Jun. 16—The 2026 West Central Tribune All-Area Softball Team is book-ended with plenty of talent.

Of the 18 players that made the first and second teams, there are seven seniors that capped off their prep careers with outstanding final seasons. They're joined by four freshmen and an eighth-grader who are at the start of what should be productive tenures.

Leading the All-Area teams are the finalists from Section 3A: BOLD and Yellow Medicine East. Both the Warriors and Sting have three All-Area picks.

BOLD went to state for the first time in school history and was the first area softball program to reach the state tournament since 2013. Going 23-8 this spring, the Warriors finished third in the Class A state tournament.

YME finished 20-7 overall and 11-2 in the Camden Conference

They're also headlined by a pair of four-time All-Area picks. For BOLD, that's sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Flann. And for YME, that's senior pitcher Bayli Sneller.

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Lac qui Parle Valley, Minnewaska, New London-Spicer and Willmar each had two picks. Litchfield and Renville County West are also represented.

The All-Area team was selected by the WCT sports staff with input from area coaches

Here is the 2026 West Central Tribune All-Area Softball Team in alphabetical order.

A six-year varsity starter for Yellow Medicine East, Almich helped the Sting reach the Section 3A championship game. In her final season, Almich hit for a .412 average with 33 hits, three doubles, two triples and 24 RBIs. On defense, she tallied 231 putouts with a .996 fielding percentage and just one error. An All-Area second-team member a year ago, Almich earned All-Camden Conference and All-Section 3A honors.

"Alana is a six-year varsity member who has shown tremendous growth in her career," said YME head coach Jen Sneller. "She has played both shortstop and catcher and has been incredibly successful at them both. At catcher, she is aware of the importance of pitch placement and calls them accordingly; her strong arm kept runners from taking additional bases this season. At the plate she was patient and selective, waiting for the pitch she could strongly put into play."

The leadoff batter and center fielder for BOLD, Beckler's speed and athleticism was on full display on a day-to-day basis. Becker was named a Class A All-State honorable mention, All-West Central Conference and All-Section 3A after putting up a .373 average, a .391 slugging percentage and .830 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Beckler had 41 hits, two doubles, 11 RBIs, 24 runs and drew 13 walks. A three-year starter and honorable mention All-Area pick last year, Beckler set a single-season school record with 30 stolen bases.

"Lila is our lefty slapper and leadoff hitter who sets the tone for our offense," said Warriors head coach Jessica Aaseth. "She understands her role perfectly: get on base, steal as many bases as possible, and pressure defenses from the first pitch. Once Lila gets on, good things usually happen for our lineup. ... Defensively, she is a difference maker in center field. Lila covers a tremendous amount of ground and has made several big-time diving plays, taking hits away from opposing hitters."

Also earning Class A All-State honorable mention as an outfielder was Conn. Playing left field for Lac qui Parle Valley, Conn hit for a .455 average and .538 on-base percentage with 35 hits, five doubles, three triples, three home runs, 21 RBIs, 43 runs, nine walks and 30 stolen bases. Conn also earned All-Camden, Academic All-State and Academic All-Camden.

"Caleigh was tough as nails for us at the plate," said LQPV head coach Scott Sawatzky. "She possesses power and excellent hand-eye coordination, and is able to hit the ball to all parts of the field. She has great instincts on the bases, and was second in stolen bases this season with 30. She has made nice improvements defensively in left field, making solid reads on fly balls. Her strong arm makes trying to take an extra base a risky move for opposing base runners. Caleigh transformed into an all-around strong player for our softball team.

Flann is back on the All-Area first team for the fourth time. She dominated in the circle for the state-bound Warriors, compiling a 23-7 record with a 0.98 ERA over 186 innings. She recorded a school 284 strikeouts to 20 walks and threw three no-hitters this season. She also holds the BOLD record for career strikeouts at 673. On offense, Flann hit .276 with a .467 on-base percentage and a .769 on-base-plus-slugging. She had two doubles, 15 RBIs, eight runs and was hit by a pitch 10 times, setting a new school record. Her post-season accolades include Class A All-State honorable mention, All-West Central Conference, All-Section 3A and the Class A All-State Tournament Team.

"Her work ethic, competitiveness, and ability to perform in big moments have made her the backbone of our team," Aaseth said. "She put up impressive numbers in the postseason against tough competition. When the competition got tougher, Kaitlyn elevated her game. Against some of the best teams in Minnesota, she pitched 71.2 innings, allowed only six earned runs, and struck out 90 batters. She posted an incredible 0.59 ERA while holding opponents to a .185 batting average. Her ability to perform at an elite level in the biggest moments was a driving force behind our run to the state tournament and eventual third-place finish."

Named LQPV's team MVP, Geiser was also tabbed a Class A All-State second team selection and an All-Camden Conference pick. Geiser hit for a .512 average and .545 on-base percentage with 42 hits, eight doubles, one triple, four home runs, 31 RBIs, 23 runs and 14 stolen bases.

"Maddie is an offensive weapon for LQPV," Sawatzky said. "She has uncanny power for a ninth-grader and quick hands, making her a tough out for any level pitcher in our area. Maddie made significant strides this season defensively, as she saved us by digging several balls from the dirt. She has a solid softball IQ and has great instincts on the bases."

A two-time All-Area second team pick, Lieser makes the jump to the first team in her final season. Named a Class A All-State second-team player, Lieser batted .453 with a .573 slugging percentage, 34 hits, six doubles, one home run, 18 RBIs and 21 runs. She holds BBE's school record for career hits (147). On defense, Lieser had a 1.000 fielding percentage with 45 putouts and four assists. She was also named All-Central Minnesota Conference first team, team MVP and was selected to play in the 2026 Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches' Association All-Star Series.

"McKenna is a very talented player who excels in all three phases of the game," said Jaguars head coach Logan Funk. "All of her high-school softball accomplishments were earned because of the work ethic she shows day in and day out. This is the reason she is our new career hits leader at BBE. Outside of the skill McKenna has, she's an unbelievable leader and person that doesn't care about her stats, but wants what's best for the team."

Nelson was a powerful player both at the plate and in the circle. The Wildcats' senior with a .500 average, 43 hits, six doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 33 RBIs, 22 runs and five stolen bases. At pitcher, Nelson went 8-6 with a 3.86 ERA with 82 strikeouts. According to head coach Jacob Beranek, she tied a state record with three triples in a game. An All-Area second teamer last season, Nelson was named All-Wright County Conference and team MVP.

Back on the All-Area first team, nothing hit the ground with Schulz in the outfield. She had a 1.000 fielding percentage on 40 attempts, tying a school record with six outfield assists. She's also tied the school record with 11 career outfield assists. On offense, Schulz hit .381 with a .444 on-base percentage, 25 hits, four doubles, six triples, nine RBIs, 24 runs, six walks and 19 stolen bases. She was named All-West Central Conference. She is verbally committed to play college volleyball at Division II Sioux Falls.

"She is a leader in the field and in the dugout," said Minnewaska assistant coach Jesse Johnson. "Besides being great statistically, she is incredibly humble, and I have never once heard her talk about or ask about her stats or awards. We are very grateful we get to have her roam the outfield for one more season.

Bayli Sneller concludes her prep career with her fourth straight appearance on the All-Area first team. Sneller tossed 167-2/3 innings and racked up 220 strikeouts to 36 walks. That's a new single-season school record and adds to her school record 933 career strikeouts. Sneller also had a .980 fielding percentage. Offensively, Sneller hit .345 with 29 hits, three doubles, two triples and 16 RBIs. A six-year starter, Sneller is a two-time Camden Conference MVP, an All-Section 3A pick and was selected to play in the 2026 MFCA All-Star Series.

"Bayli's growth and leadership over her six-year varsity career is unmatched," Jen Sneller said. "She's a threat in the circle, attacks pitches in the box and leads with confidence in the dugout."

The number three hitter in the Warriors' lineup, Ema Flann hit for a .320 average with a .391 on-base percentage and a .447 slugging percentage. She hit for seven doubles, three triples, 15 RBIs, 24 runs and drew 10 walks. She also stole 15 stolen bases. Ema was named All-West Central Conference and All-Section 3A.

"Ema's softball IQ is exceptional and she has a unique ability to impact the game in a variety of ways," Aaseth said. "At the plate, she can hit for power, but her speed also makes her a constant threat on the bases. ... Defensively, Ema is the leader of our infield. Her range at shortstop is impressive, and she has a knack for making difficult plays look routine. Beyond her performance on the field, she brings incredible energy to our team. She is often the loudest supporter in the dugout and is always the first person celebrating a teammate's success."

The youngest All-Area performer, Guennigsmann earned All-Central Lakes Conference honors after hitting .478 with a 1.200 on-base-plus slugging percentage. She had 32 hits, three doubles, three triples, 10 RBIs, 25 runs and 15 stolen bases. As a pitcher, Guennigsmann had a 3.19 ERA with 93 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .251 batting average over 79 innings. She was named the Cardinals' defensive MVP.

Willmar's offensive MVP, Hansen hit for a .522 average and 1.396 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. She finished with four doubles, six triples, one home run, 17 RBIs, 26 runs and 19 stolen bases. Defensively, Hansen had a .850 fielding percentage. For her efforts, Hansen was named All-Central Lakes.

Hinderks struck out a Renville County West record 179 batters, giving up 94 hits and 45 walks over 97-1/3 innings. She's also RCW's career strikeouts leader with 458. On offense, Hinderks hit .372 with a 1.225 on-base-plus-slugging percentage with 17 stolen bases. She was tabbed All-Camden, All-Section 3A and team MVP.

"Mackenna has been our starting pitcher for at least two seasons and has shown why she deserves that spot," said Jaugars head coach Pamela Winzenburg. "Over this season she has learned how to refocus when the going gets tough and adapt to the thing we can't control. Her passion for this sport is raw and every day she comes to practice and games ready to learn and improve."

Named All-Wright County and All-Section 3AA, Holmgren batted .404 with eight doubles, a triple, one home run and 26 RBIs. In the circle, she had a 4.71 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 44 walks over 77-1/3 innings for Litchfield.

"On the rubber, Holmgren was the definition of a workhorse, leading the pitching staff in both innings pitched and strikeouts with her commanding presence," said Dragons head coach Nicholas Besemer. "Her impact expanded significantly this spring thanks to a breakthrough offensive season, the direct result of extensive dedication and hard work with her bat during the preseason. Holmgren's elite endurance in the circle and newly elevated offensive production made her an invaluable leader for the roster."

A right fielder for the Sting, Keller hit for a .459 average with 34 hits, five doubles, four triples, two home runs and 24 RBIs. Her efforts were enough to earn All-Camden and All-Section 3A honors.

"Emma is a second-year varsity member whose bat came alive this season," said Jen Sneller. "She led our team in average and RBIs. The time she put in (during) the off-season really showed this season."

Named NLS' team MVP, Meis batted for a .487 average with 38 hits, nine doubles, four triples, three home runs, 27 RBIs and 31 runs. She also stole six bases. In the field, Meis had a .979 fielding percentage and picked off nine base stealers. Meis was an All-Wright County pick.

A stalwart on the left side of BBE's infield, Primus batted .429 with a .532 slugging percentage, 33 hits, eight doubles, eight RBIs and 23 runs. As a fielder, Primus had 43 putouts, nine assists and a .944 fielding percentage. She was named First Team All-Central Minnesota Conference and team defensive MVP.

"Lydia is such a versatile player for our team ever since she made her varsity debut as an eighth grader and she's only getting better," Funk said. "This year served as our starting shortstop and she made some unbelievable plays and made everything look so easy. Offensively, she was one of our top hitters while being an incredible leadoff batter for our team."

An All-West Central Conference selection, Roering batted .408 with a .440 on-base percentage. She had 29 hits, eight doubles, one triple, one home run, 29 RBIs, 18 runs and 12 stolen bases. She'll head to Southwest Minnesota State to be a diver on the women's swimming and diving team.

"In her final season as a Laker, Ella took the next step we always knew she could," Johnson said. "Ella was a vocal leader and made everyone around her better. She worked incredibly hard in the offseason to prepare for the season and it clearly showed with her product on the field."

Ella Braegelman, 8th grade 1B, NLS

Brooke Johnson, Jr. C, ACGC

Avery Lewison, Jr. 2B, Minnewaska

Abbygale King, So. 1B, BOLD

Reyna Mendoza, Sr. 3B, MACCRAY

Kelsey Palmer, Sr. P/2B, Litchfield

Kourtney Peterson, Jr. 3B, YME

Allie Simon, Jr. P, ACGC

Taylor VanHeuveln, Sr. P/SS, KMS

Mya Worms, Jr. P, BBE

Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy said his side had paid for taking their eye off the ball at critical moments in the 3-1 defeat by France in their opening World Cup match on Tuesday.

The Senegalese regretted not taking their chances in the first-half as France found their rhythm and a double by Kylian Mbappe and a goal by Bradley Barcola saw them comfortably home in the Group I clash in East Rutherford.

Ibrahim Mbaye was on the mark for Senegal. 

Mendy said that even though they may have had the better of the first-half, the Lions of Teranga had failed to execute their game plan.  

"We were a bit sluggish in the first-half," the 34-year-old told beIn Sports. 

"We knew that in the second we had to raise our level, be more cutting edge in attack.

"We were at times, although against teams like these, you have to be totally on your game defensively and offensively.

"You cannot take your eye off the ball because you are up against pure talent."

Mendy, a Champions League winner with Chelsea in 2021, said he did not believe there was a gaping chasm between the two teams. 

"We know what our qualities are and that we are capable of playing better," he said.

"We were especially lax when it came to retaining possession, we should have been more consistent in keeping it.

"But then again we did have a very good team as the opposition today."

Mendy, an Africa Cup of Nations winner in 2021, said there was still all to play for in terms of reaching the second round.

The 2002 quarter-finalists have Norway next Monday followed by Iraq four days later. 

"As I said even if we won this match, the group would still be open," said Mendy, who plays his club football for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.  

"Today we lost but just as in 2022 (when they lost their opening group game but recovered to reach the knockout stages) we must rest and focus on Norway."

pi/rcw

Here's how to watch Argentina vs Algeria for free online and from anywhere in Group J of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Kylian Mbappe was convinced he had won a penalty in France’s 2026 World Cup opener against Senegal in New Jersey on Tuesday, only to be left flabbergasted as Australian referee Alireza Faghani gave a corner – and then changed his decision to a goal-kick after watching replays.

Mbappe dribbled into the box where Senegal’s Sadio Mane slid in to make a tackle. As Mane reached Mbappe, the France captain touched the ball away from his opponent and then collapsed in a heap under Mane’s challenge. Mbappe could only laugh as the referee waved away French appeals and awarded a corner.

• Follow France v Senegal – live!

Referee Faghani was sent to review the decision on his pitchside monitor by his VAR, and as he stepped back on to the pitch, French players and coaching staff began to celebrate. But instead of awarding a penalty, Faghani announced: “The attacker initiated the contact.”

To rub salt into French wounds, the corner was overturned after replays clearly showed that Mane made no contact with the ball.

Pundits were aghast at the decision. “That is just rubbish,” said Pat Nevin on BBC Sport. “Utter nonsense. No chance at all. How can he [Mbappe] have initiated the contact? The most nonsensical line I have ever heard.”

“I don’t get it,” added Alan Shearer. “You can see the lunge from Mane and his left leg catches Mbappe. How can Mbappe initiate contact if he is in front of him? It’s bizarre, it really is.”

“I can’t support the referee’s decision to be honest,” said Darren Cann, an assistant referee at the 2010 World Cup final. “For me it is a clear penalty. My phone has blown up with messages from several of the world’s best referees who also can’t understand why a penalty wasn’t given. For me it is very, very clear and I am extremely surprised he did not point to the spot after a correct VAR review.”

France were not complaining for long. Minutes later, Mbappe latched on to a cleverly disguised throughball by Michael Olise and turned home a first-time finish to put France into the lead. And substitute Bradley Barcola added a second to put the French two goals clear.

Here's how to watch Iraq vs Norway for free online and from anywhere as Erling Haaland prepares for his long-awaited FIFA World Cup debut.

Chelsea have decided to sell Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid, and they are plotting a move for Lewis Hall as his replacement.

The 21-year-old left Chelsea to join Newcastle United in 2023, and he has been a key player for them. Chelsea are hoping to bring him back to the club.

According to Sports Boom, they are now plotting an ambitious move to bring the player back, and it remains to be seen whether they can convince Newcastle. The Magpies will not want to sell the 21-year-old easily. He has been a key player for them.

Meanwhile, Manchester United are also monitoring his situation. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops.

Chelsea needs to properly replace Cucurella, and signing one of the best young fullbacks in the Premier League would be a wise decision. The decision to sell Hall to Newcastle was a mistake, and Chelsea are looking to rectify it. The young defender has a long-term contract with Newcastle, and they will have to pay a premium in order to convince the Magpies.

Manchester United are also looking for a younger alternative to Luke Shaw, and they have the resources to pay a premium. It will be interesting to see which of the two clubs can get the deal done.

Hall could be attracted to the idea of joining some of the biggest clubs in the country. Manchester United will be able to offer him Champions League football next season, and that could give them an edge in the transfer race. Chelsea have no European football on offer, but Hall could be tempted to return to his club, and he might feel that he has unfinished business at the club.

The post Chelsea want ex-player back but Man United could scupper their plans appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The Dolton Police Department completed its investigation into the fatal shooting of professional basketball player Khapri Alston, 31, last month, but are waiting for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office to review the case.

Alston was shot and killed May 21 on the 14100 block of Martin Luther King Drive in Dolton.

The Police Department’s investigative findings were sent to the state’s attorney’s office for review, the village said in a statement.

“We understand the community’s concern and the family’s desire for answers,” the statement said. “We share those concerns and recognize the importance of ensuring this matter is handled with the utmost professionalism, integrity, and transparency.”

The decision of whether to file charges will be made by the state’s attorney’s office, the village said.

The state’s attorney’s office confirmed last week it was contacted in the case, but would not comment on a pending investigation.

“As in every case, prosecutors must evaluate all of the available evidence and consider the applicable laws to determine whether we can meet the legal standard for bringing criminal charges,” the office said in a statement.

The case has drawn substantial attention, with controversial former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard among the most prominent voices calling for answers.

“He was beloved and he deserved justice,” Khapri’s father, Chenier Alston, said following the shooting. “We’re not going to stop until we get justice.”

Alston played for several basketball teams both in the United States and abroad, his father said, and won a championship in Chile.

The Club Deportivo Valdivia, whom Alston played for in Chile, posted on its social media last week that it would be holding a Khapri Alston Cup in his honor on June 28 and 29 together with Club Deportes Las Ánimas.

elewis@chicagotribune.com

Major League Baseball has cautioned players against writing on their caps after several Giants pitchers wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night hats during a game Friday.

“The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations,” the league said in a statement.

The Giants—the first MLB team to incorporate Pride elements into their uniforms—wore hats with rainbow colors on the logo for Friday’s game against the Cubs. Starting pitcher Landen Roupp and relievers JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote the Bible verse “Genesis 9:11–16” on their caps next to the logo, while Sam Hentges wore the standard Giants cap without the rainbow colors. All four appeared in the game.

The verses referenced rainbows, stating that God will never flood the earth and that a rainbow will be a symbol of that promise.

Roupp told reporters after the game that he meant “no hate” with his actions. Asked what he would say to anyone who took offense with it, Roupp said:

“First of all, as a believer, I would push them to read the Bible. I think God has blessed me in so many ways, and I don’t think I would be here right now if it wasn’t for him. So, like I said, there’s no hate in it at all. We live in a country where you’re welcome to believe what you want. There’s a freedom of speech and stuff like that, so that’s really all I have to say about that. I’m just thankful that God has put me in this situation and that I can go out and share his kingdom.”

Hentges told reporters he didn’t wear the cap because he felt like he was “forced to support when I don’t morally support it.”

“There wasn’t hatred behind it. I think that’s kind of something that’s misinterpreted. I don’t hate the LGBTQ community. It’s just something I believed and talked with teammates and family, and they supported it.”

The Giants apologized to fans but defended their players’ behavior.

“The San Francisco Giants are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community. Baseball should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued,” the team said in a statement. “We also respect that individuals may make personal choices about participating in team activations.

“We understand that the choices by individual players have caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that. Those choices do not change our organization’s commitment to inclusion, belonging, and creating a welcoming environment for all. We remain grateful to our fans, partners, employees, players, and coaches who help make Pride Night a meaningful celebration.”

Of the 30 MLB teams, 29 have a special Pride Night this month for the 2026 season. The Rangers are the only team that doesn’t hold a Pride-themed celebration. 

The post MLB Warns Giants Pitchers Over Writing on Pride Caps appeared first on Front Office Sports.

Kylian Mbappe leads a star-studded France attack as they take on Senegal in their opening game at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Here's how to watch the Group I fixture for free online and from anywhere.

Brendan Sorsby is entering the NFL supplemental draft as the highest-touted prospect in more than a decade.

After announcing Monday that he would no longer fight his gambling punishments and pursue playing at Texas Tech in 2026, the quarterback will now be available for NFL teams to acquire ahead of this upcoming season, if the league declares him eligible. 

The NFL declined to comment when reached by Front Office Sports on Monday night.

The NFL supplement draft is only held when there is a player or players deemed ineligible by the NCAA after the annual draft in the spring. It hasn’t been held since 2023, and a player hasn’t been selected in it since 2019, when the Cardinals picked former Washington State safety Jalen Thompson. No other players other than Sorsby have entered the supplement draft yet this year.

There are seven rounds, with teams giving up a corresponding selection in the same round of the next year’s draft. For example, Arizona used a fifth-round pick on Thompson, and forfeited a fifth-round choice in the 2020 draft.

Unlike the regular draft, the supplemental draft order is divided into three groups:

• Teams with six or fewer wins the previous season
• Remaining teams that missed the postseason
• 14 playoff teams

The order within each group is randomly selected.

The June 22 deadline to enter the supplemental draft was fast approaching for Sorsby. There’s no set date, but league rules state it should happen before training camp.

Money Matters

Sorsby was projected by many draft analysts to be a potential first- or second-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, depending on how he played at Texas Tech in 2026.

The same rookie wage scale for the standard NFL Draft applies to the supplemental draft. So in addition to weighing the risk and reward of giving up a pick in next year’s draft, NFL franchises will also be considering how much money they would have to pay Sorsby.

First-round contracts in April were valued between $16.7 million and $57.2 million over four years. Second-round contracts ranged from $7.8 million to $13.3 million. Third-round deals were worth between $6.7 million and $7.4 million.

If Sorsby goes undrafted, he would immediately become an undrafted free agent, free to sign with any of the 32 NFL franchises.

In 2012, the Browns used a second-round pick on wide receiver Josh Gordon, who signed a four-year deal worth $5.34 million. 

The most recent quarterback taken in the supplement draft was former Ohio State signal caller Tyrell Pryor, who was picked by the Raiders in 2011 with a third-round selection. He signed a four-year, $2.746 million deal.

Former receiver Cris Carter is the only player taken in the NFL supplement draft to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

In total, 46 players have been picked in the supplement draft since it began in 1977.

The post Brendan Sorsby Brings Unprecedented Intrigue to NFL Supplemental Draft appeared first on Front Office Sports.

MLB has completed the first 12 weeks of the 2026 season. Specific players have continued producing great numbers, while a handful are missing time due to injury. Now is the time when player production starts garnering attention for All-Star rosters. Entering Week 13, here are the top ten shortstops in the league.  

MORE: MLB catcher power rankings entering week 13

1. CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals

Abrams is having a strong season. Entering the week, he is second in home runs, first in RBI, and first in OPS among MLB shortstops. He is on his way to representing the National League in the upcoming All-Star game.

2. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

De La Cruz is showing improvements this season. He’s seen his batting average progress compared to his first few seasons. Entering the week, he is one of two MLB shortstops with double-digit home runs and stolen bases. The Reds need to get him back from the IL ASAP.

3. Colson Montgomery, Chicago White Sox

Montgomery is making a name for himself in year two. He is turning into a future superstar for the White Sox. Entering the week, he leads MLB shortstops in home runs.

4. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

Witt Jr. started the season slow but has been on a tear. Entering the week, Witt Jr. is second in hits and first in stolen bases among MLB shortstops. If healthy, he can contend for the American League MVP Award.

5. Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins

Lopez is having an outstanding season. Entering the week, he leads MLB shortstops in hits. Otto Lopez leads the Marlins in batting average and hits.

6. Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers

McGonigle is having a strong rookie season. Entering the week, he ranks third in hits and first in on-base percentage among MLB shortstops. He will be a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

7. Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians

Brayan Rocchio is having a strong season. Entering the week, he is tied for ninth in hits among MLB shortstops. He leads the Cleveland Guardians in batting average.

8. Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels

Neto has hit for power while striking out often. Entering the week, he is one of two MLB shortstops with double-digit home runs and stolen bases. He is on pace for a third consecutive season with 20 home runs and 25 stolen bases.

9. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

Henderson has sold out for power. Entering the week, he’s tied for second in home runs among MLB shortstops. However, his strikeout rate is at an all-time high.

10. Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates

The rookie is working his way back from a strained flexor tendon. He’s produced when on the field. He will be a finalist for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

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England defender Tino Livramento has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a calf injury and replaced by Trevoh Chalobah on the eve of the team's opening match against Croatia.

The Newcastle right-back, 23, sustained the injury during a training session at the team's Kansas City base on Sunday.

Chelsea centre-back Chalobah, 26, who has one cap, will not join up with the squad until after Wednesday's match in Arlington, Texas.

"Trevoh Chalobah has been called into England's 26-player squad at FIFA World Cup 2026 after injury sadly forced the withdrawal of Tino Livramento," an England team statement said.

"Arrangements are now being made for the Chelsea defender to make the journey to the team's base camp in Kansas City, while the rest of the squad will head to Dallas, Texas for the Three Lions' opening group fixture against Croatia on Wednesday.

"Newcastle United defender Livramento picked up a calf injury in training on Sunday afternoon.

"A subsequent scan and medical assessment on Monday unfortunately confirmed he could play no further part in England's tournament."

Livramento, who has six caps, missed the final weeks of the Premier League season with a thigh injury.

England's other two opponents in Group L are Ghana and Panama.

jw/jc

While the World Cup in North America is set to feature footballing titans like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, representing the sport's typical rags-to-riches narrative, Sweden's squad boasts a player from a decidedly different background.

Gustaf Lagerbielke, a 26-year-old defender who played a full match in Sweden’s 5-1 victory over Tunisia on Sunday, is a baron from one of Sweden's noble families. His father and grandfather both hold the title of count, a stark contrast to the modest beginnings often associated with professional footballers.

"I mean, it’s rare," Lagerbielke admitted in an interview before the tournament, acknowledging his unique heritage.

He grew up in Djursholm, an affluent suburb of Stockholm, and even had his family's coat of arms emblazoned on his shin pads as a child.

Reflecting on his journey, Lagerbielke stated after Sunday's match: "When I was kid, I wanted to become a professional footballer. They have taught me goals. They are very happy for me and very proud."

His aristocratic lineage has been a recurring talking point throughout a career that has seen him play for several Swedish clubs, Scotland's Celtic, and now in Portugal.

Reports in the British media once suggested he was 254th in line to the Swedish throne, a claim Lagerbielke views with a degree of scepticism.

"I don’t know if it’s true," he said, adding, "But I think for it to happen, a lot of people need to go away. And I don’t want that to happen."

For now, Lagerbielke's focus remains firmly on the pitch, aiming to help Sweden achieve glory at the World Cup.

"To have one of the biggest wins in Swedish history at the World Cup, it’s amazing," he remarked.

Sweden will be back in action on Saturday when they face the Netherlands. Ronald Koeman’s side were held to a 2-2 draw by Japan on Sunday, leaving Sweden top of the group after the opening round of fixtures.

