CAS tərəfindən yekun qərar qəbul edilənə qədər idman prinsipləri əsasında ölkə çempionatında 3-cü yeri tutaraq Konfrans Liqasına vəsiqə qazanmış “Turan Tovuz” klubunun avrokuboklarda nəzərdə tutulan yeri qorunub saxlanılacaq. Yalnız CAS-ın verəcəyi qərardan sonra növbəti addımlar müəyyən ediləcək”.

Source

Lazio have not officially announced Gennaro Gattuso as their new coach, but he is already at work, arriving at the Formello training ground today.

The club parted company with Maurizio Sarri by mutual consent after a difficult year with many discussions between the hierarchy and their tactician.

While Sarri is now heading towards Atalanta, he has been replaced by former Italy CT Gattuso, who resigned from his position after the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

There has been no announcement yet, but it is widely reported that he agreed a two-year contract to lead the Aquile.

Gattuso starting Lazio job already

The ex-midfielder was spotted at the Formello training ground today, where he met with the directors to discuss the final details of the contract, and above all the transfer strategy.

He was accompanied by long-term assistant manager Luigi Riccio, team manager Stefan Derkum and director Alberto Bianchi.

The squad is expected to come together for medical tests on July 10 and begin pre-season training at Formello on July 13.

Jose Mourinho has reportedly asked Real Madrid to sign Italy international Riccardo Calafiori from Arsenal to strengthen their defence next season, after Inter’s Denzel Dumfries.

The Special One has agreed to take over, and it will be finalised if Florentino Perez wins the Presidential elections this weekend.

They have already secured a deal for Inter full-back Dumfries, activating the €20m release clause in his contract and agreeing personal terms with the Dutchman.

Calafiori next on Real Madrid wish list

Now Real Madrid specialist reporter Ramon Alvarez de Mon claims that Mourinho has also specifically requested Calafiori as a reinforcement for the defence.

The versatility of the Italy international is what intrigues him, able to play as a central defender or a left-back.

Calafiori has said that he prefers to play in the centre of defence, whereas at Arsenal he was largely used out of his favoured position.

Fresh from winning the Premier League title, Calafiori was left on the bench throughout the Champions League Final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Gunners paid €44m plus up to a further €5m in add-ons to purchase him from Bologna in the summer of 2024, though injuries have stalled his progress.

He made 36 competitive appearances for Arsenal this season, contributing one goal and three assists.

Reports from various outlets on Wednesday confirm that Alessio Dionisi is set to take over from Ed Still as head coach of EFL Championship side Watford. 

According to the latest updates on Wednesday, Dionisi is set to sign a two-year contract with Watford, with wages reported to be in the region of €500,000 per season. 

Dionisi most recently took charge of Serie B outfit Empoli at the beginning of the 2025-26 season, but was dismissed in mid-March after picking up just five league victories from 22 attempts. Empoli eventually finished the season in 15th place. 

Dionisi led Palermo to a Serie B play-off finish in 2024-25, but was dismissed in June at the end of that season after losing 1-0 to Juve Stabia in the play-off preliminary round. 

Dionisi found more success after being appointed as the successor to Roberto De Zerbi at Sassuolo in 2021. He signed an initial two-year contract with the Neroverdi, led the team to two respectable mid-table finishes in his first two seasons, but was then dismissed midway through his third campaign in charge with the team sitting at the bottom of the Serie A table. 

Watford is set to be the 46-year-old’s first managerial experience outside Italy. 

Former Italian head coaches of Watford 

Alessio Dionisi *June 2026-

Claudio Ranieri October 2021 – January 2022

Walter Mazzari July 2016 – May 2017 

Giuseppe Sannino – December 2013 – August 2014 

Gianfranco Zola July 2012 – December 2013 

Gianluca Vialli May 2001 – June 2002

Samsung users have reported an unusual issue on older Galaxy devices running the latest One UI 8.5 software. Some Galaxy AI features that are not officially available on these phones are appearing in the settings menu, causing confusion among users.

A user shared a video recorded on a Galaxy Z Flip 5 showing Galaxy AI features such as Health Assist and Audio Eraser. Health Assist occasionally appears under Galaxy AI Personal settings, while Audio Eraser can be seen inside the Galaxy AI section of Secure Folder.

However, these features are not actually usable. Users report that the options briefly appear in the settings menu but disappear when they try to access them. As a result, it feels like the features are installed on the device, but they remain unavailable.

A Samsung community moderator replied to the report and explained that a Health Assist visibility issue on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has been fixed in the latest Samsung Health app update, version 6.32.

Samsung advised users to check whether they are using the latest version of Samsung Health. The company also suggested updating the app through the Google Play Store or Galaxy Store if necessary.

While Samsung’s response addresses the Health Assist issue, it does not fully explain why unsupported Galaxy AI features, like Audio Eraser, continue to appear on some older devices. This cause confuse; these features may exist in the software but are not enabled for users.

The company says users who continue to experience problems after updating Samsung Health should contact support through the Samsung Health app. They may be asked to provide their Samsung Members ID and details of their report. Stay tuned for more information.

The post Older Samsung devices showing hidden Galaxy AI options in settings appeared first on Sammy Fans.

Microsoft unveiled the Surface Laptop Ultra, a MacBook Pro competitor powered by the Nvidia RTX Spark. What if you could have that but minus the laptop? Meet the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box. The pitch is short but sweet: 1 petaflop of compute, 128GB of RAM, can run 120 billion parameter models locally. To add a bit more detail, that is 1 petaflop of FP4 with sparse matrices and the RAM is unified so it is shared between the CPU and the GPU. Speaking of which, the RTX Spark combines a 20 core Grace CPU (10x Cortex-X925 + 10x Cortex-A725) and a Blackwell GPU, which is the architecture...

Today marks Munenori Kawasaki’s 45th birthday.

Kawasaki spent two full seasons and part of a third with the Blue Jays, appearing in 201 games and posting a .242/.326/.301 slash line with a 1.6 bWAR.

He also spent time with the Mariners and Cubs, and, of course, enjoyed 12 seasons in Japan’s Pacific League.

But what truly made him a fan favourite wasn’t his play—it was his infectious personality.

Happy birthday, Munenori.

Today, Jose Molina celebrates his 51st birthday.

Molina was the quintessential good-glove, light-hitting catcher.

Over 15 big league seasons with five teams, Molina spent 2010 and 2011 with the Jays, appearing in 112 games and hitting .263/.323/.396 with 9 home runs—his best offensive numbers with any club (94 OPS+ compared to his career mark of 64). Maybe Cito’s coaching helped.

Across 947 MLB games, Molina hit .233/.282/.327 with 39 home runs, playing for the Cubs, Angels, Yankees, Jays, and Rays. His defensive prowess kept him in the majors—he threw out 37% of base stealers and was highly regarded by pitchers. His brothers, Yadier and Bengie, were also major league catchers. (Bengie, who arguably drew the short straw with names, also had a brief stint with the Jays.)

Happy birthday, Jose.

Nelson Liriano turns 62 today.

Liriano played for the Blue Jays from 1987 until midway through the 1990 season.

In his rookie year, he appeared in 37 games, hitting .241/.310/.342, and somehow even received a Rookie of the Year vote—perhaps for rescuing a writer’s cat from a tree.

In 1988, he played 99 games, hitting .264/.297/.333. The following year, he appeared in 132 games and played 3 more in the ALCS loss to the A’s. In 1990, after 50 games with the Jays, he was traded to the Twins for John Candelaria at the end of July.

Overall, Liriano appeared in 318 games for Toronto, batting .251/.311/.345 with 11 home runs, 44 stolen bases, and a 2.2 bWAR.

After leaving Toronto, he played for the Twins, Royals, Rockies, Pirates, and Dodgers. Over 11 seasons, he hit .260/.324/.366 with 25 home runs and 26 triples—an unusual feat to have more triples than homers over such a long career.

Liriano was essentially a replacement-level player: average defensively, a bit below average with the bat, but his reliability earned him 823 major league games.

That stretch of light-hitting second basemen—Garth Iorg, Manny Lee, and Liriano—helped explain why the Jays eventually traded for Roberto Alomar.

Happy birthday, Nelson.

It’s also Eric Lauer’s 31st birthday.

Lauer had a very good 2025 season but a terrible start to 2026, which led to his DFAed. The Dodgers picked him up, and he’s had two good starts for them. I see that he had a couple of his fastballs up to 94 mph, but was normally in the 92 range.

Happy birthday, Eric.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Jessica Mendoza heard the rumblings early in the process that the softball portion of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games would be moved to USA Softball’s Devon Park in Oklahoma City. 

She immediately worked the phones, calling whomever she could to keep the tournament at the main Olympic site. The Olympics are a unique athlete experience. Mendoza recalled sitting with athletes from Iraq at the 2004 Athens Olympics after the U.S. invaded the country, a human moment of commonality she wouldn’t have had otherwise. 

She carries fond memories of Kobe Bryant playing video games down the hall at the 2008 Beijing Games and supporting teammates in sports of which she’d never heard. That wouldn’t have been possible if she played 1,334 miles away from the main site, at a location she visited regularly as the home of the Women’s College World Series. 

“You play in Oklahoma City all the time,” Mendoza, a two-time Olympic medalist, told Yahoo Sports. “What makes the Olympics the Olympics is everything that happens around that. So for those players, I wanted them to have that.” 

After LA28, the official Olympics organizing committee, made it official last year it would host softball and canoe slalom halfway across the country, planning began in earnest this week to support a type of true Olympic athlete experience in Oklahoma City. 

More than 40 officials from LA28, as well as personnel from USA Softball and the city’s Olympic planning arm, Team OKC, were on site this week to tour the locations. They spent three days at Devon Park from Monday through Wednesday, with a particular interest in how the ballpark operates at full capacity and throughout multiple sessions during the WCWS. 

Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament

The Games hold the potential to supercharge softball’s rise in the same vein as the 1996 Atlanta Games. Location and interest matters, and Mendoza was not the only former Olympian to critique the situation. USA Softball CEO Craig Cress told Yahoo Sports he heard from many upset athletes who were excited to play in a true home Olympics in Southern California, a hotbed of the sport. 

He met with them to further detail the lack of viable options for either sport in Los Angeles. The committee is determined to use existing facilities in other locations to host competitions for a third consecutive Olympics.

“It seemed like a long road to travel, but I think it makes sense,” Cress told Yahoo Sports. “A lot of people can talk their way into it now.” 

Inside the search for an Olympic softball venue

The first task for softball and baseball is always to be in the Olympics at all. The “add-on” sports were left off in 2012, 2016 and 2024, but received approval by the IOC to be in Los Angeles. 

An ensuring search for a facility proved a similar challenge. The baseball tournament will be played at Dodger Stadium, but the committee didn’t like retrofitting it. Temporary fences need to be installed closer to the infield, creating a dead space beyond them. 

“They weren’t excited about that look for softball, which [we were] happy to hear, because we were happy to be in the Olympics [in Tokyo], but we weren’t happy about the look either,” Cress said. 

The most obvious softball spot was UCLA’s Easton Field, but its dimensions are small at 210 feet in center field, 190 feet down the lines and a capacity of 1,328 fans. Even if it had the desirable attributes, it became a nonstarter as the site of the Athlete Village. 

The best option the committee could come up with was a minor league baseball stadium around 70 miles from Los Angeles that would have forced the participating athletes to stay outside of the village anyway. Attention turned to Oklahoma City, where Mayor David Holt and former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti were already discussing holding river sports at OKC Whitewater Center, an official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic training site since 2009. 

With a venue still undecided at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Nico Campriani, the LA28 vice president of sports, set it up on a tee for Cress to hit when he asked for his top pick. 

“This is going to sound really biased,” Cress told Campriani. “No offense, but the best softball facility is in Oklahoma City.” 

AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis

Devon Park is an international-standard 220 feet around the outfield with a capacity for at least 9,000, and up to more than 12,000. The fourth session of the WCWS on Saturday set an all-time record of 12,679

“That was one of the biggest driving points is [they] couldn't get a stadium that could fill the amount of demand of those that love softball in our country,” said Mendoza, who will call the WCWS championship series for ESPN this week. “So there's no place better than Oklahoma City if you’re talking about a true softball field that can host thousands and thousands of fans.” 

The entire process took about five months, with an announcement in March 2025. The Oklahoma City Council unanimously approved a preliminary $25.4 million indoor softball facility last month, with construction slated to begin after the WCWS. The athlete village will be at Oklahoma City University. 

USA Softball, which is based next to Devon Park, will make concessions for it to work. Team USA cannot play at Devon Park beginning March 9, 2028, and must vacate its offices throughout the duration of the Games, and will likely do so in April 2028. 

Cress said the committee wanted exclusive rights to the facility beginning in March, but USA Softball pushed back for the NCAA to host its 2028 WCWS as scheduled. LA28 will instead receive exclusive rights beginning June 12, 2028, the Monday after the tournament ends. 

Since the decision is solidified, Mendoza is among those looking to move forward and support a sport that is booming in popularity. 

“The fact that we are in the Olympic Games is something that we don’t take for granted by any means,” Mendoza said. “And these women are still going to be celebrated and should be celebrated at the end of the day.”

Ceremonies, logistics and making it ‘look different’

The 1996 Olympic team won its gold medal in Columbus, Georgia, more than 100 miles from the Olympic center in Atlanta. It was the sport’s first Olympic appearance and used existing facilities. 

The use of “satellite villages” is increasingly preferred to mitigate new builds that lay vacant decades later. The 2024 Paris Summer Games held its surfing competition 10,000 miles away in Tahiti, and the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games spread competitions out with Opening Ceremony festivities at every site. 

There are no plans to do that in 2028, but USA Softball and Team OKC both said they are pushing for softball athletes’ inclusion in the main event. 

“We're committed to one another to get Team USA out there, and I fully expect that we would make the same offer to the other five qualifying teams in softball,” Team OKC president Michael Byrnes told Yahoo Sports. 

The softball tournament will be played at the back end of the two-week schedule, allowing teams to travel to Los Angeles without impacting their tournament. Cress said USA Softball requested that athletes be able to stay in the Los Angeles athlete village the night of the ceremony, but ultimately it is the decision of LA28 and the U.S. Olympic Committee. They are also pushing to attend the closing ceremonies. 

The committees also want to ensure the Olympics are differentiated from the WCWS, which has been held in Oklahoma City since 1997. Only nine times in the NCAA’s history of the event has it been held elsewhere. In 1996, the NCAA hosted the WCWS in Columbus ahead of that summer’s Olympic Games.

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Nearly all of the players in the national team’s 36-player pool have competed at the WCWS in Oklahoma City, creating another component that both USA Softball and Team OKC are looking to solve. The Olympics can’t be a WCWS in July.

“That is an important piece,” Byrnes said. “Certainly the look and feel is going to be … there'll be a lot of consideration for how it will look different, but also just how we're creating an athlete experience overall.”

One of the major things Byrnes noticed when he attended the Milan-Cortina Games was the lack of a unifying identity citywide. In some pockets, it was clear a major event was taking place. Yet in other areas, it felt “kind of a day in the life.”

“That stuck with me, that we have to be very thoughtful and intentional about making it feel big throughout the community,” Byrnes said. 

Mendoza agreed, pitching an environment of restaurants and billboards that make it known the Olympics are here. Team OKC will tap into local creatives, similar to how the city adorns its windows and high-rise apartment buildings with branding for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. 

“They’ve set the bar,” Byrnes said. “And so they’ll be great resources at helping us in that planning.” 

There will also be a natural environment shift from the WCWS with various cultures represented and necessary tweaks to the structure. 

How Olympic layout will differ from WCWS

Jordy Frahm’s indelible memory of three WCWS appearances is that it always smells like funnel cakes. The tournament takes on a festival feel with food trucks in the open concourse areas and behind the outfield bleachers. Fans arrive early to tailgate in the parking lots, and retreat to their setups in between sessions. 

It’s unlikely the Olympics feature either of those. The ballpark pulled back on available on-site parking this year, and will not have any for the Olympics. Vehicles will also not be able to park at the various nearby lots, including across the road at the Oklahoma Firefighters Museum. There is a 1-mile buffer zone around Olympic facilities. 

LA28 personnel monitored the various bus lines and shuttles bringing people on site to adjust for their own needs. The committee is also working to finalize a partner for the food and beverage experience after observing the front and back of house for Devon Park’s food service. 

As part of the upcoming renovations, netting will be installed on the baselines and the outfield scoreboard will be raised to accommodate higher seating. Cress said the committee isn’t “a big bleacher group” and would prefer chair backs. But bleachers can seat more people, and the committee will ponder it after seeing record sellouts this week. 

They also kept an eye on where people migrated, particularly on the hot and humid days. The feel-like temperature over the weekend hit 105 degrees, which is what fans can expect in late July. Attendees took longer in the bathroom with air conditioning, hid in the concourses and stacked five rows deep during the hottest part of the day. 

Everyone will return to Los Angeles and reconvene as plans evolve over the coming months. Concrete plans aren’t expected until 2027, but it is entering crunch time. 

“We’re on the right track now,” Cress said. “And obviously every year that we put on a quality World Series, it makes it easier to show that this is where the softball team should be.”

The ability to see a long-standing successful event at their site created a strong starting point for the committee. As Texas Tech pitcher and Team USA pool member NiJaree Canady said ahead of her fourth WCWS appearance, when you think softball, you think of Oklahoma City. 

James McClair, Football reporter

Curaçao are gearing up for their World Cup finals debut, as the Blue Wave are set to become the smallest country ever to appear in the competition.

The Caribbean island located off the coast of Venezuela, which has a population of just 156,000, will become etched in the history books when they face Germany in Houston, breaking the previous record set by Iceland in 2018.

Curaçao manager Dick Advocaat will grab a personal slice of history, becoming the oldest coach at a World Cup at the age of 78.

The former Sunderland gaffer had stepped away from the national side in February due to personal reasons but he was reappointed last month following the nation’s poor start to life under successor Fred Rutten.

Advocaat oversaw the Blue Wave’s landmark qualification campaign in which they remained unbeaten across 10 CONCACAF matches, winning seven. His return is the latest show of defiance from an island which continually beats the odds.

Curaçao will be eager to leave their mark at the finals in a group that contains four-time champions Germany, fancied dark horses Ecuador and three-time AFCON winners Ivory Coast.

The expanded format of the competition will also provide belief they can cause a further upset in Group E.

Germany have twice flattered to deceive on the world stage since lifting the trophy in Brazil 12 years ago whilst Ivory Coast and Ecuador haven’t regularly qualified themselves, let alone made easy work of the group stage.

The possibility of progressing to the knockout stages as one of eight third-placed teams won’t be lost on Advocaat’s men, with a singular win perhaps enough to ensure their spot in the last 32.

Another advantage for qualifiers from the CONCACAF route is their familiarity with the climate, as humid conditions could prove tough for sides from other regions to contend with.

Despite their shortage of tournament experience, the country’s travelling party contains a plethora of players with pedigree in Europe’s top divisions.

Brothers Leandro and Juninho Bacuna have become key cogs in Advocaat’s side, with both tried and tested in the Premier League. The former will captain Curacao in North America and is already the leading appearance maker for the national team.

Former Manchester United prospect Tahith Chong, now on the books at Sheffield United, adds an unpredictability to their game whilst ex-Brighton forward Jurgen Locadia was once the club’s record signing.

The former Seagulls man looks set to miss their matches with Germany and Ecuador however, after being shown a straight red card in their pre-tournament defeat to Scotland.

Middlesbrough winger Sontje Hansen is yet to truly earn his stripes at the Riverside but could prove a pivotal source of inspiration for Curacao.

Given Curaçao remains part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, it’s no surprise there’s an equally strong contingent of players in the squad plying their trade in the Eredivisie.

Advocaat’s side kick off their tournament against Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany in Houston on Sunday 14th of June before clashing with Ecuador in Kansas City a week later.

They then head further up the East Coast to Philadelphia for their final group stage game, where they’ll take on the Ivory Coast on Thursday 25th of June.

Real American Freestyle (RAF) is going global.

The promotion today announced its first International fight card set for July 11 at Tbilisi Arena in Georgia, headlined by hometown hero Merab Dvalishvili. “The Machine” will take on fellow former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo.

Olympic Gold Medalists Abdulrashid Sadulaev and Kyle Snyder collide in the RAF Georgia co-main event.

“Wrestling has always been a global sport. What it has lacked is a global platform,” said Chad Bronstein, CEO and Co-Founder of RAF. “RAF was built to change that. Georgia is home to some of the greatest wrestlers in the world and one of the proudest wrestling cultures anywhere. We couldn’t imagine a better place to launch our international expansion.”

