Category: Sports

Elena Rybakina’s preparations for Wimbledon have hit another snag after the world’s second-ranked tennis player pulled out of the Bad Homburg Open on Friday due to a right hip problem, according to tournament organizers.

The withdrawal came just one day after Rybakina suffered a stunning round-of-16 loss at the Berlin Open, falling 7-5, 6-4 to Alexandra Eala, who is ranked 35th in the world.

Rybakina, 27, addressed the situation through the tournament’s official Instagram page. “Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from Bad Homburg due to some discomfort in my right hip,” she said. “I need to consult with my medical team and undergo further assessment before making any decisions about the next steps. Thank you for your understanding and support.”

The setback is part of a difficult recent stretch for the 2022 Wimbledon champion, who has now dropped three of her last four matches. That skid started with a second-round exit at the French Open at the hands of Yaroslava Starodubtseva.

On grass courts this season, Rybakina managed to win her first match at Queen’s Club but was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Katie Boulter, before the loss to Eala in Berlin on Thursday.

Despite the recent struggles, Rybakina has had a strong overall season, going 32-10 and capturing titles at the Australian Open and in Stuttgart. Her attention will now shift to getting healthy in time for Wimbledon, which kicks off June 29. She is chasing a second championship title at the All England Club.

The Toronto Tempo revealed Friday that two of their key guards, Brittney Sykes and Kiki Rice, will be out of action for an undetermined stretch of time as both players recover from injuries.

Rice, a first-year player, suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain on June 3. Sykes went down with a plantar fascia injury during Tuesday’s contest. The expansion franchise said both players will be assessed again in the weeks ahead, and the expectation remains that each will suit up again before the season ends.

Sykes, 32, had to be helped off the floor during the third quarter of Toronto’s 131-91 defeat to the Indiana Fever on Tuesday. She leads the team in scoring with an average of 20.1 points per game, adding 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists across 15 appearances this season.

Rice, 22, has put up 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game over 10 contests this year. A product of national champion UCLA, she was selected sixth overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft.

Despite the setbacks, the Tempo are scheduled to face the Connecticut Sun on the road Friday evening.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal, who has won the American League Cy Young Award two years in a row, didn’t mince words when addressing his team’s recent struggles with the trade deadline fast approaching.

Speaking to The Detroit News earlier this week in a story that ran Thursday, Skubal laid out the stakes plainly: “The reality is we need to play better baseball or else, come the deadline, you give the front office an option to reassess where this team is. And if they don’t think what we have is a World Series — or playoff-caliber — team, then the whole team is going to look different. That’s just the nature of the beast.”

The 29-year-old lefty is scheduled to take the mound Friday for his second appearance since having surgery on May 6 to clear bone fragments from his pitching elbow. Detroit and the Chicago White Sox are kicking off a three-game series that day.

Skubal’s first outing back didn’t go as planned — the Cleveland Guardians handed him a loss last Saturday, 3-1. He surrendered three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits across 4 2/3 innings.

The Tigers have dropped four of their last five games and find themselves 9.5 games behind the White Sox and Guardians, who are currently deadlocked atop the American League Central standings.

Skubal made clear the urgency extends beyond just himself, telling The Detroit News: “The future for a lot of people in this room — not just myself — the outlook could look very much different in two months and it all comes to an abrupt end. We still control our destiny a little bit. We still do.”

He continued: “We play the team this weekend that’s winning our division. It’s another big series. You don’t want to be playing playoff baseball in June, but it feels like we’re playing playoff baseball. We don’t have very much room for error, and everyone understands that. Everyone understands there has to be a sense of urgency. There has to be. Not panic. But there has to be a sense of urgency to try to win every game we play.”

On the season, Skubal carries a 3-3 record with a 2.81 ERA over eight starts. He has racked up 49 strikeouts while issuing just seven walks in 48 innings of work.

Over his seven-year career with Detroit dating back to 2020, Skubal has gone 57-40 with a 3.06 ERA across 145 games, including 142 starts. In 814 2/3 career innings, he has struck out 938 batters and walked only 179.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a major offseason move on Friday, acquiring defenseman Darren Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning through a sign-and-trade agreement that kept the 30-year-old off the open free agent market.

Before the trade was completed, Raddysh — a native of Toronto — first signed an eight-year contract with Tampa Bay. While neither team officially announced the financial details, TSN reported the deal carries an average annual value of $8.5 million, totaling $68 million over its full term.

The new deal marks a dramatic increase from Raddysh’s previous contract, a two-year agreement worth $1.95 million that he signed back in August 2023.

In exchange for Raddysh, who would have been eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the Lightning received a fifth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft.

This past season was the best of Raddysh’s career across the board. He set personal bests in goals (22), assists (48), points (70), plus/minus rating (plus-21), power-play goals (10), power-play points (26), game-winning goals (six), and average ice time per game (22:42). Remarkably, his 70-point season nearly equaled the combined total of his previous four seasons, during which he accumulated 73 points.

Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition. “We are thrilled to add a defenseman of Darren’s caliber to our organization,” Chayka said. “Darren has emerged as one of the NHL’s premier two-way defensemen, combining elite puck-moving ability with poise, competitiveness, and strong play in all three zones. He strengthens our blue line in every situation and is exactly the type of player we want helping lead this team.”

During his time with Tampa Bay, Raddysh appeared in 249 regular-season games, posting 143 points on 35 goals and 108 assists.

LONDON — Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur, the top seed at the Queen’s Club Championships, saw his bid for the title come to an abrupt end Friday when American Brandon Nakashima defeated him in the quarterfinals.

De Minaur, ranked sixth in the world and widely considered one of the finest players on grass courts, could not find an answer for Nakashima’s relentless attacking style, falling 7-5, 6-3 in the match played on Andy Murray Arena.

The opening set was a tightly contested affair with both players holding serve comfortably until Nakashima, the world number 32, seized the only break point opportunity of the set in the 12th game to claim it.

De Minaur had a golden opportunity to apply pressure in the second set when he had a chance to break Nakashima’s serve at 1-1, but he was unable to convert. The Australian then lost his own serve at 3-4, and Nakashima closed out the match without looking back.

The victory marked Nakashima’s first triumph over a top-10 ranked opponent in two years.

SOUTHAMPTON, New York — Wyndham Clark carried a commanding three-shot lead into the early stages of Friday’s second round at the U.S. Open, held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Pre-tournament favorites Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, both scheduled as late starters, have significant ground to make up if they hope to contend for the title.

Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, had been sitting at six-under with just two holes remaining in his first round when play was called due to darkness Thursday evening. He returned Friday morning to complete those holes with back-to-back pars, then launched his second round two strokes ahead of the pack. Through his first five holes of round two, Clark was even par.

Playing alongside Clark, former major champion Dustin Johnson of LIV Golf dropped a shot on the third hole and found himself three strokes behind, tied for second place. He shared that spot with 2022 U.S. Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick, who was even par through six holes, and Max McGreevy, sitting one under through nine holes.

Spanish golfer Jon Rahm had been in a share of fifth place entering round two, four shots off the lead, after completing the first bogey-free round of his 33-round U.S. Open career. However, an early bogey in the second round pushed him further down the leaderboard.

World number one Scheffler, who is pursuing his first career Grand Slam — a feat requiring wins in all four of golf’s major championships — sits eight shots behind Clark. He was set to begin his round at 2:24 p.m. Eastern time from the 10th tee.

Reigning Masters champion McIlroy, who finished the first round five strokes off the pace, was scheduled to tee off from the first hole at 2:02 p.m. Eastern time.

The tournament’s opening round was disrupted by a two-hour fog delay early Thursday, and play was eventually halted by darkness with 50 competitors still unable to finish their rounds.

Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann found himself in hot water at the U.S. Open on Friday after tournament officials handed him a two-stroke penalty for hurling his club during his first-round play at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, New York.

The LIV Golf competitor had a disastrous time on the par-four sixth hole during Thursday’s opening round at the notoriously challenging Southampton course. After sending two consecutive drives out of bounds, Niemann lost his composure and flung his club after failing to hit the green on an approach shot, with blustery wind conditions making things even tougher for players on the course.

Tournament organizers determined that the outburst amounted to “serious misconduct” under the rules of golf. Niemann ended up carding a septuple bogey on the hole — one of the worst possible scores a golfer can record.

The first round had already been interrupted the evening before, when play was halted due to fading daylight. When action resumed early Friday morning, a dense fog rolled in and pushed the restart back by an additional two hours.

By the time Niemann had played through the first three holes of his second round, he sat a staggering 14 strokes behind leader Wyndham Clark.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Wyndham Clark came close to making history twice Friday morning, but ultimately walked away with something impressive in its own right — the lowest opening round ever recorded at a U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills. His 6-under 64 put him two shots clear of the field after a first round that stretched across roughly 26 hours to complete.

Dustin Johnson, playing in what is the final year of his U.S. Open exemption earned by winning at Oakmont back in 2016, bounced back from a late double bogey on Thursday by making birdies on two of his final three holes and a clutch par save to finish at 66, keeping him within striking distance of Clark.

Gary Woodland — who was grouped with both Clark and Johnson — and Matt Fitzpatrick each carded 67s. Jon Rahm sits one further back at 68, despite missing two strong birdie opportunities Friday morning. Rahm’s round was notable for having no bogeys on his scorecard.

The low scoring came as a surprise at Shinnecock Hills, a course where only three players across the previous four U.S. Opens held there had managed to finish under par over the last 40 years. What made the opening even more unusual was a thick fog that rolled in before play could begin, forcing a two-hour delay to start the championship.

That delay actually worked in favor of Clark and Johnson, who had already been out on the course Thursday evening when the wind was far calmer. The USGA had adjusted course conditions to account for gusts that were regularly topping 30 mph, and with those winds absent late in the day, players were able to take full advantage of the setup.

Clark put together a stretch of birdie-birdie-eagle late Thursday to reach 6 under. Johnson, meanwhile, reeled off four consecutive birdies before a costly mistake on the sixth hole, where he three-putted from just 6 feet away and walked off with a double bogey.

When the two returned Friday morning to wrap up the first round alongside 48 other players, Clark faced the eighth and ninth holes with a favorable wind at his back. He narrowly missed an 18-foot birdie attempt on No. 8 and came up short on a 30-foot try on No. 9, leaving his two shots at history unrealized.

The course record at Shinnecock Hills stands at 63, a mark set by Tommy Fleetwood in the final round of the 2018 U.S. Open after the USGA heavily watered the course to correct for conditions that had gotten out of hand in the third round. The overall U.S. Open record of 62 was set by Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023.

Clark expressed satisfaction with his 64. The previous best opening round at Shinnecock had been a 66, accomplished by three players in 2004 and one in 1995.

Rory McIlroy dealt with the worst of Thursday’s wind and felt a 69 was a solid result given the conditions. Scottie Scheffler was caught in the same difficult wave and leaned heavily on his short game to salvage a 72 — his tenth straight U.S. Open round without breaking par. Scheffler is chasing the one major championship that stands between him and a career Grand Slam.

Sam Stevens posted the best score among those who faced the toughest wind Thursday, coming in at 68. He was later joined at that number by Rahm as well as a group that included Ryder Cowan, who just completed his junior year at Oklahoma, and fellow Sooner alum Max McGreevy.

Clark and Johnson had just enough time to hit some warm-up shots on the driving range before heading back out for the second round. Also on the line Friday was the 36-hole cut, with the top 60 players and ties advancing. Scheffler found himself just barely inside that number as the day continued.

Wyndham Clark Grabs Early US Open Lead at Shinnecock Hills

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — The USGA adjusted the setup at Shinnecock Hills to account for fierce winds on Thursday, but when those gusts calmed down later in the day, Wyndham Clark made the most of the easier conditions. Clark surged to 6-under par through 16 holes before darkness halted play, giving him a four-shot advantage over a group of seven players that includes Ryder Cowan and Dustin Johnson. Rory McIlroy was satisfied with his round of 69 after battling winds exceeding 30 mph, while Scottie Scheffler leaned heavily on his short game to post a 72. Clark will head back out Friday morning to wrap up his opening round.

Mexico First Team to Reach World Cup Knockout Stage After 1-0 Win Over South Korea

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Mexico capitalized on a costly mistake by South Korea’s goalkeeper to claim a 1-0 victory and become the first nation to advance to the World Cup knockout round. The win is a significant turnaround for Mexico after the team was eliminated in the group stage back in 2022. Luis Romo put the ball in the net in the 50th minute after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided with teammate Lee Gi-hyuk and fumbled the ball inside the penalty area. Romo had little trouble finishing with an open net in front of him. South Korea nearly tied it up in the 87th minute, but Mexican goalkeeper Raúl Rangel came up with a spectacular stop to preserve the win.

MLB Owners Propose Major Changes to Amateur Signing Rules

NEW YORK — During collective bargaining talks Thursday, baseball’s team owners put forward a proposal that would prohibit high school players from signing directly with major league organizations, raise the minimum age for international amateur signings, and sharply reduce signing bonus pools. Under the proposal, the amateur draft covering players from the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico would be trimmed from 20 rounds down to 12 rounds starting in 2027. Owners also proposed creating a matching 12-round draft for international prospects — a concept the players’ union has previously turned down.

Knicks Celebrate First NBA Title in 53 Years With Manhattan Parade

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks threw a massive celebration Thursday as thousands of fans dressed in blue and orange lined Manhattan’s “Canyon of Heroes” for a ticker-tape parade marking the franchise’s first NBA championship in more than five decades. Finals MVP Jalen Brunson lifted the trophy toward the crowd and let fans reach out and touch it, while other players rode on floats or stepped off to celebrate with cheering supporters. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a noted Knicks fan, along with celebrities including Spike Lee and Alicia Keys, joined the festivities. It was a historic moment for the city, which notably did not hold championship parades after the Knicks’ title victories in the 1970s.

College Sports Bill Clears Senate Committee Despite Opposition From SEC and Big Ten

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan piece of legislation that top lawmakers and athletic leaders have called the best opportunity to bring stability to college sports has passed an important Senate test. The Senate Commerce Committee voted 19-9 to send the bill forward on Thursday. The Protect College Sports Act would regulate how athletes are compensated, limit players to a single unrestricted transfer, and prevent coaches from switching jobs mid-season. Several athletic conferences, along with the NFL, the NFL Players Association, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, back the bill. However, the SEC and the Big Ten have withheld their support. Backing and opposition for the measure cuts across party lines.

Jonathan David Hat Trick Powers Canada to Historic 6-0 World Cup Win Over Qatar

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Jonathan David netted three goals to lead Canada to its first-ever World Cup victory, a commanding 6-0 rout of Qatar that also put the team on the verge of advancing to the knockout round. The match turned chaotic after Qatar was reduced to nine players due to red cards. Homan Ahmed was ejected in the first half for a foul on Tajon Buchanan, and Assim Madibo received a second red card early in the second half for a tackle on Ismaël Koné, who was carried off the field on a stretcher with a broken left leg. With the lopsided victory, Canada tripled its all-time World Cup goal total.

Switzerland Storms Back for 4-1 World Cup Victory Over Bosnia-Herzegovina

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Substitute Johan Manzambi announced himself on the World Cup stage with a stunning volley in the 74th minute, sparking a late flurry of goals as Switzerland rolled past Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 to take control of its group. Rubén Vargas added a goal in the 84th minute shortly after Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic was sent off for a dangerous foul, leaving the team shorthanded. Manzambi struck again in the 90th minute off a pass from Vargas, and captain Granit Xhaka converted a penalty on the final kick of the match. Bosnia’s Ermin Mahmic had scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

Canada’s Koné to Have Surgery Following Serious Injury Against Qatar

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canada’s landmark first World Cup win was tempered by a frightening injury to midfielder Ismaël Koné. He suffered a broken left leg after a tackle by Qatar’s Assim Madibo, who was immediately sent off. Koné was stretchered off the field and transported to a hospital for surgery. Canada coach Jesse Marsch confirmed that Koné had family by his side. Nathan Saliba, who came on to replace Koné, went on to score Canada’s fourth goal in the 6-0 victory. Striker Jonathan David spoke out about the tackle, calling it reckless and questioning why it was necessary. The full extent of Koné’s injury has not been officially disclosed.

Angels Star Mike Trout Lands on Injured List With Hamstring Problem

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is heading back to the injured list. The team announced before Thursday night’s game against the Athletics that the 11-time All-Star was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain. The Angels brought up infielder Christian Moore from Triple-A Salt Lake as part of a series of roster moves. The 34-year-old Trout had appeared in 74 of the team’s 75 games this season. He is hitting .234 with a .394 on-base percentage, 17 home runs, 36 RBIs, and seven stolen bases.

Big Ten and SEC Push Back on College Sports Legislation — Could a Super League Follow?

The Protect College Sports Act advanced out of a Senate committee, but the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference are not on board and are calling for changes to the bill. Their opposition has sparked talk about whether those powerful conferences might eventually break away from the NCAA to form their own super league. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell has stressed that any solution must deliver economic benefits across the board. The financial and athletic dominance of the Big Ten and SEC has raised concerns about competitive balance throughout college sports. A Texas Tech regent named Cody Campbell dismissed the super league concept as unworkable. The bill still needs 60 Senate votes to move forward, plus approval from the House, and legal challenges are expected even if it is ultimately signed into law.

MEXICO CITY — While World Cup excitement has taken over Mexico City, one of the tournament’s most beloved figures isn’t kicking a ball or coaching a team. Alongside Merlin the duck in the ranks of crowd favorites, an 8-year-old rescue poodle mix named Osito has captured the world’s attention after showing up to Mexico’s opening match riding in the back of a cargo bicycle — complete with a national team jersey, a pair of sunglasses, and a cap.

As thousands of fans made their way to the stadium last week for the opening game, many paused to take pictures, give Osito a pat, and share videos across social platforms. Within just a few hours, the pint-sized pup was appearing on international broadcasts and spreading rapidly online, quickly becoming one of the tournament’s most charming viral moments.

For his owner, Jorge Rangel, the sudden spotlight isn’t really about internet fame. It’s about the deep companionship he shares with the dog who has been by his side almost constantly. For the last two years, Osito has tagged along with Rangel as he makes his daily deliveries of household goods across Mexico City.

“More than a dog, he’s my daily companion,” said Rangel, 50.

The two travel together on a specially modified cargo bicycle, with Osito sitting calmly in a rear compartment, watching the world go by and drawing smiles from everyone they pass.

It all started by accident. Rangel placed the dog in a delivery box on his bicycle one day and took him for a brief ride. Osito appeared to love it. Over time, Rangel added padding, made adjustments to the setup, and began taking him on longer routes through the city. Eventually, the duo became a well-known sight on the streets.

These days, children run up to say hello, strangers stop for photos, and some people initially think Osito is a stuffed toy because he sits so quietly — often decked out in one of his many outfits.

“He has a very gentle temperament. Everybody wants to meet him,” Rangel said.

When the World Cup came to town, Rangel recognized a chance to introduce Osito — whose name translates to “little bear” — to a much bigger audience. A passionate soccer fan, he spent weeks getting ready for the tournament, collecting accessories and even customizing a pair of sunglasses to fit the dog’s face. He dressed Osito in a national team jersey and decorated the bicycle, hoping to catch the eye of fans heading to the games.

“It exceeded all my expectations,” Rangel said of the overwhelming response.

What seems to connect most deeply with people isn’t the costume or the online fame — it’s the bond between the man and his dog. Rangel adopted Osito years ago during a tough stretch in his life, and he describes the dog as an emotional anchor.

“I didn’t know what it meant to love an animal until Osito came into my life,” Rangel said.

The two are now nearly inseparable. On the rare occasion Rangel heads out without him, Osito makes his feelings known with something he almost never does: barking.

Strangers who cross paths with them on the streets can clearly sense the connection. Rangel says people regularly approach him to share that spotting Osito turned around an otherwise difficult day. Some have simply stopped to thank the pair for making them smile.

As World Cup festivities roll on, videos of Osito continue to circulate and photo requests show no signs of slowing down. But every morning, Rangel and Osito hop on their bicycle and head back out into Mexico City, working, waving at strangers, and spreading a little joy along the way.

For Rangel, that’s what the story is really about. The TV appearances and viral fame feel good, he says, but what truly matters is that people witness the love between a man and his dog — a bond that has unexpectedly become one of the most touching images of this World Cup.

Bina Ramroop was in tears outside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday, realizing the World Cup tickets she had purchased as a 13th birthday gift for her grandson were not going to work out.

While thousands of fans streamed into the venue to watch Spain take on Cape Verde in a match that ended in a scoreless draw, Ramroop spent hours bouncing between StubHub customer service representatives on the phone and FIFA staff at the ticket window. Neither side could offer a solution, and each pointed the finger at the other.

The tickets — purchased months in advance through StubHub at $485 each — could not be transferred from the original seller into FIFA’s ticketing app. As the roar of the crowd signaled the start of the match, StubHub offered her a refund. With no other options, she accepted.

“I didn’t want a refund, I didn’t want my money back,” Ramroop said. “I wanted to go to the game.”

On the long train ride back to the Atlanta suburbs, Ramroop’s grandson Elijah Gomes tracked the final score on his phone. When the match ended goalless, he tried to comfort his heartbroken grandmother by suggesting they hadn’t missed much — a sentiment Cape Verde fans would likely dispute.

“He’s telling me, ‘Grandma, it’s OK, Grandma.’ And he’s trying to console me,” Ramroop recalled the following day.

Her story is far from unique. An Associated Press journalist at the match observed more than a dozen other fans dealing with similar ticket failures. Across social media, complaints have flooded in from buyers who say their tickets never showed up, orders were scrapped at the last minute, or they spent hours trying to resolve conflicts between FIFA’s ticketing system and outside resale platforms. While most complaints center on industry giant StubHub, buyers from competing platforms such as SeatGeek and Vivid Seats have reported problems as well.

Experts who spoke with the AP say the issues appear to have more than one root cause. Some cases involve technical glitches in the ticket transfer process — something StubHub describes as “very, very rare” and says it is actively working to fix. Other cases may involve a more longstanding problem in the ticketing world: speculative sellers.

Scott Friedman, an industry veteran and co-founder of a consultancy called the Ticket Talk Network, explained that some sellers list tickets for events before they actually possess them, gambling that prices will drop closer to the event date so they can buy the tickets at a lower cost. But because World Cup ticket prices have climbed since the tournament began, those sellers have been forced to either purchase expensive tickets to fulfill their commitments or cancel and absorb penalties from resale platforms. StubHub’s standard penalty for such cancellations is typically 200% of the ticket price, Friedman said.

“This is not new at all,” Friedman said, pointing to other major events — including Taylor Swift’s Eras tour — where fans were similarly left empty-handed. “This has been going on, but it’s making global news because it’s the World Cup.”

StubHub maintains that it requires sellers to verify they have tickets before listing them. But Friedman argued that regardless of the cause, “StubHub should fill every single order to make sure fans get in the biggest global sporting event that happens every four years.”

StubHub, for its part, placed the blame squarely on FIFA, saying in a statement that the governing body has “poor technology infrastructure,” imposed last-minute transfer restrictions, and didn’t roll out its new ticketing app until just weeks before the tournament started. The company also criticized organizers for taking what it called “anti-competitive actions” that restrict where fans can buy and sell tickets.

When asked about the technical problems, FIFA responded Wednesday by reiterating that tickets purchased through its official marketplace are guaranteed to be delivered.

FIFA has encouraged fans to use its own resale platform, which adds a 30% surcharge to every resold ticket — split evenly at 15% each between buyer and seller. Many fans, however, turned to outside resale sites out of familiarity, lower prices, or ease of use.

StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee promises replacement tickets or a refund when tickets fail to arrive. However, the policy states repeatedly that these remedies are offered at StubHub’s “sole discretion,” giving the company the authority to issue a refund rather than find replacement seats.

“That is pretty explicit language,” said Michael McCann, a sports law expert at the University of New Hampshire. He noted that buyers could attempt to challenge the policy under state consumer protection laws, but said it would be an uphill legal battle.