Sweden will then conclude their group stage campaign by playing Japan on Thursday 25 June, and they are already in a strong position to qualify for the knockout rounds after their huge win over Tunisia.

Look far enough down the list and eventually you will find him. Below Phil Neal and Viv Anderson, David Bardsley and Earl Barrett, Warren Barton and Danny Mills. Scroll down far enough down the English right-backs in Thomas Tuchel’s pecking order and finally Trent Alexander-Arnold’s name will appear.

Maybe, anyway. Because if two things were entirely unsurprising – that Tino Livramento was ruled out of the World Cup and that Alexander-Arnold was not summoned to replace him – they were extraordinary nonetheless. Alexander-Arnold plays for Real Madrid. He is a triple Champions League finalist, a double Premier League winner, a player who has been in both the FIFPro World XI and the Champions League’s team of the season. He is the defender who has made the most goals in Premier League history. And he now seems, at most, England’s seventh-choice right-back.

Because he appears to be behind – perhaps in this order, perhaps not – Reece James, Livramento, Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah and Trevoh Chalobah, the man summoned to replace the luckless Newcastle defender. Had Chalobah been sidelined, perhaps the ultra-versatile James Garner would have been chosen ahead of Alexander-Arnold, too. Certainly, Tuchel had begun his reign by ranking Kyle Walker ahead of the Liverpudlian; Gareth Southgate did, too, but with the significant difference that Walker was terrific then. Tuchel ignored evidence of the roadrunner’s decline until last year’s defeat to Senegal presented irrefutable proof.

All of which suggests his attitude towards Alexander-Arnold has gone beyond the sphere of logic. Tuchel seems to want fewer distractions from his supporting cast, perhaps fewer questions why they are not playing. Alexander-Arnold was not the only big-name omission from the squad.

Yet if some of the back-ups were picked in part for their role off the pitch, there were always reasons to opt for the two finest right-backs. James’ quality on the ball makes it possible to construct an argument that, unlike many another countries, England might not necessarily need Alexander-Arnold’s passing and crossing skills. But Tuchel’s old ally is no stranger to injuries himself. Should the Chelsea captain be ruled out, the job of the reserve right-back is more than merely making up the numbers in training.

And then who plays right-back? Spence, presumably, for his pace going backwards. Yet if some of Tuchel’s squad construction appeared based on the notion of choosing two players for every position, his fondness for centre-backs who can fill in on the right seems to know no bounds. Konsa and Quansah are being joined by Chalobah.

The loss of Livramento was sadly foreseeable. He deserves plenty of sympathy; even at 23, there is no guarantee he has World Cups to come. But he is sadly injury-prone and missed the last month of the Premier League campaign, even before a calf problem curtailed his visit to the United States.

Then there is Alexander-Arnold, a world-class talent left to his own devices. And that ability tends to be displayed more on the ball than off it, and if Tuchel is not alone in harbouring doubts about his defensive abilities, it is nevertheless true that Liverpool, under first Jurgen Klopp and then Arne Slot, were able to achieve a great deal with him.

His shortcomings were rarely exposed (and one of those who did trouble him, Vinicius Junior, is now a club teammate, even if Tuchel may have noted he is a potential opponent in a possible World Cup quarter-final).

The German is not the first England manager to find Alexander-Arnold a quandary; but in Southgate’s time, he had Walker and Kieran Trippier at their peaks. It nevertheless feels a waste of quality that Alexander-Arnold began Euro 2024 in midfield and faces a World Cup at home.

An England career which has only yielded 34 caps in eight years has not seen his potential realised on the international stage. Yet he was arguably England’s finest player in the Lee Carsley interregnum. That seemed a breakthrough, after the end of the Walker-Trippier duopoly. Instead, James was the ultimate beneficiary.

And amid the focus on what Alexander-Arnold can’t do – or what he is perceived to lack, anyway – there may be insufficient emphasis on what he can do: the extreme creativity, the ability to play passes that only a handful of players on the planet can execute.

Which England could require, especially if James is sidelined. The first-choice right winger, Bukayo Saka, has injury issues of his own. Cole Palmer, who can cut in off the right to create, was another who did not make the cut under Tuchel. England could face a World Cup knockout tie with a right flank of Spence and Noni Madueke.

It is Tuchel’s way. But it feels a needless way of squandering the rare gifts of a unique player and it might cost England.

Trevoh Chalobah has been called up to replace the injured Tino Livramento in England’s World Cup squad.

Livramento’s injury is an early blow for Thomas Tuchel’s preparations for the tournament, coming just one day before the Three Lions’ opener against Croatia in Dallas.

Tuchel can replace Newcastle full-back Livramento in the squad with a deadline of 9pm (BST) on Tuesday – 24 hours before England’s first game of the tournament – and Chelsea defender Chalobah is on his way to the United States.

Chalobah is not expected to be involved against Croatia, but will be available for subsequent group matches against Ghana and Panama.

Livramento, 23, who can play at right back or left back, was seen as a back-up option for Reece James and Nico O’Reilly, who are set to start against Croatia.

Nonetheless, losing Livramento’s versatility ahead of the biggest World Cup ever will be tough for Tuchel to take. Other options at wing back already in the squad include Jarrell Quansah, Ezri Konsa and Djed Spence. Centre back Dan Burn can also fill in at left back.

As for who takes Livramento’s place in the 26-man squad, Chalobah is seen as likely to step in over Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has not made a Tuchel squad since last summer.

Fifa regulations state that a player can be replaced in the 26-man squad up to 24 hours before that side’s first game of the tournament, but only from the 55-man “provisional” list submitted before the tournament.

For Livramento, it is a hammer blow. The World Cup was his first major tournament call-up and the defender has five caps to his name. He also came on in England’s warm-up win against New Zealand 10 days ago.

The Chicago Bulls are the latest NBA team to choose their leader moving forward. Billy Donovan parted ways with the team in April, and the search for the next head coach of the prestigious franchise began shortly after. The Bulls were reportedly down to four candidates: Micah Nori, Ryan Schmidt, Wes Unseld Jr., and Tiago Splitter. The nearly two-month search came to an end Monday when Chicago decided on Splitter as its next head coach.

MORE: Stephen A. Smith publicly apologizes to NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson on national television

Splitter’s Coaching History

After Chauncey Billups was arrested on gambling charges in October, Splitter became the interim head coach of the Trail Blazers, stepping into his first head coaching role since entering the NBA coaching ranks. He was previously hired as an assistant coach in Portland in June. Splitter led the Blazers to their first playoff berth since the 2020-21 season.

Prior to that, Splitter joined the Nets in 2019 as a scout and player development coach. He remained in Brooklyn until 2023 before joining Ime Udoka’s staff in Houston. There, he became one of Udoka’s top assistants, which helped earn him the head coaching job with Paris Basketball during the 2024-25 EuroLeague season. Splitter also spent seven years in the NBA as a player, helping the Spurs win the 2014 NBA championship.

Why Splitter?

Chicago could have gone in several different directions with this hire, as there were still plenty of qualified names available. It seemed like the Bulls wanted a fresh face to lead their young roster, and Splitter fits that description. While he hasn’t been a full-time NBA head coach before, he showed real promise during his interim stint in Portland and in his role with Paris Basketball.

The Bulls were also linked to Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, who is relatively young but lacks head coaching experience. They could have stayed in-house and promoted assistant Wes Unseld Jr., but Unseld already had an opportunity as a head coach in Washington and struggled to find success.

Splitter gives Chicago a little bit of everything: a successful coaching background, former playing experience, and a younger voice to connect with a developing roster.

When it’s all said and done, the Bulls may have found their coach for years to come. It could be exactly what Chicago needs to help revive a franchise in desperate need of success.

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

The Football Association will decide their position on another term for Fifa president Gianni Infantino during a “board review... in due course”, according to chief executive Mark Bullingham.

A number of federations have already endorsed the controversial Swiss official, despite numerous issues around this World Cup and growing dissent within Fifa as a consequence.

The Independent reported last week that multiple sources had spoken of impressions being made on them to support Infantino.

They also come amid some misgivings about term limits, given that the Fifa president again being re-elected in 2027 without challenge would ensure he eventually completes 15 years in the role – precisely the kind of longevity that predecessors Sepp Blatter and Joao Havelange had been criticised for.

There is a growing feeling that Infantino has pushed the constants of his position too far, most notably in the proximity to the Donald Trump administration and the awarding of the Fifa Peace Prize.

Bullingham nevertheless stated that the FA have not yet set out their position.

“That’s a board review that we will do in due course,” the chief executive told media at England’s Kansas City base.

There has been some frustration within fan groups like the Football Supporters Association that the FA have not used their position to be more vocal on ticket prices, which has been one of the major issues at this World Cup. The body would insist that their lobbying helped bring the introduction of the cheaper Category 4 tickets, although a further issue is that there have been so few of them, only going to the dedicated fans that attend the majority of away games.

“All our fans are important to us but the most important fans are the top cappers who follow us everywhere,” Bullingham said. “My understanding is the vast majority of them are going to be able to make it. I think the $60 ticket has had a positive effect on that. If you add it up throughout the tournament it’s 130,000 so it is a concession.

“Among the top cappers, you certainly want them there, they generate the atmosphere and as I understand it the vast majority of them will be able to make it.

“We’re really confident this World Cup will be a success, I understand that before any major sports event – Olympics, World Cup, whatever – there’s a lot of stories that are flying around. Once the football starts in earnest it will be a success, the country will get behind it and our fans that do come out will have a great experience.”

Asked whether the FA’s position on Infantino was in any way determined by this World Cup’s success or failure, and meeting projected revenues of $14bn, Bullingham pointed to wider Fifa politics.

“It’s funny though, when you look at it through the lens of other countries, there’s a lot of countries for whom Fifa is their main source of revenue,” added Bullingham. “So their priority is raising money.

“Obviously we’re fortunate enough that the Fifa money that we get is a relatively small proportion of our money. I think it’s 0.5 per cent or something like that. For other countries, I’d say it’s probably 70-80 per cent. So if someone’s increasing their revenue, obviously it allows them to do more sport development, so they’d have a different perspective.”

Let me take you into my world in 1999. We thought the computers would take over then too. I thought I was in love with T. I also thought I was in love with L. E thought she was in love with me. Or, at least, someone kept calling my landline, palm over receiver, hanging up.

None of us loved each other like I loved the Knicks. Teenage love can’t stack up to fan heartbreak. My mother’s Canarsie bedroom was my secret haven with a mirrored wall-length closet and plush green wall-to-wall carpet. I hated the Spurs and we were facing them in the Finals via one-handed phenom Latrell Sprewell, Light-Skin-Always-In Allan Houston, and spindly-armed Marcus Camby. Larry Johnson was also on the tail end of his very decent career, and had been imported to get New York one step closer. He’d done just that.

Patrick Ewing, our Caribbean hero of the 80s and 90s, had run out of gas, and sat on the bench like a rusty tow truck on a country road.

There are no long odds when you’re young. The world unfolds like a series of wins, like my hands up T’s skirt on the L train, her grinning and breathing different. Like the doughy aroma of 6 a.m. Avenue L bagels.

Catching the bus by the straps of my backpack caught in the door. I didn’t know how to mourn yet. How disappointment sat in the lower intestine waiting to drag me to the sewer. I knew sadness through the Knicks and being Black and young and overlooked. But these were vague emotions, the kinds I recorded in the little raps stuffed in my math notebook. I knew sadness like I knew ghosts who kept me awake. They had no texture, only a chilly presence in rooms I needed to escape.

The night the Knicks won their only Finals game, I was hanging out with my mother in her beautiful boudoir, sitting on the floor. She had laid on the bed in her curlers and bonnet, invested but not as knowledgeable once Ewing, the Jamaican, had faded into his sunset. I have to look at the box scores to remember all of it, but the expansive letdown started that evening as a kernel of light in my chest and kept widening until it poured out of my ears.

They barely held on to scratch out the win. No Knick shot well. I felt stymied, like I’d been tricked into believing something unlikely and cruel. As Michael Jordan’s career had ended, I thought, “We’re up next, obviously” not realizing ‘next’ could mean ‘never.’

Then Tim Duncan entered the picture. Then LeBron James. Steph Curry. A lot of stars were better than the Knicks, and shined brighter lights. They were also giants who shunned playing for a team that had more commercial wins outside of Madison Square Garden than in it.

That didn’t stop them from celebrating on our logos, stomping out our dreams. Duncan and company grabbed their first title in New York, and it’s like the basketball world left the Orange and Blue behind while each great went to the dance. Curry lit up 7th Avenue with 54 points in his debutante performance. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant bested each other’s 50-point outpourings during the same dismal season.

We sunk to the lowest rung of sports fandom: watching home games to witness other players.

A certain forlornness can be excused when you live in a walkable city, webbed with taxi stands and bikeways, local and express trains. The Big Apple’s protective of both your anonymity and your simultaneous, constant need for attachment and noise.

No worry.

Sirens will always drown out the quiet of your soul’s saddest depths.

---

Then, there was the night. That night. With the greatest comeback in basketball history. The greatest comeback of my life, too, though.

Life ain’t been no crystal stair for New Yorkers, for Knicks, for me. A couple days after the president dragged his demonic sludge through the place, some magic happened.

There are those who’ll tell you magic doesn’t exist. They’ll scoff at your altars and demolish your prayers. They’ll call your hope foolishness and their cynicism wisdom.

It’s the opposite. You have to reach the far edge of life, cliffhanging, roiling in apathy and sorrow to realize that faith is the only deliverance.

The Knickerbockers delivered an entire city, bred and masted at the maw of hell, to a single ecstatic reality: no hope is too silly. No dream will flourish unwritten. With 12 minute stretches of basketball, a game where the turns of a literal sphere dictate your pulse, the New York Knicks purged an entire city’s trauma.

Your world can exist in a bounce.

Then they won the championship. I was with my boys, from post-college, from the smoke-filled rooms, from the days where some left their dreams hanging just as thick as the weed in the air. We hugged and we cried and we FaceTimed. One of my best friends has two sons who now love basketball because they watch their dad break down the game and all the life to be learned from it. The thought alone tightens my rib cage around my swelling heart and produces the flood.

This year’s been really hard. My father died and — because of our difficult relationship— I refused to ID his body. The brutal mist of funeral home formaldehyde almost sucked my pupils out of their sockets as I signed his death certificate. Then I was laid off from my job for no reason. I had to accept my reality, but not lose my spirit in the agonies of a professional game.

I wrote. I wept. I exercised. In private.

But sometimes neither life nor fantasy is enough. My love for the Knicks occupies that indefinable space between improbable imaginary wins and heavy, cold stuck-ness.

Take, for example, their contradictions:

They’re run by a famously stingy, out-of-touch owner, James Dolan, but led by a star who took an enormous, unheard of pay cut to enlist his college bros to play with him.

They preside over the “World’s Most Famous Arena” but have long struggled to bring glory to it.

Their team is staffed by 8-figure millionaires, none of them classic “stars” — more like redemption stories, grinders, and hardheads who have few individual pro awards but plenty proof of their commitment to each other.

Knick fans — and this must be said — are almost exactly like New York itself: a group of transplants, recent arrivals, and dreamers contending against a league of old diehards, long rooted residents, and tastemakers. Miami financiers and Brooklyn plumbers. Astoria graphic designers and Long Island realtors. Only abiding by the paper chase.

Yet we manage to get along in the spirit of never quitting before the finish.

We have seen the valleys, trust. Karl-Anthony Towns is a befuddling and dazzling player. Prone to foul trouble and mental absences, he stirs the ire of crazies and critics alike. At one point during this epic season, he seemed pouty, dissatisfied with his role and terrified to be traded. That seemed to coincide with his engagement to a socialite and Kardashian familiar, Jordyn Woods. When the Knicks could’ve been hitting their stride, both he and the fanbase worried about the Towns tenure. He would be just another in the litany of stars who jumped on the wagon past their prime, carrying away with him more hope refuse. Amaré Stoudemire Lite.

Mikal Bridges also seemed degraded to pure fossil fuel, unable to convert his usual shorthand flick shot against Atlanta in first round. The fans banished him to Governor’s Island despite his penchant for late-game heroics. He’d turned from stud to dud when the playoffs came. John Starks Redux.

Before he was 2026 Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, he was tunnel-vision Brunson in my living room and others. “He can’t keep trying to shoot over everyone.” “Why does Jalen force the action so much when he can’t beat the D?” “That’s not the shot we want!” The very qualities we watched in awe became the bad luck omen we’d feared. A star-less franchise, we couldn’t afford another MacBeth-like arc. A Carmelo Anthony Incarnate.

Forget rewriting legacies. The team who entered the 2026 Playoffs looked like another reference stub for the endless index of futile years past. Hash marks on an old slab. The drudgery of real life where imaginary wins are all most of us get.

---

That’s how I entered my friend Shak’s place, after a Lyft Citibike ride from Greenpoint to Bed Stuy, and heavy with dread that this would be the loss that turned the series bleak. My basketball cohort has grayed so we don’t run threes in the parks anymore. Bad knees and separate lives. Things change in an instant.

So then how do we rewrite love? A reunion on championship night.

His wife, C, let us in on a spell she’d cast the other night, during the Big Comeback.

“Whatever you want to happen, just say it to the T.V. I promise this works.”

I tried it. “Jalen’s gonna get 44, 45 tonight.”

“Mitch got that rebound! Yea, let’s go Mitch!” And we forgave the players their flaws, that they flop against talented foes. We zeroed in on the Spurs pups, non-shooting bursts of vigor.

“He’s gonna miss that free throw.”

“Let him shoot that, that’s what we want.”

The tidal wave of New York magic started to lift our guys and sink theirs. Instead of preparing for the restless aches of more loss, we froze in consensus joy.

We were about to do it. As the buzzer sounded, the spell’s final chant came.

“We did it! I can’t believe we did it!”

Had we really done it?

Yes.

It’s true they had practiced, lived for the game, moved coasts and roles as athletes. But it was in order to leave the worrying, wishing, and hoping to us. Unlike Midwest industrial haunts or South Atlantic brewery hubs, New York’s powered equally by 80s gold chain hip-hop and 80s Wall Street cocaine.

We are violence and friction and maybe, by will of our pessimism — the bulky sense that nothing good is allowed to happen to you as a New Yorker — we found an exception. The Knicks should win because we need a win more than anywhere else.

We are addicted to opioids too. We’ve been priced out of our homes and jobs by corporations and their robots. We don’t know what the hell is going on but shit keeps changing without getting cheaper, easier, or smarter. Nothing feels like rest.

Until today.

---

I walked up to Fancy Free on Lafayette for Spike’s Annual Block Party. It was 18 hours after the Knicks had won the championship when I’d strolled Tompkins Ave in Bed Stuy. I’d never seen so many new New Yorkers like that night.

It scared me. The neighborhood had been majority Black all my life but you wouldn’t know it that Saturday.

Shit keeps changing.

As our group huddled near Herbert Von King Park, we noticed that the main people screaming “Knicks in five” were young and white with mullets. They were rolling in packs. New York looked like a small town, people remarked, but more like a college town in Iowa than a steel town in Jacksonville.

At Fancy Free the next day, the OGs sang hip hop standards. Biggie’s “Warning” and Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones.” Songs made from struggle and grit and crime. We are violence and friction so the songs from that time lay us bare. I snapped pictures of jubilation in graying locs and bamboo earrings. Nike sneakers and Oakley jerseys. I guess we were at a survivor’s rally and we could fit the whole group into a neat quarter-block right off the corner of BAM.

I wanted to let out the flood and couldn’t.

---

Before and since the Knicks won, I’ve made love. I’ve wept. I’ve sat one hundred percent still. Life has almost nothing left to give me, I figure. I’ve experienced so many rushes as a New Yorker, most from tragedy and sin.

Before and since the Knicks won, I’ve raged. I’ve screamed at a screen that wouldn’t let me in, composed and erased the same text, wondered if me and all the lovers ever loved each other. I’ve passed exes like commuters on a train and forced myself to forget where ecstasy lived.

But I’ll be damned if since the Knicks won, I didn’t think of the wonderful, hopeful, broken and broke-down New York loves who cursed that team with me. I’ll be damned if I didn’t spend the three nights, after the three decades waiting, holding back the flood.

I’ve constructed an entire personality on my relationship to disappointment. I have outsmarted, outfoxed, and denied hope. I have convinced the small light flickering inside me that it is the worst type of fiction: a false god ready to snatch me away. Secretly, I prepared for a humble life because I saw my child-self tearing up every time he lost. I didn’t want to do that to him so we both stopped praying.

Since the Knicks won, I don’t know what do with myself.

​College football 2026: Preseason top 25 rankings, bowl projections, All-Americans and more originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

College football continues to navigate extreme changes off the field. 

The debate around the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 aims at the long-term health of the sport – including NIL, the transfer portal and eligibility concerns. While college football leaders continue to debate playoff expansion, changes to the sport continue to be a challenge. 

What hasn't changed? The product on the field should be exciting in 2026. Indiana is the defending national champion – a nod to just how much that landscape has changed in the 12-team College Football Playoff era. 

What's in store for 2026? A wide-open national championship race, for starters. Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon are among the national title contenders from the Big Ten. Georgia and Texas also will be in the mix along with Notre Dame. All of those schools have top-shelf quarterbacks, too. 

The College Football Playoff begins on Dec. 18. The semifinals will be played at the Capital One Orange Bowl and Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 14-15. The College Football Playoff championship game is on Jan. 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. 

We're here to get you prepared for all that and more. With that, Sporting News will have preseason top 25 rankings, bowl projections, All-Americans and more to get you ready for the start of the 2025 season: 

SN Preview Magazine

The Sporting News College Football 2026 Preview magazine is available to order now. The preview magazine made its return this summer. It features more than 150 team previews from the FBS to the FCS, and it contains in-depth features on the top storylines heading into the 2026 college football season. Get your copy today! 

College football rankings: SN's preseason top 25

Sporting News' post-spring Top 25 is out, and we have defending national champion Indiana at No. 1 heading into the 2026 college football season. Here is a sneak peek at our top 10: 

• 1. Indiana
• 2. Ohio State
• 3. Georgia
• 4. Texas
• 5. Notre Dame 
• 6. Oregon
• 7. Miami 
• 8. Ole Miss 
• 9. Oklahoma 
• 10. USC 

Is that too much hype for Texas and Notre Dame heading into 2026? Who made the rest of SN's preseason top 25? How will that compare with the AP Preseason Top 25 and Coaches Poll later this summer? 

College Football Playoff expansion   

The College Football Playoff made a few tweaks to the 12-team College Football Playoff heading into 2026-27. Here is how the CFP will work this season, in terms of seeding and automatic qualifiers. What's next? Will the College Football Playoff expand to 24 teams in the future? We have a strong opinion on that. 

Ranking top college quarterbacks for 2025

Who is the best college football quarterback in 2026? It's a loaded class that features several potential first-round picks. Ohio State's Julian Sayin is a returning Heisman finalist. Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss and Oregon's Dante Moore led their teams to the CFP. Miami's Darian Mensah is the top transfer QB, and Notre Dame's CJ Carr and Texas' Arch Manning are early Heisman favorites. And there's also that Brendan Sorsby guy down at Texas Tech. Who is our top QB among that loaded field? Check out our top 25 QBs for 2026, and we also ranked the QB rooms for the ACC (and Notre Dame) , Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. 

College football coach rankings (1-138)

North Dakota State and Sacramento State join the FBS this season – meaning there are 138 FBS coaches to grade during the season. How do those coaches stack up in the rankings right now? We have a new No. 1 with Indiana coach Curt Cignetti. Is that the right call over Georgia's Kirby Smart or Ohio State's Ryan Day? Where does Lane Kiffin – who left Ole Miss for LSU – fit in our ranking? Sporting News 1-138 Coach Rankings for 2026 answers the question here. We broke out the top 25 coaches on a separate list here. 

SEC, Big Ten schedule rankings 

Florida had the toughest schedule in the SEC the last two seasons. Who has the toughest slate in the conference – which moved to a nine-game conference schedule this season? What about the Big Ten? We'll have full schedule rankings for the SEC and Big Ten this week. 

2027 NFL Draft Big Board

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith's draft value has been discussed since his freshman year. Will the Buckeyes' star receiver be the first pick in the 2027 NFL Draft? Or will Manning be first among a loaded QB class for 2027? A look at our 2027 NFL Draft Big Board – which will be updated throughout the season. 

Playoff and bowl projections for 2026-27

There will be 40 bowl games involving FBS teams in the 2026-27 season – and that does not include the first-round, on-campus games for the College Football Playoff. Sporting News will have complete bowl projections and 12-team College Football Playoff picks later this month. 

SN Preseason All-American team 

Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore is one of the few returners from Sporting News' 2025 All-America Team. We will release our Preseason All-America team later this summer. Remember, Sporting News is one of five outlets used to determine consensus All-American status at the end of the season. 

SN 140

Sporting News celebrates its 140th anniversary this year – and our college football coverage is a huge part of our publication's history. Later this summer, we will honor the greatest teams, All-Americans and more heading into the 2026 season as part of our celebration.

Former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Dino Toppmoeller has been appointed Lens coach after Pierre Sage left for Crystal Palace, the French Ligue 1 club said on Tuesday.

The 45-year-old German was sacked by Eintracht in January after four years at the helm, during which he guided them to the Champions League.

Toppmoeller, who was assistant to Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, has signed a deal until 2028 to replace Sage, who joined Palace on Monday.

"Dino has exactly the profile we were looking for," Lens sporting director Jean-Louis Leca said in a statement.

"His experiences in Germany, alongside international players and top-level coaching staff allowed him to enrich his career and refine his tactical approach."

Lens will play in the Champions League next season after finishing second to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 last term.

rbo/ig/sbk/jc/iwd

Noni Madueke believes the World Cup could be a tournament for substitutes as England prepare for their big kick-off against Croatia on Wednesday.

Thomas Tuchel has strength in depth in the 26-man squad heading to Dallas on Tuesday ahead of their Group L opener.

Madueke is vying with Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka for a starting spot on the right, but there will be some big names on the bench with Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham all competing for spots in Tuchel’s starting XI.

With the heat and truncated games due to water breaks, matches could be won by players coming off the bench.

“I feel like we have such an amazing team, where everybody knows how good they are,” Madueke told talkSPORT.

“So it’s not like you’re going to be on the bench and you’re rubbish.

“It might be that the opponent suits one player better, or someone is in form.

“But if you look at the last game (against Costa Rica), how the subs came on and won the game for us so easily, that’s the strength in depth we have.

“It’s going to be crucial for this time.”

Madueke was picked for his versatility, with the England management team liking his ability to play on both wings.

He has performed well for England under Tuchel and believes he is on the way to becoming one of the best wingers in the world, knowing he needs to add more goals to his game.

“I want to be more ruthless. I feel like to go to that level where I’m one of the best wingers in the world, I need to score more, need to assist more,” he added.

“I feel like I do so much for the team, irrespective of that. But definitely, as a winger, you want to score as much as possible.

“If I could score every game, I would.

“I feel like the level I’m at now, that’s the next step to go to. And I’ll definitely get to that.”

PA

Chess legend and avid football fan Magnus Carlsen predicted on Tuesday that Norway would "hammer" Iraq in their World Cup opener -- and could go on to reach the quarter-finals.

The highest ranked chess player of all time is in Hong Kong this week to play in the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championships beginning Wednesday. 

But the Norwegian and devoted football fan will push his preparation for the tournament to one side to keep a close eye on the World Cup, despite the time difference from North America meaning some matches will kick off in the early hours. 

Norway, back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998, begin their group campaign against Iraq at 6:00 am Hong Kong time on Wednesday (2200 GMT Tuesday).

Despite the early hour, Carlsen will be tuning in to watch his countrymen -- spearheaded by talismanic attacker Erling Haaland, who loves a game of chess when not banging in goals.

"I will be up early anyway, so I will 100 percent watch the game live," Carlsen told AFP.

