History repeated itself in the Queens Classic, as Gotham FC battled against the Washington Spirit in New York's Citi Field — come rain, come shine, come smoke.

In a rematch of the 2025 NWSL Championship, the two east coast rivals faced off in a star-studded matchup. And just like last fall's final, it was a lone goal from Rose Lavelle that ended up being the difference in a 1-0 win.

The match was able to kick off as scheduled, despite being threatened by smoke, heat and rain — the bad weather trifecta. Temperatures in the high 80s and plenty of humidity, and the rain storm that moved through the area a few hours before kickoff offered some early threats. But in the end, it was the smoke that was particularly concerning, as smoke from wildfires in Ontario made its way to New York City.

Under NWSL rules, an air quality index (AQI) between 150 and 180 means that the game must have two hydration breaks per half; an AQI of over 150 is considered "unhealthy" for all groups, per the EPA. According to the EPA's AirNow site, the AQI in Flushing was over 170 when the match kicked off.

Despite this, the stands were pretty full in Citi Field. The stadium reported a sold-out crowd of 42,175, though that likely represented tickets sold rather than fans in attendance. Still, it's the second-largest NWSL crowd in the league's history, and breaks a New York City record for the largest crowd at a women's professional sporting event.

(The number did fall short of the national record of 63,004, which was set by the Denver Summit at Mile High Stadium in March.)

Dustin Satloff via Getty Images

Perhaps reflective of the weather and the smoke, the first half was a bit sluggish, with several stoppages both for hydration and for a handful of injuries. Rookie forward Jordynn Dudley exited the game early with a potential head injury, heading to the locker room in the 32nd minute; defender Jess Carter came on shortly afterwards as a concussion substitution.

Rose Lavelle then broke through in the 37th minute with a stellar goal, weaving through the Washington back line and burying a tricky shot. (Citi Field's infamous home run apple also popped up to celebrate the goal.)

The crowd was also there to see Australian forward Sam Kerr, who signed with Gotham last month but who had yet to play. In the second half of Wednesday’s game, Kerr made her return to the NWSL stage, replacing Sarah Schupansky in the 64th minute. The veteran striker made her presence known immediately, taking a shot on goal less than a minute after subbing in.

Washington had multiple chances in the final minutes, with players like Trinity Rodman and Leicy Santos getting shots on target, but the Gotham defense and keeper Ann-Katrin Berger held strong for the 1-0 win.

The game didn't quite live up to the NWSL's billing, though there were plenty of exciting points. The weather added a bit of unnecessary danger, and the modified baseball field was at times distracting, but in the end, Gotham got 42,000 fans to buy tickets for an ultimately entertaining win.

The matchup in Queens also offered a sneak preview for Gotham fans: In 2028, the team is set to join into New York City FC in Etihad Stadium, which is currently under construction.

In the wake of disappointment, England manager Thomas Tuchel says he doesn't have regrets. The German manager, in his first World Cup, guided England through to the World Cup semifinals, but couldn't bring them back to that long-awaited final.

In Wednesday's match against Argentina, England tried to hold on after taking the lead in the 55th minute, but Argentina ended up getting the win, thanks to a miraculous comeback spearheaded by two Lionel Messi assists. Postgame, it was easy to point to Tuchel, who opted to take a timid tactical approach to preserve the lead rather than try and build on it.

When speaking to reporters after the game, Tuchel said that he was "disappointed" by the loss, admitting that the team "got too passive" prior to conceding two late goals in a seven-minute span. But despite repeating that the team got "so close," Tuchel said that he wouldn't change how he approached the game.

"In the moment, no regrets. The team gave everything and we were very, very close," he said, via BBC. "We deserved to be up one-nil, played one of our better matches, maybe the best match in the circumstances. Team was top, we couldn't bring it over the line."

Tuchel, though, pushed back on a question about whether the team fell short of their expectations. Even though they needed to "digest" the loss, he said, there was a lot to be proud of — given England's tough road to the semifinals, which included a stop in Mexico City and an extra time win in the blazing Miami heat.

"We played in altitude, we played with 10 men, we played the hottest game of the tournament. We gave everything, and it wasn't enough today," Tuchel said, via Fox Sports.

Tuchel had been pretty critical of his team after England's narrow quarterfinal win over Norway, though players like Jude Bellingham brushed off the criticism at the time.

But on Wednesday, it was Tuchel's turn to express his frustration with criticism, though he said he took responsibility for his mistakes.

"That's just the nature of the game. As soon as you lose, you get criticized," Tuchel said in the postgame press conference. "No one knows what would have happened if we'd made different decisions. So it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head. I'm responsible for them, I took them, so I take the criticism, that's just the way it is."

Despite the loss, England still has one more match to play, facing France for third place on Saturday.

"We're not looking so much forward to, but there is still a match to play," Tuchel said of the matchup in his press conference.

Tuchel, who was hired by England in 2025, signed an extension through 2028 in February, and the coach said Wednesday that he planned to see it through.

"We keep on going for contract until the home Euros, and then I'm looking forward to that," Tuchel said, before adding: "Even like now, it's difficult to look that far ahead."