Pape Ndaw purchased tickets in December as a high school graduation gift for his son — seats to see the Netherlands face Japan near their home city of Dallas. The tickets cost roughly $550 each. Two days before the June 14 match, he received an email from StubHub informing him that “the seller can’t deliver your original tickets.”

Ndaw chose store credit over a refund, thinking he could quickly use the funds toward replacement tickets. He then discovered the cheapest last-minute options were going for more than $1,500 per ticket. To make matters worse, he said StubHub denied his later request to convert the store credit back into a cash refund.

Telling his soccer-obsessed son was devastating.

“It was a disastrous thing,” Ndaw said. “He had told all his friends that he was going to that game. He literally cried. I mean, he is a 17-year-old kid, but he cried.”

Some buyers had a slightly better experience. Patrick O’Neil of Pittsboro, North Carolina, traveled to Atlanta with his wife, son, and other family members after buying five StubHub tickets to the Spain-Cape Verde match. Two of the five tickets transferred without a problem, but three never came through.

O’Neil’s 15-year-old son and his uncle used the two working tickets to attend the game, while O’Neil, his wife, and another relative watched from a nearby bar.

After local media reported on their situation, O’Neil said StubHub reached out and offered the family tickets to another match. Since they had already purchased tickets to a different game, O’Neil and his wife asked the company to instead donate the seats to a local nonprofit called Soccer in the Streets, so they could go to fans who might not otherwise have the chance to attend.

“StubHub is not evil, but they’re part of the whole system that makes it really hard for just normal kids and people who might want to see a match get to go,” O’Neil said.

A StubHub representative confirmed to the AP on Thursday that the company would honor the family’s request and send the tickets to the nonprofit.

Andrew Benintendi stepped in as a pinch hitter and delivered a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning, powering the visiting Chicago White Sox to a 5-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday. The triumph marked Chicago’s first win at Yankee Stadium since June 8, 2023, snapping a nine-game road skid against New York.

In the final game of a three-game series, Chicago put together its winning rally in the eighth inning against Fernando Cruz (4-2), Tim Hill, and Camilo Doval. Benintendi, a former Yankee himself, batted in place of Randal Grichuk and broke a 1-1 deadlock by launching Doval’s first-pitch sinker into the right-center-field seats.

The American League Central-leading White Sox used a Sam Antonacci double and two hit batters to load the bases for Benintendi’s blast. Opener Bryan Hudson allowed just one hit over 1 2/3 scoreless innings, while bulk reliever Sean Burke (4-4) was dominant — striking out eight batters while surrendering one run on five hits across 7 1/3 innings.

Ryan McMahon hit a home run for New York, whose four-game winning streak came to an end. It was just the sixth loss for the Yankees in their last 21 games.

Royals 14, Cardinals 6

Bobby Witt Jr. homered and was among seven Kansas City hitters to record at least two hits, though he later left the game with right knee discomfort. Salvador Perez hit a solo home run that made him the all-time home run leader at Kauffman Stadium as the host Royals defeated St. Louis.

Witt hurt his knee while diving to field Jordan Walker’s RBI infield single in the fourth inning. He finished out the inning but was replaced in the batting order in the bottom half. Despite his exit, Kansas City had a big night — setting season highs in both runs and hits (17), while also smacking eight doubles, including a club-record five during a six-run second inning.

Perez went 3-for-the-night and his 137th career home run at the ballpark — a 385-foot shot to left field in the sixth — broke George Brett’s record and pushed Kansas City’s lead to 12-4. For St. Louis, Masyn Winn and JJ Wetherholt each had three hits, while Jose Fermin added two hits and two RBIs. The Cardinals totaled 13 hits but left 15 runners stranded.

Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 3

Brandon Valenzuela laced a two-out double off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning, scoring Ernie Clement with the go-ahead run as visiting Toronto completed a three-game sweep of Boston.

Valenzuela’s decisive hit came after Boston had tied the game on back-to-back home runs by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Caleb Durbin in the eighth — both off Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage. Yesavage had otherwise been sharp, allowing three runs on four hits over 7 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and no walks.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Nathan Lukes each hit solo home runs against Boston starter Sonny Gray, who gave up three runs on six hits over seven innings, striking out four and walking one.

Mets 6, Phillies 4

Juan Soto slugged two home runs and Marcus Semien drove in a pair of insurance runs as the visiting New York Mets defeated Philadelphia in the first meeting between the rivals this season.

New York also got strong contributions from Carson Benge (3-for-5) and A.J. Ewing (2-for-3, RBI). Huascar Brazoban (4-1) tossed a scoreless inning in relief to earn the win, while Devin Williams allowed a two-out run in the ninth before locking down his 11th save.

Alec Bohm had two hits and two RBIs for Philadelphia. Jose Alvarado (3-2) gave up three runs in his only inning of work. Trea Turner exited after being hit by a pitch, suffering a right calf contusion.

Guardians 4, Brewers 2

Cleveland rallied to break a tie in the seventh inning and defeat host Milwaukee, picking up just their third win in the last nine games.

Starting pitcher Parker Messick (7-3) held Milwaukee to two runs on four hits with three walks and nine strikeouts over six innings. Brewers starter Shane Drohan went five innings, giving up one run on three hits and three walks. Milwaukee had won three straight heading into the game.

Cleveland took its first lead in the seventh off reliever Grant Anderson (1-3), when Travis Bazzana drove a fastball into the right-field seats to put the Guardians ahead 3-2.

Twins 9, Rangers 3

Trevor Larnach went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs as Minnesota cruised past host Texas to complete a three-game sweep.

Brooks Lee added a three-run home run for the Twins. Ryan Kreidler contributed a two-run shot, and Victor Caratini went 3-for-4. For Texas, Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran, and Justin Foscue each hit solo home runs, while Josh Smith had the Rangers’ only other extra-base hit with a double.

Mariners 3, Orioles 0

Bryan Woo (6-5) delivered more than seven scoreless innings as host Seattle shut out Baltimore. Woo surrendered just three hits, walked one, and struck out nine.

Seattle scored all three of its runs on a two-out rally in the first inning against Orioles starter Shane Baz (4-7). Cole Young hit a run-scoring double and Colt Emerson followed with a two-run single to give the Mariners an early 3-0 advantage. Baz recovered to pitch seven innings overall, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Mexico has become the first team to advance to the World Cup knockout stage, claiming the top spot in Group A with a narrow 1-0 victory over South Korea on Thursday in Guadalajara.

The win gave Javier Aguirre’s squad six points through two matches and locked in a home Round of 32 appearance in Mexico City on June 30, where they will face a third-place finisher.

The only goal of the match came just three minutes into the second half, courtesy of a costly blunder by South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu. The keeper collided with one of his own teammates while trying to handle a cross, spilling the ball and leaving midfielder Luis Romo with an open net to finish from the center of the penalty area.

“It was a very close game; we didn’t give up a single centimetre and fought for every ball as if it were our last,” Aguirre said in an interview with Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca. “It was a game where whoever made a mistake would lose, and it was them… It was a game to forget, but the result is one to remember.”

The goal was a welcome relief after a flat opening half that left portions of the home crowd booing Mexico off the field at halftime. The co-hosts had controlled early possession but were unable to create meaningful scoring opportunities, and South Korea gradually took over as the half wore on.

Captain Edson Alvarez, filling in at center back due to Cesar Montes’ suspension, made a stunning goal-line clearance to deny South Korea’s Son Heung-min — though Son was later ruled offside on the play.

Once Romo’s goal hit the net, the atmosphere inside Guadalajara Stadium shifted dramatically. Fans began singing the traditional Mexican folk song “Cielito Lindo” — translated as “Lovely Sweetheart” — as Mexico regained control of the contest.

Mexico nearly extended their lead midway through the second half when Raul Jimenez brought down a pass from Julian Quinones and struck a half-volley from close in, but Kim responded with a brilliant save to keep it a one-goal game. The South Korean goalkeeper also turned away a long-range shot from substitute Obed Vargas with a diving stop.

South Korea pushed hard for an equalizer in the closing minutes and came within inches of leveling the score, but Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel came up with a stunning double save at point-blank range — first stopping a close-range shot with his foot, then diving across to smother the rebound.

Mexico held on through wave after wave of South Korean pressure to seal the victory and their place in the next round.

“We were patient, not passive. It’s not easy, we’re seeing some very close matches,” Aguirre said. “We’ll see how the last match plays out and wait for our opponent. I’m leaving happy because it means we’re not leaving home, our beloved Mexico.”

Mexico will wrap up group play against Czech Republic, while South Korea still has a chance to advance when they take on South Africa on Wednesday.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had to leave Thursday night’s home game against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth inning after experiencing discomfort in his right knee.

Witt had been productive at the plate before the injury, connecting for a home run and driving in a run with a single during his first two trips to the plate. The trouble came while he was chasing down a ground ball hit into the hole by Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker in the top of the fourth inning. Witt struggled to get back on his feet but managed to finish out the inning defensively.

When the Royals came up to bat in the bottom of the fourth, Tyler Tolbert stepped in as a pinch hitter for Witt, signaling he was done for the evening. This isn’t the first time knee soreness has cut Witt’s night short — he also left a game early on June 7 against the Minnesota Twins, though he returned to the starting lineup the very next game after a scheduled day off. Witt is hitting .294 on the season with 10 home runs and has appeared in all 76 of Kansas City’s games this year.

The Royals are already navigating a crowded injury report. The team is currently without Vinnie Pasquantino due to a right hand injury, Kyle Isbel with plantar fasciitis, Jonathan India with a left shoulder injury, and pitchers Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic, both sidelined with left elbow problems. All-Star Maikel Garcia is listed as day-to-day with a left hand issue. On a more positive note, veteran right-hander Seth Lugo is expected to take the mound Friday for the first time since being struck in the forehead by a line drive on June 10.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is heading to the injured list once again after suffering a right hamstring strain.

The Angels announced prior to Thursday evening’s matchup against the Athletics that the 11-time All-Star would be placed on the 10-day IL. To fill the roster spot, the team called up infielder Christian Moore from Triple-A Salt Lake as part of a series of roster moves.

Trout told MLB.com that the injury happened while he was running toward first base during Wednesday’s 8-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“From last night to today, it’s a night-and-day difference, so that’s positive for me,” Trout said to MLB.com. “I was a little worried last night, but had a plane ride and just sitting down after playing, so that kind of came into effect. But feels way better today, so I’m not overly concerned about it. But I’m going to do everything I can in that training room and the weight room to get back.”

Injuries have been a recurring theme for Trout throughout much of this decade. After claiming his third AL MVP honor in 2019, he has surpassed 82 games in a season only twice — appearing in 119 games in 2022 and 130 in 2025.

The 34-year-old had been enjoying a resurgent campaign, suiting up for 74 of the team’s 75 games this season. He was batting .234 with an .866 OPS, 17 home runs, 36 RBIs, and seven stolen bases heading into Thursday.

At the time of the injury, Trout led the American League with 54 runs scored, a figure tied for second-best in all of baseball behind Washington’s James Wood. His 66 walks also ranked second in the major leagues, trailing only the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz.

Trout had also earned the second-highest vote total among AL outfielders in this week’s released All-Star Game balloting. He has a personal connection to the event — he grew up near Philadelphia, where this year’s All-Star Game is scheduled to be held next month.

With Trout out, Moore gets his chance to contribute at the big league level. The infielder had been putting up strong numbers at Salt Lake, batting .333 with a .468 on-base percentage, nine home runs, 45 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases across 51 games while seeing time at second base, third base, and in the outfield.

In his previous stint with the Angels last season, Moore batted .198 with a .284 on-base percentage, seven home runs, 16 RBIs, and three stolen bases over 53 games.

The Angels made additional roster moves Thursday, recalling right-hander Ryan Johnson from Double-A Rocket City, releasing left-hander Drew Pomeranz, and optioning right-hander Brett Kerry and catcher Logan Porter to Salt Lake.

SEATTLE — The question of whether Christian Pulisic will take the field when the United States faces Australia in a pivotal Group D World Cup match in Seattle on Friday remains up in the air, according to head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Pulisic was a standout performer in the U.S. team’s dominant 4-1 opening victory over Paraguay last week, but he was forced off the pitch at halftime due to a calf injury. Since then, he has been working through individual training sessions rather than practicing with the full squad.

Pochettino indicated he would speak with team medical personnel Thursday evening before determining whether the forward would be cleared to play.

“If he’s not available for tomorrow, he will be available for the next game. He’s doing a massive effort,” the Argentine coach told reporters.

Pochettino also expressed confidence in the player’s resolve, saying, “Christian is strong and with a great mentality and is doing a fantastic effort to try to be ready as soon as possible.”

Heading into Friday’s match, both the U.S. and Australia sit level at the top of Group D. Australia earned their spot there with a surprising 2-0 victory over Turkey. Whichever team wins Friday’s contest will be in a strong position to secure a favorable path through the knockout stage.

While the U.S. team’s convincing dismantling of Paraguay has energized fans, Pochettino cautioned against underestimating the Australians.

“They are a very strong team, really believing in what they are doing,” he said, stressing that the Americans must match that level of determination to come out on top.

Also on Friday, Turkey and Paraguay are scheduled to meet at 8 p.m. local time in San Francisco.

Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams has committed to a multi-year deal with Unrivaled, the Miami-based 3-on-3 women’s basketball league that kicks off its third season this coming January.

At 29 years old, Williams will be stepping onto the Unrivaled court for the very first time. Which team she’ll compete for within the league has yet to be determined and will be announced down the road.

Williams spoke enthusiastically about the move in a statement released by the league. “The opportunity to compete alongside some of the best players in the world, continue growing my game, and be part of something that is pushing women’s basketball forward is truly special,” she said.

In her debut season with Golden State, Williams has been playing some of the best basketball of her career. Through 15 games — all starts — she is averaging a career-high 16.3 points per game, along with 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 26.7 minutes on the floor. She is also shooting a personal-best 37.8% from three-point range, connecting on 31 of 82 attempts.

Across eight professional seasons split between the Chicago Sky (2018-20), Seattle Storm (2022-25), and the Valkyries, Williams carries career averages of 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 25.3 minutes per game.

Last season with Seattle, Williams earned WNBA All-Star honors and was named to the All-Defensive first team. She also recorded 99 steals that year, a total that tied for the second-highest single-season steal count in league history.

Williams was originally selected fourth overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2018 WNBA Draft after her college career at UConn.

On the international stage, Williams has represented France in two Olympic Games, earning a bronze medal in 2020 and a silver medal in 2024.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced Thursday that outfielder Adolis Garcia will need surgery on his right latissimus dorsi muscle, ending his season before it can go any further.

Garcia is scheduled to go under the knife next Wednesday. Doctors expect the recovery process to take between six and eight months, meaning he should be ready to play when the 2027 season gets underway.

His last appearance on the field came June 10, when he had to leave a game against the Toronto Blue Jays after making a throw to home plate from right field.

The 33-year-old was having a difficult season at the plate, hitting just .195 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs across 67 games. Philadelphia brought him aboard this past offseason on a one-year contract worth $10 million.

Before joining the Phillies, Garcia spent six years with the Rangers and became a postseason legend when Texas charged through the 2023 playoffs to claim the World Series title. He batted .323 and posted a .726 slugging percentage over 15 postseason games, finishing with eight home runs and 22 RBIs.

Garcia earned American League Championship Series MVP honors after clubbing five home runs and driving in 15 runs. In the clinching Game 7 against the Houston Astros, he went 4-for-5 with two home runs, five RBIs, and three runs scored. He also connected for a home run in the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

A two-time All-Star, Garcia surpassed 30 home runs twice and drove in more than 100 runs twice during his time in Texas. He also had a brief stint with the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2018.

For his career, Garcia carries a .234 batting average with 148 home runs and 480 RBIs in 833 games.

In related roster news, the Phillies called up right-handed pitchers Seth Johnson and Bryse Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. At the same time, left-hander Tanner Banks and right-hander Andrew Painter were optioned down to that same affiliate.

Johnson, 27, posted a 7.36 ERA in three outings for Philadelphia earlier this year. Wilson, 28, brings a career record of 20-23 with a 4.82 ERA spanning 163 appearances — including 57 starts — over eight major league seasons with four different teams.

Banks, 34, went 0-4 with a 5.86 ERA in 26 appearances for the Phillies this season. Painter, 23, finished with a 1-8 record and a 7.06 ERA across 14 appearances, 12 of which were starts.

A judge on Thursday threw out a first-degree felony rape charge against former Brigham Young University standout wide receiver Parker Kingston — but prosecutors from the Washington County Attorney’s Office say they are not done with the case and plan to bring it back to court.

The trial had been set for July, but state prosecutors sought a postponement. When the court denied that request, it dismissed the case without prejudice, which means the state retains the ability to refile the charge at a future date. The Washington County Attorney’s Office confirmed it intends to do exactly that.

Kingston’s attorney, Cara Tangaro, declined to offer any comment on the ruling.

Kingston had been BYU’s top receiver last season before he was charged with rape in February in St. George, Utah, following a yearlong investigation. He entered a not guilty plea.

Prosecutors sought the delay because of the alleged victim’s health, saying her documented medical condition currently prevents her from taking part in trial proceedings. Deputy Washington County Attorney Jerry Jaeger made the state’s position clear in a filing dated June 16, writing: “The State cannot proceed without the victim. The State will not jeopardize the victim’s health.”

An attorney representing the alleged victim also filed a joint request, asking the court to push back the jury trial so the victim could “fully recover from her medical issues.”

Kingston’s legal team pushed back against any delay, arguing that a similar postponement request had already been denied and that further waiting would violate Kingston’s right to a speedy trial. His attorneys contended he had endured significant stress from what they called a false accusation and that the charge had prevented him from finishing his college degree.

“Those harms deepen with every month of delay,” Tangaro wrote in a June 17 response to the court.

According to prosecutors, a 20-year-old woman told officers that Kingston assaulted her at her home in February 2025. Kingston told St. George police that “all sexual activity” with the woman was “consensual,” according to an affidavit. The woman told investigators she had made it clear to Kingston before he arrived at her home that she did not want to have sex, and that she told him to stop multiple times after he initiated contact, the affidavit states.

The alleged victim’s family released a statement expressing deep disappointment over the dismissal. “Our hearts are with our daughter, who showed tremendous courage in coming forward and placing her trust in the justice system,” the statement read. “Today, that trust was shattered when the Court prioritized getting an athlete back on the field over justice.”

Paramount Skydance announced Thursday that “UFC Freedom 250,” a mixed martial arts event staged at the White House, brought in an average audience of 7 million viewers across the United States.

The company described the live event as the biggest in Paramount+ streaming history. When combined with Latin American viewership, the total audience reached 17 million — a figure that includes people who tuned in for at least a portion of the fights.

Paramount noted that the U.S. audience numbers were sourced from Nielsen data, while viewership from Latin America was measured using Adobe Analytics.

The event took place June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House. It was organized to mark President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and to help launch celebrations surrounding the country’s 250th anniversary.

One of the night’s biggest moments came when Justin Gaethje pulled off an upset victory over Ilia Topuria, capturing the undisputed lightweight championship. The event also set a UFC milestone, becoming the first in the organization’s history where every single bout ended by knockout or technical knockout.

Paramount said viewership figures from outside the U.S. and Latin America will be released next week. The event streamed exclusively on Paramount+ in both the U.S. and Latin American markets.

LIV Golf’s financial situation is growing more precarious, with a new report revealing the league is running on loans rather than fresh investment capital as it tries to wrap up the 2026 season.

The Money in Sport newsletter reported Thursday, citing recent company filings, that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has set up a lending arrangement to keep the league afloat while LIV leadership hunts for new financial backers. The PIF announced back in April that it would only fund LIV through the end of the 2026 season, and Front Office Sports reported earlier this month that even that support could be cut short. In total, the PIF has put more than $6 billion into LIV since 2022.

The report pointed to company filings in the United Kingdom and Jersey, which included a debenture agreement from June that names the PIF as LIV’s lender. The specific dollar amounts and terms of those loans have not been disclosed.

This lending shift came after a $66 million capital increase was not matched by a corresponding increase in share capital from the parent company, LIV Golf Investments Ltd.

LIV still has four events left on its 2026 calendar: LIV Golf UK (July 23-26), LIV Golf New York (Aug. 6-9), LIV Golf Indianapolis (Aug. 20-23), and the $40 million LIV Team Championship Michigan (Aug. 27-30).

The league’s financial troubles have already caused disruptions. In June, LIV called off a planned tournament in New Orleans, blaming summer heat. Louisiana had committed roughly $7 million to bring the event to the state and had already paid $3.2 million under contract before the cancellation was announced. That decision left a 47-day gap with no events on LIV’s schedule.

When CEO Scott O’Neil was pressed about whether the remaining four tournaments would actually take place, he sidestepped a direct answer. “What I can guarantee is a heck of a return if you come invest in this business,” O’Neil said on CNBC on June 9.

According to Front Office Sports, LIV has brought on two independent board directors and hired U.S.-based Ducera Partners as an investment banking adviser as part of its effort to attract outside money. The league has reportedly contacted hundreds of potential investors, with more virtual meetings planned over the coming weeks.

“We continue to see strong momentum both on and off the course,” O’Neil said in a statement to Front Office Sports. “We’ve begun sharing our business plan with prospective partners who recognize the opportunity in team golf on a global scale.”

Reports suggest LIV is working toward a leaner business model with a greater emphasis on team-based competitions. A pitch document circulated to potential investors reportedly outlines a proposed 2027 schedule of 10 events — five “team majors” in proven markets and five primarily U.S.-based “team signature events” scheduled around individual major championships.

Prize money is also expected to drop sharply from the $32.3 million purses the league has been paying out this season.

Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm remain the league’s top draws as LIV works through its uncertain future. DeChambeau’s contract runs out after this season, and he has indicated he may choose not to commit to any tour full-time, instead focusing his efforts on golf’s four major championships.

Adding to the league’s challenges, back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy, speaking ahead of this week’s U.S. Open, said he believes LIV Golf created a “false economy” by offering outsized prize money.

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is moving forward with plans to broadcast World Cup soccer matches on hundreds of digital screens positioned on street corners throughout the city’s five boroughs, as part of his commitment to making sports more accessible to everyday residents.

The 55-inch LinkNYC digital kiosks, which typically display advertisements or public service announcements, will be used to air a selection of tournament matches. Mamdani previously used the same screens to broadcast two NBA Finals games this month, giving New Yorkers without cable or streaming services a chance to watch the Knicks end a 53-year championship drought.

“Whatever infrastructure we have, we should be using it to make it easier to be a part of the game,” Mamdani told Reuters on Thursday.

“We are going to be broadcasting a few games to hundreds of kiosks across the five boroughs. And it is going to be an opportunity for New Yorkers to really lose themselves in the World Cup, much of the way that we’ve all lost ourselves in this incredible run from the Knicks,” he added.

Politico had previously reported that plans for the public screenings were quietly being put together.

Attending World Cup games in person has become increasingly out of reach for many fans. The United States is co-hosting the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico, and dynamic ticket pricing has driven entry-level prices for games at the New York/New Jersey and Miami venues close to $1,000 ahead of the tournament’s start.

Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democrat who defied the political establishment and energized younger voters during his campaign, partnered with the New York New Jersey Host Committee to make 1,000 World Cup tickets available to New Yorkers at just $50 each, with free round-trip bus service included.

“If we allow sports to become a luxury commodity, we also allow it to become divorced from its roots as also an expression for working people, and not just something to participate in, but also something to be a part of,” said Mamdani, who joined the Knicks’ tickertape parade in downtown Manhattan on Thursday.

“It’s time to actually ensure that we don’t leave any New Yorkers behind as we talk about sports, and we should talk about it in the same breath as we talk about the things that people also build their lives around,” he said.

Earlier this month, the mayor’s office unveiled a line of New York City-themed soccer jerseys timed to the World Cup. Made in Brooklyn, the jerseys were sold at cost — roughly $50 each, according to GQ magazine — a significant difference from the $130 price tag on USA jerseys sold at World Cup stadium kiosks. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office confirmed that the first batch of 1,500 jerseys sold out and that a second run is being planned.