RAF Georgia also features Olympic Silver Medalist Givi Matcharashvili against two-time NCAA All-American Zach Elam. Olympic Gold Medalist and three-time World Champion Geno Petriashvili and UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan are among confirmed competitors for July 11.

“Wrestling is part of Georgia’s identity, and there is no better place for RAF to launch its international expansion — the energy, passion, and tradition of wrestling make this the perfect place,” said Tevdore Makashvilli, Country Lead, RAF Georgia. “Our athletes have spent decades proving themselves on the Olympic and world stage, and now RAF is bringing a new level of opportunity, visibility, and excitement to the sport. This event will showcase some of the best wrestlers in the world in front of one of the most passionate wrestling fan bases anywhere. We’re proud to partner with RAF — it’s a statement about where the sport is headed, and we’re excited for Georgia to help lead that future.”

Additional matchups for RAF Georgia are expected to be announced in the coming days.

Why Yankees wouldn't be 'enthusiastic' about reunion with All-Star closer originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Even if it makes sense for their current roster needs, the New York Yankees will not be making a trade for their former All-Star closer. 

The left-hander departed the club on bad terms, and it's clear he is not that fond of the Yankees organization. 

Aroldis Chapman is still throwing gas for the Boston Red Sox, but could be a trade candidate at this year's deadline because of his club's struggles. 

"Chapman's contract includes a $13 million option for 2027 that vests with 40 innings this year, so he's not really a rental, which could appeal to some teams," Mike Axisa of CBS Sports wrote Wednesday. "Even at age 38, Chapman has again been out-of-this-world good this season." 

Meanwhile, the Yankees have had bullpen troubles, including with closer David Bednar, who runs himself into trouble more often than not.

New York's front office would be wise to target relievers for its postseason run, but Chapman is not the right guy. 

MORE: Phillies extending Cristopher Sanchez to his $107 million deal was genius

"On the field, a reunion with the Yankees makes sense, though I don't think either side would be enthusiastic about it," Axisa added. 

During the offseason, Chapman openly spoke badly about the Yankees, saying he would rather retire than wear the pinstripes again. 

Sure, he's a lockdown closer that the Yankees could utilize, but there are serious questions about how adding him would impact the clubhouse. 

More MLB news:

• 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals
• Roman Anthony might’ve been overhyped for Red Sox
• Chase Burns becomes first Reds pitcher with elite stat line since 1922
• Mets projected to still sell at trade deadline by ex-MLB GM
• Ex-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 success

A new NBA rumor opens the door for the Los Angeles Clippers to flip their fifth overall pick in this month’s NBA Draft for an MVP candidate from this past season.

Before this year’s NBA trade deadline, the Clippers did the right thing. With the team nowhere close to being a serious title contender, they traded some of their valuable veterans. They moved James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a deal for Darius Garland. But the more important trade was sending Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers in a risky deal that landed them the fifth pick in this month’s draft.

The team seemed to be heading in the right direction by getting younger and rebuilding with a potential star from the draft. However, rumors have persisted that the team might be open to moving the selection to pair current top star Kawhi Leonard with another All-Star caliber player. Well, the door may be open to getting an elite star this summer.

On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Eric Nehm reported that the Boston Celtics cannot be ruled out in the upcoming Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market. Despite management’s claims, they have no intentions of pursuing the future Hall of Famer or trading Jaylen Brown. The NBA insiders suggest the team could move quietly in the shadows toward a deal.

Could the LA Clippers join a three-team trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo?

But they also add that “a multi-team deal in which Brown headed elsewhere could serve [the Milwaukee Bucks] very well in terms of other players and assets.” That is where the Clippers could come in.

A potential deal framework that would work money-wise, and give the Bucks a strong return, could see Antetokounmpo go to the Celtics, and Brown to the Clippers. The Bucks would receive Darius Garland — a star at an age Milwaukee allegedly would prefer — and Derrick Jones Jr. They would also get the Clippers pick at five, which could land Milwaukee an elite guard prospect like Darius Acuff Jr., and the Celtics selection at 27.

It means the Bucks get a 26-year-old who can score 20 points a night and would now have three picks in the first round of a draft that is viewed as one of the deepest in years. More future picks could be added on, but that is a starting point that would satisfy Milwaukee.

For the Clippers, they would emerge as a dark horse contender in the West with the combo of 2025-26 MVP candidate Brown and (hopefully a healthy) Leonard.

Related Headlines

• NBA Insider Claims This NY Knicks Role Player Can Swing NBA Finals in NYK’s Favor
• NY Knicks Game Tonight: Channel, Time, Odds & Full NBA Finals Schedule vs. Spurs
• NBA Experts Detail NY Knicks X-Factor That Can Have Huge Impact on NBA Finals Win

It's been an interesting couple of months for Milan Momcilovic. The 6-foot-8 forward entered the transfer portal and tested the NBA draft waters, leaving all possible options open for the next chapter of his basketball career.

Momcilovic told The Des Moines Register that his preference was to go to the NBA, despite the lucrative and attractive alternatives he had in college.

While the former Iowa State star might be slightly disappointed that his NBA dreams won't be realized next season, there are a few reasons why staying in college for another year is the best thing that could've happened to him.

BREAKING: Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, the best shooter in the country and the No. 1 player to enter the portal this spring, has committed to Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/Xn8Q1ECei3

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) June 2, 2026

USA TODAY Sports reported that Momcilovic elected to transfer to Kentucky, which had kept in touch with the transfer portal target via Zoom meetings this spring.

With a strong season at a different school, perhaps with a different dynamic than he is used to at Iowa State, Momcilovic could ultimately boost his draft stock heading into 2027. Scouts could look favorably upon his ability to thrive in various situations, which is something he will have to do at the next level anyway.

Additionally, Momcilovic has one more chance to prove that he can contribute to winning in ways other than scoring at the college level. He's a prolific three-point shooter but has left fans wanting more on the rebounding end for someone his size. Momcilovic has only averaged three boards per game throughout his college career at six-foot-eight, and a strong season on the glass could help round out his prospect profile.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly for Momcilovic and his family, Kentucky backed up the Brinks truck to bring him to the program. The forward is reportedly receiving more than $6 million next season, which is much more than he would have earned in the NBA as a late first-round or second-round pick.

All things considered, the result puts Momcilovic in a favorable position to improve on the court while adding to his bank account off of it.

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

This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Kentucky Basketball: Milan Momcilovic will benefit from college return

LaMelo Ball’s attorneys say the family suing the Hornets star over an incident outside the Spectrum Center is seeking $ 3.7 million, according to The Charlotte Observer.

The family sued Ball two years ago.

The lawsuit claims he ran over their kid’s foot while leaving the Spectrum Center.

A judge ordered Ball to meet with attorneys for the boy’s family.

Ball says it never happened.

The lawsuit is set to go to trial on June 15.

San Diego at Philadelphia — NBC 10, NBCS Philadelphia, Fanatiz, MLB.TV, Padres.TV

Pittsburgh at Houston — FS1, Space City HN, SportsNet Pittsburgh, Fanatiz, Fubo Sports, MLB.TV

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV.

Soon-to-be Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has told the club to sign West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes if Aurelien Tchouameni leaves, according to Madrid insider and journalist Ramon Alvarez. West Ham are expected to be without key players at the London Stadium club next season after manager Nuno Espirito Santo and his men got relegated. Fernandes is one of the Hammers star set to leave, and Madrid have joined other suitors in the race for the Portugal international.

West Ham have told Arsenal and Manchester United that it will cost up to £80 million to sign the former Southampton star. Paris Saint-Germain are also one of his admirers, but moving to Madrid could be more appealing because of Mourinho. However, a move will only depend on Tchouameni’s future, and other suitors will keep monitoring the situation. The West Ham star will look to impress at the World Cup and attract more big clubs, which will be music to the Hammers’ ears.

They want top dollar for the 21-year-old and will be happy if a solid campaign at the summer tournament can help drive up his value. Fernandes was one of the best players at the club during the season, weighing in with three goals and four assists in 36 league appearances.

James McClair, Football reporter

The United States of America will be hoping to capitalise on home advantage at the 2026 World Cup, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side aim to reach the knockout stages at back-to-back finals.

The Stars and Stripes have progressed from the group stage in their last three World Cup appearances. They most recently bowed out at the Round of 16 stage in Qatar four years ago, after failing to qualify for the 2018 finals in Russia.

Pochettino recently drew criticism for contacting the players not included in his 26-man squad by email, a decision which he staunchly defended amidst questions from the media. The Argentine said he “didn’t sleep” for two weeks after axing the likes of Lyon’s Tanner Tessmann and Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris.

AC Milan forward Christian Pulisic remains the key talisman for the US but the former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund man has a stronger supporting cast than he did in Qatar.

Young forwards Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun both demonstrated their goalscoring exploits in this season’s UEFA Champions League whilst Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Malik Tillman adds a threat from deep.

Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards played a key part in the Eagles’ triumphant UEFA Conference League campaign but his fitness remains in doubt as he battles an ankle injury.

Richards agonisingly missed the competition four years ago through a hamstring problem and would be a huge loss if he’s unable to recover for the USA’s clash with Paraguay.

The likes of Brenden Aaronson and Weston McKennie will head into the tournament’s 23rd edition in better form this time around, whilst Coventry forward Haji Wright and Marseille’s Tim Weah will be looking to better the one goal they each mustered up in 2022.

Since Pochettino took charge of the national side 21 months ago, the US have slowly found their feet.

Their preparation has largely been made up of friendly matches due to the fact host nations automatically qualify for the competition. After suffering defeat in last year’s Gold Cup final to fellow hosts Mexico, the Stars and Stripes have landed some eye-catching results.

They’ve recorded wins over the likes of Japan, Senegal and Uruguay – who have each picked up results against Thomas Tuchel’s England in the last 12 months.

The US also beat Australia and Paraguay, both of whom they’ll meet in Group D. They’ll also face Turkiye, who are appearing at just their third World Cup finals, and Pochettino will be aiming to top the group.

The former Spurs and PSG boss will be quietly confident the USMNT can reap the benefits of co-hosting the tournament. Pochettino can take inspiration from Russia, who embarked on a run to the quarter finals on home soil, as well as Germany, Brazil and South Korea, who have all made it to the last four at their respective World Cups this century.

Whilst Pochettino refuses to rule out the possibility of his side winning the competition, reaching the last eight – which they’ve only managed once since 1930 – would be a mighty achievement, particularly given the extra knockout round at this year’s finals.

The US begin their campaign against Paraguay in Los Angeles in the early hours of Saturday 13th of June (GMT) before they meet Australia six days later in Seattle. They then return to LA to face Turkiye on the morning of Friday 26th June.

La Liga giants Real Madrid have tied up a deal to bring in Denzel Dumfries from Italian champions Inter Milan this summer.

This comes amid confirmation that an agreement has been found with the Dutchman’s entourage over the terms of a contract in Spain’s capital.

Ongoings behind the scenes at Real Madrid have of course dominated the media headlines across Europe over the last 24 hours.

First, Los Blancos sprung into action to secure a commitment from Ibrahima Konaté, following the Frenchman’s failed contract talks with Liverpool.

This was then swiftly followed by confirmation that discussions had also been opened with the representatives of the aforementioned Denzel Dumfries, amid efforts to reinforce the defensive ranks of the incoming José Mourinho.

And as alluded to above, Florentino Pérez and co. now appear all set to land their chief right-back target, too.

As per a report from journalist Fabrizio Romano:

‘Denzel Dumfries to Real Madrid, HERE WE GO! Deal in place and all agreed with Dutch right back to join Real Madrid from Inter, Spanish club will trigger €20m release clause.’

Conor Laird – GSFN

If it was Andoni Iraola’s excellence that took him to Liverpool, he and they almost had cause to rue it. Bournemouth ended the season on the charge, unbeaten in 18 league games. Liverpool finished it on the slide, taking just two points from their last four matches, winning only three in 10. Had the campaign gone on for another couple of weeks, Bournemouth would probably have leapfrogged Liverpool. And if that would have rendered Arne Slot’s dismissal more of a formality, it would have denied Iraola Champions League football at Anfield next season, assuming a man who has verbally agreed to take the job does so.

As it is, the sight of Liverpool and Bournemouth side by side in the table showed they were respective underachievers and overachievers. Just as they were opposites, Iraola looked a natural antidote to Slot. When Liverpool decided they wanted more front-foot, urgent and aggressive football, they might have been writing a job description for their preferred candidate.

Bournemouth had the most shots from fast breaks last season. They pressed high and effectively. When Mohamed Salah called for a return to the heavy metal football Jurgen Klopp purveyed, in an implied criticism of Slot, he might have been imagining Iraola’s Bournemouth.

Liverpool could give testament to the potency of Iraola’s attacking football; the opening game of the Premier League season brought a 4-2 victory for the defending champions, but only after a scare. Antoine Semenyo scored twice from lightning counterattacks, each offering evidence Liverpool were vulnerable to transitions.

In the return game in January, Iraola illustrated that Slot’s revival was not built on the firmest of foundations. Liverpool arrived in Dorset unbeaten in 13 games but departed defeated, 3-2. Amine Adli’s injury-time winner came into two categories that damned Slot’s Liverpool: late concessions and set-piece goals.

So, having highlighted some frailties, Iraola will be charged with addressing them. Slot was the continuity candidate who initially prospered with Klopp’s players, but his football became less Klopp-like. Meanwhile, football shifted in a way that meant Slot, from a contemporary figure, suddenly appeared a man out of time, bemoaning the more physical game but struggling to come up with an answer to it.

Iraola can seem at the vanguard of a movement, as Klopp did. His style of play could explain why Liverpool showed little interest in his fellow Basque, a childhood friend who had looked better qualified for the top job at Anfield, in Xabi Alonso. That Bayer Leverkusen, where Alonso completed an unbeaten season in the Bundesliga, had wanted Iraola shows how they can be interlinked.

Indeed, rewind to 2023 and Leeds, embroiled in a relegation battle they would ultimately lose, sacked Jesse Marsch and turned their attention to Iraola, then of Rayo Vallecano, and Slot, still at Feyenoord. Each had the sense to stay put. Iraola seemed a logical candidate: he had played for Marcelo Bielsa, a manager who transformed Leeds, at Athletic Bilbao. A bigger influence on Iraola, however, was Ernesto Valverde, who figured prominently in Liverpool’s thinking when they looked for a successor to Slot.

If the Basque Country can seem a heartland for progressive football thinking, Bournemouth may be a less likely one. But Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes has twice shown a ruthlessness in jettisoning seemingly successful managers to bring in Iraola: first, Gary O’Neil, who had kept Bournemouth up when most predicted relegation and then the Premier League winner Slot, in a way Liverpool accepted felt harsh.

The links between Liverpool and Bournemouth already include Milos Kerkez, who performed better for Iraola than Slot. They could have featured Semenyo, who was admired at Anfield before he joined Manchester City; instead, Liverpool’s summer business entails finding a replacement for Salah and the kind of fast winger who suits Iraola. There were those at Bournemouth who thought that Illia Zabarnyi, now at Paris Saint-Germain, would end up on Merseyside as Virgil van Dijk’s long-term replacement. Current transfer speculation suggests the Ukrainian may yet.

That Iraola rebuilt Bournemouth in an uncomplaining fashion after sales and ended with a record unbeaten run despite being stripped of Semenyo, Zabarnyi, Kerkez and Dean Huijsen equips him for the role of the head coach, where Hughes and Michael Edwards take more responsibility for transfers; though it would help if they got more right this summer. But Liverpool, further up the food chain than Bournemouth, will need to sell less.

Iraola’s arrival can still leave questions. He was transformative at Vallecano and Bournemouth, but neither is judged in terms of trophies. The Cherries could endure winless runs – their first nine games under Iraola, a spell of 11 last season – without the same kind of pressure such sequences would bring for Liverpool.

His high-speed football requires time on the training ground: Bournemouth only played 40 games last season, Liverpool slogged their way through 57. The slowness of their football was not purely down to Slot, amid injuries and exhaustion. European football may mean Iraola has to change.

Iraola has shown a capacity to get forwards scoring, and if he is charged with doing likewise to Alexander Isak, first he has to get him moving; it is hard to press with a static centre-forward. He has displayed an ability to improve players – even after those who were sold, Adrien Truffert, Alex Scott, James Hill and Eli Junior Kroupi took sizeable strides forward last season – which could be welcome as too many of Liverpool’s regressed last year. He works well with young players, and much of the £500m Liverpool have committed to signings in the last 12 months went on youthful figures, whether Florian Wirtz or Hugo Ekitike, Kerkez or Giorgi Mamardashvili, Giovanni Leoni or Jeremy Jacquet. The way Zabarnyi and Huijsen kicked on under Iraola may bode well for Liverpool’s young centre-backs.

It means Iraola has ticked many a box, albeit without winning major silverware or managing a super club. They may still seem the biggest elements, but Liverpool can see Iraola as the outsider who can reconnect them with the identity they had and lost.

How unreported Myles Garrett trade condition could give Browns extra first-round pick from Rams originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams sent shockwaves through the NFL by partaking in a Myles Garrett trade. 

With Garrett heading west and Jared Verse with three future L.A. draft picks going to Cleveland, many believed the trade was fully finished. However, there is a sneaky clause in the trade details that could turn a third-round pick from the Rams into a first-rounder for the Browns.  

Mary Kay Cabot, a Cleveland beat reporter, shared what has to happen for the Browns to land a second first-round pick in that trade.

Here's how Cleveland could land an additional first-round pick from their blockbuster move.

MORE MYLES GARRETT NEWS:

• Rams-Browns trade grades
• Winners and losers of Myles Garrett trade
• Rams defense projection with Myles Garrett
• How Browns' Myles Garrett return compares

Myles Garrett trade details

On June 1, just hours before A.J. Brown was finally traded to the New England Patriots, the Rams decided to have some fun on their own. They shocked the NFL world by trading for one of the top defensive players in the entire league.

Here are the full trade details from Monday's trade:

• Rams receive: EDGE Myles Garrett
• Browns receive: EDGE Jared Verse, 2027 first-round pick, 2028 second-round pick, 2029 third-round pick

With Garrett heading to the City of Angels, fellow edge rusher Jared Verse and a significant draft haul are going east to Cleveland. That collection of picks includes the Rams' 2027 first-round pick, their 2028 second-rounder, and 2029 third-rounder.

Explaining Myles Garrett trade condition

The Garrett trade did have some subsurface details. While the Browns did land three draft picks, one of them being a first-rounder, another could be heading to the Dawg Pound. According to Mary Kay Cabot, a Browns beat reporter, Cleveland could receive another first-round pick if a certain situation presents itself.

The condition on the #Browns 2029 3rd round pick? It becomes a 1st if the #Rams trade Myles Garrett into the #AFCNorth: pic.twitter.com/hFo84Nvo7D

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) June 3, 2026

If the Rams decide to trade Garrett back to the AFC North, the Browns' division, Cleveland's 2029 third-round pick from L.A. will turn into a first-round pick. While it is unlikely the Rams would ever do that, they have all the more reason to abstain.

MORE: Full 2026 NFL schedule featuring dates, times and networks for every game

Browns draft picks 2029

This offseason marks the first time that NFL teams can trade for picks in the 2029 NFL Draft, which is now two drafts away. Cleveland took advantage of this by tacking on a third-round pick in three years. This third-round pick from the Rams, however, can turn into a first-rounder if L.A. trades Garrett back to the AFC North.

As a rebuilding team, the Browns organization is known for frequently adding draft capital via trades, so it's no surprise that they added a pick that will become a player in 2029.

Here is Cleveland's current list of assets for the 2029 NFL Draft.

The Denmark international spent last season on loan at the Italian club, scoring 16 times in 44 games across all competitions, and has now permanently joined the Neapolitans.

The boyhood United fan signed from Atalanta in the summer of 2023 and went on to score 26 goals in 95 appearances. He was part of the Reds squad that lifted the Emirates FA Cup in May 2024, having come on as a substitute against Manchester City at Wembley.

At the start of the 2025/26 season, Hojlund returned to Italy on a season-long loan, helping Napoli to win the Supercoppa Italiana and finish runners-up in Serie A.

The wind howled at French Lick Resort’s Donald Ross course on Tuesday, playing up what already is a powerful defense: the greens. True to Ross’ style, the well-known course in southern Indiana features exceptionally difficult putting surfaces. Those put a premium on approach shots and putting.

In the second round of the U.S. Senior Challenge, the conditions helped drive the average score to 78.14. Still, it seems that these are exactly the kind of conditions in which Missourians thrive. The four-man team of Ed Wyatt, Don Kuehn, Tim Barry and Steven Ritzman further separated itself in the second round.

The team portion of the tournament features a play-four-count-three format, and the Kuehn-captained Missouri squad grew its lead from four shots at the beginning of the day to nine shots at the end of it.

