Samsung has launched two new smartphones, the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37, in its popular A-series. These phones are designed to give users a better viewing experience while also keeping their eyes safe during long hours of use.

According to Samsung, these Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 phones come with the SGS Eye Care Certification. This certification is given to screens that reduce harmful blue light, which can cause eye strain, headaches, and tired eyes.

With this feature, Samsung ensures that using these phones for a long time is safer and more comfortable for your eyes. The Eye Care Certification is based on the ability to lower the harmful blue light emitted from the screen without affecting the brightness or color quality.

Aside from this, both the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 come with a big 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED+ display. This means users can enjoy bright colors, clear images, and deep contrast while using the phone. The large screen also makes it easier to read and view content comfortably.

They also support a 120Hz refresh rate, making scrolling, gaming, and switching between apps very smooth. They also support a 120Hz refresh rate, making scrolling, gaming, and switching between apps very smooth.

Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 will be available from April 10, while US users can purchase them one day ahead. Stay tuned.

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Yesterday a leak brought us CAD-based renders of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, and today the same source is back with some fresh new CAD-based renders, this time of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Wide, which is apparently launching right alongside the Fold8 and Flip8 this summer. As you may already know from previous rumors, the Fold8 Wide has a wider form-factor, just like its name implies, and is intended to placate Apple's iPhone Fold (or iPhone Ultra), which will also have a wider aspect ratio. The point of these is to not have a square inner screen, but one with an aspect ratio more...

Spain has a shortlist of top goalkeepers who could fit in any club in the world. Unai Simón plays for a less glamorous side with Athletic Club, but he has earned his place in the national team. His role has been important for Spain, and he compared his colleagues at Real Madrid and Barcelona, Thibaut Courtois and Joan García.

Simón praised them in an interview with El Partidazo: “Courtois is a goalkeeper who is always at the highest level. García is the one who comes closest because of the level he is showing and the points he is earning for his team. Barcelona are right up there because of performances like the one he had against Rayo Vallecano last weekend.”

His role in Luis de la Fuente’s team has been key in establishing Simón among the best. He looks ready to take the main spot for Spain at the World Cup, but he faces competition from Arsenal’s David Raya and Real Sociedad’s Álex Remiro.

Simón picks the best goalkeepers in the world

The Athletic Club player is a leader for his club, and also for Spain. His humility also showed when he was asked who the best goalkeepers in the world are, and he did not include himself in the list. Instead, he first chose the best in La Liga.

For Simón, the best three goalkeepers in his own league come from the three biggest clubs, as he picked Courtois, García and Atlético Madrid’s Jan Oblak to complete the podium.

As for the best three in the world, he replaced Oblak with another Spanish goalkeeper ahead of names like Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manuel Neuer and Emiliano Martínez. Simón said: “The best three in the world are Courtois, García and Raya.”

Simón on the Finalissima

The current conflict in the Middle East led to the cancellation of the Finalissima. There was strong anticipation for the match in which Spain was set to face Argentina.

Simón said: “It’s a special title and a perfect test of how you are arriving at the World Cup. It’s a shame it could not happen for whatever reason. I don’t know the exact motive, but I would have loved to play it.”

Despite his impressive level in the Premier League, Casemiro has announced his departure from Manchester United as a free agent. As a result, the Brazilian has been linked with a potential move to MLS. However, the 34-year-old star is reportedly close to reuniting with Cristiano Ronaldo, as Al-Ittihad are interested in signing him, but under a clear condition.

According to ESPN, Al-Ittihad are closely monitoring the potential arrival of Casemiro as a free agent, as he would be open to moving to Saudi Arabia. After shining with Manchester United, the Brazilian is seen as an immediate-impact signing. However, the 34-year-old star would only join the Saudi Pro League under one condition: The departure of Fabinho at the end of the season.

After arriving in 2023, Fabinho has established as one of Al-Ittihad’s most important players, becoming an undisputed starter. With his contract set to expire in the summer of 2026, the club are prioritizing his renewal over the 34-year-old midfielder. However, the Brazilian has not provided updates in negotiations, making Casemiro emerge as a world-class alternative.

While Casemiro would be open to a move to the Saudi Pro League, he may not be keen on arriving as merely an ‘alternative’ rather than a marquee signing. Due to his solid performances at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and Al Hilal are also interested on him, reports Ekrem Konur. For that reason, the Brazilian hold several offers to decide his future.

Casemiro keeps thriving at Manchester United

Amid the turmoil surrounding Manchester United’s sporting project, Casemiro has established as one of the team’s most important players. Although he started out as a substitute under Ruben Amorim, the Brazilian has earned his spot through strong performances. At 34, he remains a fixture in the lineup under interim coach Michael Carrick, prompting fans to call for a contract extension.

In light of this, Carrick has been candid about the Brazilian’s future: “I think it’s when something’s decided and in some ways the fact that it was decided makes things a little bit easier and everyone understands the situation really,” he said, as per Mirror. Despite this, he praised its impact: “I think the impact he’s had has been terrific, certainly since I’ve been here and working with him, and his influence in the team and big moments in goals.”

Casemiro could be a star signing for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr

Throughout the 2025–26 season, Al Nassr have established themselves as the best team in the Saudi Pro League, excelling offensively. However, Marcelo Brozović’s future remains uncertain, as his contract expires in the summer and has not yet been renewed. In light of this, Casemiro could emerge as a transformative signing, potentially reuniting with Cristiano Ronaldo for the third time.

Although Marcelo Brozovic has put in solid performances at Al Nassr, he hasn’t managed to stand out and has been criticized for his lack of defensive impact, making his departure a solid possibility. Given this, Casemiro’s potential arrival would be a definite boost, as he continues to shine at Manchester United. Additionally, he has played 122 games with Cristiano throughout his career, so it would be a long-awaited reunion.

Despite being the national team with the most World Cup titles in history (5), many do not consider Brazil among the favorites to compete for the trophy in North America 2026. Surprisingly, that opinion is shared by one of the team’s biggest stars, Vinicius, who made a candid admission on the matter.

“We are not the favorites based on the results we’ve had,” Vinicius acknowledged during Wednesday’s press conference ahead of the friendly against France, according to Diario AS. This refers to Brazil’s performance during the World Cup qualifiers, where they finished fifth, suffering six defeats in 18 matches.

“But the weight of the shirt, the quality of the players we have here… We just needed to get in sync,” added the Real Madrid winger, showing satisfaction with the team’s current form. “Since Ancelotti arrived, we have a better idea of how to play. It takes a lot of pressure off us. We have to give everything we can.”

The impact of the Italian coach’s arrival was quickly evident. In June 2025, when Ancelotti was hired, Brazil were at serious risk of missing the World Cup. However, an away draw against Ecuador in the debut match under the new coach and a key win over Paraguay set them on the right path.

Since Ancelotti took charge, Brazil have recorded four wins, two draws, and two losses, considering World Cup qualifiers and friendlies. Beyond the 58.3% win rate, Ancelotti’s major contribution has been to give solidity to a team that previously appeared vulnerable, allowing the talent of their stars to shine more effectively.

Vinicius praises Ancelotti

For Vinicius, Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival at Brazil was a breath of fresh air. The coach was instrumental in the winger’s adaptation at Real Madrid, and together they experienced a successful period that included two UEFA Champions League titles.

Asked about Ancelotti’s influence on the Brazil national team, Vinicius was clear. “He’s in charge. He’s an important coach with many titles and experience,” said the 25-year-old. “You always learn when you talk with Ancelotti. He asks us about the position we want to play, how we prefer to defend, but the decision is his. We hope his ideas are absorbed as quickly as possible.”

Vinicius on his role with Brazil

Despite being an undisputed global soccer star and a key player for Real Madrid, Vinicius still needs to replicate that performance with Brazil. He has registered just 8 goals and 7 assists in 45 matches, and since his debut in 2019 has not won any titles.

“I imagine everyone wants me to be one of the leaders. I’m ready for all the challenges in my career,” Vinicius said, before sending a clear message about his ambitions for this summer’s FIFA tournament: “I’ve already played in a World Cup; I don’t want to lose again. I’ve been working hard at home, I don’t want to get injured.”

Christian Pulisic once again found himself at the center of the conversation after Milan’s tense 3-2 win over Torino last weekend. The United States forward, preparing for a challenging international window with the national team, delivered an important assist despite his ongoing search for a goal in 2026. And although Milan’s campaign remains intense, the eyes of the USMNT are fixed on how their star attacker handles this moment.

The match at San Siro carried its own symbolism, especially with speculation surrounding the relationship between Pulisic and Rafael Leao. The celebration after one of the Rossoneri’s goals, in which half the team performed Pulisic’s gesture and the other half imitated Leao’s, sent a loud message about unity. It was a moment the American embraced, even while carrying the weight of a growing narrative about his form.

As the 2026 World Cup approaches, discussions around the USMNT intensify, particularly with tough friendlies against Belgium and Portugal on the horizon. Pulisic, who has been called up for the March training camp, remains at the center of tactical plans despite the headlines about his goal drought. Both Milan and the national team depend heavily on what he offers beyond scoring, a point his managers have stressed repeatedly.

Still, beneath all the noise surrounding form, relationships, and upcoming challenges, another storyline quietly emerged from the weekend. One that hints at something much bigger than a single assist. Christian Pulisic has made Serie A history in a way no other player has managed since the moment he arrived in Italy.

Pulisic reaches historic Serie A milestone

According to data highlighted by Milan News, Christian Pulisic is the only Serie A player since the 2023-24 season to record at least 30 goals (31) and 20 assists (20) in the competition. This extraordinary statistic, quietly tucked behind conversations about droughts and form, underscores just how influential he has been in Italy. While the drought headlines dominate, the numbers paint the opposite story: consistent output over two seasons unmatched by anyone else in the league.

Pulisic’s latest contribution came in the win over Torino, where his precise delivery set up Adrien Rabiot for Milan’s second goal. It was his first goal involvement of 2026, and though not the goal he’s been craving, it could prove a turning point. Massimiliano Allegri’s side opened the scoring through Pavlovic before Rabiot and Fofana extended the lead, with Torino responding through Vlasic’s penalty.

The American’s creative influence shone through, showing why both Milan and the USMNT continue to value his presence despite the temporary dip in finishing. And with eight league games left as Milan pursues the Scudetto, his timing could not be more important.

The 2026 goal drought debate and support from Pochettino

Despite going three months without a goal, Pulisic insists he is far from concerned. Speaking to Men’s Journal, he explained his mindset: “I’m not too concerned about it. I really do feel like I’m in a good spot and also playing well.” He emphasized the unpredictable nature of scoring form, adding: “This is just how the career goes, ups and downs.”

USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino echoed that sentiment when announcing his squad for the March friendlies. “Christian is playing and of course he’s not scoring, but for me, it’s not only to score goals,” Pochettino said. “I am happy with him in the way that he’s performing, his commitment with the team, and the time that he’s playing.”

Rafael Leao has been one of AC Milan‘s standout performers in recent years, but his future at the Italian club has reportedly been called into question over the past several days. With a potential replacement already being discussed internally, the Portuguese star’s situation figures to come to a head in the upcoming transfer window.

As reported by Sky Sports‘ Maurizio Compagnoni, there is a real chance Rafael Leao departs AC Milan in the summer transfer window at the end of the 2025-26 season. The uncertainty stems from the fact that both the club and the player have been unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension.

Leao’s current deal runs through June 2028, but with Milan simultaneously working on renewals for stars like Christian Pulisic and Mike Maignan, his situation is one the club is also eager to resolve. Talks have been underway for several months, with the Italian side tabling a proposal that would keep him at the club through 2030 or 2031.

Through 24 appearances in the 2025-26 season, Leao has contributed 10 goals and two assists. Even so, the Portuguese has been operating below his best, in part because head coach Massimiliano Allegri has deployed him in a more central role as a finisher rather than as an orthodox winger, limiting the one-on-one opportunities in which he has traditionally thrived.

As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport and other Italian outlets, Arsenal and Manchester United have emerged as the clubs most interested in signing Leao. However, his Transfermarkt valuation of 65 million euros, combined with a reported release clause of 150 million euros, represents a significant obstacle to any potential departure.

An Argentine striker as the main candidate

Allegri has typically preferred more physically imposing strikers, in the mold of Santiago Gimenez or Niclas Fullkrug, over quick, dribble-heavy wide forwards in the mold of Leao. That stylistic tension has been one of the factors behind the underperformance of the Leao-Pulisic combination compared to previous seasons, and a new name has now surfaced as Milan’s primary attacking target.

As reported by Sky Sport Italia, Bologna striker Santiago Castro has emerged as the leading candidate to join AC Milan. The Argentine fits Allegri’s preferred profile well, offering not only the traits of a traditional center forward but also the ability to link up play effectively, as evidenced by his team-leading nine goal contributions this season, seven goals and two assists.

Even so, Castro arriving in Milan remains more hypothetical than concrete at this stage, with only reported interest and no contact between the clubs yet. Prizing him away from Bologna would likely cost between 40 and 50 million euros, a sum that Milan are not currently in a position to commit.

has established himself as a modern pound-for-pound standout, but in the eyes of former protégé , there are only two comparable greats in the entirety of boxing history. Davis signed a promotional deal with Mayweather back in 2015, before he won a world title, and ‘Tank’ went on to a three-division world champion under the […]

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Brezilya Milli Takımı kampında Carlo Ancelotti ile basının karşısına çıkan Gabriel Sara'dan tarihi itiraf geldi. Yıldız oyuncu, Galatasaray'ı neden seçtiğini açıklarken Fotospor'un 4 Ağustos 2024'te kaleme aldığı o vizyoner haberi yıllar sonra tescilledi.

Brezilya Milli Takımı kampında Carlo Ancelotti ile birlikte basın mensuplarının karşısına çıkan Gabriel Sara, Galatasaray’a transfer sürecine dair çarpıcı bir itirafta bulundu.

GALATASARAY'DAN BREZİLYA MİLLİ TAKIMINA

Yıldız oyuncunun açıklamaları, akıllara Fotospor’un 4 Ağustos 2024 tarihinde kaleme aldığı o vizyoner haberi getirdi. Kariyerinde ilk kez Brezilya formasını giymeye hazırlanan Sara, basın toplantısında Galatasaray’ı seçme nedenini şu sözlerle açıkladı:

- Galatasaray'a transfer olurken bana Şampiyonlar Ligi’nde rekabetçi bir takım kuracaklarını söylediler ve bunun milli takıma seçilmemi kolaylaştırabileceğini belirttiler. Nitekim de öyle oldu. Doğru tercihi yaptığımı bugün burada, bu formayla otururken çok daha iyi anlıyorum.

SARA'NIN VİZYONU

Sara’nın bu sözleri, henüz transferin gerçekleştiği günlerde 4 Ağustos 2024’te Fotospor’un yaptığı özel haberi doğruladı. O dönemde Atalanta ve Leeds United gibi önemli talipleri olmasına rağmen Brezilyalı oyuncunun neden parçalı formayı seçtiğini Fotospor şu 3 maddeyle analiz etmişti:

Gabriel Sara'nın 3 sebebi! İşte bu yüzden Galatasaray'a geldi

1 Şampiyonlar Ligi Faktörü

Avrupa’nın en büyük vitrininde boy göstererek adını dünyaya duyurmak.

2 Brezilya Milli Takımı Umudu

Galatasaray’ın Avrupa’daki imajı ve şampiyonluk baskısının, milli takım kapılarını açacak en kestirme yol olduğuna inanması.

3 Avrupa’nın Devlerine Sıçrama İhtimali

Galatasaray’ı, kariyerinde çok daha büyük bir kulübe geçmeden önceki en doğru "basamak" olarak görmesi.

Ancelotti’nin de övgüyle bahsettiği Sara, sadece Galatasaray'ın değil, Türk futbolunun da uluslararası alandaki prestijini artırdı.

218 milyonluk dev nüfusa sahip Nijerya'da Victor Osimhen rüzgarı fırtınaya dönüştü. Yapılan araştırmalar çarpıcı gerçeği ortaya koydu. Ülkede yaklaşık 6 milyon Galatasaray taraftarı olduğu tahmin ediliyor. Her 100 kişiden 4'ü 'Aslan' olurken, sarı-kırmızılı formalar satış rekorları kırıyor.

Osimhen transferinin yankıları sadece Türkiye’de değil, ana vatanı Nijerya’da da devrim etkisi yarattı. Galatasaray’ın küresel bir marka haline geldiği Nijerya’dan gelen son görüntüler, sarı-kırmızılı formanın ülkede en çok tercih edilen spor ürünü haline geldiğini kanıtlıyor.

NİJERYA SOKAKLARINDA GALATASARAY FORMASI

Osimhen’in yakın dostu Buchi Laba, Nijerya sokaklarındaki son durumu paylaştı:

- Şu anda Nijerya'dayım ve gördüğüm Galatasaray forması giyen insanların sayısını gerçekten sayamıyorum! Bence Victor Osimhen Türkiye’ye geldikten sonra Nijerya’da en çok satılan formalardan biri Galatasaray forması oldu. Victor, aktif ya da emekli fark etmeksizin Nijeryalı futbolcular arasında gerçekten çok büyük bir etkiye sahip olan nadir isimlerden biri. Gerçek bir sevgi var.

OSIMHEN TRANSFERİNİN ETKİSİ

Galatasaray’ın Nijerya’daki bu yükselişi aslında bir tesadüf değil. Gazetemiz, daha önce yapılan bir araştırmayı paylaşmıştı. O haber sarı-kırmızılıların bölgedeki hakimiyetini ortaya koyuyordu.

6 MİLYON ASLAN

218 milyon nüfusuyla dünyanın en kalabalık 6. ülkesi olan Nijerya’da, yaklaşık 146 milyon kişi futbolla yakından ilgileniyor. Futbola ilgi duyan Nijeryalılar arasında yapılan anketlere göre, her 100 kişiden 4'ü kendisini Galatasaray taraftarı olarak tanımlıyor. Bu oranlar hesaplandığında, sadece Nijerya sınırları içerisinde yaklaşık 6 milyona yakın "Aslan" olduğu tahmin edilebilir.

Nijerya'da 6 milyon Galatasaray taraftarı var! Dünya kulübü

DÜNYA DEVLERİYLE YARIŞIYOR

Premier Lig'in en çok izlenen lig olduğu ülkede, Süper Lig’in ve özellikle Galatasaray’ın yüksek bir temsil oranına ulaşması dikkat çekiyor.

Galatasaray'ın iki Güney Amerikalı yıldızı arasındaki "mentalite" farkı gündem oldu! Icardi ünlü ailevi sorunları nedeniyle bir kez daha özel izin aldı. Arjantinlinin aksine Torreira babasının ağır hastalığına rağmen İstanbul'a söz verdiği tarihte döndü. Uçaktan iner inmez idmana koştu.

Galatasaray'ın Güney Amerikalı yıldızları Mauro Icardi ve Lucas Torreira sergiledikleri farklı tutumlarla bir kez daha gündeme geldi. İki oyuncunun yaşadığı süreçler arasındaki "mentalite farkı" dikkat çekti.

ICARDI YİNE TAKTI

Arjantin seyahatinden her zamanki gibi beklenen tarihte dönemeyen Icardi, Cuma günü yapılacak antrenmanla takıma katılacak. En azından beklenti bu yönde. Uzun süredir kızlarını göremeyen ve ailevi süreçlerle boğuşan kaptan, Okan Buruk’tan özel izin aldı.

TORREIRA KENDİSİNDEN BEKLENENİ YAPTI

Diğer yanda ise "görev adamı" profili çizen Lucas Torreira var. Salı günü İstanbul’a ayak basar basmaz ayağının tozuyla idmana çıkan Uruguaylı yıldız, herkesi kendine hayran bıraktı. Üstelik Torreira’nın durumu Icardi’den çok daha kritik bir ailevi tablo içeriyordu.

BABASININ DURUMU SIKINTILI

Torreira’nın babası ağır bir hastalıkla mücadele ediyor. Ocak ayında bu durum nedeniyle ayrılığı bile gündeme gelmişti.

GALATASARAY'IN GÖZBEBEĞİ

Güney Amerika'nın uzaklığı nedeniyle kulüp tarafından tüm bölge oyuncularına rutin olarak verilen ekstra yol iznine rağmen, Torreira bu hakkını kullanmadı. Dinlenmek yerine sahaya çıkmayı tercih etti. Uruguaylı taraftarın gözündeki "savaşçı" imajını bir kez daha perçinledi.

Adım başı Galatasaray! Nijerya Aslan yuvası

Trabzonspor'un efsane isimlerinden Orhan Kaynak'ın vefatıyla sarsılan camia, şimdi tarihi bir vefa adımı bekliyor. Mehmet Ali Yılmaz Tesisleri'nde yapımı tamamlanan yeni sahalara efsanenin adının verilmesi için yükselen bir çağrı var. Bakalım Ertuğrul Doğan yönetimi da bu öneriye destek verecek mi?

Orhan Kaynak’ın ani vefatı Trabzonspor camiasında derin bir keder yarattı. Ancak futbolun yoğun temposu ve üst üste gelen kritik maç trafiği, bu büyük kaybın acısını hakkıyla yaşamaya fırsat tanımadı. Gündem hızla değişirken şehrin hafızası olan Kaynak’ın hatırası için anlamlı bir adım bekleniyor.

Yıllarca terlettiği forma ve yaşattığı tarifsiz sevinçlerle kulübün tarihine adını altın harflerle yazdıran efsane için, bugünlerde spor kamuoyunda güçlü bir "vefa" çağrısı yükseliyor.

Gözler, yapımı tamamlanmak üzere olan Mehmet Ali Yılmaz Tesisleri’ndeki 1 ve 2 nolu sahalara çevrilmiş durumda. Camianın önde gelenleri bu yeni sahalardan birisine Kaynak’ın adının verilmesini öneriyor.

Bu öneri, sadece bir isim meselesi değil... Trabzonspor’un öz değerlerine sahip çıktığının bir nişanesi olarak görülüyor. Şehrin yabancı olmadığı bu fikir, efsanenin adını yine futbolun kalbinde, genç yeteneklerin yetişeceği o sahalarda yaşatmayı hedefliyor.

Trabzonspor yönetiminin bu haklı ve duygusal çağrıya nasıl bir cevap vereceği merak konusu olsa da, şehir tek bir noktada birleşiyor:

- Bazı isimler unutulmaz, sadece yaşatılır.

Şampiyonlar Ligi'nden elenen Galatasaray, gözünü Süper Lig'e çevirdi. Osimhen ve Lang'ın sakatlığının şokunu atlatan sarı-kırmızılılar, Trbzonspor maçına çok sıkı hazırlanıyor. Teknik direktör Okan Buruk, büyük maçların dönüşünde yaşanabilecek puan kayıplarına karşı özel önlem alıyor.

Trendyol Süper Lig'in 28. haftasında 4 Nisan Cumartesi günü Trabzonspor'la deplasmanda karşılaşacak Galatasaray, hazırlıklarını çift idmanla sürdürdü.

Sarı-kırmızılı kulüpten yapılan açıklamaya göre Kemerburgaz Metin Oktay Tesisleri'ndeki antrenmanlar, teknik direktör Okan Buruk yönetiminde milli futbolculardan yoksun gerçekleştirildi.

Sabah antrenmanında salonda kuvvet çalışması yapan futbolcular, daha sonra sahada koşu yaparak idmanı tamamladı.