Football follower Carlsen did not think the World Cup would be too distracting when his WR Team defend their world blitz crown this week and look to add the world rapid title.

"At this point I don't really wake up or stay up for World Cup games. But, when it's Norway (I do) 100 percent," added the five-time world champion, who is a huge fan of Real Madrid.

Football and chess have become surprise bedfellows in recent months, with many players at the World Cup taking to the ancient board game in their spare time.

Norway goalscorer Haaland has recently invested in a ground-breaking new chess tour.

Egypt forward Mo Salah said he was "addicted" to the game, while Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard and England striker Eberechi Eze are keen players, with the latter winning an amateur tournament in 2025.

- Chess, football crossover -

The games are more similar than people might think, said Carlsen.

"Strategy, chess and football, it's not that different really," he said.

"It's about trying to control certain areas. Of course, football is a much more dynamic game and there are certain random elements that may come in.

"But the core principles are the same -- like being able to switch from one side to another, like often overloading and then switching the play, probing certain areas and controlling the middle.

"Certain teams, like Arsenal, they like to have as little left to chance as possible and to have their gameplay resemble a game of chess.

"As much as I don't like watching that team, I can appreciate the thought behind it."

Carlsen has high hopes for Norway after they dominated a World Cup qualifying group containing Italy by winning all eight games to reach the finals for the first time in 28 years. 

Haaland bagged 16 of free-scoring Norway's 37 goals in their qualifying campaign, with many created by the midfield driven by Odegaard.

Carlsen expects the goals to keep flowing from the chess-loving Norwegians.

"First of all, we will hammer Iraq in the first game and then we'll pretty much be through after that," Carlsen predicted.

Norway then face potentially tougher Group I games against Senegal and France, but the chess grandmaster expects them to reach the knockout phase.

- 'Slight underdogs' -

"My current prediction is that we will make it to the round of 16 and, from there on, it's probably we're going to be slight underdogs," he said.

Carlsen said it would be fascinating to measure Norway's form against the world's best at the global showpiece.

"I think it's very hard to say, to be honest," said Carlsen of what to expect from manager Stale Solbakken's squad.

"I think there's a very clear first tier of a few teams," said Carlsen. 

"And then I'm not sure whether Norway is kind of towards the bottom side of that second tier or we're in the third tier.

"But I think the quarter-finals are a somewhat realistic goal and, you know, once you get there, anything can happen."

dh/lga

An England fan has quit his chef job to extend his stay in the United States to support the Three Lions at the World Cup.

Ben King, 27, said “it’s got to be done” as he and friends talked up England’s chances.

He said he had lined up a new job three months ago, allowing him to stay in Texas until after the opening Croatia fixture before returning to work.

Asked if he would return to the US if England reach the latter stages of the competition, Mr King, who is based in Portsmouth, said: “I’ve already left one job to come out here.

“I was meant to fly home yesterday, but I left my job, got a new job three months ago and now I’m going home after the England game.

“So yeah, I left it and got to stay out a bit longer. It’s got to be done.

“I’ve looked at weighing up staying a little bit longer but I just can’t with work, otherwise I would.”

His friend Joe Parrott, 28, added: “The problem is, we might just not go home. You could stay here a lifetime.”

Mr Parrott described the ticket prices to games as “outrageous”, with the friends declining to try and attend Argentina’s match against Austria at the AT&T stadium due to the cost.

Speaking from Billy Bob’s in Dallas Fort Worth, Mr Parrott said: “Obviously the tickets to a game are a disgrace, the price you pay for tickets.

“The flights are what they are – I think we paid about £900 which is expensive but it’s not overpriced – but tickets, outrageous.”

His brother Sam Parrott, 25, added: “The actual cost of stuff out here has been all right, it’s just the game tickets.”

Joe, who predicts England to win the tournament, continued: “The resale value of tickets doesn’t make it easy for anyone to go to games.

“We were thinking of going to the Argentina game but the ticket prices, what do you do?

“If you look at the Qatar World Cup and previous World Cups, they were nowhere near as expensive.”

A friend and former teammate of Rob Burrow said there is "still plenty of work we have got to do for the MND community" ahead of a charity fixture in his memory.

Ryan Hall was given a tour of the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, based at Seacroft Hospital, on Monday.

It comes as the Rhinos prepare to host their annual MND Awareness game in memory of Burrow, who died with the disease in 2024 aged 41.

"Even though Rob has passed and the centre is up and running it doesn't mean the job is over," said Hall, who was a teammate of Burrow's from 2007 to 2017.

"There's still plenty of work we have got to do for the MND community," he added.

Rhinos, who currently sit top of Super League, will pay tribute to Burrow when they host Hall's former club Hull KR at Headlingley Stadium on 26 June.

The hosts will wear a specially designed shirt for the clash featuring a blue cornflower, which the club said had "become a symbol of MND because of its fragile appearance but hardy nature".

The shirt was designed by Cath Muir, an artist living with MND, with £10 from each sale going towards the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, which opened in November.

For Hall, whose mother-in-law worked as an MND nurse at Leeds General Infirmary, visiting the centre was a bittersweet experience.

'Special bond'

"It's not a great reason why his name is being used but it's used in the best way possible because everyone knows a bit more about MND now," he said.

Hall and Burrow were Rhinos teammates for a decade until the latter retired in 2017.

Hall recalled the "little things" Burrow did for younger members of the team - like covering the cost of a coffee after training for those not earning a senior salary - which "showed what sort of bloke he was".

"Them little things translate onto the pitch," said Hall, now 38 and in his second spell with the club.

"When you go through some highs and lows in your rugby career you create a special bond. The rugby doesn't finish on the rugby field, you create friends for life."

Hall added: "Kev [Sinfield] has been doing what he's been doing and we have been doing what we have been doing because it's the right thing to do for a mate."

He reserved praise for Sinfield, another former teammate, who last week received a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours.

Sinfield has raised more than £11m to aid research and support families affected by MNDisease since Burrow's diagnosis with the incurable condition in 2019.

"It couldn't go towards a better bloke," said Hall.

"I speak for all the Rhinos that we are so proud of him for doing everything he has done."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

More on this story

• Sinfield knighted and six Lionesses made MBEs
• 'Don't waste a moment' - Rob Burrow's final message
• As it happened: Rob Burrow Leeds MND centre opens doors

More shelter and extra seats will be provided at this year's Royal Ascot, with the 5-day event starting on Tuesday.

An additional 1,580sqm of shade and rain cover has been installed, while 1,789 more seats have been provided - an increase of almost a fifth from last year.

A new circular structure, which has been used at the Tomorrowland music festival in Belgium, has also been installed in the Village enclosure.

Spokesperson Will Aitkenhead said the extra seating was "due to customer feedback from last year".

In 2025, dozens of people required medical assistance because of heat-related illness.

Temperatures reached 29.7C (85F) but organisers said they were expecting it to be cooler this week.

Free water will again being provided, with 25 hydration stations on site.

• More news from Berkshire
• Watch the latest episode of South Today
• Listen to the latest news from Berkshire

More on this story

• Racecourse's 'substantial' solar system completed
• Ticket touts outside Royal Ascot to be fined

Related internet links

• Royal Ascot

The World Cup sees 48 nations divided into 12 groups for the first time in the tournament’s long history.

Co-hosts Mexico, USA and Canada are the top seeds in Groups A, B and D respectively, while Scotland are in Group C with Brazil, Morocco and Haiti, and England are all the way down in Group L with Croatia, Ghana and Panama.

The top two sides in each group will qualify for the World Cup’s first ever round of 32, as will the eighth best third-place teams. Just three points could be enough for some teams to reach the knockout stages.

There will be 104 matches, up 40 since Qatar World Cup 2022, while Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo likely to play on this stage for the last time in their glittering careers.

Here are all the fixtures, results and latest group standings:

The World Cup began in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, the site of Diego Maradona’s most famous and infamous goals against England at the 1986 World Cup.

It was also the venue for two classic World Cup finals: Brazil’s win over Italy in 1970 which included Carlos Alberto’s iconic team goal to cap a 4-1 win; and Argentina’s 3-2 win over West Germany in 1986, where Jorge Burruchaga grabbed an 84th-minute winner.

Mexico and Canada will host 13 games in each, and the United States will host 78.

From the quarter-finals onwards, the US will host all of the remaining matches, with the final in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Who will win the World Cup?

Football’s biggest question is back – and the debate is already heating up. England’s new golden generation, Argentina’s defending champions, France’s relentless depth and Spain’s evolving young side all have strong claims to glory at the World Cup.

Now it’s your turn: who do you think will lift the trophy?

The race for the golden boot at World Cup 2026 is expected to be fierce, with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Lamine Yamal all leading contenders to finish as the tournament’s top scorer.

France captain Mbappe and England skipper Kane are the previous two winners of the award, after all. Mbappe scored eight in 2022, including a hat-trick in the final, while Kane struck six for England in 2018.

The first ever 48-team World Cup features an additional round of 32, offering the world’s top strikers an additional opportunity of bagging an extra goal as they dream of embarking on a deep run into the tournament.

If players are tied for goals, the number of assists will determine who ranks higher. If there is still a tie, it comes down to minutes played and the goals-per-minute ratio. Here are the latest 2026 World Cup golden boot standings.

World Cup golden boot standings

=1. Folarin Balogun (USA), two goals

=1. Kai Havertz (Germany), two goals

=1. Yasin Ayari (Sweden), two goals

=1. Elijaj Just (New Zealand), two goals

The biggest World Cup ever has arrived, with 104 games set to take place over the next five weeks, as the US, Canada and Mexico host football’s most-prestigious competition.

Fans in the UK will naturally be keen to follow England and Scotland’s progress at the tournament, but every single game in the competition will be available to watch on free-to-air TV for UK viewers – meaning you can watch more than just the Three Lions’ and Tartan Army’s endeavours.

Of course, you do have to factor in the time difference, with the kinder kick-off times including slots at 6pm BST and 8pm BST, while there are games throughout the night for UK viewers.

Here’s how you can watch every game at the 2026 World Cup on the BBC and ITV – and STV in Scotland.

World Cup 2026 TV schedule, UK

Thursday 11 June

Mexico 2-0 South Africa (Group A)

Friday 12 June

South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic (Group A)

Canada 1-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Group B)

Saturday 13 June

USA 4-1 Paraguay (Group D)

Qatar 1-1 Switzerland (Group B)

Brazil 1-1 Morocco (Group C)

Sunday 14 June

Haiti 0-1 Scotland (Group C)

Australia 2-0 Turkey (Group D)

Germany 7-1 Curacao (Group E)

Netherlands 2-2 Japan (Group F)

Monday 15 June

Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador (Group E)

Sweden 5-1 Tunisia (Group F)

Spain 0-0 Cape Verde (Group H)

Belgium 1-1 Egypt (Group G)

Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay (Group H)

Tuesday 16 June

Iran 2-2 New Zealand (Group G)

France vs Senegal (Group I) – 8pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Iraq vs Norway (Group I) – 11pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Wednesday 17 June

Argentina vs Algeria (Group J) – 2am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Austria vs Jordan (Group J) – 5am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Portugal vs DR Congo (Group K) – 6pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

England vs Croatia (Group L) – 9pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Thursday 18 June

Ghana vs Panama (Group L) – 12am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Uzbekistan vs Colombia (Group K) – 3am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Czech Republic vs South Africa (Group A) – 5pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (Group B) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Canada vs Qatar (Group B) – 11pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Friday 19 June

Mexico vs South Africa (Group A) – 2am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

USA vs Australia (Group D) – 8pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Scotland vs Morocco (Group C) – 11pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Saturday 20 June

Brazil vs Haiti (Group C) – 2am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Turkey vs Paraguay (Group D) – 5am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Netherlands vs Sweden (Group F) – 6pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Germany vs Ivory Coast (Group E) – 9pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Sunday 21 June

Ecuador vs Curacao (Group E) – 1am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Tunisia vs Japan (Group F) – 5am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Spain vs Saudi Arabia (Group H) – 5pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Belgium vs Iran (Group G ) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Uruguay vs Cape Verde (Group H) – 11pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Monday 22 June

New Zealand vs Egypt (Group G) – 2am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Argentina vs Austria (Group J) – 6pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

France vs Iraq (Group I) – 10pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Tuesday 23 June

Norway vs Senegal (Group I) – 1am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Jordan vs Algeria (Group J) – 4am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Portugal vs Uzbekistan (Group K) – 6pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

England vs Ghana (Group L) – 9pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Wednesday 24 June

Panama vs Croatia (Group L) – 12am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Colombia vs DR Congo (Group K) – 3am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Qatar (Group B) – 8pm BST – ITV 4, ITV X

Switzerland vs Canada (Group B) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Morocco vs Haiti (Group C) – 11pm BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Scotland vs Brazil (Group C) – 11pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Thursday 25 June

Czech Republic vs Mexico (Group A) – 2am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

South Africa vs South Korea (Group A) – 2am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Curacao vs Ivory Coast (Group E) – 9pm BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Ecuador vs Germany (Group E) – 9pm BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Friday 26 June

Japan vs Sweden (Group F) – 12am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Tunisia vs Netherlands (Group F) – 12am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Paraguay vs Australia (Group D) – 3am BST – ITV 4, ITV X

Turkey vs USA (Group D) – 3am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Norway vs France (Group I) – 8pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Senegal vs Iraq (Group I) – 8pm BST – ITV 4, ITV X

Saturday 27 June

Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia (Group H) – 1am BST – ITV 4, ITV X

Uruguay vs Spain (Group H) – 1am BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Egypt vs Iran (Group G) – 4am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

New Zealand vs Belgium (Group G) – 4am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Croatia vs Ghana (Group L) – 10pm BST – ITV 4, ITV X

Panama vs England (Group L) – 10pm BST – ITV 1, ITV X, STV, STV Player

Sunday 28 June

Colombia vs Portugal (Group K) – 12.30am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (Group K) – 12.30am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Algeria vs Austria (Group J) – 3am BST – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Jordan vs Argentina (Group J) – 3am BST – BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

Round of 32 (Runner-up A vs Runner-up B) – 8pm BST – TBC

Sunday 29 June

Round of 32 (Winner C vs Runner-up F) – 6pm BST – TBC

Round of 32 (Winner E vs Third place A/B/C/D/F) – 9.30pm BST – TBC

Tuesday 30 June

Round of 32 (Winner F vs Runner-up C) – 2am BST – TBC

Round of 32 (Runner-up E vs Runner-up I) – 6pm BST – TBC

Round of 32 (Winner I vs Third place C/D/F/G/H) – 10pm BST – TBC

Wednesday 1 July

Round of 32 (Winner A vs Third place C/E/F/H/I) – 2am BST – TBC

Round of 32 (Winner L vs Third place E/H/I/J/K) – 5pm BST – TBC

Round of 32 (Winner G vs Third place A/E/H/I/J) – 9pm BST – TBC

Thursday 2 July

Round of 32 (Winner D vs Third place B/E/F/I/J) – 1am BST – TBC

Round of 32 (Winner H vs Runner-up J) – 8pm BST – TBC

Friday 3 July

Round of 32 (Runner-up K vs Runner-up L) – 12am BST – TBC

Round of 32 (Winner B vs Third place E/F/G/I/J) – 4am BST – TBC

Round of 32 (Runner-up D vs Runner-up G) – 7pm BST – TBC

Round of 32 (Winner J vs Runner-up H) – 11pm BST – TBC

Saturday 4 July

Round of 32 (Winner K vs Runner-up D/E/I/J/L) – 2.30am BST – TBC

Round of 16 – 6pm BST – TBC

Round of 16 – 10pm BST – TBC

Sunday 5 July

Round of 16 – 9pm BST – TBC

Monday 6 July

Round of 16 – 1am BST – TBC

Round of 16 – 8pm BST – TBC

Tuesday 7 July

Round of 16 – 1am BST – TBC

Round of 16 – 5pm BST – TBC

Round of 16 – 9pm BST – TBC

Thursday 9 July

Quarter-final – 9pm BST – TBC

Friday 10 July

Quarter-final – 8pm BST – TBC

Saturday 11 July

Quarter-final – 10pm BST – TBC

Sunday 12 July

Quarter-final – 2am BST – TBC

Tuesday 14 July

Semi-final – 8pm BST – TBC

Wednesday 15 July

Semi-final – 8pm BST – TBC

Saturday 18 July

Third-place play-off – 10pm BST – TBC

Sunday 19 July

Final – 8pm BST – TBC

Iran show resilience after politically charged World Cup opener

Iran and New Zealand did their best to let football do the talking in their politically-charged Group G match. A Fifa ban on Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag was upheld hours before kick-off, though thousands of Iranians sported the flag at the Los Angeles Stadium, while the Iranian national anthem was booed loudly. All this just hours after US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a US-Iran peace agreement. The All Whites produced a deadly combination in the shape of Chris Wood's outstanding hold-up play and the box-crashing runs of Elijah Just, who hit a double. But Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi ensured a deserved point in one of the games of the tournament so far.

Lukaku bails out Belgium against Egypt

Belgium, meanwhile, emerged from their opening game with Egypt with a point and a chance to grow into a tournament with clarity in attack. Emam Ashour overshadowed Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush after producing a goal of the tournament contender with a fizzing effort defeating Thibaut Courtois.

But a frantic Belgium eventually salvaged a point after Romelu Lukuku came off the bench, amid fitness concerns, with his mere presence forcing Mohamed Hany to put through his own net. Atalanta's Charles De Ketelaere had started, but now the Red Devils could pursue a familiar choice up top in Sunday's clash with Iran.

Spain slip-up opens possibility of Argentina last 32 clash

Déjà vu? Spain were left stunned in another examination of their style and whether it works without Lamine Yamal and, to a lesser extent Nico Williams. That's after Cape Verde held them in a goalless stalemate. It felt like a win for Cape Verde, a nation of approximately 500,000 people, while Spain's point feels like a loss, having entered the tournament as favourites. If not a crisis, there will be panic spreading throughout La Roja's camp. But 2010 saw them come unstuck against Switzerland and they went on to win the tournament, though 2014 was a thrashing at the hands of the Netherlands, with a more abrupt, painful consequence to end the tiki-taka era. It is too soon to dismiss Spain, but this slip pushes them towards a potential last 32 tie with Argentina in Miami, delicious for the neutral, though Spain's fans may view that prospect with outright trepidation.

Uruguay denied in reprieve for Spain

In the other Group H game, with Uruguay and Saudi Arabia handed a chance to launch a bid to top the group and send Spain into a probable last 32 tie with Argentina, Miami. But after threats of lightning in the area, both teams are still searching for a thunderous finish after a 1-1 stalemate. Abdulelah Al-Amri gave the Green Falcons the lead, but Uruguay fiercely hit back in the second half and deservedly earned a point thanks to Maxi Araujo. A reprieve for Spain, then.

So... that was four draws in one day for just the second time in World Cup history and the first time for 68 years.

The Davenport North Baseball team defeated Pleasant Valley 2-1 in 8 innings in game one on June 15.

PV came back and won the 2nd game 2-1 to split their MAC doubleheader.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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An interim heavyweight champion was crowned on Sunday in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main event. Ciryl Gane stopped former two-division titleholder Alex Pereira at The White House to become a two-time interim champion. The win set up a title unification bout against champion Tom Aspinall later this year.

Following Sunday's TKO win, Gane called for a rematch against the champion to take place in his hometown. "Next, everybody knows already. Let's do that in Paris in September," the Frenchman told Joe Rogan in his post-fight UFC Freedom 250 Octagon Interview.

On Monday, Aspinall agreed to the September matchup with Gane in Paris on his YouTube channel. "Paris in September? I'll do that. I'll do that," Aspinall said. "Let me know. ... I don't mind. I'll go to Paris. Let me know. I'll be there."

Gane and Aspinall first fought at UFC 321 last October. The fight ended late in the opening round and was ruled a no contest. A double eye poke rendered Aspinall unable to continue and the champion retained his belt. He continues to recover from an eye injury suffered from the pokes but expects to be cleared to spar in the near future.

"Ciryl Gane in Paris. Let's Go," said Aspinall.

Marcelo Bielsa was involved in an awkward exchange with a reporter at the World Cup on Monday which concluded with the Uruguay coach saying: "I'm not a model."

The 70-year-old Argentine was miffed after a journalist asked him about an official FIFA portrait following his side's disappointing 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in the Miami heat.

The colourful Bielsa -- nicknamed "El Loco" (mad man) -- was asked why he was looking downwards in the promotional video rather than straight into the lens.

There have been suggestions it might be some kind of protest.

"I don't have to give any explanation, the picture was taken the way it was taken," Bielsa fired back.

"I'm not a model."

Rather than leave it there, Bielsa continued: "No, no, I have no answer for that.

"Should I also explain why I don't look to the people who are speaking to me at this moment?"

Bielsa was then asked a different question, but he refused to let it go.

"There is a limit in terms of what we need to explain," he told his post-match press conference.

"If I'm wearing glasses, why am I wearing glasses?

"You look somebody in the eye, why do you do that?

He concluded: "There is nothing wrong about wearing glasses or looking into somebody's eyes or looking down."

Bielsa, whose long managerial career has taken in the Argentina job and club sides including Athletic Bilbao, Lazio and Leeds United, has his quirks and is known as a bit of a maverick.

They include sitting sometimes on an ice box on the sidelines during matches.

But he also widely respected among his peers, his bold attacking approach an inspiration to a younger generation of coaches including Pep Guardiola and USA boss Mauricio Pochettino.

bur-pst/rcw  

A 21-year-old man was arrested Monday for damaging a taxi in Manhattan during a wild celebratory revel following the Knicks’ victory in Game 4 of the NBA finals, cops said.

Saul Vargas of Saint Cloud, Florida was charged with criminal mischief for damaging the cab in the early hours Thursday morning.

Vargas was among a group of three men being sought for pummeling the cab parked at 36th St and Seventh Ave. around 12:35 a.m., about an hour after the Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit to secure a 3-1 lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals.

Video showed the vandals, including one man waving a Palestinian flag, jump onto a yellow cab, shattering the windshield. Vargas is accused of repeatedly whipping the cab’s hood with a belt, denting it, cops said.

The group also tried to flip the taxi over, police said.

The NYPD said 56 people were taken into custody in the hours following the end of Game 4, as large crowds of unruly fans formed at various spots north of MSG between Fifth and Eighth Avenues. Out of that number, 41 received criminal court summonses and were let go, while 15 were criminally charged and sent to court.

Fans also climbed on top of four NYPD vehicles, damaging their windows. Some also broke into a tractor trailer, stealing items inside.

Other videos show fans setting off fireworks in the street and getting quickly arrested.

Fans were accused of blocking traffic, fighting in the street, climbing on top of trucks and throwing bottles at police officers.

10 cops were injured in the chaos, including one officer who was struck by a thrown bottle, police said.

Another casualty of the post-game celebration was a 17-year-old boy beaten into a coma outside a bar near Madison Square garden.

Police believe that teen was attacked by a Twitch streamer who was screaming “Spurs in 7!” to get a reaction from the throngs of Knicks fans lining the streets and cheering on every point the home team made.

It’s not every day thing that an NFL rookie can grab his father’s World Championship Wrestling title belt for a preseason photo op.

However, Saints rookie receiver Brock Rechsteiner may have potentially set a new bar for rookie photoshoots, as he paid homage to his WWE Hall of Fame father, Scott Steiner.

The name may be familiar to wrestling fans over 25, as Steiner, real name Scott Rechsteiner, was a weekly fixture on WCW television in the 1980s and 90s alongside his brother Rick as the Hall of Fame tag team, The Steiner Bros.

After disbanding from the duo, Steiner would go on to become a singles wrestler in WCW, before the company would later go under, forcing the former WCW Champion to head back to the WWF before finally settling down in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling in Florida.

MORE: Xavier Legette tells harsh truth about future with Carolina Panthers

Rechsteiner, an undrafted free agent, signed with New Orleans on May 12 after a tryout with the team following a stint at the Tennessee Titans’ rookie camp.

The 6-foot-2 receiver played three seasons at Jacksonville State, tallying 629 yards and seven touchdowns on 53 catches.

While his stats were not eye-popping, Rechsteiner has been highly regarded for his athleticism, and ultimately, was the biggest factor in landing a spot on the New Orleans preseason roster.

Aside from his father, Brock’s cousin, Bronson, the son of Rick Steiner, is a current rising star in WWE, best known under the ring name Bron Breakker.

So there’s certainly a clear path for Rechsteiner to the world of WWE if he were to make the jump from the NFL.

In fact, he’s made it clear to New Orleans media that after his time in the NFL is over, the plan for him is to pursue a wrestling career.

“I want to do football as long as I can,” Rechsteiner explained to the media, “Once that’s done, I will pursue wrestling.”

With the 2026 NFL season still on the horizon, the former Jacksonville State product will continue to prepare with the Saints, but for fans of wrestling, do not be surprised to hear about Brock Rechsteiner in the future.

• Virgil van Dijk has criticised the use of hydration breaks during World Cup matches played in comfortable conditions.
• The Netherlands captain suggested the stoppages disrupt the flow of games and television viewing.
• FIFA introduced mandatory hydration breaks at the 2026 World Cup following concerns over extreme heat and player welfare.

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has questioned FIFA's decision to introduce mandatory hydration breaks at the 2026 World Cup, suggesting the stoppages are unnecessary in matches where weather conditions do not warrant them.

The Liverpool defender made the comments after the Netherlands' 2-2 draw against Japan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, a venue equipped with climate control systems and far removed from the extreme temperatures seen elsewhere during the tournament.

Asked for his thoughts on the breaks, Van Dijk indicated he was unconvinced by their widespread use.

"Hydration breaks are a bit interesting, because I was obviously watching almost all the games up until today, and every time going to commercial is a bit … Not really that I like it," Van Dijk said.

"I think for the neutral watchers on TV it's also not great. If it's really hot, obviously it would be good to put them in. But I think you have to look at it in every game, separately, in my opinion."

The 34-year-old then added: "But I think I've said enough already for that."

FIFA implemented three-minute hydration breaks in each half of every World Cup match after concerns emerged over player welfare during periods of extreme heat at last summer's expanded Club World Cup.

The policy has since generated debate across the tournament, with critics arguing the stoppages can disrupt momentum and create additional commercial opportunities for broadcasters.

Several television networks have opted to air advertisements during the breaks after FIFA approved the practice earlier this year.

The impact of the interruptions was also highlighted by Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann following his side's 7-1 victory over Curaçao.

Nagelsmann revealed the first-half hydration break gave Germany an opportunity to adjust tactically after struggling against Curaçao's unusual midfield shape.

"Curacao played with a diamond today, and we adjusted how we attacked before the hydration break," Nagelsmann said.

"But even so, there were still two or three moments where it took a little while because, at the end of the day, you actually very rarely play against a diamond-shaped team these days.

"Very few teams do that anymore, and we needed a bit of time. The water break was actually good to simply reiterate what we had already adjusted on the board."

While FIFA continues to defend the measure as a player welfare initiative, Van Dijk's comments add to a growing conversation about whether hydration breaks should be applied universally or determined on a match-by-match basis.

With temperatures varying significantly across host cities during the World Cup, the debate over balancing player safety, match rhythm and broadcast considerations is likely to remain a talking point throughout the tournament.

Why Brendan Sorsby and Texas Tech are parting ways as QB enters NFL's supplemental draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Brendan Sorsby's college football career is over.

Amid legal challenges to his eligibility after the NCAA tried to keep him off the field over gambling violations, Sorsby and Texas Tech have agreed to part ways, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.

Sorsby will enter the NFL's supplemental draft, becoming one of the most notable supplemental draft prospects in recent memory as teams weigh whether to take the talented but polarizing quarterback.

Here's what you need to know about Monday night's surprise development.

Why Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech are parting ways

Sorsby and Texas Tech are parting ways amid legal challenges and intense backlash to the district court ruling that restored his eligibility last week.