Despite the distance between Missouri, at 4 over, and the next-closest teams, the leaderboard remains intriguing. Two teams are tied for second at 13 over. Louisiana’s team features two former NFL quarterbacks in Stan Humphries and Billy Joe Tolliver, as well as Todd Doss, a rising senior golf star who recently won the Golfweek Senior Amateur in the California desert.

A team made up players from Alabama and Georgia is also at 13 over, which is notable considering that three of the four members of the team – Michael Arasin, Shaw Pritchett and Chris Hall – were part of the winning team last year. Only Chris Hummel, who contributed a counting 76 in Round 2, is a new addition.

Arasin also has the distinction of being in second place on the Senior-division leaderboard. Arasin’s 1-under 69 was among the best rounds of the day on Tuesday, and he trails only Wyatt, a member of the leading Missouri team, by two shots. Wyatt had rounds of 69-70 for a 1-under total.

Doss, notably, is tied for fourth in that division at 3 over and two of his Louisiana teammates, Todd Franks and Humphries, are tied for ninth.

Defending individual Senior champion Pritchett has had rounds of 74-76 and is tied for 14th.

In the Super Senior and the Super Legends divisions, Missouri team members not only hold the lead, but they’re also pulling away. Kuehn is 4 over and ahead by five shots in the Super Legends division while Tim Barry leads the Super Senior division by four shots despite the fact that he backed up an opening 66 with a second-round 75. He still has a four-shot cushion over three players tied for second.

Robin Rubrecht, who is playing for Team New Mexico and had a share of the first-round lead, now has a solo two-shot lead after rounds of 69-73.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Missourians distance themselves from field at U.S. Senior Challenge

As the World Cup descends on the U.S., Mexico, and Canada this month, each of the tournament record 48 teams are settling into their selected home base of a paired training facility and hotel.

Some are moving into professional soccer training centers. Others are setting up shop at colleges and universities.

Four top teams—FIFA-ranked No. 2 Spain, No. 8 Morocco, No. 11 Croatia, and No. 19 Switzerland—chose elementary and high schools.

From San Diego to New Jersey, two boarding schools, a private K-12 school, and one Jewish day school are hosting national teams this summer. Each of these elite private schools has hosted a soccer club at least once before, and are known within the sport for the privacy and facilities they can provide traveling teams.

Three of the four high schools are not located in the immediate vicinity of any World Cup stadiums, and teams are traveling hundreds of extra miles to go there. For at least the next few weeks, Lamine Yamal will be training in Chattanooga, Luka Modrić in Alexandria, Virginia, and Granit Xhaka in San Diego.

From the schools’ perspective, hosting the teams is a major source of pride—and revenue. 

Some of the schools already operate a side business as training sites for clubs playing nearby, and FIFA’s multi-week rental fee adds a big additional revenue stream. FIFA hasn’t been open about its facilities rental fees, and most schools declined to share specifics. But the schools are likely being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each to let a national team take over their campus this summer.

All of the schools were chosen because they submitted themselves to FIFA along with a local hotel as a potential host for a World Cup team. Federations had been aware of the options, but talks and tours kicked into high gear after the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., in December, when teams found out where they would play.

World Cup teams begin arriving at their base camps this week, and they’re required by FIFA to have some kind of engagement day with the local community. The tournament kicks off June 11 and runs through July 19.

Front Office Sports spoke with representatives from each of the schools serving as World Cup base camps this summer.

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Spain at The Baylor School

During FIFA’s Club World Cup last summer, the Baylor School hosted Auckland City FC, the only amateur team in the tournament.

This summer, the school welcomes heavyweight Spain.

Three years ago, Chattanooga mayor Tim Kelly, a Baylor School alum and founder of Chattanooga FC, initially proposed the idea of being a World Cup base camp to head of school Chris Angel. The middle and high school is an athletic powerhouse, producing yearly state championships and numerous professional athletes, including reigning American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz. Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux is a mom at the school.

The mixed boarding and day school also offers privacy for high-profile teams. Baylor is nestled beside the Tennessee River and surrounded by mountains, with a separate entrance for the athletic side of campus.

“A lot of countries came in and looked, and there was a lot of interest,” Angel tells FOS, “but when Spain wanted to be here, that narrowed it down quickly.”

Angel says that Spain verbally committed before the draw even happened. The school had already invested in its soccer facilities in the past decade—like putting drainage under the field—and has three pitches, two grass and one turf. The Spanish team is also shouldering some of the bill, Angel says, including turning the tennis center into a media center and workout space.

Angel says that hosting Spain “won’t make a significant difference financially” for the school, but thinks the economic impact for the city will be big, specifically with all the hotel stays. He says “there’s a little bit of a pride factor” having one of the best teams in the world chose Baylor, especially because the school has so many international students, including from Spain.

“It was a mix of everything, that it was really good for us,” the Spanish national team’s sporting director, Aitor Karanka, tells FOS of the federation choosing Chattanooga. “The facilities and the people are amazing.”

Basking Ride, New Jersey: Morocco at The Pingry School

The Pingry School in New Jersey is a repeat base camp from the 1994 World Cup.

Alum Charlie Stillitano was in charge of running the tournament at nearby Giants Stadium, and his high school soccer coach, Miller Bugliari—who at 91 still coaches the Pingry boys team—had connections to the Italian federation. Together, the school and federation built a new pitch, and Italy trained at Pingry on their road to the tournament final, which they lost to Brazil on penalty kicks.

In the years after, and especially since ramping up the business over the past few years, the Miller A. Bugliari ’52 World Cup Field has welcomed clubs and national teams including Manchester United, AC Milan, Chelsea’s women, Uruguay, Canada, and Ecuador. Carl Frye, the school’s director of auxiliary programs, tells FOS the school can bring in several hundred thousand dollars each summer from hosting soccer teams, and recently revamped the pitch by building a second field, expanding the stands, and adding a retaining wall.

“We’re just a school, a K–12 private school, but this is a big part of who we are and our history,” Frye says.

Frye attended the draw in D.C. in December, and immediately afterward started inviting federations to Pingry. He quickly put Brazil and England in a five-star hotel off the official FIFA brochure the next day. But despite the hospitality—Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti is a friend of Stillitano and came to Pingry while on the 1994 Italian team, and Frye himself drove Thomas Tuchel and England from the hotel to the school—both teams chose other facilities. Almost a dozen teams toured after that, and Morocco chose the site. (Italy failed to make the tournament in late March.)

“We’re excited to be not only involved as a base camp in the 2026 version,” Frye says, “but hosting the eighth-ranked team in the world is something we’re really proud of.”

San Diego, California: Switzerland at San Diego Jewish Academy

When Adam Benmoise came to San Diego Jewish Academy in 2022, he told his new boss he wanted the school to be a World Cup base camp. “They thought I was crazy,” the director of auxiliary programs tells FOS.

The roughly 500-student preschool through high school started hosting national and club teams, including the U.S. Men’s National Team under interim coach B.J. Callaghan. According to Benmoise, when Callaghan returned with Nashville SC, he called the school’s pitch “the best field in San Diego.” The school also built up its professional equipment, from more full-sized goals to ice baths.

“We accumulated all that infrastructure so that when FIFA finally came knocking and Switzerland came to see us, we had everything that they could possibly need,” Benmoise says.

Benmoise says SDJA brings in about $250,000 every year from renting out the gym and fields, and the school will get over $500,000 from the FIFA rental fee alone. (FIFA signed other publicly available base camp contracts for less than half that amount.) Including the FIFA money and other programs like a summer camp, the school will make about $1.4 million in auxiliary revenue this year, Benmoise says.

The pitch quality is a huge factor of hosting a team. The school raised $200,000 to extend the grass ahead of the World Cup. Pitch inspectors have been checking the field every few days leading up to the tournament, and FIFA is also providing other training equipment and infrastructure.

Switzerland came to tour shortly after the December draw, and Benmoise says SDJA “rolled out the red carpet,” including flying a Swiss flag outside. Since the team’s June 3 community day will happen while school is still in session, students will get to do some activities, get autographs, and take pictures with the players.

Alexandria, Virginia: Croatia at Episcopal High School

At the 1994 World Cup, Dan O’Neil got to watch one of the most famous goals in tournament history at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Three decades later, O’Neil is the director of auxiliary programs at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, where Croatia is setting up its base camp this summer.

The nearly 200-year old boarding school with a 130-acre campus has a history of hosting teams playing in D.C., but has welcomed more soccer teams over the past few years since putting in a second Bermuda grass field. Club and national teams have swung through, including the U.S. Women’s National Team before their gold medal trip to the Paris Olympics in 2024 and Al Ain for the Club World Cup last summer.

Right after the draw in December at the Kennedy Center, about seven or eight teams toured. The pitch and the privacy were the two most important factors for touring teams, and Episcopal’s closed campus was a plus. Croatia—which excelled at the last two World Cups, finishing second in 2018 and third in 2022—chose to come to the school.

“There’s a long history of international students here back to the 1800s,” O’Neil tells FOS, “so being part of a world event like this is really the driving force.”

Unlike in 1994, the nation’s capital won’t be hosting any World Cup matches this summer.

“We’re certainly very happy and proud that here at Episcopal we’re at least able to bring a small slice of the World Cup to the D.C. area,” O’Neil says.

The post The Elite High Schools Hosting the World Cup appeared first on Front Office Sports.

How Aaron Donald's Rams comeback at age 35 would work as NFL unretirement rumors heat up originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

After acquiring Myles Garrett in a blockbuster trade, Los Angeles Rams now have the reigning a Super Bowl-winning head coach, the reigning NFL MVP and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. That might not be all.

As soon as the Rams swung a deal for Garrett, fans started wondering whether future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald would come out of retirement to join a team with Super Bowl expectations.

Donald retired after the 2023 season after considering an even earlier retirement two years prior, and he hasn't given any indication he plans to return to the field — until now. Donald appears to still be in shape, which means money might be the only obstacle toward a return if he decides he wants to give it another shot.

Here's a look at the validity of Donald's unretirement rumors and how the Rams could make it work.

MORE:How Myles Garrett trade return compares to Micah Parsons deal, more

Is Aaron Donald coming back?

Donald told both Pat McAfee and Jordan Schultz on Tuesday that he's at least considering an NFL comeback.

"I’m for sure flirting with the idea. Helluva an opportunity with the Super Bowl in SoFi this year. If I can find the fire, it’s a possibility," he told Schultz.

Coach Sean McVay told reporters he would be open to the idea of Donald returning.

"Listen, if he’s interested," McVay said. “Here’s what I’ll say: You talk to Aaron, and you see what he’s saying about that.”

McVay added that he has spoken to Donald about the Garrett acquisition.

"If Aaron decides he wants to dust ‘em off at the age of 35, I bet you he can still do it at a pretty high clip."

McVay and the Rams have taken a player out of retirement before, as they signed safety Eric Weddle ahead of the playoffs at the end of the 2021 season despite him being two years removed from last game. Weddle played in all four playoff games and started two as the Rams won the Super Bowl. 

MORE:Grading the Myles Garrett trade for Rams, Browns

Aaron Donald Rams comeback rumors

Donald openly said he considered retirement after winning the Super Bowl despite being at the top of his game, so it wasn't much of a surprise when he retired after 10 seasons despite still being a highly impactful player.

There was no doubt at the time that Donald could play for multiple years, at least, if he wanted to continue his career. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year is known to keep himself in exquisite shape, and he was only 32 when he announced his retirement.

After reaching the NFC championship game in 2025 and bringing nearly their full core back while adding Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson to the defense, the Rams look like the team best positioned to win a Super Bowl. Many of Donald's teammates from his playing days remain on the roster, and his coach is still in place. Those could be the stars that needed to align for Donald to make a comeback after two years away.

How old is Aaron Donald?

Donald is 35 years old. He just turned 35 in May, so 2026 would be his age-35 season.

When did Aaron Donald retire?

Donald announced his retirement in March 2024, calling it a career after 10 seasons. It was an early retirement for Donald, who was 32 at the time, but it wasn't much of a surprise because he had floated the idea for about two years. 

Donald was still playing at a high level at the time of his retirement. While an injury-derailed 2022 season broke his streak of seven consecutive First-Team All-Pro seasons, Donald earned his eighth selection in 2023 and had eight sacks along with 23 quarterback hits across 16 games. 

MORE:Why did Aaron Donald retire?

Does Aaron Donald have a ring?

Donald won Super Bowl 56 with the Rams at the end of the 2021 season, famously pointing to his ring finger after pressuring Joe Burrow on the final play of the game. After falling short in Super Bowl 53, the championship marked the pinnacle of Donald's career and nearly the end of it. He considered an early retirement after only eight seasons, but a new contract in the spring brought Donald back to the Rams for two more seasons.

Aaron Donald contract details

Donald's three-year, $95 million deal with the Rams would have expired after the 2025 season, but according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the franchise still retains his rights because he was placed on the reserve/retired list.

The Donald situation could play out similarly to that of Rob Gronkowski, whose deal with the Patriots lasted through 2019 but extended to 2020 after he spent the 2019 season the reserve/retired list before opting for a return with the Buccaneers.

The reserve/retired list effectively paused Donald's contract, so he would be in line to make his 2024 salary of $30 million in that case. Of course, he and the Rams can restructure that arrangement if Donald does decide to return. 

Here's how a Donald return could fit into the Rams' salary cap situation.

MORE:Winners and losers from Myles Garrett trade

Rams salary cap with Aaron Donald

The Rams have $16.4 million in cap space to work with, according to Over The Cap. Young standouts such as Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner and Byron Young still playing out their rookie contracts helps ease the burden, even after acquiring Myles Garrett.

L.A. would need to get creative if Donald returns, given he would be in line to make $30 million, but one would have to imagine the future Hall of Famer would be understanding about the Rams' cap constraints.

Rams depth chart with Aaron Donald

Here's what the Rams' defense could look like with Donald back in the mix:

Poona Ford is the most expendable projected starter on the Rams' defensive line, though Braden Fiske might be the most comparable style of player to Donald, which would give the Rams the tough decision of putting one of the two in a reserve role. 

Fiske was drafted to be the direct Donald replacement in 2024 and has had some pass-rush success, but Kobie Turner's presence has made the Rams transition away from Donald with ease. Turner has 24 sacks across three seasons in L.A., notching at least seven sacks in each of his three seasons.

Everyone believes the New York Jets will target a top quarterback prospect in the 2027 NFL draft. The Jets are equipped with three first-round selections next April. Trading defensive cornerstones Quinnen Williams and Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner for 2027 first-round picks signaled Darren Mougey's interest in solving the quarterback position.

Geno Smith is the Jets' starter in 2026. The 35-year-old quarterback is seen as a temporary bridge solution. Rookie fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik is the wildcard in this discussion, but would have to both play, and play exceptionally well in 2026 to have the Jets bypass an opportunity to select a quarterback in 2027.

The Jets will of course have competition for quarterback prospects in 2027, and one expected contender signaled their aggressive intentions on Monday. The Cleveland Browns traded superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. Part of the package going back to Cleveland is a 2027 first-round pick.

The Browns are fully committed to the rebuild. Already projected to be one of the worst teams in 2026, trading Garrett makes them significantly worse. They now also possess multiple first-round picks to target a quarterback.

There are some saving graces for the Jets. Firstly, they still possess more first-round picks (three) than the Browns (two) do. Secondly, the Jets' external first-round picks once belonged to the Colts and Cowboys, who aren't expected to be as competitive as the Super Bowl-contending Rams will be. That second Browns first-round pick could be in the 25-32 range if the Rams meet their lofty goals.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Cleveland Browns now pose threat to New York Jets in 2027 NFL draft

After two very different conference finals, the Knicks and Spurs converge to battle for the Larry O’Brien Trophy beginning with Wednesday’s Game 1 at Frost Bank Center. Ironically, both teams also faced off for the NBA Cup championship in December, with New York prevailing by a 124-113 score.

Naturally, the two clubs have traversed plenty of ground since that point, and tonight’s game marks the beginning of what should be fascinating finish to the 2025-26 NBA season.

Ahead of the series-opening high-stakes showdown, we dive into a three-leg same-game parlay that could deliver handsome returns on investment:

(Odds listed are best at time of publishing)

New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET

Same-Game Parlay:

• Spurs Alt. Spread +3.5
• Victor Wembanyama Over Alt Total 33.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
• Mikal Bridges To Record 20+ Points + Rebounds + Assists

Odds: +180 on FanDuel Sportsbook

Although the Knicks took two of three total regular-season/NBA Cup meetings from the Spurs this season, it’s San Antonio who’s a solid series favorite after their dethroning of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games, fueled by a 3-1 mark over the last four installments of the Western Conference Finals.

The Spurs are also naturally favored in Game 1, with that spread a relatively modest 4.5 points. That’s also a reasonable line when factoring in how dominant San Antonio has been at home since the beginning of the regular season. Victor Wembanyama and co. boast a 38-11 record straight up at home – including 6-3 in the postseason – and a 28-20-1 mark against the spread in that split as well.

The Spurs also have an average net margin of victory of +9.6 points at Frost Bank Center since the beginning of the campaign. Meanwhile, the Knicks are a solid 28-20 straight up on the road since the start of the season, including 6-1 in the postseason.

However, as the just-cited numbers corroborate, going into the Spurs’ home floor is no easy task, and for the first leg of our parlay, we’re going to further insulate ourselves by using FanDuel’s Alt. Spread feature to flip the line and actually give San Antonio a handful of points for cushion.

That strategy takes the fact the Knicks haven’t lost since the first round and enjoy a full five-day rest edge to start the series into account. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting the Spurs are an NBA-best 17-2 straight up since the start of the season when playing with a rest disadvantage.

For our second leg, we’ll focus on Wembanyama, who’s naturally the focal point of the Spurs’ attack and has put together an outstanding postseason. The big man has averaged 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks across 32.5 minutes per contest over 17 playoff games to date.

What makes those numbers all the more impressive is the fact they’re significantly weighed down by a pair of 12-minute outings where he averaged just 4.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists.

Wembanyama also started two of the three regular-season meetings with the Knicks – he came off the bench in the NBA Cup title game due to injury management for a calf strain – and averaged 42.5 points + rebounds + assists across 29.0 minutes in those contests.

Considering he’s averaged 36.0 minutes in the last nine playoff games alone, Wembanyama should have plenty of opportunity to eclipse the Alt. total of 33.5 points + rebounds + assists.

For our third and final leg, we’ll turn to the other side and hone in on Mikal Bridges, who appeared headed for a forgettable postseason early on in the Knicks’ playoff run before flipping the switch and becoming one of New York’s most reliable complementary source of across-the-stat-sheet production.

Through the first five games of what was ultimately a six-game first-round battle with the Hawks, Bridges sported middling averages of 7.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 27.2 minutes per game, while taking just 6.4 shots per contest.

However, since Game 6 versus Atlanta, Bridges has compiled 18.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists – along with 1.4 steals – per game while shooting an elite 62.8% on 12.6 shots per contest.

Bridges is also a perfect 15-for-15 from the free-throw line since the start of the playoffs, and he recorded points + rebounds + assists totals of 21, 21 and 32 against San Antonio in the regular season while shooting 57.7%, including 50.0% from behind the arc, in the two non-NBA-Cup games vs. the Spurs.

Bridges has eclipsed 20 points + rebounds + assists in nine consecutive postseason contests as well, making that a great threshold for us to close out our Game 1 parlay with.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Forget the usual names; these are the ones who are really going to break the algorithm at the 2026 World Cup. While the eyes of the planet stay obsessed with old glories, a new generation of fearless teenagers is ready to shake up the market, blow up TikTok, and change the rules of the game. These seven names aren’t going to the United States, Mexico, and Canada to ask for autographs — they’re going to retire your idols.

Endrick (Brazil)

The Brazilian striker is no longer just a prospect; his power, dribbling, and killer instinct make him Brazil’s main threat to reclaim the world throne.

Nico Paz (Argentina)

Pure elegance and vision. The Argentine attacking midfielder has the creativity needed to channel La Albiceleste’s attacking play and make the definitive leap to stardom.

Gilberto Mora (Mexico)

The new jewel of Mexican football. Fearless, electric, and with a direct style of ball carrying that promises to lift local fans out of their seats.

Lennart Karl (Germany)

One of the brightest gems in German football. The talented attacking midfielder stands out for his shooting and an age-defying maturity when it comes to pulling the strings in the final third.

Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast)

The Ivorian winger is pure fire out wide. His dribbling, blistering pace, and eye for goal make him the X-factor for the "Elephants."

Hamza Abdelkarim (Egypt)

The tank of Egypt’s new generation. A center forward with an imposing physique and deadly instincts in the box who has already sparked the interest of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Victor Muñoz (Spain)

Electric and fearless when it comes to taking defenders on one-on-one, the attacker is one of the most exciting long-term bets on the international scene.