Akşam antrenmanı ise topla ısınmayla başladı. İki grup halinde 8'e 2 pas çalışması yapan futbolcular, 2'ye 2 oyunun ardından çift kale maçla günü tamamladı.

Galatasaray, yarın saat 12.00'de yapacağı antrenmanla Trabzonspor maçının hazırlıklarına devam edecek.

Arka arkaya aldığı galibiyetlerle bir anda şampiyonluk potasına giren Trabzonspor, sezonun en kritik maçına çıkıyor. Bordo-mavililer, lider Galatasaray'ı yenerek aradaki puan farkını -maç fazlasıyla- 1'e düşürmeyi planlıyor.

Trabzonspor, Trendyol Süper Lig'in 28. haftasında 4 Nisan Cumartesi günü Galatasaray ile yapacağı maçın hazırlıklarına başladı.

Mehmet Ali Yılmaz Tesisleri'nde teknik direktör Fatih Tekke yönetiminde yapılan antrenmanın ilk bölümünde teknik ısınma çalışması gerçekleştirildi.

Bordo-mavililer, rondo çalışmasıyla devam eden idmanı çift kale maçla sonlandırdı.

Trabzonspor, hazırlıklarına yarın yapacağı çift antrenmanla devam edecek.

Voleybol AXA Sigorta Kadınlar Kupa Voley finalinde Eczacıbaşı Dynavit'i 3-1 mağlup eden VakıfBank, kupanın sahibi oldu.

Ankara Spor Salonu'ndaki karşılaşmada voleybolseverler, tribünleri tamamen doldurdu. Aile ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanı Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, Gençlik ve Spor Bakanı Osman Aşkın Bak, Bakan Yardımcısı Hamza Yerlikaya, Türkiye Voleybol Federasyonu Başkanı Mehmet Akif Üstündağ ve Spor Hizmetleri Genel Müdürü Veli Ozan Çakır, maçı yerinde takip etti.

Karşılaşmaya Markova'nın etkili hücum ve servisleriyle başlayan VakıfBank'a Eczacıbaşı Dynavit, Ebrar Karakurt'un servis turunda aldığı sayılarla karşılık verdi: 4-4. Eczacıbaşı'nda hataların arttığı bölümde VakıfBank, Boskovic'in servisleriyle üst üste aldığı 6 sayıyla sette 12-7 öne geçti. Bu noktadan sonra manşette ve blokta istediğini alan Eczacıbaşı, farkı 2'ye (15-13) kadar indirse de VakıfBank, oyunda üstünlüğü ele geçirdi ve 25-19'luk skorla finalde 1-0 öne geçti.

İkinci sette takımların karşılıklı skorlar bulduğu ilk bölüm, 9-9 eşitlikle geçildi. Hücum ve savunmada daha az hata yapan Eczacıbaşı Dynavit, sette 5 sayılık (14-19) avantaj yakaladı. Boskovic'in hücumlarına Yaprak Erkek ile cevap vererek avantajını sürdüren Eczacıbaşı, setin son bölümüne 22-18 önde girdi. VakıfBank'ın farkı kapatma çabalarına rağmen Eczacıbaşı, seti 25-21 alarak maçta durumu 1-1 yaptı.

Cansu Özbay'ın servis turuyla üçüncü sete iyi başlayan VakıfBank, bir ara 5-1 öne geçse de daha sonra skora denge (8-8) geldi. 17'nci sayıdaki uzun rallinin ardından aldığı sayıyla morallenen VakıfBank, 14-11 üstünlük yakaladı. Karşılıklı sayılarla 3 sayılık (19-16) farkın korunduğu bölümün ardından VakıfBank, Boskovic ile 20'li sayılara ulaştı: 20-16. Zehra Güneş, Cansu Özbay ve Boskovic ile sayılar bulan VakıfBank, seti 25-20 alarak skor tabelasını 2-1'e getirdi.

Dördüncü set, karşılıklı sayılarla başladı. Markova-Boskovic ikilisiyle skor üreten VakıfBank, sette 15-12 öne geçti. Bu noktadan sonra Eczacıbaşı, Ebrar Karakurt ve Elif Şahin ile skorda 16-16 eşitliği yakalasa da VakıfBank, 20-16 üstünlük sağladı. Son bölümde avantajını sürdüren VakıfBank, 25-20'lik skorla karşılaşmadan 3-1 galip ayrıldı.

VakıfBank kupayı en çok kazanan takım oldu

Şampiyonluk sayısını 10'a çıkartan VakıfBank, finalde karşılaştığı rakibini geçerek kupayı en fazla kazanan takım ünvanını aldı.

Kadınlar Kupa Voley'i kazanan takımlar şöyle:

Takım Şampiyonluk Sezon
VakıfBank 10 1994-1995, 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2017-2018, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2025-2026
Eczacıbaşı 9 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000-2001, 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2008-2009, 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2018-2019
Fenerbahçe 5 2009-2010, 2014-2015, 2016-2017, 2023-2024, 2024-2025
Emlakbank 1 1995-1996

Bakan Bak, Kadınlar Kupa Voley şampiyonu VakıfBank'ı kutladı

Gençlik ve Spor Bakanı Osman Aşkın Bak, 2026 Kadınlar AXA Sigorta Kupa Voley finalinde Eczacıbaşı Dynavit'i 3-1 yenerek şampiyon olan VakıfBank için tebrik mesajı yayımladı.

Bak, tebrik mesajında "Ankara Spor Salonu'nda oynanan 2026 Kadınlar AXA Sigorta Kupa Voley finalinde Eczacıbaşı Dynavit'i mağlup ederek kupayı kazanan VakıfBank Kadın Voleybol Takımı'nı kutluyorum. Finalde mücadele eden Eczacıbaşı Dynavit Kadın Voleybol Takımı'nı da tebrik ediyorum. Her iki takımımıza göstermiş oldukları performans için teşekkür ediyor, başarılar diliyorum." ifadelerini kullandı.

Lazio and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly looking at current Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk as an option for next season.

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The Turkish tactician has a current contract with Galatasaray that only runs to June 30, so he is becoming an increasingly appetising prospect for bigger leagues.

Okan Buruk enticing for Lazio

According to Tuttomercatoweb, Okan Buruk is being targeted by Lazio to replace Maurizio Sarri, who has made little secret of his tension with President Claudio Lotito.

The same source notes that Tottenham are also interested in him for next season, because Igor Tudor won’t be confirmed on the bench.

Okan Buruk speaks Italian, as he spent three years with Inter from 2001 to 2004.

The 52-year-old started his management career in 2013 with Elazigspor, moving on through Gaziantepspor, Sivasspor, Goztepe, Akhisar Belediye, Rizespor and Basaksehir, before coming to Galatasaray in 2022.

It was with this club that he won four Turkish Super Lig titles, one Turkish Cup and one Supercup.

There are two major doubts for the Italy starting XI against Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off semi-final, which will be a 3-5-2 formation.

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It kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

Whoever wins will then go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final for a place at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Italy plan starting XI against Northern Ireland

Coach Gennaro Gattuso confirmed today that Gianluca Mancini, Riccardo Calafiori and Matteo Politano are fully fit, so the worries over their potential fitness levels after arriving from club duty carrying knocks would seem to be surpassed.

Alessandro Bastoni took part in some of the training session today, but remains a major doubt, so with the potential final coming up on March 31, it’s possible he won’t be rushed.

If the Inter defender can’t make it, then Juventus centre-back Federico Gatti or Napoli’s Alessandro Buongiorno are ready to step in.

The only other doubt is a tactical one, choosing between impressive Cagliari talent Marco Palestra and Napoli veteran Politano on the right wing.

Despite his fine recent form for Inter, Francesco Pio Esposito will be on the bench initially, as Moise Kean and Mateo Retegui start upfront.

Italy probable: Donnarumma; Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Palestra, Tonali, Locatelli, Barella, Dimarco; Kean, Retegui

Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned to Milan training with the rest of the squad today and could make his comeback against Napoli after a facial fracture.

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The midfielder had been out of action since suffering a serious injury during an accidental collision with Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi on February 22.

He was stretchered off with a neck brace and needed surgery to reduce a fracture of the alveolar bone in his jaw.

Several teeth were also knocked out during the horrific crash.

Loftus-Cheek back in action for Milan

The expectation after this operation was that Loftus-Cheek would be out of action for circa eight weeks.

That proved to be more or less accurate, as he resumed training with his teammates today, an event celebrated by the official Milan social media channels.

Great to have you back, Rubes! pic.twitter.com/6ocV4lWR6V

— AC Milan (@acmilan) March 25, 2026

It is therefore likely that the former Chelsea player will be available for a call-up in time for the Scudetto showdown against third-placed Napoli after the break for international duty.

This has been a tough campaign for Loftus-Cheek, who has scored three goals with one assist in 27 competitive games for Milan this season.

Meanwhile, Matteo Gabbia and Rafael Leao both continued treatment to recover from their injuries.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing the French international defender Castello Lukeba.

The 23-year-old is highly rated across Europe, and he has impressed with his performances for RB Leipzig. According to a report from Sport Witness, the three Premier League clubs have been keeping tabs on his development, and they could look to make a move in the summer.

They have sent scouts to watch the player in action and are impressed by the positive reports. The defender is open to move the Premier League, but he is looking to choose the right project for himself. He wants to join a club where he can compete at a high level and play regularly.

Arsenal and Manchester United are already well stocked in the defensive unit, and the 23-year-old might not be a guaranteed starter for them. However, Liverpool need more depth in central defence. Ibrahima Konaté will be a free agent in the summer, and they need someone to replace him. They did sign Jeremy Jacquet in January, but he is currently on the sidelines with an injury. Joe Gomez is expected to move on in the summer as well. Giovanni Leoni is sidelined with a serious knee injury, and he will need time to get back to his best once again.

The 23-year-old is likely to get regular opportunities at Liverpool, and it remains to be seen whether the Premier League champions can get the deal done. This has been a disappointing season for them, and they will look to bounce back strongly and fight for major trophies once again. They need to tighten up at the back, and signing one of the best young defenders in Europe right now would be a wise decision.

The post Liverpool eye key replacement as Arsenal & Man United join hunt for 23-year-old star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to improve the midfield unit in the summer, and they have identified Sven Mijnans as a target.

The 26-year-old playmaker has done quite well for AZ Alkmaar, and Tottenham have sent Scouts to watch the player in action. Crystal Palace are also interested in the player. According to a report from Sports Boom, the player will cost around €30 million in the summer.

Tottenham and Crystal Palace are reportedly structuring comprehensive packages in order to sign the player at the end of the season, and it remains to be seen whether they can get the deal done. Convincing the 26-year-old midfielder to join the club might not be too difficult. This would be an attractive proposition for him. He will be looking to test himself in the Premier League.

The report claims that the signing is being viewed as a “high-value, low-risk” investment.

Mijnans has 16 goals and 8 assists to his name this season, and he is at the peak of his career. This is the right time for him to take on a new challenge. Tottenham need players of his quality, and he could help create opportunities for his teammates in the final third and link the midfield with the attack. Tottenham have struggled to create opportunities in the final third, and the Dutch midfielder could make a big difference.

That said, Tottenham already have players like James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, who will return from their injuries next season. It remains to be seen how they accommodate the 26-year-old midfielder if they sign him.

Crystal Palace need more creativity in the final third as well, and they are in a better position to offer him regular gametime. It remains to be seen what the player decides.

The post Scouts sent as Tottenham prepare package to land “high-value, low-risk” 24-G/A star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal are looking to sign the PSG attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old Georgian International has been a key player for the French outfit since joining them, and he has proven himself at Napoli prior to that. There is no doubt that he is one of the best attacking players in European football right now. Kvaratskhelia has 12 goals and 7 assists this season.

According to a report from The Independent, Arsenal are investigating a deal for him in the summer. The player’s camp is understood to be open to the idea of moving to the London club, but PSG could make it difficult for the move to go through. He is considered the crown jewel of their project, and they will not want to lose him easily. Arsenal might have to pay an absurd amount of money in order to get the deal done.

The attacker recently showed his quality against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds, scoring three times. He could add a new dimension to the Arsenal attack. It is no secret that Arsenal need more quality on the flanks. They have invested in players like Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze, but both players have been underwhelming. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal can bring in an upgrade in the summer.

The Georgian International could be a game-changer acquisition for them. They are looking to win major trophies regularly, and they need elite players like him.

The 25-year-old has shown his quality in Italy and France; he could be open to trying out a new challenge now.

The report claims that Arsenal also greatly admire Julian Alvarez, and he will cost around a €100 million in the summer.

The post Arsenal eye statement signing of 19-G/A attacker who destroyed Chelsea this season appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has told his former club in no uncertain terms what they must do to replace Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian superstar sent shockwaves through the footballing world on Tuesday night by officially announcing his departure from Anfield at the end of the current season, marking the conclusion of one of the most prolific eras in the club’s storied history.

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As the post-Salah era looms, speculations have begun regarding who can replace the world-class winger.

However, Gerrard believes there is no room for projects or ‘players with potential’ signings.

Speaking to TNT Sport, the former Reds captain insisted that unless Liverpool secures a genuine global superstar, the void left by Salah will remain unplugged.

Gerrard: Liverpool must sign a top three winger

Gerrard’s assessment of the situation is blunt. To him, the replacement must carry the same “box office” weight that Salah has wielded since 2017.

“You have to buy someone who is box office or you are not replacing him,” Gerrard said.

“They have to be top end, top three or four wingers in the world to replace Mo Salah, because that’s what Mo has been.”

For Gerrard, Liverpool’s immediate priority must be an established, world-class talent capable of delivering elite output from day one.

Salah’s world-class numbers highlight impossible task

The anxiety surrounding Salah’s exit is rooted in cold, hard data. Since arriving on Merseyside, Salah has maintained a level of consistency rarely seen in the Premier League.

With well over 200 goals and a trophy cabinet featuring every major honor, he has been the primary engine of Liverpool’s attack for nearly a decade.

Replacing a player who provides 30-plus goal contributions season after season is a daunting financial and scouting challenge.

Gerrard’s warning serves as a reminder that good ‘will’ not be enough to sustain Liverpool’s title-challenging ambitions.

To maintain their status at the summit of European football, the Reds’ hierarchy must now prepare to break the bank for a talent that matches Salah’s ‘box office’ DNA.

The post “You have to buy…” – Steven Gerrard tells Liverpool who they must sign to replace Mo Salah appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The post Franklin Templeton Partners With Ondo in Asset Tokenization Push appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Franklin Resources Inc. has partnered with the decentralized finance platform Ondo Finance to launch tokenized exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Also known as Franklin Templeton, the company is the world’s 16th largest asset manager with $1.7 trillion in assets under management (AUM).

Franklin Templeton partners with Ondo

Under Ondo Finance, Ondo Global Markets will provide the technology to access Franklin Templeton ETFs within crypto wallets. This will enable 24/7 trading, improved investor accessibility, shorter settlement periods, and higher liquidity ceilings.

The pilot debut will take place in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Latin America, with launch in the US now pending regulatory approval.

Founded in 1947, Franklin Resources has grown its AUM from about $1.58T in early 2025 to over $1.7 T in early 2026. 

Named the 2025 Asset Manager of the Year in the $500B+ category by Money Management Institute and Barron’s, the firm now closely rivals colossal investment firms such as Morgan Stanley.

On the other hand, Ondo Finance is a 2021-founded company backed by former Goldman Sachs executives.

As of early 2026, the platform was the largest provider of blockchain-based investment products with a total value locked (TVL) exceeding $2.5 billion.

Some of the firm’s most prolific partners include BlackRock (the world’s largest asset manager with $14.04T AUM), Binance, and Fidelity.

ONDO token, now the 51st in the world by market cap, gained 4.17% in the day to trade at $0.2593. Critiques note the token’s disconnect from the company’s performance, underscoring ongoing debates about RWA utility.

Source: CoinPedia

Bridging blockchain and TradFi

Institutions are increasingly adopting initiatives similar to Franklin Templeton’s to remain competitive in the growing crypto space.

The trend has now moved from experimental phases to full-on scaling following regulatory clarity under the GENIUS Act. Financial giants such as BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs now lead the bandwagon, and many more plan on joining them.

Most recently, Securitize partnered with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to launch 24/7 RWA tokenized trading powered by stablecoin settlements.

If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor.

Mohamed Salah's arrival at the club in 2017 was the catalyst for a return to riches. The mythologised 70s and 80s, happening before our eyes again.

Champions League titles, Premier League titles, winning the lot again - it was unimaginable as the club teetered on the brink of administration in 2010.

That's what Salah means: glory, greatness, always.

There are not enough superlatives in the English language to convey his relentless brilliance, but there are two tenets of truth to hold on to as the news breaks that he will leave the club at the end of this season:

1. 348 days ago a new contract was signed, securing his future at the club until 2027.
2. The brilliance has relented this season.

This is a short story of what has gone wrong for Liverpool this season, something has snapped internally.

The highest-paid player - and deservedly so - has not delivered to his usual standards on the pitch this season and not playing your highest-paid forward is not sustainable.

So Liverpool's highest-paid player, one of the greatest to ever do it, will leave at the end of this season. All of that is fine and to be expected - setting aside the emotional impact of losing a person who has been a constant in my life for almost a decade.

What isn't fine is what happened after the Leeds game or the cameras panning to the bench to capture ironic laughter after being substituted. For a man who bends time to his will on the football pitch, he has always had a strong sense of timing off it.

The timing of this announcement is not fine. Just like the Leeds comments were systematically delivered to render maximum impact, so this announcement has arrived like a punch to the gut.

The future of the manager is in doubt and instead of two weeks of reflection to draw breath before one final push, we have this.

Thank you Mo. Thank you a thousand times - but you could have waited. Nobody is bigger than Liverpool Football Club, not Bill Shankly, not Steven Gerrard, not Jurgen Klopp, not Mohamed Salah.

Find more from Lola Katz Roberts on the Goal Difference podcast

David Aldridge: Adam Silver, on tanking: "we are going to fix it. Full stop." Says there will be a special Board of Governors meeting in May to vote on proposed changes, so that they are in place before the NBA draft in June.

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Adam Silver on tanking: We are going to fix it, full stop, there will be new incentives regarding the draft lottery

Tim Bontemps: Adam Silver: “Going into next season, the incentives (regarding the lottery and tanking) will be completely different than they are now.”

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “Going into next season, the incentives (regarding the …

Marc Stein: Adam Silver: "We didn't announce today (that) we are expanding. We announced today that we're exploring expanding."

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Tim Reynolds: Adam Silver says he still wants the final decision on expansion to come before 2026 ends.

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Adam Silver says he still wants the final decision on …

David Aldridge: Silver said Seattle and Vegas are "unique" as potential expansion cities b/c of past connections to the NBA. Acknowledged that every owner didn't see the need to expand, citing the potential dilution of talent and other issues. Called those "considerations" on the owners' part.

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Silver said Seattle and Vegas are "unique" as …

David Aldridge: Silver said the league owed it to Seattle and Vegas to be "transparent" in its interest in the two cities, rather than speaking more generally. "We need to know by the end of this calendar year what it is we're doing" about future expansion, Silver said Wednesday.

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Silver said the league owed it to Seattle and Vegas to …

David Aldridge: Silver is asked about Magic Johnson being involved with a group trying to get an expansion team in Vegas. "I know interest from Magic will be welcomed by the league office," he says, while noting there may be other groups that will want to make bids.

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David Aldridge: Regarding potential $7-10B expansion fees for new teams, Silver says the discussion today was more on "understanding the math" around dilution of existing revenues if expansion proceeds. "Certainly, with our bankers, we think we have an understanding of where the market exists."

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Regarding potential $7-10B expansion fees for new …

Brad Townsend: Brandon Williams is listed as questionable, indicating there’s a good chance he’ll clear concussion protocol. He took part in some of this morning’s shootaround.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Richie Garcia is worried about the impact that robot umpires will have on their human counterparts.

Major League Baseball introduced the Automated Ball-Strike System for regular-season play this season starting with the New York Yankees' opener at San Francisco on Wednesday night, giving teams a chance to appeal strike zone decisions to a system based on 12 Hawk-Eye cameras.

“I think it’s embarrassing, embarrassing to the umpires that are calling the game. Nobody likes to be humiliated in front of 30,000, 40,000 people,” said Garcia, a major league umpire from 1975-99. “What Major League Baseball is saying is: I don’t trust the umpire’s strike zone, so I’m going to use something that’s going to be operated by some computer geek that knows nothing about baseball, and he’s the one that’s going to measure this and measure that because he’s got a Ph.D. in physics or whatever the hell he’s got a degree in.”

Garcia drew criticism for not calling a strike on a 2-2 pitch from San Diego's Mark Langston to the Yankees' Tino Martinez in the 1998 World Series opener, and Martinez hit a tiebreaking grand slam on the next offering that sparked New York to a four-game sweep.

Umpires keep improving

While there is constant debate over calls, umpires were overall their most accurate ever last year. Just not as perfect as technology.

There were 368,898 regular-season pitches called by big league umps last season, an average of 152 per game. The 92.83% accuracy rate was the highest — an average of 10.88 missed calls per game, according to MLB. That is down from an average of 16.58 missed calls per game in 2016, when the accuracy rate was 89.31%.

“I’m 60 and it seems to me like the younger generation really wants this technology and they want the certainty of a pitch being a ball or a strike," said Ted Barrett, a big league ump from 1994 to 2022.

Under ABS, each team gets two challenges per game and keeps a challenge if successful. A team out of challenges gets one additional in each extra inning.

“As an umpire, you never want to miss anything. You want to be absolutely 100% correct, but we’re all human and that’s just not possible,” said Sam Holbrook, an MLB umpire from 1996 to 2022. “Social media and the media have really been hammering the umpires for pitches that are just minutely off the zone or in the zone or whatever, and it’s just too hard to be perfect with all of this. I think it’s going to be good to correct any egregious pitches. I think it’s going to show how good the umpires actually are.”

A quarter-century of electronic evaluation

MLB installed an Umpire Information System developed by Questec at some ballparks in 2001 and upgraded to a league-wide Zone Evaluation in 2009 as part the PITCHf/x system. TrackMan's doppler radar system took over in 2017 as part of MLB Statcast.

Since 2009, umpires have received a Z-E evaluation for every game they work behind the plate. Since 2014, they also have experienced getting overturned by expanded video review.

“It's tough mentally on an umpire because you failed at your job and there’s that instant feedback of failure,” Barrett said. “Nobody wants to fail at your job, but then there’s also the, hey, thank God I didn’t cost that team a game or a run or a pennant. No one wants to live with that. And so we take the positive of that. The negative is sometimes it’s like: What am I doing over there? I got overturned twice at first base."

Under ABS, a strike is defined as when the ball crosses over the plate at the midpoint of the plate in a box 53.5% of the batter’s height at the top and 27% at the bottom. That is different from the rule book strike zone of a cube whose top is the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants and whose bottom is at the hollow beneath the kneecap.

“They’re going to change to what the ABS calls, whether it’s a challenge or not because, remember, they are getting evaluated on their performance based on that ABS,” Barrett said.

Spring training test results from 2026

Philadelphia had the best spring training challenge success rate among teams at the plate with 61%, followed by the Chicago Cubs (60%), Boston and Seattle (54% each), while Texas and Arizona (33% each) and Kansas City (34%) were at the bottom.

St. Louis (75%), Cincinnati (71%) and Cleveland (70%) topped challenge success by fielding teams, while the Los Angeles Dodgers (43%) and Baltimore (45%) lagged.