While Sorsby is currently eligible and was hoping last Monday's ruling by a judge in Lubbock would allow him to play in 2026, the decision sparked a wave of backlash from administrators, coaches and media members across the college football landscape.

Athletic directors at both Georgia and Nebraska vowed to boycott Texas Tech by refusing to schedule the Red Raiders in any sport, and the Big 12 sued the school Monday in an attempt to determine whether it had the legal power to sanction the program if Sorsby played.

Meanwhile, the NCAA was still fighting to make Sorsby ineligible again after the former Cincinnati quarterback admitted to gambling violations, including betting on his own team while at Indiana.

Here are more details on how the scandal has unfolded.

Brendan Sorsby controversy

After a lucrative NIL deal brought him from Cincinnati to Texas Tech over LSU and other suitors this offseason, Sorsby shook up the college football landscape when he entered rehab for a gambling addiction in late April.

Sorsby's gambling violations included dozens of bets on his own team when he played for Indiana as a freshman, and he admitted to using accounts owned by friends and family to avoid detection.

"I lost complete control of my addiction," Sorsby said in a statement. "I now realize the apps controlled me and I did not control them."

Despite betting on your own team being a serious violation in the NCAA's eyes and the organization ruling him ineligible, a district court judge overturned the NCAA's ruling in a decision that sent shockwaves through college football. After backlash, Sorsby is reversing course and won't play for Texas Tech in 2026.

Uruguay dominated but had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia in the sweltering heat of Miami on Monday to leave an intriguing Group H wide open.

The stalemate came hours after one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history when European champions Spain were held 0-0 by debutants Cape Verde in the same group.

After the first round of games in the pool all four teams have one point.

Defender Abdulelah al-Amri gave the Saudis a surprise lead near the end of the first half only for Uruguay's second-half pressure to pay off with 10 minutes left through Maxi Araujo.

Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay racked up 22 shots in the second period but the Saudi defence and goalkeeper Mohammed al-Owais doggedly held firm. 

"We should have won this match," said the colourful Argentine Bielsa, whose side play Cape Verde next.

"We weren't able to show the best version of ourselves," he added, admitting that his side only got going in the second half.

Uruguay, World Cup winners in 1930 and 1950, saw their arrival in the United States from Mexico delayed by a snag with the paperwork for their plane.

In evening temperatures of more than 30C and energy-sapping humidity, both teams struggled to create much in front of goal early on.

Just after the half-hour mark the Saudi stopper Owais was called into action for a second time to parry a diving header from close range by Federico Vinas.

The Saudis, who stunned eventual champions Argentina 2-1 to start their campaign at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, looked to hit their opponents on the break.

They had their first real opportunity shortly before half-time when Amri forced Fernando Muslera to palm away his fizzing shot. 

Four minutes before the break the defender did score, reacting fastest to poke home from close range after Muslera spilled a header from a corner.

- Uruguay finally come to life -

After a toothless first period, Bielsa had seen enough, dragging off defender Matias Vina and anonymous former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez.

Winger Agustin Canobbio and left-sided Juan Manuel Sanabria were introduced.

The double substitution sparked Uruguay -- who surprisingly did not play a single World Cup warm-up game -- into lift.

Saudi coach Georgios Donis, brought in just two months before the tournament, saw his team retreat farther and farther back. 

On the hour Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte pinged the ball against the foot of the Saudi post from well outside the box.

The pressure finally told late on when Owais made a mess of a routine stop and Araujo gobbled up the rebound.

There looked to be only one winner after that, but Saudi Arabia just about held on for a vital point.

bur-pst/rcw

The Texas Rangers are right in the thick of the American League West race, but they received some unfortunate news on Monday that could impact their push for the division crown or even a spot in the MLB playoffs. The Rangers announced that star shortstop Corey Seager has been placed on the injured list after suffering a concussion. Texas currently sits just one game behind the division leader, making Seager’s absence a significant blow as the team looks to gain ground in the standings. The injury occurred during the Rangers’ June 11 matchup against the Kansas City Royals, and after further evaluation, the club determined that a trip to the IL was necessary.

MORE: 5 MLB hitters underperforming based on their advanced metrics

Seager’s Impact Goes Beyond The Numbers

At first glance, Seager’s offensive numbers this season may not jump off the page. The veteran shortstop is batting just .186 through 47 games, a figure well below the standards he has established throughout his career. However, those numbers don’t tell the full story of his importance to the Rangers.

Even while struggling to consistently find hits, Seager has still provided power in the middle of the lineup, launching nine home runs while scoring 25 runs and driving in 24 more. More importantly, he remains one of the most respected players in the clubhouse and a leader on a roster filled with postseason aspirations.

Rangers Need Others To Step Up

Whenever a player of Seager’s caliber is sidelined, it creates a ripple effect throughout the lineup. The two-time World Series champion brings experience, leadership, and a calming presence during high-pressure situations. Those qualities are difficult to replace, especially for a team trying to chase down a division title.

Texas has managed to stay within striking distance of first place despite dealing with injuries throughout the season, but losing Seager adds another challenge to the equation. The Rangers will now need other veterans and young contributors alike to help fill the void until their star shortstop is ready to return.

Division Race Remains Tight

Despite the setback, Texas remains firmly in the playoff picture and well within reach of the top spot in the AL West. The Rangers have shown resilience all season long, and they’ll need more of that over the coming weeks as they navigate Seager’s absence.

For now, the focus shifts to his recovery and ensuring that one of the franchise’s most important players returns fully healthy for what the Rangers hope will be another postseason run.

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The whole world is waiting to see Lionel Messi, said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, when the defending champions begin their World Cup campaign against Algeria on Tuesday.

Messi is set to take part in a record sixth World Cup, four years after leading his country to glory in Qatar.

The 38-year-old suffered an injury scare last month when he left Inter Miami's 6-4 win over Philadelphia with muscle fatigue.

However, he made his return in a supreme 20-minute cameo, including a goal from the penalty spot, off the bench in Argentina's final warm-up friendly win over Iceland last week.

"Everyone wants to see him out on the pitch, not just Argentinians, because of the impact he has on people," Scaloni told his pre-match press conference.

"He has always been crucial for us and now he will be even more so. He looks good."

Centre-back Nicolas Otamendi has been alongside Messi for much of his international career and will take part in his fourth World Cup.

"He's a competitive animal," said Otamendi. "He makes you keep trying, he doesn't let you relax."

The ex-Manchester City defender added: "We enjoy every moment with him. He is a humble person who enjoys the team gatherings and training sessions."

Scaloni has had other injury concerns over goalkeeper Emi Martinez and forward Julian Alvarez but both are expected to start in Kansas City.

Argentina lost their opening game to Saudi Arabia in Qatar before going on to win the World Cup for a third time.

"The last World Cup taught us that the opening game isn't decisive. It's important, sure, but we have the peace of mind of knowing it doesn't end there," added Scaloni.

"We're about to face a very good team with great players, but we're in good shape, we're confident and we're arriving in good form."

African sides have already shown the threat they pose in the first ever 48-team World Cup.

Tournament debutants Cape Verde held Spain 0-0 on Monday, while Morocco also secured a 1-1 draw against five-time winners Brazil.

"Algeria is an opponent similar to Morocco. They have great players and a great coach," said Scaloni.

"The Brazil-Morocco match is a good example of why we can't be overconfident.

"We've already seen with Spain that there are no easy opponents. Those teams have earned their place at the World Cup and Algeria concerns us because they are a great team."

kca/nf

Though the 2026 NFL Draft took place just two months ago, NFL teams and fans are already turning their attention to college football’s top prospects for 2027. Among the most closely watched positions is quarterback, a group many expect to headline the next draft class. However, similar expectations surrounded the 2026 quarterback class, and history may be repeating itself.

According to reports, Texas quarterback Arch Manning may choose not to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft. In fact, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian isn’t convinced that entering the draft is a foregone conclusion. In the NIL era, draft decisions are no longer as predictable as they once were. The ability to earn significant income in college has reduced the urgency for players to leave school as early as possible.

MORE: Top 3 most hated college football teams

“We haven’t had the discussion, but I would tell you I would not be surprised (if he returned),” Sarkisian said on Up and Adams.

“I think Arch really loves college football, I really do. I think he loves the University of Texas. He does pretty good through NIL. He’s got some pretty good endorsements going right now, which is a credit to him, and obviously, the lineage of the last name and the brand of Texas, all those things coming together.”

New era creating new paths

Sarkisian has been outspoken about both the benefits and drawbacks of NIL. One consequence NFL scouts have noted is that more players are willing to be patient before declaring for the draft. While delaying a professional career can still backfire, the financial risks are not as significant as they once were.

MORE: Big 12 officially files court case to support sanctions against Texas Tech

Today’s student-athletes can earn money through private NIL agreements as well as revenue-sharing opportunities. The financial landscape has changed so dramatically that some have called for salary caps or NIL limits in college athletics. However, implementing such measures would likely require a collective bargaining agreement.

Sarkisian also acknowledged that a return to Texas is far from certain for Manning.

“But again on the same token, I wouldn’t be surprised if he declares and decides to go to the draft. I think some of that is dependent on how we play as a team this fall, how he plays individually,” he said.

There is still plenty of football left to be played this season. Manning may ultimately have multiple appealing options when it comes to his future. He could declare for the 2027 NFL Draft and potentially become the No. 1 overall pick. Or, he could take advantage of another year of eligibility and continue capitalizing on NIL opportunities at Texas.

In March 2024, Brayan Bello signed a six-year, $55 million extension after posting a 4.24 ERA in 2023. This extension officially declared that he would be a part of Boston’s long-term future. A six-year extension was the longest contract of their 2023-2024 offseason.  

Brayan Bello is an aggressive user of his sinker and changeup, with above-average whiff and groundball rates against hitters on either side of the plate. This year, in his fifth season in Boston, he hit a breaking point. On June 4, the first inning unraveled before an out was ever recorded against Baltimore.

It wasn’t just a bad outing; it was the kind of inning that forces an organization to reflect — especially given his inability to remain as a starter. It forces them to decide who a pitcher is right now versus who they believe he can become.

MLB.com reported that Bello was officially optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Friday.

“One of the things that we asked him to do was to kind of fall in love with baseball all over again,” Craig Breslow, the Red Sox Chief of Baseball Operations, said. “He’s gonna work hard — we know that. But [we told him] to remember why you love playing this game.” 

Brayan Bello’s Demotion, and What It Really Means

Bello needed space to reset, refine his delivery, and rebuild the consistency that made him Boston’s most promising young arm. “This was no longer the best place for him to reset and work through this process,” Breslow said.

His command had slipped, his pitch sequences fell apart, and his confidence looked shaken. The demotion also revealed something bigger: Bello is still trying to figure out how to pitch like the ace Boston expects him to be, and as the arm behind Garrett Crochet in the starting rotation.

A New Role for Bello

The Red Sox decided to give Bello a new environment on May 5 when he appeared out of the bullpen against the Tigers. During his first stint as a reliever this season, Bello threw seven scoreless innings, giving up four hits while recording seven strikeouts to earn the win. His trend as a consistent reliever continued through his next three games.

Coming out of the bullpen, Bello has posted a 0.71 ERA across 25 innings. As a starter, Bello holds a 10.35 ERA in 35 innings. In these relief outings, Bello’s changeup was sharper, his velocity ticked up, and his groundball profile still translated in leverage spots. It seems like Bello works better in an environment someone creates for him, rather than in one he creates himself.

When Bello’s pitches work, they work, but when Boston is paying him to be a starter, maybe the best option is to let him figure it out with the Woo Sox. “Stop talking about bullpen and starting games…when I’ve been successful as a starter, no one asks questions about whether I should be in the bullpen,” Bello said to NBC Sports Boston after his eight-run allowance on June 4.

View this post on Instagram

Bello’s Upside is Still Real

Bello’s changeup remains his most valuable pitch, and the data backs that up. When it’s located below the zone, it produces a whiff rate comparable to top AL changeup specialists. The pitch’s vertical separation from his sinker is still elite, and hitters continue to chase it when he’s ahead in the count.

Even during his inconsistent stretch, Bello’s ground‑ball percentage stayed above league average. Pitchers who generate ground balls at that rate tend to stabilize faster because they limit damage and avoid big innings when their command is right. This is the type of profile teams invest in long‑term because it’s sustainable, not streaky.

At 25 years old, Bello is still in the developmental window where pitchers typically make their biggest leaps. Most frontline starters don’t fully stabilize until ages 26–28. His year‑to‑year improvements show that he’s trending in the right direction, even if the results haven’t lined up yet.

The Takeaway

Bello’s upside isn’t hypothetical; it’s measurable. The tools, the age, the pitch shapes, and the flashes all point toward a pitcher who can still become a mid‑rotation anchor or better. His reset isn’t a setback. It’s a step in the development curve Boston expected.

The post Brayan Bello’s Growing Pains with Red Sox Aren’t a Setback appeared first on The Lead.

Romelu Lukuku shrugged off fitness concerns to help spare Belgium’s embarrassment as they fought back for a 1-1 draw against Egypt in their opening match of the World Cup in Seattle.

Lukaku, his country’s record goalscorer, was introduced in the 66th minute and within seconds was involved in the move that saw Mohamed Hany prod in an own goal to bring the two-time semi-finalists back on level terms.

Egypt had started brightly and snatched the lead in the 20th minute when Emam Ashour lashed the ball past Thibaut Courtois from the edge of the box to give his side hope of a first ever win at a World Cup finals.

Belgium looked flat-footed for much of a first period in which they failed to fashion a shot on target, and the African side looked more likely to add to their lead with Mostafa Ziko bringing a fine save out of Courtois on the half-hour mark.

The Red Devils stepped up the pace after the interval and came close to a leveller when Kevin De Bruyne lashed a free-kick against Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir’s right-hand post after a foul on Jeremy Doku.

Ashour snatched at a great chance to double Egypt’s advantage before Belgium came closer, Youri Tielemans lashing just wide from his side’s first corner on the hour mark, then De Bruyne scuffing at a fine chance from the centre of the box.

Lukaku, dubbed “out of shape” by Belgium coach Rudi Garcia despite including him in his World Cup squad last month, made an instant impact as he hustled the unfortunate Hany into poking the ball into his own net in the 66th minute.

Both sides pressed for a winner in an absorbing contest, with Shobeir acrobatically tipping away a drive from Brandon Mechele, and teenager Hamza Abdelkarim not far from connecting to Karim Hafez’s deep left-wing cross.

"It was a good game for the whole team. The whole team wanted the three points, we got one point in the end but we gave it our all,” Egypt’s Hamza Abdelkarim told BBC One.

“We know Belgium are a good team, [they have] good quality players but we can't say it was the hardest game or easiest game, every game for us has got to be three points.

“The whole atmosphere was great, we need to thank them and we're waiting for the next match and an even better atmosphere.”

Here's how to watch Iran vs New Zealand for free online and from anywhere as Team Melli and the All Whites battle for decisive points in Group G.

Tournament favourites Spain ground to a shock 0-0 draw with Cape Verde to open their World Cup campaign, with the African side securing their first ever point on the world stage at the first time of asking. The Blue Sharks held Spain at arms’ length for most of their encounter, as evidenced by a remarkable statistic to emerge from the game.

While Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, 39 years of age, made a total of seven saves during the match, but he did not finish the game being peppered by efforts from La Roja. Although it was backs to the wall defending, they looked capable of holding Spain at bay throughout, who were unable to get their forwards into the game.

Mikel Oyarzabal sets unwanted World Cup record

That was epitomised by Mikel Oyarzabal, who came into the game on a run of 10 goal contributions in eight games in qualifying. Yet the Real Sociedad forward started at nine, and could not get into the match. Opta have reported that Oyarzabal was the first player in World Cup history, since records began in 1966, to go for thirty minutes without touching the ball.

0 – Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal is the first player on record since 1966 to play the first 30 minutes of a FIFA World Cup match without touching the ball once.

Peripheral. pic.twitter.com/Ym5xi1ufbg

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2026

When he finally did, it was a loose first touch that broke down a half-chance, with Oyarzabal looking to get a shot off. He finished the game with 25 touches, getting five shots off and making 10 passes, eight of which were successful.

Spain’s attacking issues against Cape Verde

Although Oyarzabal did not have a great game, it was symptomatic of their performance overall than just the Basque forward’s contribution. With Gavi and Ferran Torres out wide for the first 70 minutes, La Roja could not stretch their opposition, and there was little space in the final third. Luis de la Fuente will no doubt hope the return to fitness of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams will go some way to remedying that.

The post Spain forward sets insane unwanted record during Cape Verde’s heroic draw appeared first on CaughtOffside.

USC right-handed pitcher Gavin Lauridsen has entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report from Baseball America’s Jacob Rudner. He just completed his freshman season with the Trojans.

Lauridsen was an impact player on the mound. He made 21 appearances, including two starts.

During that time on the hill, Gavin Lauridsen recorded a 2-1 record and a 4.66 ERA. He threw 36.2 innings worth of action and allowed 35 hits, 19 earned runs and 23 walks. He struck out 30.

Rudner provided a brief synopsis on the player as he enters the NCAA transfer portal. There’s a lot to like.

“The 6-foot-5 righty sat 93-94 and was up to 96 with carry and plus extension,” Rudner wrote of Gavin Lauridsen. “Low-80s curveball and mid-80s changeup were both very effective swing and miss pitches.”

On3 will have more on this developing story shortly.

Jurgen Klopp has ​apologised to Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann after a comment over his starting line-up in the World Cup 2026 opener against Curacao sparked controversy.

Germany ran out 7-1 winners in the Group E clash, but the former Liverpool manager’s remark provoked widespread debate back home, with the minnows equalising before the heavy rout unfolded.

Seen as a possible successor to Nagelsmann, Klopp, featuring on Magenta TV as a pundit, said in Houston: "luckily, Julian Nagelsmann is picking the team, still.”

Joining Klopp on the broadcast was former Germany and Bayern Munich forward Thomas ⁠Muller, who laughed and replied: "Kloppo, ⁠we are still in June. You are already in September."

The controversy and perceived disrespect to some surrounds the word “still” due to the doubt cast over Nagelsmann's future, dependent on the run at the World Cup.

But after a dominant win for Germany, Klopp apologised while interviewing the coach: “We’re also informally part of the team, we’re absolutely on your side.

“I’ve already discovered the most ‌hated word of the year: still.

"I could have punched myself in the face for that, but it was already too late and I was on TV. It just slipped out casually, and has absolutely no relevance.

“What ⁠I’ve realised is, I’ll be 59 on Tuesday and I’m still an idiot.”

Klopp, who won the Premier League and Champions League during his time at Anfield, is seen as one of Germany’s most outstanding coaches.

But Klopp is yet to return to the dugout since his Anfield exit in 2024 and is currently head of Global Soccer at Red Bull.

The former Borussia Dortmund manager said: “We are completely on your side, whatever you do with ‌this," Klopp told Nagelsmann, who quietly ⁠looked at him. "Nothing will come of it that is intended ⁠to disrupt the process here.”

Germany are under pressure at this World Cup after being eliminated in the group stage in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, but a heavy win to start Group E as leaders provides a foundation to launch a bid for a fifth star.

Next up Germany play Ivory Coast on 20 June before a final group match against Ecuador five days later.

Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo has a legitimate case as the most iconic active coach in the sport, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy with the state of affairs at his school.

Izzo has made it clear that he is ‘disgusted’ with the turmoil surrounding his school, following the departures of both Michigan State’s athletic director and president, with president Kevin Guskiewicz departing for Clemson and athletic director J Batt leaving Monday to take the same role at Kentucky.

“There’s other dominos that get affected when things go wrong like that,” Izzo said, according to ESPN. “I’m very upset about it, and I’m sick of it.”

Guskiewicz cited an “unsustainable situation” created by differing perspectives among board members as factoring into his departure from MSU in a May 27 letter to the Spartan community.

“At times, too much energy has been spent revisiting past conflicts and internal disagreements rather than focusing collectively on the opportunities and aspirations ahead of us,” Guskiewicz’s letter read.

“While I firmly believe we are all better when there is a diversity of viewpoints informing decisions, our ability to make meaningful progress is hampered when disagreements move from offering alternative perspectives into publicly undermining decisions and putting personal interests above the best interests of the university and our faculty, staff and students.”

“What happened with our president is ridiculous,” Izzo said of the situation. “He said it, we know the reasons, and I’m ashamed and disgusted, hurt.

“Spartan Nation better stand up, all 600,000 of them.”

The post ‘I’m sick of it’: Tom Izzo ‘disgusted’ by things at Michigan State appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.

Spain failed to find a way past inspired Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha as the 40-year-old secured a stunning 0-0 draw for the World Cup debutants and was reduced to tears at his heroics.

La Roja rolled into Atlanta as one of the pre-tournament favourites with coach Luis de la Fuente boasting that he has the best squad in the competition.

Yet a Spain side featuring a Ballon d'Or winner in Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, fresh from a second consecutive Champions League victory with Paris Saint-Germain, and packed with many of the squad that won Euro 2024 could not breach Cape Verde's dogged defence.

Even the introduction of Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal on his return from injury in the second half did not break the deadlock as Vozinha marshalled his backline to a clean sheet they will never forget.

"Very proud. For me it is an honour for me to represent my country," Vozinha told reporters.

"We are from a small country. Our qualification was very difficult in a group with Cameroon and Libya, but we knew if we followed the plan of the coach, we had a great chance to qualify.

"The dream came true. We competed against Spain, one of the best teams in the world. We are very happy and proud of all the players and people of Cape Verde."

- Nomadic club career -

Vozinha was only really tested in a short spell of Spanish pressure just before half-time.

He turned over Mikel Oyarzabal's looping header and got down well to Ferran Torres' low shot before producing his best stop at full stetch from an Aymeric Laporte header.

His tears at full-time were provoked not only by the size of Cape Verde's achievement, but the fact he was not able to share the moment with his mother and grandparents.

"I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and unfortunately they were not here, they died a few years before, and they did everything for me and my life," he added.

"Also my mum she didn't manage to be here because of the visa. The money for the visa, we didn't manage (to do) on time and I would like her to be here.

"But I am very happy and also happy for all the Cape Verdean people."

Vozinha's nomadic career has taken him from his homeland to Angola, Moldova, Cyprus and Slovakia before his latest move to Portugal.

And he now has a legion of new fans.

In just a few hours his Instagram account ballooned from a mere 50,000 followers to two million.

Cape Verde coach Bubista paid tribute to one of his most experienced players, who on his 89th cap finally reached the biggest stage in world football.

"He was overcome with emotion. He has a lot of experience and has given so much to get to this stage. They were tears of resilience," said Bubista.

"He has spent many years with us. I normally do not like to comment on individuals, but he had a great performance.

"He was the best player on the pitch but I think we were defensively very strong and he is there to help the team."

kca/nf

Bukayo Saka says England have the "talent, passion and confidence" to finally win the World Cup after a series of agonising near-misses in major tournaments.

The Arsenal winger was part of Gareth Southgate's team that twice fell at the final hurdle in the European Championship and reached the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar in 2022.

That came after a run to the semi-finals in Russia four years earlier.

Saka was asked at England's Kansas City training base on Monday what lessons the squad could take from recent tournaments ahead of their opening match against Croatia.

"I think with each tournament it was a different lesson, especially reaching two finals," said the 24-year-old, who has 49 international caps. 

"I think it's mainly the belief. When I look around in the team I see the talent we have, the passion, the confidence. 

"We have some real winners, some real leaders. With belief I think we can go to the next step."

"I'm excited," he added. "I think all the players are in good spirits. The vibe around the camp is good. We're just itching to get this first game under way and start our tournament."

Saka said Arsenal's Premier League title win had been a major boost.

"I think for myself and the other boys from Arsenal, we have a confidence and a freedom that we can approach the World Cup in," he said.

"I think that will definitely improve us."

England boss Thomas Tuchel said last week that Saka's fitness would have to be managed carefully after he struggled with an Achilles injury towards the end of the domestic season.

But the forward, who returned for the climax to the campaign, announced he was "ready to go" ahead of Wednesday's game against Croatia in Arlington, Texas.

England's other two opponents in Group L are Ghana and Panama.

jw/rcw

Here's how to watch Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay for free online and from anywhere as Group H action intensifies at Miami Stadium in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

How to watch World Cup on YouTube (it's free), with all 104 games of the 2026 tournament free-to-air courtesy of Brazilian network CazéTV.

Jun. 15—CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds are having to weather the storm with some key players on the injured list, but they're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel as those players check important boxes.

Elly De La Cruz went on the injured list a couple of weeks ago with a hamstring injury, and manager Terry Francona said that the shortstop is already at 90%.

"We've been putting our heads together," Francona said. "Elly is chomping at the bit. We're trying to do what's right. I think it aggravates him. We love the fact of how much he wants to play. We actually really respect it. We still have to do what's right. In these situations, this is where I or we have to defer to medical people. We can't overrule them."

The initial estimated timeline for De La Cruz's injury was two-to-four weeks.

In De La Cruz's absence, Matt McLain has made most of the starts at shortstop. McLain is in the middle of his best stretch of the season. Edwin Arroyo has also made spot starts at shortstop, but the rookie has spent more time at second base. With Arroyo not quite hitting the ground running offensively, the Reds have also had Spencer Steer play more second base recently and had Steer and McLain play up the middle.

Starting pitcher Hunter Greene hasn't pitched yet this year after having a procedure in March to remove bone chips from his arm. He's scheduled to begin his rehab assignment on Thursday, June 18, which confirms that the Reds expect to have him back in the next month.

Greene could even return sooner than 30 days from now. He's scheduled to throw three innings next week. He'd build up his pitch count over a couple of rehab starts and could return likely as soon as early July.

Reliever Pierce Johnson has been on the injured list since May 30 with right elbow inflammation, and he was set to reach a big checkmark on Monday, June 15 by facing hitters in a live batting practice session.

Closer Emilio Pagán is set to do the same on Friday. He has been out since early May with a hamstring strain.

The Reds have really missed Johnson and Pagán recently during a stretch that has been bad for the Reds' bullpen. Pagán has been the closer since April of 2025, and Johnson had the next-most closing experience in the Reds' bullpen. Without both of them, as well as Graham Ashcraft, roles in the bullpen have changed dramatically from week-to-week.

It's helped the bullpen that Tony Santillan appears to have recently turned a corner. Also, Tejay Antone has become a trusted late-game option.

Ashcraft, who had been the Reds' best reliever this year before he went on the injured list in late May with an elbow injury, remains in a brace.

Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes has been out for nearly a month with a back issue, and Hayes has been working at the Reds' spring training complex in Arizona. More recently, Francona said that Hayes has been doing hitting training with Driveline, a popular analytics-driven facility, with Hayes looking to get back on track offensively. He was hitting .142 when he went on the injured list.

A Swat team and a large number of armed police have responded to an incident just more than a mile from where England begin their World Cup campaign.

Dozens of Arlington Police vehicles were stationed on West Division Street in the Texas city on Monday.

Police snipers, an armoured BearCat vehicle and police drones were used at the scene, with a huge number of officers sent to the area.

An officer at the scene described the alleged incident as “pretty serious”, with a weapon brandished by a suspect.

The incident took place short drive from the AT&T Stadium where the Three Lions face Croatia on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Arlington Police Department said the force were responding to a domestic dispute between a male and female at their home address.

She added: “The female resident was barricaded inside the home with additional occupants.

“The report shows that a weapon was produced but no injuries were reported. The suspect is now in custody and the investigation is ongoing.”

There is no indication the incident was connected to the World Cup or posed any threat to the tournament or its venues.

It comes days after some of England’s training equipment was stolen ahead of their arrival at their World Cup base in Kansas City.

Items included some of the team’s boots and official tournament balls.

The Independent understands none of the pieces of equipment were irreplaceable or essential for elite performance, while England staff have already been able to recover some of the missing items.

Two men have been charged in relation to the incident.

Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal both face a count of receiving stolen property, which carries up to seven years in prison.

The theft came as team staff were in transit from their pre-tournament base in Florida to the Swope Soccer Village in Missouri, where the England players are due to arrive on Saturday.

A vehicle transferring the training equipment was broken into, according to reports, while the players travelled separately. The items of training equipment were sent ahead of the arrival of the players.

Thomas Tuchel’s team have played two warm-up friendlies so far in the United States, against New Zealand and Costa Rica in Florida as they attempted to acclimatise to the conditions. The team also organised a behind-closed-doors match against a local team in Florida on Thursday.

Tunisia have taken drastic measures following their 5-1 defeat to Sweden and have sacked manager Sabri Lamouchi with two World Cup 2026 group games still to play.

Lamouchi only took charge of the team in January and managed just five games before his dismissal. He won once, a 1-0 over Haiti, and the Tunisian FA announced that Mondher Kebaier will take charge on an interim basis.

Kebaier previously led the national team between 2019-2022 and will likely be in charge for the rest of the World Cup campaign in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Tunisia play Japan in their second group game on Saturday before facing the Netherlands.

The news of Lamouchi’s sacking was announced on Instagram with the Tunisian FA posting a statement which reads: "An agreement has been officially reached to dismiss coach Sabri Lamouchi.

"Plans are under way ‌to appoint ‌Mondher Kebaier as the national team ‌coach [on an interim basis]."

Rumours of discontent with Lamouchi have been growing since before the World Cup began and a 5-0 defeat to Belgium in their final warm-up match could have spelled the end for the 54-year-old then.

Tunisia decided to stick with Lamouchi but a terrible performance in their opening group stage game, in which Sweden ran riot with goals from Yasin Ayari (x2), Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Mattias Svanberg.

Managerial departures during a major tournament are not common but they have happened before with Tunisia also having set a precedent. In 1998, they sacked Henryk Kasperczak after two games with the nation failing to win them both.

Cha Bum-kun also lost his job with South Korea during the same tournament, while Julen Lopetegui was sacked by Spain just two days prior to the 2018 World Cup.

Tunisia have never made it out of the group stages at a World Cup and they now face an uphill battle needing to take points off both Japan and the Netherlands in their next two games.

Kevin De Bruyne and Mo Salah both start as Belgium face Egypt in Seattle in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Here's how to watch the Group G clash for free online and from anywhere.

After Manchester United, Wilf McGuinness’ next job was Aris, followed by Panachaiki, also in Greece. His only other permanent managerial post was at York City. After leaving Old Trafford, Frank O’Farrell went to Cardiff and then on an eclectic journey to Iran, Torquay, Al Shaab and Torquay again.

All of which has an added pertinence now, more than half a century after their reigns ended. For Ruben Amorim, the next destination on the footballing map feels altogether more glamorous: AC Milan, making him a successor to Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, Nereo Rocco and Carlo Ancelotti. At Old Trafford, however, Amorim was not so much the new Matt Busby or Sir Alex Ferguson as arguably the worst United manager since World War Two, an unwanted tag that may otherwise have rested with McGuinness or O’Farrell. They were tarnished by disappointments as Busby’s successors. Their careers never recovered.

Amorim’s overall win percentage with United was 38.1; but that was inflated by a Europa League run. In the league, it was a mere 31.9 per cent. Only McGuinness, at 29.2 per cent, has fared worse in the last eight decades. The historic markers, whether of United’s lowest league finish in half a century or the Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby, may be sufficiently fresh in Mancunian memories that they do not require raking over.

And yet, they may not have been a deterrent to the Rossoneri. This, admittedly, is not the Milan of the seven European Cups; not when they limped in fifth in Serie A. But there are elements of the task that feel familiar, to revive a fallen giant, to take them back into the Champions League, to lend modernity.

So one interpretation of Amorim’s move to San Siro is to say that Milan blamed the Portuguese’s failure at Old Trafford on United. He is not alone in floundering there; indeed their shortlist seemed to comprise Old Trafford alumni with Ralf Rangnick, an unsuccessful interim in Manchester but with admirers in Lombardy, instead opting to extend his contract with Austria.

The argument in Amorim’s defence was that United was too dysfunctional for anyone to succeed, however, has been rather rebuffed by Michael Carrick (current win percentage: 70) who has prospered in part by being the antithesis of Amorim. Some of the failings can be traced directly to Amorim. Whatever difficulties Rangnick, Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal or David Moyes had, they never took United to such depths.

Part of United’s essential error in appointing Amorim was that, while they deemed him the best young coach in Europe, he got out-coached with great regularity in a division featuring many of the world’s top 50 managers. It was a regular occurrence to watch a match, see one expertly-drilled side and another that looked less well configured. United were the latter.

Which adds intrigue to his arrival in Italy. Many a footballing cliche can contain an element of truth. It is a generalisation that Italian managers have a tactical expertise, but many do. Can Amorim outmanoeuvre them?

The slower pace of play in Serie A may suit him; his United could be rattled by some of the Premier League’s quicker sides. It may help, too, that he is coming to an outlier of a division, where playing three at the back is fashionable. Cristian Chivu, Simone Inzaghi and Antonio Conte have all won Serie A with back-three formations. Amorim’s system looks more a case of evolution than revolution for Milan: the sacked Massimiliano Allegri played 3-5-2 last season, which is at least closer to Amorim’s 3-4-3.

But the Portuguese’s inflexibility and stubborn obsession with his shape showed some of his limitations. Others came in the sort of matches United – and Milan – need to win. Some of Amorim’s better results in England occurred when an underdog: Amorim’s record against Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City was respectable, considering his struggles against many a mid-table team. One, intriguingly, was Bournemouth; Andoni Iraola was one of the managers of smaller clubs to prosper against him and then, until hired by Liverpool, seemed to rank above him in Milan’s thinking.

Iraola is at the forefront of the pressing revolution in a way Amorim is not. If Allegri, despite his six Scudetti, came to look outdated last year, is Amorim a more contemporary choice? Or is history just repeating itself at San Siro? Because 2024-25 was a season of Portuguese managers, but Milan sacked both Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao.

One of the unresolved questions about Amorim is whether he can manage in a more even league. It is why it is a surprise he has reemerged in a division as competitive as Serie A. His reputation was forged in Portugal where the gulf in resources between the big three and the rest created mismatches. Terrific as his record with Sporting Lisbon was, perhaps it stemmed less than it seemed from tactical or training-ground excellence.

But they will be required in Italy. United will watch on from afar with interest. There will be some relief in the accounts department that he is returning to employment. United will make a substantial financial saving: they had factored in a £16m cost of paying Amorim and his backroom staff for the remainder of their contracts.

There may be the potential for some embarrassment at Old Trafford if Amorim proves the man to revive Milan. But if not, he could always head to York or Torquay.

Wolves hired Cesar Peixoto as their new manager on Monday after sacking Rob Edwards following their relegation from the Premier League.

Peixoto arrives from Portuguese club Gil Vicente on a two-year contract, with the deal subject to work permit regulations.

The 46-year-old has coached several clubs in his native Portugal and caught the eye of Wolves' owners after leading Gil Vicente to a sixth place finish in the Primeira Liga last season.

"I'm proud to be here at this big, historic club in England. It's a big opportunity for me and I'm prepared to do everything to put Wolves where it belongs in the Premier League," Peixoto said.

"We have great players, but I think the team can improve a lot with me and I can improve as a technical head coach."

Edwards was sacked last week after just seven months in charge at Molineux, with Wolves claiming the decision would provide them with a better chance of returning to the Premier League.

Wolves, who last played in the second tier in 2018, finished bottom of the Premier League with just three wins from their 38 league games.

"We wanted clear identity, strong leadership qualities and a real hunger to succeed. Cesar demonstrated all of those characteristics, but what impressed me most was his mentality, his work ethic and his willingness to embrace the challenge in front of him," Wolves executive chairman Nathan Shi said.

"We believe he will be an excellent fit for the culture and vision we are building at Wolves."

smg/iwd

NEED TO KNOW

• Jalen Brunson has a message
• The New York Knicks star pleaded with Swifties to cut Monica McNutt some slack
• McNutt, the 880 ESPN New York Knicks lead radio analyst, criticized Taylor Swift for going to Game 4 of the NBA Finals

The newly crowned NBA Finals MVP wants to clear up one thing regarding the pushback Monica McNutt received after criticizing Taylor Swift for attending Game 4 of the series.

In an interview with the New York Knicks' lead radio analyst following the team’s 94-90 title win against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 on Saturday, June 13, Jalen Brunson jokingly bumped into McNutt before clearing the air about the 880 ESPN radio personality.

“I just want to say something to the Swifties,” the Knicks star, 29, said. “She’s a really good one, cut her some slack. It’s all good, I promise.”

Last week, the sportscaster was caught on a hot mic offering her opinion about the “Fortnight” singer pulling up to Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.

"Please celebrate responsibly" - A PSA to Knicks Fans from your NBA Finals MVP 😂@NYKnicks | @McNuttMonica | #AlwaysKnickspic.twitter.com/hHzSZycCKX

— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) June 14, 2026

“Is that Taylor Swift down there?” McNutt, 36, asked her partner, radio voice of the Knicks Tyler Murray, just before tip.

As both strained to see from the seats, McNutt then joked: “She's not a Knicks fan, get out of here, girl.”

The comment drew widespread criticism from Swifties, who went after the ESPN veteran, and spurred McNutt to add context to her comments.

"Swifties, I appreciate your passion,” McNutt said in an interview with TMZ last week. "I misspoke.” 

“I did not know, but here's the deal. I literally just did a piece on celebrity row, I know these folks," she added, noting that she's seen celebrities like Ben Stiller, Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet supporting the Knicks all season long.

Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE's free sports newsletter — sign up now!

Elsewhere in his exchange with McNutt, Brunson also took the time to encourage fans to “celebrate responsibly.”

“Can you guys please be safe and not ruin it for the next person?” he pleaded.

Read the original article on People

The 2026 high school softball season has finished up around the country and we roll out our final set of Top 25 rankings.

There is one final change at the top in this week’s version of Top 25 rankings of the 2026 high school softball season, as Kentucky’s South Warren moves up ahead of Texas’ Barbers Hill (TX) for the No. 1 ranking in the last Rivals High School Top 25 rankings, with Lake Creek (TX) just behind them in third place and Orange Beach (AL) in fourth, respectively. The Spartans closed out the season in dominating fashion, blanking their last two opponents by nearly 20 combined runs to go undefeated at 45-0. How does the final Top 25 high school softball rankings look?

[ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ]

We dive into the best high school softball teams on the national scene and give you our final take on which teams stay in the conversation heading into the off-season as of June 15.

1. South Warren Spartans (KY) (45-0)

The South Warren Spartans capped the 2026 high school softball season unbeaten and state champions, warranting a move up for them. All the way to the top. The Spartans were one of the nation’s most dominant high school softball teams, recording six straight shut out victories before a couple weeks ago and blanking opponents 25 total times this season. South Warren has only allowed 37 runs behind the stellar pitching behind the duo of Courtney Norwood (25-0, 204 strikeouts) and Layla Ogden (18-0, 109 strikeouts). South Warren shut out Bullitt East, 8-0, out-scoring their final two opponents 18-0 to win a Kentucky high school softball state title and finishing with the all-mythical national championship as well.

2. Barbers Hill Eagles (TX) (41-4)

The Barbers Hill Eagles (41-4) only lost four games all of this season and remain the best programs nationally defeated Aledo last week for the Class 5A, Division I crown. The Eagles feature a number of players that will be moving onto the collegiate level, including junior catcher Isabelle Lawrence, who is committed to the University of North Carolina. The last time Barbers Hill had won a state title was in 2021 and with the talent that’s dotted up and down the roster, winning their first crown in five years. In their last 26 games, Barbers Hill out-scored the opposition an astounding 280-12. Having only allowed 12 runs in the last 26 games is as impressive as it gets as they made a run through the Class 5A, Division I playoffs towards a state championship.

3. Lake Creek Lions (TX) (40-1)

The Lake Creek Lions (40-1) made their way into the Top 5 a few weeks ago and now will finish in the No. 3 spot as the Lone Star State will own the top two teams in our latest set of high school softball rankings. With the Lions’ lone loss coming against the team above (Barbers Hill), there’s plenty of reasons why this group remains just ahead of Alabama’s Orange Beach Makos. Lake Creek is currently on a 26-game winning streak and have been romping through the Class 5A, Division II playoffs en route to the state championship. The Lions beat Brewer, 6-5, for the 5A-Division II title.

4. Orange Beach Makos (AL) (46-1)

Orange Beach Makos (46-1) has bounced back nicely from their lone loss of the season to South Warren out of Kentucky with 19 straight wins en route to winning their sixth straight state championship. Though the team graduated a few key pieces from last year’s bunch, the Makos were able to make it a half dozen titles. In the circle, Orange Beach leaned on sophomore MK McMullan, who finished with a 30-1 with 212 strikeouts on the season. The Makos have been just as good at the plate with power hitters Teagan Revette (Mississippi State commit), Ava Hodo (Arkansas commit). Orange Beach capped the season with a dominant 6-0 win over Plainview for the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Class 4A state championship.

5. Calvary Baptist Academy Cavaliers (LA) (37-1)

The Calvary Baptist Academy Cavaliers (37-1) have capped their 2026 season with a state championship as they defeated Parkview Baptist, 5-3, for the LHSAA’s Division III Select crown. Calvary Baptist Academy is once again the state champs and did so in dominating the competition, out-scoring opponents 391-36. Baylor Bockhaus carried over a massive freshman campaign into this spring, belting 21 home runs and driving in 69 runs through 38 games. Georgia commit Kynzee Anderson owned the circle and finished the season with a 30-1 mark with a 0.61 ERA and 318 strikeouts.

Rivals High School Softball Rankings Nos. 11-25

6. Gray Collegiate War Eagles (SC) (33-0)
7. Kenton Ridge Cougars (OH) (32-0)
8. St. John Vianney Lancers (NJ) (34-0)
9. Melissa Cardinals (TX) (33-3)
10. Midway Panthers (TX) (35-6)

11. Pace Patriots (FL) (27-4)
12. La Salle Academy Rams (RI) (24-2)
13. Taunton Tigers (MA) (26-1)
14. Chariho Regional Chargers (RI) (23-2)
15. JSerra Catholic Lions (CA) (25-8)

16. Norco Cougars (CA) (28-3)
17. Hagerty Huskies (FL) (27-4)
18. Weddington Warriors (NC) (27-0)  
19. Murrieta Mesa Rams (CA) (26-2)
20. Hewitt-Trussville Huskies (AL) (49-10)

21. Thompson Warriors (AL) (46-3)
22. Bartow Yellow Jackets (FL) (28-4)
23. Parrish Community Bulls (FL) (18-6) 
24. Queen Creek Bulldogs (AZ) (31-2)
25. Saraland Spartans (AL) (48-9)

Lamine Yamal starts on the bench for Spain's FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Cape Verde. Here's how to watch the Group H fixture for free online and from anywhere.

Tournament favourites Spain are set to open their World Cup campaign this evening against Cape Verde in Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Many eyes will be on Lamine Yamal, to see how the Barcelona star fares as he recovers from injury.

The Euro 2024 winners are seeking their second ever win, and optimism is high in Spain that they have the quality to do so. Up against them in their first game is Cape Verde, who are participating in their first ever tournament, with the oldest squad in the competition by average age.

Rodri and Pedri to anchor Spain midfield

According to Marca, Manchester City star Rodri Hernandez will anchor the midfield, with Pedri and Fabian Ruiz ahead of him. Mikel Oyarzabal will continue to lead the line between Alex Baena and Ferran Torres, in a line-up without too many surprises. New Real Madrid signing Marc Cucurella is also expected to start.

For Cape Verde, manager Bubista said he and his players were ready to take on any challenge. Veteran forward Ryan Mendes will captain the side, with Shamrock Rovers defender Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes marshalling the backline.

Lamine Yamal to start on the bench

Many will be watching closely to see how Lamine Yamal fares, with the 18-year-old returning from injury after nearly two months out. Diario AS say that he will start on the bench, and manager Luis de la Fuente did not give away what his plan was. It seems Nico Williams and Victor Munoz, who have both been dealing with injuries too, will be sat alongside him. The latter is currently in negotiations to join Newcastle United this summer, and alongside Williams, is one of two wide players that stand out for their pace, an essential for de la Fuente.

The post Predicted Teams Spain-Cape Verde: La Roja open World Cup with Lamine Yamal – on the bench appeared first on CaughtOffside.

From stadiums in South America to festival stages across Europe, Robbie Williams says he has always travelled the world as "a Stokie".

Now the singer is bringing some of that global reach back to his boyhood club after a partnership with Port Vale helped generate record-breaking shirt sales and orders from more than 20 countries.

The former Take That star was announced as the club's new charity ambassador and shirt sponsor on Friday, with his RW logo featuring on the front of Vale's home and away kits.

Club officials said the response surpassed expectations, with supporters and Robbie Williams fans snapping up more than 2,000 shirts, which were sold in the first two hours.

Crowds gathered at Vale Park to pick up the new shirt as it went on sale on Saturday morning.

"The response has been brilliant," Port Vale's general manager, Ben Martindale, told BBC Radio Stoke.

"We've had record-breaking sales and a lot more online sales than we've had in the past.

"It's sold in over 20 different countries and been very popular in the markets and demographics that Robbie's in, which is fantastic to see.

"Robbie fans have got hold of it as well as Vale fans, and hopefully we'll make Vale fans of them as well this season."

Williams was also named charity ambassador of the Port Vale Foundation, which delivers projects supporting health, education, inclusion and opportunity for people of all ages across the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

He said the partnership was less about "giving back" and more about recognising the place that shaped him.

"The only real bit of normality that I have in my life is where I come from and the people that are there," he told Port Vale TV.

"They are salt of the earth, they are the clay, they're real people.

"Everywhere I've gone, I've gone as a Stokie. Every room that I walk into, I'm from Staffordshire, whether they like it or not.

"This is important for me that I reach out my hand and keep a bit of it there always."

It comes after being made club president in January 2024, when he referred to himself as "El Presidente".

Amanda Ball, who runs the Robbie Williams Fanfest fan group, said the announcement had resonated with fans around the world.

"We've heard from people as far away as Chile, Argentina, Mexico and all across Europe," she said.

"He takes a bit of Stoke with him wherever he goes, and I think he must be massively proud to be doing this for his local team."

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More on this story

• Robbie Williams named Port Vale shirt sponsor
• Robbie Williams named Port Vale club president

Related internet links

• Port Vale Football Club
• Robbie Williams

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A seven-run second inning gave the Johnstown Mill Rats an early boost as the hosts ended the homestand with a 13-4 victory over the Champion City Half Trax Sunday at Sargent’s Stadium at the Point.

Johnstown improved to 9-8 overall and 8-4 at home thanks to a 5-1 homestand.

Hudson Hartgrove led the Mill Rats with three hits, two doubles, three stolen bases, three runs and two RBIs. Sergio DeCello (double, two RBIs), Austin Lafferty (double, three RBIs), Ty Marsh (double) and Caden Throneberry (two RBIs) each provided two knocks.

Tobin Bigham doubled.

Johnstown, which led 10-2 after the fifth, stole 12 bases as a team.

Nathan Holowka struck out five and allowed two runs in five innings for the Mill Rats. Kyle Moczygemba, Connor O’Neil and Caden Sivrich (three strikeouts) each tossed a scoreless inning.

In Johnstown’s second inning, Hartgrove and Bigham each provided an RBI double. DeCello added a run-scoring knock. A double steal allowed Bigham to score.

Lafferty doubled in a run, and Throneberry capped off the frame with a two-run single to center.

The Mill Rats added two runs in the fifth and single tallies in the third, sixth, seventh and eighth.

Champion City’s Hunter Fryman (double) and Dane Perry each went 3-for-5. Baxter Tedesco (double) added two hits, and Luke McClure drove in a pair of runs.

The Half Trax left 13 runners on base.

DeCello provided a sacrifice fly in the third.

Lafferty and Marsh each produced an RBI single in the fifth.

Hartgrove and Lafferty delivered sacrifice flies in the sixth and seventh, respectively.

Johnstown travels to Lafayette Tuesday to begin a two-game series.

Manchester United are still believed to be leading the race for Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall, despite Chelsea reportedly making contact over a possible move.

According to a source on X, Chelsea have reached out regarding the 21-year-old, but the Blues would need a lot of convincing before pushing seriously for a deal.

That is understandable. Hall came through Chelsea’s academy before leaving for Newcastle, and bringing him back would be an expensive and slightly awkward move after letting him go.

Man United, however, appear to have a clearer need. Sky Sports recently reported that Manchester United are monitoring Hall and Antonee Robinson as possible left-back options, with Luke Shaw currently the only senior natural left-back at Old Trafford.

Chelsea interest adds a twist

Chelsea’s contact makes the situation more interesting, but it does not necessarily mean they are ready to move.

The club confirmed Hall’s permanent transfer to Newcastle in 2024 on their official website, after his loan spell at St James’ Park.

That decision looked sensible at the time, but Hall’s development has since made him one of the more exciting young full-backs in the Premier League.

Newcastle’s official profile describes him as a versatile defender who completed his permanent move from Chelsea in July 2024.

For Chelsea, the issue is whether it makes financial and sporting sense to revisit a player they recently sold.

Unless they are fully convinced, this feels more like early contact than a serious challenge to United.

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Newcastle United hold the power

Newcastle are not under pressure to sell cheaply. Hall is young, homegrown, improving and under long-term control, so any deal would likely require a major offer.

Hall would be open to Man United, which could be important if the race develops further.

For now, United still look best placed. Chelsea may have entered the conversation, but Man United’s need is clearer, their interest appears stronger, and Hall fits exactly the type of long-term left-back profile they are searching for.

Man United and Man City to battle it out for £70 million-rated Premier League star

The post Manchester United still lead race as Chelsea make surprise transfer contact with left-back appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The WNBA entered its chaos era this week with seven games decided in overtime or by one possession. Whether that was a consequence of Commissioner’s Cup play increasing the day-to-day level of competitiveness or teams simply settling in after one month of games, the regular season product has rarely been more appealing.

The belle of the ball was Minnesota visiting Las Vegas, as the Aces took the No. 1 spot in the WNBA standings, the Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings and these power rankings by making just enough plays in crunch time against the Minnesota Lynx.

They did so despite rookie Olivia Miles’ best efforts to take the game into her own hands, attacking reigning MVP and best player alive A’ja Wilson to great effect in the fourth quarter. But Wilson won the game at the free-throw line, going right through the Minnesota frontcourt of Nia Coffey and Liatu King.

Las Vegas’ veteran experience was obvious on that play, as the Aces took a reset timeout and immediately knew how to space to get Wilson barreling toward the basket with the paint open.

The Aces are now in the driver’s seat to advance to the Commissioner’s Cup final for the third time in five years if they win one of their next two games against Dallas and Phoenix. If they lose both, the Lynx would have the best chance of replacing them, though a more complicated tiebreaker could be in place.

What isn’t complicated is the East bracket, where the New York Liberty have cleared out the field, clinching their bid with one game to go. As someone who picked an Aces-Liberty WNBA Finals, I see this Cup preview as a good sign that things are headed in the right direction for those two.

The teams below New York in the East standings have been bringing the drama. The Toronto Tempo, Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever were all involved in overtime games. The Mystics had two games decided in the final seconds, losing one on a Caitlin Clark 3-pointer and rebounding later in the week with Sonia Citron’s buzzer-beater. And the Atlanta Dream — with newly acquired superstar Angel Reese — inspired “sell the team” chants in Chicago.

But let’s get back to the Liberty, owners of the league’s longest current winning streak.

Trending up

New York Liberty

There are so many reasons to be bullish on the New York Liberty: their depth, homecourt advantage, offensive firepower, length and on and on. My favorite reason is the presence of two MVPs, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. The pair may not be at its peak, but Stewart and Jones still compose the best frontcourt in the WNBA, and on most days it’s not particularly close.

Because of them, the Liberty have hit their defensive stride early. Stewart can guard basically any position, and the future Hall of Famer made history again on Sunday with a career-high seven blocks. She’s the 16th player in WNBA history to do that in one game. But she’s ill-suited against back-to-the-basket fives, and that’s where Jones’ strength and skill come into play — unlike many rim-protecting centers, Jones doesn’t give anything back on offense.

Over the last five games, New York has the best defensive rating in the WNBA despite starting a rookie and Marine Johannès in the backcourt. Leonie Fiebich has been fantastic defensively, as have Rebekah Gardner and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton off the bench, but their aggression on the perimeter is enabled by the anchors behind them.

Los Angeles Sparks

Yes, Los Angeles still boasts the WNBA’s worst defense, though no longer the worst in league history. But it’s hard to be as concerned with that side of the ball when the Sparks can put together such special offensive stretches, led by Kelsey Plum’s singularly superlative season.

Her efficiency has been out of this world in her ninth season, as she’s making 66 percent of her 2-pointers and 41.4 percent of her 3s. Every defensive game plan begins with the premise of limiting Plum, and opponents can sell out on her, given the relative lack of individual shot creation elsewhere on L.A.’s roster — but it doesn’t matter. She figures everything out and makes plays for herself and others, leading the league in scoring (26.6 points per game) and ranking third in assists (6.9).

It’s debatable whether Plum’s latest outing against Phoenix — when she tied the Sparks’ franchise scoring record with 43 points — topped her 38-point, eight-assist effort in an earlier win at Las Vegas. The fact that she has enough of those types of performances this season is the point.

She’s knifing her way through defenses, throwing off defenders with her decelerations in the paint. Los Angeles coach Lynne Roberts called her the best one-on-one player in the league before the matchup against the Mercury, and she proved those words prescient, albeit against a perimeter group that hasn’t exactly dazzled defensively.

Plum has been devastating in isolation all season, averaging 1.317 points per possession, per Synergy. She was dancing with the Phoenix defenders down the stretch as the only source of offense while the Sparks let a nine-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate. Although she was getting good looks one-on-one, L.A. found even more advantages leveraging her off the ball, whether that was a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer or Plum setting a screen at the top of the key and rolling to the hoop for the game-tying layup with 1.6 seconds to play. As a result, the Sparks are now above .500 in June for the first time since 2023.

Kelsey Plum vs. Phoenix Mercury (13/6/26)

43 PTS | 2 REB | 7 AST

pic.twitter.com/hlYiku7U0N

— Cristian (@DouBasket28) June 14, 2026

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Toronto Tempo

The Tempo’s thin frontcourt rotation has been a cause for concern. In addition to the persistent issue of availability — Nyara Sabally has missed four games, Isabelle Harrison 10 and Temi Fagbenle 11 — the rest of the grouping, aside from Sabally, is a little too offense-heavy. And that’s less useful on a team that can generate so much scoring from its backcourt of Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey.

Toronto is one of the league’s poorer rebounding teams. This past week, the Tempo lost the rebounding battle by 14 to Connecticut, by 18 to Washington and by 20 to Atlanta. They make up for some of the gap in shot attempts by getting to the foul line so frequently, but it creates an enormous dent in the possession battle that Toronto has difficulty overcoming.

It would be one thing if the Tempo bigs were excellent at boxing out and creating opportunities for the guards to collect boards, but they often are stationed on the perimeter and are a little more finesse-oriented, thus prone to getting outmuscled on the glass.

This is also the worst team in the WNBA at defending the paint. Lauren Betts, who has struggled with efficiency as a rookie, had a field day against Toronto, making 8 of 9 field-goal attempts in the Mystics’ win — the Tempo had no answers for her on putbacks, lobs over the top or post-ups, even when the double came. Defending the paint is a team exercise, but the challenge starts with Harrison, Sabally and Fagbenle, and they haven’t been good enough so far.