Mamdani wore one of the jerseys to the first World Cup match held at the New York/New Jersey stadium and shared a photo from the affordable seating section, captioning it: “1,000 New Yorkers won our lottery for affordable tickets to the World Cup. Today, we celebrated in the stands for the first NY/NJ game of the tournament. The beautiful game belongs to everyone.”

“We want these tournaments, we want these moments to be things that are also within reach for working people and not just something that they’re trying to figure out how they can stream,” said Mamdani, who is a longtime supporter of English Premier League champions Arsenal.

Not everyone has been on board with the mayor’s approach. Knicks owner James Dolan publicly criticized Mamdani and local officials over security arrangements outside Madison Square Garden during the NBA Finals. Dolan argued that the security perimeter — where a watch party had originally been planned — turned the surrounding streets into “a police state.”

Still, with six additional World Cup games still scheduled at the New York/New Jersey venue and the U.S. Open golf major getting underway Thursday in nearby Southampton, analysts say the mayor’s sports accessibility push is likely to connect with a broad swath of the public.

“Sports traditionally weren’t regarded as something serious,” said Lee Igel, a clinical professor at NYU’s Tisch Institute for Global Sport. “So if you’re in a political position or elected office and started talking about that, come on, it’s the rent, right? It’s the food on the table.”

Igel added that Mamdani “understands the platform, the power of sport” and noted that “anywhere in the world, sports matter to people.”

The NCAA handed down a permanent ineligibility ruling Thursday against former Iona basketball guard Adam Njie Jr., finding that he committed sports betting violations by passing along game-related information to individuals known to be placing bets.

Njie acknowledged the violations, which took place during his freshman year in the 2024-25 season. After transferring to Dayton ahead of last season, he never took the court there after the school was notified of a potential eligibility concern. He subsequently entered the transfer portal and had signed with Hampton in May.

Documents released by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel revealed that Njie admitted to informing a bettor that he intended to throw the first half of Iona’s December 1, 2024 matchup against Rice. The Mississippi Gaming Commission reported that two bettors placed a combined three wagers totaling $15,500 on Rice to cover the first-half point spread.

Njie later told investigators he did not carry out the plan. However, according to the NCAA, one of the bettors responded to losing the wagers by threatening Njie with physical harm. In response, Njie allegedly told the bettor he would throw the first half of Iona’s next game against Sacred Heart — a promise he also claims he did not keep.

The NCAA addressed the distinction between sharing information and actually altering game outcomes in its Thursday announcement: “The act of sharing information with a bettor is prohibited by NCAA legislation and is treated the same as point shaving from an NCAA enforcement perspective, regardless of whether the student-athlete goes through with throwing the game.”

During his freshman campaign, Njie appeared in 33 games, starting 28 of them. He put up averages of 12.4 points, 4.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 29.3 minutes per contest for Iona.

His performance that season earned him spots on both the 2024-25 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Freshman team and the 2025 All-MAAC Tournament team.

VANCOUVER — Canadian soccer standout Alphonso Davies will not be in the starting lineup when Canada squares off against Qatar in their second World Cup Group B contest at BC Place in Vancouver on Thursday.

Davies has been nursing a hamstring injury in recent weeks, though coach Jesse Marsch confirmed on Wednesday that the player has been cleared as fit to participate.

On the other side, Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui opted to keep his squad identical to the one that battled Switzerland to a 1-1 tie, once again leaving record goalscorer Almoez Ali out of the starting eleven.

For Canada, Cyle Larin earns a starting spot after coming off the bench to net the equalizer in the team’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tani Oluwaseyi and Liam Millar have both been moved to the bench to make room for Larin and Ali Ahmed in the starting lineup.

Qatar will be led by captain Boualem Khoukhi, who found the back of the net against Switzerland in the team’s previous match.

Starting Lineups:

Canada: Maxime Crepeau; Alistair Johnston, Luc De Fougerolles, Derek Cornelius, Richie Laryea; Stephen Eustaquio, Ismael Kone, Ali Ahmed; Tajon Buchanan, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin.

Qatar: Mahmoud Abunada; Pedro Miguel, Issa Laye, Jassem Gaber, Edmilson Junior; Akram Afif, Ayoub Aloui, Homam Ahmed, Yusuf Abdurisag; Boualem Khoukhi, Assim Madibo.

American tennis stars Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz are headed for another showdown, this time on the grass courts of the Terra Wortman Open in Halle, Germany — just days after facing off in the Stuttgart final.

Shelton, seeded third in the tournament, took down fellow American Ethan Quinn on Thursday with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory. Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Fritz dominated Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 6-4 to punch his own ticket to the quarterfinals. The two will clash again on Friday, with Shelton looking to build on his three-set win over Fritz last Sunday — a victory that gave him his third title of the year.

The win over Quinn extended Shelton’s winning streak to six consecutive matches across two events. Fritz, for his part, was nearly untouchable on his first serve against Marozsan, winning an impressive 93.8 percent of those points — converting 30 of 32.

French Open champion and top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany also moved through the draw, defeating his countryman Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 7-6 (4). Belgium’s Raphael Collignon also reached the quarterfinals after rallying past Italy’s Mattia Bellucci 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

At the HSBC Championships on the grass at Queen’s Club in London, Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata pulled off an upset, defeating second-seeded Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7). Hijikata navigated eight break point opportunities — saving five of them — and capitalized on 41 unforced errors by Lehecka before closing out the match on his fourth match point.

Eighth-seeded Tommy Paul also advanced at Queen’s Club, beating the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6 (5), 6-3. The win pushed Paul’s winning streak at the event to seven straight matches. Paul claimed the tournament title in 2024 but was unable to defend it last year due to injury.

Fourth-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain moved on with a 6-4, 6-3 win over France’s Corentin Moutet. Elsewhere, the match between Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic and France’s Ugo Humbert was suspended due to darkness with each player having won one set.

Federal authorities have intercepted more than 50 unauthorized drones near FIFA World Cup 2026 venues since the tournament kicked off last week, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Thursday.

On Wednesday alone, a joint federal and city counter-drone team in Kansas City stopped eight drones during World Cup events at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium and the FIFA Fan Festival. The Federal Aviation Administration has placed a strict ban on drone flights over World Cup matches and related fan gatherings throughout the United States.

According to the Homeland Security Department, there have been more than 150 separate instances of drones entering restricted airspace across the eight game locations involved in the tournament. Atlanta has seen the highest concentration of violations, recording roughly three dozen incidents on its own.

The rules are clear: on match days, all aircraft — including drones — are prohibited within three nautical miles and up to 3,000 feet above ground level around stadiums, unless specifically cleared by air traffic controllers. For fan events held around the country, drones are banned within a one-nautical-mile radius and up to 1,000 feet above the ground.

The FAA has warned that drone operators who fly into restricted airspace without authorization could face fines as high as $100,000, as well as criminal prosecution and permanent seizure of their drone.

The FBI has also deployed drone mitigation teams that will be positioned around World Cup stadium locations throughout the tournament.

These enforcement efforts come after a string of similar incidents at other major events. A man pleaded guilty last year after being charged with flying a drone over a restricted NFL AFC playoff game in Baltimore in January 2025. In another case, a Massachusetts man was charged with unlawfully piloting a drone near the finish line of the April 2024 Boston Marathon, leading law enforcement to seize the device while it was still airborne.

ORLANDO, Fla. — After interviewing for multiple NBA head coaching positions over the past several years, Sean Sweeney says his conversations with the Orlando Magic felt unlike any of the others.

Sweeney was officially welcomed Thursday as Orlando’s new head coach — clear evidence he impressed the organization during the hiring process. But he said the Magic also left a strong impression on him through the way they conducted the interview.

“The Magic were the most thorough and they did the best job of asking questions and asking follow-ups to get to layers underneath the first answer,” Sweeney said. “Some interviews that I’ve had in the past, I did not get that same level of detail. And given how I am and how I want to coach, that stood out.”

The two sides reached an agreement approximately three weeks ago, though Thursday’s formal introduction was delayed because Sweeney had been occupied in his role as associate head coach of the San Antonio Spurs during their run to the NBA Finals. Even as the interview process began during the Spurs’ postseason, Sweeney remained focused on his duties in San Antonio. Once the Finals concluded, he moved quickly to get to Orlando and begin his new role.

“When we finally did get in front of him, it was a long day and he had a lot going on,” Magic President Jeff Weltman said. “It was during the playoffs and not only was he able to kind of compartmentalize his work with the Spurs and present well to us, but he really knocked our socks off. In Sean Sweeney, we have somebody who, in our minds, has the potential to be one of the elite coaches in this league.”

Sweeney said he has no doubt this opportunity is the right one for him.

Unlike some first-time head coaches who inherit struggling rosters, Sweeney steps into a situation with an established young core. Led by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic have reached the playoffs in three straight seasons — but three consecutive first-round exits prompted the organization to make a change. Former coach Jamahl Mosley, who has since moved on to the New Orleans job, was let go following a successful five-year tenure, and Sweeney emerged as the top target to replace him.

“I was fortunate this summer to have some different things to look at,” Sweeney said. “But this is the only one I wanted to look at.”

Sweeney, who turned 42 earlier this month, has spent roughly half his life working as a basketball assistant at various levels. His career began at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and the Academy of Art University before he entered the NBA as a video coordinator with the then-New Jersey Nets. He went on to serve as an assistant with the Nets, Milwaukee, Detroit, Dallas, and San Antonio. He credits a wide range of coaches who shaped his philosophy, including Bob Knight, Tim Grgurich, Rick Majerus, Jason Kidd, Chuck Daly, and his most recent boss with the Spurs, Mitch Johnson.

He also spent the past year with an office right next to Gregg Popovich — the NBA’s all-time leader in coaching victories.

“Coach Pop’s office was right next to mine and I was very fortunate,” Sweeney said. “When you’re next to a guy who’s the greatest coach of all time daily, the fact that he even said hello and knew my name meant something to me. So yeah, Coach Pop, he built that program and guys like me are fortunate to be part of it. I’m very grateful and that’s part of the reason why I’m here now.”

Known for his directness and intensity, Sweeney wasted no time sending a message to the Magic players who attended Thursday’s press conference. It was equal parts motivational and cautionary.

“I’m going to listen to you guys as much as I talk to you,” Sweeney said. “Now, how I talk to you may be different than how I listen.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball owners dropped a major proposal on the table Thursday, calling for an end to high school players signing directly with big league clubs, a higher minimum age for international amateur signings, and a sharp reduction in signing bonus money — all part of ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Under the plan presented during a bargaining session with the players’ association, the amateur draft covering players from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico would shrink from 20 rounds down to 12 rounds, starting in 2027. MLB also proposed launching an equivalent 12-round draft for international prospects — a concept the union has turned down before.

Beginning in 2028, any player entering the amateur draft would need to be at least 20 years old by September 1 of the year they sign and must be at least two years past their high school graduation year. That requirement would also block players who had only completed one year of junior college.

Since the amateur draft launched in 1965, high school players have been allowed to participate alongside college players who are in or have just completed their junior year.

Pushing back the signing age would likely mean players are older by the time they become free agents, a status that currently requires six years of major league service time.

MLB pointed to rising revenue in college baseball as one of its main reasons for the proposal. The league also noted that 75% of high school players signed between 2012 and 2019 never made it to the majors.

In a statement, MLB said: “Expanded scholarships, NIL opportunities, revenue sharing and significant investments in facilities and player development have made college baseball an increasingly important pathway that is producing major league-ready talent at an accelerated rate. By creating a draft system centered around college-aged players and making most college players eligible one year earlier, more players will benefit from both a college education and an elite development environment while reaching professional baseball — and ultimately the major leagues — more quickly.”

MLB also stated it will not seek to reduce the 120 minor league teams operating across the top four levels when it renegotiates professional development licenses in 2030, replacing deals set to expire after a decade.

For international amateur players, the minimum signing age would climb to 18 by September 1 of their signing year, up from the current threshold of 17.

Each of the two separate drafts would have a $200 million signing pool in 2027, with hard caps in place for both.

Teams would be permitted to trade draft picks under the proposal, though a club could not trade its first-round pick in back-to-back drafts. Teams also could not pick up more than three additional selections within the first three rounds.

Signing bonuses paid out to players eligible for the 2025 amateur draft came to roughly $402 million, and signing bonus pools for 2026 went up by 2.5%.

The proposal would give every team the same amount to spend — a significant departure from the current system, which awards larger pools to teams that finished with worse records the previous season. Under the current setup, Pittsburgh holds just over $19 million this year while the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers have slightly under $4 million. Teams currently have the option to exceed their pool limits and frequently do so by as much as 5%.

Teams have spent approximately $193 million in signing bonuses for international amateurs in 2026. The current international signing period runs from January 15 to December 15 each year, but the first international draft under the new proposal would take place no earlier than September 2027 and no later than March 2028.

MLB’s proposal also calls for eliminating competitive balance round picks that were introduced in 2023 and scaling back the draft lottery — also launched in 2023 — from the top six picks to just four.

Formal bargaining between the two sides began on May 13, with initial proposals exchanged two weeks later. Among management’s early proposals was a salary cap — the first time that idea has been floated since 1994, when it triggered a 7.5-month player strike and resulted in the first World Series cancellation in 90 years.

Philadelphia police officers have a powerful new tool at their disposal — body cameras that can translate 50 different languages on the spot, as the city prepares to host international visitors for the upcoming World Cup.

The technology is designed to eliminate the delays that once came with bridging language gaps during police encounters, which previously required bringing in specialized personnel or connecting to a language assistance service.

Philadelphia’s Police Commissioner described the advancement as a “game changer” for the department’s efficiency, especially with powerhouse national teams like Brazil, France, and Croatia scheduled to play group stage matches in the city.

“For an officer to have someone, particularly if they speak no English, we either have a police officer — if we understand the language that they speak — to potentially come to the scene or call into our language line,” the commissioner told Reuters. “That can take a very delayed process. So part of our journey was to now have a tool… A body-worn camera that, using the technology, will be able to translate in the moment. That was significant.”

The commissioner made clear the benefits extend well beyond the World Cup itself. “It’s not just about FIFA (World Cup). We serve a large community who do not speak English as their first language. So this is a tool that, even though we’re launching it now, will live well beyond the (World Cup) and the 250th (anniversary of American independence) celebration,” he said.

Officers will also be encouraged to take a more proactive approach when engaging with foreign language speakers, including fans from countries where English is not widely spoken. “We’re bringing people from all over the world to come into our city,” the commissioner added. “They know they can come up to a police officer, engage them and they’ll be able to fully understand what they’re saying. That’s a home run and we’ll take it every day.”

Despite the enthusiasm, the technology does come with legal limitations. If a police encounter escalates into a criminal matter, the AI-generated translations cannot be used alone as courtroom evidence — certified human translators are still required.

“When it moves into the criminal process, that still will require someone who’s certified to make sure, because that transcript now is going into the courtroom. We cannot just solely rely on the AI technology,” the commissioner explained.

Another challenge is that the cameras pick up all surrounding conversation, not just the intended exchange. “So you have to go through it and make sure that everything that’s being said in the conversation, particularly if it’s part of a criminal matter, has been certified,” he said. “We have to be very intentional about making sure that transcript is accurate, that it didn’t pick up any other conversations in that transcript before we present it as evidence in a trial.”

Texas A&M continued to build what is shaping up to be an historic recruiting class, securing the commitment of five-star linebacker Kaden Henderson on Thursday.

Henderson becomes the third player in the Aggies’ Class of 2027 to be ranked No. 1 at his position, adding another elite name to a class already sitting atop the national rankings.

According to the 247Sports composite, Henderson checks in as the No. 22 overall prospect in the 2027 cycle. The 6-foot-2, 218-pound linebacker plays his high school ball at Tampa Jesuit in Florida, and he made his college decision public live on “The Pat McAfee Show,” choosing Texas A&M over LSU and Notre Dame.

The commitment gives Texas A&M six five-star prospects in the 2027 class. Joining Henderson are offensive tackles Mark Matthews and Kennedy Brown, safeties Kamarui Dorsey and JayQuan Snell, and cornerback Raylaun Henry. Matthews and Dorsey, like Henderson, are also ranked No. 1 at their respective positions.

Overall, the Aggies now hold 23 commitments in the class, with ten of those players ranked inside the top 60 nationally by the 247Sports composite. For comparison, Texas A&M’s 2026 class finished ranked No. 10 in the country.

The class draws talent from across the country. Matthews, like Henderson, hails from Florida. Brown and Snell are from Texas, Dorsey comes out of Georgia, and Henry plays in Baltimore.

Despite missing roughly half of Tampa Jesuit’s games during his junior season due to injuries, Henderson still put up impressive numbers. According to On3, he recorded 49 tackles — including 13 for loss — along with nine sacks and two forced fumbles.

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski isn’t satisfied with simply being the fastest-throwing starting pitcher in the sport. He has his sights set on being the very best — and there’s a strong argument he’s already reached that level.

At just 24 years old, Misiorowski is reaching pitch velocities that have never been recorded for a starting pitcher since Major League Baseball began tracking such data in 2008. Over the past month, his dominance on the mound has been unmatched by any pitcher in more than 100 years.

Heading into his Friday start against the Atlanta Braves, Misiorowski had surrendered just a single run across his previous eight outings. He says there wasn’t one defining moment that flipped the switch for him.

“It’s more that it finally clicked,” said Misiorowski, who carries an 8-2 record with a 1.34 ERA and 131 strikeouts — both MLB-leading figures. “Everything started settling in and feeling good.”

The fact that he used the word “finally” to describe a breakout in his very first full big-league season speaks volumes about how high he sets the bar for himself.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy has compared Misiorowski to Forrest Gump, a nod that prompted the pitcher to post a photo on social media with his own face placed over the famous Tom Hanks movie character.

“It’s for sure meant to be a compliment for a guy who didn’t put in limits on himself and his naiveté,” Murphy said. “It was a factor in a positive way, where he went out and achieved whatever he set his mind to, and didn’t let the outside forces, weren’t even aware of the outside forces, and didn’t let anything hold him back.”

Misiorowski earned an All-Star selection last season after only five starts. He hit some rough patches late in the year before posting a 1.50 ERA during Milwaukee’s run to the NL Championship Series. Now he’s widely considered a frontrunner for the Cy Young Award.

The numbers that grab attention most immediately come from the radar gun. During a 6-0 Brewers win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, Misiorowski hit 104.5 mph — the highest velocity ever recorded for a starting pitcher in the pitch-tracking era — and crossed the 100 mph threshold on a record 58 pitches in that single game.

He has now thrown 460 pitches at or above 100 mph this season, already eclipsing the previous record for a starter set by Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene, who threw 337 such pitches back in 2022.

But the truly staggering numbers go beyond raw speed.

According to MLB.com, Misiorowski’s 0.17 ERA since May 1 is the lowest ever recorded over any eight-start span since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913. Against Philadelphia, he became just the third pitcher since 1900 to throw a complete-game shutout with 15 strikeouts while allowing no more than one baserunner total.

Opposing hitters are batting just .140 against him this season. According to SportRadar, no starting pitcher has held opponents to a batting average of .166 or lower over a full non-pandemic season since at least 1910. Boston’s Pedro Martinez held opponents to a .167 average in 2000, and Cleveland’s Luis Tiant held them to .168 back in 1968.

Those who know Misiorowski’s background say his development into a polished, complete pitcher shouldn’t come as a shock. The pitchers he looked up to growing up offer a revealing glimpse into his pitching philosophy.

His list of childhood idols includes Adam Wainwright, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, and Chris Sale. While Sale and Kershaw relied heavily on velocity, Wainwright and Greinke built their success on craft and consistency rather than overpowering stuff.

“Every game, you felt like they could trust them to get a win,” Misiorowski said. “That was the big thing. You looked at those guys and they were going out there and going to perform for seven or eight innings to secure the team a win.”

Off the mound, Misiorowski is equally passionate about baseball history. He maintains a baseball card collection numbering in the thousands — though he admits his Pokemon card collection may actually be even larger.

“Since I was a kid, my dad got me into it,” he said of collecting baseball cards. “It’s huge right now. I think I need to downsize it a little bit, but it’s fun.”

That same enthusiasm carries over to his preparation. During the offseason, he focused heavily on building leg strength to handle the physical demands of a full major league season, and the payoff has shown up in his stamina and command.

“He could rest on his laurels. ‘Hey, I was an All-Star in my first year. I pitched in the playoffs. I pitched well. I can do it. I’m fine. I’ll be all right,’” Murphy said. “Or you can say, ‘I’m going home. I’m going to get stronger. I’m going to do whatever I can do to come back and dominate.’ That’s what he’s done.”

Misiorowski’s excellence has helped the Brewers weather a wave of pitching injuries and build a solid lead in the NL Central. With Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison — who is 8-1 with a 2.47 ERA — anchoring the rotation, Milwaukee ranks fourth in the majors in ERA.

Over his last eight starts, Misiorowski has struck out 80 batters while issuing just nine walks and giving up 14 hits across 54 1/3 innings. The lone extra-base hit allowed over his last nine starts was a double by Houston’s Isaac Paredes on May 31.

The improved command is particularly notable given that control was a persistent issue during his rookie campaign. He walked 31 batters in 66 innings last season, but this year he regularly gets ahead in the count and stays there.

“He’s winning the 0-0 and the 1-1 (counts) a lot,” pitching coach Chris Hook said. “When he doesn’t, it stands out to be like, ‘Oh, God, he didn’t win the 0-0. He didn’t win the 1-1.’ Like that’s weird, for him to go to a two-ball count.”

Once a hitter falls behind, their chances of success drop dramatically.

New York Yankees slugger and three-time MVP Aaron Judge faced Misiorowski for the first time last month and observed that “he’s almost basically releasing it in the catcher’s glove” because of the extension Misiorowski generates with his 6-foot-7 frame.

MLB Network analyst and two-time All-Star pitcher Ryan Dempster compared Misiorowski to Hall of Fame lefty Randy Johnson — who stood 6-foot-10 — saying both pitchers appear to be releasing the ball right in front of the plate from a hitter’s perspective.

“You can tell yourself to swing, but your brain doesn’t quite compute until it’s out of the hand,” Dempster said. “By the time it’s out of his hand, it’s already on you. I haven’t seen a fastball like this since Kerry Wood.”

Wood’s career was ultimately cut short by arm injuries, raising familiar concerns about whether hard throwers are more vulnerable to serious arm damage. Dempster pointed out that Misiorowski benefits from pitching in an era of lower pitch counts, and also noted that he generates elite velocity without appearing to overthrow.

“He sure is repeating his delivery, and when you repeat your delivery, you tend to stay healthy,” Dempster said. “Guys who don’t repeat deliveries and get out of whack and something’s a little off, they struggle with that. I really think he will stay healthy, just me personally.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL announced Thursday that it has wrapped up its investigation into Mike Babcock’s stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets and determined he is eligible to be hired by the Edmonton Oilers.

The league opened the review at the request of the NHL Players’ Association after Edmonton expressed interest in bringing Babcock back to the bench. In an official statement, the NHL said that even when viewing the circumstances in the least favorable way possible, there was no justification for preventing him from being employed.

Whether Edmonton will formally announce Babcock as their new head coach — and when that might happen — remains to be seen. The team has been searching for a new coach after parting ways with Kris Knoblauch following a first-round playoff elimination, which came on the heels of two consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

Babcock, 63, has been away from NHL coaching since 2019, when Toronto let him go 23 games into his fifth season leading the team. He returned to the league when the Blue Jackets brought him on board on July 1, 2023, but he stepped down that September after controversy erupted over his practice of asking players to share personal photos with him as a way to get acquainted — a move widely criticized as an invasion of their privacy.

The NHLPA issued a statement describing the original allegations as “very concerning” and added, “Moving forward, we expect that Mr. Babcock will uphold the high standards required of NHL head coaches.”

The NHL had initially shelved its investigation when Babcock resigned from Columbus. The inquiry was revived this week after the Stanley Cup Final concluded.

Babcock’s coaching resume includes leading Detroit to a Stanley Cup championship in 2008 and two additional trips to the final. He also guided Canada to Olympic gold medals in both 2010 and 2014.

