Housing debates often involve theatrics. But when a group of actors, many of whom are renters, discovered they had been hired to join a pro-landlord demonstration, several said they felt deceived.

Photo by Omar Vega/Getty ImagesJesse Marsch sparked controversy before Canada even kicked a ball at the World Cup, and it did not take long for Clint Dempsey to respond.The Canada head coach praised his current squad’s passion but contrasted it with his experience around the United States setup.Marsch said that, during his time with the USMNT, they sometimes had to “beg” American players to sing the national anthem.That comment landed badly because of who heard it. Dempsey, who played under Bob Bradley at the 2010 World Cup and became a national icon, had no interest in letting Marsch’s words pass quietly.Clint Dempsey fires back at Jesse Marsch over USMNT anthem claimPhoto by Indrawan Kumala/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesSpeaking on Fox before Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dempsey made it clear he did not appreciate Marsch questioning the pride of American players.The former Fulham star said: “Man, I can’t take this guy too seriously. I mean, it was an honor for me growing up and representing my country. When the National Anthem happened, I wasn’t someone who normally would sing. I put my hand over my heart and I prayed to the good man upstairs.”Dempsey’s response carried weight because his USMNT career was defined by commitment. He scored at three World Cups, finished tied for the programme’s all-time scoring record and returned from serious physical setbacks to keep playing for his country.“I’m someone who’s bled for this country. I broke my nose playing for this country. I’ve come back from two heart procedures and played for this country. So, I’m not going to take advice from someone who switched to the other side and is singing another country’s National Anthem.“And as my boy Titi would say, ‘stay in your own lane.’ It looks like he’s on a moped, so worry about your own team,” he concluded.Marsch and Dempsey were both part of the USMNT setup at the 2010 World Cup, with Marsch serving as an assistant coach under Bob Bradley, adding another layer to their disagreement.Read more:What Donald Trump said to USMNT the night before their World Cup debutWhy Alphonso Davies is not playing for Canada vs Bosnia in FIFA World Cup 2026 openerWho are Dan + Shay? The Grammy winners singing US national anthem at the World Cup

As a cricketer, Williamson, 35, never sought the spotlight, seemed uncomfortable with adulation and preferred to let his bat do the talking. Fittingly, there was no grand farewell and no soul-stirring speech when he retired. Just a terse two-line statement. “I’ve thought about it for a while, but over the last two days it’s become clear that now is the right time. I’ve always felt a strong drive and hunger for international cricket and I take pride in knowing I’ve given it all in every match I’ve played for New Zealand," Williamson said in a statement released by New Zealand Cricket on Friday.Williamson's greatness was his humility and an unwavering commitment to the team. Whether in victory or defeat — most memorably after the heartbreak of the 2019 World Cup final loss — he carried himself with remarkable poise. His teammates admired his calm, zen-like leadership while opponents respected his sportsmanship.Long before the cricketing world got a glimpse of Williamson, the late Martin Crowe understood his phenomenon. Crowe famously declared, “We are truly watching the dawn of New Zealand’s greatest batsman.” So, is Williamson NZ’s greatest batter? He is their leading all-format run-scorer, with 19,346 runs, including 48 centuries and six double centuries in 378 appearances between 2010 and 2026. As the Black Caps’ most prolific Test batter, he scored 9,515 runs at 54.06, including 33 centuries from 110 games. 131687664But Williamson was beyond these glittering statistics. As a batter, he was blessed with a compact defence, his head perfectly still when the ball arrived. His strokes were guided by geometric precision, with the rare ability to grind bowlers and tease fielders by threading the gaps with subtle angles.Perhaps, his biggest asset was the complete lack of ego, swagger and theatrics. His stoic body language and calm demeanour gave nothing away. Crowe summed it up aptly when he hailed Williamson as “David who played like Goliath”. As Williamson brings the curtains down on an illustrious career, he showcased that in an era increasingly defined by noise and clutter, excellence can also be understated.