Which of these young prospects do you think will win the tournament’s Best Young Player award?

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

In the days following the ceremonial presentation of the Meisterschale to Manuel Neuer, Harry Kane, Michael Olise and their teammates, the Allianz Arena pitch continued to shimmer with confetti. This was still the case when FC Bayern paid tribute to volunteers on the first nationwide Ehrentag (day for getting involved). As part of a football tournament organised especially for them, the spotlight was on those involved in the FCB volunteer programme 'PACK MA’S' and in the club’s various departments. At the end of the day, some people took a piece of confetti home with them as a souvenir: a small symbol of a wonderful day.

“We are delighted that, as part of the nationwide Ehrentag – during which initiatives and events took place across Germany to raise the profile of and pay tribute to voluntary work – FC Bayern has been able to set a special example,” said Kiki Hasenpusch, the club’s deputy managing director: “The Ehrentag is intended to be a commitment to respect, fairness and a strong sense of community. Those who volunteer also actively contribute FC Bayern’s values to society: we want to inspire action, promote participation and foster a sense of community.”

Around 80 volunteers were invited to the unique tournament at the Allianz Arena. It was led by Manfred Poppe, head of seniors football, and former FCB goalkeeper and current TV pundit Kathrin Lehmann, who hosted the event. The atmosphere was relaxed, friendly and full of energy. Everyone was able to let their inner child out – whether at the kick-off, whilst celebrating or laughing together on the famous turf where the FC Bayern players usually compete for points.

The teams were a mixed bag: volunteers from the ‘PACK MA’S’ programme played side by side with people from departments who usually work behind the scenes. On this day, everyone who is otherwise active in different areas shared a changing room, a ball and a collective experience. The tournament proved the perfect opportunity to network, make new contacts and get a sense of just how diverse the community engagement at FC Bayern is.

The tournament at the Allianz Arena was more than just a sporting competition. It was a day of togetherness and an opportunity to highlight the importance of volunteering in sport, with a view to encouraging even more people to get involved themselves.

With the event at the Allianz Arena, FC Bayern wanted above all to say thank you to everyone who, week in, week out, contributes their time, ideas and passion – in the sporting departments, in youth work, in educational projects and in the fight against discrimination. 'PACK MA’S' is the best example of this: when lots of people pull together, something emerges that is greater than any single game.

The latest from our regional fan club meetings

A first in Austria, up close and personal in Texas

Over the last 20 seasons, the Detroit Lions defense has been hit or miss. Detroit has made the playoffs a few times and have also won the NFC North titles during the 2023 and 2024 NFL seasons as well. The Lions best defensive player on the roster at the moment is defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

He was listed as one of the best Lions defensive players over the last 20 seasons by profootballfocus.com. Hutchinson and Ezekiel Ansah were the best edge rushers that this franchise has had over the last 20 seasons. Who were some of the best players on the defensive line for this franchise?

Detroit Lions DT Ndamukong Suh Named to All Lions Defensive Team Over the Last 20 Seasons

Alim McNeill and Ndamukong Suh were named as the best defensive lineman on the interior for Detroit over the last 20 years by profootballfocus.com. Suh was on the team from 2010-2014. This may feel like a surprise that he is mentioned on this team since he only played for them for a short period of time, but Suh was rather dominant.

Nathan Jahnke of profootballfocus.com said,

“While the offense would feature a dream pairing of Calvin Johnson and Amon-Ra St. Brown, the defense has its own offensive-line nightmare in Ndamukong Suh and Aidan Hutchinson.

The Lions’ offense and defense are particularly impressive, given that the team won only 12 games over the first four seasons of the PFF era. No one from the 2006 team is represented on offense or defense, and no one from the 2007 or 2008 defense made the roster.”

In five seasons with the Lions, Suh recorded 36 sacks as a defensive tackle and that is pretty impressive. After Detroit, he also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Miami Dolphins, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Philadelphia Eagles. Suh was also the defensive rookie of the year when he was with the Lions and also made it to four pro bowls with Detroit. His display in five seasons with the franchise is one of the reasons why he landed on this list here.

For More Great Football Content

Follow me on Twitter at @glennkaplan13 more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional football, click here!

The post “Nightmare”: PFF Stunningly Names Ndamukong Suh to the Detroit Lions Top Defensive Players Team Over the Last 20 Years appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has been named La Liga’s Coach of the Year for the 2025-26 season after leading his team to another title win.

Flick’s side successfully retained their title in a campaign where they finished eight points clear of nearest rivals Real Madrid and won the league with three games to spare.

The victory has seen Flick named the Coach of the Year for the second season in a row.

Barcelona finished the campaign with a perfect home record, winning 19 out of 19 matches in front of their own supporters in La Liga.

In total, Barcelona won 31 of 38 games, drew once and lost six times. They finished with a goal difference of +59 after scoring 95 goals and conceding 36.

Flick also extended his contract at Barcelona after the title win, putting pen to paper on a deal that runs until 2028 and will be aiming to make it a hat-trick of titles next season.

Congratulations, Hansi Flick!

Rory McIlroy is targeting a first ever victory at the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament on Thursday as he returns to action in his final event before this month's US Open.

The Northern Ireland star, who clinched back-to-back Masters victories in April, has never won at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted tournament in Dublin, Ohio -- a gap on his CV he is determined to fill.

McIlroy's best finish at Muirfield Village came a decade ago, when he finished tied for fourth in 2016.

After clinching a career Grand Slam with his maiden Masters win last year, McIlroy said on Wednesday the Memorial, along with Tiger Woods' annual tournament at Riviera Country Club, were now top of the list of his priorities. 

"I would say here and Tiger's event at Riviera, they're the two that I would love to win," McIlroy told reporters. 

"I've been lucky enough to win at Bay Hill, but not while Arnold (Palmer) was alive. So I always thought it would be cool to win here and take that little walk up the hill off the 18th green and shake Jack's hand. 

"Jack and I share a nice history. We've known each other now for nearly 20 years -- or I've known him for nearly 20 years. He's been nothing but great to me and my family. 

"So, yeah, this is certainly one I would love to get done."

McIlroy acknowledges the challenging set-up at the par-72, 7,569 yards layout does not necessarily favor his game.

"For being such a long golf course I feel like it takes driver out of my hand a lot, which I pride myself on that being one of my biggest weapons," McIlroy said.

"The fairways pinch in right around the spots where I would be finishing driver. So it's frustrated me in a way that I feel like my biggest weapon is in some way neutralized here."

McIlroy believes success this week will hinge on tweaking his natural game.

"It's just about me being a little more disciplined and not being so aggressive with my strategy," McIlroy said.

The biggest threat to McIlroy's hopes of a first win in the tournament is likely to come from two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who is chasing a rare hat-trick.

World number one Scheffler could become the first player to win the same event three years running since Steve Stricker won the John Deere Classic three times on the spin between 2009 and 2011.

"The last two years don't mean much when you stand on the first tee, but this is a golf course I've had some success at and this will be a cool place to be able to accomplish something like winning the same tournament three years in a row, especially with it being Jack's Place," Scheffler said. 

"I'm looking forward to getting out there this week."

The tournament will also see a return to action for England's Aaron Rai, who is playing his first event since winning the PGA Championship last month.

Rai revealed he was still adjusting to life as a major-winner.

"It took a good few days, I think, for me to really get my head around it," Rai said of his PGA Championship victory. "I don't think I still have fully." 

rcw/iwd

Former world champion Ken Doherty has announced his retirement from professional snooker after a 36-year career.

Doherty, 56, reached the pinnacle of the sport when he defeated Stephen Hendry 18-12, with a cue that had cost him £2, in the 1997 Crucible final.

The Irishman, who turned professional in 1990, won six ranking events and 17 other titles in total.

He also reached two more World Championship finals in 1998 and 2003 and narrowly missed out in the other Triple Crown events, advancing to the final of the UK Championship three times and finishing as runner-up in the Masters twice.

However, Doherty, who was world number two during the 2006-07 season, has split his time between playing and punditry work in recent years after slipping down the rankings and only competing on the main tour courtesy of an invitational card.

"It was sad initially when I made the decision, but I'm happy with it now. I wasn't going anywhere and even if I played for another couple of years, I'd come to the realisation I wasn't going to get any better," said Doherty.

Having failed to qualify for the World Championship since 2014, his decision to put away his cue arrives with the realisation that turning out at the Crucible on one last occasion had become out of reach.

"I wasn't going to compete like I used to. I probably should have done it a few years ago, but I love the game. I love competing and I love playing," Doherty added.

"I was hoping something would change but it didn't. I've had a great time playing and have some wonderful memories.

"I'm going to miss it for sure, but it has come as a relief."

The Dubliner remains the only player ever from the Republic of Ireland to win snooker's biggest prize having moved to London in the late 1980s to pursue his dream.

"I came over with a cue, my bag and £500 in my pocket. That was all I had. I was seeking my dreams and didn't know what to expect," Doherty added.

"When I first picked up a cue as a kid, winning the World Championship was my dream.

"After Alex Higgins winning it in 1982 and Dennis Taylor in 1985, these were inspirational moments for me. To emulate what they achieved and lift that cup up was a real honour and a sense of pride."

The path to the Carolina Hurricanes’ third Stanley Cup Final appearance began in the World Hockey Association.

The WHA approved a franchise called the New England Whalers for the 1972-73 season. Those Whalers eventually found a new home inside a shopping mall in Hartford, Connecticut, and joined the NHL in 1979-80. Though beloved, the Hartford Whalers never advanced to a conference final before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1997-98.

MORE: 2026 Stanley Cup Final: Golden Knights vs Hurricanes TV schedule, dates & times

It didn’t take long for the Carolina Hurricanes to make their mark. The first Stanley Cup Final appearance came in 2002 with the maiden championship arriving in 2006.

Seven players stand out as the core of what the Hartford Whalers started and the Carolina Hurricanes have built into a Stanley Cup-winning franchise. The true all-timers span both logos. The names cover both eras, from the old green sweaters with the awesome HW-fluke logo to the modern red and black.

This list of all-time ranking of Whalers/Hurricanes takes into account overall impact, longevity and playoff success.

And, no, we’re not counting Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, who joined the Whalers in the WHA and NHL in his late 40s and early 50s to play with sons Mark and Marty.

Ron Francis

Ron Francis is the connective tissue between the Whalers and Hurricanes eras and the easiest call for the top spot. He broke into the league with Hartford, became the face of the franchise in the 1980s, and then came back to lead Carolina when the team moved south. He served as team captain in 12 different seasons.

The Hockey Hall of Famer piled up points and responsibility in equal measure. He put together five 80-point seasons in Hartford, including 101 in his final season with the Whalers, then transitioned seamlessly into a do-everything leader in Carolina. His holds most records that matters in franchise history, from points (1,175), goals (382) and assists (793) to playoff production.

Eric Staal

Eric Staal was the centerpiece of Carolina’s rise from a relocated afterthought to a Stanley Cup champion in the mid-2000s. Drafted second overall in 2003, he delivered the franchise’s modern offensive peak with his breakout 100-point 2005-06 season. After that, he backed it up with a dominant playoff run in 2006, scoring a postseason-high 28 points.

Staal could do a little bit of everything. He drove play at 5-on-5, ran the power play as a dual scoring and passing threat, and logged the kind of heavy minutes usually reserved for veteran centers. When the Hurricanes needed a big shift or a game-changing goal during that 2006 run, the puck usually found its way to Staal’s stick.

His 12-year run in Raleigh matters too. He wore the C for seven years, took on every top matchup and became the face of the post-Cup era even as the roster churned around him. When fans talk about the identity of the modern Hurricanes, Staal is the first name that comes up.

Rod Brind’Amour

Rod Brind’Amour, now the eighth-year head coach of the Canes, brought a hard-edged professionalism to Carolina as a player. Acquired in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers, he became the heartbeat of the locker room and the defensive conscience of Carolina’s forward group.

His calling card was two-way dominance. Brind’Amour won multiple Selke Trophies, including in the title year of 2005-06, for his work as the league’s best defensive forward. Plus, he delivered timely offense when the Hurricanes needed it most. Brind’Amour was the captain of the championship team and remained so for the next four years.

Cam Ward

Every franchise list needs a goaltender, and for the Hurricanes, that spot belongs to Cam Ward. As a 22-year-old rookie in 2006, he came out of the bullpen in the first round and never left the crease, backstopping Carolina to the Stanley Cup and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Ward’s postseason that spring is one of the defining runs in franchise history. He steadied the group after a shaky start, stole games when the offense went quiet, and became the last line of defense during the most important spring the team has ever played.

He stayed in Raleigh for over a decade, giving the Hurricanes a consistent presence in net while the roster, coaching staff and front office changed around him.

Glen Wesley

Glen Wesley is the quiet backbone of this list. He was never the flashiest player on the ice, but he was almost always the one blocking a shot, taking a tough matchup, or playing through something that would sideline most players.

Wesley joined the organization in the Hartford days and followed the franchise to North Carolina, anchoring the blue line through the early lean years and into the Cup era. He was instrumental in both of Carolina’s trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2002 and 2006, logging heavy minutes and handling the kind of defensive assignments that do not show up neatly in a box score.

His number now hangs from the rafters, a nod to a 13-year career with the franchise built on consistency more than highlight reels.

Whalers core around Francis

You cannot talk all-time Whalers without circling back to Francis and the core around him. In the 1980s, Hartford became a regular in the playoff conversation with a group that included Francis, Kevin Dineen, Pat Verbeek and Ray Ferraro.

Francis was the engine, but that core gave Hartford its identity: a skilled, hardworking group that could score and annoy you in equal measure. They gave the Whalers their most sustained run of relevance. In fact, Francis, Dineen and Ferraro authored Hartford’s postseason pinnacle, a surprising sweep of the Quebec Nordiques in the 1986 playoffs.

Sebastian Aho

Sebastian Aho represents the current face of the franchise and the bridge to whatever the Hurricanes become. Drafted in the middle rounds, he has turned into one of the league’s most complete forwards and the offensive driver for a team that has become a fixture near the top of the standings.

Aho’s impact shows up in the standings and in the numbers. He led the current team with 80 points during the regular season and has already produced multiple 30-goal seasons and sits near the top of the franchise leaderboard in playoff points for the modern era. He drives Carolina’s top line, anchors the power play, and is trusted in defensive situations in a way that only true first-line centers are.

Zay Flowers may only be entering his fourth NFL season, but he's already finding himself in a different position inside the Ravens' wide receiver room. For the first time in his career, Flowers is one of the veterans.

"It's kind of weird because I'm like the oldest one in there," Flowers said with a laugh. "I'm not that old though."

The Pro Bowl receiver said the transition has forced him to think differently about his responsibilities.

"It's just teaching me how to lead," Flowers said. "It's teaching me how to lead guys that are younger than me and take what the vets gave me from my years before and give it to them."

Flowers has spent the spring working closely with rookie receivers Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt.

"'Jack' has that dog mentality," Flowers said. "He wants to play. He wants to go get the ball. He wants to do everything. He wants to learn."

He added that both rookies have arrived eager to improve.

"They came in ready to do their job," Flowers said. "So, it's great to see."

The Ravens are counting on Flowers to remain a focal point of the offense in 2026, but he's also embracing a new responsibility as one of the leaders helping to shape the next generation of Baltimore receivers.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Zay Flowers leads young Ravens receiver room

The countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is very much on, with the tournament set to take place across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Starting on June 11 and ending on July 19, the competition will feature more teams than ever before, and Liverpool players are expected to play major roles throughout the tournament.

Several Reds have been selected for their respective countries’ squads, and while some are chasing redemption after a difficult season, others are preparing to build on strong international reputations.

For Liverpool supporters, the tournament remains one of the biggest talking points of the summer. Attention around the odds on England to win World Cup 2026 has increased ahead of their fixture against Ghana on June 23. Current betting markets place England at 3/10 for victory, while the draw is available at 19/5 and Ghana stand at 15/2 according to the latest published prices.

Alexis Mac Allister Ready To Defend His World Title With Argentina

Alexis Mac Allister remains one of Liverpool’s most important international stars heading into the competition. The midfielder played a crucial role during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph and is expected to feature heavily once again.

His intelligence in midfield gives the Albiceleste balance in both attack and defence. He became one of the standout performers in Qatar thanks to his calmness under pressure and his ability to influence big matches.

Argentina’s coaching staff continue to value his versatility and tactical discipline. Those qualities make him almost impossible to leave out of the starting XI.

Alisson Becker Aiming To Return Fully Fit For Brazil

Alisson Becker’s availability had been one of the biggest talking points among Liverpool supporters in recent weeks, as injury forced the goalkeeper to miss several important matches toward the end of the season.

Despite those concerns, he remains Brazil’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper. His leadership, shot-stopping ability and experience at major tournaments remain unmatched within the national team.

Alisson already owns an excellent World Cup record and continues to perform consistently for his country whenever fully fit, and his return before the finals should significantly improve the Selecao’s chances of competing for the trophy. The tournament will reunite him with former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho, who is also in the squad.

Ibrahima Konaté Hoping For Redemption With France

Ibrahima Konaté enters the tournament with unfinished business after France’s heartbreaking defeat in the 2022 final. The defender impressed throughout that campaign and established himself as one of Europe’s elite centre-backs.

His combination of pace, strength and composure makes him a perfect fit for Les Bleus’ aggressive defensive system. He continued to develop rapidly throughout his time at Anfield and now looks fully established at international level.

France enter the tournament among the favourites. Their squad contains world-class talent across every position, with Konaté a crucial presence for his nation.

Andy Robertson Preparing For A Historic Scotland Appearance

Andy Robertson will captain Scotland during one of the country’s most important football moments in decades. Scotland’s return to the World Cup represents a huge achievement, and the 32-year-old has played a central role throughout qualification.

The left-back remains his country’s biggest leader both on and off the pitch. His determination and energy continue setting standards for the entire squad.

Robertson’s consistency at international level has been remarkable over recent years. He rarely misses matches and continues delivering high-level performances against top opposition. Scotland may not be considered tournament favourites, but his experience could help the team produce a few surprises during the competition.

Alexander Isak Searching For A Fresh Start With Sweden

Alexander Isak heads into the World Cup after a frustrating season filled with injury setbacks and inconsistent form. His struggles during qualification placed additional pressure on Sweden’s attack.

Despite those difficulties, his country still secured qualification and he now has an opportunity to reset on the international stage. A strong tournament could completely change perceptions surrounding his recent performances.

When fully fit, the 26-year-old remains one of Europe’s most dangerous forwards. His movement, technical ability and finishing quality give Sweden an important attacking weapon. Liverpool supporters will hope that the World Cup helps restore his confidence ahead of the next domestic campaign.

Wataru Endō Remains Vital For Japan

Wataru Endō continues to play an essential role for Japan heading into another World Cup appearance. The experienced midfielder brings leadership, discipline and defensive stability to the national team.

His work ethic and tactical awareness mirror the qualities that Liverpool supporters appreciate at club level, and the Blue Samurai will once again rely heavily on his ability to control difficult matches in midfield. His international experience could become crucial during the knockout stages if, as expected, Japan progress beyond the group phase.

Other Liverpool Players Going to World Cup 2026

There are several other Liverpool players heading to the World Cup as well, including Mo Salah, who’s set to be a key figure for Egypt in his second finals.

Netherlands feature a strong Liverpool connection through Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, but Jeremie Frimpong didn’t make the squad for the finals. Elsewhere, Florian Wirtz seems likely to play a major role for Germany despite a subdued first campaign at Anfield.

Liverpool’s presence throughout the tournament highlights the strength and quality within the Reds’ squad. The club will likely have some players competing deep into the knockout stages across multiple nations.

From an LFC perspective, the ideal outcome remains simple. Liverpool supporters would love to see their stars shine on the world stage and return happy and healthy before the new season begins.

Every person who speaks on Cleveland's trade of Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams prefaces it by saying that Jared Verse is not, and will not be Myles Garrett. Garrett is in a world of his own, and Verse could never touch that level.

While I tend to believe that, the line is becoming more and more blurred as more information begins to come out. These two guys are eerily similar.

From a size perspective, they are nearly carbon copies of each other. They both stand at 6'4,", with Myles having a bit of the advantage in weight, with about a 10-pound edge on Verse. The comparisons get even more interesting.

According to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, in the last 10 years, there have only been two players to have 33-plus inch arms, hit over 30 reps on the bench press, and run sub 4.65 forty yard dash. If you guessed that those two players were Myles Garrett and Jared Verse.

However, Verse has the edge here. Garrett clocked the laser timer at 4.64 while Verse registered a 4.58.