Batters won 46% of 887 challenges and defense 60% of 1,020. The Yankees won the most challenges overall with 54, and Arizona, the Dodgers and the New York Mets tied for the fewest wins with 20.

Boston's Willson Contreras had the most batter challenges and was successful on six of seven. Philadelphia's Christian Cairo had the most challenges among batters with a 100% success rate at four.

Among catchers, Pedro Pagés of St. Louis was 8 for 8, Cincinnati's P.J. Higgins 7 for 7 and Milwaukee's Jeferson Quero 6 for 6.

Edgar Quero of the Chicago White Sox was 2 for 11, Payton Henry of the New York Yankees 1 for 9 and Austin Wynns of the Athletics 0 for 7.

___

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

Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC) took down Jupiter Links GC in Match 2 of the TGL finals Tuesday night with a 9-2 win, securing the SoFi Cup making LAGC the 2026 TGL Season Champions. LAGC went on a remarkable 9-0 run, capped off with three straight eagles on the final three holes to come back from a 0-2 deficit to secure the victory. LAGC also won Match 1 against Jupiter Links GC in a 6-5 victory Monday night. The victory makes LAGC only the second TGL Season Champions, with Atlanta Drive GC winning the inaugural TGL Championship against New York GC in 2025.

Making a surprise return to the SoFi Center on Tuesday night was Tiger Woods, competing for the first time in more than a year. Woods, who had been recovering from back surgery in October, decided to play in Match 2 after LAGC won Match 1 Monday evening. Despite the lengthy absence, Woods’ play was for the most part sharp, hitting key shots to help Jupiter Links take an early 2-0 lead in the match. Woods’ return however was not enough to elevate Jupiter Links GC to victory.

LAGC tied things up at 2-2 on the sixth hole. A missed short three-foot putt on the seventh hole by Woods gave LAGC a 3-2 lead, and LAGC never looked back from there. LAGC would go one to make three straight eagles, ending the match with a 9-2 LAGC victory.

With the win, LAGC takes the $9 million team prize, and is comprised of Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala, and Tommy Fleetwood. Runner up Jupiter Links GC takes home $4.5 million, and is comprised of Tiger Woods, Max Homa, Tom Kim, and Kevin Kisner. Rose, Theegala, and Fleetwood were on the playing roster for LAGC for Tuesday night’s matchup, whereas Jupiter Links GC were fielding Woods, Homa, and Kim.

Much speculation has arisen over whether Woods will play the 2026 Masters Tournament. While he indicated playing TGL was a step in his recovery process, he did not give any indications on whether he intended to be in the field at the Masters, which is to be held April 9-12.

Woods’ comments Tuesday night were limited to the match at hand. "It felt great to be back with these guys," Woods said. "Frustrated we didn't get it done. We had opportunities. It feels good to be back. I'd like to be back in better circumstances."

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the midst of a three-game stretch against teams from the Sunshine State. On Wednesday, they’ll take on the Miami Heat for the first of two games in a row against an opponent they could face in the first round of the playoffs.

The Cavs’ position at fourth in the conference is seemingly set. Spots five through 10 in the standings aren’t. Right now, two-and-a-half games separate the fifth-seeded Toronto Raptors and the 10th-seeded Heat.

Miami is struggling and has fallen to the bottom of the Play-In as a result. They’ve lost five in a row. We’ll see if the Cavs can extend that losing streak a couple of games further this week.

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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (45-27) vs. Miami Heat (38-34)

Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH

When: Wed., March 25 at 7:30 PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports App, NBA League Pass

Point spread: Cavs -2.5

Cavs injury report: Jaylon Tyson – OUT (toe), Jarrett Allen – OUT (knee), Craig Porter Jr. – OUT (groin), Larry Nance Jr. – QUESTIONABLE (illness), Olivier Sarr – OUT (G League)

Heat injury report: Terry Rozier – OUT (not with team), Vladislav Goldin – OUT (G League), Trevor Keels – OUT (G League), Jahmir Young – OUT (G League)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley

Heat expected starting lineup: Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo

Previous matchup: The shorthanded (and later fined) Cavs defeated the Heat 130-116 on Nov. 12.

Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

About a week after a Wall Street Journal report signaled that the 2026 NFL season would kick off on a Wednesday, the league made it official.

Next season will get underway on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 8:20 p.m. ET in Seattle, where the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks will host an opponent that will be announced when the full regular-season schedule comes out later this spring.

The next day, on Thursday, Sept. 10, at approximately 8:35 p.m. ET, the NFL will launch its first-ever regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia. Continuing the NFC West theme, the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Los Angeles Rams Down Under.

Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season

This story is being updated.

After years of rumor and speculation, the NBA is moving — suddenly rather quickly — toward expansion.

The league announced Wednesday, March 25 that its Board of Governors voted to formally explore bids for potential expansion franchises to be added to the Seattle and Las Vegas markets.

“Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle – two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday in a statement. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”

Here’s everything you need to know about NBA expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas:

What does this mean?

This announcement doesn’t certify, with complete certainty, that NBA teams will be tipping off in Seattle and Las Vegas at the start of the 2028-29 season, though this is the next crucial step toward that.

Essentially, Wednesday’s vote signals an appetite for the 30 ownership groups in the NBA to expand to 32 teams. The league’s constitution stipulates that a measure like this requires at least 23 of 30 votes to pass, representing a supermajority of at least 76.7%. NBA owners, seeing the influx of revenue that would be generated from expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas, want that process to ramp up and intensify.

What happens next?

The NBA also announced that it contracted PJT Partners, an investment bank, to assess the health and viability of the prospective ownership groups that would be interested in establishing operations in those markets.

This means that prospective ownership groups for those two markets will now organize funding and build business plans and long-term prospectuses to present to the NBA’s Board of Governors, who would then select the options they view most favorably for the long-term health of the league.

If viable and appealing prospective ownership groups emerge, the Board of Governors could hold another vote, as soon as later this year, to finalize any potential transactions.

Over the last three decades, team ownership within the major domestic sports leagues has been an exceptional investment. Franchise valuations have skyrocketed through ever-expanding media rights deals, so even though the reported $7 billion-$10 billion price tag may produce some sticker shock, it stands to reason that any potential ownership groups would see a sizable return on that investment.

Are the Seattle SuperSonics back?

That’s still yet to be determined. But Wednesday’s announcement is a crucial step toward the SuperSonics returning to Seattle.

The franchise, which began play in the city in 1967, eventually moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, where it became the Thunder. As part of a settlement with the City of Seattle at the time of the relocation, all SuperSonics intellectual property, including branding, color schemes, logos and history will transfer at no cost to the new ownership group.

This means that, if and when a new ownership group officially clears NBA requirements and the expansion to Seattle is approved, it will have the right to use the SuperSonics logo and branding. But it would not be required to do so.

Given the rich history and tradition of the SuperSonics in Seattle, and the community’s attachment to the team, it’s an overwhelmingly logical choice to reestablish the SuperSonics in Seattle. While in Seattle, the SuperSonics won six division titles, three conference championships and an NBA Finals in 1979.

Where will Las Vegas and Seattle NBA teams play?

The new Seattle team is likely to play in Climate Pledge Arena, currently home to the NHL's Seattle Kraken. The building, which still features the former KeyArena's roof after a $1.2 billion renovation was completed in 2021, has been designed to be retrofitted for basketball.

The new Las Vegas NBA franchise would likely play at T-Mobile Arena, at least initially. It's currently home to the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, as well as the NBA Cup semifinals and finals. The arena opened in 2016.

Who might own new Las Vegas, Seattle teams?

The NHL's Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken each have notable figures who could become focal points of potential ownership groups in the NBA.

Kraken owner Samantha Holloway formed a new company earlier this week, with a portfolio that includes majority ownership of the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena, “to enable the pursuit of future opportunities,” she announced. Its first major endeavor is expected to be the formal pursuit of Seattle's new NBA franchise, according to KOMO News.

Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley, who also owns part of T-Mobile Arena, previously said he wanted to bring the NBA to Las Vegas. He said in a 2024 PBS interview, "We have a plan in place to spend about $300 million to improve" the arena for an NBA team.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal previously reported that NBA legend Magic Johnson met with Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo about joining an ownership group if Las Vegas were to be awarded a team. Shaquille O'Neal also told reporters last year that he wanted to be "heavily involved" if an NBA expansion team were to come to Las Vegas.

LeBron James said recently he no longer is planning to be part of a group that puts in an ownership bid for a Las Vegas NBA franchise, despite previously expressing interest in doing so after his playing career.

How might an NBA expansion draft work?

When the NBA last held an expansion draft for the then-Charlotte Bobcats ahead of the 2004-05 season, each NBA team was permitted to protect a maximum of eight players under contract or entering restricted free agency on its roster. The Bobcats had to select a minimum of 14 unprotected players, but the other teams could only lose one player. Unrestricted free agents could not be protected or selected by the Bobcats. There were also special salary cap and trade exemptions in place.

That expansion draft, however, occurred under a previous collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association. NBA rules allow for changes to be made so long as the league and the players' union agree. With two teams joining the league this time, expansion draft adjustments could be in order.

When would the Las Vegas and Seattle franchises start playing?

The plan, as articulated by Silver last month, is for these two new franchises to join the league and begin playing games in time for the 2028-29 NBA season. This is all contingent on another formal vote of the NBA's Board of Governors once ownership groups are picked.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What NBA expansion vote means for Las Vegas, Seattle

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are facing off in the first-ever NFL regular season game in Melbourne, Australia, in Week 1 this season, which will take place on Thursday, September 10th at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

On Wednesday, a kickoff time was revealed for the game: 5:35 p.m. PT. Locally, this game will be taking place on Friday morning at 10:35 a.m. in Melbourne, but the game will air on Thursday evening in the United States with the 17-hour time change.

San Francisco’s game will be the second one to kick off the new league year, as the Seattle Seahawks will host the regular season opener on Wednesday, September 9th against an opponent to be determined.

With the time slot, it seems like this game will be the Thursday Night Primetime Game for Week 1. It will be a quick trip for the 49ers, likely, who will have to accommodate the time change and return for Week 2, although the NFL may help San Francisco with an early bye week this season.

But, the news announced on Wednesday backs up a report last week from the Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint that the 49ers and Rams would be playing on Thursday after the Seahawks played on Wednesday to kick off the new season.

Pretty good way to start the season.

Antonio Rudiger has only a few months left on his contract at Real Madrid and there has been no progress over an extension so far.

Doubts had grown over his future not so long ago, given his physical issues had kept him from reaching his best form. His uncertain situation had led to strong interest from Serie A giants Juventus.

But the 33-year-old, in recent weeks, has overcome those problems and showcased his best version again, especially in the big games against Manchester City.

Real Madrid want to keep Rudiger

But, according to journalist Matteo Moretto, Real Madrid want to do everything in their power to keep hold of Rudiger beyond this season.

The Merengues are fully aware of the value that he brings to the table with his experience and leadership and see him as their defensive lynchpin.

A new contract on the horizon. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

So, even though there were doubts about his fitness in the past, Los Blancos have been convinced by the 33-year-old centre-back’s recent form and intend to hold on to him for next season.

As such, Moretto reports that Rudiger is now closer to renewing his contract at Real Madrid than leaving the club as a free agent.

The German international’s priority has always been to stay at Real Madrid and with the club also on the same page now, a renewal appears to be on the horizon.

In case a financial agreement cannot be reached once negotiations actually begin, the former Chelsea ace could reassess his situation. But, for now, everything indicates that Rudiger will be offered a new contract by Real Madrid.

The start of the 2026 NFL regular season is going to look a touch different.

The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will kick things off on Sept. 9, which is a Wednesday. The opponent they face at Lumen Field will be revealed at a later date. On Sept. 10, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will continue the glut of NFC West teams out of the gate as they face off in the league's first regular-season game in Australia. It will be the first of a record nine international dates on the 2026 season's ledger.

With Labor Day falling on Sept. 7 this year, the league had to advance its first games so as not to conflict with high school contests across the country.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL schedule: Seahawks to open season, another international game announced

SAN FRANCISCO — The Los Angeles Dodgers, the two-time World Series champions, the team that is drawing all of the hatred, the team responsible for calls for a salary cap, wishes everyone would stop and just look at the numbers.

Yes, they project to open the season with a $322.4 million payroll, based on the MLB Labor Relations Department's present-day salary calculations on 40-man rosters obtained this week by USA TODAY Sports.

But guess what?

Due to the Dodgers' heavy use of deferred contracts and signing bonuses, the team's 2026 payroll is dwarfed by the New York Mets, whose 40-man payroll is projected at $357.6 million (in MLB's calculated present-day value).

That's a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last year and last won a World Series in 1986.

The New York Yankees, who last won the World Series in 2009, are the third team that projects to open the season with a payroll exceeding $300 million.

Why, there are four teams this season who will open the season with payrolls within $50 million of the Dodgers: the Yankees ($301 million), Philadelphia Phillies ($283.6 million) and Toronto Blue Jays ($278.9 million).

There are a record 11 teams who are projected to open the season with payrolls of at least $200 million, according to the labor relations salary figures submitted to teams.

The San Francisco Giants, who last reached the playoffs in 2021, are the only team among the top 11 payrolls who have failed to reach the postseason in the last two years.

On the flip side – to the frustrations of the big-market teams who provide revenue sharing every year – there are eight teams whose opening-day payrolls will be below $100 million. The Cleveland Guardians are the only sub-$100 million team that reached the postseason last year.

Here are the bottom 11 teams in projected 40-man payroll:

• Colorado Rockies: $118.3 million
• Pittsburgh Pirates: $102 million
• St. Louis Cardinals: $98.1 million
• Minnesota Twins: $96.7 million
• Athletics: $91.8 million
• Tampa Bay Rays: $89.6 million
• Washington Nationals: $87.9 million
• Chicago White Sox: $83.9 million
• Miami Marlins: $79.4 million
• Cleveland Guardians: $70 million

The only teams without a top-10 payroll who reached the postseason the past two years are the Brewers and the Guardians. And yet, the only teams with a top-10 payroll who have reached the postseason each of the past two seasons are the Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, and Padres.

The team making the biggest payroll jump in payroll from a year ago are the Tigers, rising by more than $60 million and the Blue Jays, with about a $50 million increase. The Texas Rangers, who missed the playoffs last year, had the biggest decrease from $220.5 million to $183.5 million.

There are 76 players who will earn more than $20 million this year, led by New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto, whose salary is $61.875 million when calculated by MLB’s Labor Relations Department. The LRD numbers include the player’s actual salary plus his pro-rated signing bonus before any player or club options.

This is why Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker, who signed a four-year, $240 million contract this winter, has a $33 million salary, per MLB’s calculations this year, but skyrockets to $80.5 million in 2027. He has an opt-out after the 2027 season, and his salary is listed at $53.79 million each of the last two years, according to the LRD.

Tucker will earn a base salary of just $1 million this season, and will earn $32 million of his $64 million signing bonus. The contract jumps in 2027 since his base salary rises from $1 million to $45 million, with a $48.5 million present-day value of his contact.

The Dodgers still are responsible for a $57.121 million luxury tax hit each year for Tucker. His AAV is reduced because of the $30 million of deferrals in his contract, lowering the present-day value of his contract from $240 million to $228.485 million.

It’s similar to the calculations for Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s contract. He signed a 10-year, $700 million contract, but $680 million is deferred, lowering the AAV to $460 million. Ohtani’s salary this year is calculated at $28.206 million, according to the LRD.

The LRD numbers are not used for team’s luxury tax calculations. The Dodgers’ luxury-tax payment for Ohtani will be $46 million, and not $28.2 million, but still saves them $24 million a year because of his record deferrals. Luxury tax salaries are the total of a players’ salary (present-day value) divided by the number of guaranteed years.

The Dodgers and Yankees each have six players earning at least $20 million this year, while the Mets, Giants and Padres have five players apiece.

The Washington Nationals are the lone team with no player earning $10 million, topped by Trevor Williams’ $7 million salary. The St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays each have only one $10 million player.

MLB payrolls 2026

(Entering opening week – Includes 40-man rosters, non-roster players and cash transactions)

1. New York Mets — $357,626,125
2. Los Angeles Dodgers — $322,385,057
3. New York Yankees — $301,064,810
4. Philadelphia Phillies — $283,686,918
5. Toronto Blue Jays — $278,989,858
6. Atlanta Braves — $252,141,372
7. Houston Astros — $246,519,331
8. San Diego Padres — $224,833,896
9. Chicago Cubs — $220,693,350
10. Detroit Tigers — $209,415,401
11. San Francisco Giants — $200,800,003
12. Boston Red Sox — $198,883,374
13. Texas Rangers — $183,539,230
14. Arizona Diamondbacks — $183,460,266
15. Los Angeles Angels — $179,002,696
16. Baltimore Orioles — $170,369,743
17. Seattle Mariners — $160,726,794
18. Kansas City Royals — $141,244,816
19. Milwaukee Brewers — $125,467,605
20. Cincinnati Reds — $124,308,099
21. Colorado Rockies — $118,302,854
22. Pittsburgh Pirates — $102,058,886
23. St. Louis Cardinals — $98,115,902
24. Minnesota Twins — $96,726,784
25. Athletics — $91,849,688
26. Tampa Bay Rays — $89,632,420
27. Washington Nationals — $87,955,033
28. Chicago White Sox — $83,892,150
29. Miami Marlins — $79,429,030
30. Cleveland Guardians — $69,984,029

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB payrolls 2026: Why Dodgers don't have the highest in baseball

Las Vegas is quickly becoming a new hub city for sports, and the NFL appears keen on adding to that growing reputation.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, a vote will take place at next week’s NFL owners meetings to confirm Allegiant Stadium as the site of Super Bowl LXIII, with one source declaring it as “a matter of formality.”

If the vote succeeds as expected, Las Vegas will host its second Super Bowl. Allegiant Stadium was the site of Super Bowl LVIII in 2024, which saw the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

Along with Las Vegas Raiders and UNLV football games, Allegiant Stadium is set to be home to a myriad of major sporting events. WrestleMania is scheduled in Las Vegas for the second straight year in April, while the NCAA will host the College Football Playoff National Championship game there in Jan. 2027.

Allegiant Stadium joins the ranks of stadiums set to hold their second Super Bowls. Next season will see the Super Bowl return to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., which saw the Los Angeles Rams win in their home stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals. 2028’s Super Bowl matchup will return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the first time since 2019, when the Rams fell to the New England Patriots.

Aaron Judge reveals true thoughts on Yankees free agency: 'it was a blast' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Yankees were facing a major issue a few years ago with Aaron Judge. He had a chance to leave in free agency, and there seemed to be a decent chance of his departure.

Fortunately, he stayed in New York and will hopefully spend the rest of what should be a first-ballot Hall of Fame career all with the Yankees.

A few years removed from his free agency, Judge revealed his true thoughts to Kevin Durant during an appearance on The Boardroom. Judge shared that, while "it was a blast," free agency was still "stressful."

Aaron Judge shares real thoughts on free agency

"It was a blast," Judge said. "Vets always say, 'Wait till free agency - you'll love it. It's fun to have the freedom to go anywhere and talk to teams. But it was stressful. You lose the safety net. You go from knowing you're with the Yankees to being a free agent - it's all on you."

Judge's comments on his free agency are both very candid and understandable. Being a free agent gives a player a chance to feel valued by teams around the league.

And for a player like Judge, getting interest from the Yankees and other teams, most notably the San Francisco Giants, was, as he described it, "a blast."

More: Luis Gil sent down to minor leagues in strange Yankees roster move

Of course, it wasn't all smooth sailing, as Judge was facing a dilemma where he was unsigned, and didn't have a fallback option in a team he was under contract with.

It's an interesting perspective, as a player like Judge surely would've found some landing spot in free agency. But the lack of security is real, and eagerly waiting to sign the new deal is surely a stressful time, as Judge noted.

Judge is carving out a legendary career, and he could've done so with a new team. But he came back to the Yankees in free agency.

While free agency might've been a bit stressful for Judge, at the end of the day, it was a "blast" for the Yankees superstar, as he got to visit with teams around baseball, and still ended up with a $360 million deal back with the Yankees.

More MLB news:

• Reds’ Hunter Greene to be out until July amid brutal injury news
• Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki will return to rotation, not bullpen according Dave Roberts
• Alex Cora announces Caleb Durbin is Red Sox starting third baseman
• Joey Wentz is out for the season with a torn ACL for the Braves
• Braves predicted to trade Bryce Elder for Lars Nootbaar
• Jesus Luzardo’s $135 million extension is a steal for Phillies
• This 19-year MLB record is finally over for the Giants
• Jacob DeGrom is only 149 strikeouts from 2,000 for his career

As college basketball heads toward the Final Four next week, much of the sport’s focus will be on the simmering uncertainty at several of the sport’s blue bloods.

North Carolina’s transition plan from Roy Williams to Hubert Davis went bust. Kansas could be facing just its second coaching search since 1988, caught between cross-pressures to elevate current assistant/former NBA coach/alum Jacque Vaughn or cast a wider net if Bill Self retires. And Kentucky’s discontent after 15 years of John Calipari has put Mark Pope, another alum, on the hot seat headed into next year. 

Meanwhile, four years after the retirement of Mike Krzyzewski, Duke is in its third straight Sweet 16, has won 83.7% of its games under Jon Scheyer and seems poised to continue contending for national titles as far as the eye can see.

Over the history of college sports, few tasks have been more vexing for schools and administrators than keeping things both successful and sane around a prominent program once their forever coach leaves. 

Duke has made it look easy. It might even be the most well-executed coaching handoff there’s ever been from legend to successor. 

“The following of one of the very best coaches of any sport, arguably one of the very best basketball coaches in the history of the game, to a young, up-and-coming assistant coach that was a very good college player, there was a lot of room for that not to work,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told Yahoo Sports. “In my experience in college athletics, which is over 30 years, I've not seen a more seamless transition than what's taken place.”

Given what a towering figure Krzyzewski became on his way to 1,202 wins and five national titles across his 42 seasons, it’s remarkable how drama-free the Duke program has been the past four seasons under the 38-year-old Scheyer. 

Lance King via Getty Images

While the last two seasons have met rough endings — an upset in the 2024 Elite Eight to NC State and a last-minute collapse in the Final Four against Houston 12 months ago — Scheyer has earned enough benefit of the doubt with three ACC tournament titles and an unrivaled recruiting operation to quiet the noise that typically consumes young coaches who have to learn on the job in high-profile environments.  

“You’re always on edge because you know sitting in that chair, replacing that person, the expectations are so high it’s hard to have a good night of sleep,” said UNLV coach Josh Pastner, who took over for John Calipari at Memphis when he was just 31 years old. “It’s like having success is a relief because you have to meet a certain bar. You’re always looking over your shoulder. It’s on your mind 24/7, 365, knowing that’s what you’re being compared to and as human beings, one of our great enemies is comparison to others. It’s hard to disassociate yourself from that. It takes a lot of discipline because the fan base and your bosses are comparing.”

Taking over for a legend

Even though he made four straight NCAA tournaments, the heat of failing to make the second weekend ultimately chased Pastner to Georgia Tech, which is more typical of what happens when a legend leaves and someone else has to deal with unrealistic expectations. 

Just consider: 

• After John Wooden retired, UCLA cycled through five coaches over the next 13 years. 

• Jim Calhoun’s successor, Kevin Ollie, won a shocking national title in 2014 but was responsible for the program falling apart amidst poor performance and NCAA violations.