Rookie of the week

Sydney Taylor, Chicago Sky

It’s easy to see why coach Tyler Marsh and general manager Jeff Pagliocca prioritized keeping Taylor on the 2026 roster ahead of some of the team’s recent draftees. On defense, she is permanently in a stance with her hands up, tagging rollers and providing a high level of activity. Then there’s the bucket-getting, which was at its peak in Chicago’s overtime loss to Indiana, when she set a scoring record for undrafted rookies with 30 points. It’s also the most points any rookie has scored in 2026.

Taylor has great burst on straight-line drives, and she is easily the most efficient finisher at the rim within the Sky guard rotation. She also has clean footwork getting to a sidestep 3-point jumper; even though that part of her game hasn’t really come around in 2026, she shoots it confidently.

Her college and free-throw shooting numbers suggest Taylor can be at least an average long-range shooter. Chicago needed every one of the four triples she buried against the Fever. Between Myisha Hines-Allen’s strong start in Indiana, Emily Engstler’s breakthrough in Portland and Taylor’s debut for the Sky, it’s been a good year for Louisville alums in the W.

SYDNEY TAYLOR TONIGHT 🔥

• 30 POINTS

• 4/7 3PM

• 10/14 FG

• 21 MINUTES PLAYED (!!!) pic.twitter.com/GGRwwzXbA1

— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) June 12, 2026

Game to circle

New York Liberty at Los Angeles Sparks

8 p.m. (ET) Sunday, ESPN

Two of the league’s four original franchises (the others are the Mercury and the Aces, formerly the Utah Starzz) face off in a rematch of the WNBA’s inaugural game on June 21, 1997, which Los Angeles won 67-57. The matchup won’t take place in the same building, as the Sparks originally played in The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., but it will take place in the same city.

The first player assigned to the Liberty in 1997, Rebecca Lobo, will be on the broadcast. Both New York and Los Angeles are playing about as well as they have all season, making this an ideal showcase for the league’s 30th season.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, WNBA

2026 The Athletic Media Company

Many deaf runners arrive at community running events hoping to improve their wellbeing, only to feel isolated because they cannot follow safety briefings, says Amanda Cooper. This is something Amanda, a sign language volunteer, is determined to help change.

She travels to parkruns across the country to ensure deaf participants aren't left feeling unsure about the course they're about to tackle.

Amanda, from York, says communication barriers can turn a positive Saturday morning into a stressful one, with some people finishing feeling "worse mental health than when they arrived".

Parkrun, a free weekly 5k event held across more than 900 UK locations, held more than 250 parkruns last month with sign language support present, a spokesperson said.

Amanda signs during briefings for people attending their first parkrun and in the main safety briefing, ensuring deaf participants receive the same information as everyone else.

Deaf runners can feel unsafe on the course when they miss hazard warnings or cannot hear instructions from marshals, she says, sometimes worrying they are doing something wrong or unaware of changes to the route.

These moments can quickly turn a relaxed community event into an anxious experience, she adds, with Amanda volunteering 40 times so far as a sign language support volunteer.

UK Deaf Sport, a national charity advocating for deaf inclusion in sport, says many deaf people still face barriers that make mainstream activities "highly stressful".

Chris Ratcliffe, its chief executive officer, says many deaf participants struggle because events "rely heavily on auditory cues" and "spoken communication".

Parkrun says its events are "continuing to take meaningful steps to remove barriers to participation" across the UK.

Amanda highlights that one in six people have some degree of hearing loss, yet many take years to acknowledge it.

She says it can take seven to 10 years for people to come to terms with hearing loss due to stigma, embarrassment and fear of being left out.

Having lost her own hearing gradually since her twenties, she uses hearing aids - but stresses they are not a complete solution.

"They don't give you your full hearing back, they just improve it," she says, comparing them to a walking stick that helps but doesn't fully restore ability.

Her own experiences of communication barriers led her to set up Deaf Advocacy and Support York, helping people across North Yorkshire access services that often rely on phone calls or spoken communication.

Many deaf people are still told to "just give us a ring", she says, leaving them unable to resolve issues.

A lack of sign language support at some parkrun events "can be very isolating", says Philippa Wynne, a board member at UK Deaf Sport.

Negative experiences at sporting events can "impact confidence and mental wellbeing and often puts people off returning", she adds.

Philippa, who has attended parkrun since 2012, explains: "Having sign language support makes a huge difference.

"It means I can fully access information and feel part of the event."

Reflecting on her time as a parkrun deaf and hard of hearing outreach ambassador in 2017, Philippa says she and others pushed for sign support to be recognised as an official volunteer role.

"Support like this isn't optional - it's essential if sport is going to be truly inclusive for everyone," she says.

Amanda says volunteering has been hugely positive for her own wellbeing, with being in the parkrun team boosting her confidence and reducing her own sense of isolation.

"There's nothing out of bounds, deaf volunteers have done every role - even run director," she says.

"It's a great atmosphere and everyone should be able to enjoy it on equal terms."

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

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Every footballing parent puts in the miles to watch their child play but Steve and Susan Elliot can probably trump most of them.

Their son, Callan, first started kicking a ball with Annan Athletic - currently in Scottish League 2 - at their Galabank ground.

Since the family moved to New Zealand when he was just seven, he has risen through the ranks and is now in the squad for his new homeland at the World Cup.

His parents have travelled about 6,500 miles (10,500km) to watch their opening game against Iran at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

They kick off in the early hours of Tuesday morning UK-time.

Dad Steve said it would be quite something to see his boy set foot on the game's biggest stage.

"It's not easy to put into words how both his mum and I feel - proud, amazed, a football parent's dream," he said.

"It's truly surreal - so looking forward to this."

Their son has certainly come a long way - in every sense - since he first took up the game.

"He is one of four brothers - number three - and started his journey at four years old at Annan Athletic, he just so enjoyed playing so much," said Steve.

"We as a family moved to Nelson in New Zealand when he was just turning seven."

Last year, Callan spoke to BBC Scotland about his World Cup dream and how he got into the game.

"My dad played a lot - never professionally - just locally and so he just got me into it from a young age," he said.

"I was at Annan Athletic when I was young.

"When I moved to New Zealand I started picking up cricket, rugby, tennis - all those sports - and then probably at the age of 12, I just decided to just stick with football."

It proved a smart decision and he has now completed what he admitted was his "big goal" - getting into the squad for the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Callan - an attacking right-back - knew he could play for either country but decided to go for the nation that developed him as a player rather than the one of his birth.

His father said: "Being realistic is he up to Scotland squad standard?

"I'm not sure, but maybe after this World Cup will tell us the answer.

"I do know, though, that he wouldn't have been to the Under 20s World Cup or Olympics with Scotland as they didn't qualify - so perhaps New Zealand's been the best choice."

And what would success look like at the World Cup?

Steve said he had been "pushing hard" to make the right-back spot in the team his own.

"So, getting that done and getting through the group stage would be tremendous," he said.

After their opening fixture with Iran, New Zealand will face Egypt and Belgium in their bid to make it to the knockout stages.

Callan will have plenty of supporters as his parents have flown out, as has one of his brothers. Another sibling already lives in the United States.

His partner, Keany Morey, originally from Edinburgh but now living in New Zealand, was also travelling to see him.

Other relatives, meanwhile, will be glued to the television in Dumfries and Galloway to wish him well.

If Scotland let them down, they could always have the All Whites as a fallback option.

• The Scot dreaming of a World Cup with New Zealand

The Isle of Man's largest mass participation community event will take place next weekend.

The annual Parish Walk sees people walk against the clock to complete the 85-mile (137km) route within a strict 24-hour time limit.

More than 1,200 people are expected to take on the gruelling feat in the hope of completing all - or part - of the course.

Many will be raising money for local charities.

Signing on

In a change to previous years, registration for the event will only be held on one day.

It will take place on Wednesday in the Secondary Hall at the National Sports Centre (NSC) in Douglas between 17:00 and 21:00 BST.

Starting line advice

Organisers have asked for those taking part to be dropped off at the NSC since there is only limited on-site parking.

A "bag drop" service will be in place so walkers can have their belongings transported to the finishing lines in Rushen and Peel free of charge.

A free shuttle bus will also be running between 15:30 and 18:30 on Saturday to allow supporters to travel to Peel and then back to Douglas with competitors who finish in the western town.

The route

Setting off from the running track at the NSC at 08:00 on Saturday, the route takes walkers through each of the island's 17 parishes, beginning with Braddan.

It then makes its way though Marown, Santon, Malew, Arbory, Rushen, and Patrick before reaching Peel, where the race ends for those under 21.

Others will continue through Kirk Michael, Ballaugh, Jurby, Bride, Andreas, Lezayre, Maughold, Lonan and Onchan before reaching the finish line on Douglas Promenade.

There will be feeding stations and toilets positioned at locations along the route.

Rules and timings

Wearing headphones is banned, while anyone caught running or jogging will be disqualified.

The provision of pacing by driving, cycling or walking with a competitor is also not allowed.

Time penalties and "red cards" can be handed out to anyone breaking the rules.

There is a cut-off point to reach each parish church along the route, and anyone arriving after the relevant checkpoint's closure will have to withdraw.

The checkpoint at Rushen will remain open beyond the cut off-of 13:35 for finishers only, with the same arrangement in Peel for those arriving after 17:00.

The finish line will close at 08:00 on Sunday.

Road closures

Rolling road closures will be in place to keep the walkers safe, with a one-way system in the direction of the course in place at Bulgham, in Maughold, for a time on Saturday evening.

Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.

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• Isle of Man Parish Walk

A new gay and inclusive rugby club is being founded in Cambridge.

The Cambridge Yales will host their first training session at the city's rugby club, in Grantchester Road, at 10:30 BST on Saturday.

Co-founder Ross Barr-Hoyland said the team was launching with an eight-week training programme open to players of all abilities.

"You don't have to have any experience of playing sport, never mind rugby. Just come along, have fun, and see what you think," he said.

The Yales will be the sixth gay rugby club in the East of England, following in the footsteps of the Colchester Kings who became the region's first inclusive side in 2022.

Other clubs have since launched in Northampton, Norwich, and, in Essex, in Southend-on-Sea and Rochford.

About 30 people were already interested in joining, according to Barr-Hoyland, a trustee of the organising body International Gay Rugby.

He said he had helped set up similar teams across Europe and had the idea to bring gay rugby to Cambridge over a drink with a friend.

The 37-year-old said he once thought he could not love rugby and be gay, until he joined an inclusive team in Leeds.

"When I found them, it was just like coming home, but I think it's more than that," he said.

"I think it's about people finding a family and a team to bond together and support each other, both on and off the pitch."

All sexualities will be welcome at the club, he said, adding that many straight men have joined similar teams because "they love how 'no pressure' it is".

There are more than 100 inclusive sides around the world, according to International Gay Rugby.

The new club's name is inspired by the yale – a mythical creature which features in heraldry, including on the gates of two of the University of Cambridge's colleges.

Cambridge has the fourth largest non-heterosexual population in England and Wales, according to the latest census.

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In the modern sports hall at Willows Special School in Rotherham, there are shrieks of delight from pupils wearing Brazil-style yellow strips and currently engaged in a fiercely competitive three-on-three football game.

The man in the middle of the hall, Tom Halloway, dressed in black, is shouting encouragement.

Tom is clearly in his element as the game combines two of his passions: refereeing and supporting pupils with special educational needs.

He is a far cry from what he describes as the "disengaged" autistic teenager who left school with one GCSE and only the most distant of dreams that one day he might become a teacher.

"I didn't really do very well at school," Tom explains.

"I really struggled. I failed my maths GCSE seven times."

He elaborates further: "It was the shape and space module because obviously, with me being autistic, one add one is always two, 10 plus 10 is always going to be 20 - but I just couldn't see the shape and I didn't understand angles."

After multiple retakes, private tuition and a huge amount of perseverance, Tom eventually passed his maths.

It led the neurodivergent student on a career path to college, university in Sheffield and a job teaching children whose struggles in education mirror his own experiences.

Rachel Booth, headteacher at Willows, says she certainly saw the potential in Tom.

"Everybody is different, whether by their needs or physical appearance," she says.

"But, for Tom to have additional needs and say to the children, 'it's not stopped me, look at what I've done with my life' – is brilliant.

"He's a real role model. We can say if you really want something and work hard enough, there are options and opportunities."

Sitting in the Willows' sound proof "radio room" where students can broadcast and play their favourite songs, Tom sits back in his chair and reflects on the position of responsibility he has to his vulnerable pupils.

"I have that understanding. I've once been in their shoes," he says.

"I was once sitting down on that seat, having the same difficulties. I'm more aware of what they may be struggling with.

"A lot of children, especially at this school, struggle to communicate how they're feeling and we're there as teachers to work that out.

"I think because of my neurodiversity, if I can pick that up before they have the struggles, it really does help them.

"I'll always be open and talk about my autism, how it impacts me, how I live with it. So parents can see that teachers do care."

Sport always proved a release for Tom as a teenager.

He dreamed of being a footballer, but admits that because of his autism, he was "easily led".

His diagnosis came in his late teens after several years of struggles in the classroom.

"I grew up in a rough and deprived area. I didn't have the best friendship groups and hung around with the wrong type of people," he remembers.

It was athletics that provided focus. A sub-2:30 marathon runner at his best, his promising running career however came to a grinding halt when he developed kidney stones during the Covid pandemic.

"I loved running. It's numbers and structure. Because of my autism, these are things I need.

"Putting a number on mileage, having to hit them splits, I was looking for that routine. So, when I had to stop, I didn't know what to do."

Tom had already started refereeing "solely for a bit of income", but he says he realised it could fill the void left from running.

"I had to find something because I'd gone from running seven days a week, twice a day, to doing nothing. So refereeing really did fill that hole.

"I always say that when one door closes, another one opens - and from there I took everything in to my full ability.

"I was spotted and people thought, 'he's a good referee' and it quickly grew."

Just as with running, the discipline and structure of being a referee helped the neurodivergent teacher.

"I'm not really a confident person, but when I'm on a football field I feel in control. I feel that power.

"Players like the fact that I can talk, I can have a conversation, I can explain my decisions and that's really helped my autism and helped me get my words out.

"The thing about football, there's rules: handball is handball, you always start with 11 players on the pitch, you've got two goal posts, four corner flags, you've got substitutes, you've got a referee, two lines, two assistant referees.

"I think the structure's there. I know what to expect on a football pitch."

The former long distance runner has had huge success in the game.

Since starting off refereeing boys and girls grassroots football, he is now a level 3 match official in the football pyramid, refereeing in the Northern Premier League, and an assistant referee in the National League North.

A regular week during the season will see him combining teaching with games on Tuesday and Saturday, travelling to officiate in places like Marine, Darlington and Macclesfield.

"I've gained four promotions in the space of three years and that's quite unheard of and something I'm really proud of," he smiles.

Tom's progress has not gone unnoticed, picking up a diversity award presented to him at Wembley Stadium, as well as awards for Rotherham Referee of the Year and Up-and-Coming Referee of the Year.

Although the father-of-one has so far managed to juggle teaching and refereeing, he is clear where his long-term loyalties lie.

"I think based on my age now, with refereeing, I came into it quite late, so I think getting into the football league is realistic - but I'll always want to teach.

"I'm a teacher for sure. That'll always be my vocation."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North

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The 2026 World Cup has spiked in quality with Netherlands and Japan delivering a gripping 2-2 draw in Dallas.

Germany hit Curacao for seven, but not perform the World Cup minnows seized the moment of the day after levelling against their illustrious opponents.

Steve Clarke’s side are recovering from their heroic win over Haiti, but with three points in the bag, the Tartan Army must now focus on Morocco and Brazil, with a result needed to ensure no regrets over the slim margin of victory in Boston.

Here is everything you need to know from day four of the super-sized tournament:

Germany hit seven but Curacao’s moment justifies new format

Kai Havertz scored a brace as Germany opened their World Cup campaign with a dominant 7-1 victory over debutants Curacao in Houston.

Felix Nmecha opened the scoring just six minutes in, but Germany were slightly stunned when Livano Comenencia levelled for minnows Curacao, making their maiden appearance at a World Cup, suggesting that the expanded new format is worthwhile when nations can produce moments that inspire generations.

However, a Nico Schlotterbeck header and Havertz penalty soon restored Germany’s advantage at half-time. A comfortable display saw further goals in the second half from Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown, Deniz Undav and Havertz as Germany wrapped up three points in their first Group E game.

Japanese fans leave their mark off the pitch at World Cup

Japanese fans had plenty to celebrate after their 2-2 draw with the Netherlands at the Dallas Stadium in Texas but once again they will make headlines for an incredible gesture after the full-time whistle of the World Cup 2026 clash.

As usual in sporting events of this size, the stands of the stadium became littered with rubbish, such as food trays and empty drinks cups, but Japan’s supporters remained behind and cleaned up before departing the stadium.

Experts in Japanese culture cite a proverb: "tatsu tori ato wo nigosazu" which, when translated into English, means "stand up, take care of it, without leaving any traces behind" as one reason why Japan supporters tidy up after themselves.

Eberechi Eze prepared to step up in penalty shootout despite missed chance in Champions League final

Eberechi Eze says he would gladly take a penalty in a shootout during this World Cup, and just sees the miss in Arsenal’s Champions League final as “part of the journey” to improve.

“If called upon, for sure,” Eze said when asked about taking a penalty. “Why wouldn’t I take it? Football is full of everything and you have to try to accept everything as it is, to enjoy it as much as you can. Playing in a Champions League final is where I want to be, it’s what I want to do. We’ll go for it again next season and if there is a penalty to take then I’ll be there again. All the big players have missed big penalties, have experienced these types of moments.

“I’ve had messages from everyone to speak on those moments. For me, it’s not something I wish never happened. I’m grateful it happened. I’m going to grow from it, learn from it and move forward.”

Uruguay blame Fifa after flight chaos hurts plans for World Cup 2026 match

Uruguay’s national team have blamed Fifa after a chaotic start to their World Cup campaign following the delay to their travel from their Mexico base to Miami for their first match.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have travelled to Cancun for final preparations before getting their World Cup underway against Saudi Arabia on Monday but the squad were left waiting as their prepared plane didn’t have clearance to fly to the US. The problem facing the team was reportedly due to issues with paperwork for the aircraft which meant it had not been approved to take the route from Cancun to Miami.

The AUF maintained Fifa was responsible, while adding in a statement: “Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed. The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4.15pm.”

A Fifa statement read: "Due to an airline permitting error in Mexico, the Uruguay national team’s departure from Cancun to Miami was delayed. The airline has apologised for the inconvenience caused.

“FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguay national team throughout their delay and worked alongside airport and operational partners to help expedite the process and minimise disruption to the team’s travel arrangements."

Sweden’s deadly duo Isak and Gyokeres both off the mark in win over Tunisia

One of the big challenges for successive Sweden managers has been how to get the best out of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres on the same pitch, at the same time. Graham Potter’s solution against Tunisia was to play a 3-5-2 formation in which his star strikers were paired together, and it paid off with a 5-1 win in which both players got on the scoresheet – and Brighton’s Yasin Ayari scored two belters from range against his mother’s country.

The forward pair were helped by some poor Tunisian defending and goalkeeping, and there remain some question marks over their link-up play. At one point during the second half, Gyokeres should have played Isak through on goal but the Arsenal striker dallied and when he eventually passed, Isak was offside. Gyokeres’s goal might technically have been an Isak assist, but Isak was trying to score himself and the ball only ran to his strike partner when he lost control under pressure.

So perhaps there is still something to work on to develop a thriving partnership in which they are as happy to pass to one another as to take on the shot. But for Potter and Sweden, just seeing their star duo play together is a huge boost after Isak’s season of injuries. Group F rivals Netherlands and Japan will be wary of the threat Sweden pose.

Iran captain Mehdi Taremi says his team is having a challenging World Cup 2026 experience amid the multifold disruptions created by their nation's war with the U.S., the tournament's co-host.

The Iranians arrived in the Los Angeles area on Sunday from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, just over the U.S. border — about 140 miles (225km) from the stadium where they will open group-stage play against New Zealand on Monday night. Iran's training camp was relocated from the U.S. after the war began, and the Iranian team has endured numerous distractions since then, including visa problems.

“I have felt the tension from the first moment we arrived at this World Cup,” Taremi said through an interpreter. “At any tournament when there is tension, we won’t have the same beautiful experience we always talk about with peace and joy. ... I know it wasn’t just us. I know several countries had visa problems and changes with training camps. Before we arrived, the feeling, the sensation people always have, how they look forward to the World Cup, I think this time maybe they haven’t had the same feeling.”

The U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and the initial missile strikes killed its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The war has slowed and resumed several times since then, with President Donald Trump even announcing a peace deal earlier Sunday.

“This kind of tension, it undermines that joy and it undermines the message of FIFA and our people, which is that football brings about peace,” said Taremi, the 33-year-old Olympiacos striker who is playing in his third World Cup. “I feel like this World Cup could have provided a better atmosphere than it has, but I hope in the future it will be better for all fans, whatever team they are supporting in the World Cup.”

Iran initially planned to train in Tucson, Arizona, before the war’s outbreak, but quickly moved to Baja California. FIFA then rejected Iran’s desire to play its group-stage World Cup matches outside the U.S., claiming logistics and contracts wouldn’t allow it.

Iran has been beset with logistical problems since then, including the denial of visas for certain members of its delegation. A team spokesperson said Sunday that two members of its media relations group were denied U.S. visas for the opening match. Iran and its traveling fans also have faced multiple issues with match tickets.

“Without any doubt, this will impact negatively the spirit of football,” Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said. “Football is supposed to bring nations and cultures together. Whether we win, whether we lose, that’s a personal feeling we have, but football as a game is about bringing about joy. These conditions, they have impacted our technical focus, but I have really tried to make sure that my players focus on strategy and techniques.”

The Iranian team is limited to brief trips into the U.S. for its matches, flying in the day before the game and reportedly flying out immediately afterward. Iran plays in Inglewood, California, again next Sunday against Belgium, before completing the group stage in Seattle against Egypt on June 26.

Without giving details, Taremi said Iran's travel from Tijuana to SoFi Stadium took roughly five hours, including the very short flight.

“Of course that impacts us,” Ghalenoei said. “I would like to thank the good people of Mexico, but we Iranians, we are accustomed to make opportunities out of hardship, and we don’t think about anything other than bringing joy to people.”

The Los Angeles area likely was picked to host two of Iran's matches in part because it has the world's largest Iranian population outside Iran. The so-called Tehrangeles area of the city is filled with the families of untold thousands who fled the country after the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s.

Taremi and Ghalenoei are aware that many U.S.-based Iranians will be cheering against them, given their feelings about the current government, but they aren't bothered.

“We play for every Iranian, be it in the diaspora or in Iran,” Taremi said. “People have different opinions, but we are here to unite people and we will try to bring joy to all Iranians wherever they live. We do not get involved in politics. We are here to play football.”

Jun. 14—EUGENE, Ore. — Alan Espinal homered, the go-ahead run scored on an errant pickoff throw and the Spokane Indians topped the Eugene Emeralds 4-2 in the finale of a six-game High-A Northwest League series at PK Park on Sunday.

The Indians hit 14 home runs and took four of six in the series.

Eugene grabbed the early lead in the second inning when Lisbel Diaz and Walker Martin hit back-to-back home runs, their ninth and eighth of the year respectively.

The Indians tied it up in the fourth. With one down, Jack O'Dowd drew a walk and scored on Alan Espinal's fifth homer of the season — a no-doubt shot to straight left field.

It stayed that way until the seventh. Kelvin Hidalgo singled and went to third on a single by Juan Castillo. Ems reliever Cade Vernon attempted a pickoff at first, but his throw went down the right -field line into foul territory and Hidalgo scored without a throw.

The Emeralds put the tying runner on with one down in the eighth when Dakota Jordan walked against lefty reliever Justin Loer. Jordan moved to third on a groundout, then Indians manager Tom Sutaris went to the bullpen for Hunter Mann.

Mann walked Jakob Christian on four pitches to put runners at the corners, then issued another four straight balls to Zander Darby to load the bases. After a mound visit from pitching coach Blaine Beatty, Mann settled down and coaxed a flyout by Diaz to quash the threat.

The Indians loaded the bases with one down in the ninth against reliever Gereimi Maldonado and scored an insurance run on groundout. The Ems went 1-2-3 in the bottom half against Mann to close it out.

Indians starter Everett Catlett (4-4) was strong over six innings. He gave up the two solo homers, five hits in total with no walks and eighth strikeouts. He threw 82 pitches, 55 for strikes.

The Indians start a 12-game homestand on Tuesday, starting with a six-game set against Vancouver this week. Tri-City visits Spokane June 23-28.

Jun. 14—EUGENE, Ore. — Max Belyeu hit two of the visitors' five home runs and the Spokane Indians trounced the first-place Eugene Emeralds 11-2 in the fifth of a six-game High-A Northwest League series at PK Park on Saturday.

The Indians (26-36) have 13 home runs in the first five games of the series. Each of the previous four games were decided by one run, and the lead was taken in eighth or later in three of four games.

For the second game in a row, the Indians lead-off hitter in the first inning went deep, as Belyeu jumped on the first pitch of the game from Eugene starter Hunter Dryden, a Deer Park HS grad, and sent it over the wall in right center for his ninth home run of the season — tops on the team.

Eugene (41-21) answered in the bottom half off Indians starter Jordy Vargas. Trevor Cohen singled and stole second, Jhonny Level walked, then both runners scored on a double by Gavin Kilen.

Indians infielder Kelvin Hidalgo tied it in the second with a solo homer, his sixth of the campaign.

The Indians added three in third. Belyeu walked, stole second and scored on a one-out double by Ethan Hedges, who then scored on a two-run homer by Alan Espinal — his fourth of the season.

Hedges hit a another RBI double in the fourth, making it 6-2. The visitors then blew it open in the eighth on a three-run homer by Juan Castillo, his second long ball of the season, and Belyeu added his second of the game, a two-run shot, to put the Indians up 11-2.

Six-foot-five right reliever Fisher Jameson threw four shutout innings on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

The series concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Jun. 14—One of France's rising basketball prospects is set to join Gonzaga's roster next season, helping Mark Few's program address one of the team's glaring holes as the Zags enter their first year in the Pac-12 Conferences.

Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa, a 6-foot-6 combo guard with high upside, has committed to the Zags, according to a Sunday report from the Field of 68's Jeff Goodman. Ekanga-Ehawa hadn't publicly addressed the commitment as of Sunday, but Goodman cited the player's agency, WEAVE, while breaking the news on X.

An 18-year-old who mainly played for the U-21 team of French club JL Bourg in 2025-26, he gives the Zags another quality option at the guard position, which consisted of just two other players — returning point guard Mario Saint-Supery and Houston transfer Isiah Harwell — prior to Ekanga-Ehawa's commitment.

Ekanga-Ehawa made 21 appearances for JL Bourg's U-21 side, averaging 19.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals. In 30.0 minutes per game, he shot 52% from the field, 30.6% from the 3-point line and 69.2% on free throws. The guard also made two appearances for JL Bourg's senior team, playing 15 total minutes while scoring two points in those games.

Gonzaga has established a strong international pipeline to France through former players such as Joel Ayayi and Killian Tillie. Ayayi and Ekanga-Ehawa share another connection through their experience with JL Bourg. Ayayi, who won All-WCC First Team honors in 2020-21 while leading GU to the national championship game, played for JL Bourg's senior team in 2024-25 while Ekanga-Ehawa was with the club's U-18 squad.

Ekanga-Ehawa also spent time playing for Roanne of French's second division last season, registering 7.1 minutes per game in seven appearances.

During France's Young Stars Game held on March 4 in Paris, Ekanga-Ehawa tied for the game lead with 16 points on 8 of 10 from the field while leading Team Pietrus to an 85-81 win over Team Rigaudeau. Ekanga-Ehawa also has experience playing for France's national 3x3 youth teams, winning a U-17 silver medal last summer at the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Skopje, Macedonia.