The Boston Bruins are set to permanently honor their former captain, Patrice Bergeron, by raising his No. 37 to the rafters next season.

The franchise announced Thursday that the specific date and time for the number retirement ceremony will be revealed at a future point.

Bergeron, now 40 years old, spent his whole career — 19 seasons — in a Bruins uniform, suiting up from 2003-04 and then 2005 through 2023. During that time, he captured the Stanley Cup in 2011 and earned the Selke Trophy six times, an award given annually to the NHL’s top defensive forward.

Bruins owner and governor Jeremy M. Jacobs spoke to the significance of the occasion. “Patrice was the kind of rare, generational talent that every team wanted,” Jacobs said. “He was a deftly skilled playmaker and the undeniable greatest defensive forward in the NHL’s history. But it was the leadership he provided on the ice and in the locker room that made him truly stand apart and an all-time legend of the Boston Bruins.”

Beyond his Selke honors, the Quebec native also took home the 2012-13 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which recognizes leadership and humanitarian contributions, as well as the 2020-21 Mark Messier Leadership Award.

In terms of franchise records, Bergeron sits third in Bruins history in games played (1,294), total points (1,040), and goals (427), while ranking fourth in assists (613). Boston selected him in the second round of the 2003 NHL Draft.

Bergeron expressed deep gratitude upon learning of the honor. “To have my number retired by the Boston Bruins is an honor that is difficult to put into words,” he said. “When I arrived in Boston as an 18-year-old, I could never have imagined receiving this recognition one day. I have always believed that any success I had was only possible because of the people around me. I was fortunate to play alongside incredible teammates, learn from outstanding coaches and staff and be supported by an organization that believed in me from the very beginning.”

He continued: “I am especially grateful to my family for the sacrifices they made that allowed me to pursue my dream. This honor belongs to all of them as much as it belongs to me. To Bruins fans across New England, thank you for welcoming a young French Canadian and making this place feel like home. Every time I stepped onto the ice, I felt the privilege and responsibility that comes with wearing the Spoked-B, and I always tried to represent this organization and community the right way. I am deeply humbled and grateful to be connected to the history of the Boston Bruins. To know that No. 37 will forever be part of that history is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

No. 37 will become the 14th number officially retired by the Bruins organization.

Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs also weighed in on the announcement. “Throughout his 20 years with the Boston Bruins, Patrice Bergeron was the ultimate professional, demonstrating a unique blend of leadership, integrity, humility and class,” Jacobs said. “Patrice consistently set the standard on and off the ice, becoming one of the best players in the game while demonstrating for the next generation what it meant to be a Bruin. As one of the greatest to ever wear the Black and Gold, it is only fitting that his No. 37 makes its way to the Garden rafters.”

When players take the field at this year’s World Cup — being held across the United States, Canada and Mexico — their jerseys carry more than just team colors. Behind many of the designs are rich stories rooted in culture, history, and in some cases, controversy.

Cape Verde, the smallest nation by population at the tournament, is making its World Cup debut with jerseys that honor its roughly 525,000 residents living across 10 volcanic islands off the African coast. A geometric, triangular print on both the blue home and white away kits represents the web of flight routes linking those islands together. The message: the nation stands united behind its players. That unity was on display as Cape Verde held heavily favored Spain to a 0-0 draw in their opening match.

Belgium’s multicolor away shirt carries a message on its collar that reads, “This is not a jersey.” The Belgians haven’t lost it — it’s actually a tribute to the country’s surrealist artistic tradition, particularly the work of Belgian artist René Magritte. Throughout his career, Magritte explored the puzzling relationship between perception and reality, famously writing beneath his iconic pipe painting, “Ceci n’est pas une pipe (This is not a pipe).” The light-blue jersey incorporates pink patterns, black detailing, and soccer-inspired imagery like pitch lines and a ball. As the Belgian federation put it, “True to the surrealism theme, the kit sparks the imagination and invites conversation.”

Haiti, another first-time World Cup participant, ran into trouble with soccer’s governing body FIFA over its original jersey design. The kit had featured an image depicting the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803. Colombian sportswear company Saeta described it as a “tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future.” FIFA rejected the design during its approval process, calling it too political. Haiti was forced to submit a revised blue kit without the battle imagery.

The defending World Cup champion is blending sporting tradition with artistic flair in its uniforms. The home kit — worn by Lionel Messi during his hat trick against Algeria on Tuesday — features three shades of blue in its stripes, a nod to the nation’s championship uniforms from 1978, 1986, and 2022. The dark blue away jersey draws inspiration from a traditional Buenos Aires painting style known as filete porteño, a decorative art form combining vivid swirling colors with distinctive lettering.

France brought an away jersey that pays tribute to one of the most famous gifts the country ever gave to the United States: the Statue of Liberty. The kit has a greenish tone resembling the oxidized appearance of the iconic statue, which was designed by Frenchman Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and presented to the United States in 1886 as a symbol of friendship between the two nations. A copper-colored logo — reflecting the statue’s original hue — appears on the jersey alongside the phrase “Nos différences nous unissent,” meaning “Our differences unite us.”

Iran’s home and away jerseys feature a striking image: an Asiatic cheetah stretching low across the front, with cheetah spots running up the sleeves to the shoulders. The Asiatic cheetah, a close relative of the African variety and equally fast, is critically endangered. Iran has long worked to protect the species. Once numbering as many as 400 in the 1990s, fewer than an estimated 70 are believed to remain in the country today.

Norway’s jerseys may be the most visually sharp at the tournament — in a literal sense. The font used for player names and numbers is inspired by runic writing, the angular characters found in several Germanic alphabets used across northern Europe before the Latin alphabet took over. The pointy, geometric lettering reflects the Norwegian team’s connection to its ancient heritage. Viking-style patterns in an Urnes design flank the large blue cross on the chest.

Colombia’s characteristically bright yellow jersey features a pattern of butterfly imagery on close inspection. The design pays homage to the country’s Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his celebrated work “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Marquez became literature’s most famous practitioner of magical realism — a genre blending everyday life with fantastical elements — including the image of a man followed by a cloud of yellow butterflies.

Mexico’s home jersey revives the Aztec calendar design that was a fan favorite in the 1990s. In the lead-up to the tournament, the team visited the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City and posed for photos in their uniforms in front of the Aztec “Piedra de Sol,” or Stone of the Sun — the artifact widely known as the Aztec calendar.

Saudi Arabia’s dark green home jersey is dotted with symmetrical lavender squares and diamond shapes, honoring the geometric, triangular decorative patterns commonly found on doorways of homes throughout the kingdom. Wild lavender flowers bloom across Saudi Arabia’s desert landscape each spring, making purple a cherished color in the nation and a recognized symbol of generosity.

Brazil’s navy blue-and-black away jersey, made by Nike, features a yellow “Jumpman” logo associated with Michael Jordan-branded sportswear. But the deeper cultural reference lies in the kit’s color scheme, which was inspired by the skin of the poison dart frog native to the Amazon rainforest — a nod to the threat posed by Brazil, the record five-time world champion.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea is making his contract wishes known by conducting a so-called “hold-in” during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ mandatory minicamp this week.

The 31-year-old is heading into the last year of a four-year deal worth $71 million. He is scheduled to make $17 million in 2026, but none of that money is currently guaranteed.

Head coach Todd Bowles confirmed that Vea has been showing up to practices and watching from the sideline — a strategy that keeps him from facing fines for non-participation.

“It’s not concerning,” Bowles said Wednesday. “We’ve been through it before. It’s part of the business.”

Bowles also made clear that Vea is healthy and not dealing with any injury.

“We’re just bringing him in that late,” Bowles said. “He’s full-speed. He needs to go through training camp, but we don’t need to see him right now.”

Vea sat out the optional offseason workouts this spring and has been working out on his own alongside former Buccaneers teammate Ndamukong Suh in Portland, Oregon, according to ESPN.

Last season, Vea started all 17 games and recorded 34 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, and one fumble recovery.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl LV champion has put together an impressive career resume with 256 tackles, 35 sacks, 79 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries across 112 games and 107 starts since Tampa Bay selected him in the first round — 12th overall — in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha’s mother will get to cheer her son on at the World Cup after all, following an emotional story that captured attention around the globe.

Ana Candida Evora has been approved to travel to the United States, allowing her to witness her son compete at soccer’s biggest stage. The news comes after Vozinha broke down while revealing that his mother missed his remarkable performance in Cape Verde’s opening match — a 0-0 draw against European champions Spain in Atlanta — because of visa complications.

The 40-year-old goalkeeper was named player of the match after stopping seven shots to help his team earn a stunning result against one of the tournament’s top contenders.

His tearful disclosure quickly spread across social media, prompting the U.S. State Department to get involved. Officials said their visa team in Praia reached out directly to Evora and provided the necessary assistance to get her approved for travel.

“Consistent with all policies, procedures, and standards, full steam ahead for travel for the game,” a State Department official told reporters.

Evora is now expected to be in the stands when Cape Verde takes on Uruguay in their second group stage match in Miami on Sunday.

The situation had been complicated by a requirement that citizens of Cape Verde and several other nations post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the U.S. — a policy tied to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts. That bond requirement was eventually lifted for World Cup ticket holders, but the financial uncertainty had already led Evora to abandon plans to travel to Atlanta for the Spain match.

Portugal’s 2026 World Cup campaign began on a sour note Wednesday in Houston, where they were held to a 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of Congo — a result that raised serious questions about the team’s ability to compete for the championship.

The disappointing outcome is nothing new for Portugal at the World Cup. Since finishing fourth in Germany in 2006, the team has won just six of their 17 matches at the tournament, with victories coming against North Korea, Ghana (twice), Morocco, Uruguay, and Switzerland. Despite fielding rosters loaded with talented players, Portugal has failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals in that stretch, falling to Morocco at that stage in 2022, and suffering a shocking group-stage elimination in Brazil 12 years prior.

Portugal’s World Cup history before 2002 was limited to just two appearances — a third-place finish in 1966 led by Eusebio, and a group-stage exit in 1986. But after years of strong development, the team entered this year’s tournament with genuine hopes of claiming their first-ever World Cup title.

Coach Roberto Martinez had acknowledged before Wednesday’s match that a draw would be seen as a “disaster,” and while Portugal jumped out to a lead in the sixth minute, they faded from there and were largely second-best for the remainder of the game.

“I think it’s more the mentality of getting rid of the weight on the shoulders of the players of wanting to win the World Cup,” Martinez told reporters after the match. “Now we need to be calm, we need to assess, we need to highlight the good things that we did, and we did many good things. We need to improve the bad things and that’s what happens in a World Cup.”

Congo actually had more shots on goal throughout the contest, with Joao Neves’ headed goal standing as Portugal’s only shot on target during the entire match.

Martinez credited Congo for their performance, saying, “They were intense, confident. They played like a big final in a big tournament, and that shows incredible personality. We knew that Congo could do that. It wasn’t a surprise.”

What may be harder to explain is why Portugal failed to match that same level of intensity and determination — qualities they will certainly need when facing tougher competition down the road.

Portugal’s next match is Tuesday in Houston against Uzbekistan, a game that is quickly shaping up as a must-win for the team’s momentum and confidence. They are also scheduled to face Colombia on June 27.

MONTERREY/GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Long before the World Cup brought South Korean fans to Mexico’s streets, a cultural connection between the two nations had already taken deep root. President Claudia Sheinbaum has shared a balcony with K-pop supergroup BTS, and visiting South Korean fans have been welcomed with the chant: “Korean, my brother, you’re now Mexican.” But that warm embrace faces its biggest test yet as the two countries square off in a group stage World Cup match in Guadalajara on Thursday.

“Koreans and Mexicans are like brothers and sisters,” said Annie, a South Korean visiting Guadalajara from California for the game.

The relationship between the two nations is one of the more unusual cultural bonds in the world. Despite being separated by 12,000 kilometers, a 15-hour time difference, and entirely different languages, South Korean culture has found a firm footing in Mexico.

“K-pop is the gateway, but the end result is that many young people end up becoming interested in the language, education, and culture,” said Erika Garza, director of Asian Studies at the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon.

The city of Monterrey, a major Mexican industrial hub, shows this influence most clearly. The arrival of Kia and other large South Korean companies over the past decade has brought thousands of South Korean residents to the area.

Nineteen-year-old student Yoona Jwa was part of that wave. Her family relocated from South Korea to Monterrey when she was 8 years old so her father could take a job there. She initially struggled to fit in, with soccer serving as one of the few early bridges between her and her new community. These days, though, the dynamic has flipped — her Mexican friends are the ones picking up pieces of her culture.

“Once I was driving with my friends and they were singing a song I didn’t recognize, and then I realized, they were singing in Korean!” she said.

Throughout downtown Monterrey, the signs of South Korean cultural influence are hard to miss. Store owners sell life-size cutouts of the South Korean boy band Stray Kids and pillows bearing the faces of BTS members.

Outside one K-pop shop, 18-year-old Mexican Christopher Elizondo admitted he has grown so fond of South Korean music — its rhythms and choreography especially — that he isn’t even certain which team he’ll be cheering for during Thursday’s match. He plans to watch from home, where the rest of his family will be firmly backing Mexico.

“It’s going to be a bit uncomfortable,” he said.

The two countries’ World Cup stories have crossed paths before. Back in 2018, Mexico and South Korea were also placed in the same group. Mexico appeared headed for elimination after a 3-0 loss to Sweden, but South Korea’s shocking last-minute victory over Germany rescued Mexico and sent them into the knockout round. Celebrating fans flooded the area outside South Korea’s embassy in Mexico City, where the consul came out wearing a Mexico soccer jersey to greet the crowd. A brewery based in Monterrey even sent a truckload of beer to the local Kia plant in celebration.

Heading into Thursday’s match, Mexico and South Korea sit first and second in their group, each with three points. Mexico is hoping the home crowd will give them an edge — even if a number of K-pop fans are seated in the stands.

Yoona Jwa says the World Cup has actually brought her even more warmth from Mexican strangers. At a Fanfest event in Monterrey on Sunday, she was lifted into the air by celebrating fans. Earlier this week, a woman at a market gave her family free tostadas and wished them luck ahead of Thursday’s game.

Still, the competitive spirit is building.

On Wednesday, at a Korean restaurant outside Monterrey, South Korean native Kevin Kim — who lives in Texas — sat down for lunch with his Mexican business partner, Humberto Osuna. The two have worked together for years in the technology and electronics sector.

“We are good friends,” Osuna said.

But he noted that could change the moment the referee blows the opening whistle.

“Then we will be enemies.”

For months, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa has been considered the likely top pick in the NBA Draft, and his performance this season did nothing to change that perception. The first-team Associated Press All-American headlines a talented group of forwards that also includes Duke freshman Cameron Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson. Those three, paired with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, make up the draft’s upper echelon heading into Tuesday night’s first round.

Here’s a closer look at the top forward prospects:

AJ Dybantsa, BYU

STRENGTHS: Dybantsa led the nation in scoring with 25.5 points per game, showcasing an elite ability to create his own shot and draw fouls. He also put up 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 51% from the field — all from a 6-foot-9, 217-pound frame built for the next level.

He set a BYU freshman scoring record with 43 points against Utah and shattered Kevin Durant’s freshman Big 12 Tournament record by dropping 40 on Kansas State. He topped the country in free throws made (229) and attempted (296), reaching the line at least 10 times in 15 separate games. Analytics firm Synergy graded him “Excellent” as a pick-and-roll ball handler (87th percentile, 27% of possessions) and in post-up situations (94th percentile, 10.9%). Against top-10 opponents, he averaged 26.9 points across seven games, including 35 in a loss to Final Four-bound Arizona and a near triple-double — 29 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists — in an upset win over sixth-ranked Iowa State.

CONCERNS: His three-point shooting needs work. He connected on just 33.1% from beyond the arc and struggled down the stretch, going 18-for-66 (27.3%) over the final month’s 12 games. Cutting down on turnovers — he averaged 3.1 per game — will also be a priority at the next level.

Cameron Boozer, Duke

STRENGTHS: The 6-foot-8, 253-pound son of former Duke and NBA player Carlos Boozer was a consistent force in the paint and became just the fifth freshman ever named AP men’s national player of the year. He averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, regularly finishing through contact with 55.6% shooting from the field and 78.9% from the free throw line. Synergy rated him “Excellent” against man defense (94th percentile), on post-ups (86th), and on spot-up shots (95th). He also shot 39.1% from three. His passing ability — 4.1 assists per game — out of double teams proved valuable, including a key assist on Isaiah Evans’ late three-pointer that beat Florida.

CONCERNS: Boozer relies more on strength and positioning than explosiveness, and doesn’t play above the rim. His difficult outing in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title game against Virginia’s elite rim protector Ugonna Onyenso — just 13 points on 3-for-17 shooting with four blocks — raised questions about how he’ll fare against bigger, longer defenders in the pros. His athleticism could also be tested when forced to guard quicker players on defensive switches.

Caleb Wilson, North Carolina

STRENGTHS: Wilson brings explosive athleticism, a relentless motor, a 7-foot wingspan, and a flair for the big moment. The 6-foot-9, 211-pound freshman averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds while excelling at the rim and in transition, earning second-team AP All-American honors. Against Kansas, he delivered 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals, showing off a soft touch on fading turnaround shots. He also shined against rival Duke and fellow top prospect Cameron Boozer, scoring 17 of his 23 points before halftime to keep the Tar Heels in it before Seth Trimble’s buzzer-beating three sealed the win. Wilson was pacing the nation in dunks with 66 before suffering a broken left hand in mid-February. He then broke his right thumb in practice just as he was nearing a return in March.

CONCERNS: He’ll need to add muscle to handle the physical demands of the NBA and extend his shooting range — he connected on just 25.9% from three. Defensive consistency is another area to watch, even with averages of 1.4 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.

Other Notable Forwards

— YAXEL LENDEBORG: A first-team AP All-American who helped Michigan claim its first NCAA title since 1989. The 6-foot-9, 241-pound forward has a wingspan exceeding 7-foot-3 and shot 37.2% from three at a career-high volume after posting 34.9% over two seasons at UAB. He gutted through ankle and knee injuries during the Final Four and championship game. At 23, he’s older than most prospects but could contribute immediately as a potential lottery pick.

— MOREZ JOHNSON JR.: Another contributor from Michigan’s title run, the 6-foot-9, 251-pound sophomore averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks and could be selected in the late lottery. His wingspan — measured better than 7-foot-3, ninth among 75 players at the combine — and versatility allow him to play forward or small-ball center. He has excelled as a cutter, in post-ups, and finishing at the rim.

— KARIM LOPEZ: The 6-foot-8, 222-pound native of Mexico has spent two seasons in Australia’s National Basketball League’s “Next Stars” developmental program, the same pipeline that produced lottery picks LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, and Alex Sarr. He averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and brings versatility, athleticism, and a nearly 7-foot wingspan.

— ALLEN GRAVES: The 6-foot-8, 226-pound Graves earned West Coast Conference freshman of the year honors for Santa Clara’s NCAA Tournament team. He averaged 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in just 22.6 minutes per game while shooting 41.3% from three and showing defensive upside with 0.9 blocks and 1.9 steals per game.

— KOA PEAT: The 6-foot-7, 245-pound Arizona freshman did most of his damage in transition, on post-ups, and as a roll man in pick-and-rolls. He tied for fifth at the combine in standing vertical leap at 34.5 inches, but showed little range — making just seven three-pointers — and Synergy rated his jumper “Below Average” at the 27th percentile.

— JOSHUA JEFFERSON: The second-team AP All-American from Iowa State brings a sturdy 6-foot-8, 246-pound frame. The senior averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, demonstrating the ability to both initiate offense and create open looks for teammates.

— ALEX KARABAN: The 6-foot-7, 225-pound redshirt senior from UConn could sneak into the late first round on the strength of his shooting (37.4% from three for his career) and length (6-foot-11 wingspan). A proven winner, Karaban was a full-time starter for UConn teams that won two NCAA championships and played for a third.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — The opening round of the U.S. Open got off to an unexpected start Thursday at Shinnecock Hills, when dense fog forced officials to halt play just 30 minutes after competition began.

Only 14 golfers managed to finish any holes before the horn sounded, signaling a stoppage due to low visibility. Not a single birdie was recorded among those early scores. Players were held on the course for 15 minutes while officials waited to see if conditions would improve — but when they didn’t, everyone was called back inside.

The fog was apparent from the very beginning. James Nicholas, who was scheduled to hit the tournament’s first tee shot, walked over to the starter with a concern before play even kicked off.

“I just wanted to make sure,” Nicholas said. “I can’t see the fairway.”

While the fairways at Shinnecock Hills are notably wide — averaging 48 yards across this year — the problem came when the par-3 11th green and several landing areas became nearly impossible to see. At that point, officials had little choice but to stop play.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who is chasing a career Grand Slam with a U.S. Open victory, and Rory McIlroy were both on the practice range warming up ahead of their scheduled morning tee times when the delay was announced.

The last time fog pushed back the U.S. Open’s first round was in 2021, when play at Torrey Pines in San Diego — a course well known for its “June Gloom” weather pattern — was delayed for 90 minutes.

The USGA had prepared the course with strong wind in mind, with gusts potentially nearing 40 mph expected. Ironically, Thursday morning’s winds weren’t powerful enough to clear out the fog that caused all the trouble.

WASHINGTON — A piece of legislation that top lawmakers and college athletics leaders have called the best opportunity to bring stability to college sports is heading into a pivotal moment Thursday, as the senators behind it unveil an updated version shaped by weeks of feedback from schools, athletic conferences, and athletes.

The bipartisan Protect College Sports Act would establish rules around payments to college athletes, cap players at one transfer without penalty over the course of their careers, and put restrictions in place to prevent coaches from leaving their teams mid-season. The Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to debate the revised bill Thursday and may vote on whether to move it forward to the full Senate.

The bill is the result of months of back-and-forth negotiations between Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington — the two leading members of the Senate Commerce Committee. It comes at a time when lawmakers in both the House and Senate are wrestling with whether Congress needs to step in and regulate college athletics.

A number of athletic conferences have thrown their support behind the Senate bill, as have the NFL, its players’ union, and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. However, two of the most influential conferences in college sports — the Southeastern Conference, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Big Ten Conference, based in Rosemont, Illinois — have yet to endorse it.

The Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s backing comes alongside expectations that the revised bill will include stronger protections for women’s sports and Olympic sports. Sarah Hirshland, the committee’s CEO, wrote to Sens. Cruz and Cantwell this week expressing her enthusiasm for Thursday’s committee action and urging lawmakers to move the bill forward without delay.

Support for the legislation doesn’t break cleanly along party lines, a reflection of how widely SEC and Big Ten schools are spread across the country and the broader divisions that exist within Congress. While President Donald Trump has expressed support for the bill, some of his fellow Republicans have pushed back against it.

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican and former Auburn football coach, has come out against the measure. “If we get involved in it, if you look at everything else we do, it doesn’t work,” he said. Tuberville has put forward his own separate bill on the subject.

Senate Democrats have largely stayed quiet on the issue. As of the eve of Thursday’s committee hearing, several Democratic members of the Senate Commerce Committee had not yet committed to supporting the bill, and further changes remain possible as amendments are expected to be considered during the session.

“I have not made up my mind,” said Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan said he is also “still up in the air” on the legislation. Michigan is home to two major Big Ten schools — the University of Michigan and Michigan State University — and Peters noted he has been in communication with the conference. “We still are trying to get some changes that the Big Ten would like to see,” Peters told the Associated Press.

TORONTO — Dressed head to toe in Canadian soccer gear, complete with a red cowboy hat and a maple leaf painted on her face, Catherine Paternal looked every bit the proud Canadian fan. But when it comes to sharing the world’s biggest soccer stage with the United States, her enthusiasm fades fast.

The political relationship between Canada and the U.S. has grown increasingly tense in recent weeks, with U.S. President Donald Trump renewing threats to absorb Canada as the 51st American state and suggesting he may walk away from the trilateral trade deal that binds the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — the three nations jointly hosting this year’s World Cup.