SNY Knicks: "We can't keep getting into a hole and trying to dig ourselves out of a hole" Josh Hart talks about the Knicks' need to get off to a better start in Game 5:x.comThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Josh Hart on Game 5: We can't keep getting into a hole we have to dig ourselves out of

Oh No He Didn't: Wemby on whether fatigue played a factor at the end of game 4: "Definitely a factor but it's the playoffs. Everybody's just as tired. I mean, it shouldn't even be a factor in the game. I mean, now we got 2 days between games. It's not going to be a factor"x.comThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "Definitely a factor but it's the playoffs. …

Oh No He Didn't: Jalen Brunson on hearing the Knicks fans on the road: "I appreciate it more than I think I'll ever be able to say"x.comThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "I appreciate it more than I think I'll ever be able …

If you declared the Atlanta Braves the best team in baseball as we reach the middle of June, you wouldn’t find many who could argue with that. The Braves, who are 45-23 with an eight-game lead in the NL East entering play Friday, have been the most consistent team in the sport so far in 2026. For most of this season, Atlanta has held either the best record in all of MLB or the best record in the National League.With dominant pitching and a robust offense, the Braves’ success in 2026 has resembled what we’ve come to expect from their talented roster over the past several seasons. But last year, due to a combination of injury and underperformance from some of the homegrown stars, Atlanta missed the postseason for the first time in eight seasons.So far this year, despite injuries to key contributors such as Spencer Strider, Drake Baldwin, Sean Murphy, Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep and now Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta has thrived and put significant distance between itself and the second-place Philadelphia Phillies — who, without their surge in May, could’ve been behind in the division by double digits by now.2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One: The group stage is here. Make your picks now! Resilience has become a marker of the Braves teams over the past several seasons. And it appears that even with their success early in 2026, they’ll have to tap into that again this summer, as superstar outfielder Acuña is on the injured list for the second straight month due to a left hamstring strain. The 28-year-old supernova injured the hamstring while running to first base on Tuesday against the White Sox and immediately exited the game. He injured the same hamstring a month ago in similar fashion. “It’s a Grade 1,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said this week. “So it's not terrible, but enough that we had to IL him. We could be waiting around for a while if we were playing shorthanded and we were waiting for this thing to heal. So [we] went ahead and put him on the IL. I don't think it's as severe as the last one, but still gonna need some time.”Even if it’s not severe, the hamstring strain comes as a huge blow for Acuña, who was really starting to heat up at the plate. Over his past 11 games, the former NL MVP recorded a .316/.458/.737 slash line with five homers and seven stolen bases. So while the Braves believe they dodged a bullet with the Grade 1 strain, another injury to the team’s best player is undeniably bad news and something their offense will have to overcome.“It's frustrating [for Acuña],” Weiss said. “It’s frustrating for any athlete that gets injured, you know. It's all part of it. Unfortunately, Ronald's had to deal with it, you know, more than his fair share. But I think it's very important that we get over this — not that there was any lingering effects from the first one. He was 100 percent obviously, running around like he was, but he's got to make sure he gets through this and back on the field and helping us win games.”Can the Braves keep pace as the National League's best team without Ronald Acuña Jr.?Grant Thomas/Yahoo SportsBeyond Acuña, the production in Atlanta’s lineup has come from two main sources: first baseman Matt Olson, who leads the team in hits and home runs, and center fielder Michael Harris II, who has returned to the form that made him the NL Rookie of the Year in 2022. But the level at which Atlanta has been playing requires production from more than just the stars. Case in point: Designated hitter Dominic Smith has provided unexpected impact so far this season, hitting .291 with six homers in 55 games. And lately, veteran utilityman Mauricio Dubón has provided a spark, batting .360 with a 1.189 OPS and three homers in his past seven games. If the Braves are going to keep pace as one of MLB’s top teams even without Acuña, Smith and Dubón will have to keep it up.Max Scherzer joins elite companyBlue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer is 41 years old, but if there’s one thing he still knows how to do, it’s strike hitters out. Scherzer joined rarified air on Wednesday against the Phillies, becoming just the 11th pitcher in MLB history to record 3,500 career strikeouts. The Blue Jays’ right-hander fooled Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, striking him out looking on a changeup to reach the historic mark.Scherzer is the first MLB hurler to surpass 3,500 strikeouts since Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander reached the milestone in 2025. Scherzer, who will be 42 next month, is currently 11th on the all-time MLB strikeout list. He’s just 12 strikeouts away from passing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson and 31 away from passing Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry for ninth all time.