The incoming freshman grew up in JL Bourg's academy based in Bourg-en-Brasse, France, roughly 90 miles west of the Switzerland border. His father, Joachim Ekanga-Ehawa, was a fixture on the Cameroonian men's national team, helping them capture a silver medal at the 2007 FIBA Africa Championship. Joachim played professionally for ES Chalon-sur-Saone of French's top division and was the Most Valuable Player in the country's second division in 2007.

Ekanga-Ehawa becomes the third member of GU's freshman class, joining four-star wing Luca Foster and four-star Center Sam Funches. GU also added a pair of transfers in Houston's Harwell and Arizona State center Massamba Diop.

Pending other additions, Ekanga-Ehawa will be one of at least four international players on GU's 2026-27 roster, joining Saint-Supery (Spain), Diop (Senegal) and forward Izan Almansa (Spain), who committed to the Zags last month but has yet to sign a financial aid agreement.

Spain football are ready to begin their quest to upgrade their status from European champions to world champions at the World Cup 2026.

Luis de la Fuente’s side take on Cape Verde initially, with their biggest fear easing in recent days.

That’s because Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal should be available to play a role off the bench, if needed, in Atlanta.

For Cape Verde, the second-smallest country by land area after Curacao, there is an opportunity to test themselves against the favourites and show what they can do on this stage on debut.

Here’s everything you need to know about the World Cup 2026 game:

When is Spain v Cape Verde?

Spain battle Cape Verde at 5pm BST (12pm EST) on Monday 15 June at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the UK can watch the match free-to-air on ITV 1, ITV X, STV and STV Player with coverage starting at 11am BST. It can also be live streamed on ITVX.

Team news

Spain now have Lamine Yamal fit enough to play a role off the bench. In his place to start, look for Ferran Torres and Alex Baena to flank Mikel Oyarzabal.

Nico Williams (hamstring) and Victor Munoz (fatigue) could also miss out here.

Predicted line-ups

Spain XI: Simon; Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Fabian, Rodri, Pedri; Torres, Oyarzabal, Baena

Cape Verde XI: Vozinha; Moreira, Costa, Pico, Paulo; Semedo, Pina; Mendes, Monteiro, Cabral; Dailon

Latest odds

Spain to win - 1/12

Draw - 9/1

Cape Verde to win - 28/1

Uruguay’s national team have blamed Fifa after a chaotic start to their World Cup campaign following the delay to their travel from their Mexico base to Miami for their first match.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have travelled to Cancun for final preparations before getting their World Cup underway against Saudi Arabia on Monday but the squad were left waiting as their prepared plane didn’t have clearance to fly to the US.

The problem facing the team was reportedly due to issues with paperwork for the aircraft which meant it had not been approved to take the route from Cancun to Miami.

The Uruguayan team remained at the Mayakoba Complex, a hotel resort about 45 minutes from Cancun International airport, before a solution was found, with the Uruguayan FA left angry with Fifa.

The AUF said: “Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed. The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4.15pm.”

An AUF spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic that they considered Fifa to be responsible for the problems, though Fifa did not immediately respond after a request for comment.

Bielsa had been scheduled to attend a pre-match press conference at the Miami Stadium at 8pm EST on Sunday, with no confirmation over a new time or a complete cancellation.

Uruguay legend Diego Forlan appeared upset at the situation, writing: “Who is to blame???,” Forlan wrote, followed by “Arriba Uruguay!!”

The Independent has contacted Fifa for comment.

Uruguay’s plight is one of a number of travel issues that teams and individuals have faced when travelling to the US for the tournament.

Somalian referee, Omar Artan, was famously denied entry into the country due to unspecified “vetting concerns” despite being on the list of approved Fifa employees and Palestine’s football chief, Jibril Rajoub, revealed on Friday that he is still awaiting permission to enter the country.

Iran, meanwhile, are claiming its fan ticket allocation has been revoked – just one week before their first match against New Zealand in Los Angeles with the country’s football federation (FFIRI) stating last Tuesday that it is a decision which will “sabotage the presence of Iranian fans”.

Elsewhere, Ghana’s Thomas Partey was denied entry to Canada, due to previously being charged with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by London’s Metropolitan Police. Fifa confirmed in a statement: “FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s team base camp ... to Canada for their first match against Panama ... as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government.”

Uruguay play their first two group stage matches in Miami, taking on Saudi Arabia on June 15 before facing Cape Verde on June 21. They travel back to Mexico for their final group game against Spain on June 27.

Iran's coach Amir Ghalenoei said on Sunday political tensions and visa issues have damaged his side's preparations for the World Cup but insisted his players will not "pay attention to any of the hype."

Iran have arrived at the tournament under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States -- in military conflict with Iran for months -- refused to issue visas for some team support staff.

They play their opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, marking the first time that a World Cup host has hosted a country with which it is at war.

Protests are planned outside the stadium by members of the Iranian diaspora opposed to the nation's hardline regime, and there have been threats that the Iran team could walk off the pitch if anti-government banners are displayed.

"We are here to perform a good match, a high-quality match. We don't pay attention to any of the hype and anything that goes on around us," Ghalenoei said in a press conference in response to a question from AFP.

"Naturally, all teams have their own problems, and in many countries, many things happen that have nothing to do with football."

The coach said his team are simply at the World Cup to "represent the respectful people of Iran, be it the Iranians inside Iran or the Iranian diaspora."

"We are not political people... football is separate from politics," said Ghalenoei.

The press conference took place barely an hour after a peace deal between the US and Iran was announced, bringing an "immediate and permanent" end to miltary operations on all fronts.

Controversy surrounding the Iran team has drawn headlines but is far from the only political issue affecting the World Cup that the US is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada.

Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the US for the World Cup, as have been many fans.

"It's not just Iran that has been impacted, as you know," said star striker Mehdi Taremi.

"Others, including a referee, have been impacted."

He said the tension surrounding the tournament "undermines that joy and it undermines the message of FIFA or people, which is about football that brings about peace."

"I have felt the tension from the first moment we arrived at this World Cup, and whenever at any tournament there is tension, of course, we don't have the same beautiful experience that we always talk about, about peace, joy for the people of every country."

Iran was originally supposed to base their training camp in the US, but switched to Tijuana in Mexico at late notice.

"We arrived late, and we didn't have enough time to adjust... it will affect us, but God willing, I know that my players are very determined to do their utmost and show the highest quality," said Ghalenoei.

"Of course, our camp was changed twice, first it was in the United States, then we were transferred to Mexico and of course that impacts us," the coach added.

"But we Iranians make opportunities out of hardship, and we don't think about anything other than bringing joy to our people, and we will do our utmost, and the rest is up to God the Almighty."

Iran has never reached the knockout rounds of a World Cup. Their Group G also contains Belgium and Egypt.

amz/gj

Japan scored an 89th-minute equaliser as they twice fought back to rescue a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in Texas on Sunday to open their World Cup campaigns.

A match in front of 69,285 spectators that had bubbled away in the first period sparked into life in the second half.

Netherlands skipper Virgil van Dijk scored with a fine header, only for Keito Nakamura to quickly level, before winger Crysencio Summerville's delicious curled finish into the bottom corner just after the hour.

The Dutch looked like they would hold on, but Japan levelled at the death with Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada credited with the goal after a deflection.

"We are not completely satisfied with the draw," said Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu, whose side face Tunisia on Saturday in a competitive-looking Group F.

"But the Netherlands are a top-class team and we tried to compete at the same level.

"We were tenacious but patient and kept calm."

Japan and the Netherlands are missing key players through injury, but on paper this was still one of the more attractive fixtures in the group stage.

Both have been touted as dark horses capable of going far at the tournament -- the Dutch have been runners-up three times whereas Japan have never gone beyond the last 16.

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman, the former defender charged with finally delivering World Cup glory, was given a grilling by Dutch media afterwards especially for his substitutions.

"I am disappointed that we did not win," said Koeman, who pointed the finger at his side's defending.

"But I am not that negative," he said to one line of questioning that he took exception to.

"I saw a team that has made great progress," he added of his men.

"Of course we can perform better and need to grow during the tournament."

- Game sparks to life -

The Netherlands made a confident start and nearly took the lead after three minutes, Donyell Malen swivelling and forcing a smart save from Zion Suzuki.

The impressive air-conditioned arena is usually home to the Dallas Cowboys, and at the hydration break the NFL team's cheerleaders were shown on the massive screen hanging over the pitch performing one of their routines.

The stoppage seemed to help the Dutch and Roma forward Malen again worked Suzuki with a header from a corner.

Japan's fans, who had hardly stopped singing and outnumbered the Dutch contingent, were briefly silenced. 

The first real chance for Moriyasu's team came a few minutes before the break when a cross evaded the backtracking Summerville but Nakamura pulled his effort wide. 

The Dutch had looked most threatening in the air, so it was no surprise when Liverpool talisman Van Dijk rose to plant a well-placed header into the bottom corner after a pinpoint cross from his club team-mate Ryan Gravenberch on 51 minutes.

The lead lasted just six minutes, Nakamura wriggling free and firing low past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, the ball taking a small deflection off Jan Paul van Hecke.

In a madcap period of play, the Dutch forged ahead once more on 64 minutes when West Ham's Summerville beat his man on the right wing and curled into Suzuki's bottom-right corner with his left foot.

Both teams rang the changes and had chances to score again, before Kamada's chaotic leveller from a corner. 

Sweden face Tunisia later Sunday in the other Group F game of the day.

pst/gj

The Texas A&M Fighting Aggies have the best recruiting class in the 2027 cycle, and it just got better.

The Texas A&M Aggies have the No. 1 class of 2027. They are trying to keep that as teams like the Miami Hurricanes and Oklahoma Sooners continue to get closer, landing player after player. So, to help stay at the top for the time being, A&M landed another great skill player on Sunday.

According to Hayes Fawcett, the Aggies have landed three-star wide receiver Trey Haddad. He ranks as the nation's No. 218 wide receiver and No. 75 player in Ohio. However, being in Ohio, he still knew what it meant to be an Aggie. Haddad has been enamored of the school’s tradition ever since he was offered a place.

BREAKING: Class of 2027 WR Trey Haddad has Committed to Texas A&M, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6'1 175 WR chose the Aggies over Louisville and Michigan State

"I'm home, Gig'Em 👍"https://t.co/xBvyWEM2HApic.twitter.com/wXvvmB7lKL

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 14, 2026

"The love that I felt from them was a special type of feeling that you don't get to feel at other places," Haddad told Rivals' Greg Smith. "When they offered me, I was extremely excited, and I sat there and told myself that they wouldn't regret their decision. I love the tradition and history of the school. I feel very honored to receive an offer from a school like A&M."

Now, he surely feels very honored to eventually be an Aggie, and not just hold an offer from them. He chose A&M over West Virginia, Michigan State, and Cincinnati. Haddad visited A&M once to West Virginia's three, yet it didn't matter much. But the question still stands: What is A&M getting in Haddad?

What is Texas A&M getting in new three-star wide receiver Trey Haddad?

The 6'1, 180-pound receiver is a good route runner with decent speed, which should translate well to the next level. He's a playmaker, which is exactly what Mike Elko likes. He doesn't have a type at receiver, but guys who make plays and play winning football. That's Haddad, who won't be afraid to get his nose dirty.

The Aggies should be thrilled with what they're getting, along with the other wide receivers and athletes in the class.

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Texas A&M just landed another elite skill player in its 2027 recruiting class to help keep it at the top

© 2026 A to Z Sports.

Facing the might of Spain is a "dream come true" said Cape Verde coach Bubista as the African island nation prepares for its World Cup debut on Monday.

Blessed with what Spain boss Luis de la Fuente boasted on Saturday is the "best squad in the tournament" in his opinion, the European champions are among the favourites to win the competition for a second time.

By contrast, Cape Verde are on the global stage for the first time, but are determined to "not just make up the numbers" after shocking Cameroon in qualifying to earn their place in the United States.

"We've been discussing how much we want to enjoy the match and the World Cup," Bubista told a press conference.

"It is an amazing opportunity to show our country to the world. We are very much happy to face Spain in the opener, this is a dream coming true."

Cape Verde were one of 13 football federations to hit out at UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin on Sunday over remarks that an expanded tournament would lead to "completely uninteresting" matches.

In remarks by Ceferin reportedly made before the tournament to Slovenian newspaper Delo, the UEFA chief said the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams this year -- up from 32 in 2022 -- would dilute the quality of the competition. 

"We are happy to be here, I believe it is an opportunity for teams from smaller countries to have a chance to participate and play and compete, so to us we are proud of being here," Bubista told AFP.

"Our flag will be flying, that is the most important thing, among the best football nations in the world.

"There is no greater joy than that because we are a small country and we will do our very best so that every Cabo Verdian may feel proud of our participation."

Spanish superstar Lamine Yamal is set to only make his World Cup debut from the bench as he is eased back into action from a hamstring injury.

The Barcelona winger lit up Euro 2024 as La Roja romped to success in Germany and is hoping to make similar impact on the World Cup at just 18 years of age.

"If it is the World Cup of Lamine I don’t know. There are many great players from many different countries," said Cape Verde captain Ryan Mendes.

"We are up against one of the best teams in the world, we can just hope it is our day and get the best result possible."

kca/rcw

There are not many 7-1 games in which the one feels wholly more significant than the seven. But Germany have scored many World Cup goals before and they will score many more. In contrast, Curacao’s goal here in Houston was a moment that will forever be etched into the country’s story.

The ball broke loose in the German penalty area and when it fell invitingly to right-back Livano Comenencia, stomachs tightened and eyes bulged. A stadium watched as Comenencia’s left-footed shot deflected off the underside of Germany captain Joshua Kimmich’s leg, into the ground and up over the outstretched hands of Manuel Neuer. Germany 1-1 Curacao, and Neuer’s first task in his fifth World Cup was to pick the ball out of the net.

Curacaoan players rushed to the corner in a delirious bundle. Their 78-year-old coach, Dick Advocaat, stood on the touchline with his arms raised in the air like a triumphant gladiator. All around him there was bedlam, substitutes running, coaches falling, a swathe of blue fans behind the dugout embracing the nearest person and dancing with joy.

There will come a time in this World Cup when the football takes over, when tactics and tension come to the fore, probably in the knockout stages when the real jeopardy kicks in. We will find out what Germany are really made of another day. But this group stage is about something else, about collective experience and shared memories. Everyone connected to the tiny Caribbean island of Curacao will remember where they were when Livano Comenencia scored that goal against Germany.

It is worth dispelling the notion that Curacao are World Cup minnows, in the original sense. All of their players came through the Dutch football system and the only Curacaoan squad member born on the island, Tahith Chong, left to join Feyenoord’s academy when he was 10. They are not a bunch of Caribbean plumbers and electricians but a professional group, many of whom have played in the Dutch Eredivisie. Comenencia trained in Juventus’s academy.

Yet it can still be true that for an island of 150,000 people, almost half of whom could have fitted inside this vast NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, it was an extraordinarily powerful thing. This is a country which became autonomous in 2010 after years of Dutch rule as part of the Netherlands Antilles. In generations past it had been a hub for the Dutch Atlantic slave trade. So when the Curacaoan journalist three seats down broke with all press box etiquette, leapt off his chair and bellowed “We did it!” on repeat, he was entitled to indulge in the moment.

It had begun ominously for Curacao, who were behind after only six minutes. One of the pre-match debates in the German media was whether Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka would start despite a limited role for the German champions this season, or whether Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha might be preferred in midfield. Julian Nagelsmann chose Nmecha, and the former England youth international repaid the faith with an arcing finish into the far corner after a smart one-two with Florian Wirtz.

But Curacao threatened with the occasional flurry on the break and their goal wasn’t entirely against the run of play. It was, perhaps, a vindication of Fifa’s inflated 48-team format to see a debut nation score against one of the great grandfathers of World Cup football, the four-time champions, against one of the great modern goalkeepers no less.

What was not an endorsement for Fifa’s approach to the tournament was the mid-half hydration breaks, powered by Powerade, which were taken immediately after Curacao’s goal. Curacao had momentum on the field and a raucous atmosphere off it, and all of that energy was sucked away, replaced by a Mariachi Band who came out onto a balcony and serenaded the crowd while adverts played on Fox Sports. It was a catchy jig, but the game felt flatter when it restarted three minutes later.

Germany would have taken charge anyway but from that point on, Curacao never regained a foothold. Nico Schlotterbeck nodded in a corner unmarked, and when Nmecha was felled in the box just before half-time, Kai Havertz slotted home the penalty despite the jeers of Curacao fans standing behind their goalkeeper Eloy Room.

A couple of minutes into the second half, Kimmich slid a precise pass into the path of Jamal Musiala, who slotted the ball past Room. Germany’s best goal was their fifth, when substitute Deniz Undav flicked the ball into the air for left-back Nathaniel Brown to volley into the far corner. Undav added a sixth from close range and Havertz’s dinked finish for No 7 was delicious.

It was Germany’s day. A sharp, confident Havertz will be essential to their progress and he looked hungry leading the line here. Yet perhaps Curacao, whose fans greeted their players like heroes at the full-time whistle, can take some encouragement from this heavy defeat on their World Cup debut. If they can score against Germany, they can score against anyone.

Here's how to watch Sweden vs Tunisia for free online and from anywhere as the two sides kick off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in a crucial Group F clash in Monterrey, Mexico.

Chelsea have reportedly made contact with Newcastle to sign Lewis Hall as per the latest from a prominent ITK on X.

The 21-year-old left-back has experienced a meteoric rise since trading Stamford Bridge for St James’ Park, drawing heavy structural interest from several Premier League heavyweights ahead of the summer transfer window.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY

Chelsea join race to sign Lewis Hall

According to updates shared by prominent insider on X, Chelsea have formally re-entered the picture by initiating contact regarding Hall.

The dynamic defender originally left West London for Newcastle in a deal worth up to £35 million, but his parent academy club is now keeping close tabs on his situation.

However, a dramatic return to Stamford Bridge is far from a formality. The report notes that Chelsea’s hierarchy will still “need a lot of convincing” before committing to a definitive, high-stakes bid to re-sign the talented fullback.

The ITK posted the following:

“Exclusive: We can confirm that @ChelseaFC have contacted Manchester United target Lewis Hall. Chelsea will need a lot of convincing to sign the Newcastle United player. Manchester United are still leading the race to sign the player.”

More Stories / Latest News

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Jun 15 2026, 9:55

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Jun 15 2026, 9:47

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Jun 15 2026, 8:52

Man United favourites to sign Hall

Despite Chelsea checking in on their former academy graduate, Manchester United remain the definitive frontrunners in the battle for his signature.

The Red Devils have long identified the £50 million-rated defender as a vital, long-term successor to Luke Shaw on the left side of their backline.

Old Trafford officials have reportedly kept active dialogue alive with the player’s camp over recent days.

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Hall is understood to be highly admired by United’s recruitment department, fitting the exact profile of young, elite Premier League talent INEOS wishes to sign.

With Newcastle facing the reality of a season without European football, temptation is building for the youngster to explore his options.

While Chelsea retain a watching brief, all indicators suggest Old Trafford remains Hall’s most likely destination if a summer move materialises.

The post Chelsea make contact with Man United target as they plot surprise transfer hijack – report appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Five-star prospect Yann Kamagate took to the court for St Francis (Calif.) this weekend. The class of 2028 recruit was participating in this weekend’s scheduled Section 7 event in Mesa, Arizona. With over 176 teams from 11 states, the event was attended by hundreds of college coaches, including Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey.

The class of 2028 five-star, who is ranked fifth in the nation and first in the state according to Rivals Industry Rankings, currently has offers from most of the top D1 programs. Included among them are Kentucky, UCLA, USC, and Houston. However, he is yet to receive an offer from Kelsey.

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“5-Star and the #4 ranked player in the 2028 class Yann Kamagate takes the floor for St. Francis for the first time this weekend.”5-Star and the #4 ranked player in the 2028 class Yann Kamagate takes the floor for St. Francis for the first time this weekend. Louisillve head coach Pat Kelsey getting a front row view for this one.” Chris Nano reported live from the event.

While the official statistics from the camp for Kamagate have not yet been released, St Francis. finished the event with a 2-2 record. Despite that, all eyes were on them to see the 7’1 class of 2028 recruit, with Mike Malone, Mark Pope, Tommy Lloyd, and Sean Miller also present for their game.

Before the event, most of the recruitment interest had come from Kamagate’s time at the 17U Adidas 3SSB Circuit. In his time there, he averaged 13.9 points, 10.4 rebounds in his first two sessions, with Compton Magic 17U, where he’s currently undefeated with an 8-0 record.

Following his achievements on the 17U Adidas 3SSB circuit, he was named for the NBPA top 100 camp among 120 other prospects. He was named a standout at the camp alongside other top prospects, including Orlando Southeastern Prep (Fla.) five-star Beckham Black and Chandler Compass Prep (Ariz.) four-star DeMarcus Henry.

“Quickly rising Class of 2028 prospect Kamagate continued his stellar play over the spring and summer with averages of 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 70.4 percent from the field. The 7-foot center blocked five shot in a loss to Team Mann.” MaxPreps revealed in its report.

After his standout performance at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, Kamagate’s summer is far from over. The Compton Magic will continue their circuit play in July, with the next event taking place in Texas from July 8th to July 12th.

MANCHESTER — It doesn’t beat reaching the Little League World Series, but winning a state championship ranks just behind that experience, Mason DeVall said.

DeVall pitched the final three innings for the Trinity High School baseball team in its 11-4 victory over Londonderry in Saturday night’s NHIAA Division I final at Delta Dental Stadium.

The junior from Hooksett struck out Londonderry senior Brody Labbe to end the game, securing Trinity’s first state title since 1992.

DeVall, who was part of North Manchester Hooksett Little League’s 2021 World Series team, allowed two earned runs on five hits and hit one batter alongside four strikeouts.

“It was a very special group that we had together,” DeVall said of this year’s Trinity team. “We just capitalized when we could and did the best we could.”

A junior righty, DeVall went to Londonderry for his freshman year and played that spring for the Lancers before transferring to Trinity. This was his first time playing against his former team.

The sixth-seeded Lancers (17-7) trimmed top-seeded Trinity’s lead to 5-3 by scoring a run on DeVall in the fifth inning. DeVall then held them off the scoreboard until the final innings, after the Pioneers (21-1) had built an 11-3 lead.

DeVall, who also pitched in relief in Trinity’s 6-2 semifinal win over Timberlane, said it helped knowing his former Londonderry teammates’ tendencies at the plate.

“He wanted the ball,” fourth-year Pioneers coach Matt Bouchard said of DeVall. “We had everyone available. Our plan was to get (starter) Brady (Sirois) into the fifth and then see what happened. ...He just got it done.”

Sirois, a senior righty, allowed two earned runs on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts over four innings.

The Lancers, who collected 11 hits, stranded four baserunners over the final three innings.

“We just didn’t get those hits keyed together and that’s unfortunate,” Londonderry coach Brent Demas said.

Trinity jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a five-run first inning, added two runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead and blew the game open with six runs over the fifth and sixth innings.

Tristian Lucier opened the game’s scoring with an RBI single to center field and scored on senior Aiden Harris’s single up the middle. Harris and Chris Centerino both scored on a wild pitch to build a 4-0 Trinity advantage.

Lucier’s twin brother, Cal, capped the inning’s scoring with a one-out sacrifice fly.

Centerino’s two-run double to deep left field highlighted the Pioneers’ four-run sixth. The junior also led off Trinity’s two-run fifth inning with a double into the right-center field gap before scoring on an error.

The Pioneers, who had 12 hits in their first state final since 2007, averaged 10 runs per game this spring.

“We’re really hard workers,” DeVall said of Trinity’s hitting success. “We’re in the (batting) cages whenever we can — after practice, before practice, on the weekends.”

Labbe belted a two-run, inside-the-park home run to left-center field in the fourth inning to cut the Pioneers’ advantage to 5-2. The Lancers then pulled within two on Jace Ruggiero’s two-out RBI single to right field in the fifth.

A senior, Ruggiero (three hits) also singled home classmate Caden Jordan in the seventh inning.

Centerino, Trinity’s No. 5 hitter, went 4-for-4 with three doubles.

A junior committed to Boston College, Tristan Lucier had two hits, an RBI, two runs scored, a walk and stole four bases.

The Lucier twins, who live in Manchester, were also members of the 2021 North Manchester Hooksett Little League World Series team.

The state championship is Trinity’s seventh overall.

Londonderry has won two D-I titles and played in four state finals over the past seven seasons. Saturday marked the program’s 10th state final appearance.

“They’ve been good for years and years. They’re the standard,” Bouchard said of the Lancers. “We hit, we did what we needed to do, we got the pitching we needed and I’m just proud of them (the players).”

ahall@unionleader.com

MANCHESTER — Wyatt Divers and his Belmont High School baseball teammates were hungry entering the NHIAA Division III championship game at Delta Dental Stadium.

With a sea of supporters in the bleachers, the Red Raiders won their first state championship since 1988 by defeating Derryfield School 10-2 on Saturday.

The 2024 D-III runner-up and a semifinalist each of the past three years, Belmont scored seven runs in the third inning and received a stellar pitching performance from Divers.

The third-seeded Red Raiders finished with an 18-2 record.

“A lot of people thought we were going to do it last year,” Belmont coach Matt LeBlanc said of winning the title. “We were probably a year early. We came up here (to the final) two years ago. We were here in 2017 — lost a heartbreaker in extra innings. To be able to get this done, it’s an amazing feeling and these guys (the players) deserve all the credit.”

Relying on his slider, Divers, a senior righty, scattered eight hits and two walks, allowing two earned runs alongside seven strikeouts.

Divers, who recorded every postseason out for the Red Raiders, fed off the Belmont crowd.

“I saw everybody I think I’ve ever met out there,” Divers said. “Everyone was behind me and it felt good to be efficient.”

Belmont built a 10-1 advantage through three innings.

The Red Raiders scored seven runs on three hits, two walks and a Cougars error in the third. They batted around in that frame, which was highlighted by Brady Fysh’s RBI single to left field and Sam Binder’s bases-loaded walk.

Belmont also loaded the bases with nobody out and then plated three runs in the first inning to take a 3-1 lead. Binder, a freshman, and junior Jack Crockford had consecutive RBI groundouts and Brayden Townsend scored on a fielding error.

The Red Raiders logged eight hits, including two from senior Eddie Rochenski, and six walks.

“We feel like we’re the best-hitting team in Division III,” LeBlanc said. “We’ve been putting up runs all year.”

Fifth-seeded Derryfield (16-5) opened the game’s scoring in the top of the first inning on a two-out RBI single by Jake Larson. The Cougars also scored on a pinch-hit RBI single by senior Logan O’Leary in the sixth inning, which cut Belmont’s lead to 10-2.

The Cougars made their first state final appearance since 2007. This season was their second in Division III since moving up from Division IV.

“Just super proud of the group and how far we came and the mark we made for Derryfield baseball overall,” said Cougars coach Kevin Gray, a former sportswriter for the Union Leader. “Thirteen kids, no JV (junior varsity) team, second year in D-III.”

When the Red Raiders won their Class M championship in 1988, they were coached by the late Paul Sottak. The Belmont High Hall of Famer’s grandsons Jasper, a junior outfielder, and Cole Contigiani, a manager, were both part of this season’s title run.

Saturday marked the last game for Belmont assistant coach Jim LaClair, who is retiring after 49 years of coaching baseball. LaClair, who won two state titles at Farmington, where he spent most of his coaching career, is Divers’s grandfather.

“To get it done for everybody is just the best feeling in the world,” Divers said. “I love all these guys with all my heart and it’s something special that we got to do, especially with my grandfather over there.”

ahall@unionleader.com

MANCHESTER — Anthony Jurkoic and his dad, Stan, talk about baseball practically all day long.

Their topic of conversation on Saturday night was winning the NHIAA Division IV baseball championship together.