“The World Cup is about bringing countries together. I don’t feel like the U.S. is a good example of bringing people together right now,” said Paternal, a 44-year-old from Mississauga, a city just outside Toronto.

The tensions go beyond rhetoric. The U.S. president has levied tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, and automobiles, accused Ottawa of exploiting the United States, and has repeatedly referred to Prime Minister Mark Carney using the term “governor.” In response, Canadians have spent more than a year boycotting American products and avoiding travel to the U.S.

Nearly every Canadian who spoke with Reuters said they had no intention of setting those grievances aside for the sake of the tournament.

“Absolutely not,” said Linda Anson, 68, bluntly, when asked whether she would travel to the United States to watch any World Cup matches. She pointed directly to Trump’s comments about Canada as her reason, adding that she would have preferred the tournament to be held solely in Canada and Mexico. “We are a sovereign nation,” her husband Bruce added.

Another fan, Liam Delaney, rushed straight from work to Toronto Stadium to catch Canada’s opening World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday. He had sharp words about the U.S. president. “I think he is ruining the world of football for North Americans. He is making us look really bad,” Delaney said.

Polling data underscores the widespread discontent. A survey from Abacus Data conducted this month found that 80% of Canadians believe the United States is headed in the wrong direction. A separate poll from Nanos showed that 53% of Canadians felt that boycotting U.S. goods and steering clear of American travel had helped strengthen Canada’s standing in its dispute with the U.S.

Still, not everyone wants to mix politics with soccer. Mauricio Gonzalez, a Mexican Canadian, urged fans to take a breather from the conflict. “Just put that aside … just enjoy soccer for a month, and we can resume everything else after,” he said.

On the official side, Canadian authorities say the co-hosting arrangement has gone smoothly. Bahoz Dara Aziz, spokeswoman for Canada’s secretary of state for sports, said Canada has worked closely with the U.S. and Mexico throughout the process and that cooperation among the three host nations has been positive. White House spokesman Davis Ingle noted that the World Cup required extensive coordination between U.S. partners and FIFA, though he did not address the co-hosting nations directly.

The tournament is being played across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The three countries were selected as joint hosts back in 2018, during Trump’s first term in office. Canada’s next match is against Qatar in Vancouver on Thursday.

For some fans, the current climate is a stark contrast to the optimism that surrounded the original World Cup bid. “When we started with this World Cup thing, the U.S. and Canada were still friends,” said Catherine Thomas, a resident of Oshawa. “I don’t feel that way towards the U.S. now.”

Even former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau drew scrutiny from Canadian fans after he skipped Canada’s opening home match in favor of attending the U.S. opener in Los Angeles, where he was photographed in the stands alongside pop star Katy Perry — his girlfriend — who had performed at the U.S. opening ceremony. Trudeau addressed the criticism on social media, writing: “Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call. But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup.”

NEW YORK — New York City is gearing up for what could be a record-breaking celebration on Thursday, as a ticker-tape parade winds through Lower Manhattan honoring the NBA champion New York Knicks — a franchise that had not won a title in over half a century.

The Knicks put together a remarkable postseason run, winning 15 of their final 16 playoff games before defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last Saturday. The victory ended a 53-year championship drought for the team, sending fans pouring into the streets across all five boroughs of the city in spontaneous celebration.

The parade is set to kick off at 10 a.m. near the southern tip of Manhattan, making its way to City Hall. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who predicted the event could draw the largest crowd in the city’s parade history, said he will present the team with symbolic keys to the city at the conclusion of the route.

Security will be heavy. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, estimating attendance could reach into the millions, has deployed 10,000 officers to Lower Manhattan. The organized event stands in contrast to the unruly celebrations that erupted Saturday night, when a 17-year-old was shot in the foot and a World Cup shuttle bus was set ablaze.

Knicks owner James Dolan announced that singer-songwriter Alicia Keys will perform for the crowds. After Saturday’s clinching win, viral videos captured fans flooding the streets and singing her 2009 hit “Empire State of Mind,” which she recorded with fellow New Yorker Jay-Z and has become an unofficial anthem for the city.

“For more than 50 years, New Yorkers have waited for this moment. Through near misses, heartbreak and a hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks,” Mayor Mamdani said in a statement released Saturday.

New York’s ticker-tape parade tradition stretches back 140 years, beginning spontaneously in 1886 when office workers in the Financial District tossed stock ticker tape from their windows to mark the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty. Today, confetti has replaced the old paper tape.

The Downtown Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving Lower Manhattan, has distributed 2,500 pounds — roughly 1,134 kilograms — of shredded paper to 22 buildings along the parade route. Building tenants will shower the passing players and coaches with confetti from above.

Andrew Breslau, senior vice president for communications at the Downtown Alliance, offered some practical advice: “We advise not to throw it in big clumps and meter it out for the whole parade.”

Mayor Mamdani has also directed that city-owned buildings be lit up in the Knicks’ signature orange-and-blue colors on parade day. The subway station at Madison Square Garden has already been repainted in those colors, and even the city’s fiscal watchdog incorporated the team’s colors into charts in its most recent financial report.

Meanwhile, hundreds of New Yorkers have signed petitions asking officials to postpone citywide science exams scheduled for Thursday, so students can attend the parade. “A Knicks championship is history in the making,” one petition stated. “Our children, who are the heartbeat of this city’s future and its biggest fans, deserve to be part of that history.”

Ryan O’Hearn put together the best run-producing game of his career Wednesday, belting a home run and collecting six RBIs to carry the Pittsburgh Pirates to a convincing 12-4 win over the Athletics in West Sacramento, California.

O’Hearn got things started with a two-run double in the first inning, then added a two-run home run in the fourth, and capped his big day with a two-run single in the seventh.

Marcell Ozuna also went deep and finished with two hits, while Bryan Reynolds chipped in two RBIs. Spencer Horwitz crossed the plate three times, and Nick Gonzales, Jared Triolo (two runs), and Brandon Lowe (two RBIs) each had two-hit outings. Pittsburgh took two of three in the series.

Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft improved to 6-3 after allowing just two runs — only one earned — on four hits across six innings. Athletics starter Aaron Civale dropped to 5-3 after surrendering six runs and nine hits in just over three innings of work. In the ninth, Zack Gelof hit a home run for Oakland, extending his hitting streak to 21 games — the longest active streak in the majors and a new career best.

Dodgers 5, Rays 4

Freddie Freeman delivered a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning, and Shohei Ohtani gutted through a bloody blister to earn the win as Los Angeles completed a home series sweep of Tampa Bay.

Alex Call, Alex Freeland, and Kyle Tucker each drove in runs for the Dodgers. Ohtani improved to 7-2 after giving up four runs on seven hits over six innings. Alex Vesia escaped a bases-loaded situation in the ninth to earn his third save.

Yandy Diaz had two hits and an RBI for Tampa Bay, which finished a six-game road trip to the Los Angeles area with a disappointing 1-5 record. Kevin Kelly fell to 4-3 after allowing two runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Marlins 12, Phillies 4

Kyle Stowers went 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs to carry visiting Miami past Philadelphia.

Stowers’ two long balls, combined with home runs from Owen Caissie, Jakob Marsee, and Joe Mack, provided plenty of support for Sandy Alcantara, who improved to 7-4 after tossing six strong innings. The right-hander is now 4-0 in June, having given up four runs — two earned — on eight hits.

Philadelphia starter Andrew Painter dropped to 1-8 after lasting just two innings, surrendering six runs on six hits. Alec Bohm went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Phillies, while Trea Turner collected three hits and scored a run.

Mets 9, Reds 1

Nolan McLean was nearly untouchable over seven innings, allowing just one unearned run, and Juan Soto had three hits and two RBIs as New York salvaged the final game of a three-game series in Cincinnati.

Bo Bichette and Francisco Alvarez each had three-hit games for the Mets. Bichette went 8-for-14 across the series. McLean improved to 4-4, giving up just three hits while striking out nine and walking one.

Nick Lodolo fell to 2-2 after being tagged for seven runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings. The loss denied Cincinnati its first home sweep of the season.

Yankees 10, White Sox 5

Paul Goldschmidt capped a five-run fifth inning with a three-run homer as New York stretched its home winning streak against Chicago to nine games.

Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also went deep for the Yankees, who have now won four games in a row overall. Carlos Rodon improved to 3-2 after giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings.

Colson Montgomery had the first multi-homer game of his career for Chicago, and Sam Antoncacci added another home run. Anthony Kay dropped to 6-2 after allowing four runs on six hits across four innings.

Royals 6, Nationals 2

Carter Jensen, John Rave, Lane Thomas, and Michael Massey each hit solo home runs to power visiting Kansas City past Washington.

Jensen went 4-for-4 with a double and a walk, while Rave added a triple and scored twice. Luinder Avila improved to 2-3 after allowing just one run on three hits over 5 2/3 innings as the Royals won the series finale.

Nasim Nunez had two hits for Washington, which was outhit 12-6. CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews each drove in a run for the Nationals. Zack Littell fell to 6-6 after giving up four runs on seven hits in five innings.

Astros 4, Tigers 2

Peter Lambert was dominant over seven innings, allowing just one run on two hits, and Jeremy Pena drove in two runs as host Houston won the rubber game against Detroit.

Lambert improved to 6-4 after surrendering a solo homer to Kerry Carpenter in the seventh. He struck out five and walked no one, improving to 4-0 over his last five starts. Pena hit a solo homer in the third and added an RBI single in the sixth. Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes each contributed an RBI double in the fifth.

Closer Josh Hader gave up a leadoff homer to rookie Kevin McGonigle in the ninth but responded by striking out the next three batters to lock down his fourth save. Casey Mize, activated from the 15-day injured list before the game, allowed three runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings for Detroit, which has dropped four of its last five.

Giants 7, Braves 2 (completion of suspended game)

Robbie Ray threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Jung Ho Lee hit a homer and drove in two runs as visiting San Francisco defeated Atlanta in a game that had been halted Tuesday due to rain.

Ray improved to 5-6, allowing just two hits while striking out eight and walking two. Rafael Devers and Willy Adames each added solo home runs for the Giants.

Grant Holmes fell to 4-3 after giving up three runs on four hits in two innings before Tuesday’s suspension. Drake Baldwin opened the bottom of the first with the longest home run in the majors this season, a 473-foot blast.

Giants 7, Braves 5 (regularly scheduled game)

Luis Arraez homered and drove in four runs, and Carson Whisenhunt delivered five solid innings in his season debut as San Francisco posted another win over Atlanta.

Whisenhunt improved to 1-0 after allowing two runs on six hits following a morning call-up from Triple-A Sacramento. Willy Adames and Bryce Eldridge each hit solo home runs for the Giants, who have won three straight overall.

J.R. Ritchie dropped to 1-2 after allowing five runs on five hits across five innings for the struggling Braves, who have now lost six of their last seven games.

Padres 6, Cardinals 1

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill each went 3-for-5 with two RBIs as visiting San Diego beat St. Louis to avoid being swept in the series.

Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Padres. Merrill, who tied his season high in hits, put the game away with a two-run homer in a three-run ninth inning off Cardinals reliever Chris Roycroft.

Griffin Canning earned his first win as a Padre, improving to 1-5 by scattering four hits over 4 1/3 innings while allowing just one run. St. Louis starter Kyle Leahy dropped to 5-4 after giving up three runs on seven hits in six innings.

Diamondbacks 8, Angels 1

Corbin Carroll launched a grand slam to top off a five-run second inning as Arizona rolled to a series-clinching win over visiting Los Angeles in Phoenix.

Tommy Troy and Ketel Marte each had two hits, two RBIs, and a run scored, while Gabriel Moreno collected three hits for the Diamondbacks, who have won three of four. Starter Eduardo Rodriguez improved to 6-2 after allowing one run on six hits across seven innings.

Zach Neto homered and singled for the Angels, who had won five of their previous seven games. Sam Aldegheri dropped to 2-2 after struggling through three innings, giving up six runs on six hits.

Blue Jays 3, Red Sox 0

Toronto’s bullpen-by-committee approach worked to perfection, with seven pitchers combining for nine scoreless innings in a win at Boston in the second game of a three-game series.

Max Scherzer was originally set to start but was placed on the 15-day injured list with back spasms before first pitch. Braydon Fisher opened the game and recorded the first four outs before giving way to Simeon Woods Richardson, who tossed three scoreless innings and was credited with the win, improving to 1-7.

Andres Gimenez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice for Toronto, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two hits and two RBIs. Boston rookie Jake Bennett fell to 1-3 after allowing two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Red Sox left 13 runners on base and went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Brewers 9, Guardians 4

Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich hit home runs as Milwaukee took down visiting Cleveland.

Shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt, one of Milwaukee’s top-rated minor leaguers, recorded his first career hit in the second inning and added an RBI single in the eighth. Reliever Chad Patrick improved to 4-3 by throwing 3 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out seven of the 12 batters he faced.

Cleveland, playing without regulars Chase DeLauter, Jose Ramirez, and Angel Martinez — all on the injured list — managed just three hits and lost for the sixth time in eight games. Gavin Williams dropped to 9-4 after allowing seven runs on seven hits in five innings. Daniel Espino tossed a perfect sixth inning in his major league debut.

Cubs 8, Rockies 6

Dansby Swanson hit a two-run homer and Matt Shaw delivered a two-run triple as host Chicago erupted for seven runs in the second inning to beat Colorado in the rubber game of the series.

Cubs starter Javier Assad improved to 5-1 after allowing five hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings. Jacob Webb closed things out in the ninth for his second save, despite giving up a solo homer to Kyle Karros.

Sterlin Thompson put Colorado on the board in the third with the first of two solo shots — both the first home runs of his career. Hunter Goodman capped a three-run eighth inning with his 21st homer of the season, a two-run blast. Sean Sullivan dropped to 0-1 in his second career start after surrendering eight runs on nine hits in four innings.

Orioles 5, Mariners 3

Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday each homered, and Kyle Bradish struck out a career-high 12 batters across 7 2/3 strong innings as Baltimore beat host Seattle.

Dominic Canzone and Cole Young hit back-to-back home runs to open the bottom of the ninth against Orioles closer Ryan Helsley, who was making his first appearance after missing seven weeks with right elbow inflammation. Helsley steadied himself by getting Victor Robles to ground out, then struck out Colt Emerson and Connor Joe to seal the win.

Bradish improved to 4-7 after holding the Mariners to one run on five hits. He had allowed five runs in each of his previous two starts, both of which lasted just four innings. Seattle starter George Kirby dropped to 5-7 after giving up three runs on eight hits over six innings.

Kyle Bradish reached a personal milestone Wednesday night, striking out a career-high 12 batters across 7 2/3 impressive innings as the Baltimore Orioles beat the host Seattle Mariners 5-3.

Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday each connected on home runs to fuel Baltimore’s offense, while Bradish kept Seattle’s lineup largely in check throughout his outing.

The final moments of the game brought some tension when Orioles closer Ryan Helsley — returning from a seven-week layoff due to right elbow inflammation — gave up back-to-back home runs to Dominic Canzone and Cole Young to open the bottom of the ninth inning. However, Helsley steadied himself, getting Victor Robles to ground out before striking out rookie Colt Emerson and Connor Joe to close out the victory.

Bradish improved to 4-7 on the season. After allowing five runs in each of his previous two starts — both of which lasted just four innings — he bounced back in a big way, surrendering only one run on five hits and two walks against Seattle.

With two outs and a runner on base in the eighth, the Orioles turned to Yennier Cano to face Cal Raleigh. Raleigh drew a walk, but Cano got Rob Refsnyder — who represented the potential tying run — to pop out to shortstop to end the threat.

Seattle starter George Kirby turned in a quality outing but still suffered his fifth consecutive loss, falling to 5-7. The right-hander went six innings, giving up three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Baltimore got on the board in the third inning when Blaze Alexander singled to right field with one out. Two batters later, Henderson lifted a deep fly ball to right that barely cleared the fence for a two-run homer.

The Mariners cut the lead in half in the fourth when Julio Rodriguez doubled to right with one out and Canzone followed with a run-scoring single to center, making it 2-1.

The score held until the sixth inning, when Pete Alonso reached on an infield single with one out for Baltimore. Former Mariner Leody Taveras then laced a low liner to right-center that rolled all the way to the wall, scoring Alonso with a run-scoring triple and pushing the lead to 3-1.

Baltimore’s Tyler O’Neill made a highlight-reel play in the bottom of that same inning, leaping at the right field wall to rob Raleigh of what would have been a home run.

The Orioles added another run in the seventh against reliever Alex Hoppe. Holliday walked to lead off the inning and moved to third on Alexander’s single up the middle. Holliday scored to make it 4-1 as Taylor Ward grounded into a double play.

Seattle played the game without first baseman Josh Naylor, who was sidelined with right wrist discomfort, and outfielder Luke Raley, dealing with lower back tightness — both missing their second straight game.

MEXICO CITY — Long before the opening whistle, Colombia’s World Cup fans had already claimed Mexico City as their own. Thousands of yellow-clad supporters packed the streets and restaurants of the capital on June 17, transforming the Mexican metropolis into a lively extension of South America.

Colombian fans dressed in their national team colors filled dining spots throughout the city, enjoying traditional dishes like Bandeja Paisa, sausages, eggs, beans, and empanadas while singing and building excitement for what turned out to be a commanding 3-1 win over Uzbekistan in Group K at the Estadio Azteca.

At a Latin American food hall in the Roma neighborhood called Comedor de los Milagros — which translates to “Dining Room of Miracles” — the energy surged even higher when Colombian music star Carlos Vives made an unexpected appearance. Fans erupted in applause, treating his arrival as a sign of good things to come.

The venue, which describes itself as a “House of Latinos” and features bold colors, murals, and Catholic-inspired artwork, felt more like a Colombian fan club headquarters than a restaurant on match day.

For Pablo Calderon, who made the trip from Medellin with his brother, the experience blended passion with financial reality. “Mexico is more of a football country, but we are going to the United States too,” he said. “We wanted to follow Colombia through the group stage, but everything is too expensive. Our ticket alone cost around $1,000.”

His brother Ricardo Calderon pointed to a deeper cultural bond between the two nations. “There is common ground between Mexicans and Colombians,” he said. “We like football, music, food and noise. That is why we feel good here.”

Inside the Azteca, Colombia’s yellow-shirted supporters dominated the seating areas, giving the stadium an atmosphere that felt far more like a home venue than a neutral one.

On the field, Daniel Munoz put Colombia ahead in the 40th minute, finishing off a pass from Luis Diaz. Uzbekistan briefly tied things up when Abbosbek Fayzullaev scored his first-ever World Cup goal, but Diaz and Jaminton Campaz both found the net to close out the 3-1 victory.

Colombian restaurants in the city also felt the surge of excitement. Andrea, manager of SalchiParce — a spot with a strong social media following — called her establishment “the most Colombian house in Mexico.”

“Yesterday and today we have seen a lot of Colombians here, although not only Colombians, Mexicans too,” she said. “We are interested in making them feel at home, with a big enough plate of food and some authentic Colombian beer.”

When the final whistle blew, there was little doubt: for one night, Mexico City belonged to Colombia.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City is rolling out the ultimate welcome for its NBA champions Thursday, treating the Knicks to a classic ticker-tape parade after the team finally delivered a title that fans had been waiting more than half a century to celebrate.

The Knicks’ triumph — ending a 53-year championship drought — has sent the city into a frenzy. Mayor Zohran Mamdani has suggested Thursday’s festivities could go down as one of the grandest parades in the city’s storied history.

The occasion carries extra significance beyond just the championship itself. Despite winning back-to-back titles in the 1970s, the Knicks never received a ticker-tape parade either time. Then-Mayor John Lindsay had scaled back such elaborate celebrations for financial and other reasons, opting instead for a reception at the mayoral residence in 1970 and a packed ceremony outside City Hall in 1973.

This time around, the city is holding nothing back.

LOS ANGELES — For the first time ever in World Cup competition, FIFA has made it mandatory for all soccer players to take hydration breaks during matches, citing concerns about dangerous heat conditions. The new rule, however, has drawn pushback from two very different camps.

Experts have warned that this summer’s World Cup — co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada — could go down as the hottest in the tournament’s history. FIFA responded to those concerns by requiring three-minute hydration breaks at the midpoint of each half, regardless of what the temperature happens to be. Critics from the soccer world argue the stoppages interrupt the rhythm of the game and give coaches an opportunity to tactically shift momentum, while some in the scientific community contend three minutes simply isn’t enough time to meaningfully cool down or rehydrate players when conditions are dangerously hot.

“When we look at the three minute hydration breaks, we’re really looking at this as a way to mitigate anything that could potentially lead to an incident or an emergency,” said Joshua L. DeVincenzo, assistant director of applied research services at Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness.

These are the first mandatory three-minute cooling breaks in World Cup history, applied to every match regardless of temperature or whether a stadium has air conditioning or an enclosed structure. FIFA stated the policy was designed to “ensure equal conditions for all teams, in all matches,” drawing on lessons learned from past events — including the FIFA Club World Cup held in the U.S. last summer, where temperatures in many locations climbed into the 90s F (mid-30s C) and beyond.

Some coaches acknowledged the breaks make sense when heat is extreme but questioned whether they were truly needed at every single game.

Athletes who push themselves hard in hot and humid environments face a condition known as exertional heat illness, which occurs when the body overheats and places serious stress on the heart, nerves, muscles, and central nervous system. Warning signs include muscle cramps, extreme tiredness, poor performance, headaches, irritability, nausea, dizziness, and dehydration.

When an athlete’s internal body temperature climbs above 105 F (40.5 C), they may become confused, aggressive, or even lose consciousness, according to Yuri Hosokawa, an associate professor at the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Japan’s Waseda University. Writing in an email, she described these as “characteristic signs of exertional heat stroke” that “require immediate medical attention.” Hosokawa was among those who co-signed a letter sent to FIFA in May calling for stricter heat safety guidelines, including cooling breaks of at least six minutes in length.

Exertional heat stroke during athletic competition ranks among the leading causes of death in athletes.

Dehydration makes the danger worse. In hot conditions, athletes can lose between 1 and 2 liters — roughly 50 to 67 ounces — of fluid per hour through sweat, and most players don’t drink enough to replace what they lose. Research shows that losing just 2% of body weight to dehydration can noticeably hurt physical performance.

Ryan Calsbeek, a professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth College, explained that the human body actually performs better as it warms up — but only to a point. Beyond a certain threshold, performance doesn’t just plateau, it drops sharply.

“Your body starts to really fall apart, you lose the ability to cool off fast enough,” he said. “And the physiological mechanisms just break down.” That tipping point comes when the wet bulb globe temperature — a measurement that factors in heat, humidity, cloud cover, and wind — exceeds roughly 95 F (35 C), though individual heat tolerance varies from person to person.

Calsbeek also noted that the mental fog brought on by extreme heat can affect a player’s ability to make smart decisions on the field. “It’s these marginal differences in performance that I think can determine the outcome of a match,” he said. “If you have individuals that do better in extreme conditions, whether it’s extreme heat or high altitude or whatever the case may be, those small differences could play a critical, pivotal role in determining the outcome.”

The mandatory three-minute breaks are intended to shield both players and referees from serious heat illness while helping them maintain peak physical performance. During that window, athletes can cool down and replace some of the water and salt lost through sweating — but how effective the break is depends heavily on how aggressively cooling methods are applied.

One approach involves placing cold, wet towels on exposed areas of the body such as the neck, head, back, and arms. When done properly, that technique can lower body temperature by roughly 0.22 F (0.12 C) per minute, according to Douglas Casa, CEO of the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut, who also co-signed the letter to FIFA.

“Some people can tolerate a little more fluids comfortably and then do intense exercise. Some people can’t because it sloshes around in their stomach and they don’t feel super comfortable, so they might not drink as much in such a short period of time,” Casa said. He added that the length of the break directly determines how much benefit players get — whether from fluids or cooling — and “that’s why we’re suggesting doing something like five or six minutes, because it just makes such a big impact when you’re dealing with a change of that magnitude.”