Fastest 40 by anyone at Combine with 33+ arm length and 30+ Bench reps (last 10 years)

1. Jared Verse (2024): 4.58
2. Myles Garrett (2017): 4.64

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) March 1, 2024

In their first two seasons, the only category in which Garrett has over Verse is sacks. Verse only has 12.5 sacks to his name, while Garrett had 20.5. Other than that, Verse has better numbers everywhere else. He has more tackles, more tackles for loss, and the same amount of quarterback pressures.

This situation between the Browns and the Rams is one of the rare win-win situations. Both teams added a player who will help them immediately. The Rams will have a bunch of signature sacks from number 95 in high-leverage situations, while the Browns have a piece for now and their future with three draft picks and Verse.

The sentiment around Cleveland is growing for Verse. At first, because he was the piece on the other side of the deal that traded the best player ever in Cleveland's history, there was a natural angst. However, as more information comes out about how good Verse is and what he could be in Cleveland, it is very real that the Browns traded for a mini Myles Garrett along with three additional draft picks in exchange for Myles Garrett.

Maybe it doesn't pan out quite like that, but Verse maybe doens't compare apples to apples with the current version of Garrett, but year two Garrett? Verse and that version of the future star are not all that different from each other.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns' Jared Verse shares several key measurables with Myles Garrett

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is entering a period of historic change, thanks in large part to a set of sweeping facility decisions by the region’s pro sports teams. 

The NHL’s Stars said late Tuesday that they have entered into a non-binding letter of intent with suburban Plano, Texas, to build an arena and mixed-use development there. The move, confirming reporting last fall by Front Office Sports, will see the team leave American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas and build a sports-centered complex modeled in part by The Battery in Atlanta. 

The letter of intent has been placed for consideration on the Plano City Council’s agenda for Monday. The Stars have targeted a 2031 opening of a new arena. 

“This project would present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our franchise,” said Stars owner Tom Gaglardi in a statement. “We eagerly await the vote by the Plano City Council and look forward to continuing the conversation to be part of the redevelopment of The Shops at Willow Bend.”

Big Departure

The Stars, however, are hardly alone in the sports efforts rippling across the North Texas region. Among the others:

• Just a day before the Stars’ announcement, the NBA’s Mavericks said they also intend to leave American Airlines Center and seek their own arena and entertainment district in the Valley View area of Dallas, located about 13 miles north of the team’s current home. The massive pivot arrives as a previously contemplated downtown arena and casino resort project has not materialized, due heavily to the ongoing resistance by Texas to legalize sports betting there. The Mavericks have entered into an “option agreement” to purchase 104 acres of land at the site of the former Valley View Mall. 
• The NFL’s Cowboys still have their home venue, AT&T Stadium, in the Arlington sports and entertainment district, and its separate training facility and commercial development, The Star, further out in Frisco, Texas. MLB’s Rangers, meanwhile, neighbor the Cowboys in Arlington with their Globe Life Field.

The Arlington City Council recently approved a lease extension for the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium running through 2055, and the new term calls for more than $1 billion worth of facility upgrades over the elongated term, with the team funding about three-quarters of that. 

When all is said and done with the new venue projects, there will be at least four sports-oriented mini-cities in the Metroplex between Plano, Valley View, Frisco, and Arlington—and none of them will be in downtown Dallas. 

The leases for both the Stars and Mavericks at American Airlines Center expire in 2031, and they have been at legal odds as they plot out their respective futures. A Texas judge last month ruled in favor of the Mavericks in that dispute, giving the basketball team control over the current arena, though the Stars have already filed a notice of appeal. 

With both teams now set to leave, though, there is something of an expiration date on the practical effect of that matter. And despite their many differences, both the Stars and Mavericks agree that American Airlines Center is now outdated. Those teams have also been at the center of a wave of large-scale media shifts in the market.

Changing Times

It’s hardly uncommon for pro teams to base themselves outside of an urban core, and the NFL’s Bears are on the cusp of becoming the next to do so. But Dallas, the No. 4 U.S. media market, is set to become the largest in the country without any of its major men’s pro teams located in a downtown area. 

The Mavericks will still be within the Dallas city limits, though not by much. Mavericks CEO Rick Welts has been the team’s point man on the long-running arena deliberations.

“The Valley View site meets most of the criteria established at the outset of our evaluation process,” the team said. “It is our goal to stay in the city of Dallas, and we believe this site provides the strongest opportunity to achieve that goal.”

The WNBA’s Wings look to be the outlier to the geographically outward sports trend. Despite recent delays in the team’s construction schedule, the Wings intend to play in a renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium located downtown beginning in 2028, with an interim stay next year at American Airlines Center.

The post Stars Latest Dallas Team Trading Downtown for Sports-Centered District appeared first on Front Office Sports.

The Cleveland Browns trade of DE Myles Garrett will be discussed for years and maybe decades to come. That will be true for the Browns, but, depending on how things go on the field, it could also be true for the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL as a whole.

As of now, Cleveland received DE Jared Verse along with draft picks in the first, second, and third rounds, each pick in separate seasons. Adding Verse, instead of more draft compensation, makes evaluating the trade value more difficult, but it is clear that Verse was the key to the whole deal.

Now, an interesting nugget of information has been added to the Garrett trade that could change things significantly. With what has been described to me as a worry that the Baltimore Ravens might trade for Garrett in the future, possibly after Matthew Stafford retires in LA, Browns GM Andrew Berry had a clause added to the trade that would change the 2029 draft pick if the Rams deal Garrett to an AFC North team:

That conditional pick could add a lot of nuance to what Los Angeles might do in the future, given their aggressive tendencies, if the team’s timeline changes. Trading Garrett before the 2029 NFL draft, when the star defensive end would be over 33 years old, would no longer be just about the return they would get in the trade. Instead, LA would have to calculate the difference between giving up their third-round pick versus their first in 2029 while contemplating any trade with Garrett going to an AFC North team.

The condition on the pick likely limits the Rams ability to trade their first-round pick in 2029 until after the condition has elapsed. We’ve seen similar clauses in the Brett Favre and Micah Parsons trades in the past.

Perhaps this clause is the reason Berry wanted to spread out the deal over three years, instead of getting more draft capital sooner. Not only does Cleveland not want to face Garrett twice a year, but if they have to, they want a much better asset added on to the end of the trade.

As of now, Garrett’s contract is set to expire after the 2030 season, when the reigning Defensive Player of the Year will be 35 years old.

What do you think about this clause, and how does it impact how you see the Garrett trade?

The Cleveland Browns' newly acquired pass rusher, Jared Verse, is no slouch. He is going to come to Cleveland and make an immediate impact on a defense that is young and hungry to prove itself.

Verse joins a defensive line that is led by him on the outside and second-year player Mason Graham on the inside. Behind them is reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schewsinger, and behind both of those guys is elder statesman Grant Delpit, and youngsters Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Ronnie Hickman.

There are young stars everywhere and Verse is the one who is already in early consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. Verse's odds to win the award are currently +1400, nearly 1000 points longer than Myles Garrett and is 400 points shorter than TJ Watt.

The DPoY Award is one that is not a stranger to Northeast Ohio. Former Browns Myles Garrett won it twice, and you will see that Garrett is also on that list. He is five spots ahead of Verse, who he was dealt for along with three additional draft picks.

For Verse, he is one year removed from winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award as well. Yes, the Browns have the past two DRoY winners, and both of them are now eyeing that Defensive Player of the Year Award.

This is a great reminder for everyone out there saying that the Browns lost the trade with the Rams or that Verse isn't anywhere close to the player that Garrett is. Yes, I do believe that Garrett stands alone in terms of his peers on the football field.

However, I do think it is closer than people want to admit. He certainly isn't at the same level as Garrett right now, but he is on the proper trajectory to get there one day. The only area that Verse lacks, compared to Garrett, is in the actual sack category.

The two are in the same area code in terms of pressures, pressure rates, quarterback hits, tackles for loss, tackles, and so many other categories. If Verse finished 50 percent more of his dominant pass rushes, he would have had similar sack numbers.

That is something that he will continue to develop, but for now, he rushes the quarterback with reckless abandon and meets any ball carrier with serious violence.

There is a real world where Cleveland dealt the current best pass rusher in the NFL for the future best pass rusher in the NFL. They certainly got a guy who is going to be in contention for the best defender in the league year after year.

Just the same as their other guy was.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns' Jared Verse shocking odds to win Defensive Player of the Year

Red Sox Lose Recent Sparkplug To IL, Promote Infielder originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Red Sox's lineup, which is already without Trevor Story and Roman Anthony, suffered another blow on Wednesday.

Utilityman Nick Sogard, who last played on Saturday, was placed on the 10-day injured list with right side soreness on Wednesday, according to MassLive's Sean McAdam. The Red Sox are promoting infielder Anthony Seigler from Triple-A Worcester to take his place.

Sogard got off to a good start this year, hitting safely in eight of his first nine games after making his season debut on May 17, helping spark Boston's best offensive stretch of the season. 

Red Sox place Nick Sogard on IL, recall INF from Worcesterhttps://t.co/8WecmMB3fN

— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) June 3, 2026

Unfortunately, the switch-hitter began feeling soreness in his right side over the weekend, which prevented him from hitting left-handed. After missing Sunday's series finale against the Cleveland Guardians and Tuesday's series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, he was placed on the injured list Wednesday.

Sogard's injury opens the door for Seigler to make his Red Sox debut. Seigler was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Caleb Durbin/Kyle Harrison trade in February and was assigned to Worcester, where he's batted .298/.425/.471 with three home runs, seven doubles and 21 RBI in 30 games.

Seigler played 34 games for the Brewers last year, batting .194/.292/.210 with no homers, five RBI and -0.1 WAR.

More MLB: Where Has Slumping Red Sox Slugger's Power Gone?

On Tuesday, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced the names on the 2027 Ballot under consideration for induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame. The 2027 ballot includes 80 players and nine coaches from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 99 players and 39 coaches from the NCAA divisional and NAIA ranks.

Two very notable names, former LSU Cornerback Patrick Peterson and Offensive Guard Alan Faneca, were chosen to be placed on the 2027 ballots.

Faneca, a New Orleans native, was a 1997 consensus First Team All-American and LSU’s first-ever Outland Trophy finalist. He is also a two-time First Team All-SEC selection and was named the 1997 Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner, helping the Tigers lead the SEC in rushing his final two seasons.

Selected in the 1st round (26th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1998 NFL Draft, Faneca spent 9 seasons in Pittsburgh before signing with the New York Jets and followed by the Arizona Cardinals. He retired from the NFL on May 10, 2011, ending his professional career with a total of 9 Pro Bowl appearances, 8 All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl XL Champion. On August 9, 2021, Faneca was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Peterson was a 2010 unanimous First Team All-American and the first LSU player to win both the Bednarik and Jim Thorpe awards. He was also the first player in SEC history to win both SEC Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Special Teams Player of the Year after leading the league in punt and kickoff return yards and scoring touchdowns three different ways (INT, punt return and blocked field goal)

Following his time at LSU, Peterson was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1st round (5th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft. After 10 seasons in Arizona, he joined the Minnesota Vikings and then the Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring from the NFL on April 11, 2025.

The announcement of the 2027 NFF Hall of Fame Class will be made January with the induction ceremony taking place in December of 2027 during the NFF Annual Awards Dinner.

Cubs named as 'logical fit' in trade for 4.45 ERA former All-Star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Cubs are very much a postseason contender this season, but with the recent struggles, things have become very clear: this team needs some help.

While the offense could use some improvement, the real issue for this team right now is pitching. Specifically, the Cubs need to find an ew starting pitcher.

Fortunately, as MLB insider Robert Murray of Fansided.com notes, the Cubs would be the "logical fit" in a trade for San Francisco Giants 4.45 ERA former All-Star left-hander, Robbie Ray, at the 2026 trade deadline.

Cubs are 'logical fit' for Robbie Ray trade

"There will be a long list of teams who check in on Ray, if they haven't already," Murray writes. "The Cubs seem like a logical fit, but so do many other contenders, and the price to acquire Ray won't require teams to break the bank."

While there might be plenty of attention on Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers or Freddy Peralta of the New York Mets, Ray of the Giants might be the better option for the Cubs.

He's not going to cost nearly as much, since he's a free agent after this season, and has been struggling a little bit in his age 34 season.

MORE: Cubs’ cost to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers revealed by ex-MLB GM

So far in 2026, he's posted a 4.45 ERA in 12 starts with a 3-6 record, 59 strikeouts, and an 87 ERA+. These aren't some incredible statistics, but considering their current rotation, the Cubs could still use him.

Shota Imanaga has a 4.37 ERA, Jameson Taillon has a 5.13 ERA, and Colin Rea has a 4.70 ERA. Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera are both hurt, while Cade Horton is done for the year, and Justin Steele's setback is forcing him to miss most of the season.

The Cubs need rotation help, and adding Ray in a deal would make a lot of sense. As Murray notes, the Cubs are the "logical fit" for Ray in a trade, as the Giants left-hander would fit right in with the Cubs rotation.

More MLB news:

• 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals
• Ex-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 success
• Tarik Skubal being traded by Tigers would help him in free agency
• Yankees’ Ryan McMahon problem has a $25 million release solution
• Phillies extending Cristopher Sanchez to his $107 million deal was genius

It’s the French Open semifinal match that no one saw coming, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be excellent. Maja Chwalinska made her way to the semifinals all the way from qualifying, while Diana Shnaider just took out overwhelming favorite Aryna Sabalenka. One of these women will reach the final in Paris. But who will it be? Our writers share their thoughts.

French Open Semifinal Predictions

Diana Shnaider vs Maja Chwalinska

Jordan:
Chwalinska’s run to the French Open semifinals and Shnaider’s remarkable recovery from 3-6 1-4 against Aryna Sabalenka are among the most unexpected moments seen in women’s tennis in the last few years. I am backing Chwalinska to continue her remarkable tournament by beating Shnaider. The Pole’s defense has been unmatched in Paris, and that presents a very different challenge to Shnaider than Sabalenka did. I do not feel she will overcome it.
Prediction: Chwalinska in 3

Ateet:
This year’s French Open has seen so many big upsets, but Diana Shnaider inflicted the biggest one on the women’s side as she defeated World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. Shnaider was a set and double break down, but she was making inroads in a lot of games and then eventually pounced when Sabalenka got erratic.

Maja Chwalinska has been the positive story of the tournament, and her unorthodox game style has been a breath of fresh air. Anna Kalinskaya had no idea how to tackle Chwalinska’s variety, but I think Shnaider will deal with it better. This is a huge opportunity for both players to make the finals of a Slam, and I am backing the Russian to win.
Prediction: Shnaider in 2

Tope:
This has been arguably the most eventful French Open ever and this semifinal lineup piercingly attests to that. Two lefty power hitters are in uncharted territory for a chance to be part of Parisien glory, and while Shnaider caused the bigger upset en route, I feel Maja Chwalinska with her near infallible first serve and iron clad focus continues her Cinderella run to the final.
Prediction: Chwalinska in 3

Yesh:
What’s been so amazing about Chwalinska’s run is that she hasn’t done anything flashy or shocking. She has just played exceptional defensive tennis and has constructed points masterfully. It hasn’t matter what her opponent’s style or power was. She has found a way to get the upper hand in most rallies against everyone. There’s no reason to think she won’t be able to do the same against Shnaider, who hasn’t seen an opponent with her craftiness yet this tournament.
Prediction: Chwalinska in 2

Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Following the end of the 2025-26 season, 1.FC Köln has exercised their option to buy Jakub Kaminski, who had previously been on loan from VfL Wolfsburg.

Featuring in all 36 competitive matches whilst providing 7 goals and providing 5 assists, the Polish attacker underlined his importance for Effzeh in his first campaign.

“Kuba impressed us with his personality right from our initial discussions. He is down-to-earth, ambitious, and a true team player,” said managing director Thomas Kessler 

"Last season, he demonstrated these qualities every day, both on and off the pitch. Therefore, it quickly became clear to us that we wanted to exercise our purchase option.

"His development and performances are also a prime example of why 1. FC Köln is an excellent destination for ambitious players to develop at a high level and take the next step in their careers.”

Despite his young age, the 23-year-old Pole already boasts considerable experience. He made his debut for Lech Poznan at 17 and first played for Poland aged 19.

His first World Cup appearance followed in 2022, along with a move to VfL Wolfsburg – Kaminski has since amassed 104 Bundesliga appearances. 

Jordan Love did not reveal much about the Green Bay Packers’ internal discussions surrounding Josh Jacobs, however, one thing was clear:  the news caught him completely off guard.

As the Packers continued OTA on June 2, reporters naturally turned their attention to Jacobs’ ongoing legal situation, while the Packers quarterback avoided diving into team conversations, he admitted his first reaction was one of genuine surprise after learning about the running back’s arrest.

Jordan Love Admits Josh Jacobs News Caught Him By Surprise

Speaking to reporters on June 2, Love was asked whether uncertainty surrounding Jacobs’ availability had crossed his mind since the arrest became public. The Packers QB did acknowledge there were questions, however, stressed the team is allowing the legal process to unfold before drawing conclusions.

“There’s always questions. I was shocked when I saw it.”

Jordan Love says #Packers have discussed Josh Jacobs situation internally, but keeping details private.

Asked him if he ever wondered about not having his RB this season.

“There’s always questions. I was shocked when I saw it.” pic.twitter.com/sYIrvj0RgS

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) June 2, 2026

The Packers are in a spot because of what happened with Jacobs. He was taken to the Brown County Jail on May 26 after the police looked into a disturbance. Far no official charges have been made and the prosecutors are still looking at the evidence before they make a decision. Love’s comment was the time he talked about it in public. It showed how careful the Packers have to be. Jacobs is still with the team. Has been to OTAs but there is still a lot of uncertainty about what will happen to him. This is a deal because Jacobs is one of the most important players on the team and it is happening right before the 2026 season.

Jacobs had a good year and is a big part of the Packers’ offense. That is why everyone is talking about it even though it happened during the offseason. For now the Packers are just focusing on football. Waiting to see what happens. The head coach, Matt LaFleur, said something earlier in the day. He said the team is just going to wait and see what happens of talking about it in public.

Love did not say much. What he did say showed how surprised everyone in the locker room was. He did not want to talk about what he and the other players said to Jacobs. What he did say gave us an idea of how the players felt when they first heard about it. The Packers will still have to answer questions about Jacobs until the prosecutors make a decision. Based on what Love said, the Packers are just going to keep doing what they are doing. They will keep getting ready, for the season. They will not talk about what might happen. They will just. See what the facts are.

The post Packers QB Jordan Love Breaks Silence on Internal Talks Around Josh Jacobs appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

Manchester United misfit Rasmus Hojlund has finalized a £38 million ($51 million) transfer to Napoli.

Hojlund spent this past season on loan with the Italian heavyweights. After making a strong impression on manager Antonio Conte, Napoli exercised their option to make the move permanent.

The Danish international netted 16 goals in 44 outings for Napoli, contributing to their Supercoppa Italia triumph and a Serie A runners-up finish. He had no intention of returning to Old Trafford and is reportedly thrilled that his long-term future is now settled, as per The Mirror.

• Budget-friendly Costco faces backlash with $39,100 FIFA World Cup ticket package
• Liverpool legend John Barnes discusses 'taboo subject' following prostate cancer treatment

Hojlund joined United from Atalanta in 2023 for £72 million ($92 million), but struggled to leave his mark, registering just 14 goals in 62 appearances across all competitions.

His performances were so underwhelming that he became a target of ridicule among certain sections of the United fanbase — who mockingly dubbed him 'Rasmiss.' United's hierarchy was so disenchanted with Hojlund that they splashed out a further £66.3 million (around $85 million) on forward Benjamin Sesko last summer.

Hojlund subsequently rediscovered his best form at Napoli, embracing life along the Amalfi Coast. United have now drawn a line under the deal, which was originally agreed between the two clubs back in January.

A statement on Manchester United's official website confirming Hojlund's departure read: "Rasmus Hojlund has joined Napoli on a permanent transfer.

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

"The Denmark international spent last season on loan at the Italian club, scoring 16 times in 44 games across all competitions, and has now permanently joined the Neapolitans.

"The boyhood United fan signed from Atalanta in the summer of 2023 and went on to score 26 goals in 95 appearances.

"He was part of the Reds squad that lifted the Emirates FA Cup in May 2024, having come on as a substitute against Manchester City at Wembley.

"At the start of the 2025/26 season, Hojlund returned to Italy on a season-long loan, helping Napoli to win the Supercoppa Italiana and finish runners-up in Serie A. Everyone at the club would like to wish Rasmus all the very best for the future."