• There was plenty of drama around Bill Guthridge, Dean Smith’s handpicked successor, who stepped down after three seasons. 

• After Bob Knight’s firing at Indiana, Mike Davis (and several subsequent coaches) had to deal with the drama of being caught between his backward-looking loyalists and those focused on the future. 

• And in more recent vintage, the three years since Jim Boehiem’s retirement have been a disaster for Syracuse, with Adrian Autry fired after going 49-48 with no postseason appearances.  

Jim Livengood, who was Arizona’s athletic director when Lute Olson retired in right before the 2008-09 season amid health ongoing issues, said the year leading up to the announcement followed by a season-long coaching search was among the most difficult situations he had to manage in his career. 

Not only was Livengood dealing with the bizarre circumstance of assistant coach Mike Dunlap refusing to serve as interim coach because he wasn’t offered the full-time job, Russ Pennell ended up leading Arizona to the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, Livengood was trying to pursue some of the biggest names in the profession and felt significant pressure to hire someone who would both excite the fan base and be acceptable to stakeholders who were wary of a significant pivot away from the Olson era. 

He ended up prying Sean Miller out of Xavier, which was considered a big coup for Arizona at the time. Miller made three elite Eights and two Sweet 16s in his first eight years before the FBI inquiry into college basketball and subsequent NCAA investigation derailed the program yet again. 

“I was told by my colleagues probably three or four years prior to Lute getting ill that the transition of who’s going to be that next coach would be the hardest thing in the world,” said Livengood. “And it was really hard. There were so many conversations, so many things nobody understood or knew about. There were people in all different camps. Like the Duke situation, [the result] had everything to do with the person coming in. I don’t think they could have done it if [Krzyzewski] hadn’t been so insistent that Jon be the guy.”

Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images

Why Duke’s plan worked

Duke’s succession plan was nothing if not well laid-out. In January 2021, longtime Duke athletic director Kevin White announced his plan to retire. Four months later, his chief operating officer Nina King was elevated to athletic director. Two weeks after that, Krzyzewski made public that 2021-22 would be his final season, concurrent with an announcement that Scheyer, who had been on staff for seven seasons, would be the head coach-in-waiting and take over the following year. 

At the time, there were critics who felt Krzyzewski’s farewell tour was self-serving. In reality, it was part of an orchestrated sequence of events intended to give both King and Scheyer the best possible chance of a clean handoff while having time to adjust to new roles. And Duke has succeeded where others failed for three reasons. 

The first is resources. Krzyzewski’s retirement took place at the beginning of the NIL era and Duke jumped in with both feet, hiring former Nike and NBA marketing executive Rachel Baker as general manager in June 2022 (long before most programs were doing it). Part of that role was helping organize NIL opportunities, which helped Scheyer get ahead of the game in recruiting right away with the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class.

If anything, NIL taking hold right as Scheyer got the job played to his benefit. Without that infrastructure, it would have been much more difficult to land a steady stream of Dereck Livelys, Cooper Flaggs and Kon Knueppels without having a track record as head coach. 

“Everybody talks about athletics being the front porch of the university but Duke is one of the few that really gets it,” one rival ACC administrator told Yahoo Sports. “They understand what the brand means to the school and weren’t going to let it decline.” 

The second factor is Krzyzewski himself. Though he continued his weekly radio show after retirement and does sporadic media appearances, he is mostly in the background, highly aware of what his presence means and always careful not to overshadow his successor. Krzyzewski rarely attends games but is always available when needed.

“Coach K has given me amazing room to be myself,” Scheyer said at last year’s Final Four. “Really the only advice he gave me from the beginning was to be true to me, to be true to myself. I already knew that. But for him to remind me of that from time to time has been important. I think he understands when he's around just the gravity and the people looking at him and all that. But we've gotten to a point, one, our communication has been the same all the time. I'll tell you for me, in the toughest moments that I've had as a head coach my first three years, the person that I call is him.”

And the third factor is that Scheyer has proven to be a highly effective coach. No matter how much talent he has amassed thanks to the Duke brand and NIL organization, going 69-6 over the past two seasons does not happen by accident. He has given cynics no reason to question his ability to organize the program, manage players or trade X-for-O with more experienced coaches.

“Jon Scheyer is clearly a generational talent who was mentored by perhaps the very best coach ever in any sport,” White told Yahoo Sports. “Pretty darn good recipe for high-end success.”

Legends do not always leave a disaster in their wake. Bud Wilkinson’s retirement at Oklahoma opened the door for another seminal figure to follow in Barry Switzer. Though there were some turbulent moments after Adolph Rupp was pushed into retirement, Joe B. Hall won a national title in 1978 amidst a long run of success. And despite the significant pain and hard feelings between Bobby Bowden and Florida State when the school finally forced him out, the coach-in-waiting plan with Jimbo Fisher was ultimately validated when he won a national title in 2013. 

But in the entire history of college sports, it’s hard to find a situation with blowup potential that was navigated as well as this one. All Scheyer needs is a national title — and it’s probably just a matter of time at this point. 

“I think it’s a credit to everybody involved,” Phillips said. “It’s a credit to Coach K knowing he was getting ready to retire and preparing Jon. There was a strategy behind it, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to work out. The person who deserves the most credit is Jon Scheyer. To understand the assignment and be incredibly comfortable with who he is and understand that he was not going to be Mike Krzyzewski 2.0 takes incredible maturity.”

The Miami Dolphins are signing former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Ronnie Harrison to a one-year contract, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter. Harrison appeared in 10 games the Falcons last season, recording 29 tackles (20 solo), two sacks and two passes defended.

The former third-round pick has spent eight seasons in the NFL, playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts before signing with Atlanta in 2025. Harrison entered the league as a defensive back but was converted to a full-time linebacker role last season.

Since being drafted in 2018, Harrison has appeared in 94 games (52 starts), recording 274 tackles (181 solo), 8.5 sacks and seven interceptions. The versatile linebacker can provide depth for the cash-strapped Dolphins next season.

Miami has signed a few other former Falcons, including kicker Zane Gonzalez and punter Bradley Pinion. On the flip side, Atlanta hired former Dolphins special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman and signed former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Dolphins are signing former Falcons free-agent linebacker Ronnie Harrison to a oneayear deal, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 25, 2026

The Falcons have lost a few other front-seven defenders thus far in NFL free agency. Linebacker Kaden Elliss signed a three-year deal with the New Orleans Saints and edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie landed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Follow each Falcons free-agent signing and departure using our NFL free agency live tracker.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: LB Ronnie Harrison to sign with Dolphins

Most of the league doesn’t play until tomorrow, and the Jays don’t open their season until Friday, but rosters still have to be finalized and so we’re getting some news this afternoon:

• Ben Nicholson-Smith reports that Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles has made the roster. Miles looked pretty good this spring, but it’s still amazing to see a guy with 14.2 career minor league innings in the bigs. The team probably wanted to keep a long reliever with injuries forcing them to start the season with Eric Lauer in the rotation, but Miles is talented and has to stick or he offered back to the Giants. They chose upside over short term roster fit.
• Shortstop Leo Jimenez has been designated for assignment. There’s a good chance that that marks the end of his time in the Blue Jays organization, as other teams will be interested in taking a look at his contact ability and up the middle defence. Jimenez signed out of Panama as a 16 year old back in July of 2017. He played most days down the stretch in 2024, posing league average offensive numbers with defence that graded out below average at shortstop but above at second. Injuries derailed his 2025 campaign, though, and he didn’t have a great spring while Josh Kasevich, his likely longer term successor in the backup shortstop role, raked.

With those moves, the Opening Day 26-man roster should just about be set:

Rotation: Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer, Eric Lauer

Bullpen: Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, Brendon Little (LHP), Mason Fluharty (LHP), Braydon Fisher, Spencer Miles, and one of Chase Lee or Tommy Nance

Catcher: Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heinemann

Infield: Vladimir Guerrero jr. (1B), Ernie Clement (2B), Kazuma Okamoto (3B), Andres Gimenez (SS)

Outfield: Addison Barger (RF), Daulton Varsho (CF), Jesus Sanchez (LF)

Designated Hitter: George Springer

Bench: Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider

Have to say, while I hate to lose a talented young player like Jimenez, that’s a mighty fine looking roster to my eye. Let me know why I’m wrong in the comments.

It is hard to keep Augusta out of mind.

The PGA Tour has made it to the Texas swing following all sorts of fun in Florida. Cameron Young won the most coveted title at the Players Championship, but all sorts of players made strides as the first major championship of the year approaches.

The first major championship. That’s a small way of saying the Masters. No big deal.

Sam Burns is living in the now and the present

All events on the PGA Tour season matter. When it comes time for Tour Championship time its players look back at every event as their full and total resume.

But it can be difficult to focus on the moment when one of a Masters ilk lurks around the corner. It is human nature to let your eyes wander to the greatest tournament that golf has to offer, but you have to take care of business that is in front of you first.

This juxtaposition fascinates me and I was curious how one of the best golfers in the world handles it. Sam Burns held a meet and greet at Raising Cane’s in Houston ahead of this week’s Texas Children’s Open, he even hopped behind the counter to take some orders, and I was able to ask him for his thoughts on the subject.

It should come as no surprise that Sam tries to balance the present and the future. This is the proper way to handle things, after all. Tunnel vision is necessary on the PGA Tour and if you don’t have it then you are going to struggle.

“I’m excited for this season. We always have a great turnout with fans and I’m looking forward to being back and getting out there this year,” said Burns. “It’s been an up and down season, but I feel like my game is trending in the right direction.” As part of his preparation week, Burns emphasized the importance of getting comfortable on the course and settling into a rhythm ahead of competition. “In terms of preparation for these tournaments, we usually get here early in the week, learn the course and make sure everything is ready for Thursday,” said Burns. “I went out and played the course earlier and it’s in great shape. I’m excited to get out there.”  

All golfers, even amateurs, know how unforgiving the game can be. If you start trying to think or do too much, it will bite you and in a pretty unforgiving sort of way.

In the spirit of generosity to counteract golf’s bitter nature I wanted to know where this idea can be most effectively combatted. We have all been on the course and thought to ourselves… “if I could just do this.“

What is that “this”, though? What is your this? What is Sam Burns’?

It was fascinating how Sam Burns would guarantee that his off-the-course happenings are proper if he could wave a magic wand over any single thing. Being in the right state of mind provides such a value for life beyond golf so this certainly makes senses as a logical answer.

For what it’s worth Sam seems to be in that type of center these days. He finished T13 at the Players and inside of the top 10 (T6) earlier this season at Pebble Beach.

Perhaps off-the-course routines are working then. I would imagine that there is a lot of Raising Cane’s involved for him (there is at least for me). The company does such a great job connecting major sports moments to its restaurants, similar to how Sam is connecting off-the-course peace to what happens inside of the ropes.

We will all be watching this week. And in Augusta.

2026 Premier League Darts Night 8 draw, match predictions and 3 storylines to watch in Berlin originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Premier League of Darts heads to Berlin this week for Night 8.

After this week, we'll have officially reached the halfway point, and the race to grab a play-off position will be on.

2026 Premier League Darts Night 8 Berlin draw

Here is the draw for the quarterfinal round on Night 8 of the 2026 PL.

MORE: 2026 Premier League Darts schedule, scores, results and updated table

Night 8 - Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin (March 26)

• Jonny Clayton vs. Josh Rock     
• Luke Humphries vs. Michael van Gerwen     
• Luke Littler vs. Stephen Bunting     
• Gerwyn Price vs. Gian van Veen

2026 Premier League Darts table ahead of Night 8

* = one or more wins were credited via advancing against a player who withdrew

MORE: 2026 Premier League of Darts: Get to know the 8 participants

Night 8 match predictions

Here are my predictions for a stacked slate on Night 8.

*Semifinals and final listed below are my predictions based on the quarterfinals

Quarterfinal 1: Jonny Clayton vs. Josh Rock

Winner: Jonny Clayton, 6-3

A glance at the current PL table will help you realize the vast difference in PL campaigns between these two players.

Rock has yet to win a quarterfinal match, while Clayton has won six out of his seven quarterfinal matches.

Even with that in mind, Rock is a great player who has the skillset to win this match, but Clayton has been very reliable, and barring a significant increase in performance from Rock, this should be Clayton's to win.

Quarterfinal 2: Luke Humphries vs. Michael van Gerwen

Winner: Luke Humphries, 6-5

Expect this to be a close match, as both players have had positive appearances recently.

Humphries most notably won on the Euro Tour last weekend, and actually played MVG en route to that title, beating him 7-2 in the semifinal.

After a period of struggle, MVG seems to be turning a page, but Humphries has played great in recent months himself, so MVG will have a tough task this week.

MORE: PDC darts players to soar up rankings in 2026

Quarterfinal 3: Luke Littler vs. Stephen Bunting

Winner: Luke Littler, 6-3

We were treated to a high-quality affair when Littler and Bunting each averaged over 104 last week in their quarterfinal match.

They'll face off once again in the same round, and I expect a very similar result.

Littler had a rare early exit on the Euro Tour this past weekend and will look to get a more convincing nightly win than he did last week, when he had to complete a comeback in the Night 7 final after trailing 0-5 to Gerwyn Price.

Quarterfinal 4: Gerwyn Price vs. Gian van Veen

Winner: Gerwyn Price, 6-4

There's a lot of uncertainty around van Veen, who has missed a couple of events after withdrawing due to kidney stones.

It's still up in the air whether or not he'll play on Thursday, although he seems to be on course to play.

Price is in good form, and with van Veen's situation in mind, Price should be the stronger player with van Veen's current circumstances.

Semifinal 1: Jonny Clayton vs. Luke Humphries

Winner: Luke Humphries, 6-4

Clayton and Humphries have already played four times in 2026, with each player winning twice, and Humphries winning the last two matches.

I think Humphries will continue his streak against Clayton, as he's beaten Clayton twice in the last week, but he might need an average in at least the high 90s to defeat Clayton.

MORE: Every 170 'Big Fish' checkout in 2026 Premier League Darts

Semifinal 2: Luke Littler vs. Gerwyn Price

Winner: Gerwyn Price, 6-5

Price nearly beat Littler in the final last week, but couldn't hold on despite having several match darts in a game he led 5-0 in.

He's more than capable of taking down Littler, and will look to be composed this week to take down Littler this time around.

Final: Luke Humphries vs. Gerwyn Price

Winner: Gerwyn Price, 6-5

A win against Littler in the semifinals would be big for Price, and he'd have to potentially take down the other Luke in the final.

A 109 average in the semifinals last week was enough for Price to beat Humphries 6-1.

This time around, the scoreline should be closer, but as always, I like Price's chances against any opponent on any given night.

MORE: 2026 Premier League Darts prize money explained

Three storylines to watch during Night 8

Here are the main storylines to look out for on Night 8.

How will Gian van Veen play after his absence last week?

Van Veen will likely play on Thursday, but how well he'll perform is up in the air after being hospitalized last week due to kidney stones.

Can Rock pull off an upset against Clayton?

The pressure is on Rock, as he's still searching for his first PL win, but he has the tough task of playing league leader Jonny Clayton in the quarterfinals.

Will MVG get back on track?

Van Gerwen got a bye last week, but played well in the semifinals against Littler in a narrow loss. After a positive run on the Euro Tour this past weekend, he'll look to make a quality run in Berlin.

More darts articles:

• Luke Littler contract details: Teenage phenom signs richest endorsement deal in darts history
• PDC announces darts schedule for 2026: World Championship, Premier League and more
• Ranking the best PDC Darts moments from 2025: 9-darters to shocking upsets
• 7 darts players who could be in Premier League Darts one day
• Watch: Luke Humphries hits epic 9-darter at 2026 World Masters
• International qualification routes for 2026/27 PDC Darts World Championship revealed

The NFL Draft is a little over a month away, and the Raiders will hold the 1st overall pick (1st round), 36th overall (2nd round), 67th overall (3rd round), 102nd, 117th, and 134th overall in the 4th round, 175th (5th round), 185th and 208th in the sixth round, and 219th in the seventh round. The Raiders hold 10 overall draft picks, among the most in the NFL this year, despite missing out on the 14th overall pick from the Ravens. The Raiders have consistently been projected as taking a nose tackle highly in the 2026 draft, the Raiders likely won’t have a true 0-Tech on the field all that often, as teams don’t sit in base assignments more than 24-28% of the time based on the last three seasons. Additionally, Las Vegas will have a 1-shade nose tackle more often than a 0-Tech, requiring their “nose tackle” to be more reliant on quick inside leverage, instead of pure mass that can clog gaps. I broke down what exactly to expect from the Raiders DL here that will also outline what the Raiders are going to have on their roster already.

New defensive coordinator Rob Leonard is likely to have an adaptation of both Mike MacDonald’s & Brian Flores systems, after coaching under both. Last season, Seattle ran a true )-Tech/Nose just 61 times, and they had a 1-Tech on field just 103 snaps last season. That has slightly changed from MacDonald having a nose 101 times in 2024 and a 1-Tech 214 times in 2024 as well, though he’s held firm around 70-78 and 100-124 majority of his NFL career. Taking a look at the Vikings, they ran a true nose tackle 119 snaps, with a 1-Tech 98 snaps. Flores has consistently held between 102-155 snaps with a 0-Tech, and 100-134 with a 1-Tech in his career. Rob Leonard has never ran a true 3-4 front, and it’s likely that front isn’t going to be seen often with how often the Raiders look to run a versatile defense, will rotate into 4 man, 5 man, over, under, and bear fronts. Additionally, they’ll likely live out of a nickel defense which puts a traditional 4 man front majority of the time, so the impact that a true NT will be played often is likely limited, and a bigger look is towards more athletic 1-2 tech’s with the ability to slide between 0, and another key factor is their versatility to work outside of 1/2 tech as Leonard has consistently rotated his DL between multiple techniques to tap into certain situation and packages. Las Vegas is going to be heavy with an attack-react front, requiring the DL to get upfield quickly and get into the LOS/backfield, comparative to a react-attack front that is more patient approached and requires defensive lineman to set up blockers and then get to the backfield. Either are effective, but with his history coming from Patrick Graham, Brian Flores, and Mike MacDonald who have all ran mostly attack fronts, it’s hard to see that changing for Leonard. The goal for the Raiders will be getting one-gap principles that allow the defensive line to hold gaps, fire upfield, and get to the defender in the backfield, something that Las Vegas did exceptionally well with last season ranking 7th in run defense, 1st in TFL, and having the 5th best run defense per EPA/play in the NFL under Leonard’s first year as run game coordinator.

Taking a very quick look at what Leonard has had with his defensive line, that will also require athleticism based on his high rates of stunts and twists where in his career, his defensive line’s have never ranked lower than 10th in defensive line movement rates (it sounds made up, it’s not I promise). Leonard loves looping outside pass rushers inside to create free lanes with double teamed IDL, sim pressures, and working to create 1-on-1 opportunities for blitzing linebackers, which with the additions of Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean will happen quite often. Through his time with the Raiders defensive line, Leonard did run a 0-Tech on 155-188 snaps between 2023 and 2025, with the most coming in 2022 with now Ravens nose tackle John Jenkins. Additionally, they have ran a 1-tech nearly 245 snaps or so in each season under Leonard, a trend that continued to his days in Baltimore. With all this in mind, the main goal of the article was to detail NFL draft defensive lineman that will fit what he’s looking for, so with that here we go:

*Based on the article I linked above, you can see two key things, and if you didn’t read that it’s alright. Adam Butler has spent 19% of his career snaps at 0-Tech & 9% at 1-Tech. Additionally, JJ Pegues played nearly 35% of his collegiate snaps at a 0-Tech and 8% at 1-Tech. Something that Las Vegas didn’t utilize last season *

Traditional 0-1 Tech & Cole Brevard:

Domonique “Big Citrus” Orange, Iowa State (Consensus: Early 3rd)

HT: 6’4 | WT: 325 | Career: 66 tackles, 7 TFL, 1 sack, 2 PBU, 38 run stops, 8.9% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 1078 snaps
• 1-Tech: 61 snaps
• 2-Tech: 198 snaps
• 3-Tech: 78 snaps
• 4-Tech: 188 snaps
• 7-Tech: 52 snaps

Orange is the traditional 0-Tech for the modern NFL, though he can shade inside to a 1/2 technique and does provide the versatility that the Raiders are likely looking for as well. Orange is very limited as a pass rusher, with just a 8.9% pass rush win rate in his career, and he doesn’t show a ton of technique that will adapt to the NFL making him a developmental prospect in that game. As a run defender, he’s elite, and arguably the best in the class. Orange has phenomenal size and strength, anchors well, and understands the run game extremely well.

Dontay “The Godfather” Corleone, Cincinnati (Consensus: Mid 4th)

HT: 6’1 | WT: 335 | Career: 123 tackles, 17 TFL, 9.5 sacks, FR, 57 run stops, 6.8% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 1174 snaps
• 1-Tech: 111 snaps
• 2-Tech: 188 snaps
• 3-Tech: 97 snaps
• 4-Tech: 22 snaps

Corleone has had his ups and downs, but remains one of the premier run defending first players in the class. His pass rush will be very limited in the NFL, likely similar to that of Andrew Billings/John Jenkins for Raiders fans, but Corleone is going to make a mark as a run defender. He has a strong lower half, violent active hands, good core strength, and understands the run game well. He’ll likely be a premier run defender, but his pass rush limits him from being a high pick and being in a front that’s attack based.

Keeshawn Silver, USC (Consensus: Mid 6th)

HT: 6’4 | WT: 330 | Career: 67 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 sacks, 24 run stops, 7.4% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 454 snaps
• 1-Tech: 234 snaps
• 2-Tech: 245 snaps
• 3-Tech: 55 snaps
• 4-Tech: 19 snaps

Silver isn’t a true nose tackle, but he’s also not a multi tech with his true snaps mainly being at 0-2 technique. Silver has a massive frame, but struggles to anchor, can get washed out in the run game, and hasn’t been as good as he should be in college. Silver does show some upside, but as an older prospect you’d likely want more. He’s an active pass rusher, quick off the line of scrimmage and could be a nice late round target for Las Vegas. –

Multi 0/1/2i/3 Tech:

Kayden McDonald, Ohio State (Consensus: Late 1st/Early 2nd)

HT: 6’3 | WT: 325 | Career: 85 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks, 3 PBU, 2 FF, 40 run stops, 3.8% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 197 snaps
• 1-Tech: 18 snaps
• 2-Tech: 318 snaps
• 3-Tech: 140 snaps
• 4-Tech: 7 snaps
• 28 snaps various (5-7 tech)

I, personally, am not extremely high on McDonald and this is someone who had Kenneth Grant as a top 10 prospect last year and loves run stuffing defensive tackles. McDonald is fairly athletic, and likely will benefit from a system putting him more in a 1-Tech role fully, but he’s played at nose and the film has been average. He has good strength, good hand combat skills, but looks very bleh in his athleticism at times, and can get pushed around. He provides very little as a pass rusher, and there’s a serious chance he provides very little as a nose tackle. For a team, like Las Vegas taking a limited pass rusher highly in the class is a risk, even with the premier run defense skills that McDonald could translate.