How much recovery time any individual player needs also varies. “Depending on your body, you might need more or less time. But those kinds of breaks are crucial so that your body isn’t just being forced to keep trying to play catch up… to keep trying to cool you down without any kind of rest or a break,” said Bharat Venkat, director of the Heat Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles.

As global temperatures continue to rise, experts say requiring hydration breaks and rethinking where, when, and how sports are played will become increasingly necessary. “No matter what sport you play, there’s going to be adjustments that have to be made in the face of climate change,” Venkat said.

SHANDUR, Pakistan — The mountains of northern Pakistan’s Shandur Pass came alive with cheers and celebration as horses raced across the world’s highest polo ground this past weekend. The Shandur Polo Field, sitting at roughly 3,700 meters — about 12,000 feet — above sea level, hosted thousands of fans who watched wooden mallets swing through the thin mountain air.

Set against a backdrop of snow-covered peaks and bright blue skies, the Shandur Polo Festival returned once again to what many call the “roof of the world,” bringing together sport, culture and tradition in one of the most remote venues on earth.

Along the sidelines, spectators took in freestyle mountain polo — a form of the game that dates back centuries and remains a living tradition in Pakistan’s northern communities. Makeshift stands along the rugged mountainside were packed with families, tourists and local residents sitting side by side. Children waved flags, elderly spectators bundled in warm shawls, and groups of friends erupted in cheers as the high-energy matches unfolded.

The festival’s climax came when Gilgit-Baltistan’s polo team captured the Shandur Polo Festival trophy for the first time in more than ten years, edging out longtime rivals Chitral in a nail-biting final that ended 6-5. The match stretched nearly an hour before players and supporters poured onto the field, waving flags and embracing in celebration.

While polo is often referred to as the “game of kings” and carries associations with royalty and elite society around the world, the version played at Shandur carries a different meaning — one rooted in mountain community pride and cultural identity. The freestyle format on display here is considered among the oldest surviving forms of the sport.

The three-day event was organized with support from the Pakistan Army, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government and the Gilgit-Baltistan regional government. Peshawar Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Omar Ahmed Bokhari attended the closing ceremony, underscoring official support for preserving cultural heritage while promoting sports and tourism in the region.

Beyond the polo matches, the high-altitude plateau transformed into a full cultural celebration, with music performances, traditional folk dances and local food drawing crowds throughout the festival.

Trae Young appears to be heading toward free agency, though his time with the Washington Wizards may not necessarily be coming to an end.

According to a Wednesday report from Andscape, Young intends to turn down his $48.97 million player option for the 2026-27 season, making him an unrestricted free agent as of Monday. While Washington is considered the leading candidate to bring him back, the report indicates that several other franchises are likely to pursue the four-time All-Star once he officially enters the market.

This decision had been widely anticipated as one of the first significant moves of Washington’s offseason. The Wizards brought Young over from the Atlanta Hawks back in January, sending CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to Atlanta in a trade designed to give their rebuilding franchise a proven offensive playmaker.

Unfortunately, Young’s debut season in Washington was plagued by injuries. He originally suffered a sprained right medial collateral ligament while still with Atlanta in late October, eventually returned in December, but then appeared in just five games for the Wizards before back and quad problems ended his season early.

In total, Young played 15 games split between Atlanta and Washington, putting up averages of 17.9 points and 8.0 assists. During his five outings in a Wizards uniform specifically, he averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 assists per game.

Washington’s desire to keep Young is tied to a larger push to climb out of the league’s basement. The Wizards went 17-65 last season — their third straight year losing at least 64 games — but the organization now has Young, Anthony Davis, and a promising group of younger players to build around.

Adding to the franchise’s optimism, Washington also holds the No. 1 overall pick heading into next week’s draft, giving them yet another key piece to develop alongside their veteran duo.

Young, 27, has put up career averages of 25.1 points and 9.8 assists across 498 games, cementing his reputation as one of the NBA’s elite playmakers. The central question now is whether Washington can leverage its early positioning to lock him into a long-term deal.

American Olympic medalist and former world champion Jenny Simpson is currently hospitalized after she collapsed during a community track event in Raleigh, North Carolina on Tuesday, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Sir Walter Running team.

Simpson, 39, was serving as a pacer for a mile group at the community event hosted by Sir Walter Running when she suddenly collapsed. Bystanders performed CPR, and an automated external defibrillator was used on her before emergency medical services transported her to a nearby hospital, according to local media reports.

The Sir Walter Running team expressed deep gratitude for those who stepped in to help. “We are incredibly grateful to the individuals who responded immediately, as well as (the emergency medical services) and the medical professionals who handled the situation with such care, urgency and professionalism,” the team said in a written statement.

The team went on to say, “Jenny is receiving excellent medical care, and our thoughts are with her and her family during this time.”

“We also thank everyone who has reached out with concern and support. We ask that you continue to keep Jenny and her family in your thoughts,” the statement continued.

Simpson had a decorated career in competitive distance running. She claimed gold in the 1,500 meters at the 2011 world championships and earned bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She also took home silver medals in the 1,500 meters at both the 2013 and 2017 world championships before retiring from competition in 2024.

Canada’s soccer team is heading into Thursday’s World Cup Group B showdown against Qatar in Vancouver with a clear message: take charge from the very first minute.

The match comes after Canada’s opening 1-1 draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina, a result that left all four teams in Group B — Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, and Bosnia & Herzegovina — level on one point, one goal scored, and one goal allowed heading into Thursday’s matches. Switzerland faces Bosnia & Herzegovina earlier in the day before Canada takes on Qatar.

“We know that, given our group being so tight right now, that every moment and every point matters, and we’re focused on that,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch told reporters at a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

Marsch made clear the team has no interest in being passive going forward. “We’re not trying to be overly magnanimous, we’re just focused on the match and about Qatar and what they’re good at, and what we want to try to limit from them, and how we want the game to look,” he said.

The coach pointed specifically to the first half against Bosnia & Herzegovina as a stretch where Canada failed to impose its preferred style of play. “I think we felt like, specifically in the first half against Bosnia, that the game looked more like what they wanted it to look like than what we wanted it to look like, and so we have to make sure that from the beginning we set the tone and we play the kind of match that favours us from the start, so we will, we will be looking to establish that early in the match,” Marsch said.

One positive development for Canada is the availability of Alphonso Davies, whose health had been a subject of speculation for several days. Marsch confirmed the left-side player is fit and ready. “He’s been in training this week, and he’ll be available tomorrow, and we’ll see how the match goes, and then make a decision on how we would choose to use him,” the coach said.

After opening their campaign in Toronto, the Canadian squad has traveled to the west coast to prepare at the National Soccer Development Centre ahead of the Vancouver match. Marsch expressed enthusiasm about playing at BC Place in front of what he expects to be an electric crowd.

“I know this is a football town, Vancouver. We’ve seen it many times before, and we expect this place to be rocking, man. I mean, red everywhere, rocking, supporting these guys, supporting their players, their team, their country,” he said.

Marsch also called on fans to make their presence felt inside the stadium. “Like, these guys will be ready to perform, and we want to make sure that Qatar feels not just the team, but the crowd. So show up, be loud, use the echo in the stadium, and make sure that we have a 12th man in the stadium,” he added.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Mexico’s head coach Javier Aguirre delivered a firm message to his squad Wednesday, saying the grace period for opening-match nerves is officially over as the co-host nation gears up to face South Korea in a Group A World Cup showdown at Guadalajara Stadium on Thursday.

Both squads arrive at the matchup with three points in hand after winning their respective openers. South Korea claimed a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic, while Mexico knocked off South Africa by a 2-0 score. Despite that winning start, Aguirre acknowledged that 10 of his players were making their World Cup debuts in that opener and showed signs of being physically and mentally tight under the weight of playing in front of a home crowd.

“I granted them the benefit of the doubt for the nervousness of a debut,” Aguirre said. “But I told them I can no longer allow a player, because of the stage, to be unable to make a three- or four-metre pass or a movement they have trained for.”

When it comes to Thursday’s opponent, Aguirre pointed to South Korea’s speed on the counter-attack as the biggest danger. He referenced a friendly between the two teams last September, when Mexico had difficulty keeping up with the Koreans’ rapid transitions going forward.

“The speed of the Koreans going forward — we have trained on how to nullify it,” Aguirre said. “We have to be attentive to the ‘vigilance’ when we are attacking. If there are two Koreans, there must be at least three Mexicans.”

The 67-year-old coach also spoke about the ongoing conversation around FIFA’s mandatory hydration breaks, which were put in place to shield players from the intense North American summer heat. The three-minute stoppages have stirred debate, with some critics claiming they disrupt the flow and momentum of teams that are in control of a match.

Aguirre, however, sees them as an opportunity. “We take advantage of the rules,” he said. “It allows you to give instructions while the players drink water. I use those breaks to correct things I see; it’s actually helpful for us coaches because we don’t have to shout across the field anymore.”

The veteran coach also reflected on how the game has transformed over the years, noting the influence of technology and new regulations on modern football.

“It is another type of football than the one I played,” Aguirre said. “Between the VAR and the technological evolution where they send you images at halftime, I think it all adds up to better football.”

Even with five decades in the sport, Aguirre admitted he still feels the pull of pre-match anxiety — and considers that a good sign. “I have 50 years in this blessed football and I still feel a strange nervousness before every game … The day I don’t feel that, I’ll go home.”

In one of the bigger upsets of the week on the women’s tennis tour, Spain’s Paula Badosa — currently ranked 142nd in the world — knocked out No. 5 seed Coco Gauff at the Berlin Tennis Open on Wednesday, winning 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 to punch her ticket to the quarterfinals.

Gauff, who holds the world No. 7 ranking, held a commanding 12-4 edge in aces throughout the match. However, Badosa made the most of her opportunities in the final two sets, converting four of five break point chances while Gauff managed just one of two. Badosa, who was once ranked as high as No. 2 on the tour back in 2022, now holds a 5-3 all-time record against Gauff.

Elsewhere in the WTA 500 event, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula both advanced with straight-set victories. Sabalenka defeated Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-4, while Pegula handled Czechia’s Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-4.

Unseeded Czech player Nikola Bartunkova also reached the quarterfinals, eliminating Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-4. She will face Sabalenka in the next round. The Philippines’ Alexandra Eala picked up a first-round win over Croatia’s Donna Vekic by a score of 7-5, 6-4.

At the Lexus Nottingham Open, a WTA 250 event held in the United Kingdom, third-seeded Emma Navarro grinded out a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in a match that lasted just under three hours.

Navarro will next face Spain’s Jessica Bouzos Maneiro in the quarterfinals. Bouzos Maneiro reached that stage after leading Katie Volynets 7-5, 1-0 when Volynets was forced to retire from the match. It’s worth noting that Navarro suffered a lopsided 6-1, 6-0 defeat to Bouzos Maneiro in the opening round of the 2025 French Open.

Germany’s Tatjana Maria rolled past Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 6-1, 6-2, and Australia’s Talia Gibson edged China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 7-6 (10) in other Nottingham results.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks continued their championship celebration Wednesday evening when players Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart stepped onto the field at Yankee Stadium to throw out ceremonial first pitches ahead of the Yankees’ game against the Chicago White Sox.

As the two players walked out to a video montage of highlights from their title run, the crowd greeted them with a standing ovation and thunderous cheering.

Dressed in Yankees pinstripes and standing in front of the mound, Brunson delivered his pitch to backup catcher J.C. Escarra, while Hart threw to utilityman Max Schuemann.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone had plenty of praise for the Knicks and their fanbase. “Oh, I think it’s been awesome,” Boone said. “What a fun team to get behind and just the story of that team and how it’s kind of come together over the last couple of years and just a lot of grit, a lot of mental fortitude and to see the fanbase and then some galvanized around that club has been a lot of fun to witness.”

The Yankee Stadium appearance came after the Knicks spent Monday making the rounds on national television, with appearances on NBC’s “The Today Show” and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Brunson, Hart, and starters Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby also stopped by ABC’s “Good Morning America” that same day.

Wednesday’s ceremony took place just one night before the Knicks are set to be honored with a massive ticker-tape parade through lower Manhattan. Mayor Zohran Mamdani predicted Thursday’s event could turn out to be “the largest parade in New York City history.”

The parade will mark a first for the franchise, which previously won NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. Following those earlier titles, then-Mayor John Lindsay held celebrations for the team at the mayoral mansion and City Hall.

For Brunson, Wednesday’s first pitch was actually his second since joining the Knicks. He previously threw one out before a Mets-Yankees game in July 2024, shortly after agreeing to a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension to remain with the team.

Brunson was a dominant force throughout the NBA Finals, averaging 32.6 points per game as New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games to claim the title. He earned Finals MVP honors and scored 45 points in the clinching Game 5, a 94-90 Knicks victory.

Hart also has a special connection to Yankee Stadium — he is a great-nephew of former Yankees catcher Elston Howard, whose No. 32 jersey has been retired by the team. Howard is additionally memorialized with a plaque in Monument Park.

The Knicks wrapped up the postseason with a 16-3 record, an .842 winning percentage that tied the 2024 Boston Celtics for second-best since the NBA moved to best-of-seven series in all playoff rounds starting in 2003. Only the 2017 Golden State Warriors, who went 16-1, had a better mark.

New York also rattled off 13 consecutive postseason wins — second only to Golden State’s 15-game winning streak in 2017 — and set records with nine straight road victories and a plus-283 point differential against playoff opponents.

Boone reflected on what the Knicks’ run means in a broader context. “It’s just been a captivating run that they’ve been on and with a group that’s now been together for a couple of years and then on top of the 53 years since a championship, it’s been a great story and a fan base that has come to know several of these guys as they’ve kind of climbed that ladder to ultimately winning a championship,” he said. “So I think it’ll be one of the historic teams that we talk about when it comes to the NBA.”

The New York Knicks will be heading to the White House after their historic championship run, according to team owner James Dolan.

Dolan confirmed Wednesday that the organization received and accepted an official invitation following last week’s title victory. Speaking on WFAN Sports Radio, he said, “We just did receive an invitation from the White House, which we accepted. We still have to figure out the details.”

The White House had not responded to media requests for comment at the time of the report.

Dolan, who had previously invited U.S. President Donald Trump to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals earlier this month and referred to Trump as a personal friend, made the announcement during the radio appearance.

The Knicks clinched their first NBA championship since 1973 on Saturday, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90.

A presidential White House visit following a major sports championship is a longstanding tradition. Throughout Trump’s two terms in office, most championship teams have honored the tradition, though some have chosen to decline.

Last year, several Philadelphia Eagles players — including quarterback Jalen Hurts — sat out the White House ceremony after the NFL team won the Super Bowl.

It remains to be seen whether the entire Knicks roster will participate in the upcoming visit. However, point guard Jose Alvarado made clear he plans to be there. “If there’s a chance, I’m going wherever my teammate goes,” Alvarado told TMZ.

ATLANTA — World soccer’s governing body, FIFA, convened a special forum in Atlanta on Wednesday, bringing together athletes, government officials, and technology professionals to explore ways to combat hate speech in the sport.

The event was co-hosted with TikTok and the City of Atlanta and was held at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights — just one day before the International Day for Countering Hate Speech. It also took place ahead of a World Cup 2026 match between the Czech Republic and South Africa.

A major focus of the gathering was FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service, a tool designed to identify and remove harmful content online. Since its launch, the service has reviewed more than 250 million posts and flagged over 30 million as harmful. Since June 11 alone, it has taken down 388,000 harmful posts connected to World Cup 2026 — already exceeding the 287,000 posts removed during the entire 2022 tournament.

Law enforcement action has also followed. Eleven individuals across seven countries were reported to authorities in 2025 for abuse during FIFA competitions, with one case referred to Interpol, according to previous reporting.

Among the panelists at Wednesday’s event was George Weah, the former president of Liberia and the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, who serves as honorary captain of FIFA’s Players’ Voice Panel. Former Nigerian international Mercy Akide also participated in the discussion.

Weah spoke passionately about the unifying power of the sport. “Football is not just a game of chance, it’s a game of unity,” he said.

The Cleveland Guardians have put rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter on the 10-day injured list after he suffered a ribcage fracture, and the team has called up outfielder Kahlil Watson from Triple-A Columbus to take his place on the roster.

The injured list placement was backdated to Sunday. DeLauter sustained the injury the day before when he collided with the outfield wall during a game Saturday.

DeLauter, who made his major league debut during last year’s postseason, has put together a solid first full season, hitting .263 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs across 66 games.

Watson, 23, will be stepping onto a major league field for the first time after posting a .255 batting average with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs in 56 games at the Triple-A level this season. This will be his sixth year in the minor leagues. He was originally selected by the Miami Marlins with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 draft.

Morocco’s standout showing against Brazil and Cape Verde’s surprising draw with Spain during the opening weekend of the World Cup both share a common thread: both teams were built largely on players born and developed outside their home countries.

When Morocco took the field, all 11 starters had been born abroad and came up through European club systems — with the lone exception being goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who was born in Canada but developed within Morocco’s own football structure.

Over the past two decades, many African nations have increasingly looked to migrant communities in Europe to bolster their rosters. Cape Verde stands as one of the most striking examples. With a population of only around 600,000, the small island nation has leaned heavily on players born or raised in Europe to achieve World Cup qualification — a feat that would have seemed unimaginable just over 20 years ago, when the country wasn’t even entering the qualifying rounds.

This shift has been driven by a combination of global migration patterns, aggressive recruitment of diaspora talent, and significant changes to FIFA’s eligibility rules.

What the Rules Actually Say

Every player at the World Cup must hold citizenship in the country they represent, and officials conduct physical passport checks to verify this. To prevent nations from simply handing out passports to foreign players as a way to stack their rosters, FIFA requires that a player must have either lived in that country for at least five years or have a parent or grandparent born there.

How the Rules Evolved

In the early years of the World Cup, there were no eligibility restrictions at all. Luis Monti famously played for Argentina in the inaugural 1930 tournament, then switched to represent Italy four years later after relocating there to join Juventus. FIFA eventually cracked down with a strict rule: once a player appeared in an official international match at any level, they were permanently tied to that nation.

North African football federations were among the first to push back against that policy. Mohamed Raouraoua, the former president of the Algerian football federation and a key architect of the eventual rule change, explained the motivation behind the push: “We didn’t think it was fair that players (of African origin) were being selected for junior teams of European countries and then never getting a chance to play at full international level. Our proposal was to give liberty and freedom to these players to have a right to choose.”

He also noted the broader benefit: “Having these players is a huge benefit for many African teams. It improves the whole football product.”

FIFA updated its rules in 2003, allowing players to switch international allegiances provided they could demonstrate dual nationality eligibility and had not yet appeared at the full senior international level. An initial age cap of 21 was later lifted, opening the door for players of any age to make the switch with FIFA’s approval.

The First to Benefit

Defender Antar Yahia was the first player to take advantage of the new rule. He made his debut for Algeria’s Under-23 team in an Olympic qualifying match in January 2004, with his senior debut following just two weeks later. Prior to the switch, he had represented France at the Under-20 level. All such switches require a formal application and FIFA approval.

Notable Examples

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Frederic Kanoute both started out as French junior internationals before changing their international allegiance and going on to be named African Footballer of the Year. Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly has earned more than 100 caps for the West African nation after choosing Senegal over France, where he had played at the Under-20 level. The impact has extended beyond Africa as well — Declan Rice, who was capped at all levels by Ireland, later switched to England and became a key figure in their midfield.

The Scale of the Impact Today

At this year’s World Cup, held across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, a remarkable 289 players — nearly 25% of all participants — are representing nations other than the ones where they were born. Many made formal nationality switches to get there. One vivid example is teenager Ibrahim Mbaye, who scored for Senegal against France on Tuesday, less than a year after he last suited up for French junior teams.

TORONTO — Enthusiastic supporters of both Ghana and Panama flooded the streets of Toronto on their way to the stadium for a FIFA World Cup Group L matchup, dressed in traditional clothing and carrying national flags despite steep ticket prices and dreary weather.

Wisdom Atakuma arrived in festive fashion, sporting an elaborate headdress decorated with beads and feathers. He described the moment as the fulfillment of a long-held dream — watching Ghana compete on the world’s biggest soccer stage.

“No African country has won it (World Cup) before and… I pray that maybe God will bring it to Ghana,” he said. Atakuma also carried a poster taking a playful jab at Ghanaian President John Mahama, who was accused of promising fans free tickets to the match.

Not every Ghana supporter was able to secure a ticket, but that wasn’t stopping Black Stars fan Ahosua Addowaa from celebrating. “I will just stand outside (the stadium) and support. Look at us, we are here,” she said with enthusiasm.

For Los Canaleros supporter Ramon Diaz, who has lived in Canada for four years, the day carried deep emotional weight. He anticipated being moved to tears when Panama’s national anthem echoed through the stadium. “Historic day, I don’t think I have ever seen these many Panamanians outside of Panama,” he said.

On the field, Antoine Semenyo is set to lead Ghana’s attack, while Panama’s key midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla will start the game from the bench. Both teams are competing in Group L alongside England and Croatia.

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO — Mexican military personnel shot down an unregistered drone that was detected flying near South Korea’s national soccer team training facility in Guadalajara, where the squad is gearing up for its first World Cup game against Mexico, a federal official confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Using specialized detection equipment, military forces identified the unauthorized drone approaching the South Korean camp and took action to bring it down, according to a Mexican federal agent who spoke anonymously because they lacked official authorization to comment on the matter.

The drone interception was carried out as part of a broader security operation involving both military and local law enforcement deployed for the ongoing soccer tournament. The competition began last week in Mexico City and runs through July 19 across venues in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

The official declined to specify when exactly the incident took place or whether anyone was taken into custody. The agent did note, however, that multiple drones had been neutralized over recent days after they attempted to breach security perimeters around stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey — the three Mexican host cities — along with team training camps and fan event areas.

Back in March, Mexican authorities unveiled a World Cup security initiative called “Plan Kukulkán,” which mobilizes roughly 100,000 personnel drawn from federal and local military and police agencies. The plan encompasses early warning detection systems, security measures at stadiums, airports, roadways and hotels, and dedicated protection protocols for teams, officials, and fans attending the tournament.

North of the border in Canada, authorities have implemented a ban on unauthorized drone flights over World Cup stadiums and a number of training locations in Vancouver and Toronto. Those flight restrictions are set to remain in place through July 7.

The drone incident brings to mind a controversy from 2024, when Canada’s women’s national soccer team was accused of deploying a drone to spy on New Zealand’s practice sessions in the days before their opening match at the Paris Olympics. The scandal triggered serious consequences, including the suspension of two coaching staff members and head coach Bev Priestman, who was later let go by Canada Soccer. The Canadian women’s team — defending champions from the Tokyo Games — also had six points deducted from their group stage standings in France.

A subsequent review by Canada Soccer concluded that the spying incident was not a one-time mistake, but rather reflected a broader pattern of inadequate oversight within the national team program.

Angel City FC has let go of head coach Alexander Straus, the club announced Wednesday, as the team struggles through a difficult stretch of the season.

The team’s recent form tells the story: just one win, six losses, and one draw over its last eight outings, leaving Angel City in 12th place among the 16 clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League.

The downturn is a stark contrast to how the season began. Angel City opened with three straight victories before things unraveled, leaving the club with an overall record of 4-6-1 and 13 points.

Taking over on an interim basis is senior assistant coach Leif Gunnar Smerud, a 49-year-old Norwegian coaching veteran who will guide the team through the rest of the season.

Club sporting director Mark Parsons issued a statement reflecting on Straus’s time with the organization. “Alex brought real energy and passion to Angel City, developing our style of play and overseeing the important development of our players,” Parsons said. “He guided one of the youngest rosters in NWSL history through a pivotal period of growth.”

Parsons added, “We are deeply grateful for Alex’s leadership and the progress made during his tenure, and we wish him nothing but success in his next chapter.”

Straus, 50, had taken over as Angel City’s head coach on June 1, 2025, finishing out last season with a 3-9-4 record in the second half of the campaign. Prior to joining the club, the Norwegian coach had spent his career working overseas since 2010.

In addition to the coaching change, Angel City made a roster move Wednesday, trading 19-year-old midfielder Kennedy Fuller to Bay FC in exchange for $520,000 in total funds.