Meet the be quiet Pure Base 803 Be quiet has officially unveiled its Pure Base 803 at Computex 2026, a large-scale, high-performance PC case that will be available in many forms. That case will support liquid cooling solutions up to 420mm in size, and all models will ship with four 140mm fans out of the […]

The post be quiet unveils its Pure Base 803 case at Computex appeared first on OC3D.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina are currently training in Kansas City, focusing heavily on their upcoming 2026 World Cup debut on June 16 against Algeria. To prepare, the Albiceleste will play two warm-up matches—first against Honduras on Saturday, June 6, and then against Iceland on Tuesday, June 9—allowing manager Lionel Scaloni to fine-tune tactical details ahead of the tournament.

However, at least six players continue to undergo rehabilitation for various physical setbacks and are highly unlikely to feature in the first friendly match. The list includes Messi, Emiliano Martinez, Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Nico Paz, and Leandro Paredes.

The two most concerning cases involve the Aston Villa goalkeeper and the River Plate fullback. “Dibu” Martinez suffered a fracture in the ring finger of his right hand on May 20 during the buildup to the Europa League Final, severely limiting his training sessions. While medical staff expects him to be ready for the World Cup opener against Algeria, he will lack match sharpness.

Meanwhile, Montiel was forced to miss the final of the Argentine Tournament on May 24 due to a muscle tear. His recovery is being evaluated day by day, making him one of the few players Scaloni might replace on the roster at the last minute if needed. Consequently, right-backs Nicolas Capaldo and Agustin Giay will be tested during the upcoming friendlies as potential cover.

As for Messi (fatigue), Molina (muscle tear), Paredes (hamstring overload), and Paz (minor fracture in his right knee), all four are training separately from the main group. They could be medically cleared later this week, though the coaching staff will err on the side of caution and rest them against Honduras.

Julian Alvarez and Cristian Romero fully recovered

Amid the lingering fitness concerns surrounding several squad members, Argentina received a major boost as Julian Alvarez and Cristian Romero have made full recoveries.

The Atletico Madrid forward has successfully overcome an ankle sprain, while the Tottenham defender has cleared a collateral ligament sprain in his right knee. Both players returned to full team training on Monday and are fully available to start in Argentina‘s opening match of the 2026 World Cup.

Match Overview

Two teams missing out on World Cup qualification meet in a clash defined by very different paths. Luxembourg has quietly progressed in recent years, growing from an easy target into a competitive side capable of pushing higher-ranked European opponents, even if a first tournament appearance still remains out of reach.

Italy, by contrast, is in crisis mode after failing to qualify for a third straight World Cup—an alarming slide for a four-time champion that is now searching for answers and change. This matchup serves as a testing ground for both squads as they look to rebuild and prepare for future international competition.

Match Overview

Two teams with their sights set on a strong World Cup campaign will meet in an intriguing international friendly. The Netherlands, a perennial contender still chasing their first World Cup title, continue to sharpen their squad ahead of the tournament.

Algeria, meanwhile, arrive as a dangerous opponent capable of troubling top nations and will look to build momentum as they aim to follow the path of recent North African success stories. With both sides focused on reaching peak form, this matchup should provide a valuable test.

Dušan Vlahović arrived at Juventus as one of the most promising players in the world in a €85 million move in 2022. While produced strong performances, his recent seasons have been heavily affected by injuries. Nevertheless, head coach Luciano Spalletti was pushing for his renewal, but the Serbian striker has reportedly rejected a contract extension worth €6 million per season. As a result, he may move closer to joining Barcelona or Bayern Munich as a free agent.

According to Nicolò Schira, via X, the Bianconeri offered Dušan Vlahović a contract renewal worth €6 million per season plus a €1 million bonus. However, the 26-year-old striker has rejected the proposal, as he is requesting a salary of €8 million per season along with a higher bonus to renew. Following this, Dušan appears set to leave as a free agent, becoming one of the most attractive names on the 2026 summer transfer market.

Despite being a high-quality free-agent signing, Barcelona do not consider Vlahović an absolute priority. However, they would consider his arrival if they fail to secure deals for Julián Álvarez and João Pedro. In addition, his salary demands would fit perfectly within the Blaugrana wage structure, reports Diario Sport. Alongside them, Chelsea, SSC Napoli, and Bayern Munich are also said to pursue his arrival, as he can still deliver top-level performances.

Without participating in the 2026 World Cup, Dušan Vlahović may not be in a hurry to decide his professional future. After spending several years at Juventus, the Serbian striker may choose not to rush his decision, instead targeting a winning project where he can play a prominent role and rediscover his best form. In addition, the 26-year-old star reportedly has a move to Barcelona as his priority, meaning he could be willing to wait for an offer.

Dušan Vlahović’s recent form could concern Barcelona

Despite once being regarded as one of the most promising strikers, Dušan Vlahović failed to impress at Juventus. In the most recent season, he was only able to play 23 matches, scoring 10 goals. Moreover, he has also failed to reach or surpass the 20-goal mark in a single season, something Robert Lewandowski managed almost every year. With this in mind, Barcelona could have serious doubts about whether the Serbian star can be their starting striker.

With Ferran Torres being the Blaugranas’ only center forward, Barcelona will need another striker. Given his inconsistency, they appear to be targeting Julián Álvarez and João Pedro. Faced with the difficulties of signing either player, Vlahović could become a key solution, but his lack of consistency in recent seasons raises doubts. If his arrival is completed, he may not be an automatic starter, but rather compete with Ferran for a place in the lineup.

Far from being a proven guarantee like Julián Álvarez or João Pedro, Dušan Vlahović is more of a risky bet for the striker position. Although his profile would fit perfectly with the needs of Hansi Flick, the head coach would have to rediscover the version of the Serbian forward that shone during his first season at Juventus and throughout his time at ACF Fiorentina, something that has not been seen for quite some time.

Google Display Network (GDN) placement exclusions have long been treated as basic account hygiene. You block spammy, inappropriate, or low-conversion placements to protect brand safety and avoid wasting budget on junk traffic.

That often meant maintaining massive lists of junk URLs and mobile app categories to keep ads off clickbait blogs, kids’ mobile games, and other low-quality inventory.

But GDN exclusions don’t just block bad placements anymore. They also influence the signals Google uses to optimize automated campaigns.

Here’s how to use placement exclusions to steer campaigns away from low-quality traffic and bad conversion signals.

The legacy blueprint: Hygiene and budget conservation

To understand the strategic shift, you first need to understand why blocking placements mattered in traditional PPC. Placement exclusions historically served two purposes: brand integrity and cost control.

You don’t want your high-end B2B software or consumer brand appearing next to extreme political rants, adult content, or clickbait farms.

GDN spans millions of sites and apps. A massive share of that inventory consists of high-click, zero-conversion black holes, like flashlight apps or mobile puzzle games where users accidentally click banner ads.

Legacy strategies also recognized that even high-quality sites like The New York Times or CNN could become budget killers. For direct-response advertisers focused on immediate ROI rather than broad brand awareness, a single premium placement could consume thousands of dollars with little to no conversion intent behind it.

The traditional fix was straightforward. Build massive static lists of 70,000-plus excluded URLs, block all mobile apps, and review the “Where Ads Showed” report monthly to eliminate outliers.

While those tactics remain necessary foundational steps, they only scratch the surface of how data operates in AI-driven advertising.

Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up.

The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need.

Start Free Trial

Get started with

How AI changed the rules of the GDN

In modern Google Ads setups, Smart Bidding algorithms like Target CPA and Target ROAS acquire customers at a predictable cost, serving ads only to searchers who fit those parameters. Combined with broad or optimized targeting, Google’s AI doesn’t just passively serve ads where you tell it to. It actively hunts for signals.

The AI analyzes who clicks, who converts, and where those actions happen. It then builds predictive models to find more placements like them. That creates a dangerous cycle when bad data enters the system.

If your campaigns lack strategic exclusions, Google’s AI will naturally gravitate toward the cheapest, highest-volume inventory available for testing. A flood of accidental clicks from mobile apps or low-quality click-fraud sites can initially appear to be a positive signal due to high CTRs.

The algorithm may then double down on those placements, burning through your budget before recognizing the traffic produces zero conversions. By the time the system learns the placements are unqualified, your monthly budget is already gone.

Dig deeper: Google Ads placements: Your guide to targeting websites, apps, and YouTube

Moving from hygiene to strategy: Guardrails for the algorithm

Strategic exclusions aren’t just about saying, “I don’t want my ad there.” They help direct the algorithm away from low-quality inventory and toward better signals.

By shaping where AI can and can’t operate, you inject human intent back into automated systems. 

Campaign intent mapping

Instead of applying one blanket exclusion list across your account, use exclusions to shape campaign psychology.

• For top-of-funnel brand awareness campaigns: Keep premium placements, such as major news outlets and industry blogs, active. Exclude niche, low-quality directories so your budget pushes the AI toward high-visibility, reputable sites.
• For bottom-of-funnel direct-response campaigns: Do the opposite. Exclude costly, broad-reach premium websites and force Google’s machine learning to focus on specific, content-rich, long-tail blogs where users actively research niche topics with high conversion intent.

Preempting Smart Bidding exhaustion

AI models need data to learn, but learning costs money. If you launch an automated campaign fully open to the Google Display Network, the AI will spend the first 14 to 30 days testing random placements. 

Applying robust, prebuilt exclusion lists at launch helps you skip that expensive trial-and-error phase and gives Google’s AI a head start on higher-quality inventory.

Fighting ‘signal poisoning’ in lead gen

Click bots and spam form fills are an AI nightmare. When a bot scrapes a GDN site, clicks your ad, and submits a fake form on your landing page, Google’s AI interprets it as a successful conversion.

The algorithm then optimizes toward more users and sites like it, contaminating your entire data pool. Strategic placement exclusions at the account level act as a firewall, cutting off low-quality inventory where these bots thrive and helping your AI optimize around clean, human traffic.

Advanced tactics for managing exclusions

To move beyond manual audits, adopt a more sophisticated framework.

Leverage automated scripts

Don’t wait for monthly reviews to catch budget drains. Deploy Google Ads scripts that monitor placement data daily.

For example, you could set a trigger to automatically exclude any placement that spends more than 1.5 times your target CPA within seven days without generating a conversion.

Block mobile apps

Unless your KPI is mobile app downloads, block mobile app categories at the account level. 

Google’s AI favors app placements because they generate high click volume and low CPCs, but those clicks rarely translate into meaningful business revenue. 

Use content suitability settings

Google’s advanced content suitability settings align placements with broader trends, cultural shifts, and legal sensitivities, especially if you run campaigns internationally.

Dig deeper: Google Ads Display Keywords: Everything you need to know

Taking back the reins

AI-driven campaigns perform better when strategic guardrails shape how Google’s algorithm learns and optimizes.

Basic account hygiene keeps your campaigns clean, but strategic placement exclusions also shape campaign performance. By removing low-quality inventory, limiting bad data, and steering Google’s Smart Bidding toward higher-intent leads, you can turn a simple blocklist into a meaningful performance advantage.

You can start with this comprehensive website exclusion list.

In most companies, SEO teams and affiliates — third parties that advertise your products or services for a commission — often operate in silos. The SEO team usually manages rankings, content, and organic traffic, while the affiliate team manages partner relationships, negotiates placements, and tracks commissions. But rarely do the two sit in the same room to coordinate their impact on the business.

Cross-functionality is key for a growing business. Working with other departments helps me better understand what success looks like to other teams in the company, and it pulls me out of my SEO bubble so I can see the wider business goals. I also learn about new initiatives and how to leverage them for SEO growth.

Coordination between the SEO and affiliate teams is especially important. So let’s talk about brand protection, LLM visibility, tooling, and more, and why a tighter collaboration between these two will improve efficiency, save money, and boost your business.

Protect your brand and search terms

When working with affiliates, it’s important to protect your brand and rank for search terms that are rightfully yours and not to let an affiliate control them. With my clients, whatever has an impact on organic performance is my or the SEO team’s responsibility.

For example, here are some high-intent conversion terms that use discount codes as part of a marketing strategy: 

• [brand] + discount code
• [brand] + promo code
• Plus dozens of other variants

You don’t want to let terms like these slip away. When affiliates rank for your terms, they can send back your own branded traffic and sales and charge you a commission for it.

This can be a disaster, resulting in hefty amounts of affiliate commissions, and it can easily be avoided.

Dig deeper: The best affiliate networks by need and use case

Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up.

The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need.

Start Free Trial

Get started with

How to reclaim your rankings

Brands can lose branded conversions to their own affiliates as well. Take Trainline, a train ticket buying platform, as an example. 

At the time of writing, the term “trainline promo code” has 17,000 monthly searches in the UK. Trainline has a dedicated page for the promo, but it’s not properly optimized to rank for the term. As a result, the site ranks on and off and loses branded traffic and conversions to its own affiliates.

In this case, the solution is simple: a targeted tweak in the meta title, H1, and body copy will better reflect the relevant terms.

By reclaiming those rankings, we

• Increased organic revenue for the organic channel.
• Reduced affiliate spending.
• Increased profitability for the entire business.

Another example: One of the brands I manage lost significant Share of Voice for a high-intent branded discount codes page to affiliates. Our response was a strategic content update. One day after it went live, the page shot from 14% to 31% Share of Voice.

These are successes for the business as a whole, not just SEO. And that’s what SEO should be about — insights that lead to business growth.

How SEO and affiliate teams can work together to compound returns

Traditionally, affiliates produce content that favors reputational signals: “Best of” articles, comparison articles, category roundups, and more. 

LLMs give significant weight to reputational signals. For example, being mentioned across multiple “Best of” articles in your specific niche signals to LLMs that you are good at what you do. And if a lot of authoritative sources in your niche mention you as one of the go-to brands, that reputational signal will compound.

It’s important to educate your affiliate team so your brand will be included in these types of articles. This has two benefits: 

• It will give your affiliate visibility, leading to direct traffic and conversions from affiliate placements.
• It will give you LLM visibility, boosting reputational signals that feed into how AI models perceive and recommend your brand.

On a technical note, affiliate tracking URLs — the parameterized versions of your pages that affiliate platforms generate — need to be handled correctly to avoid indexing issues. This is a great example of an issue that lives on the boundary between SEO and affiliate teams.

The solution is to no-index these, which Google sees as a directive and respects. (A common approach is to add a canonical tag pointing to the clean, non-parameterized version of the page, but I have seen canonicals ignored, resulting in affiliate tracking URLs flooding the index.)

To monitor this, I use SEOTesting, which sends automated alerts whenever new URLs get indexed and start receiving impressions. If an affiliate tracking URL slips through, I can catch it fast and act before it becomes a bigger indexing problem.

Dig deeper: What incrementality really means in affiliate marketing

Collaborate with affiliates today

SEO and affiliate teams often operate in silos, but each has a direct impact on the other. Affiliates can outrank you and cost you money. But they can also help you build LLM visibility, and those equipped with SEO data can make better decisions for the whole business.

The closer these two teams work together, the better the outcomes are for everyone, and most importantly, the business.

Intent still tells you what to write. But when an AI Overview (AIO) lands on the SERP, users no longer behave the same way as classic search. 

In this memo:

• AIO compresses five distinct search intents into one reading pattern, and the 20-year SEO assumption it breaks.
• What winning the “second impression” looks like for product, category, and blog pages.
• The one-slide explanation that reassures stakeholders the content team’s last three years were not wasted (premium).
• A Claude skill that audits your meta descriptions against the competitors sharing your SERP (premium).

View embedded content

The new mental model of search intent

Last week, I shared how Eric Van Buskirk of Clickstream Solutions and I analyzed anonymized clickstream data from approximately 846,000 U.S.-based Google search sessions.

The most significant finding? The time-on-page for a user on the SERP is no longer dependent on search intent when an AIO is present. The AIO compresses search intent behavior to look similar across intent types. 

• Old mental model of search intent: Navigational searches are “fast.” Informational ones are “slow.” Time-on-SERP follows intent, and SERPs without an AIO clearly show this pattern (similar to classic search pre-AI outputs), demonstrated by 12% of navigational searches vs. 32% of local searchers still being on the SERP after 21 seconds.
• New mental model of search intent: There is barely a difference in how long users spend time on SERPs between user intents when there is an AIO present. 42-48.5% of users are still on the SERP after 21 seconds across all the 5 major intents.

From “The same user behaves differently in AIOs vs. AI Mode” (bold added):

At 21 seconds into a session without an AIO, only 12% of navigational searchers are still on the page. 32% of local searchers are. In classic search, time-on-page has always followed intent: navigational users leave fast because they know where they’re going, local users stay because the SERP is dense with maps and listings, informational users fall somewhere in between.

With an AIO present, the spread compresses to barely 6 points. All five intent types(informational, local, navigational, transactional, video) cluster between 41.9% and 48.5% time-on-page at 21 seconds.

Notice how much longer average SERP sessions are — almost 4x! So, we can conclude that AI Overviews don’t just compress user intent but also prolong the time users spend with search results. 

The reason? Additional context. Direct answers from the AIOs provide more information and take longer to read. The intent behind the initial query matters less.

This is the gap between links and answers in the new AIO-filled SERP. In the past, giving users a list of (10 blue) links meant the user was responsible for verifying accuracy and finding the information after the click through. Therefore, Google gets user feedback from their behavior. 

But when Google (or other LLMs) gives the answer directly, that onus is on the answer engine.

Bing’s blog, “Evolving the role of the index,” brings this to a point:

Grounding an AI–generated answer introduces a fundamentally different constraint: The system is no longer just pointing to information, it is using it. The goal shifts from “fetch the best documents” to “fetch the best information to synthesize into a reliable, verifiable answer.”

Lastly, it also means there is utility in tracking branded prompts more diligently and making sure LLMs return the desired information about a brand. Just like companies bid on their brand as a defense mechanism, they should monitor branded prompts, not just product- or painpoint-related ones.

Heads up: The Adapting for AI-Mode Based Search deck gives directors a validated, data-backed story to present to executives who keep asking what changed. Find it in the Premium Subscribers Resource Library.

Why this matters

For 20 years, what you searched told Google and SEOs how you’d behave. Type a brand name (navigational search), and you’re in and out in seconds. Search “best CRM for startups” (comparison search), and you settle into a set of comparison pages. Intent sorted everyone.

The AIO erased that tell. By dropping a block of answer text at the top of the page, it pulls every searcher into a reading session, no matter why they came. The brand-name searcher reads the AIO. The product researcher reads another. Both slow down, both stay, both behave alike on the SERP page. That flattening is the intent compression.

Most Google users never chose this, because most Google users are not AI early adopters. They meet AI through Google’s search results as Google forces guides them into AIOs and AI Mode at the top of the results. AI is changing its search behavior passively and without searchers’ explicit consent. Many Google users might not even realize they’re using AI, and that’s one reason we’re seeing growing installs of DuckDuckGo.

Google reports more than 1.5 billion people use AI Overviews, so this is not an edge case. It’s how the web is searching now.

What winning the second impression looks like

The AI Overviews vs. AI Mode behavior analysis revealed the significance and optimization opportunity of the second look. The second impression is what searchers see on the back-scroll, after they’ve already passed your listing once. It’s like a double-take made by a grocery shopper in the cereal aisle who has dozens of options: The shopper scans every box in view, then circles back to reread the one that caught their eye.

Metadata is the trigger for selecting search results. Rich snippets catch attention early on, but they might not be enough to convert users to a click, especially if new search behavior has shifted to include a thorough reading of the SERP and a second scroll up. What can earn the click is what shows up next to your listing on that second pass, and it has to be relevant and trustworthy.

Different page types require different relevance and trust indicators.

Product detail pages (PDP)

Users compare star ratings, review count, price, and stock status.

Three things to control outside the meta:

• Product schema with aggregateRating, review, offers, and availability. Miss any one of these, and a competitor’s listing renders fuller than yours.
• Review count is a comparison field. 47 reviews next to a competitor’s 2,300 loses on the second pass even if your description is sharper. Review velocity is a competitive moat.
• Multiple images in the schema array so Google has options for different SERP layouts.

Category detail pages (CDP)

Category pages compete with the AIO’s own list. If the AIO already enumerated 5 options, your category page has to look like the place where the user goes to actually choose between them.

Three things to control outside the meta:

• ItemList schema on the category page so Google can render product carousels in the SERP. A carousel takes more vertical space than a single listing and dominates the back-scroll.
• Filter and sort UI visible in the SERP preview. Google sometimes surfaces sitelinks for category facets (“by price” or “by brand”). Internal linking to those facets makes them eligible.
• Page count and depth. A category page with 12 products competes badly against one with 240. The second impression carries an implicit “Is this comprehensive?” check.

Blog content

The AIO has already given the user the answer. To earn a possible validation click or at least a thorough second impression for your brand, what the user is looking for is credibility on who said it and when.