Christen Miller, Georgia (Consensus: Late 1st/Early 2nd)

HT: 6’4 | WT: 321 | Career: 64 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks, PBU, 41 run stops, 11.1% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 198 snaps
• 1-Tech: 63 snaps
• 2-Tech: 313 snaps
• 3-Tech: 338 snaps
• 4-Tech: 143 snaps
• 5-Tech: 12 snaps

My DT1 this year, and that’s not going to change. Miller is exceptional, he’s a quick, violent, fluid mover in space, has an excellent first step, can bend well and shows almost EDGE like movement at 6’4/310 pounds. Miller has great hand skills, understands both the run and pass well, works well to get through double teams, and his strength is probably among the top of the class all things considered. Miller doesn’t have experience as a true 0/1 tech which could limit him for Las Vegas, but his experience playing the rest of the DL in a versatile multi front defense is valuable. There’s a real world for Miller to have multiple 8+ sack seasons, and if he’s available at 36 it’s almost a no brainer.

Lee Hunter, Texas Tech(Consensus: Mid 2nd)

HT: 6’4 | WT: 330 | Career: 172 tackles, 32 TFL, 7.5 sacks, FF, 41 run stops, 10.5% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 380 snaps
• 1-Tech: 67 snaps
• 2-Tech: 716 snaps
• 3-Tech: 634 snaps
• 4-Tech: 77 snaps
• 5-Tech: 19 snaps

Lee Hunter, the definition of confusing. Hunter is extremely strong, has great hand movement, is active in pass rush, his lower body power is among the best in the class, and he does move decently well on film. The issue is, he tested terribly (that sounds bad I know) but it’s also a showing on film at times where quicker inteiror lineman latch on and get to the spot first pretty much putting Hunter out of the play. Athletic centers are able to drive him around the spot and despite his anchor/strength there’s not much you can do when you’re out leveraged and put in a spot you can’t get out of your break. He’s not a quick player either, Hunter shows average burst but does have some movement laterally (again if he gets there first). Hunter should translate with decent pass rush production vs specific offensive lineman, where he can win power on power, which he’ll win majority of the time. He’s a tough player to eval, and he’ll benefit from a move more towards a true one-gap DT where he can play gap control, and is put in a spot to be at the POA first before the lineman. I like Hunter, there’s just a lot of questions around his game, and he’s likely not a very valuable pick inside the top 50 unless you’re extremely comfortable putting him solely as a 0/2 tech and letting things play out.

Cole Brevard, Texas (Consensus: Mid 4th)

HT: 6’3 | WT: 346 | Career: 56 tackles, 9 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 2 FR, 32 run stops, 8.3% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 502 snaps
• 1-Tech: 322 snaps
• 2-Tech: 301 snaps
• 3-Tech: 204 snaps
• 4-Tech: 12 snaps

Brevard, the first nose tackle without a nickname, is sometimes called Darth Vader in Texas interviews, and would probably fair well in the Death Star. Alright, football time now, Brevard is similar to Orange, providing a lot of versatility on the defensive front. For a system looking to attack, Brevard has a quick first step, violent hands, moves extremely well, and can get after the quarterback. He’s a raw prospect, but shows a ton of upside and his run defense will translate immediately.

Landon Robinson, Navy (Consensus: Late 4th)

HT: 6’0 | WT: 287 | Career: 153 tackles, 18.5 TFL, 14.5 sacks, 2 FF, 56 run stops, 8.7% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 261 snaps
• 1-Tech: 312 snaps
• 2-Tech: 454 snaps
• 3-Tech: 487 snaps
• 4-Tech: 146 snaps
• 5-Tech: 20 snaps

Man I love Landon Robinson, the main issues stem from the fact he’s just extremely tiny but he makes up for it in a lot of ways. Robinson has elite athleticism, fire off the ball quickly, shows exceptional ability to understand leverage, low pad level, and he has good strength to be an impact pass rusher. Robinson likley will play that true 3/4 technique in the NFL, and while he likely can’t be a 0/1 in the NFL unless it’s situational, he does have the athleticism and good strength to out perform lineman. Military academies limit how much a player can weigh/lift, and Robinson likely will benefit from getting closer to 300 and keeping his athleticism, something an NFL team will do for him. The true athletic ability, violent play style, and blend of power with a ton of room to grow is intriguing, especially paired with his versatility playing nearly an even split at 2/3 and 0/1 technique.

Darrell Jackson Jr, Florida State (Consensus: Mid 4th)

HT: 6’5 | WT: 337 | Career: 129 tackle, 12 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 2 PBU, FF, 70 run stops, 7.5% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 251 snaps
• 1-Tech: 43 snaps
• 2-Tech: 784 snaps
• 3-Tech: 442 snaps
• 4-Tech: 208 snaps

Jackson has to improve vs the run game, he has the size and strength, but lacks the hand skills, doesn’t play with leverage, and doesn’t really understand the run game either. There’s flashes in his game of being a high end pass rusher, and Jackson shows great movement at his size. He’s quick off the ball, gets to the point of attack quickly, and can utilize his frame to out muscle others. He’s a versatile defender, the issue is until he can defend the run at the rate he needs to at his size, it’s going to be hard to find consistent play time.

Zxavian Harris, Ole Miss (Consensus: Late 4th)

HT: 6’8 | WT: 330 | Career: 123 tackles, 17.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, INT, 3 PBU, FF, 49 run stops, 6.7% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 206 snaps
• 1-Tech: 52 snaps
• 2-Tech: 445 snaps
• 3-Tech: 463 snaps
• 4-Tech: 189 snaps
• 5-Tech: 79 snaps

Harris is athletic, he’s big, and he commands double/triple teams…. but he doesn’t really do much at times. Harris is productive in his career, and he works best when able to slide around the defensive line, is able to loop and stunt well, but he also struggles to get off blocks largely cause his size. Additionally, for someone of Harris size he naturally will have high pad level and no leverage, but Harris just seems to forget either thing exists and will stand straight up. He shows exceptional lower body strength and his core strength is good, which allows him to bend his hips and dip to try and gain some inside leverage. Additionally, I’d like to see Harris use his size more often and be a threat to knock the ball down at the LOS, which he doesn’t do often and when does is semi late.

Jordan van den Berg, Georgia Tech (Consensus: Mid to Late 5th)

HT: 6’3 | WT: 310 | Career: 93 tackles, 20 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 3 PBU, 2 FF, 33 run stops, 7.5% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 176 snaps
• 1-Tech: 38 snaps
• 2-Tech: 651 snaps
• 3-Tech: 412 snaps
• 4-Tech: 57 snaps

It seems people are coming around to van den Berg after he had a ridiculous pro day with a perfect 10.00 RAS. van den Berg is going to be an intriguing NFL player, he is raw, despite playing since 2021, but he shows a lot of potential upside. He can slide into the nose and play with his anchor, and explosive power, but also has true 6+ sack production potential with his athletic profile. He shows great hip and ankle flexibility, good hand skills, and can with with speed, power, and twitch. van den Berg is raw, he doesn’t really have a true position which lies the issue as he can get moved in the pass game at times. He’s a run first defensive tackle, and you’ll need to develop his pass rush plan, hand skills, and utilize his athleticism more often but if things are properly worked on he can be a foundational defensive lineman for a team (very similar to Tonka Hemingway).

Deven Eastern, Minnesota (Consensus: Late 6th)

HT: 6’6 | WT: 320 | Career: 97 tackles, 12 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 2 FF, 48 run stops, 6.8% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 152 snaps
• 1-Tech: 486 snaps
• 2-Tech: 517 snaps
• 3-Tech: 301 snaps
• 4-Tech: 10 snaps

Eastern is massive, he’s just inconsistent. He shows flashes of using his athletic profile to win as a pass rusher, and has improved over time, but he can also get moved around and just lacks the technique. He plays with good pad level for his size, but lacks any understanding of leverage and can get moved off his spot more often than he should. He’s alright off the ball, shows good initial quickness and burst, but Eastern is an intriguing prospect for his size, experience, and versatility. He’ll benefit greatly being asked to play a main 1/2 technique in the NFL for a 3-4 front that allows him to get upfield quickly and attack the OL.

Traditional 3/4 Tech DT:

Caleb Banks, Florida (Consensus: Mid 2nd)

HT: 6’6 | WT: 330 | Career: 48 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 3 FF, 13 run stops, 10.8% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 38 snaps
• 1-Tech: 12 snaps
• 2-Tech: 132 snaps
• 3-Tech: 485 snaps
• 4-Tech: 253 snaps
• 5-Tech: 24 snaps

At his size, you’d think Banks is a nose, but he’s not, which is interesting. Banks shows a LOT of upside, but he needs to stay healthy having a ton of lower body injuries, which at his size is a concern. Banks plays with good initial quickness, burst, and movement skills. He does well in short area bursts, can play laterally well, and is fairly good vs the run. He’s an active player, consistently makes an impact, and his pass rush upside shows for the NFL where he’s shown the ability to have multiple 8+ sack seasons. The main issues with Banks, are the mentioned injuries, he doesn’t have the best hips and can get pushed when needing to use leverage, and he struggles with athletic IOL that can get under him and utilize leverage. He shows a lot of potential, but the injuries and being 23 years old could turn teams away.

Gracen Halton, Oklahoma (Consensus: Late 2nd to Early 3rd)

HT: 6’2 | WT: 295 | Career: 84 tackles, 17.5 TFL, 9 sacks, 2 FR, 3 FF, 35 run stops, 11.5% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 139 snaps
• 1-Tech: 33 snaps
• 2-Tech: 233 snaps
• 3-Tech: 421 snaps
• 4-Tech: 103 snaps
• 5-Tech: 74 snaps

One of the “gems” of the defensive tackle class, Halton is a pure attack front defensive tackle, he shows elite (and I mean like Aaron Donald level) first step quickness, second step, and lateral burst. Halton flys off the line of scrimmage, gets into the rep quickly, and has good arm length/leverage understanding that allows him to beat the offensive line quickly. He has extremely active violent hands, moves well laterally, and is a premier run defender also. He plays with good leverage, understands the run game, and his hand combat skills will translate to the NFL immediately, where he also shows a good spin and the ability to twist and stunt. Halton is semi undersized, which could limit him, but he’s a true 4/3 technique at the NFL level. Las Vegas needs to add pass rusher and run defenders to their interior, and while Halton is undersized for the traditional 0/1/2 technique, he’s someone you want on the field, and playing for you.

Rayshaun Benny, Michigan (Consensus: Late 3rd)

HT: 6’4 | WT: 305 | Career: 107 tackles, 12 TFL, 4 sacks, 6 PBU, FF, 50 run stops, 8.5% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 28 snaps
• 1-Tech: 13 snaps
• 2-Tech: 284 snaps
• 3-Tech: 628 snaps
• 4-Tech: 208 snaps
• 5-Tech: 75 snaps

If you miss on Halton, Benny is a nice complementary option. He’s a run first defensive tackle, and his pass rush is coming along, but he’ll need to continue to develop more pass rush moves, utilize his athletic profile, and simply develop. Michigan prioritizes stopping the run, and Benny does that well, he has good leverage and strength, anchors well, has consistently lower body drive, and will be an impact defender. Benny is a nice mid round target, and while he’s played mainly 3-Tech at Michigan, he’s going to be able to slide into the 2-Tech role at the NFL level, and be productive.

Chris McClellan, Missouri (Consensus: Late 3rd)

HT: 6’4, WT: 323 | Career: 113 tackles, 17 TFL, 10.5 sacks, 4 PBU, 57 run stops, 7.4% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 98 snaps
• 1-Tech: 47 snaps
• 2-Tech: 384 snaps
• 3-Tech: 886 snaps
• 4-Tech: 179 snaps
• 5-Tech: 11 snaps

McClellan is massive, and he moves well for his size, he’s just overall a raw prospect who will need to adapt to the NFL with more technique, instead of the reliance on size/strength he currently has. McClellan shows good leverage, quickness, and can be a sparkplug at the LOS. He is versatile, and should see more snaps towards a 2/4 technique that allows him to tap into his strength/quickness instead of 3-Tech where he can get pushed around against double teams. McClellan has the ability to work off double teams, and he stacks/sheds well, but he’ll need time and development, though he shows a lot of upside.

Gary Smith:

Gary Smith III, UCLA (Consensus: Mid 7th)

HT: 6’2 | WT: 340 | Career: 111 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 58 run stops, 5.8% pass rush win rate

• 0-Tech: 167 snaps
• 1-Tech: 92 snaps
• 2-Tech: 746 snaps
• 3-Tech: 401 snaps
• 4-Tech: 68 snaps
• 5-Tech: 16 snaps

Smith missed all of 2024, returned in 2025, and well he maintained what he is. Smith is a quality run defender, he does well with his anchor and lower body power, has exceptional size, plays gap control, has good arm length, a knack for understanding the run, and his leverage ability is premier as well. Smith won’t be an impact pass rusher, he lacks a lot of traits, and is a very average athlete. The issue comes with, Smith hasn’t really played a true nose tackle role like he’ll need to in the NFL, and while he can adapt it’s different to play a 1 gap when you’re at 0 tech with limited help to your side. Smith shows good traits, can be an NFL run defender at nose, and likely will be an intriguing late round pickup or UDFA, as teams work to adapt him to that 0 Tech role. Additionally, he’ll need to show that the average athleticism won’t limit him, as he’s semi slow off the LOS.

Other DT:

I didn’t touch on some of these, just since they see a very inconsistent fit, that said if you want me to breakdown any of them, leave a comment or DM me on Twitter and I will get to them very quickly:

• Peter Woods, Clemson
• Kaleb Proctor, SE Louisiana (really really really fun player)
• Albert Regis, Texas A&M
• Zane Durant, Penn State
• Bryson Eason, Tennessee
• Nick Barrett, SCAR
• Skyler Gill-Howard, Texas Tech
• Tyler Onyedim, Texas A&M
• James Thompson Jr, Illinois
• Jackie Marshall, Baylor
• Damonic Williams, Oklahoma
• Brandon Cleveland, NC State (top of my favorite UDFA target)
• Cameron Ball, Arkansas
• David Gusta, Kentucky
• Tim Keenan, Alabama

Home runs are a popular MLB player prop to bet because the odds are long. A small wager on a player to hit a home run can yield a juicy payout. However, they’re justifiably priced to entice wagers because it’s difficult for a player to hit home runs, and even in a slugfest, there will be only a few homers.

Bettors should keep in mind they’ll place more losing wagers on home run bets than winning ones. Still, carefully considered home run bets can prove fruitful, and the following two players have a desirable blend of likelihood to hit a homer and the betting odds offered, making them appealing bets for MLB Opening Day.

Best Home Run Bets

Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore Orioles - SS)

Over 0.5 Home Runs (+334) at DraftKings Sportsbook

Gunnar Henderson ripped 28 homers in 622 plate appearances in 2023, surged to 37 home runs in 719 plate appearances in 2024 and dipped to 17 homers in 651 plate appearances last year. The massive fall in power was unexpected and unfortunate, but he’s still young and hit the ball hard.

The left-handed-hitting shortstop’s average exit velocity in 2025 was 92.1 mph, only slightly below his career mark of 92.3 mph, and higher than his average exit velocity of 92.0 mph in 2023, when he clobbered 28 home runs. His barrel rate and hard-hit rate were career lows of 8.5% and 49.0%, neither of which was alarmingly low.

Even in a down year by his lofty standards, Henderson excelled with the platoon advantage at home. He slugged nine homers in 221 plate appearances against right-handed pitching in his homer-friendly home ballpark.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards underwent renovations before the 2025 season, and its 121 park factor for homers last year was the second-highest mark in MLB. It’s an ideal venue for launching long-balls.

Henderson’s matchup for Opening Day is also favorable. Joe Ryan’s 1.37 home runs per nine innings (HR/9) allowed last year was tied for the second-highest mark among the Opening Day probable starting pitchers. Furthermore, Ryan ceded seven homers and 1.54 HR/9 to 177 left-handed batters faced on the road last season.

The weather is also working in Henderson’s favor to hit a dinger on Thursday afternoon, with the wind blowing out and the temperature in the low 70s. Henderson can start his bounce-back in the homer department in his first game of the year by ripping a round-tripper, and his +334 odds offered to hit a home run at DraftKings are compelling enough to bet.

Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers - 3B)

Over 0.5 Home Runs (+371) at DraftKings Sportsbook

Max Muncy’s calling card is his patience and his power. The left-handed slugger hit 19 homers in 388 plate appearances last year, his age-34 campaign. His power and ability to put a charge into the ball haven’t gone anywhere.

Among 251 qualified hitters in 2025, Muncy was tied for 54th in barrels per plate appearance rate (8.2%), 41st in barrels per batted-ball-event rate (13.6%), tied for 61st in fly-ball and line drive exit velocity (95.2 mph), tied for 51st in launch-angle sweet-spot rate (37.4%) and 21st in steepest launch angle (19.6 degrees). Muncy also had a 48.1% fly-ball rate. He hits the ball hard and in the air often, which is a recipe for home runs.

He did his best home run work with the platoon advantage at home. Muncy hit 13 of his 19 home runs last year in 174 plate appearances against right-handed pitching at home. He also added two homers in 35 plate appearances against lefties at home.

Muncy’s ability to reach the seats often at home shouldn’t come as a surprise. Dodger Stadium had the highest park factor (137) for homers last year, and it has the highest park factor (127) for homers over the past three years.

Muncy also has the best matchup to hit a homer among the Opening Day starting pitchers. Zac Gallen’s 1.45 HR/9 allowed last season was the highest mark among Thursday’s probable pitchers. In addition, Gallen had only an 18.5% strikeout rate and allowed 1.38 HR/9 to 200 left-handed batters faced on the road last year. Muncy’s +371 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to homer on Opening Day are enticing.

The MLB opens regular season play on Wednesday night, as the New York Yankees go on the road to take on the San Francisco Giants. Tonight's clash marks the start of the 2026 season, followed up by an 11-game slate on Thursday.

Tonight's matchup presents plenty of storylines. The Yankees are looking to avenge their ALDS loss at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays to put an end to their 2025 campaign, while the Giants are looking to end a five-season long playoff drought. This AL-NL showdown will feature a number of star players, including the likes of Aaron Judge, Willy Adames and Logan Webb. Such players will present favorable Underdog props for Wednesday night. Let's look at four of the top props for tonight's game:

Aaron Judge Over 2.5 Hits + Runs + RBI

The reigning back-to-back AL MVP is coming off another dominant campaign in 2025. Judge posted his second consecutive 50-home run campaign, hitting .331 from the plate with 137 runs, 179 hits and 114 RBIs. The seven-time All-Star has performed well on Opening Day throughout his career and is entering the 2026 season regarded as the top asset in fantasy baseball. Considering his success against Logan Webb historically, there's plenty of reason to believe in a 2.5-Hit/Run/RBI line for one of baseball's top statsheet-stuffers.

Rafael Devers Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI

Entering his first full season in San Francisco, expectations are high for three-time All-Star Rafael Devers. The star third-baseman is coming off a stellar campaign in 2025, posting a .252 average, recording 99 runs, 153 hits, 35 home runs and 109 RBIs, his highest single-season mark since 2021. He also finished the year with an OBP of .372, marking a new career-high. Devers has struggled on Opening Day in the past, but has found success against Max Fried, posting three hits, a homer and two RBIs over nine at-bats against the Yankees ace.

Logan Webb Over 5.5 Strikeouts

Logan Webb is slated to make his fifth straight Opening Day start for the Giants on Wednesday night. Webb led the majors with 207 innings pitched in 2025, closing the year with a 3.22 ERA over 34 starts. He allowed 210 hits, the most of all majors pitchers, but mustered 224 total strikeouts, leading the National League. Webb has struggled against Judge in the Yankees in the past, but has performed well on Opening Day in the past. In 2023, Webb managed 12 strikeouts against Judge and the Yankees in the opener despite a tough loss.

Cody Bellinger Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI

Former NL MVP Cody Bellinger will gear up for his second season with the Yankees this year, coming off an efficient performance in 2025. Bellinger mustered a 5.1 WAR, his best mark since the 2019 season, racking up 89 runs, 160 hits and 29 homers. He added 98 RBIs while hitting .272 and is poised to carry such momentum into the 2026 season. Bellinger has performed inconsistently against Webb in the past, but has a history of notable performances on Opening Day. I'm confident he'll hit his Underdog prop in the first game of the season.

Read More Fantasy On SI News

• Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and 3 Other Underdog Props For Clippers vs. Raptors
• Perfect Fantasy Baseball (DFS) Showdown Lineup for Yankees-Giants Opening Day
• Ranking the Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Offenses Beginning the 2026 MLB Season
• Sandy Alcantara Finally Rises from his Fantasy Baseball Grave in this MLB Mock Trade

This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Aaron Judge, Logan Webb And 2 Other Underdog Props For Yankees Vs. Giants.

Jim Craig was joined by former Celtic stars Frank McAvennie and Peter Grant at Grace’s earlier today for the launch of a campaign to build a statue for the Lisbon Lion in Govan, where the Lisbon Lion grew up…

Jim Craig was helping to launch a campaign to build a statue in Govan where he spent his early years growing up at the Glasgow Irish Centre. Photo social media

The campaign by the Jim Craig Govan Foundation was launched today with the objective being to erect a statue of Scottish football legend Jim Craig in Govan. Chairman of The Jim Craig Govan Foundation, Matt McGlone, delivered a presentation of the Foundation’s aims and was joined by sculptor John McKenna.

May 21st 2017, Celtic Park, ; Scottish Premiership Celtic FC vs Hearts; Tom Boyd, Jim Craig and Willie Wallace stand behind the trophy Photo Vagelis Georgariou

The 82-year-old Celtic legend got arguably the most important assist in Celtic’s illustrious unbroken history when he squared the ball from right to left at the edge of the Inter Milan penalty area in the European Cup Final for Tommy Gemmell to score the Celtic equaliser. The Celts went onto win 2-1 with Stevie Chalmers getting the winning in the closing stages.

Ex Celtic player and Lisbon Lion Jim Craig is seen during the Premiership match between Celtic and Kilmarnock at Celtic Park on November 09, 2025 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Jim Craig made 231 appearances for Celtic, winning seven league titles, four Scottish Cups, three League Cups and of course the European Cup in Lisbon on 25th May 1967.

Currently a club Ambassador, Jim is also a leading Celtic historian and of course he spend his working career as a dentist, finishing up working in Stirling. Jim Craig grew up in Govan and that’s where the statue will be located.

Tommy Gemmell statue unveiling at the Lisbon Lion’s hometown of Craigneuk. 28 February 2026. Photographs by Vagelis Georgariou

Bobby Lennox has a wonderful statue in Saltcoats, Billy McNeill has one in Bellshill and also outside of Celtic Park at the bottom of the Celtic Way and more recently Tommy Gemmell’s statue was unveiled in his hometown of Craigneuk in Lanarkshire.

Celtic legend and Lisbon Lion Jim Craig. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Speaking to STV this afternoon Jim Craig said it’s a real privilege to think that a statue is being planned in his honour.

“I never thought I would be immortalised in picture, never mind in stone,” the Celtic legend said. “I’ve been fortunate to go through my life as a Lisbon Lion where I get treated very well wherever I go – apart from Ibrox I suppose.

“It’s a privilege to hear there’s a statue being done. Everyone played their part in the iconic team. I feel so lucky to have played with them,”Jim Craig said.

Find out more about this brilliant innovative over at  jimcraiggovanfoundation.co.uk

European Cup Final Celtic v Inter Milan The Celtic team line up, Mannschaftsbild, Totale before defeating Inter Milan to win the European Cup. Back Row Left to Right: Jim Craig; Tommy Gemmell; Ronnie Simpson; Billy McNeill; Bobby Murdoch; and John Clarke. In front, left to right: Stevie Chalmers; Willie Wallace, Jimmy Johnstone; Bobby Lennox; and Bertie Auld. 27 May 1967. Portugal Photo TopFoto (IMAGO) – The Celtic Star.