As of now, Tuchel still has the full support of the English FA despite the loss, per multiple reports.

Former Kansas basketball player Lagerald Vick has been charged with attempted murder in Memphis, according to court records obtained by multiple outlets. He was also charged with using a firearm to in the commission of a felony.

Shelby County jail records indicate that Vick was arrested on Saturday, with the former guard set to have his first court date Monday morning. His bond is set at $1.5 million.

The charges stem from a shooting early on July 5, per multiple outlets. The victim told Memphis police that he had been at a party when he was approached by a man with a handgun tucked under his armpit. After a verbal confrontation, the man shot the victim in the back as the victim tried to run away.

The victim told police the first name of the suspect, and identified Vick in a photo lineup, per the Kansas City Star.

Vick, 29, was born and raised in Memphis before committing to Kansas in 2015. After returning to the Jayhawks for his senior season, Vick took a leave of absence from the team, citing “personal matters.” Vick went undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, and bounced between countries playing overseas professional basketball for the next few years.

This is not Vick’s first trouble with the law: In April, the former guard was charged with felony aggravated burglary, theft of property and misdemeanor vandalism after allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home and stealing multiple electronic devices, per the Star. The court date for those charges is July 30.

While a freshman at Kansas, Vick was also under investigation by the school after being accused of hitting a female student, per the Star. The university recommended two years of probation, but it is unclear if those were ever served.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel's time in Ann Arbor might be coming to an end. Manuel's future with the school is in doubt in the wake of an internal investigation into the saga around football head coach Sherrone Moore's firing in December, sources told Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

Manuel, who was hired as the school's AD in 2016, has overseen a number of recent scandals, but signed a five-year extension in 2024. That extension, which currently runs through 2030, earns him more than $2 million per year; a buyout would require 36 months of severance pay unless a settlement is reached.

An announcement on Manuel's future is expected later this week, with the Michigan Regents set to meet for a board meeting on Thursday.

In December, Moore was arrested by police and fired by Michigan for an "inappropriate relationship" with a staff member. He was later charged with felony home invasion.

Moore's lawyers reached a plea deal in March, with the former coach set to serve no jail time as part of the deal. The staffer, Paige Shiver, told Good Morning America in April that the other coaches knew about their relationship, and that she was tasked with keeping Moore's emotions in check.

Shortly after Moore was fired, Michigan hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into how the athletic department handled not only Moore's case, but also other scandals (including the sign-stealing scandal under former football coach Jim Harbaugh).

In addition to those scandals, Manuel oversaw two major national titles, with Michigan college football taking home the championship in 2023 and men's basketball winning the NCAA title in 2026. However, after both trophies, Manuel failed to keep either head coach from heading to the pros, as Jim Harbaugh left to join the Los Angeles Chargers and, more recently, basketball coach Dusty May left Ann Arbor behind to coach the Dallas Mavericks.

Kyle Whittingham was later hired as the football team's new head coach, just weeks after Moore was fired, as the Wolverines attempt to move on fully from the Harbaugh era. Mike Boynton Jr., who joined the basketball program as part of May's staff, was promoted to interim head coach in the wake of May's departure, with the interim tag later removed.

A near-comeback from the New York Liberty over the Toronto Tempo was foiled, in part, by a baffling technical foul. With less than two minutes left to play, Liberty guard-forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ejected after throwing Jonquel Jones' shoe at Marina Mabrey.

Jones had lost her shoe on an early play, while Laney-Hamilton was not on the court at the time, having been subbed out at the start of the fourth quarter. It is likely that Laney-Hamilton was trying to get the shoe back to Jones, but missed — rather than found — her target.

Regardless of intention, the shoe squarely found Mabrey's back, prompting the Tempo guard to have to be held back by Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu. Laney-Hamilton was given a technical foul and ejected from the game, while Mabrey earned one free throw for the tech, which she nailed.

New York, which had trailed Toronto throughout most of the game, outplayed the Tempo in the fourth quarter on the way to a potential comeback, but Toronto went on to win the game 93-91. Mabrey's free throw alone wasn't the difference in the Liberty's loss, but the disruption may have affected the team's momentum.

In his postgame press conference, New York head coach Chris DeMarco aired his frustrations about the officiating, which he blamed for the narrow loss.

"I've never seen anything like that. We had all the momentum in the world. A shoe hit somebody. Ejected, free throws. I've also never seen a ref make such an atrocious call when he's on the other side of the floor," DeMarco said postgame, via Myles Ehrlich.

DeMarco added that Laney-Hamilton's shot at Mabrey was unintentional, and called the officiating "atrocious."

"She was trying to get the shoe back to JJ, it hit somebody," DeMarco said, via Ehrlich. "I think we're just making stuff up. I have no idea. You're asking the wrong person okay? It was just an atrocious, atrocious end of that game from officials."

The Liberty's loss also came at the hands of Sandy Brondello, who was fired by New York last offseason before being hired to take over Toronto's expansion team. It marks three straight losses for the Liberty, who have drifted into 7th place in the league.