Two things to control outside the meta:

• Visible datePublished or dateModified in the SERP. A 2024 article next to a 2026 article likely loses, whether the user considers the description or not.
• Article schema with a named author field that links to a sameAs URL (LinkedIn, author bio page). This makes the author an entity Google can resolve, which matters for E-E-A-T scoring even if no visible card renders.

The AI SEO Change Management Plan alone saves directors 10+ planning hours for retraining your team against current best practices, but Premium is only $150/year. See the full library.

What intent compression means for operators

The last three years of intent-based content work produced the right pages for the right queries. What’s shifting is one prediction layer on top of that strategy: how long users stay, where they look, when they click.

That layer is now AIO-driven, not intent-driven. User search intent still drives what your brand needs to write, but it is no longer a good estimate of how users will behave on a SERP page.

Therefore, more optimization work moves to the SERP, focusing how your listing reads against the AIO and the results around it, separate from the intent logic that decides what the page content should be to answer the query. 

Your core optimization efforts don’t change. A content team built around intent clusters keeps its cluster map intact. What gets updated is the optimization pattern per page (meta descriptions, title tags, the second-impression framing from finding 7 shared last week with Premium subscribers), not the underlying taxonomy or content strategy.

This post first appeared on the author’s website and is republished here with permission.

Crimson Desert is receiving the best single-player post-launch support we have seen in a long time, with the release of weekly patches that add more content to the game, including fulfilling the community's requests, while addressing some of its shortcomings. This week, we learned that Pearl Abyss is planning to address the game's biggest sore point, its disjointed story, and while this is not ideal, veteran developer Josh Sawyer praised the initiative. “I think this is fine / good even if it isn’t ideal - like patching anything,” the Fallout: New Vegas director said on Bluesky in reply to a […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/crimson-desert-story-patching-100-better-than-admitting-failure-doing-nothing/

Last night during PlayStation's State of Play event for June 2026, Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog showcased more of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and also confirmed rumours that it had been delayed into next year with the announcement of a February 12, 2027, release date. After the dust settled, however, and the initial craze of all the announcements had passed, players spotted a key point on the game's Steam page: a disclosure that Generative AI (GenAI) tools were used in an "early exploration" phase of development. The statement on the game's Steam page reads, "AI-assisted tools were used […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/tomb-raider-legacy-of-atlantis-gen-ai-tools-used-in-development/

Binance exchange said it will move NFT support from its exchange to its non-custodial wallet and offered users 30 days to migrate their NFTs.

Kraken and xStocks Alliance will let eligible users seek allocations in US IPOs at the offering price through tokenized shares in coming weeks.

Zcash Open Development Lab said the network briefly became unstable as miners upgraded, while the Zcash Foundation said there was no evidence of an exploit.

Russian ruble-backed stablecoin A7A5 processed over $110 billion in transactions despite Western sanctions, according to CertiK.

The FCA has urged clubs to rethink deals with unauthorized crypto and trading sponsors, warning that fans risk losing all their money and teams face legal and reputational fallout.

Süper Lig'e yükselen Amedspor, sportif direktörlük görevine Beşiktaş'tan ayrılan Serkan Reçber'in getirildiğini duyurdu.

TFF 1. Lig'de şampiyon olarak tarihinde ilk kez Süper Lig'e yükselen Amedspor, yeni sezon öncesinde yapılanmasını şekillendirmeye devam ediyor.

Diyarbakır ekibi, sportif direktörlük görevine son olarak Beşiktaş'ın eski futbol direktörü olan Serkan Reçber ile anlaşmaya vardı.

Amed Sportif Faaliyetler Kulübü'nden yapılan açıklamada, "Kulübümüz 2026-2027 sezonu sportif yapılanması kapsamında; futbol bilgisi, tecrübesi ve vizyonuyla futbol camiasında önemli bir yere sahip olan Serkan Reçber ile sportif direktörlük görevi için anlaşma sağlamıştır. Kendisine Amedspor ailemize hoş geldin diyor, yeni görevinde başarılar diliyoruz" denildi.

Amerikan Basketbol Ligi (NBA) Başkan Yardımcısı Mark Tatum, 2027 yılının ekim ayında NBA Avrupa projesinin lansmanını yapmayı planladıklarını söyledi.

Mark Tatum, NBA finalleri öncesinde düzenlenen basın toplantısında NBA Avrupa projesine dair açıklamalarda bulundu.

NBA Avrupa projesiyle ilgili son derece önemli gelişmeler kaydettiklerini belirten Tatum, "2027 yılının ekim ayı için planladığımız lansman öncesinde artık son aşamalara geldik. Uluslararası Basketbol Federasyonu (FIBA) ile ortaklığımız kapsamında, taraftarlara, kulüplere ve oyunculara önemli faydalar sağlayacağını düşündüğümüz bir model geliştirdik. Bu doğrultuda, görüşmeler yürüttüğümüz kulüplere ve yatırımcı gruplarına nihai tekliflerin bu ayın sonuna kadar teslim edilmesi gerektiğini ilettik. Bunun ardından süreci değerlendireceğiz ve FIBA da kendi süreçlerini yürütecek. Bu nedenle, kaydedilen ilerlemeden son derece memnunuz." ifadelerini kullandı.

"Avrupa basketboluna, bugüne kadar yapılmamış bir yatırım yapacağız"

Tatum, Avrupa basketbolunu daha üst seviyeye taşımak istediklerini dile getirerek, "FIBA ile ortaklığımız kapsamında, organizasyon formatı, teklif süreci ve yönetişim yapısı gibi konularda önemli ilerlemeler kaydettik. Ligimizin, erişimi genişleteceğine ve Avrupa basketbolunu daha üst seviyeye taşıyacağına inanıyoruz. Burada oluşturmaya çalıştığımız ve oluşturacağımız yapı, taraftarlara, kulüplere ve oyunculara önemli faydalar sağlayacak daha açık ve başarıya dayalı bir sistem olacak. Avrupa basketboluna, bugüne kadar yapılmamış bir yatırım yapacağız. Buradaki takımlar, ekonomik getirilerin ve oluşturulan değerin çok büyük bölümünü alacak. Oluşturulan yapının, tüm paydaşlar için sürdürülebilir büyümeyi destekleyeceğine inanıyoruz." diye konuştu.

Son iki aydır kulüplerle doğrudan görüşmeler yaptıklarını aktaran Tatum, şöyle devam etti:

“Görüşmelerde, söz konusu modelin takımlar ve Avrupa basketbolu için uzun vadeli değer üretmek amacıyla tasarlandığını ve amacın değer transferi yapmak olmadığını anlatıyoruz. 'Franchise' ücretlerinden elde edilecek yatırımın çok büyük bir kısmı yeniden Avrupa basketboluna yatırım olarak geri dönecek. Dolayısıyla bu paranın ABD'ye aktarılacağı yönündeki iddialar kesinlikle doğru değil. Kulüplerle yürüttüğümüz görüşmelerde, ligin başarılı bir şekilde hayata geçirilmesi için pazarlama alanında yapmayı planladığımız yatırımları da anlatıyoruz. Bu ligi hayata geçirdiğimizde, yalnızca spor dünyasında değil, tüm tüketici markaları arasında da en büyük pazarlama kampanyalarından birini gerçekleştireceğiz.”

"Basketbol Şampiyonlar Ligi, bu yapının önemli bir parçası"

NBA Başkan Yardımcısı Mark Tatum, önümüzdeki sezonda Basketbol Şampiyonlar Ligi'nde şampiyonluğa ulaşacak takımın NBA Avrupa'ya katılım hakkı elde edeceğini dile getirdi.

Tatum, NBA Avrupa projesiyle kulüplere ve taraftarlara fayda sağlayacak bir sistem kuracaklarını kaydederek "Bu sistem, bugün mevcut olan yapıya kıyasla çok daha fazla başarıya dayalı bir sistem olacak ve kulüplerin ligimize katılabilmeleri için açık bir yol sunacak. Bu da daha fazla şeffaflık, daha anlamlı maçlar ve yatırım yapmaya yönelik daha güçlü teşvikler oluşturacak. Sonuç olarak tüm basketbol ekosistemine fayda sağlayacak. FIBA'daki ortağımız olan Basketbol Şampiyonlar Ligi, bu yapının önemli bir parçası. Örneğin, 2027 yılının ekim ayında bir lansman gerçekleştireceğimizi düşünüyoruz. Önümüzdeki Basketbol Şampiyonlar Ligi sezonunun şampiyonu, ligimiz için katılım hakkı elde edecek. Aslında bu, tüm ekosistemin nasıl uyumlu hale geleceği ve bundan nasıl fayda sağlayacağı açısından son derece önemli bir örnek." değerlendirmesinde bulundu.

Basketbol Avrupa Ligi (EuroLeague) ile görüşmelerin sürdüğünü anlatan Mark Tatum, sözlerini şöyle tamamladı:

"En başından beri tüm tarafların basketbolun çıkarları doğrultusunda ortak bir zeminde buluşması gerektiğine inandığımızı tutarlı bir şekilde ifade ettik. Aynı zamanda biz gerçekçiyiz. Eğer bunu başaramazsak, FIBA da dahil olmak üzere ortaklarımız ve yatırımcılarımızla birlikte ilerlemeye hazırız. FIBA'nın desteği ve liderliğiyle, önümüzdeki birkaç hafta içinde Basketbol Avrupa Ligi yönetimiyle yeniden bir araya gelmeyi planlıyoruz. Ancak tekrar ifade etmem gerekirse, Basketbol Avrupa Ligi sistemindeki herkesin, hem kulüplerin hem de ligin anladığı üzere, ligimizde kalıcı bir yer edinmenin tek yolu teklif sürecinden geçmek ve yatırım sürecimiz kapsamında kalıcı bir 'franchise' hakkı elde etmek. Bununla birlikte, bir anlaşmaya varamazsak ortaklarımız ve yatırımcılarımızla birlikte ilerlemeye hazırız. Bu elbette ideal bir durum olmaz. Ancak Avrupa basketbolunu büyütmeye ve ona yatırım yapmaya kararlı yeterli sayıda yatırımcımızın bulunduğuna ve FIBA'daki ortaklarımızla birlikte hareket ettiğimize inanıyoruz. Bu nedenle ortaklarımız ve yatırımcılarımızla birlikte ilerlemeye hazır durumdayız."

A Milli Futbol Takımı ve Fenerbahçe'nin eski teknik direktörlerinden Ersun Yanal, 2026 Dünya Kupası'nda mücadele edecek A Milli Futbol Takımı'na güvendiğini belirterek, "2002'deki sürprizi bu takım da yaparsa şaşırmam" dedi.

Miami'de AA muhabirinin sorularını yanıtlayan Ersun Yanal, milli takıma güvendiğini belirterek, "Gruptaki en iyi ve en favori takım biziz. ABD kendi ülkesinde ve kendi seyircisi önünde oynayacak ama ben bunu çok önemsemiyorum. Grup, Avustralya, Amerika ve Türkiye arasında geçecek diye düşünüyorum. Avustralya'ya hadi canım diyen de olabilir ama bu takımlar çok mücadele eden, çok koşan takımlar. Top rakipteyken, rakibi oynatmayacak oyunu çok iyi organize eden takımlar. Takım olarak çok iyi daralabiliyorlar, alanları çok iyi kapattıkları için toplu oynamayı zorlaştırıyorlar ve kazandıklarında çok hızlı hücum yapabiliyorlar. Çok büyük yeteneğe de gerek kalmıyor." ifadelerini kullandı.

"Bazı takımlar var, İspanya, Fransa gibi özel takımlar var. Bunlara ne kadar alan daraltırsanız da baskı yapsanız da bunu hallediyorlar." diye konuşan Yanal, "Ama burada da İspanya Fas maçını hatırlatacağım. İspanya'nın bence Harry Kane gibi bir santrforu olsaydı o gün İspanya çok rahatlıkla farka gidebilirdi ama kazanamadı. Dolayısıyla savunmayı iyi yapabilen takımlar sürpriz yapabilir. Bu grup Türkiye'nin savunma yaparak çıkacağı bir grup değil, tam tersi rakipleri Türkiye'ye bunu yapacak. ABD ve Avustralya maçlarında top bizde olacak. İşte o zaman topu rakip kazandıktan sonra o geçişi iyi oynamak gerekiyor. Ondan sonraki maçlar daha rahat olacak. Yani 'box to box' oynanacak maçlarda Türkiye'nin avantajı çok fazla. İyi özelliklerimiz ve silahlarımız var, şutör, oyunun kırılabilecek noktalarında yaratıcı pas yüzdeleri yüksek, sürpriz, savunma arkası, savunma arası topla buluşacak zeki oyuncularımız var. Türkiye'nin şansı yüksek takımlardan biri olduğunu düşünüyorum." değerlendirmesinde bulundu.

Fransa, İspanya, Brezilya, Arjantin ve Portekiz gibi takımların favori olarak ön plana çıktığını belirten Yanal, "Son şampiyon Arjantin son turnuvadan bu tarafa çok büyük değişiklik ya da yıldız bir oyuncu ilave etmedi. O takım ne yapar? Messi'nin etrafında ne kadar daha toplanır? O ne kadar daha bir turnuvaya dayanır? Onları da çok bu kategori içine sokmuyorum. Turnuvada sürpriz yapabilecek, arkadan gelebilecek bazı takımlar da var, Kore gibi. Atletizmi çok güçlü takımlar, onlar her şeyi yapabilirler. Sürpriz yapabilirler. Ya da bir takımı, sürpriz bir şekilde eleyebilirler. Hırvatistan bilemiyorum, eski gücünde değil. Ama İngiltere yine sürprizlerin ve acıların takımı diyebilirim. Kupanın bu takımların üzerinde döneceğini düşünüyorum. Bunların dışında biz sürpriz yapabilir miyiz? Yapabiliriz. Bizim kadromuz kötü değil. 2002'deki sürprizi bu takım da yaparsa şaşırmam. Bu takım yapabilir. Tek endişem, güçlü bir santrfor profiliyle olsaydık umut daha farklı olurdu. Deniz var, hoca oynatır mı oynatmaz mı, faydalanır mı faydalanmaz mı... Kerem sanırım biraz bir problemi var, umarım iyileşir. O da grup maçlarında hücumda çok etkili oldu." ifadelerini kullandı.

Milli takımdaki oyuncuların teknik direktör Vincenzo Montella'ya büyük saygı duyduğunu aktaran deneyimli teknik adam, "Montella'ya gelince o da buna uyum sağlamış bir teknik direktör. Çünkü ülkemizde çalıştı. Anadolu'da çalışması büyük avantaj oldu çünkü herkesi tanıdı, herkesi gördü ve oyuncuyla kurduğu ilişki çok iyi. Oyuncular, hocalarına saygı duyuyorlar, oynayıp, oynamamaları konusunda sıkıntı çekmiyorlar. Uzun zaman sonra bu ahengi yakalamış milli takım umarım iyi sonuçlarla dönüp ülkeyi birazcık bu konuda mutlu etsin." şeklinde konuştu.

“Takımdaşlık konusunda da uzun süre sonra ilk defa bu kadar iyi bir ekip yakalandı”
"Santrforsuz oynamak böyle turnuvalarda çok zordur, turnuva oyunu oturtmak çok zordur." sözlerini kullanan Ersun Yanal, sözlerini şöyle sürdürdü:

“Geçmişte turnuva oyunuyla Dünya Kupası'nda neredeyse final oluyorduk. O günden bugüne kadar değişen ne oldu? Oynayacağımız takımlar inanılmaz güçlü atletik yapılara sahipler. Bunu geçen Dünya Kupası'nda bize Avustralya ve ABD aslında gösterdi. Atletizm yetenekleri çok yüksek, grubumuzda 90 dakika sahada rakibi oynatmama konusunda çok iyi olan iki takım. Top ayağımızdayken ne kadar kaliteli oynayacağımız, topu rakibe verdiğimizde ne kadar süratli ve dikine oynayacağımız performansımızı belirleyecek. Top rakipteyken ve topu rakipten kazandığımız anda çok hızlı oynayacağımızı düşünüyorum. Takımdaşlık konusunda da uzun süre sonra ilk defa bu kadar iyi bir ekip yakalandı, bunda Hakan Çalhanoğlu gibi oyuncuların çok önemli olduğunu düşünüyorum. Avrupa'da yetişti büyüdü ama Türkiye'deki bağları çok güçlü. Takımdaşlık için en büyük güç oradan başlıyor. Birlikte olmaktan ve birlikte oynamaktan keyif alan bir takım olduk. Bizim de atletizmimiz kötü değil. Rakiplere göre yüksek, alternatiflerimiz var, savunmadaki oyuncularımız hem hücum hem savunmayı iyi yapabilecek isimler. Savunma özellikle orta sahalar fazla, umarım stoperler de buna katılır. Üç kalecimiz de birbirini aratmayacak seviyede. Umudumuz iyi sonuçlar alınması, bugünü geçmek gerekiyor ama bence bugünden sonra da her zaman kupada olmak gerekiyor.”

"Aday kadroda bence eksik yok"
Montella'nın seçenekler arasında aday kadroyu olması gerektiği gibi oluşturduğunu dile getiren Yanal, şöyle konuştu:

“Şu anda aday kadroda bence eksik yok. 'Mili takımımıza şu oyuncu gelmedi.' diyebileceğimiz bir oyuncu ben söyleyemem. Turnuva boyunca oynayan oyuncuların hepsi kadroda. Hatta ilaveler var. İşte Deniz son dönemde katıldı, o belki bu turnuvada farklı bir çıkış yapabilir. Uzun zaman sonra Ozan döndü, umarım bir sakatlık yaşamayız. O geldi. Stoper konusunda umarım herhangi bir sakatlık yaşamayız. Çünkü 3-4 stoperimiz var ama zaman zaman orada sıkıntı çekebiliyoruz. Onun dışında çok büyük sıkıntı çekeceğimizi düşünmüyorum. Tabii Arda gibi özel bir oyuncu var. Burada değişik bir yıldızlığa soyunabilir, Kenan için de aynı şeyi söylerim ama sakatlık durumunu tam olarak bilmiyorum, umarım iyidir, özel bir oyuncu. Hakan Çalhanoğlu fark oluşturacak, turnuvanın en iyi şutörlerinden biri, çok sürpriz ve hafızalardan silinmeyecek belki bir golü de olabilecek. Yani ben umutluyum.”

"Aslında oturup düşünmek gerek, neden 24 sene bekledik?"
Türk Milli Takımı'nın şampiyonalarda sürekli yer alması gerektiğine vurgu yapan Yanal, sözlerini şöyle sürdürdü:

"Milli takımla ilgili değerlendirme yaparken 24 sene geriye gitmek gerek. Bir kuşak yakalamıştık. 1996, 2000 ve 2002. İlk defa Avrupa Şampiyonası'na katılmıştık, arkasından o kadronun çekirdeğini oluşturan oyuncuların temsil ettiği Galatasaray takımıyla UEFA Kupası'nda başarılı olduk ve ardından da 2002 Dünya Kupası geldi. İyi bir kuşaktı, iyi bir jenerasyondu ve ondan sonra 24 yıl geçmesi gerekti. Aslında oturup düşünmek gerek, neden 24 sene bekledik? Çok şükür 24 yıl sonunda gidildi ama bundan önce neden gidemedik? Şimdi geldik, ne yapacağız ve bundan sonra ne olacak? Tekrar iyi bir jenerasyon elimizde var ve buraya gerçekten de iyi sonuçlar alarak ve iyi oynayarak katıldık. İyi bir kuşak geldi. Bu iyi kuşağın sonlarına gelen oyuncular var, alttan da Arda gibi birkaç oyuncu geldi. Bu kuşakları sürekli hale getiremediğimiz sürece hep böyle konuşuruz. En büyük derdimiz, bu kuşağı sürekli hale getirecek organizasyon yapmak. Organizasyon konusunda çok büyük eksiklerimiz var. Ülke dışında yaşayan oyuncularımızın etkisi büyük oluyor. Ama şu anda birkaç oyuncumuz Türkiye'den çıktı, onlar katıldı. Bunu sürekli hale getirmek ve yeni oyuncular çıkarmak en önemli felsefemiz olmalı. Bu eksiğimiz yüzünden 24 sene bekledik, bir daha 24 sene beklemeyelim oyuncu üretelim."