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Former Chelsea player Gus Poyet has warned Liam Rosenior could be in trouble, as great managers before him have been sacked for bad runs. 

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CHELSEA NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON THE APP STORE

Gus Poyet is a straight shooter, and always provides good copy. He’s been speaking exclusively to Bobby Vincent of Football.London, on the subject of Liam Rosenior.

According to Poyet, Rosenior is in big trouble. Even the biggest coaches have been shown the door at Stamford Bridge after some bad results, and the Blues are now 4 games without a win.

Poyet warns Rosenior is in a “difficult situation”

“If you lose four in a row at Chelsea, it doesn’t matter who you are; you can ask [Jose] Mourinho, [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Antonio] Conte, [Luiz Felipe] Scolari, all of the managers that have some problems and got sacked,” Poyet pointed out.

“I think that Liam had to take the job because it was unexpected – you must take it, you can’t say no. People might say, ‘maybe he should have waited a few more years’, no, when Chelsea come to you, you have to take it. Then how do you deal with that? Now, losing four games in a row, it’s a problem. Difficult situation for Liam.”

In other news…

Matt Law was on the London is Blue podcast this week and couldn’t believe something he’d seen in the PSG game a week ago.

Law also had some thoughts about Trevoh Chalobah’s loss, and some insight into when the defender could be back.

If you enjoy Chelsea News coverage and want to see more of it, add us as a preferred source on Google to make us a favourite and see more of our content.

Check out the latest edition of Simon Phillips’ SPTC podcast here:

Manchester United fans who are still dreaming about the return of Marcus Rashford have now been given a glimmer of hope.

The Englishman is spending the current campaign on loan at Barcelona, who have the option to sign him for €30 million in June.

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Although Raphinha and Lamine Yamal remain Hansi Flick’s main choices on the wings, the 28-year-old has been an important option for the German manager. And yet his fate remains undecided.

Man Utd not concerned with Barcelona’s bargaining tactics in Rashford negotiations

In recent weeks, there have been contacts between Rashford’s agents and Barcelona, who are inclined to keep the player beyond the current campaign.

However, the Catalan giants are said to be reluctant to pay €30 million. The club is thus hoping to reopen negotiations with Man Utd, requesting a discount.

Recent reports insisted that the Red Devils have no desire to renegotiate new terms, insisting on collecting the full amount agreed upon last summer.

According to ESPN journalist Rob Dawson, the Premier League giants aren’t concerned by the situation. The club’s directors are confident they would be able to sell Rashford to another club on favourable terms if Barcelona opt not to exercise their buy option.

The source notes that Rashford’s exploits at Camp Nou have attracted suitors from England and Europe, with several clubs enquiring about a possible deal.

Should Rashford & Man Utd try to rekindle their bond?

ESPN also raises an interesting point, insisting that Rashford is no longer an unwelcome figure at Carrington following Ruben Amorim’s sacking in January.

The Portuguese head coach was the one who pushed the attacker out of the club after omitting him from the squad in December 2024. While it remains to be seen if Michael Carrick will be confirmed or not, the interim coach would be delighted to have Rashford at his disposal, especially with the club seeking a left winger.

Nevertheless, Dawson reckons that the Manchester native is still ‘unlikely’ to be reinstated in the first team, even though his return is no longer considered logistically impossible.

Rashford himself would prefer to prolong his stay at Barcelona, where he found his joy for the game once more, albeit he wouldn’t mind reviving his Man Utd stay, especially following his unceremonious exit in January 2025.

All in all, a permanent separation might be for the best, as both parties have already moved on, even if the temptation to rekindle an old love story is inescapable.

If Isaac Newton’s third law of motion were a football club, it would be Sheffield United in 2025-2026. Every step forward matched by an equal step back. From start to finish, not good, not bad, just very middling. You could say the most mid-table season ever.

The Manager Change and Re-do

Ruben Selles, a step forwards? I know what you are thinking surely not. But remember you and I now have hindsight. Regardless of whether you agreed with Chris Wilder’s second departure or not. Sheffield United were promised a young and progressive manager.

In concept, that’s not a terrible idea. The execution however is important and much like the finishing on display against Wrexham on Saturday, that was lacking.

After some decent pre-season results against opposition that masked the impending doom. There was a brief grace period of the opening 45 against Bristol City. The Blades were attacking, the passing moves were flowing and then the whistle blew for half-time. As the Selles hype-train left the station. Soon enough it was a 5-0 defeat to Ipswich Town and the experiment ended.

Return to Chris Wilder, not the dinosaur manager other fans label him as but an admission of old over new. A return from promised progression to the old reliable.

Wilder’s revolution took the Blades from the bottom three to outside playoff contenders. Bramall Lane was a fortress again. Whilst, the Blades’ form topped the form tables. Only coming unstuck against the current top two when they visited Bramall Lane. Two performances that have derailed the Blades from outside playoff hopefuls to just a mid-table side.

Ultimately, the managerial situation of any club is going to dictate to a large extent how a season will go. Placing Wilder on the back foot meant the Blades would always struggle to challenge for the top six. This season has also shown up the limitations of last season’s side and Wilder. The winning moments, the fitness issues, the ability to keep hold of a narrow win that made the Blades so great last season. They have all swung the other way this season.

The Transfer Windows

You can tell something about the quality of Sheffield United’s last two transfer windows based on the fact that the best two signings came outside of them. Jairo Riedewald in October and Patrick Bamford in November. Need some midfield experience? Riedewald on a free. Lacking a clinical striker who offers something different? Bamford on a free. It’s the Wilder way.

Summer

The summer however wasn’t Wilder at all. The early signings whether made by AI or otherwise were underwhelming. With the latter stages of the window a scramble to bring in recognised EFL players.

With hindsight, the window proved to be the lower end of mid-table as many expected. Tanganga has proven, as was thought, to be a decent signing, but the window also threw up the unexpected star signing of Selles’ favourite Tyler Bindon. Whilst, players like McGuinness, Chong, Mee and Soumare have played their roles to varying successes.

But for all those players, the summer signings of Barry and Godfrey (no longer with the club). As well as Ogbene, Ings and Zatterstrom who have so far been ineffective. The summer panic left the Blades mainly on the back foot.

January

January was a Wilder window, his fingerprints all over it. Again he wanted experienced quality mixed with his own unique brand of going in for a player until you sign them. Previously on Wilder’s radar, Hoever, Rothwell and Phillips finally arrived through the door. Whilst Hjelde, who came in to cover the injured Sam McCallum has had the unfortunate role of being the rarely seen understudy of Harrison Burrows. Only 51 minutes is a bit harsh Chris, it’s a decent drive down from Sunderland.

Phillips most visibly resembles a Wilder signing, a player who has hit their potential but got lost along the way. To be fair you don’t turn down Manchester City. Although, for both Phillips and Rothwell two players looking for a new start, Wilder has been unable to work his usual magic. Not much of this is Wilder’s fault, of course, what with Rothwell’s debut red and Phillips’ injury issues.

Much like Selles’ appointment, Phillips’ arrival high-profile but low-impact points to a wider style over substance approach. An approach to paper over the cracks after being placed in a time crunch.

Mid-Table Stats

Sheffield United are deservedly mid-table and after six straight losses in the league at the start of the season. The relief in perspective of not going down can’t be lost. But the Blades have really leaned into the mid-table form recently.

Points Per Game

At stages since Wilder’s return the Blades were earning two points a game, the hallowed points per game required for promotion pushes. But now we’re 34 league games into Wilder’s third tenure. It’s all become a bit too predictable.

For the last near decade since Wilder’s arrival in the summer of 2016. Whether, Wilder or Heckingbottom, whoever was in the dugout. Something has happened. This season while a step back is the first time in a long time where Easter weekend means very little. At least in the Premier League relegation seasons. There was a pride element.

The Blades are lost at sea in that sense. Leading to a points per game since Wilder’s return of 1.47. It doesn’t get any more mid-table than that.

No draws (Extreme Mid-Table)

The only thing not mid-table about Sheffield United is the ability to draw games. It’s a nearly non-existent ability. The lowest amount of draws in the division with five. Sheffield United don’t have the usual issue of a mid-table side looking to push on. There’s no need to turn draws into wins, it’s a need to stop turning wins into defeats.

15 wins against 19 defeats would be somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster of form. Except unfortunately Sheffield United have gone about it in a very dull way. The early wins of Wilder part three which were exciting goal-fests have been replaced with an inevitable feeling after taking the lead. 27 points dropped from winning positions this season is like the 90 minute equivalent of a VAR decision. Don’t celebrate that victory just yet by the hour mark it will be chalked off.

Ultimately, leading to one big draw across the season with 46 matches culminating in mid-table.

Goals For/Goals Against

Another interesting or uninteresting fact about Sheffield United’s 2025-2026 is the balanced goals for and goals against. Both on 54 goals for and 54 against. It’s the football equivalent of being stuck in neutral, although to be fair a remaining seven matches of 0-0 draws is favourable to what current form is showing.

Not to mention the Blades’ points total, the usual Championship safety blanket of 50 points has been reached. Opta Analyst data suggests the Blades are likely to reach 60 by the end of the season. The difference in the two totals is how nervous you want your pessimistic friend on the Kop to be.

Overview

If you had said Sheffield United would be mid-table this season at the end of last season, the statement would have been met with disappointment.

Personally, like many Blades, the perspective of how bad the start was makes mid-table safety somewhat of a relief. Heading to League One is a headache best worth avoided. Although, having said that I can also see the frustration of Blades that wanted the side to push for the playoffs more. Even those who question Wilder’s future as manager.

The two feelings should be able to exist. Much like the club this season we can sit in the middle somewhere. We can be grateful for Chris coming in and saving the club from a relegation battle. But also rue missed chances to retrieve the season and the amount of points dropped. Hopefully next season the Blades can ironically get the balance right and leave the equal and opposite reactions to Isaac Newton.

We finally know all the details around the San Francisco 49ers' Week 1 showdown with the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the game will kick off Thursday, Sept. 10, at 5:35 p.m. PT at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. For the players, though, the game will be taking place on Friday at 10:35 am Australian Eastern Standard Time because of the 17-hour time difference.

The 49ers and Rams will play Thursday, Sept. 10 at 5:35 p.m. PT at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. Due to the 17-hour time difference, the 49ers and Rams will take the field Friday at 10:35 a.m. (AEST) in Melbourne, with the game airing Thursday evening in the United… pic.twitter.com/GgqvBbxxrR

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 25, 2026

While this is a Week 1 game, it won't be the first game of the 2026 season. The NFL announced that the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will kick off the season on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 5:20 p.m. PT. Their opponent has yet to be announced.

The 49ers-Rams game will mark a historic first for the NFL, as it will feature the first two teams to play an NFL game in Australia. It will be a massive undertaking for the teams and the league, considering the travel requirements and the time difference. But, since it's Week 1, both teams will have ample time to get to Melbourne to prepare. At some point, too, they'll know where they'll be headed for Week 2.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers-Rams Australia game start time revealed

The Oklahoma Sooners moved up one spot in the latest NFCA Coaches Poll after their sweep of the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford. The Sooners landed at No. 5 in the nation, in the same spot OU landed in Softball America's latest rankings.

The Sooners come in behind Texas, which ranked No. 1 following Tennessee's drop in the polls. Texas Tech is No. 2, followed by Florida at No. 3 and the Volunteers at No. 4. Tennessee fell from the top spot after its series loss to Florida.

Oklahoma and Texas are the only two teams undefeated in SEC play through three weekends. The Longhorns take on the Texas A&M Aggies in a top 25 matchup this weekend in Austin.

Oklahoma's next series comes against the LSU Tigers, who moved up two spots to No. 20 in the rankings after their series win over South Carolina. The Sooners and Tigers face off this week in Baton Rouge.

Full NFCA Softball Coaches Poll

Others receiving votes:

Clemson (42), UCF (23), North Carolina (12), Belmont (8), Purdue (3), Southeastern Louisiana (3), Baylor (1), Boston University (1).

Dropped out:

No. 24 UCF (24-10), No. 25 Clemson (22-10)

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma Sooners No. 5 in these week's NFCA Coaches Poll

Phillies' expectations for Justin Crawford revealed before Opening Day originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

There's going to be a lot of hype surrounding Justin Crawford this season with the Philadelphia Phillies.

He's a top-100 prospect who has been handed the Opening Day gig to start in centerfield. That's a big deal.

The Phillies, though, don't actually need Crawford to live up to the outsized hype that will surround him.

Instead, they'll just need him to do the simple things well.

"He doesn’t need to be a savior for the Phillies," MLB.com's Todd Zolecki wrote in a new article on Wednesday. "Not even close. He just needs to hit enough in the nine hole and catch the baseball. If he exceeds those modest expectations, the Phillies will be thrilled."

MORE: Mike Trout, Tiger Woods, and Superman without his cape

Crawford is also the son of Carl Crawford, the long-time Tampa Bay star, so there's added name pressure, too.

The Phillies didn't have to keep Crawford up for Opening Day, though. Clearly, they feel he's ready.

He has given them flashes that make him seem particularly promising, too.

"Justin Crawford has looked big league ready this spring," Zolecki writes. "He tripled just the other day against Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. It was his fourth extra-base hit of the spring. Crawford has also made some nice plays in center field."

MORE: Mets, Marlins risk Moneyball Ron Washington mistake

Crawford isn't likely to hit for a ton of power in the early going, but he's got enough hitting talent to contribute while also settling into his role in center.

There might be growing pains, but the Phillies just need Crawford to settle in and be himself and things will work out just fine.

More MLB news:

• How a Blue Jays unknown can decide the World Series
• Juan Soto might lead MLB in a brand new stat
• Giants snap embarrassing 19-year streak that tied MLB record
• MLB's future of the shortstop position is immensely bright
• Cal Raleigh was supposed to play for the Braves
• 4 MLB teams that can unseat the Dodgers

LAS VEGAS — The biggest hurdle has been cleared.

Las Vegas’ NBA future was decided Wednesday when the league’s Board of Governors decided to move forward with exploration of expanding from the current 30 teams to 32. Along with Las Vegas, Seattle is also being considered.

Without the owners’ green lighting the plan, Vegas’ NBA dream would have died right there. Instead, it glided over the biggest hurdle the way Edwin Moses used to navigate the hurdles in his illustrious track career.

“Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement from New York where the owners met and voted. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”

Understand that there are still other hurdles to clear before a Las Vegas and Seattle team steps foot onto an NBA floor in 2028-29. The biggest will be the ownership group that will go through a thorough vetting process courtesy of investment bank PJT Partners before the owners agreer to let them into their club.

Whoever is approved better have deep, deep pockets. ESPN has said on numerous occasions that the cost to join the NBA will range from $7 billion to $10 billion. Already, LeBron James said he is no longer interested in pursuing being part of an ownership group for Las Vegas. Magic Johnson has said that his group MAGI is interested and recently met with Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Lombardo was among several politicians at the city, county, state and federal level to laud the NBA’s decision Wednesday.

“I’m very excited to see then NBA advance this process toward a Las Vegas expansion team,” Lombardo said in a statement. “Today’s vote by the NBA’s Board of governors is a testament to the incredible growth we’re seeing in Southern Nevada and our state’s business-friendly environment. Las Vegas has already shown unwavering support for our professional sports franchises and a new NBA team will provide even more entertainment, more jobs and more small business growth or the region.

“I look forward to continuing conversations with Commissioner Silver and league officials to ensure this expansion delivers lasting benefits for the state of Nevada.”

Golden Knights majority owner Bill Foley had previously expressed some interest in owning a Vegas NBA franchise. He has been mum on the subject of late so who knows where his thought process is? There may be other interested suitors who have yet to surface but now will come forward given the process can proceed.

And then there’s the family of Miriam Adelson, which owns the Dallas Mavericks. The family has deep ties to Las Vegas and might be willing to sell the Mavs to clear a path toward ownership of a Vegas NBA team.

Then there are matters of where the team will play, what will be its name (colleague Willie Ramirez says it has to be the “Sharks” in tribute to Jerry Tarkanian), who will run the basketball and business side of things and many other details. Those will get sorted out over time. But the next important matter will be the ownership group.

T-Mobile Arena would likely serve as the logical starting point for any NBA team in Las Vegas until someone builds a new facility for the team. So far, the talk of doing that at several locations by different groups has been just that — talk.

Let’s not forget that Seattle once had an NBA team. The SuperSoniucs existed from 1967 to 2008 and won the NBA title in 1979. So it’s great to see that city potentially getting its team back. It’ll likely play at Climate Pledge Arena, an outstanding facility and home of the NHL’s Kraken and the WNBA’s Storm.

But here in Las Vegas, while we’ve never had a franchise per se, we’ve had NBA basketball at every level. We’ve hosted preseason games with the Lakers and the Clippers. We’ve had regular-season games with the Jazz at the Thomas & Mack Center in the mid-1980s. We had the NBA All-Star Game in 2007. We’ve had the NBA Summer League for over two decades and we’ve even hosted an NBA playoff game between the Lakers and Portland in 1993. The NBA Cup has called Las Vegas home since its inception three years ago. So we’re no stranger to the Association.

Whichever group gets to own the Las Vegas NBA franchise, it would be wise to sit with Foley, assuming he isn’t awarded it, and pick his brain about how to go about connecting with the community. Basketball in this town will prove to be a far easier sell than hockey was given our history with the game.

Ultimately, the Vegas NBA team must be successful on the court. That means whatever ownership group acquires the rights to the franchise, it better pick the right president and general manager for the basketball operations side. One of Foley’s first hires with the Golden Knights was George McPhee as his GM and we all know how that has worked out during his time in Vegas — a perennial playoff team and a 2023 Stanley Cup championship.

Finding a smart, savvy basketball executive to build the roster, hire the right coaching staff, oversee the construction of the team’s practice facility and knowing the NBA’s nuances inside-out will be critical.

That’s a discussion for another day once the league has settled on its Vegas ownership group and that $7 billion expansion fee has been secured. But it will be critical to the franchise’s health and well-being, both short- and long-term.

The year 2028 could be the most memorable we’ll ever see for sports in this city. Major League Baseball with the Athletics. The NCAA Men’s Final Four at Allegiant Stadium. And the NBA tipping off. The best part? It’ll be here before you know it.

As for today, if you’re an NBA fan in Southern Nevada, it’s time to celebrate. The wait has been excruciatingly long, not as long as Seattle’s wait, but still long enough.

The Los Angeles Rams just re-signed running back Ronnie Rivers who provides depth and kick return value for L.A. at the position, and with L.A. re-adding Rivers to go with three-time thousand yard rusher Kyren Williams, third-year RB Blake Corum and now sophomore running back Jarquez Hunter, is there any need for L.A. to add another RB outside of a training camp body?

Whereas it would be very “all-in” for L.A. to add a stud running back like Jeremiyah Love through the draft, with the Rams re-signing Rivers, they now have the same RB room going into 2026 as they had for the majority of the 2025 season.

Prior to L.A. re-upping with Rivers, Nate Atkins of The Athletic was already reporting that he was getting the sense that L.A. wanted to keep their running back room similar or the same as 2025.

Said Atkins:

“The likelihood is this is the group to handle a run-heavy approach again this season,” Atkins wrote, referencing Williams, Corum and Jarquez Hunter. “The question will be whether Hunter can find any playing time after a rookie season in which the 2025 fourth-round pick was active for just five games and did not see an offensive snap.”

Now with Rivers back, that may be a clear indication that the Rams main running backs are set.

There is still the NFL Draft, there will be injuries, players to be cut, players to step-up and more variables than we can account for, but as it stands, the Rams are seemingly content once again going a full season with Williams at the helm, Corum taking a Year 3 leap (similar to his Year 2 leap), a confidence that Rivers will be able to fill any RB role as needed, while seeing if Hunter can grow in his second year at the NFL level.

Hunter seems most likely to be moved/cut if he cannot provide value going into this year, similar to when the Rams parted ways with Zac Evans after drafting him in 2023 before cutting him before the start of the 2024 season.

This situation will continue to be monitored, that is certain, but the result come September 2026 may be the same as it looks in March of 2026, and that’s the Rams once again rolling with Williams, Corum, Rivers and Hunter as their ground game.

Bill Self replacements: Ranking Kansas' best candidates if longtime coach steps down originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Kansas coach Bill Self has not made a decision on his future. 

The Kansas City Star reports Self refuted reports Wednesday about retirement. The Jayhawks coach has not made a decision whether he will return for a 24th season.

If Self opts to retire, Kansas would be in the market for just their third head coach since Roy Williams took the job ahead of the 1989-90 season. The Jayhawks have a .796 winning percentage under Self; which ranks third among Division I schools in that stretch behind Gonzaga (.840) and Duke (.807). Kansas also won national championships in 2007-08 and 2021-22.  

Self created an aura of stability at Kansas, but the 63-year-old coach also has dealt with health concerns the last few seasons. 

Who would Kansas turn to if Self ultimately decides to step down? Here is a look at a wide-open candidate pool. 

MARCH MADNESS HQ:Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more

What is Bill Self's contract at Kansas? 

Self has a unique life-time contract with Kansas and is the highest-paid coach in college basketball. According to USA Today's men's basketball coaches salaries list, Self makes $8.8 million per year on a rolling five-year contract that adds a year after each season. Arkansas' John Calipari is the second-highest paid coach on that list at $8 million per year. 

Kansas coaching candidates

Kansas might swing for home-run hires such as Michigan's Dusty May, Florida's Todd Golden and Arizona's Tommy Lloyd – and we would add those coaches to the list if that interest becomes real. In the meantime, here would be the more practical candidates for Kansas should Self decide to retire: 

TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State coach 

Otzelberger, 48, will never have higher stock given that North Carolina is open and Kansas might pop open. He's led Iowa State to a .705 winning percentage and three Sweet 16 appearances in five seasons, and the Cyclones have the third-best record in the Big 12 the last three seasons behind Arizona and Houston. That includes a pair of 29-win seasons. Otzelberger is 4-6 head-to-head against Kansas since his arrival in 2021-22. 

Jacque Vaughn, Kansas assistant coach 

Vaughn, 51, was a star point guard with the Jayhawks from 1993-97, is an assistant coach with the Jayhawks and would make for an easy transition. He was a two-time head coach in the NBA with the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets. Over two full seasons and four partial seasons, Vaughn had a .363 winning percentage and was swept in the first round of his two playoff appearances. Vaughn is a program icon, and he might fare much better at the college level given the advantages at Kansas. 

Grant McCasland, Texas Tech coach 

McCasland, 49, would be another coach to watch within the Big 12. The Red Raiders have the fourth-best record in the Big 12 the last three seasons, have become a NCAA tournament regular and were in the mix this year until All-American JT Toppin suffered a season-ending injury. McCasland also had a 31-win season at North Texas in 2020-21. The Red Raiders are 2-1 against Kansas the last three seasons. He's won at every stop, and this would be an underrated yet effective hire. 

Jai Lucas, Miami Hurricanes coach 

Lucas, 37, has the pedigree to take on the Kansas job. He was an assistant coach at Texas, Kentucky and Duke – all major programs with huge budgets and expectations. Lucas led Miami to a 26-9 record and made the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes were 2-6 against ranked teams, and it's not a large sample size. There also is the risk of missing out on Lucas, who is only on the way up. 