The team’s next match won’t come immediately, as the league is currently on a break for several reasons, including the men’s World Cup being played across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Smerud’s first game in charge is scheduled for July 3 when the Orlando Pride come to town.

Major League Baseball’s efforts to celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusivity during Pride Month are running into resistance from some players, and the league’s response to that pushback is drawing fire from prominent Republican figures.

During the San Francisco Giants’ Pride Night on June 12, several pitchers added Bible verses to their rainbow-themed caps during a 5-1 home loss to the Chicago Cubs. A few days before that, two Los Angeles Dodgers players also chose not to wear the rainbow-accented caps alongside their teammates.

Giants starters and relievers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker each wrote scripture references on their caps. Roupp, who is from North Carolina, used a silver marker to write “Gen 9:12-16” on the front of the black cap, which featured the team’s classic “SF” logo filled in with rainbow colors — a longstanding symbol of the LGBTQ+ community.

That passage from Genesis reads, in part: “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth,” according to the New International Version of the Bible.

After the game, Roupp explained his reasoning to reporters. “It’s just about God’s covenant and a promise he makes to us and his faithfulness and his mercy,” he said. “Just kind of something I believe in and I stand firm in that and thankfully we live in a country where you know, we have freedom to believe what we want, yeah, and express what we want.”

Giants reliever Sam Hentges went a different route, skipping the Pride-themed cap entirely and wearing the team’s standard black cap with the orange “SF” logo instead.

MLB responded with two separate statements. The first put players on notice that writing on caps violates league rules. A follow-up statement issued Tuesday clarified that the “routine verbal warning” was not directed at the religious nature of the messages, but simply at the act of altering a uniform.

“We have given the same warning numerous times in the past to players for messages such as, ‘Dad’, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, I Love Mom,’ and names of family members,” the league stated.

The controversy quickly caught the attention of national political figures. Vice President JD Vance shared a post about the MLB warning on social media, writing, “Trump won we don’t have to do this anymore.” President Donald Trump’s second administration has taken a notably aggressive stance toward the LGBTQ+ community, particularly targeting transgender individuals.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley sent a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday saying he had “grave concern” about the warning issued to the players. Hawley described the warning as “dubious,” arguing that MLB is already taking a political position by requiring Pride-themed uniforms in the first place. He asked the commissioner to respond to several questions, including a request for a full list of all uniform violation fines handed down over the past five years.

First-year Giants manager Tony Vitello, whose club entered Wednesday with the second-worst record in the National League, said he’s been too focused on the field to follow the political fallout.

“I didn’t know about the vice president, it hasn’t been in my world,” Vitello said. “My world’s kind of been, ‘How do we find a way to beat the Braves?’ And then if we can beat them, try and beat them again. So hopefully our guys are focused on what they’ve got to do and handling their business the right way.”

This isn’t the first time Pride Night has sparked controversy in baseball. Back in 2022, several Tampa Bay Rays players declined to wear rainbow logos during their team’s Pride Night. Reliever Jason Adam, who now plays for the San Diego Padres, described it as a faith-driven choice at the time.

“It’s just what we believe the lifestyle he’s (Jesus) encouraged us to live for our good, not to withhold,” Adam told the Tampa Bay Times in 2022. “But we love these men and women, we care about them and we want them to feel safe and welcome here.”

MLB finds itself in a unique position among the four major North American professional sports leagues because part of its regular season falls in June, which is widely recognized as Pride Month. All but one MLB team — the Texas Rangers — holds a Pride Night in June.

Other leagues, including the NBA and NHL, also see a majority of their teams host Pride-themed events during their respective seasons. The NHL dealt with its own string of high-profile controversies surrounding Pride Nights during the 2022-23 season, when multiple players refused to wear Pride-themed pregame jerseys and at least two teams — the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild — quietly canceled their Pride Nights after initially announcing them, without providing any explanation.

When World Cup players take the field in Miami, they may find themselves fighting two opponents at once — the team across from them and the brutal South Florida heat.

Dr. Jason Kostrna, an assistant professor and graduate kinesiology program leader at Florida International University, is raising alarms about the dangerous combination of heat and humidity that could threaten player health and performance. Kinesiology is the scientific study of movement, exercise, and physical performance.

“Unfortunately here in Miami, it’s very humid and so when you go and exercise, you start dripping sweat,” Kostrna told Reuters. “That means that you are not evaporating it. It’s just rolling off you and you are not getting that heat loss.”

When the body can’t cool itself through sweat evaporation, the heart kicks into overdrive, pumping blood toward the skin in a last-ditch effort to shed heat — a process that largely fails in Miami’s thick, sticky air.

“Then when it can’t, it starts to really try and increase that heart rate,” Kostrna explained.

Beyond the physical toll, Kostrna noted that heat stress piles on top of the mental pressure players already feel when representing their country on the world stage.

“You’ll start to see the pace of play maybe drop a little, you’ll start seeing that decision-making becomes a little more conservative. Whether that’s consciously or unconsciously, depends on the athlete,” he said.

Temperatures Could Approach 120 Degrees Fahrenheit

Temperatures across World Cup host cities are already running several degrees above their historical norms. But when measured using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature — a scale that accounts for humidity, sunlight, and wind speed in addition to air temperature — the numbers become even more alarming.

“Our wet bulb globe temperature for some of these games could be close to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.8°C) when you factor in radiative heat, humidity, the ambient temperature and throw in a little bit of the plastic or concrete jungle effect,” Kostrna said. “If we do not actively work to take care of everybody, that is enough to cause major heat illness.”

Miami-Dade County has announced that Miami Stadium will have cooling stations, water trailers, hydration zones, and misting areas set up for fans and workers throughout the tournament.

Hydration Breaks Only Go So Far

Three-minute hydration breaks have been added to all matches, giving players a chance to take in fluids during games. But Kostrna cautioned that those breaks won’t solve the problem if players haven’t been properly hydrating in the days leading up to a match.

“If you’re behind on hydration, this is not magically going to fix it,” he said. “For the athletes, it can help bring their heart rate down, get some hydration. (The hydration breaks) can be a little bit longer, that would probably be better.”

His strongest recommendation for competing teams is simple: get to Miami early and let your body adjust.

“My hope is that there are not any teams that are truly just showing up off the plane and they’re experiencing this for the first time,” Kostrna said. “Hopefully they have been in town for weeks and have been practising in this (heat). That should be enough even if you are somebody who is coming from one of these colder regions, your body will adapt over those weeks.”

Mexico City police took a 24-year-old man into custody Wednesday after he allegedly tried to rent out his official World Cup credential through social media, which would have allowed someone else to gain unauthorized access to stadium venues, according to local authorities.

Officers apprehended the suspect near the Azteca Stadium after he attempted to reactivate his accreditation pass, the city’s Citizen Security Secretariat announced in an official statement.

Authorities were tipped off when a legal representative for World Cup organizers spotted the posts online and notified police. The amount the man was allegedly asking for the rental was not disclosed by authorities.

Mexico City is one of the host cities for the expanded 48-team World Cup tournament, with several matches scheduled there, including group-stage games involving Mexico. Also on Wednesday, first-time World Cup participants Uzbekistan were set to take on Colombia in a Group K contest in the capital.

The suspect, whose name was not released, has been transferred to the public prosecutor’s office, which will decide how to proceed with his case, the statement noted.

SEATTLE — When the United States men’s national soccer team takes the field against Australia this Friday, the match will carry meaning well beyond a spot in the World Cup knockout round. The game falls on Juneteenth, a federal holiday since 2021 that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans, and co-host city Seattle is planning a series of events to mark the occasion.

Girmay Zahilay, the executive of King County, where Seattle is located, said Wednesday that the timing of the match and the arrival of fans from around the world create “a rare opportunity to celebrate a really deeply important part of our nation’s history.” He added, “This wouldn’t be the first time that sports and social justice or social awareness have combined.”

Marcus Green, a member of Seattle’s Juneteenth Matchday Advisory Committee, offered historical context for the holiday. He explained that Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation — when a group of enslaved African Americans finally learned they were free.

“That gap between the word and the world is what Juneteenth asks us to hold,” Green said. “This is the uncomfortable, essential American truth: that freedom is not a single moment. It is a practice, a project and unfinished and that is why Juneteenth matters.”

The match takes place as the current U.S. presidential administration pushes to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs — efforts that are currently being contested in court. Still, former U.S. men’s national team player Tony Sanneh, who was part of the squad’s memorable run to the quarterfinals at the 2002 World Cup, said the current roster’s diversity is something to be proud of.

“For me personally, it’s heartwarming,” Sanneh told Reuters. “If you look at the players on the team, very international, very representative of our country, so we can celebrate the team and celebrate this holiday together.”

Sanneh went on to say the team’s makeup sends a broader message about American identity. “I think it could be representative of what we hope that every community and city is like in America: it doesn’t really matter where you were born, it doesn’t really matter where your parents were born. It matters where you are and you joining up with your teammates to make it better so that you all win together.”

Boston bars are bracing for another massive surge in beer consumption as Scotland’s passionate Tartan Army of soccer supporters prepares for its second weekend in the city — after fans came dangerously close to emptying several pubs dry during their first round of World Cup celebrations.

When Scotland defeated Haiti 1-0 on Saturday in the country’s first World Cup appearance since 1998, bar workers were forced to rush emergency supplies to venues packed with tens of thousands of notoriously enthusiastic Scottish fans.

Billy DeCain, general manager of the Sam Adams Tap Room in downtown Boston, said the experience was unlike anything he had seen in three decades in the industry. “I’ve been in this business for over 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.

At one point during that first weekend, the bar had to arrange a special delivery truck directly from a Sam Adams brewery just to keep up with the relentless demand. Even with that emergency shipment, DeCain said he was worried they might be forced to sell only canned beer.

“We just about made it through. If we didn’t have those emergency deliveries it would have been a tall task,” DeCain said on Wednesday, as fans nursed pints while waiting for Friday’s upcoming match against Morocco.

Both the Haiti game and the Morocco match are being held at the large stadium in the suburban town of Foxborough — the home of the New England Patriots American football team.

DeCain offered an American frame of reference for understanding the level of excitement the Scottish fans brought with them, comparing it to what it would feel like if a beloved American football team made it to the Super Bowl for the very first time.

“You’re on adrenaline all weekend, and you could definitely see that,” he said of the Scots and their first World Cup adventure in nearly 30 years. “Do they ever sleep? Do they ever get tired? They were back at it the next day at 11 a.m.”

The Tartan Army’s enthusiasm extended well beyond the bars. On Sunday, fans marched through the streets to the sound of massed bagpipes, making their way to Fenway Park, the home stadium of the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said local residents immediately connected with the visiting fans’ deep passion for their sport. Wearing a blue Scotland shirt on the steps of Boston City Hall, Wu told reporters: “We count ourselves as among the most passionate and crazy sports fans anywhere. So, to see that same level of commitment and dedication, that brings true respect.”

Wu went on to heap further praise on the visiting supporters. “The Scottish fans are the absolute best. They have been incredibly warm, they’ve been supporting our businesses, they have been getting to know our community and treating Boston as if it were another home away from home for them. So, I hope that the Tartan Army will keep coming back to Boston.”

After Friday’s Morocco match, Scotland’s World Cup journey moves to Miami for a game against Brazil. Meanwhile, Boston will shift its focus to welcoming Scotland’s historic rival England, along with England’s own large contingent of traveling fans, ahead of England’s match against Ghana at Foxborough the following Tuesday.

Quarterback Brendan Sorsby is making moves toward a professional football career, with plans to hold a workout for NFL scouts on July 10 at a Dallas-area high school ahead of the league’s supplemental draft.

A person with knowledge of the situation shared the information with The Associated Press on Wednesday, though they requested anonymity because the supplemental draft process had not yet been finalized.

The deadline to apply for the supplemental draft falls on Monday, but lingering procedural questions remain tied to a temporary injunction issued by a Texas district court. That court order had previously cleared the way for Sorsby to play for Texas Tech this coming fall season.

In order to be eligible for the NFL’s supplemental draft — a rarely used process that would wrap up at least a week before the first training camp opens in late July — Sorsby must first be considered ineligible for NCAA competition. That means the temporary injunction, handed down June 8 by a Lubbock County court, would need to be lifted.

The NCAA originally declared Sorsby permanently ineligible after he acknowledged placing thousands of bets totaling at least $90,000 during his time at three college programs. He began his college career at Indiana, then spent two seasons at Cincinnati before transferring in January to Texas Tech, the reigning Big 12 Conference champion.

Among the bets he admitted to were at least 40 wagers placed on Indiana games during his freshman year in 2022, though none of those bets involved a game in which he personally took the field for the Hoosiers.

Sorsby, who is originally from the Dallas area, had been engaged in what was described as an unprecedented legal effort to restore his college eligibility before ultimately deciding to pursue a path to the NFL instead.

A pair of former Philadelphia Phillies who each have World Series rings will be in the dugout for the next generation of baseball talent when the MLB Futures Game takes place in Philadelphia on July 12, ahead of the All-Star Game.

Shane Victorino, affectionately nicknamed “The Flyin’ Hawaiian,” has been tapped to manage the National League Futures squad, while longtime Phillies figure Larry Bowa will take the helm of the American League side.

Victorino, now 45, spent key years as a center fielder in Philadelphia, earning four Gold Glove awards and a place on the 2008 World Series championship roster. He later added another title to his resume when he won with the Boston Red Sox in 2013.

Bowa, 80 years old, has deep roots in the Phillies organization spanning nearly four decades. Currently serving as senior adviser to baseball operations for Philadelphia, he was the team’s shortstop when the Phillies claimed the World Series title back in 1980. Over his career, he earned five National League All-Star selections and took home two Gold Gloves.

As a manager, Bowa led the San Diego Padres during the 1987 and 1988 seasons before returning to Philadelphia, where he guided the Phillies to a 337-308 record between 2001 and 2004.

Several current major league players are already on the 2025 Futures Game rosters, including Carter Jensen of the Kansas City Royals, Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers, Braden Montgomery of the Chicago White Sox, and JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The remainder of the coaching staffs for both squads will be revealed at a later time. First pitch is scheduled for noon ET.

The Vegas Golden Knights announced Wednesday that Ryan Craig has been named the team’s new head coach, taking over from John Tortorella.

Craig had been serving as the head coach of the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate based in Henderson, Nevada, before receiving the promotion to the NHL level.

Craig is expected to meet with the media on Thursday to discuss his new role with the club.

Messi ties World Cup scoring record with hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lionel Messi delivered the first hat trick of his World Cup career Tuesday night, tying Miroslav Klose’s all-time tournament scoring record in front of a packed house of Argentina supporters at Arrowhead Stadium. The defending champions cruised to a 3-0 victory over Algeria. Messi put his team on the board in the opening minutes, added a second goal early in the second half, and completed the hat trick shortly before being substituted out. The milestone came exactly 20 years after Messi’s World Cup debut — in which he also found the back of the net. He now has 16 World Cup goals across six tournament appearances. His dominant showing overshadowed big nights from Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, both of whom also scored twice in their respective matches earlier in the evening.

Argentina fans sparing no expense to follow their beloved team

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Die-hard Argentina supporters are going to extraordinary lengths to follow the defending World Cup champions across the United States. One group made a 20-hour road trip to Tuesday’s opener in Kansas City against Algeria, surviving on sandwiches to cut costs. But with Lionel Messi potentially playing in his final World Cup, fans say no journey is too far and no ticket too expensive. Among them is Juan Martin, who is spending $20,000 to trail the team throughout the tournament. He compares the squad and its captain to the Chicago Bulls dynasty led by Michael Jordan. Their devotion paid off as Messi scored all three of Argentina’s goals.

Mbappé surpasses Pelé’s record with two goals as France defeats Senegal 3-1

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Kylian Mbappé scored a pair of goals Tuesday to push his career World Cup total to 14, moving him past Pelé on the all-time list. Bradley Barcola also scored as France overcame a sluggish opening half to defeat Senegal 3-1. Mbappé had just 14 touches in a scoreless first half — the fewest of any player on the field — before turning on the jets in the second. He gave France the lead in the 66th minute and added another in stoppage time. Barcola came on as a substitute in the 80th minute and scored just two minutes after entering. Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back for Senegal with an angled shot late in stoppage time.

Haaland scores twice in World Cup debut as Norway rolls past Iraq 4-1

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Erling Haaland announced himself on the World Cup stage Tuesday, scoring his first two goals in the tournament to lead Norway to a 4-1 victory over Iraq in Group I. The goals were the 56th and 57th international strikes for the Manchester City forward, and they came in Norway’s first World Cup appearance since 1998. Leo Ostigard extended the lead to 3-1 in the 76th minute off a corner kick from Martin Odegaard, and an own goal by Iraq’s Aymen Hussein sealed the result just before the final whistle. Iraq had briefly leveled the score nine minutes after Haaland’s opening goal, with Hussein netting that equalizer as well.

U.S. pushes back on Iran’s complaints about post-match departure

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is defending its handling of Iran’s national soccer team after Iranian officials complained the squad was forced to immediately leave the United States following its first World Cup match rather than being allowed a day to rest. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the U.S. had been upfront about the arrangement, stating the country “was clear this was the process.” Separately, Iran winger Mehdi Torabi’s entry visa expired after the team’s first game. Both U.S. State Department officials and team representatives confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Torabi had obtained a new multiple-entry visa.

U.S. team says Pochettino has built a tough mentality ahead of World Cup group play

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. World Cup squad says it is mentally and physically ready for a rugged matchup against Australia in group play this week, and players credit head coach Mauricio Pochettino for that edge. Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter says Pochettino has drilled a key message into the team: “We’re American. We don’t take (crap).” That attitude was shaped in part during an October friendly against Australia, which the U.S. won 2-1 in a scrappy contest in Colorado. Pochettino reportedly tore into his players at halftime, demanding they push back after the Australians played an aggressive, physical style.

Scheffler chasing career Grand Slam at U.S. Open, but says it’s not his driving force

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler stands on the verge of completing a career Grand Slam at the U.S. Open, a feat that would draw yet another comparison to Tiger Woods. This marks Scheffler’s first opportunity to join golf’s most exclusive club. Woods is the only player in the modern era to accomplish the Grand Slam on his first attempt. Between Scheffler and that goal is Shinnecock Hills, one of the most demanding courses in the country — and that’s before the USGA adds its own challenges. Rory McIlroy noted the course is playing relatively gently at the moment, but with wind in the forecast, conditions could shift in a hurry.

Authorities say they foiled planned drone and gun attack on White House UFC event

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities say they disrupted a plot to carry out a violent attack on the UFC cage-fighting event held at the White House last weekend. Court documents unsealed Tuesday reveal that those involved discussed using explosives-laden drones and opening fire on crowd members as they fled in panic. Encrypted text messages obtained by the FBI showed roughly 20 individuals sharing detailed maps of the area and talking about securing a safe house and planning escape routes. It remains unclear from court records how close the plotters came to executing the scheme, which was stopped last week. Among those arrested was a 19-year-old man from Ohio, according to the FBI.

What does a winning score look like at the U.S. Open? Experts say under par is the new standard

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Arnold Palmer famously declared that a score of 280 always wins the U.S. Open — a statement he made in 1960 during his celebrated charge at Cherry Hills, when even par was considered the benchmark. But the game has evolved dramatically over the past six decades, and so has the standard for winning. With Shinnecock Hills hosting this week’s tournament, the course’s reputation as one of America’s toughest tracks — combined with wind in the forecast — is generating plenty of conversation. Still, some former major champions believe that finishing anywhere from 5 to 10 under par would be a sign that the course has truly lived up to its difficult billing.

It was a big night for the Boston Fleet at the 2026 PWHL Awards, held Tuesday in Detroit, as the team walked away with five of the seven individual honors handed out at the event.

Goaltender Aerin Frankel was the star of the evening, earning two major distinctions — the Billie Jean King MVP Award and the Goaltender of the Year Award. The 26-year-old becomes the first goaltender in league history to receive MVP recognition. During the season, Frankel set new league records with 19 wins and eight shutouts, helping the Fleet tie for the PWHL lead with 62 points across 30 games.

Boston’s success extended beyond Frankel. Defender Megan Keller was recognized as the Defender of the Year, while Haley Winn earned Rookie of the Year honors. Head coach Kris Sparre was also celebrated, taking home the Coach of the Year award.

Two other awards went to players from different teams. Kelly Pannek of the Minnesota Frost was named the Forward of the Year. Rebecca Leslie of the Ottawa Charge received the PWHL “Hockey For All” Award, given to the player who has made the greatest positive impact in her community.

The PWHL also announced its All-Star teams for the season.

The First All-Star Team featured forwards Taylor Heise of Minnesota, Brianne Jenner of Ottawa, and Kelly Pannek of Minnesota. The defensive spots went to Sophie Jaques of Vancouver and Megan Keller of Boston, with Aerin Frankel of Boston named as goaltender.

On the Second All-Star Team, the forwards selected were Britta Curl-Salemme of Minnesota, Rebecca Leslie of Ottawa, and Laura Stacey of Montreal. Defenders Nicole Gosling of Montreal and Haley Winn of Boston rounded out the back end, with Ann-Renee Desbiens of Montreal named as goaltender.

The All-Rookie Team included forwards Kristyna Kaltounkova of New York, Abby Newhook of Boston, and Casey O’Brien of New York. Defenders Nicole Gosling of Montreal and Haley Winn of Boston were also named, with Hannah Murphy of Seattle earning the goaltender spot.

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs made a major coaching hire Wednesday, naming Jim Hiller as the 41st head coach in the franchise’s history. Hiller is no stranger to the organization, having previously served as an assistant coach with the club from 2015 to 2019.

At 57 years old, Hiller steps in to replace Craig Berube as new general manager John Chayka continues to reshape the team during the offseason.

Hiller comes to Toronto after serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, where he put together a 93-58-24 record across parts of three seasons. His tenure with Los Angeles ended on March 1 when the Kings dismissed him following an 8-1 defeat to Edmonton. Prior to taking over as head coach, Hiller had spent two seasons with the Kings as an assistant.

Born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Hiller built his coaching foundation over 11 seasons in junior hockey. His resume includes time with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and multiple teams in the British Columbia Hockey League before he made the jump to the NHL level.

Berube was let go on May 13 after two seasons behind the bench, a departure that followed a dramatic fall from grace for the Leafs. Toronto had finished first in the Atlantic Division in 2024-25 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, only to crash to last place in the division and 28th overall in the NHL the following season.

Berube’s dismissal came just 10 days after Chayka was brought in to replace Brad Treliving. Chayka described the decision to move on from Berube as “an opportunity to start fresh” and indicated the team would conduct a broad coaching search.

In addition to the front-office changes, Chayka made a notable trade Tuesday, sending goaltender Joseph Woll and depth defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Emil Andrae, goalie Samuel Ersson, and a third-round selection at next week’s NHL draft.

Toronto also holds the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft — the franchise’s first top pick since selecting Auston Matthews with the first pick in the 2016 draft.

When Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson was healthy and on the floor, he looked like a legitimate candidate to go first overall in the NBA draft. The trouble was staying on the court.

The 6-foot-5, 199-pound combo guard put up 20.2 points per game but sat out 11 contests due to various injuries and health issues. He stands as the marquee name at a position loaded with freshman talent, joining top-10 prospects such as Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., and Houston’s Kingston Flemings ahead of Tuesday’s first round.

Here’s a closer look at the top guards entering the draft:

DARRYN PETERSON, Kansas

What he brings: Peterson is a dynamic scoring playmaker capable of creating off the dribble, operating in the halfcourt, and running in transition. He connected on 38.2% of his three-point attempts, including a six-three performance in a victory at Oklahoma State. He was also a reliable free throw shooter, converting 82.6% of his attempts and drawing contact frequently — logging six games with at least eight foul shot attempts, including one game with 16 against TCU in the Big 12 Tournament and another with 15 while pouring in a season-best 32 points in an overtime comeback against TCU. He also chipped in 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

Questions to answer: His availability was a constant concern throughout the season. He was hospitalized before the year even started due to full-body cramping. Beyond the games he missed entirely, he sometimes played limited minutes and was abruptly pulled from games — a pattern that will give NBA front offices pause. On a positive note, he played 37 minutes against Cal Baptist and 36 minutes against St. John’s in his two NCAA Tournament appearances.