Çok uzun aralarla yıldız oyuncular üretebildiğimizi dile getiren deneyimli teknik adam, "Aslında yıldız oyuncular da böyle uzun aralarla çıkar. Arda çok özel bir oyuncu. Fenerbahçe'de başladığında spekülasyonlarla savaşmak zorunda kaldı. Çok yetenekli bir oyuncuydu. Ben hep şunu söylerim, erken başla, geç özelleş. Bu konuda Fenerbahçe de acele etti. Fenerbahçe de Arda'yı biraz daha sindirebilirdi. Ama çıkış olarak çok iyi bir yere gitti ki Fenerbahçe'de yine erken başlattılar ama geç performans aldılar ki öyle olması gerekiyordu. Umarım bu yeni sezonda o çıkışı, o devamlılığı sürekli devam eder ki önemli, özel bir oyuncu, oyunu aklıyla oynayabilen, oyun aklı oluşturabilen bir oyuncu. Umarım bu devam eder, sakatlık yaşamaz. Çünkü bu genç oyuncuların olgunlaşma seviyesine geldiği andır Arda'nın bulunduğu yer. Onu ben Avrupa Şampiyonası'ndan ilk katılan Mbappe'nin özelliklerinde görüyorum, o dönemde tam çıkış yakalamıştı ve Fransa Avrupa Şampiyonu olmuştu. Şimdi aynı şeyi bizim için Arda yapar mı? Yapma şansı çok yüksek. Özel bir oyuncu." değerlendirmesinde bulundu.

“Biz de Arizona'da kamp yaptık”
Ersun Yanal, "Milli takımın ana kamp merkezi Arizona oldu. Sıcaklık bir dezavantaj oluşturur mu?" sorusuna,"Arizona'da bir hatıram var. TFF'de gelişim direktörlüğü yaparken Arizona'da 17 Yaş Altı Milli Takım ile şimdi kalacakları otel ve tesislerde kamp yaptık, orada turnuvaya katıldık. Hakan Çalhanoğlu da o takımdaydı. Rahmetli Ahmet de vardı, Okay Yokuşlu vardı. İyi bir takımdık. O takımla buraya gelmiştik ve çocuklarla bir turnuvaya katılmıştık. Aynı yerdeler. Sıcak zor ama çok olumsuz etki olacağını düşünmüyorum. Bunu halledebilecek protokollerimiz var. Bu konuda bilimsel çalışan bir ekip de var. Herhangi bir sıkıntı yaşayacağımızı düşünmüyorum." yanıtını verdi.

Türkiye ve dünyadaki önemli ligleri yakından takip ettiğini de dile getiren Yanal, "Ligimizin daha kaliteli olması için gerekli hangi tedbir varsa alınmalı diye düşünüyorum. Ekonomik, fiziksel, statlar, güvenlik, hakemler, her şeyin iyi revize olması gerekiyor diye düşünüyorum. Çünkü gerçekten futbolun güzelliklerinin karşılığında yaşadıklarımızı ülke olarak düzeltmeliyiz. Bunun sonuçlarını hak etmiyoruz. Avrupa'daki 5 ligin içine katabilecek büyüklüğe, güce sahip olmalıyız." ifadelerini kullandı.

Sezonun ikinci grand slam tenis turnuvası Fransa Açık'ta (Roland Garros), Rus Diana Shnaider ve Polonyalı Maja Chwalinska yarı finale yükseldi.

Fransa'nın başkenti Paris'teki turnuvada, 4 kez grand slam şampiyonu ve kadınlar dünya 1 numarası Aryna Sabalenka'yı 3-6, 7-5 ve 6-0'lık setlerle 2-1 yenen Rus Diana Shnaider (25), kariyerinin ilk yarı final biletini aldı.

Günün diğer çeyrek final mücadelesinde ise elemelerden gelen ve dünya klasmanında 114. sırada yer alan Polonyalı Chwalinska, Anna Kalinskaya'yı (22) 7-6 ve 6-3'lük setlerle 2-0 mağlup ederek kariyerinde ilk kez grand slam yarı finaline çıktı.

Shnaider ve Chwalinska, yarı finalde karşılaşacak.

Gelecek sezona daha iddialı girmek isteyen Manchester United, Atalanta'nın orta sahası Ederson'u kadrosuna kattı.

İngiltere Premier Lig'i 3. sırada bitiren ve gelecek sezon UEFA Şampiyonlar Ligi'nde oynama hakkı elde eden Manchester United, kadrosunu güçlendirmek için çalışmalarını sürdürüyor.

İngiliz devi, bu doğrultuda rotasını İtalya'ya çevirdi.

ANLAŞMAYA VARILDI
Fabrizio Romano'nun haberine göre; Manchester United, Atalanta'dan Ederson'u kadrosuna kattı.

Kulüpler, Ederson'un transferi için bonuslar dahil 45 milyon euro karşılığında anlaşmaya vardı. Sağlık kontrolleri ve resmi işlemler yakında tamamlanacak.

BU SEZONKİ PERFORMANSI
26 yaşındaki orta saha, bu sezon İtalyan kulübünde 41 maçta 3169 dakika süre aldı ve 3 gol - 2 asistlik performans sergiledi.

İngiliz ekibi, Brezilyalı orta saha ile 4+1 yıllık sözleşme imzalayacak.

Real Madrid, İtalyan kulübündeki 20 milyon Euro'luk serbest kalma maddesini aktif hale getirerek Denzel Dumfries transferinde mutlu sona ulaştı. Hollandalı futbolcunun transferi, kulüpteki başkanlık seçimlerinin ardından resmen duyurulacak.

Real Madrid, sağ bek transferinde rotayı Denzel Dumfries'e çevirdi.

Sky Almanya'nın haberine göre; İspanyol devi, Hollandalı oyuncunun sözleşmesinde yer alan 20 milyon Euro'luk serbest kalma maddesini doğrudan devreye alarak, mevcut kulübüyle herhangi bir pazarlık sürecine girmeden anlaşmayı sağladı.

Transferin resmiyet kazanması için önünde sadece bürokratik formalitelerin kaldığı belirtiliyor.

CARVAJAL BOŞLUĞU DOLUYOR

Dani Carvajal'in takımdan ayrılmasının ardından savunmanın sağ kanadı, Real Madrid'in bu transfer dönemindeki en öncelikli hedeflerinden biri haline gelmişti. Dumfries'in transferiyle birlikte Madrid ekibi, bu bölgedeki eksikliğini tecrübeli ve fiziksel gücüyle öne çıkan bir isimle gidermeyi hedefliyor.

Özellikle rakip hücum etkinliği ve Avrupa kupalarındaki deneyimiyle tanınan Hollandalı oyuncu, Madrid'in gelecek sezonki oyun planında kilit bir parça olarak görülüyor.

TRANSFERDE SON ADIM SEÇİM SONRASI

Real Madrid yönetimi, Denzel Dumfries hamlesiyle gelecek sezon kadrosundaki en çok tartışılan pozisyonlardan birini garanti altına almış durumda.

Kulübe yakın çevrelerden alınan bilgilere göre transferin resmi açıklaması ve imza töreni, Real Madrid'de gerçekleştirilecek başkanlık seçimlerinin hemen ardından yapılacak.

Başkanlık süreciyle birlikte yeni dönemin ilk büyük transferi olarak lanse edilmesi beklenen Dumfries, İspanyol devinin önümüzdeki sezonki kadro yapılanmasının en önemli halkalarından birini oluşturacak.

Real Madrid ile sözleşme yenileme görüşmeleri tıkanan Vinicius Junior, maaş skalasında Kylian Mbappé ile eşitlenmeyi talep etti. Brezilyalı yıldızın nihai sözleşme şartları, 2026 Dünya Kupası'ndaki performansına bağlı olarak netleşecek.

Real Madrid’in kanat oyuncusu Vinicius Junior ile olan kontrat sürecine dair detaylar netleşmeye başladı. İspanyol devi, 25 yaşındaki yıldız oyuncusu ile sözleşme yenileme konusunda ortak bir noktada buluşmakta güçlük çekiyor.

MAAŞ KRİZİNDE DÜNYA KUPASI ETKİSİ

AS gazetesinin paylaştığı bilgilere göre, taraflar arasındaki masada en büyük pürüzü maaş beklentisi oluşturuyor. Brezilyalı oyuncunun, maaşının takımın en yüksek ücret alan futbolcusu olan Kylian Mbappé ile aynı seviyeye çekilmesini talep ettiği öne sürüldü.

Yönetim kanadının ise bu talebi kabul etmeden önce oyuncunun performans grafiğini gözlemlemek istediği ifade ediliyor. Bu doğrultuda, sözleşme şartlarının netleşmesinde 2026 Dünya Kupası’ndaki performansın belirleyici bir rol oynayacağı kaydedildi. Yıldız oyuncunun turnuvada sergileyeceği oyunun, pazarlık masasındaki elini güçlendireceği veya zayıflatacağı belirtiliyor.

Real Madrid ile mevcut sözleşme sürecinde kritik bir viraja giren Vinicius Junior, 2025/26 sezonunda sergilediği istatistiklerle takımının en üretken oyuncularından biri olmayı başardı. 25 yaşındaki kanat oyuncusu, geride kalan süreçte tüm kulvarlarda toplam 53 maçta forma şansı buldu.

Bu müsabakalarda istikrarlı bir görüntü çizen Brezilyalı yıldız, rakip fileleri 22 kez havalandırırken, takım arkadaşlarına da 14 gol pası vererek skora doğrudan 36 gollük katkı sağladı.

Mevcut durumda yıllık yaklaşık 15 milyon Euro net maaş kazanan oyuncunun, kulüpteki geleceğinin kısa süre içerisinde yapılacak görüşmelerle şekillenmesi bekleniyor.

Trendyol 1. Lig takımlarından Fatih Karagümrük'ün Fenerbahçe'yle sözleşmesinin sonuna gelen Emre Mor ile ilgilendiği öne sürülüyordu. İstanbul ekibinden iddialarla ilgili açıklama geldi.

Fenerbahçe ile sözleşmesinin sonuna gelen Emre Mor'un adı Fatih Karagümrük ile anılıyordu. Fatih Karagümrük'ten iddialara ilişkin açıklama geldi. Emre Mor iddialarıyla ilgili yapılan açıklama şöyle:

"Profesyonel futbolcu Emre Mor’un kulübümüze transferi konusunda görüşmeler yapıldığı ya da anlaşma sağlandığı yönünde bazı basın yayın organlarında yer alan haberler gerçeği yansıtmamaktadır.

Oyuncu yeni sezon transfer planlamamızda yer almadığı gibi herhangi bir görüşme gerçekleştirilmemiştir. Kamuoyuna saygıyla duyurulur."

Estonya'da düzenlenen UEFA 17 Yaş Altı Avrupa Futbol Şampiyonası'nda Belçika ile Fransa arasında yarın oynanacak yarı final maçını hakem Oğuzhan Çakır yönetecek.

Türkiye Futbol Federasyonundan yapılan açıklamaya göre, başkent Tallinn'deki Kadrioru Stadı'nda oynanacak karşılaşmada Çakır'ın yardımcılıklarını Michail Papadakis (Yunanistan) ile Aleksandras Stepanovas (Litvanya) üstlenecek.

Müsabakada dördüncü hakem olarak ise Alexandros Tsakalidis (Yunanistan) görev yapacak.

Premier Lig'de oynayan futbolcuların piyasa değerleri güncellendi. Brighton forması giyen Ferdi Kadıoğlu ulaştığı yeni değerle kariyer rekoru kırdı.

Transfermarkt, Premier Lig'de mücadele eden futbolcuların piyasa değerini güncelledi. Bu güncellemeyle birlikte Brighton'da top koşturan Ferdi Kadıoğlu kariyerinde bir ilki yaşadı.

30 milyon euro olan Ferdi Kadıoğlu'nun piyasa değeri 5 milyon euro yükseldi. Böylece milli futbolcu 35 milyon euro ile kariyerinin en yüksek piyasa değerine ulaştı.

Manchester United forması giyen Altay Bayındır ise değer kaybetti. Milli kalecinin piyasa değeri 7 milyon eurodan 5 milyon euroya düştü.

Bu sezon Bournemouth'ta yaşadığı sakatlıkların da etkisiyle sadece 242 dakika süre alabilen Enes Ünal'ın piyasa değeri ise 1 milyon euro değer kaybıyla 7 milyon euroya geriledi.

Fenerbahçe, 2026/27 sezonunda giyeceği formaları tanıttı. Sarı-lacivertli kulübün başkanı Sadettin Saran, "Bugüne kadar yapılan en erken lansman. Bu sene çok rekorlar kırıldı Fenerium'da. Bugün burada sadece yeni formalarımızı değil 120 yıllık paha biçilmez bir mirasın simgesini camiamızla buluşturuyoruz." dedi.

Fenerbahçe'de yeni sezonda kullanılacak formaların lansmanı yapıldı. Forma lansmanında konuşan sarı-lacivertli kulüpte başkan Sadettin Saran, “Bugün herhalde camiaya son konuşmamız, kongre öncesi. Bugüne kadar yapılan en erken lansman. Bu sene çok rekorlar kırıldı Fenerium'da. Bugün burada sadece yeni formalarımızı değil 120 yıllık paha biçilmez bir mirasın simgesini camiamızla buluşturuyoruz.” dedi.

Sarana ayrıca, "Bu sezon 120. yılımızı kutlayacağız, çok özel bir yıl. Arkadaşlar çok çalıştı, ortağımız Adidas da çok çalıştı. Hakikaten çok güzel. Rekorlar kırılacak yine, o bize kısmet olmayacak ama olsun. Bizden sonraki yönetim kıracak. 3 formadan hangisinin daha güzel olduğuna zor karar vereceksiniz." açıklamasında bulundu.

Sadettin Saran'ın konuşmasının ardından forma lansmanına geçildi. Fenerbahçe'nin sosyal medya hesabından yapılan paylaşımda, “Bu forma, unutulmayan zaferlerden,? gelip geçmeyenlerden, modadan, yağmurluktan,? vazgeçilmez bir tutkudan,? Fenerbahçe ruhundan yapıldı.??” denildi.

Forma tanıtımı için yapılan lansmana sarı-lacivertli kulübün eski futbolcuları Gökhan Gönül, Semih Şentürk, Tuncay Şanlı, Marco Aurelio, Elvir Boliç, Ogün Temizkanoğlu, Şenol Çorlu, Cem Pamiroğlu, Alpaslan Eratlı ve Cemil Turan katıldı.

Sarı-lacivertli takımın tanıtılan yeni sezon formalarında kulübün 120. yılı için hazırlanan özel logo yer aldı. Fenerbahçe'nin 2026/27 sezonunda kullanacağı formalar şöyle:

Galatasaray Kulübünde yeni dönem başladı. Başka Dursun Özbek, şubelerden sorumlu yöneticileri de belirledi.

Galatasaray Kulübünde Dursun Özbek başkanlığındaki yeni yönetim kurulunun şubelerdeki görev dağılımı belli oldu.

Sarı-kırmızılı kulüpten yapılan açıklamaya göre 23 Mayıs'ta gerçekleştirilen olağan seçimli genel kurul neticesinde yönetimi devralan 93. yönetim kurulunun şubelerdeki görev bölümü şöyle:

Erkek Basketbol: Mecit Mert Çetinkaya

Kadın Basketbol: Mehmet Saruhan Cibara

Tekerlekli Sandalye Basketbol: Mehmet Saruhan Cibara

Kadın Voleybol: Mehmet Saruhan Cibara, Ömer Sarıgül

Erkek Voleybol: Mehmet Saruhan Cibara, Ömer Sarıgül

Yelken: Bora İsmail Bahçetepe, Tanur Lara Yılmaz

Kürek: Metin Öztürk

Sutopu: Bora İsmail Bahçetepe, Tanur Lara Yılmaz

Yüzme: Bora İsmail Bahçetepe, Tanur Lara Yılmaz

Otizm Yüzme Şubesi: Tanur Lara Yılmaz

Atletizm: Eray Yazgan, Mecit Mert Çetinkaya

Judo: Emir Aral

Binicilik: Metin Öztürk, Ozan Bingöl Yurtsever

Briç: Mehmet Saruhan Cibara

Tenis: Mehmet Saruhan Cibara

Espor: Ozan Bingöl Yurtsever

Satranç: Tanur Lara Yılmaz

Trabzonspor, Ukraynalı oyuncusu Oleksandr Zubkov'un transferi konusunda Yunanistan'ın AEK Kulübü ile anlaşma sağlandığını duyurdu.

Trabzonspor Sportif Yatırım ve Futbol İşletmeciliği Ticaret A.Ş'den, Borsa İstanbul'a gönderilen ve Kamuyu Aydınlatma Platformunda da (KAP) yer alan açıklamada, şu ifadelere yer verildi:

"Profesyonel futbolcumuz Oleksandr Zubkov'un, AEK Kulübüne kesin transferi konusunda anlaşma sağlanmıştır. Anlaşmaya göre AEK Kulübü, kulübümüze sözleşme fesih bedeli olarak 4 milyon euro ödeme yapacaktır. Ayrıca AEK, kulübümüze, şarta bağlı bonus olarak 500 bin euro ile futbolcunun bir başka kulübe transferinin gerçekleşmesi halinde elde edilecek net transfer bedelinin yüzde 10'unu ödeyecektir."

TRABZONSPOR'UN PAYLAŞIMLARI

Bordo-mavililerin sosyal medya hesabından transfere ilişkin, “Profesyonel futbolcumuz Oleksandr Zubkov’un, AEK Kulübü’ne kesin transferi konusunda anlaşma sağlanmıştır.” denildi. Ayrıca Ukraynalı futbolcu için yapılan paylaşımda, “Teşekkürler Oleksandr Zubkov” ifadeleri yer aldı.

ZUBKOV'UN TRABZONSPOR KARİYERİ

Trabzonspor'la geride kalan sezonda Türkiye Kupası şampiyonluğu yaşayan Oleksandr Zubkov, bordo-mavili takıma 2024/25 sezonunun ara transfer döneminde imza atmıştı. Zubkov, Trabzonspor formasıyla 57 maça çıkarken 12 gol ve 16 asist kaydetti.

Qadınlardan ibarət Azərbaycan milli komandasının futbolçuları Günay İsmayılova, Aytac Şərifova, Kamilla Məmmədova, Esra Manya, Peritan Bozdağ və Vüsalə Seyfəddinovanın iştirakı ilə Sumqayıt şəhər 10 və 18 nömrəli tam orta məktəblərdə imza günü təşkil olunub.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, məqsəd milli komandamızın dünya çempionatının seçmə mərhələsi çərçivəsində Macarıstan yığmasına qarşı keçirəcəyi oyunun təbliğatını aparmaq, həmçinin şagirdlərə milli komanda haqqında ətraflı məlumat vermək olub.

Görüş zamanı futbolçular şagirdlərlə ünsiyyətdə olub, xatirə şəkilləri çəkdirib və imza paylayıblar. Görüş iştirakçılar tərəfindən böyük maraqla qarşılanıb və məktəblilər milli üzvlərinə qarşıdakı oyunda uğurlar arzulayıblar.

Tədbirdə AFFA-nın Qadın Futbolu Departamentinin rəhbəri Zümrüd Ağayeva, assosiasiya nümayəndələri, Sumqayıt şəhəri üzrə təhsil sektorunun aparıcı məsləhətçisi Oqtay Nuriyev, 10 nömrəli tam orta məktəbin direktoru Səmra Quluzadə və 18 nömrəli tam orta məktəbin direktoru Nərminə Ömərova iştirak ediblər.

Qeyd edək ki, iyunun 5-də Mehdi Hüseynzadə adına Sumqayıt şəhər stadionunda keçiriləcək Azərbaycan – Macarıstan oyunu saat 18:00-da başlanacaq.

Dünya çempionatına ən çox oyunçu göndərən klublar açıqlanıb.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, birinci sırada “Mançester Siti”dir. “Şəhərlilər” mundialda 19 futbolçu ilə təmsil olunacaq.

İkinci sırada “Bavariya” yer alır. Almaniya klubunun 18 oyunçusu dünya çempionatına yollanıb.

“Üçlüy”ü 16 futbolçu ilə “Arsenal” tamamlayır.

“Real” yeni mövsüm üçün ev formasını təqdim edib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, “Adidas” tərəfindən hazırlanan dəstlər ağ rəngdədir və qırmızı zolaqlardan ibarətdir.

“Real” La Liqada mövsümü ikinci sırada başa vurub.

“Gəncə” klubunun voleybolçusu Olena Napalkova Ukrayna milli komandasına dəvət alıb.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, o, Millətlər Liqası və Avropa çempionatının oyunları üçün yığmaya çağırılıb. Ukrayna millisinin baş məşqçisi, polşalı mütəxəssis Yakub Qluszask oyunçunun xidmətlərində maraqlıdır.

Millətlər Liqasının ilk həftəsi Kanadada təşkil olunacaq və iyunun 3–7-də Ukrayna millisi ABŞ, Almaniya, Yaponiya və Fransa ilə qarşılaşacaq.

Avropa çempionatında isə B qrupunda yer alan Ukrayna yığması avqustun 21–27-də Çexiyada mübarizə aparacaq.