Ben McCollum, Iowa coach

McCollum, 44, has an impressive resume between Division II – where he won four national championships at Northwest Missouri State – and in Division I – where he has led Drake and Iowa to a combined record of 54-16 the last two seasons. McCollum is an Iowa City native, however, so it might be difficult to pull him out of the home state – especially with the Hawkeyes coming off their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999.

Bucky McMillan, Texas A&M coach 

McMillan, 42, has a style of play named after him. “Bucky Ball” ranked in the top 20 in scoring in Division I the last three seasons between Samford and Texas A&M – and the Aggies ranked 12th in the nation with 86.1 points per game. Texas A&M was 1-5 against ranked teams this season, so there remains a prove-it factor. Still, McMillan won 21 or more games each of the last five seasons. McMillan – a former high school coach – would be a long-term hire if successful with Kansas. 

Paul Mills, Wichita State coach 

Mills, 53, would be a lower-tier candidate, but that does not mean he should not be mentioned. He is 58-46 at Wichita State with a pair of NIT performances the last three seasons; a job he took after leading Oral Roberts to a 30-win season in 2022-23. Mills led the Eagles to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2020-21.

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Rangers intend to raise £16m of new capital in a share issue to fund investment in the men's squad, the club chairman Andrew Cavenagh has announced.

As well as revealing adult season ticket prices are going to rise by 6.5%, Cavenagh stated the share offer will be supported by his consortium and existing club shareholders, with the money used to "support player acquisitions and other club needs."

In a letter to Rangers supporters, Cavenagh pointed out that the total now invested since his consortium took over the club in the summer of 2025 stands at £36m.

He also announced that the club will not appoint a replacement for Kevin Thelwell, the former sporting director, who was removed from office in November along with Patrick Stewart, the ex-chief executive.

"We do not plan to hire a sporting director. The executive team is committed to being smaller, nimbler, and more entrepreneurial," Cavenagh said.

"We want an executive team willing to get its fingernails dirty. If there is a hole to be dug, we want people fighting over shovels. We want fewer consulting firms and less bureaucracy."

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All shareholders will receive a letter in relation to the share issue and the resolutions to be approved, but there will be a minimum buy-in for the share issue of 1000 shares.

"Increasing the revenue and capital is only part of the path to allocating more resources to the men's first team," Cavenagh added.

"If we are going to ask supporters to pay more for tickets, we have an obligation to spend those funds wisely.

"We have shrunk the size and cost of the executive team. We are systematically reviewing every part of the club, looking for ways to be more efficient, thus enabling a greater share of the resources to go to the men's first team.

"The costs to run the club - player wages, agents' fees, security, food and beverage - are all rising faster than the overall rate of inflation.

"We either need the club's revenues to keep pace, or we need to decrease the money spent on the squad. We don't believe this is the time to decrease the player and football budget; in fact, we think the opposite."

In his letter, Cavenagh re-iterated what was previously said by the club about the chaotic scenes at the most recent Old Firm game at Ibrox, when fans entered the pitch after a penalty shootout.

"The club has already issued a statement regarding the recent Old Firm match, and I don't want to repeat that statement here, but I also didn't want to ignore such an important subject," he said.

"We continue to denounce the disorder, property damage, and especially those who denigrated the 66 souls lost in the Ibrox disaster.

"We fully support the independent review and will work with all relevant stakeholders, while continuing to represent the club and our supporters."

Rangers want referee summit

Meanwhile, Rangers are attempting to schedule a meeting of Premiership clubs to discusss the use of video assistant referees (VAR), a discussion which may happen in the next fortnight.

Many clubs have publicly expressed concerns about VAR and the general state of refereeing in Scotland.

It's believed that Rangers have not ruled out withdrawing their financial support of VAR but broadly they believe the system is here to stay.

They might even be prepared to invest more in the technology - for example extra cameras - if they had sufficient confidence that increased investment would lead to better quality decision-making.

When the meeting of clubs takes place there will be an emphasis on coming up with ways to improve the product and get better value for money.

Last month, Paraag Marathe, then the club's vice-chairman as well as chairman of Leeds United, stood down after discussions with Uefa about multi-club ownership.

Another Rangers director at the time Gene Schneur, also left his role at Ibrox at that time. Neither will be replaced.

Cavenagh also offered his support for manager, Danny Rohl, ahead of the title run-in.

"We are three points off the lead, with seven matches to play," he said.

"We have complete confidence in Danny, his staff, and our squad. We will approach each match as it comes, and fingers crossed, we will be at the top of the table after 38 matches."

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Darts sensation Luke Littler brought his precision to St George’s Park this week, hosting a tournament for the England football squad as they gear up for crucial pre-World Cup friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

The double world champion offered a masterclass in hitting the target to Thomas Tuchel’s men.

Littler joined Tuchel’s group for dinner before overseeing the 'Three Lions Darts Championship' at their Burton base on Tuesday night.

Newcastle goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale emerged as the camp champion, impressing Littler, despite Phil Foden hitting a 180 in the final.

The 19-year-old, travelling to Berlin this week for Premier League action, expressed his excitement.

He said: "It was a dream as a football fan to come here to see the facilities, meet all the players and sit down and have dinner and have a laugh with them. We played a bit of darts – as they were warming up, Thomas Tuchel told me to teach these boys a lesson!

“There’s some good potential there in Phil Foden and Aaron Ramsdale. James Trafford had a little bit as well. The others not so much! I wished the boys luck this summer – let’s hope they can bring it home."

Littler received a signed England shirt, with Jude Bellingham also giving him a personalised jersey bearing the message "Keep smashing it" on the back.

England’s players will now look to impress Tuchel in their upcoming friendlies as they bid to move a step closer to securing their spot in his World Cup squad.

Meanwhile, Littler’s attention will turn to the Premier League Darts as he looks to overhaul Jonny Clayton at the top of the table.

Littler moved to within three points of the Welshman in the standings by pulling off a dramatic victory over Gerwyn Price in last week’s final in Dublin.

Littler found himself 5-0 down before rattling off six straight legs to stun Price.

We finally know when the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will play their highly anticipated matchup in Melbourne, Australia next season. On Wednesday, the Rams announced their game against San Francisco will be played on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 5:35 p.m. PT.

With the 17-hour time difference between L.A. and Melbourne, the game will be played on Friday at 10:35 a.m. local time in Melbourne. It’s taking place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the first NFL regular-season game ever to be played in Australia.

The defending Super Bowl champions traditionally open the season on Thursday Night Football in Week 1, but because the Rams and 49ers are in that slot, the Seattle Seahawks will play the season opener the night before on Wednesday. Their opponent is still to be determined.

Opening the season in Australia!

More info » https://t.co/YR0iCw69eRpic.twitter.com/KkwUfxCNp4

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) March 25, 2026

Rams-49ers is one of nine international games on the NFC schedule for 2026, with games spanning four continents and seven countries – the largest international slate in league history.

Qualifying season ticket members will be able to purchase tickets for Rams-49ers starting April 1 at 2 p.m. PT, with hospitality packages going on sale on April 6 at 5 p.m. PT.

General tickets will go on sale to the public on April 7 at 5 p.m. PT.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams-49ers Australia game: Date, time officially set for Week 1

No member of the 2022 Minnesota Vikings' draft class signed a second contract with the team. The Vikings are looking to change that with Jordan Addison, the first pick of their 2023 class.

Through almost two weeks, Minnesota has taken a conservative approach to free agency. They have prioritized bringing back familiar veterans, and even Kyler Murray cost them only $1.3 million.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert dug into the team's approach to free agency thus far. He cited interim general manager Rob Brzezinski's message last month at the combine, where Brzezinski emphasized a "draft and develop" system that has eluded the Vikings since 2022 and could begin with signing Addison to an extension.

Brzezinski said last month that he envisioned the Vikings as a franchise that looks to "draft and develop and to retain our core, and supplement in free agency." That served as a reminder that teams don't just use cap space on free agency, but also -- and often more importantly -- on signing their existing players to contract extensions. Right tackle Brian O'Neill and receiver Jordan Addison are among the upcoming deals the Vikings have budgeted for.

Addison has been a solid WR2 when he's been on the field. Through three seasons, he has 175 receptions for 2,376 yards and 22 touchdowns. He even added a 65-yard touchdown run to his stat sheet this year on Christmas.

Unfortunately, Addison's off-field issues have made him a headache. As a rookie, he received a citation for driving 140 mph in a 55-mph speed zone. In 2024, he was arrested for a DUI in Los Angeles, and he had to sit out the first three games of the 2025 season as a result.

This January, he was arrested for trespassing, although that case was later dismissed. The incident was a reminder, though, that Addison still has a lot of maturing to do off the field.

But if he stays out of trouble, Addison gives the Vikings the perfect complement to Justin Jefferson. Addison is only 24 years old, and his best football is still ahead of him. Because of that, Minnesota wants to ensure it locks him up and keeps its talented receiving corps intact.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: The Vikings are looking to extend WR Jordan Addison soon it seems

Wrexham AFC's Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have donated £8,000 towards a former player's rehabilitation following a serious injury.

Jordan Tunnicliffe, 32, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee while playing for Farnborough Football Club in February and faces the next season on the sidelines after surgery.

The club set up a crowdfunding page for £20,000 for the operation and recovery as he will be without income and out of contract in May.

The defender, who received more than 180 cash pledges, said he was "overwhelmed by the generosity of a lot of people", including the celebrities, club executive Humphrey Ker, former goalkeeper Ben Foster and fans.

"I don't think I will ever be able to thank them enough to be honest," he said.

"When I was at Wrexham they were fantastic with me then."

Tunicliffe, who has an eight-month-old son, said he had initially considered giving up on his football career after 16 years due to his injury.

However, that all changed when online offers of financial support "went a bit mad".

The page about his injury on GoFundMe has raised in excess of £15,000 as of 25 March.

"Now I've got the best opportunity to get back playing," said Tunicliffe, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

He made 32 appearances for Wrexham between 2022 and 2024.

"It's motivated me to go back and play and I want to do that because of the generosity of everybody.

"It's been a big help. I can go back to supporting my family."

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Patrick Mahomes posted a reminder on Wednesday that the biggest story of the NFL offseason is still him. It’s just different this time.

It’s not Mahomes coming off another Super Bowl appearance with the Kansas City Chiefs; this time it’s him coming back from a torn ACL. Mahomes tore his left ACL on Dec. 14, and suffering the injury that late in the season put his availability for the 2026 season opener in doubt.

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Wednesday’s update wasn’t too much, but it was positive. Mahomes posted an Instagram story video of himself throwing with an upbeat message on it.

That’s nothing monumental, but it’s still a good sight for Chiefs fans. Mahomes was wearing a sleeve on his injured leg and seemed to be moving gingerly, but he was moving more than five months before the Chiefs kick off the season.

There haven’t been too many updates on Mahomes’ recovery and any updated timetable. There was a positive report from Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer in early March, saying Mahomes could return before the start of the season. Seeing Mahomes on a football field on Wednesday, however briefly and in a fairly limited fashion, has to be a good sign.

The Chiefs did recently trade for quarterback Justin Fields from the New York Jets, and that’s prudent in case there are any setbacks for Mahomes and he’s not ready to go for Week 1.

The Chiefs’ offseason program hasn’t even started yet, so there will be plenty of updates as the summer months go on. But a quick video of Mahomes doing simple quarterback movements provided the Chiefs a bit of good news.

Subspace checks what you can’t see behind job postings so you avoid dead ends. Paste a direct link from a company careers page and it scores the listing for signals like whether it’s still active, salary disclosure, hiring manager, role substance, and employer quality, then returns a clear Job Health Score. Start free with limited checks, or go Pro for unlimited checks, a full seven-category breakdown, and a job board sorted by listings worth applying to.

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The council, co-chaired by White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks and science advisor Michael Kratsios, include Mark Zuckberg, Larry Ellison and Jensen Huang.

The MAVAN platform extends Bitmine’s staking operations to external clients as institutional demand for validator infrastructure accelerates.

Startale said SBI invested $50 million to complete its Series A, with the firms working on tokenized securities, stablecoins and consumer onchain products in Japan.

Analysts say new US stablecoin rules may hit yield distribution, not issuers, as USDC growth in payments and trading continues to accelerate.

Bitcoin price remains stuck below $72,000, as investor distribution, low whale activity, and declining network growth cast doubt on BTC's short term prospects.

Why Argentina is blocking Polymarket despite global growth, focusing on gambling laws, user protection concerns and regulatory pressure on prediction markets.

Decentralized crowdfunding supports NFT artists through market crashes. Onchain purchases deliver direct capital and visibility when centralized platforms fail.

The Vienna-based crypto broker announced its Ethereum layer-2, aimed at helping European banks and fintechs issue tokenized assets under MiCA and MiFID II.

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Samsung’s next flagship phone, the Galaxy S27 Ultra, is already getting attention because of its expected powerful performance. Like earlier Galaxy S Ultra phones, it will likely use a top Qualcomm processor. Now, a new leak suggests that the device may come with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip.

According to a well-known tipster, Digital Chat Station, both the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Gen 6 Pro will be made using TSMC’s advanced 2nm technology. This means the chips can run faster while using less battery. This is good for users because it can improve overall phone speed and battery life at the same time.

Also, the tipster shared that these chips may use a new CPU design called “2+3+3.” This setup includes two very powerful cores for heavy tasks, three cores for normal daily use, and three smaller cores that help save battery during light tasks.

The Pro version is expected to be more powerful than the standard one. It may come with a newer Adreno 850 graphics unit and more graphics memory, along with support for faster LPDDR6 RAM. On the other hand, the regular version may include the Adreno 845 graphics unit and support LPDDR5X RAM.

Compared to the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, these new chips could offer better speed, smoother gaming, and improved performance. If these leaks are correct, the Galaxy S27 Ultra could be a big upgrade for users. Stay tuned for more information.

The post Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra could feature Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro for massive speed boost appeared first on Sammy Fans.

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The world’s biggest soccer event is inching closer, yet tension hangs in the air long before the first whistle blows. FIFA has confirmed that its long-awaited “last-minute” ticket window for the 2026 World Cup is officially scheduled, even as supporters voice fierce opposition to soaring prices.

The governing body insists that demand is unprecedented, framing the upcoming sales phase as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Fans, however, fear it may be little more than another rushed scramble in a process already marked by frustration. Despite the excitement surrounding a World Cup hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, many supporters feel sidelined.

Reports of heavy financial burdens, obscure terms, and unpredictable ticket costs have continued to overshadow the buildup to the final sales wave. Critics say loyal followers of the game, especially those traveling long distances, face a system that rewards speed, luck, and deep pockets rather than devotion.

At the heart of the controversy is the price of entry to soccer’s most iconic matches. Consumer associations in Europe have gone as far as filing a formal complaint, claiming FIFA’s methods constitute an abuse of monopoly power. For fans hoping to follow their national team across three countries, the ticketing landscape has become something of a minefield rather than a celebration.

Just before the next major phase unfolds, FIFA has clarified when the final sales will open to the public, a date many supporters instantly recognized, not for its convenience, but for its symbolism. And that date is April 1, the day FIFA opens general access to the final sales window.

Final ticket phase begins as FIFA confirms release

According to FIFA’s official statement, “tickets will be available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, April 1.” The Last-Minute Sales Phase launches immediately after the final six qualifying spots are determined, with four European play-off winners and two intercontinental finalists rounding out the tournament field.

This marks the final opportunity for supporters to secure seats for the largest World Cup in history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across the three host nations. FIFA highlighted that, for the first time in this cycle, fans will be allowed to select specific seats, departing from the previous system of rigid four-tiered categories.

Additionally, “those who have already purchased tickets will be able to see their assigned seat locations from April 1,” a change intended to add clarity after months of uncertainty. Yet while choice has expanded, so too have concerns over the cost of that choice.

Supporter groups file formal complaints over “excessive” prices

The Soccer Supporters Europe group has spearheaded a major pushback, calling FIFA’s pricing model “a monumental betrayal.” The organization accused the governing body of “opaque and unfair purchasing conditions,” arguing that fans are left with only two options: “pay up or lose out.” 

With final tickets reaching $4,185 at face value and resale listings exploding to $190,000 per seat, supporters say affordability has all but vanished. Dynamic pricing, described by Gianni Infantino as a reflection of “high demand”, has become the primary target of complaints. Critics argue that the model lacks safeguards, allowing prices to surge without warning.

Meanwhile, a small allocation of $60 tickets has offered little relief, as FSE claims they were “virtually sold out before sales opened to the general public.” European regulators are now assessing the formal complaint filed with the European Commission.

Lionel Messi established as the most important player in FC Barcelona’s recent era. Through his impact on the pitch, the Argentine became the club’s all-time top scorer and its most decorated player in history. While many fans and players consider him the greatest soccer player of all time, president Joan Laporta chooses to pass on him, selecting Johan Cruyff instead.

“He has been the most aesthetically pleasing soccer player I have ever seen in my life… We praise Johan (Cruyff) the coach a lot because he was a revolution, but Johan the player, for those of us who saw him, has been the best player in history for me. With all due respect to figures like Pelé, Maradona, Ronaldinho or Leo Messi, Johan had it all. And he also had leadership,” Laporta said, via Esport3.

While Joan Laporta’s words may sound like a subtle dig at Lionel Messi, he is aiming to elevate the legacy of Johan Cruyff, who is often comparatively overlooked in soccer history. Throughout his professional career, the Dutchman led Ajax to three UEFA Champions League titles, earning three Ballon d’Or awards. In addition, he captivated fans with his elegance on the pitch, defining an era.

Even though Laporta’s arguments being well-founded, his remarks contradict his previous statements. Over the course of his tenure as Barcelona president, he has repeatedly referred to Lionel Messi as the GOAT, even describing him as the most impactful player in the club’s history. For this reason, his shift in narrative could indeed reflect his tense relationship with the Argentine.

Cruyff is the most influential figure in Barcelona’s history

Unlike Real Madrid, Barcelona have not been a dominant team since their founding, winning their first UEFA Cup in the 1991–92 season. Consequently, Johan Cruyff’s arrival in 1973 did transform the team’s fortunes, boosting its competitiveness. However, the real impact came when he became the Blaugranas’ coach in 1988, establishing a style that elevated the team’s global influence.

Cruyff transformed the ‘total football’ style pioneered by Rinus Michels, emphasizing control of the game, and introducing a new way of viewing the game. In doing so, he inspired legends such as Frank Rijkaard, and Pep Guardiola. While Lionel Messi is the most outstanding player, without the Dutchman’s impact, the Blaugranas would not be such a dominant team.

Throughout his career, Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that Johan Cruyff is the most transformative figure in soccer history over the last 50 years: “There is no one who has given as much to soccer as both a player and a coach… The Barcelona that has dominated Europe and the world could not be understood without his arrival,” he said, as per RTVE.

Lionel Messi took Barcelona’s impact to historic levels

Lionel Messi’s legacy does not compete with or seek to diminish Johan Cruyff’s legacy. Far from competing with him, the Argentine became the player who best embodied his style of play. Not only did he score 672 goals, but he also contributed 303 assists. Furthermore, he led the most successful era in Barcelona’s history, winning numerous titles that brought his legacy into sharper focus.

With his immense impact, the Argentine stands out as Barcelona’s GOAT, having led the team to legendary success. Not only is he the all-time leading scorer and assist provider in the team’s history, but he is also the most decorated player in the Blaugranas’ history. For this reason, Joan Laporta’s words came as a shock to the fans, as Messi’s arrival is equally historic.

Galatasaray Başkanı Dursun Özbek'i doğum gününde mesai arkadaşları unutmadı. Sarı-kırmızılı kulüp, Başkan için özel bir mesaj yayınladı.

Galatasaray'da kulüp başkanı Dursun Özbek'in doğum günü, teknik ekip ve futbolcuların katılımıyla kutlandı.

Sarı-kırmızılı kulüpten yapılan açıklamaya göre başkan Dursun Özbek'in 77. yaş günü, Kemerburgaz Metin Oktay Tesisleri'nde akşam antrenmanı öncesinde kutlandı.

Kutlama için teknik ekibe ve futbolculara teşekkür eden başkan Dursun Özbek, "Lucas Torreira'yla aşağı yukarı aynı yaştayız, aramızda 1 yaş var. Şu anda sadece şampiyonluğa odaklandık. İnşallah hep beraber şampiyonluk kutlamasını da yaparız. Sizlere güveniyorum. Hem taraftarlarımızı hem de camiamızı mutlu etmek için şampiyonluk kutlamasında da hep beraber olacağız." ifadelerini kullandı.

Galatasaray Spor Kulübü Başkanı Dursun Aydın Özbek’in doğum gününü kutladık. pic.twitter.com/rAhD3GlhhL

2026 FIFA Dünya Kupası Avrupa Elemeleri play-off turu yarı finalinde Türkiye'ye konuk olacak Romanya'da oyuncu Radu Draguşin, Tüpraş Stadı'nda düzenlenen basın toplantısında açıklamalarda bulundu.

Basın toplantısına katılan Rumen futbolcu Radu Draguşin ise "Bunu bir final maçı olarak görüyoruz, bunu da yarın akşam göstereceğiz. Çok büyük taraftar baskısı olacak. Burada kulüp takımıyla oynadım. Türk seyircisi çok iyi baskı yapıyor ama biz alışığız. Böyle bir şey olacağını bekliyoruz. Kendimizi hazır hissediyoruz. Mental olarak çok iyi hazırlandık. İki maçı da başarıyla geçeceğimizi sanıyorum. Taraftarlarımız da bizi 12. adam olarak destekliyor. Bu başarıyı onlarla birlikte yakalamaya çalışacağız." ifadelerini kullandı.

Romanya Milli Takımı'nda sakatlığı bulunan oyuncularla ilgili bir soruya Draguşin, "Önemli olan futbolcular değil, biz grup olarak çok iyiyiz. Başarılarımızı grup olarak kazandık." cevabını verdi.

Arda Güler'in yanı sıra Türk Milli Takımı'nda çekindiği bir futbolcu olup olmadığı yönündeki soruya Draguşin, cevap vermek istemediğini söyledi.

2026 FIFA Dünya Kupası Avrupa Elemeleri play-off turu yarı finalinde yarın Türkiye ile İstanbul'da karşılaşacak Romanya'da milli futbol takımı teknik direktörü Mircea Lucescu, iki ekibin de Dünya Kupası'na katılmayı hak ettiğini söyledi.

Karşılaşmanın oynanacağı Beşiktaş Park'ta düzenlenen basın toplantısında konuşan Rumen teknik adam, "Türkiye'ye her zaman sevinçle geliyorum. Türkiye'de her zaman her maçta çok güzel atmosfer yaşadım. İki takım da Dünya Kupası'na gitmeyi hak ediyor ama ikimizden biri gidecek." dedi.

Lucescu, yarınki karşılaşmayla ilgili olarak, "Çok iyi hazırlandık. Elimizden gelenin en iyisini yapacağız. Türkiye'yi çok seviyorum. Burada çok büyük başarılar kazandım. Türk Milli Takımı için bir sürü futbolcu buldum. Şimdi direkt oynuyorlar. Beşiktaş'tan ayrıldıktan sonra 2 sene daha mukavelem vardı. Mukaveleyi feshettikten sonra para almadım. Kalan parayı stadın büyütülmesi için feda ettim. Çok güzel, Avrupa'nın sayılı statlarından biri oldu. Yarın herkes kazanmak için oynayacak. Her iki takımın da değerli futbolcuları var. Herkes elinden geleni yapacak ve kazanmak için maça çıkacak." diye konuştu.