Stan, Newmarket High School’s 14th-year coach, and Anthony, a sophomore second baseman, helped the Mules finish undefeated with a 9-6 victory over Epping on Saturday at Delta Dental Stadium.

Top-seeded Newmarket (19-0) captured its ninth overall state title after a walk-and-error-filled final. Stan previously led the Mules to two titles (2021, 2023), but he’ll admit this one is a little sweeter than those.

“It absolutely made it special,” Stan, the D-IV Coach of the Year, said of winning a championship with his son. “To get up every morning, see that kid and talk about each game and saying, ‘Hey, this is a big one right here.’ All our guys played great today and he played great.”

Added Anthony, “We love to win. It was awesome.”

Seventh-seeded Epping, last year’s D-IV champion, finished with a 14-6 record.

The teams drew a combined 18 walks and both made costly errors.

The Mules broke a 5-5 tie by scoring four runs behind four hits and three Epping errors in the sixth inning. Jackie Prompradit broke the deadlock with an RBI single to left field and scored the game-winning run on an errant Epping throw to third base after a Ryan Houle single.

Newmarket also scored in the sixth on another Blue Devils throwing error and a Jack Ferrelli sacrifice fly.

“We know we can hit and we’ve got a lot of talent so we just had to keep fighting — never let off,” Anthony Jurkoic said. “Even when we were up, we acted like we were down.”

The Mules had a 5-1 lead after four innings, over which starting pitcher Evan Sheehan allowed two earned runs on no hits and six walks and a hit batter alongside four strikeouts.

Sheehan, a junior, is the D-IV Pitcher of the Year. Classmate Nate Fluet, the D-IV Player of the Year, allowed two earned runs on one hit, three walks and a hit batter while striking out five over three relief innings.

The Blue Devils pulled even at 5-5 after scoring four runs on one hit, four walks and an error in the fifth inning.

Carter Thompson, Nolan Schmal and Logan Abbott each drew walks to load the bases with nobody out for Epping in the fifth. Thompson and Schmal scored on a fielding error following a well-struck ball to second base by Seth Lecuyer, pulling Epping within two runs.

Chase Kukesh knotted the score with a two-run single to left field.

Newmarket took a 5-0 lead after a five-run third inning.

Three baserunners came home on Fluet’s ruled single to shallow left field. Three Epping players hovered underneath the fly ball but it dropped in the middle of them, allowing Newmarket’s Sheehan, Charlie Tudor and Jack Ferrelli to score.

Tudor, a sophomore, opened the inning’s scoring with a single to left field that scored Jurkoic (two hits). Classmate Cole Ahumada also brought home a run in the inning by drawing a bases-loaded walk.

“We do really well once we get momentum,” Anthony Jurkoic said. “Sometimes we get stale and we don’t do so great but once we get going it’s hard to stop us.”

Epping got on the board in the fourth inning, when Will Ciriello drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk, cutting Newmarket’s lead to 5-1.

Ben Follansbee scored Epping’s final run in the sixth inning after Cirellio reached on a throwing error.

“Epping’s a scrappy team,” Stan Jurkoic said. “I’m just proud of our guys for keeping it 5-5 and then just going back at it and taking the lead.”

ahall@unionleader.com

Here's how to watch Ivory Coast vs Ecuador for free online and from anywhere in Group E of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

NEED TO KNOW

• Massive crowds celebrated the Knicks' first NBA championship in 53 years on June 13 and into June 14, causing chaos across New York City
• There were multiple violent incidents, including four stabbings, a teen who was shot and property destruction, with 63 arrests made by the NYPD
• Five school buses, which were being used for World Cup transportation, were set on fire, and multiple police vehicles were damaged

Massive crowds brought chaos to the streets of New York City after the New York Knicks clinched the team's first NBA championship in 53 years.

After the final buzzer confirmed the Knicks' 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at Texas' Frost Bank Center on Saturday, June 13, throngs of people sporting blue and orange flocked to the streets of all five boroughs. Amid the raucous celebration — which also followed the first World Cup game in the N.Y.C. area — a teenager was shot, four people were stabbed and five buses were set on fire, among other altercations, a New York Police Department (NYPD) spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE.

During and after the championship game, crowds numbering tens of thousands gathered around the Knicks' home turf of Madison Square Garden and “became increasingly destructive, and there were many incidents of incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior,” according to the NYPD spokesperson.

One incident resulted in a 17-year-old being shot at Broadway and 43rd Street, the latter of which was so packed with people that an ambulance could not transport the victim, police said.

Police transported the teen to a hospital, and there are three people of interest in custody in connection with the shooting, the NYPD spokesperson said. A firearm was also recovered from the scene.

Also among the violent incidents were four stabbings and “slashings,” and multiple “large physical fights” that broke out, according to police. Ten members of the NYPD were also injured amid the celebrations, police said. One was struck with a glass bottle. Another was punched in the face.

Property — including school buses being used to transport people from N.Y.C. to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for the World Cup games — was also destroyed amid the chaos that came during and after the Knicks' big win.

Five of the buses were “lit on fire/destroyed with bats and people jumping on them,” the NYPD spokesperson said.

One of the passengers ​who exited one of the World Cup transport buses before it was surrounded, Youssef Sabbr, told Reuters, "They are expressing their happiness, a little bit violently, but it is what it is.”

"That's what happens everywhere around the world when a team wins," Sabbr, 49, told the outlet.

Five NYPD cars were also “badly damaged,” as people were using bats to hit the vehicles, as well as jumping on top of them, police said. Other non-NYPD or World Cup vehicles were also destroyed, with damage including shattered windows.

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The post-championship chaos also saw people climbing traffic lights and other structures, and lighting fireworks in crowds, the NYPD spokesperson said. Video on social media also shows Knicks fans blasting music, dancing, hugging and chanting, “Knicks in five!”

"Oh, my God. It's like New Year's Eve times 20," New Yorker Carol Marino told Reuters of the chaotic crowds.

In total, the NYPD made 63 arrests on the evening of June 13 and into the early hours of Sunday, June 14, “related to the Knicks game” as crowds refused to disperse, police said. Charges included assault on a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon (gun), disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and more.

Read the original article on People

Ryan Kreidler was not in the starting lineup Sunday, watching for a majority of the day from the bench. But when his name was called late in the game, he made his impact felt.

Kreidler scored the game-tying run in the seventh inning and drove in the go-ahead run with a double an inning later, helping lift the Twins to a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the series finale at Target Field.

Kreidler, who pinch hit for Trevor Larnach in the seventh, hit a single as part of the Twins’ seventh inning rally. It was one of four straight hits for the Twins, who used a Byron Buxton RBI single and a Royce Lewis single to even things up at 4-4.

After Luke Keaschall sparked the offense in the eighth inning with a two-out double, Kreidler hit a sweeper, the seventh pitch of his at-bat, to center, bringing him home.

He also made an incredible play at shortstop to lead off the ninth, diving to corral the ball and then popping up quickly and firing off a throw to Lewis at first base, who made a nice scoop to complete the play. José Fermín, the hitter, was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned for the first out of the inning.

The win was the second comeback victory for the Twins in three games against the Cardinals, who had taken the lead away from the Twins in the sixth on a JJ Wetherholt two-run home run.

It was one of two home runs for the Cardinals against Taj Bradley, who showed some encouraging signs and pitched into the seventh inning.

Bradley started his day by striking out a pair of batters in the first inning, thanks in part to catcher Victor Caratini, who challenged three balls correctly, overturning them to strikes. He didn’t allow a hit until the third inning but ran into some trouble late in his outing, allowing a pair of runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.

Former England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed he turned down offers for World Cup television work, opting instead to "keep out of the way" to avoid distracting the national team.

Despite his absence, Southgate expressed strong confidence in the squad, stating they are "ready to win" the tournament.

This summer's 48-team competition in North America marks the first World Cup since 1994 that Southgate will not be directly involved, following his successful tenure which saw England reach a World Cup semi-final and quarter-final, alongside back-to-back European Championship finals before his departure after Euro 2024.

Explaining his decision in an Instagram video, Southgate highlighted his extensive history with the tournament. "This is obviously a very different tournament for me this one, I have been at the last seven World Cups as a player, as a broadcaster, as a scout and then as a manager," he said.

"This time I took a conscious decision not to do the TV. I didn’t think it would be helpful for me to be talking about the team."

He further elaborated on his desire to prevent any potential misinterpretations. "I don’t want anything to be misconstrued or thrown at them in press conferences. So, best for me to keep out of the way."

Offering his full backing, Southgate added: "I want to take a moment to say good luck to all the boys. All the knockout nights they’ve had means they are going to be full of confidence going into the tournament.

“They have overcome so many hurdles to winning, penalty shootouts, semi-finals, we got so close and they are ready to win. I am looking forward to watching. I hope everybody has a great one and I will be staying out of the way."

England arrived at their Kansas City base on Saturday and are set to commence their Group L campaign against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday.

Iranian football legend Khodadad Azizi, who played in the first World Cup meeting between Iran and the United States in 1998, has told AFP that football should promote "peace" and remain separate from politics.

Azizi, 54, was speaking as Iran prepare to play their first match at the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, the country they have been at war with since February.

Nicknamed Team Melli, Iran will open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, hoping to reach the knockout stage for the first time in their history.

"If we beat New Zealand, we will advance from our group, and that is not a difficult task," Azizi said in an exclusive interview.

The match comes after the Iranian squad has had to overcome a series of additional hurdles. 

They relocated the team's base camp from Tucson, Arizona to the Mexican border city of Tijuana and said the US initially refused visas for 15 members of the delegation, including football federation chief Mehdi Taj.

Azizi was part of the Iran side that defeated the United States 2-1 in the countries' first World Cup meeting at the 1998 tournament in France.

In a widely remembered gesture before kick-off, players exchanged flowers, while Iranian captain and goalkeeper Ahmadreza Abedzadeh presented Iranian handicrafts to the American side.

Azizi recalled that a group photo was also proposed by organisers.

"Because it was about football, and there were political differences between the governments, the idea of a group photo was proposed, since football is a symbol of peace," Azizi told AFP.

- Football above politics -

The former striker, nicknamed "the speedy gazelle" by Iranian commentators, said he did not observe any inappropriate behaviour during the match, which ended with FIFA awarding both sides the Fair Play award.

"I personally exchanged jerseys with the player wearing the number two in the US squad (Frankie Hejduk)," Azizi said. "Through this gesture in the match against the US, we wanted to show that football is above politics."

Azizi, now a television commentator in Iran, said he regretted that the atmosphere at the current tournament is "filled with nothing but politics".

On the treatment of teams entering the United States, he added: "I have never seen this level of strictness regarding teams' entry", and contrasted it with what he described as the "respect and dignity" shown in 1998.

Azizi also criticised FIFA, saying: "How is America any different from Germany or France?

"Do you think the players have any other choice? These issues are happening because of FIFA's weakness," he added.

Despite the controversies, Azizi said the Iran team members had told him via messaging apps that they were thinking about matters on the pitch.

"The team is not thinking about these matters at all; they are laser-focused on football," he said.

He also dismissed criticism from Iranian dissidents who accuse the team of representing the authorities rather than the public.

"A player plays for his country, not for political reasons," Azizi said.

ap/sbr/rkh/nf/gj

When Kaelen Culpepper left Saturday’s Saints game mid-contest, it set the rumor mill ablaze. Culpepper, one of the organization’s top prospects, is in the midst of a hot June, and the Twins have seemingly cleared a spot at shortstop for him by moving Brooks Lee off the position.

He certainly has been turning heads in Minneapolis, with manager Derek Shelton even commenting on a defensive play the 23-year-old made this weekend. But it’s not time for Culpepper just yet. The early removal was not because of a call-up but rather due to some glute tightness that for now the Twins are considering day-to-day, general manager Jeremy Zoll said.

Culpepper had Sunday off, and Zoll said he would be re-evaluated n Monday upon his return from the Saints’ road trip in Toledo, Ohio.

“It just came on, I guess. Seemingly not from a specific incident on the field,” Zoll said. “We’ll see what’s going on here, see how he recovers (Sunday). Get him evaluated here with our docs once he’s back and make sure we know what’s going on.”

Culpepper, the Twins’ first-round draft pick in 2024, is hitting .273 with a .875 OPS and 14 home runs in 61 games with the Saints this season. He has been even better of late, hitting .368 in June and has hits in 16 of his past 18 games.

Injury updates

Mick Abel (elbow) will take another big step towards his return Tuesday when he makes his second rehab outing for the Saints.

Abel, who has been on the injured list since April 20, is expected to throw up to 65 pitches. In his first rehab start for the Saints on June 10, Abel threw three scoreless innings, striking out five.

Cole Sands, who had magnetic resonance imaging taken after a recurrence of symptoms while rehabbing, is still dealing with inflammation in his forearm, Zoll said.

“That was likely the contributing factor to why he wasn’t recovering,” Zoll said. “(We’re) going to give that a little more time to calm down. And once that has resolved, then we’ll get him built back up.”

Kendry Rojas (triceps) threw live batting practice on Saturday in Fort Myers, Fla., and is now set to begin a rehab assignment with St. Paul, while outfielders Alan Roden and Walker Jenkins, both dealing with shoulder issues, are also moving closer to joining the Saints.

Roden will return to Triple-A this week, and Jenkins was scheduled to play in the field on Sunday, after which Zoll said they would figure out his plan for the coming week.

Briefly

The Twins begin a three-game series Monday in Texas. They will have an off day in the middle of the series because of a World Cup match across the street from the ballpark at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

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Donyell Malen leads the line for Netherlands against Japan in their opening game of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Here's how to watch the Group F fixture for free online and from anywhere.

Eberechi Eze says he would gladly take a penalty in a shoot-out during this World Cup, and just sees the miss in Arsenal's Champions League final as "part of the journey" to improve.

The playmaker missed his side's second penalty in the eventual 4-3 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, rolling the ball wide after a delayed run-up. Eze says he won't necessarily re-assess technique, but will use it.

The 27-year-old instead pointed to how the 2025-26 campaign was a huge positive, especially with how winning the title gives you more resolve.

"If called upon, for sure," Eze said when asked about taking a penalty. "Why wouldn’t I take it?

"Football is full of everything and you have to try to accept everything as it is, to enjoy it as much as you can. Playing in a Champions League final is where I want to be, it’s what I want to do. We’ll go for it again next season and if there is a penalty to take then I’ll be there again. All the big players have missed big penalties, have experienced these types of moments.

“I’ve had messages from everyone to speak on those moments. For me it’s not something I wish never happened. I’m grateful it happened. I’m going to grow from it, learn from it and move forward."

Asked whether that would involve changing his technique, Eze said:"No, I think I have taken penalties for a long time and it’s part of the journey. You have to continue to improve, find new ways to improve. I’m not going to stress too much about it because I know I’m in this position for a reason and all the training behind it."

Eze was visibly happy to be training in the sun of Kansas City, although this was four hours before a tornado watch that evolved into people in England's area being advised to take shelter as a tornado did eventually develop within 15km. The players will be speaking about that after training late on Sunday UK time, but Eze otherwise reflected on how good the season had been for him.

He was especially happy to talk about the title parade, saying the campaign can benefit him "loads" and that he has grown "massively".

"It was crazy. A beautiful experience to have had that with my friends and family. It’ll live with me forever.

"Every year you’re one more year experienced and got different things under your belt that are important for the next stage. Winning gives you belief, a trust in yourself that you can go all the way. We’ll all be using that for sure.

"It’s been a season of ups and downs, so many different things I’ve had to overcome but an enjoyable one and something I want to experience every single year. I want to continue to improve, get better and grow.

“It’s where you want to be and experiencing them is only going to turn you into a bigger player and bigger person. You can always fall back on it."

Eze also laughed that he was wearing his own boots, after some England kit and equipment had been stolen on arriving in Kansas.

Marc Cucurella is poised to join Real Madrid from Chelsea in a blockbuster £47.5m deal after an agreement was reached between the clubs.

The La Liga giants will pay an initial £43.15m (€55m) with a further £4.3m (€5m) coming in bonuses.

The move will represent a small loss after four years at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues paying £62m to Brighton back in 2022.

Real Madrid have installed Jose Mourinho as manager following Florentino Perez’s victory in the latest elections.

And Cucurella will provide strength at full-back for the former Chelsea and Man United boss.

Cucurella struggled initially at Chelsea before establishing himself as one of the best left-backs in the world.

The 27-year-old has since carved out a role with European champions Spain, with who he thrived at Euro 2024 to make the team of the tournament.

Cucurella is likely to replace Alvaro Carreras, signed just last summer, while Fran Garcia also featured at left-back towards the end of last season.

Denzel Dumfries is another expected new signing and could replace Trent Alexander-Arnold after a slow start to life at the Bernabeu, with widespread changes expected under Mourinho this summer.

Jun. 14—CHAMPAIGN — Before the St. Joseph-Ogden played in the Class 2A state championship game on Saturday night, only three baseball teams in Champaign County had ever played in a state title game.

Champaign High was the first, doing so in 1940 during the initial IHSA state tournament and 27 years before it became Champaign Central.

A wait of 76 years ensued before the next one — SJ-O in 2016 — happened. The Spartans were back in the Class 2A state title game in 2017.

Numerous other Champaign County programs, like Champaign Central in 1941, 1942, 1968 and 2017, Centennial in 1990 and 1999, Mahomet-Seymour in 1988 and 2000, Rantoul in 1992, have also reached the state tournament in the past.

But no Champaign County baseball program had won a state title. Until SJ-O did on Saturday night, defeating Harvest-Westminster 15-1 in five innings at Illinois Field in, of all places, Champaign.

"I didn't even know that," SJ-O senior outfielder and pitcher said. "I don't even know what to say. That's crazy."

The historic win by SJ-O came after the Spartans lost 7-6 against Reed-Custer in eight innings in the 2016 state title game and lost 10-2 against Teutopolis in the 2017 state title game. Both those losses happened at Dozer Park in Peoria. Belleville beat Champaign 8-3 in the first state championship game back when a one-class system was in place in 1940 at Tom Connor Field in East Peoria.

Meaning what this SJ-O team accomplished takes on even more significance.

"That's pretty cool," SJ-O coach said. "This team is going to be remembered in St. Joe as the first team to win state in baseball and in Champaign County. That's really special to be the first because this area is so rich in baseball."

***

The 2026 SJ-O team will also hold a spot among one of the best 2A teams since the IHSA expanded to a four-class system in 2008.

Consider the following:

— With its win on Saturday night, SJ-O finished the season with a 40-2 record. The Spartans are the first team to do so in 20 years.

— Of state champions since 1940, SJ-O is only the seventh with at least 40 wins. Providence Catholic went 42-16 in 1982 to win a Class A state title, Normal U-High finished 40-3 in 1998 to win a Class A state title, Edwardsville went a perfect 40-0 in 1998 to win a Class AA state title, Wilmington finished 41-1 to win a 2005 Class A state title, Lockport went 40-3 to win a Class AA state title in 2005 and Chillicothe IVC went 40-2 to win a Class A state title in 2006.

— The win on Saturday night was the first 2A state title game to only go five innings and end because of the 10-run rule. The 14-run victory was the largest margin of victory in a 2A state title game, eclipsing the 12-0 win by Freeburg against Timothy Christian in the 2021 2A state championship game.

"This team is going to be remembered as one of the best teams to play 2A baseball in the state," Haley said.

***

The offensive contributions on Saturday night, like was so often the case this season, came from nearly everyone in the Spartans' lineup.

SJ-O senior center fielder and leadoff hitter finished 2 for 3 a triple, three runs scored and an RBI. SJ-O senior catcher was 2 for 4 with three RBI and two runs scored.

SJ-O senior first baseman was a triple shy of the cycle, pulling a two-run home run over the left-field fence before adding an opposite-field double and an opposite-field single. He finished 3 for 3 with three runs scored and two RBI. SJ-O junior third baseman Junior third baseman was 2 for 2 with two RBI and two runs scored, while senior pitcher (1 for 4, two RBI), senior second baseman (1 for 3, two RBI) and Fitch (1 for 2, RBI, two runs scored) also chipped in.

"Logan and Will didn't miss barrels on the first two swings, and we were just on it from the beginning," Josh Haley said. "You put up a six-spot in the first, and then we didn't stop."

***

Ames got the ball to start the state championship game on the mound and only gave up a second-inning single to Harvest-Westminter pitcher Jameson Rapinchuk and a fourth-inning single to Harvest-Westminter third baseman Tommy Neubert. The right-hander walked two and didn't record a strikeout, but relied on the Spartans' defense to finish the season with an 8-0 record on the mound.

Ames, normally the Spartans' right fielder, had thrown 34 innings on the season before Saturday night but had not pitched in a postseason game. Pruemer and Fitch each threw three complete games on the postseason run, with Pruemer getting the win in Friday night's 6-1 state semifinal victory against Ottawa Marquette.

But Fitch, who went 10-2 on the mound this season, was not eligible to pitch on Saturday night since he had thrown 107 pitches while compiling a three-hit shutout during SJ-O's 9-0 super-sectional win against Williamsville on Tuesday night in Springfield. Pitchers who throw at least 76 pitches in a game need four days rest, according to IHSA rules. So the rain this past Monday that caused the super-sectional game to be postponed a day meant Fitch couldn't pitch. Didn't matter in the end.

"Trevor putting up a doughnut in the first inning was huge," Josh Haley said. "You're never sure how a guy is going to respond to his first start in a while. He's thrown simulated games for us, but he hadn't done it yet in the postseason."

Will Haley had the best vantage point of the 54 pitches Ames threw on Saturday night.

"That was great of him to not overdo anything," Will said, "and to just stay in the moment by pitching like we know he can."

***

SJ-O senior designated hitter now has baseball bragging rights on his older brother, Aaron.

was part of the 2016 SJ-O baseball team that finished second in state.

"That was what Coach Haley said to me when he gave me my medal: 'You've got something over your brother now,' and he gave me a big hug," Cam said. "That was pretty awesome."

Aaron Schluter does have a state championship he can boast about, though, helping the SJ-O boys' basketball team win a 2016 2A state championship.

His younger brother now knows the feeling, even if it is in a different sport.

Schluter was one of nine seniors for the Spartans, and knowing he just played his last game with this group left him with a bittersweet feeling.

"Just the friendships we have and hanging around each other off the field is what I'll miss the most," Schluter said. "But these are memories I'm going to cherish forever."

***

All nine seniors for SJ-O played on Saturday night. Even reserve outfielder , who went into left field in the top of the fourth inning while junior warmed up in the bullpen before York came on to pitch the fifth.

"I'd say I've worked just as hard as anybody to be here, and to get out there, it's a really great moment," Pearman said. "I'm really glad I had that opportunity."

***

While the SJ-O starters on the field sprinted towards each other near first base after the final out to start celebrating, Pearman and the other SJ-O players in the third-base dugout had a decision to make.

Hop over the fencing in front of the dugout or sprint on the field? They chose the latter, mainly because of a logical reason, and came to the consensus after Pruemer helped turn a double play to get the first two outs in the top of the fifth.

"We were all debating about whether we were going to over the top of the dugout, but it's really tall," Pearman said. "Nobody wanted to look dumb jumping out of the dugout. We got that double play, and we all crowded in the corner of the dugout to get out there before jumping on each other."

***

For SJ-O senior shortstop , Saturday night was the culmination of a multi-sport career with the Spartans.

The SJ-O starting quarterback the last two seasons, McKinney helped the Spartans football team reach the second round of the 2024 Class 3A playoffs and the semifinals of the 2025 Class 3A playoffs. In basketball, the Spartans reached 2A regional title games each of the past two seasons, but lost both.

"This means the world to us," McKinney said. "All the work we put in all year. All the weight room work we did during the summer. All the different sports. All the heartbreaks we've been through. This season, it seems like it's all worth it. We were very deserving of this win.

"I'm having a hard time even putting it into words how special this is. We've been playing together since we were 10 years old. All the people in town had this vision. We knew this could happen this year."

***

Miller was the only underclassmen in SJ-O's batting order on Saturday night. York started in left field before throwing an inning of relief, but did not bat. Sophomore cored a run in the bottom of the third, but only as a courtesy runner for Ames.

Ames, Fitch, Will Haley, Houchens, McKinney, Pearman, Pruemer, Logan Rosenthal and Schluter all played their last game with the Spartans on Saturday night.

"These are my brothers," Miller said. "I've grown up with them all my life. It'll be sad to see them leave, but the work we put in every day the whole year, it all led up to this."

Houchens expressed similar sentiments.

"We've been together for more than a decade, and it's going to be a big change," Houchens said. "I'm going to miss it all, but the most is just hanging around the guys."

Manuel Neuer returns from international retirement to start for Germany against Curacao at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Here's how to watch the Group E clash for free online and from anywhere.

Germany thrashed World Cup debutants Curacao 7-1 on Sunday while Japan fought back to grab a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands as Iran made their long-awaited arrival in the United States with a call for unity.

Curacao, the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the tournament, made a bright start against four-time winners Germany in Houston when Livano Comenencia scored an early equalizer to give the Caribbean nation of 160,000 people a historic first World Cup goal.

But they were soon outclassed as Felix Nmecha opened the scoring for the Germans and Kai Havertz grabbed a goal in each half, including a penalty.

Despite their proud record in the competition, Germany have struggled in recent editions and this was the first time they had won their first opening match at a World Cup since they lifted the trophy in 2014.

"It took us a few minutes to get back into the game after they equalized. Curacao can play football too, as we saw, and I'm curious to see how they'll fare in the group going forward," said Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann.

"I'm very satisfied with us scoring seven goals and our performance for the most part. A winning start is always important and we're glad we managed it," he added.

Curacao will hope they can get more out of their remaining Group E games against Ecuador and Ivory Coast.

"It is not embarrassing to lose like that against such a team," said their 78-year-old Dutch coach Dick Advocaat.

In other games on Sunday, Japan fought back twice to seal a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.

Skipper Virgil van Dijk had put the Dutch ahead with a fine header at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, only for Keito Nakamura to quickly level, before winger Crysencio Summerville's sumptuous curled finish into the bottom corner just after the hour.

Japan earned a point with an 89th-minute deflected equalizer attributed to Daichi Kamada.

In Philadelphia, a last-gasp 90th-minute goal from Manchester United's Amad Diallo gave Ivory Coast a precious 1-0 victory over Ecuador in Group E.

In the late game on Sunday, Sweden opened their campaign in Group F with a swashbuckling 5-1 rout of Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico.

Sweden, who only squeezed into the World Cup via the playoffs thanks to their performances in the Nations League, ran the north Africans ragged and romped to an impressive victory thanks to two goals from Yasin Ayari and one apiece from Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Mattias Svanberg.

- Iran touch down in US -

Off the field, all eyes turned to Los Angeles where Iran's footballers finally arrived on US soil after months of uncertainty in the build-up to the tournament following the United States and Israel's military assault on the Islamic Republic.

Iran, who relocated their team training camp to Tijuana in Mexico from Arizona due to diplomatic wrangling, take on New Zealand in Group G on Monday.

The Iran team has had to leave some of its support team in Tijuana after the US refused to grant visas to administrative and management staff.

At an eve-of-game press conference that got under way just over an hour after Tehran and Washington announced a peace deal to end the conflict, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said political tensions and visa issues had hampered his team's World Cup preparations.

But Ghalenoei insisted his players would not "pay attention to any of the hype."

Protests are planned outside the SoFi Stadium on Monday by members of the Iranian diaspora opposed to the nation's hardline regime, and there have been threats that the Iran team could walk off the pitch if anti-government banners are displayed.

"We are here to perform a good match, a high-quality match. We don't pay attention to any of the hype and anything that goes on around us," Ghalenoei said in a press conference in response to a question from AFP.

The coach said his team are simply at the World Cup to "represent the respectful people of Iran, be it the Iranians inside Iran or the Iranian diaspora."

"We are not political people... football is separate from politics," said Ghalenoei.

rcw/gj

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