DARIUS ACUFF JR., Arkansas

What he brings: The 6-2, 186-pound freshman earned first-team Associated Press All-American honors and his offensive game is the centerpiece of his draft profile. He ranked third in the country in scoring at 23.5 points per game and 14th in assists at 6.4. He helped lead Arkansas to its first Southeastern Conference Tournament championship in 26 years and a Sweet 16 appearance. Acuff thrived as a pick-and-roll ball handler, rated “Excellent” in the 89th percentile by Synergy, and also graded “Very Good” in isolation situations at the 74th percentile. His standout moment came when he set a program freshman record with 49 points in a double-overtime loss at Alabama. He also put up 91 points and 12 three-pointers across three SEC Tournament victories.

Questions to answer: Defense is a notable concern, particularly his ability to guard bigger guards at the next level.

KEATON WAGLER, Illinois

What he brings: Wagler arrived as a four-star recruit and left as a second-team AP All-American after helping Illinois reach the Final Four for the first time in 21 years. The 6-5, 188-pound freshman demonstrated a well-rounded game with the size to play on or off the ball. He averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 39.7% from three-point range, including a nine-three explosion for 46 points against Purdue. Synergy graded him “Excellent” as a pick-and-roll ball handler and with his shot off the dribble, on catch-and-shoot opportunities, and in contested situations.

Questions to answer: His slender build could be a liability against stronger defenders, and he doesn’t possess elite athleticism.

MIKEL BROWN JR., Louisville

What he brings: The Louisville freshman is a high-upside scorer measuring in at 6-5 and 180 pounds. He averaged 18.2 points and 4.7 assists per game. His signature performance was a 45-point, 10-three-pointer effort in a blowout win over N.C. State, which broke the Atlantic Coast Conference freshman scoring record previously held by 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.

Questions to answer: He’ll need to add physical strength and fill out his frame over time. He also dealt with back problems that kept him out of eight games at midseason, and those issues returned to sideline him for the final six games of the year, including two NCAA Tournament contests.

KINGSTON FLEMINGS, Houston

What he brings: The 6-3, 183-pound freshman earned third-team AP All-American recognition as a lead guard with defensive upside. He averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field, 38.7% from three, and 84.5% from the foul line. He set a Houston freshman scoring record with 42 points in a loss to Texas Tech and finished the season with a nearly 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. At the NBA combine, Flemings ranked in the top six among tested players in lane-agility time, shuttle run, and three-quarter-court sprint.

Questions to answer: He’ll need to bulk up to handle physical play at the next level, and his shooting mechanics have been identified as an area that needs work.

Others worth watching:

— BRAYDEN BURRIES: The 6-4, 215-pound Arizona freshman is a sturdy two-way combo guard and top-10 prospect who shot 39.1% from three and finished fourth at the combine in standing vertical leap at 35 inches.

— LABARON PHILON JR.: The 6-3, 176-pound Alabama sophomore was a third-team AP All-American after averaging 22.0 points and 5.0 assists. The potential late-lottery pick improved his shooting efficiency to 50.1% overall and 39.9% from three while excelling as a pick-and-roll ball handler, ranking in the 94th percentile by Synergy.

— CAMERON CARR: The 6-5, 184-pound sophomore transferred from Tennessee to Baylor, putting up 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. The first-round prospect ranked second at the combine in standing vertical leap at 38 inches and third in max vertical at 42.5 inches.

— BENNETT STIRTZ: The 6-3, 186-pound point guard made the jump from Division II to Drake to Iowa, where he led the Hawkeyes to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. He averaged 19.8 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals. Synergy rated him “Excellent” as a pick-and-roll ball handler in the 91st percentile and as a finisher at the rim in the 90th.

— DAILYN SWAIN: The 6-7, 211-pound wing transferred from Xavier to Texas, averaging 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. The first-round prospect averaged 1.6 steals but connected on just 29.3% of his three-point attempts across three seasons.

— CHRISTIAN ANDERSON: The 6-1, 180-pound Texas Tech sophomore was a third-team AP All-American who averaged 18.5 points while ranking fifth nationally in assists at 7.4 per game. He projects as a scoring playmaker and shot 40% from three over two seasons, though his size is a concern.

— EBUKA OKORIE: The four-star prospect emerged as a surprise freshman standout at Stanford, ranking seventh nationally in scoring at 23.2 points per game with a high of 40 against Georgia Tech. The first-round prospect is undersized at 6-1 and 186 pounds but showed the burst to score in both transition and the halfcourt.

— ISAIAH EVANS: The Duke sophomore is a late first-round candidate who can get hot from outside, shooting 38% on threes over two seasons, including a clutch game-winner to defeat reigning national champion Florida. He needs to add strength to his 6-6, 186-pound frame.

— MELEEK THOMAS: The 6-3, 190-pound Arkansas freshman is a late first-round prospect who averaged 15.6 points. He shot 47.9% from three-point range over a 25-game stretch after Christmas that included the SEC Tournament title run and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.

LONDON — Top seed Alex de Minaur had little trouble dispatching Canadian Denis Shapovalov on Wednesday, cruising into the Queen’s Club quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory that lasted barely more than 60 minutes.

Ranked sixth in the world, de Minaur put on a polished performance on a sun-soaked Andy Murray Arena, extending his personal winning record against Shapovalov to an impressive 6-0.

The display was a noticeable step up from his previous match, in which he defeated fellow Canadian Gabriel Diallo. De Minaur looked every bit the skilled grass-court competitor throughout the contest.

Standing in his way in the quarterfinals will be American Brandon Nakashima, who advanced with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory over Peru’s Ignacio Buse.

British wildcard Arthur Fery also punched his ticket to the quarterfinals, getting past crafty French veteran Adrian Mannarino in a 7-6(7), 6-4 effort.

Italian tennis star Lorenzo Musetti announced Wednesday that he will not compete at Wimbledon this year, as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury that has kept him off the court since mid-May.

The 24-year-old, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2024 and was once ranked as high as fifth in the world, last played when he lost to Casper Ruud in the fourth round of the Italian Open in Rome. That same injury caused him to miss the French Open as well.

Musetti shared the news with fans through Instagram, offering an update on how his rehabilitation is progressing. “I want to update you on my recovery from the injury I sustained in Rome: rehabilitation is going very well and the medical results are encouraging,” he wrote.

Despite the positive signs in his recovery, Musetti said he has not yet been cleared to begin a full athletic training program, making a return to competition at Wimbledon impossible. “Unfortunately, as I have not yet been able to begin a full athletic training program, and after careful evaluation, we have come to the difficult conclusion that I will not be able to participate in Wimbledon this year,” he said.

He acknowledged the weight of the decision but stood by it, adding: “It is not an easy decision, but it is the right one.”

NYON, Switzerland — Heart of Midlothian suffered a gut-wrenching title loss on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season, and now the Edinburgh club faces a long road through Champions League qualifying, beginning with a trip to Austria next month.

The draw held Wednesday placed Hearts against Austrian side Sturm Graz in the second qualifying round. The Scottish club must successfully navigate three qualifying rounds before it can earn a spot in the 36-team league phase, which kicks off in September.

Scottish champion Celtic — the club that snatched the title from Hearts with a victory in the season’s final match — enters the competition at a later stage, beginning in the qualifying playoffs round in late August.

In another second qualifying round matchup involving runner-up clubs from mid-ranked leagues, Fenerbahce was drawn to face Gornik Zabrze.

First-leg matches are scheduled for July 21 and 22 — just two days after the World Cup final — with the return legs taking place one week after that.

Hearts’ troubles have only deepened since the title slipped away. Star forward Lawrence Shankland, currently representing Scotland at the World Cup, has departed to join Rangers. On top of that, Hearts is also set to lose coach Derek McInnes to the storied Glasgow club — and that departure is expected just five weeks before Hearts begins its Champions League qualifying campaign.

Should Hearts advance past Sturm Graz, potential third qualifying round opponents could include Bodo/Glimt, Lyon, or Union Saint-Gilloise.

Wednesday’s draw also featured a separate second qualifying round bracket for first-time national champions, and the two clubs involved came away with very different assignments.

Swiss champion Thun drew a difficult opponent in Champions League regular Dinamo Zagreb, with Thun hosting the first leg.

Sweden’s Mjällby will also play the opening leg at home, facing the winner of a first qualifying round tie between Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar and Inter Club d’Escaldes of Andorra. That first-round matchup is set for early July.

Both Thun and Mjällby entered the draw as unseeded clubs, guaranteeing each a seeded opponent. The seeded options available were Dinamo Zagreb, former European champion Red Star Belgrade, and Lincoln — which holds a higher UEFA ranking thanks to its participation in last season’s third-tier Conference League.

Red Star Belgrade, winners of the 1991 European Cup, was drawn to play their away leg first against either Tre Fiori of San Marino or Northern Ireland’s Larne.

The San Francisco Giants recently held a Gay Pride celebration at their stadium, outfitting all players with special uniforms featuring rainbow colors for the occasion.

However, three members of the team chose to make their own statement by writing Bible verses on their hats. The passages selected came from the Book of Genesis and referenced what the players described as the true meaning of the rainbow.

In response, Major League Baseball stepped in with a warning directed at the players, making clear that the Pride uniforms are not to be modified or altered in any way.

NEW YORK (AP) — For New York Knicks fans, Thursday’s celebration has been a long time coming.

The NBA champions will finally receive a ticker-tape parade through New York City — something that never happened when the team won titles in 1970 and 1973. This will mark the first time the Knicks have been honored with the city’s iconic lower Broadway procession.

Why did those earlier championships go without the famous “Canyon of Heroes” treatment? There’s no single clear answer, but history offers some clues. During the 1970s, then-Mayor John Lindsay had scaled back the grand confetti-filled events. Instead, he celebrated the Knicks at the mayoral mansion and at City Hall — respectable venues, but not the legendary Broadway route.

Current Mayor Zohran Mamdani appears eager to make up for lost time. He has boldly predicted that Thursday’s event could go down as “the largest parade in New York City history.”

“There will be performances, there will be New Yorkers, there will be the team and there will be history,” the mayor, a Democrat, said Monday while touring a city facility that was producing temporary “Champions Way” signs for the parade route. The celebration is scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. Thursday near Battery Park and wrap up at City Hall.

The roots of New York’s ticker-tape tradition stretch back to the late 1800s. According to the Downtown Alliance, a lower Manhattan advocacy group, brokerage workers watching parades from their office windows began tossing out the narrow paper strips used by telegraph-era stock ticker machines — apparently as a form of decoration. The Downtown Alliance partnered with the private Museum of the City of New York to research and document the parade history.

Both organizations trace the tradition’s origin to an 1886 event marking the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. It became a city-organized affair in 1919 to welcome home soldiers returning from World War I. Athletes were first honored with a ticker-tape celebration in 1924, when the U.S. Olympic team received the treatment.

Over the decades, the parades multiplied, recognizing achievements in aviation, military service, sports, music, space exploration, and more, according to the museum and the Downtown Alliance.

The celebrations covered a wide range of occasions — historical anniversaries, firefighters, the Red Cross, ship rescues, an attempted ship rescue, and even a ship replica (the Mayflower II received the honor in 1957). A number of U.S. presidents were feted, as were dozens of foreign dignitaries — some with troubling legacies. French Marshal Henri Petain, for instance, was showered with ticker tape in 1931, only to later be convicted of treason for leading the Vichy government that collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.

By the time Lindsay took office in 1966, enthusiasm for the parades had begun to wane. Lower Manhattan businesses grew frustrated with the repeated disruptions, and some New Yorkers viewed the spectacles as hollow and overly routine. Lindsay and his public events commissioner — former Knicks captain John “Bud” Palmer — moved away from ticker-tape blowouts for visiting dignitaries, preferring smaller, more personal and cost-effective gatherings, according to reporting by The Associated Press and other outlets from that era.

The economic climate of 1970 made things even harder. The country was in a recession, the city’s events budget had been slashed, and Palmer — who worked for a symbolic salary of just $1 — was already irritated after a $372 expense bill (worth roughly $3,300 today) for materials used in a 1969 ticker-tape parade for the New York Mets’ World Series win was rejected, according to documents uncovered by the city Department of Records & Information Services.

The New York Jets’ Super Bowl victory that same year also went without a ticker-tape parade, even though one had recently been held to honor the Apollo 8 astronauts for their historic orbit around the moon.

Later in 1970, the Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers to claim the NBA title. Lindsay, a liberal Republican, sent a congratulatory telegram and hosted a reception for the team at the official mayoral residence, according to news accounts from the time.

When the Knicks beat the Lakers again for the 1973 championship, Lindsay organized a celebration in front of City Hall and encouraged “every New Yorker who can to come.”

City officials were apparently caught off guard when more than 2,000 mostly young fans took him up on the offer. Police had difficulty keeping the area around the speakers’ platform clear, according to a New York Times report from that day.

The ceremony proceeded as planned, and Lindsay presented the team with a uniquely civic honor: medals commemorating the 75th anniversary of the consolidation of New York’s five boroughs into a single city.

Championship parades became more common in the following decades. The most recent ticker-tape event in New York City celebrated the WNBA’s New York Liberty in 2024.

Austria marked their long-awaited return to World Cup soccer with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over first-time qualifier Jordan on Tuesday evening in Santa Clara, California, with substitute Marko Arnautovic playing a pivotal role in the Group J showdown.

The match, played on a cool night in the San Francisco Bay Area, saw Austria draw first blood in the 21st minute when Romano Schmid launched a powerful shot into the top corner from outside the penalty area. Jordan answered back early in the second half with a stunning strike from Ali Olwan, who drove down the left flank and curled a beautiful shot off the far post to level the score.

Austria’s decision to bring on the 37-year-old Arnautovic at halftime turned the tide. He had a goal wiped out in the 69th minute following a VAR review that determined teammate Stefan Posch had handled the ball. But Arnautovic kept the pressure on, and seven minutes later that persistence paid off when Jordanian defender Yazan Al Arab was forced into an own goal off a Stefan Sabitzer corner kick. Arnautovic then added a penalty 12 minutes into stoppage time to seal the result.

Austria midfielder Konrad Laimer reflected on the challenge Jordan presented throughout the match.

“We knew that this was going to be a difficult match … there were situations where we did a good job, there were phases where we underperformed,” Laimer said. “What’s important is the mentality of the entire team — we never gave up, we kept going until the end and finally we came out on top.”

For Austria, the win was especially meaningful — it was their first World Cup appearance in 28 years. Jordan, making their debut on the world’s biggest soccer stage, gave a determined performance with the speed of forwards Olwan and Mousa Al-Tamari keeping Austria’s defense busy throughout the game. Jordan captain Ehsan Haddad nearly opened the scoring just two minutes in when his low shot grazed the side netting.

Despite the defeat, Jordan’s Olwan remained optimistic about what lies ahead for his squad.

“We didn’t deserve to lose in our first-ever World Cup appearance — a historic participation for us,” Olwan said. “We still have two matches ahead, and based on what I saw from our team today, we are capable of qualifying.”

CASABLANCA, Morocco — Their bright red jerseys contrasted sharply against the green grass. Most of the players were teenage girls. Some had escaped a raging civil war. Others had never competed in an organized soccer league or stepped inside a major stadium before this moment.

But when they walked onto the pitch at Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, they made history — Sudan’s first appearance in international women’s soccer since civil war tore the country apart, in a nation where women playing sports has long been a deeply contested issue.

“My goal is to lift up soccer in my country,” said Nura Mohamed, the team’s 17-year-old captain, speaking to the Associated Press. “It’s a beautiful, unique feeling because, at the end of the day, I just love playing.”

Sudan’s under-17 women’s national team traveled to Morocco last week to compete in qualifying rounds for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The inexperienced squad was overwhelmed by Comoros, giving up 30 goals across two matches. After the final whistle, with only a handful of fans cheering from the stands, many of the players wept.

They were up against an older, more physically developed, and far more experienced opponent. Sudan’s soccer federation, unable to field a senior women’s team in time, chose to enter the younger squad rather than forfeit their spot in the competition. The girls had only begun training a few weeks before the tournament.

“The difference between us and the others is huge. We cannot yet compete at the highest level,” said Burhan Tia, a veteran Sudanese soccer coach who oversees all of Sudan’s women’s national teams, speaking after the first match — a 17-0 loss. “Comoros has many players competing in Europe, our team is mainly made up of schoolgirls.”

Women’s soccer in Sudan effectively collapsed when the civil war broke out in 2023. For federation officials, getting this young team onto an international stage after years of conflict represents a meaningful step toward keeping the women’s game alive in the country.

“Some traveled long distances just to attend training. Many are separated from their families, yet they continue to work hard and pursue their dream,” said Manal Ali Bushra, a businesswoman who leads the women’s soccer committee, in comments to the AP.

Ali Bushra said the federation is pursuing infrastructure improvements, including a planned sports city and the renovation of key stadiums in more stable regions of the country. She declined to discuss the women’s program’s budget or financial backing.

Coach Tia understood the scale of the challenge when he agreed to take on the task of rebuilding a program that had fallen apart.

“First, I had to find girls who played soccer. Then, once I found girls who played, I had to make sure they were the right age,” he said. “Then I needed to convince their parents to let them miss classes for training.”

With the domestic league shut down, Tia’s search for players took him to schools throughout Sudan and to neighboring Egypt, where many Sudanese families had taken refuge from the fighting. He brought in 10 players from clubs and academies in Cairo, with the remainder coming from cities inside Sudan.

He had hoped to recruit from conflict-affected regions like Darfur or Kordofan — an area historically known for producing some of Sudan’s finest athletes — but many girls there had lost their identification documents, making it impossible to verify their ages under international soccer rules. The war has also devastated transportation infrastructure, turning trips that once took a few hours into dangerous journeys spanning several days.

On the field, the players’ limited experience showed. Several had difficulty with basic positioning, struggling to hold an offside line or maintain any tactical structure. Throughout the matches, they frequently looked to the sidelines for guidance from Tia and his assistant coach.

The United Nations has called the war in Sudan the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The conflict began in 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open warfare, bringing with it mass killings, rape, and ethnic violence. The U.N. reports more than 40,000 people have died, and over 14 million have been displaced, with famine and disease spreading across parts of the country.

The war brought all sports activity to a halt, including the women’s soccer league, which was formally established following the 2019 revolution that removed President Omar al-Bashir from power. His three decades of Islamist rule were defined by Public Order Laws that rights organizations said severely restricted women’s freedoms. Even after his removal, a prominent Sudanese religious figure publicly claimed the creation of a women’s football league was an attack on religion.

“The idea of women running, jumping, sweating, and even something as simple as their bodies being visible in motion, was seen by Bashir’s Islamist regime as producing fitna, which in a Sudanese context was understood as sexual or moral chaos,” said Liv Tønnessen, a political scientist who researches gender politics in Sudan, in comments to the AP.

“So when women step onto a soccer pitch, they are directly confronting that entire logic. They are not just present in a male-dominated sports arena, they are moving freely in it, on their own terms,” added Tønnessen, who previously served as a guest researcher at a women-only university in Sudan.

Beyond the institutional obstacles, players also faced a flood of sexist harassment online. Comment sections on the national team’s social media pages were filled with people mocking the squad over their lopsided losses. Others posted messages telling the players to “go back to the kitchen” — in multiple languages.

While Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s military government has permitted international soccer travel for the teenage players, the U.N. has documented sexual and gender-based violence carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces, which he commands.

Tønnessen views the government’s support for the team as a strategic move by the military to appear legitimate. By backing the squad, she argues, the military is trying to signal that the country is functioning normally and to associate itself with the spirit of the 2019 revolution.

Hala Al-Karib, a prominent Sudanese women’s rights activist, pushed back against critics who argue the team is simply being used to project a more progressive image on women’s rights.

“The main challenge for me is a reform of the federation,” she told the AP, pointing to what she described as a lack of real investment in and support for women’s soccer in Sudan.

But back on the pitch in Casablanca, the politics, the war, and the debate all seemed to fade into the background — leaving nothing but a group of teenagers chasing a ball.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Lionel Messi made a powerful statement Tuesday night, scoring three goals to lead Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Algeria in World Cup action, putting to rest any questions about whether the 38-year-old legend still has what it takes at the highest level.

The performance came just one day after Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni declared that Messi was “even more” vital to the defending champions than ever before — and Messi wasted no time proving him right.

The milestone-filled evening included Messi tying Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals, giving him a share of the all-time men’s scoring mark at the World Cup. It also marked his record sixth World Cup appearance and his 200th cap for the Argentine national team — all of it coming exactly 20 years after he scored his very first World Cup goal.

Messi’s impact was felt from nearly the opening whistle. In just the second minute, he stripped Algeria of possession deep in their own territory, a moment that foreshadowed the intensity he would bring throughout the match. Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul assisted on Messi’s first goal in the 17th minute and spoke glowingly of his teammate afterward.

“It’s an advantage to have Leo, because of how he manages the group and drives it forward,” De Paul said. “He doesn’t pay attention to individual records. He prioritises the team, and for us that’s incredible.”

The night carried added emotional weight given that this World Cup — hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada — is widely expected to be Messi’s last. Argentine supporters inside the Kansas City stadium expressed their reverence openly, bowing repeatedly in his direction throughout the match. When Messi was substituted out for Nico Paz in the 80th minute, the crowd’s reaction was no less enthusiastic. The day before, fans had gathered at Mill Creek Park wearing shirts that read “Messiah.”

The match was played in a venue where Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has long been a fan favorite — but Tuesday night, Mahomes himself was in the stands watching Messi. The NFL star took to social media to share a video of the Argentine along with a goat emoji, a widely recognized symbol meaning “greatest of all time.”

Messi arrived at the tournament still recovering from a muscle strain and had only recently been eased back into game action. His three-goal night erased any lingering concerns about his physical condition.

Coach Scaloni was at a loss for words when asked to describe what he witnessed. “Speechless for Leo. What can I say? He’s incredible. He’s been doing this for 20 years. Everyone in soccer wants to watch him and enjoys it,” Scaloni said after the final whistle.

MEXICO CITY — A tame duck named Merlin, decked out in a pint-sized Mexico soccer jersey and specially made duck socks, has captured the imagination of football fans around the world, emerging as an unlikely unofficial symbol of Mexico’s World Cup run.

The little duck’s rise to fame began during outdoor celebrations in Mexico City after the co-host nation defeated South Africa 2-0 in the tournament’s opening match last week. As crowds flooded Reforma Avenue in the capital to celebrate the victory, Merlin was spotted waddling through the festivities alongside his owner.

Bystanders pulled out their phones to capture the unexpected sight, and the video quickly spread across the internet. Soon, fans were calling for Merlin to be named Mexico’s official World Cup mascot.

His owner, street vendor Karla Gomez, who typically sells drinks along Mexico City’s streets with her son Christian and their duck, had no idea the moment would go viral. “It was a normal day for us,” she said. “We thought we were passing by unnoticed, because obviously we never thought Merlin would have that boom.”

Gomez was careful to note that she isn’t looking to stir up any controversy over mascot status. “We are very respectful,” she said. “We respect the axolotl as much as the jaguar. We don’t like controversy, honestly.”

These days, Gomez has fully embraced her role as the mother of a feathered celebrity. Fans regularly stop the family to snap selfies with Merlin, who has also been photographed splashing around in public fountains to beat the heat.

“I’m Merlin’s mum. I already consider myself as such,” Gomez said. “For us it has been a surprise, truly. The fact that Merlin is the unofficial mascot of the World Cup … we feel very pleased about such a situation and above all that people love my duck.”

Taking a page from the legendary Paul the Octopus, Merlin has also tried his hand — or rather his beak — at predicting match outcomes. When presented with flags from both Mexico and South Korea, he chose Mexico’s flag.

Mexico is set to face South Korea on Thursday in Group A play, followed by a match against the Czech Republic on June 24.