Türkiye'nin Arda Güler'den başka yıldız isimlerinin de olduğunu dile getiren Lucescu, "Arda Güler gibi bir sürü futbolcu var. Kenan, Zeki, Merih gibi birçok oyuncu bulunuyor. Arda da diğer futbolcularla birlikte var. Onlar Arda'ya destek verirse Arda güzel işler yapıyor. Türk Milli Takımı'na saygı duyuyorum. Montella'yı da tanıyorum. Türkiye'de saygı duyduğum bir başka teknik direktör de Fatih Terim. Türk futbolu için büyük işler yaptı. Türk futboluna Rumen futbolcular getirdi. Türkiye'nin değerini biliyorum ama bizim de çok değerli bir takımımız var. Sakatlıklarla ilgili problemler yaşadık ama iyi bir maç çıkaracağımıza inanıyorum." değerlendirmesinde bulundu.

19 yaşadək futbolçulardan ibarət Azərbaycan millisi (U-19) bu gün Avropa çempionatının seçmə mərhələsinin ilk raunduna start verib.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, B Liqasının 6-cı qrupunda yer almış millimiz ilk görüşünü meydan sahibi Litva yığmasına qarşı keçirib.

Kaunasdakı “Raudondvario” stadionunda təşkil edilmiş qarşılaşmanı Moldova və Ukraynadan olan hakimlər briqadası idarə edib. Matç Azərbaycan yığmasının 0:4 hesablı məğlubiyyəti ilə başa çatıb.

Xatırladaq ki, U-19 millimiz növbəti görüşünü martın 28-də Şimali İrlandiya yığmasına qarşı keçirəcək.

Avropa çempionatının seçmə mərhələsi
B Liqası, 6-cı qrup
24 mart

Litva – Azərbaycan 4:0
Baş hakim: Yon Orliç (Moldova).
Baş hakimin köməkçiləri: Anatolie Basiul (Moldova), Semen Şlonçak (Ukrayna).
Dördüncü hakim: Viktor Kopiyevski (Ukrayna).
Kaunas, “Raudondvario” stadionu.

“Bayern”in 32 yaşlı ingilis hücumçusu Harri Keyn futbol üzrə Almaniya Bundesliqasında fevral ayının ən yaxşı oyunçusu seçilib.

Arena.az bu barədə Almaniya Bundesliqasının mətbuat xidmətinə istinadən məlimat verir.

Keyn səsvermədə Luis Dias, Ozan Kabak, Edmond Tapsoba, Yan Diomande və Alexandro Qrimaldo kimi futbolçuları qabaqlayıb.

Keyn fevral ayında Bundesliqa çərçivəsində meydana çıxdığı 4 oyunda 8 qol vurub, 1 məhsuldar ötürmə müəllifi olub.

Xatırladaq ki, Keyn cari mövsümdə üçüncü dəfə oxşar mükafata layiq görülür. İngilis forvard sentyabr və dekabrda da ən yaxşı seçilmşdi. Onun komanda yoldaşı Makyl Olise də 3 dəfə (avqust, noyabr və yanvarda) ayın ən yaxşı oyunçusu elan edilib. Oktyabrda isə “Ayntraxt”ın mərkəz hücumçusu Yonatan Burkardt fərqlənmişdi.

Harri Keyn “Tottenhem”in yetirməsidir. İngilis hücumçu 2023-cü ilin avqust ayında 100 milyon avro məbləğ müqabilində elə, London klubundan “Bayern”ə keçib. Harrinin Münhen klubu ilə müqaviləsinin müddəti 2027-ci ilin iyun ayının sonuna qədər qüvvədədir.

Cari mövsümdə Keyn “Bayern” üçün bütün yarışlarda 40 oyuna çıxıb, 48 qol və 5 məhsuldar ötürmə ilə fərqlənib.

Harri Keynin Almaniya nəhənginin heyətində çıxışının ümumi mənzərəsi 136 oyun, 133 qol və 31 məhsuldar ötürmədən ibarətdir.

Keyn 2015-ci ilin mart ayında debüt etdiyi İngiltərə yığma komandasının heyətində 112 oyuna 78 qol və 19 məhsuldar ötürmə ilə fərqlənib. Keyn İngiltərə yığmasının ən sərrast qolçusudur.

“Transfermarkt” internet-portalı 32 yaşlı ingilis hücumçunun transfer dəyərini 65 milyon avro məbləğində qiymətləndirir.

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Leon Goretzka will be a free agent this summer, so Napoli are the latest contenders for his signature, joining Milan, Inter and Arsenal.

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The 31-year-old is only under contract with Bayern Munich until June 30, and does not seem to have any intention of signing an extension.

This is making the Germany international into one of the most appetising figures on the transfer market, and several Serie A sides have already shown an interest.

Goretzka drawing Serie A interest

Milan and Inter are ready to duel, but the Corriere dello Sport now confirms that Napoli are keeping a close eye on the situation too.

It would be the second consecutive summer picking up a veteran for free, after they snapped up Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City.

Other clubs intrigued by Goretzka include Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal.

Napoli’s midfield is in flux, as Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Scott McTominay are both discussing new contracts, while De Bruyne just returned from a long injury lay-off.

Stanislav Lobotka’s current deal runs to June 2027, but there is a release clause worth a reported €25m.

Gennaro Gattuso confirms Italy practiced penalties ahead of the World Cup play-off against Northern Ireland, and they have one specific player ready to step up to the spot.

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The semi-final of the play-off is in Bergamo on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

Whoever wins that will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final on March 31 for a place at the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Italy prepared for a long night in Bergamo

There is the possibility of extra time, and then if the teams still cannot be separated, they go to a penalty shoot-out.

This has crossed the mind of coach Gattuso, who confirms he had his team drilled in that art during training.

“We practiced yesterday, everyone did three penalties each, so we know this is a possibility, and we tried them out,” confessed the coach.

If Italy do receive a penalty during the match, who is the designated player to step up?

“Mateo Retegui has taken the most recent penalties, he is the taker.”

The Al-Qadsiah striker does have a decent record, although he did fail to convert for Italy in a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win away to Estonia in October 2025.

He converted the other two attempts for the Nazionale, both of them were against Israel in October 2024 and October 2025.

When it comes to penalty shoot-outs, Italy have won their last two, in the semi-final and final of EURO 2020 to defeat Spain and England on their way to lifting the trophy.

That is a significant improvement, as the Nazionale had famously lost their first four penalty shoot-outs in 1980, 1990, 1994 and 1998.

They above all celebrated when beating France this way to win the 2006 World Cup.

Gennaro Gattuso had all but one of his Italy national team players available for training on the eve of the crucial World Cup play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland in Bergamo according to the latest updates, and Alessandro Bastoni was spotted working with the group. 

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Latest updates from Italy’s on-pitch training session

Italy will host Northern Ireland at Atalanta’s New Balance Arena on Thursday evening, and the winner of that tie will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home on March 31: A one-legged decider for a spot at the final tournament.

Gattuso initially announced a squad of 28 players, but has already had to make an alteration following the withdrawal of Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa earlier this week. Bologna’s Nicolo Cambiaghi has been called in to replace him. 

There have been doubts surrounding the availability of Inter centre-back Bastoni heading into the Northern Ireland game, given that he has not featured since picking up an ankle injury in the Derby della Madonnina against Milan earlier in March. 

Bastoni was still running individually while the rest of his Italy teammates trained earlier this week, but according to the latest updates, the Nerazzurri defender was part of the group that trained went out to train on the New Balance Arena pitch on Wednesday evening, the night before the Northern Ireland game. 

It still remains to be seen whether he will be thrown immediately into the starting line-up against Northern Ireland on Thursday.

In fact, according to TMW, only one Italy player was not part of the group that trained on the pitch in Bergamo on Wednesday. Atalanta striker reportedly Gianluca Scamacca worked individually just before Gennaro Gattuso conducted his pre-match press conference.

Italy have the all-clear for Riccardo Calafiori, Matteo Politano and Gianluca Mancini against Northern Ireland, with important updates on Alessandro Bastoni and Gianluca Scamacca.

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The play-off semi-final for a spot at the 2026 World Cup kicks off in Bergamo on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

Coach Gennaro Gattuso spoke in his pre-match press conference today and gave some crucial information on the injury situation within the squad.

Italy players get the all-clear

While Roma defender Mancini and Arsenal’s Calafiori arrived from club duty carrying knocks, Politano was spotted with a large bandage on his shin and did not fully participate in the first training session.

“Mancini, Politano and Calafiori are fine, there’s nothing wrong with them, and they are available,” confirmed Gattuso.

Question marks remain over just two players, namely Inter defender Bastoni and Atalanta centre-forward Scamacca.

“Bastoni did 30-35 per cent of the training with the team yesterday, he did a bit of the game between ranks, we’ll try him again tonight,” added Gattuso.

“Scamacca is a bit further behind, he’s doing some things, but the only players who need to be evaluated are Bastoni and Scamacca.”

It had been assumed that Atalanta striker Scamacca would be released back home, along with Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa, but he wants to be ready if Italy reach the final against either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31.

“At the start of the training camp, three, four or five of them could barely stand, but they held on. Scamacca didn’t want to go back home,” said the coach.

Gennaro Gattuso admits the World Cup play-off is ‘the most important game of my career’ and warns Italy they ‘cannot underestimate’ Northern Ireland, but has crucial injury updates.

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The semi-final with Northern Ireland kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).

Whoever wins that will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home on March 31 for a spot at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.

Gattuso on Italy pressure and Northern Ireland danger

“I’d be lying if I said when I put my head on the pillow at night, I didn’t hear the voices saying ‘take us to the World Cup, take us to the World Cup, take us to the World Cup,’” smiled Gattuso in his press conference.

“I hear it, and I also hear that this is certainly the most important game of my career, even if I’ve been coaching for a few years now.

“Having said that, I am prepared, and believe me I am not thinking about what happens if things go badly. I want to think positive, to think big. Tomorrow we will certainly play our game, and then we’ll see.”

What do the Nazionale have to look out for against Northern Ireland in Bergamo?

“You need experience on the field, but tomorrow we must be ready to suffer when Northern Ireland systematically pump the ball into the box, remember that any free kick will see their goalkeeper smack a long ball forward with eight or nine players showing incredible hunger fighting for the loose ball and rebound.

“We know all of this, we’ve been talking about dinners for months with the players, but I also make phone calls with them, and modern players are evolved, they are capable of studying tactical systems. We’ve been doing video lectures for two days.

“They know what they need to do, to sniff out danger, believe in every single ball. We’ve also got to be wary on set plays. I’m not saying long balls is the only way they play, but it is their primary characteristic, and they do it very well.”

Considering Gattuso used to struggle to sleep before big matches when he was a player, how has he been resting now he is in this situation as a coach?

“Fortunately, our doctors are slipping me a few pills. I used to be allergic to these things as a player, but I’ve got better at accepting help, otherwise at 4.30am I have my eyes wide open like a bat!”

Marcello Lippi said that Gattuso is one of his best pupils and expressed confidence that he will succeed.

“I read that and I cannot deny, it was emotional for me. I speak to him often, we shared so much together, and I thank him.”

There are still some doubts over the fitness levels of several players, although it is good news for others.

“Gianluca Mancini, Matteo Politano and Riccardo Calafiori are fine, there’s nothing wrong with them, and they are available,” confirmed Gattuso.

“Alessandro Bastoni did 30-35 per cent of the training with the team yesterday, he did a bit of the game between ranks, we’ll try him again tonight.

“Gianluca Scamacca is a bit further behind, he’s doing some things, but the only players who need to be evaluated are Bastoni and Scamacca.”

It had been assumed that Atalanta striker Scamacca would be released back home, along with Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa.

“At the start of the training camp, three, four or five of them could barely stand, but they held on. Scamacca didn’t want to go back home. I liked that spirit, I even managed to joke around with them a bit in training, but everyone knows their place and we need that on the field.”

There is the possibility the play-off could go to penalties, in which case who is the first choice taker for Italy?

“Mateo Retegui has taken the most recent penalties, he is the taker. We practiced yesterday, everyone did three penalties each, so we know this is a possibility, and we tried them out,” confessed Gattuso.

Does the coach have a message for the Italian fans who haven’t been represented at a World Cup since 2014?

“It’s up to us. If we are out there and give the sensation that we’re focused, then the rest will come as a consequence of that. We cannot ask anyone for anything, we are in charge of our own destiny.

“We need to be calm and aware that we’re up against players with blood pumping through their veins. People say we have no identity, and that’s fine for them to say that. We’ve got to prove ourselves ready. Easy games no longer exist.”

Nazionale supporters can be forgiven for losing patience and faith in their team after so many recent setbacks.

“It’s true, but the responsibility is not on the fans, they suffered two huge disappointments. This is not the time to talk about the past. We must go to this World Cup, because it is fundamental for us. The objective is to get back where we were for many years, and to do it as protagonists too.”

Italy have bad memories of the World Cup play-offs, losing to on paper much weaker teams in both 2018 and 2022, so has Gattuso watched those back for research?

“I didn’t need to, I already had them in my head. Besides, the truth is that if Jorginho had scored that penalty at the Stadio Olimpico, we’d have been at the World Cup already.

“When I won the Champions League with Milan in 2003, if Massimo Ambrosini hadn’t invented that flick out of nowhere, we would’ve been out in the quarter-final.

“Good luck is an important component of football, but what’s in the past is done, we have to focus on tomorrow.”

There are three strong strike options for Italy in Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui and Francesco Pio Esposito, but could the choice against Northern Ireland also depend on who would start in the play-off final on March 31?

“I am not thinking of March 31, but of tomorrow. And I am well aware that I have some great strikers,” replied Gattuso.

The former midfielder was chosen partly because he was in that Italy squad that won the 2006 World Cup, so how important is this game compared to that?

“It was a whole other world back then. It’s been so long that I can’t even remember the matches I played in. Yes, this game is the most important of my career, considering the amount of responsibility that I feel on my shoulders, it doesn’t compare.”

Italy missing a third consecutive World Cup would be unthinkable.

“I don’t like telling the players what I experienced, because they’ve got to feel it for themselves. You cannot underestimate your opponents, they got this far because of passion and determination, they act like every ball is the first and last of their lives, and we cannot do any less than that.

“There are two games within the game, one on the ball and one without it. We’ve got to be ready to suffer when we don’t have the ball, and when we do, we need to use our pace and get into their final third with quality,” concluded Gattuso.

Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United monitoring him.

According to Football Insider, the 21-year-old has impressed in Ligue 1, and the two English clubs would be prepared to make a move for him in the summer. He will cost around £34.5 million, and the two clubs have the financial muscle to get the deal done.

Tottenham need an upgrade on Guglielmo Vicario, and the Italian has been linked with a return to Italy. He has been quite inconsistent and error-prone since joining Tottenham. They need an upgrade if they are serious about fighting for trophies. A top goalkeeper can make a huge difference, and the 21-year-old could prove to be an excellent acquisition. He has been rock solid for Lens, and they are second in the league table this season. Risser has been one of the main reasons why they are pushing for the league title. He has 10 clean sheets this season.

The opportunity to move to England could be tempting for him in the summer.

Similarly, Newcastle are looking to bring in an upgrade on Nick Pope. It remains to be seen whether they can convince the player to join the club. The 21-year-old needs to join a club with an ambitious and exciting project. Both clubs could be tempting destinations for him. It remains to be seen where he ends up eventually.

Lens will secure qualification for the UEFA Champions League next season, and the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle will not be able to provide him with that opportunity. It remains to be seen whether the player is prepared to accept that and move to England.

The post Tottenham & Newcastle set for transfer battle over £34.5m Ligue 1 star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal are looking to sign a quality right back in the summer, and they have identified Wesley Franca as a target.

The explosive Brazilian has established himself as a key player for AS Roma, and he will cost around €35 million. He is also a target for clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City. According to reports from Spain, the South American footballer has a contract with Roma until 2030, and Arsenal will have to pay the asking price if they want to get the deal done.

The 22-year-old is excellent, going forward, and he could add a new dimension to the Arsenal attack as well. The North London club is expected to sanction Ben White’s departure in the summer, and Franca could be the ideal replacement. He could contribute at both ends of the pitch.

The Brazilian is quite young, and he will only improve with coaching and experience. He has all the attributes to develop into a star for Arsenal in future. At 22, he has plenty of room for development, and he could easily justify the investment. The €35 million deal could even look like a bargain in future.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal can beat Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is yet to make the desired impact, and it is no surprise that the Spanish club is keen on the Brazilian. At Manchester City, they have been using. Matheus Nunes as the makeshift right back. They need a more specialist option in that area of the pitch, and Wesley would be an outstanding addition.

All three clubs have the financial muscle to pay the asking price, and it will be interesting to see where the Brazilian ends up.

The post Arsenal plot €35M raid for one of Brazil’s brightest talents, face Real Madrid & Man City battle appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah has confirmed that he will leave the club at the end of the season, and they are now looking at potential replacements.

According to reports from Spain, they want to sign the PSG attacker Bradley Barcola as a replacement for the Egyptian International. The 23-year-old has done quite well for PSG, helping them win the league title and win the UEFA Champions League final.

He has carried his impressive form into the season as well, with 12 goals and six assists across all competitions. The talented young attacker could prove to be an excellent long-term investment for Liverpool. He can operate on either flank, and he will add goals, creativity, pace, and flair to the team. He is likely to improve with coaching and experience, and Liverpool could help him develop into a top-class player. The opportunity to join Liverpool could be tempting for the French attacker. He is likely to get regular opportunities at the Premier League club, and it could help him improve further. At PSG, he is more of a squad player.

It will be interesting to see if PSG is willing to sanction his departure in the summer. They need more cutting-edge in the final third, and he is an important first-team player. They are one of the wealthiest clubs in the world, and convincing them with a lucrative proposal could be difficult for Liverpool. It remains to be seen how the situation develops. They have also been linked to players like Anthony, Gordon and Yan Diomande.

It is evident that they are looking at multiple options, and it remains to be seen who they end up with.

The post 18-G/A Champions League winner emerges as top target for Liverpool to improve key area appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak has been linked with a move away from the club at the end of the season.

According to reports from Spain, the 26-year-old is unhappy at Liverpool and wants a fresh start. He believes that his progress has stopped at Liverpool due to injury problems, and he’s looking to move on. Isak has played just 781 minutes for Liverpool, scoring 3 goals.

He wants to join Barcelona in the summer, and it remains to be seen how the situation develops. Liverpool paid €140 million to sign the striker, and they will look to recoup most of that. Barcelona are facing financial difficulties, and it is extremely unlikely they will be able to afford the Swedish international.

It is no secret that they need more quality in the final third, especially with Robert Lewandowski, leaving at the end of the season. Isak would be an excellent replacement for the Polish international, but his valuation could be a huge problem for Barcelona.

The report further claims that negotiations could intensify in the coming weeks regarding the player’s exit. It remains to be seen whether Barcelona come forward with an acceptable offer for the player.

Liverpool are under no pressure to sell the player. He has a long-term contract with them, and they will want to keep him at the club for as long as possible. Also, it seems extremely unlikely that the player will force an exit after just one year at the club. He will want to prove himself at Liverpool and justify their investment in him.

Isak went on a strike at Newcastle United to force a move to Liverpool, and it would be extremely surprising if he decided to do the same at Anfield.

The post Report: Liverpool star regrets big move already, dream transfer destination emerges appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The post Best Crypto to Invest in as Bitcoin Bounces 5% to $71,000 on Iran Pause and Pepeto Presale Keeps Growing appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Bitcoin jumped above $71,000 after Trump postponed strikes on Iran, and the entire crypto market followed with a relief rally that pushed altcoins up 5% across the board. When the market sells off on fear and bounces the moment tension eases, that tells you demand never left. 

The best crypto to invest in right now is not the large cap that is already priced in the bounce. It is the presale where more than $8 million has been committed money is already positioned for what comes after the recovery.

Best Crypto to Invest in as Bitcoin Fills the CME Gap Above $70,000

Bitcoin climbed above $71,000 on March 23 after Trump said the U.S. would pause strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, according to Bloomberg. 

The move filled the CME gap from the weekend selloff and erased losses from the fear driven drop to $68,200. 

CoinDesk reported more than $400 million in liquidations hit in 24 hours, with most being short positions as the bounce punished bearish bets. The Altcoin Season Index at 49 signals the market is approaching the rotation point where capital moves beyond Bitcoin.

Where Capital Is Flowing During the Recovery

Pepeto

An early entry built for serious growth does not appear every cycle, and the window between discovery and listing is where the real returns live. The wallets that found the right presale before the listing are the ones every article references six months later. The best crypto to invest in is never obvious when you find it. It becomes obvious after the listing proves it.

Pepeto collected more than $8 million while the market shook out panic sellers, and committed wallets verified the team and contracts before entering. The cofounder who built the original Pepe coin to $7 billion with zero products is now building a full exchange, with a former Binance expert on the dev team driving that launch.

SolidProof completed the audit before the presale opened. PepetoSwap removes the fees that bleed your capital on every trade, and the bridge sends tokens across chains at zero cost so what you send is what arrives. These tools run today, protecting wallets that entered early. Staking at 194% APY compounds daily while positions grow for every holder inside.

The presale sits at $0.000000186, and the same 420 trillion supply, the same cofounder, and a working exchange Pepe never had give the community calling for 1000x from this level the math to back it up. The Binance listing approaching permanently erases this price, and the wallets entering now are building the positions the rest of the market will spend this cycle wishing they had taken.

Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin trades at $70,916 after the Iran pause rally, according to CoinMarketCap. Strategy holds 762,099 BTC and filed a $42 billion program to buy more. BTC needs to clear $72,600 to $75,000 to confirm a reversal.

A move to $100,000 is roughly 40% and requires months of macro cooperation. The recovery is real, but life changing returns from $70,916 are measured in years.

XRP

XRP sits at $1.43 after a modest weekly recovery, according to Yahoo Finance. The DTCC integration and institutional partnerships keep the long term case alive. A move back to its all time high of $3.84 is roughly 2.7x from current levels. 

XRP is building real connections to traditional finance, but that timeline does not compete with a presale entry that compresses the entire return window into a single listing event.

Best Crypto to Invest in: Why the Bounce Is the Starting Gun for Presale Wallets

The recovery is here, Bitcoin filling the CME gap confirms the demand was only waiting, and the investors who understand cycles know the best crypto to invest in is always found before the crowd arrives. The cofounder who built Pepe to $7 billion is building Pepeto with better infrastructure, the same supply, and a presale closing faster every week. 

This is the second chance for anyone who missed the original Pepe entry, and the wallets loading positions on the Pepeto official website right now are the same type that made millions by moving early in the last cycle. The listing erases the presale price permanently, and the wallets that hesitate will spend this recovery watching from outside while the ones who moved celebrate from within.

Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale

FAQs

Which altcoins offer the strongest setup as the crypto market recovers?

The best crypto to invest in is Pepeto, with more than $8 million raised, a former Binance expert on the team, and a Binance listing approaching during the recovery.

What projects show real conviction beyond large cap recovery in 2026?

Pepeto is the best crypto to invest in with committed capital flowing through every presale stage while BTC and XRP offer limited percentage gains from current levels.

How does Pepeto compare to Bitcoin and XRP during the bounce?

BTC at $70,916 targets 40% to reach $100,000. XRP at $1.43 targets 2.7x. The Pepeto official website gives presale access before a Binance listing where the return window compresses into days.