Pewter Report shared comments from Jacob Parrish as the second-year defensive back continues working in multiple roles throughout Tampa Bay's offseason program.After primarily making his impact as a nickel defender during his rookie season, Parrish revealed that his workload has been split between outside cornerback and nickel responsibilities during OTAs.According to Parrish, the split has been close to 50-50. In Tampa Bay's base defensive packages, he has primarily lined up at outside cornerback. When the Buccaneers move into nickel formations, however, he shifts back inside to play the slot role, where he saw much of his action last season.That flexibility could prove valuable for a Buccaneers secondary that continues to sort through multiple personnel combinations heading into training camp. With players competing for snaps both outside and inside, the ability to handle multiple assignments increases Parrish's value within Todd Bowles' defense.Parrish was asked about the uncertainty surrounding exactly where players will line up once the season begins. Rather than focusing on a specific position, he emphasized his excitement about earning a significant role within the defense."I'm excited for the opportunity to play an integral role in the lineup," Parrish said.The comments suggest the Buccaneers view Parrish as more than just a nickel corner. While he demonstrated his ability to contribute inside as a rookie, Tampa Bay is giving him opportunities to prove he can handle responsibilities on the boundary as well.As OTAs continue and training camp approaches, one of the more interesting battles in Tampa Bay's secondary may not be whether Parrish can play either position. Instead, it may be determining where the coaching staff believes he can make the biggest impact in 2026.This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Jacob Parrish expanding his role in 2026 after rookie breakout

Liverpool star could be given a second chance under Andoni Iraola – OpinionLiverpool Must Not Give Up on Curtis Jones YetAs Liverpool begin a new chapter under Andoni Iraola, one player whose future deserves careful consideration is Curtis Jones.The former academy graduate enters the summer with just one year remaining on his current contract and, after a frustrating campaign under Arne Slot, uncertainty surrounds what comes next.For much of the season, Jones appeared to fall out of favour with the Dutchman. Opportunities became increasingly limited, his role within the squad seemed unclear, and speculation linking him with a move away from Anfield only intensified as the months passed.Inter Milan were heavily linked during the winter transfer window, with reports suggesting a move came close to materialising before ultimately failing to reach completion.Now the season is over.Liverpool have changed manager.And Jones finds himself at a crossroads.Sitting at home while the world’s best players compete on the international stage, reflection will undoubtedly be taking place. At 25 years old, he is entering the years that should represent the peak of his career. The next contract he signs could define the remainder of his time at the highest level.That is precisely why Liverpool should be proactive.Rather than allowing the situation to drift toward the final twelve months of his deal, Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards should be looking to secure Jones on a new long-term contract.The arrival of Iraola could transform his prospects.The Spaniard demands energy, pressing, aggression, and technical quality in midfield. Those are all attributes that Jones naturally possesses when utilised correctly. His ability to carry possession, protect the ball under pressure, and drive through central areas could become extremely valuable within a more intense and dynamic system.Under Slot, Jones often looked like a player searching for clarity.Under Iraola, he may finally rediscover purpose.Liverpool’s Midfield Rebuild Needs StabilityLiverpool’s midfield could undergo significant change over the coming months.Wataru Endo’s future appears uncertain following injury concerns and growing speculation regarding a departure. Alexis Mac Allister continues to be linked with Real Madrid, while the recruitment department is exploring additions capable of bringing greater athleticism and physical presence to the squad.Names such as Lamine Camara and Mateus Fernandes have already emerged as potential targets.Both players would add the bite, aggression, and defensive intensity that Liverpool lacked throughout much of last season.However, strengthening the midfield should not automatically mean discarding players already at the club.Jones remains a valuable asset.In many ways, he offers similar qualities to Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, another player frequently linked with a move to Merseyside. Both are technically gifted, capable of progressing possession, and comfortable operating in multiple midfield roles.If Liverpool ultimately prioritise more forceful profiles such as Camara or Fernández, retaining Jones becomes even more important.Squads require balance.Not every midfielder needs to be a destroyer.Not every player needs to be an athlete first and footballer second.Jones provides technical control, composure, and versatility. More importantly, he understands Liverpool. He understands the expectations, the pressure, and the culture of the club.Those qualities should not be overlooked during a summer of change.Liverpool’s academy has produced a player capable of contributing to the first team for many years to come. Allowing him to leave because of one difficult season under a departing manager would feel unnecessarily short-sighted.The club are rebuilding.The squad is evolving.And a fresh start under Iraola could prove beneficial for many players.Curtis Jones should be one of them.Before Liverpool spend another £80 million searching for answers elsewhere, they should remember that one of the solutions may already be sitting in their dressing room.

Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, our weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire guide. We'll be doing things a little differently this season, with Eric Samulski publishing the initial waiver-wire article on Friday afternoon. Then James Schiano updates it every Sunday to make sure you get the most up-to-date information. The premise of the article is pretty straightforward. We'll give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When we list a player, we'll list the category where we think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. We hope this helps you determine whether the player fits your team's needs. Not every "trending" player will be a good addition for your specific roster.To qualify for this list, a player needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. We understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and we can’t help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they’re available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types.⚾️ Baseball is back on NBC: MLB returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026! In addition to becoming the exclusive home of Sunday Night Baseball, NBC Sports will broadcast MLB Sunday Leadoff, “Opening Day” and Labor Day primetime games, the first round of the MLB Draft, the entire Wild Card round of the postseason, and much more.Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire HittersMauricio Dubon - 2B/3B/SS/OF, ATL (40% rostered)(STARTING JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)It seems that, with Ronald Acuna Jr. sidelined, Dubon is going to be the regular starter in left field. He was also starting games at shortstop before that, so there are myriad ways the Braves can get him into the lineup. It's a small sample size, but over his last 10 games, Dubon is tied for 15th in baseball in WAR, hitting .313/.405/.625 with three home runs, eight RBI, and one steal. A 28% hard-hit rate would suggest that his six homers this season are a fluke, but he has essentially doubled his career barrel rate and is lifting the ball more than he has since 2022. You're not likely to get some league-winning upside here, but Dubon is a solid hitter who is batting fifth every day for a good lineup. That's valuable in a lot of formats. Noelvi Marte - 3B/OF, CIN (33% rostered)(RECENT CALL-UP, POST-HYPE UPSIDE)Since being recalled, Marte is 5-for-15 with two runs scored and three steals while starting four of six games. Marte is a former top prospect who hit 14 home runs and stole 10 bases in 90 games last year while hitting .263. He crushed Triple-A this year after he was demoted, hitting .369/.409/.575 in 176 plate appearances with eight home runs and nine steals. He's worth an add because few guys on the waiver wire have his upside. Braden Montgomery - OF, CWS (33% rostered)(RECENT CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)Montgomery was called up on Tuesday and had a historic debut, as one of just five players since 1900 to hit a walk-off home run in his debut. We have some worries about his Triple-A swinging strike rate and below-average overall contact rate, but we think the power and speed could be intriguing. Eric recorded a video about Montgomery on Wednesday, so check that out. Andrew Vaughn - 1B, MIL (29% rostered)(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)Vaughn was dropped in many leagues over the last couple of weeks because it seemed like he had lost his job to Jake Bauers after his return from hamate bone surgery. While it's true that Vaughn is not an everyday player right now, he's started in four of the last five games and has been swinging the bat well, hitting .406/.433/.594 in his last 20 games with one home run and 12 RBI. Yes, the power may take some time to come back, but a hitter swinging the bat like that is going to force his way into the lineup. Bryce Eldridge - UT, SF (27% rostered)(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)Last week, Eldridge was 17% rostered, so this roster rate really needs to climb higher. As we highlighted last week, an injury to Heliot Ramos allowed the Giants to try Casey Schmitt in the outfield and free up a spot for Eldridge, who, since May 18th, is hitting .371/.451/.629 with three home runs, 16 runs scored, and 11 RBI. That comes with a 12.5% barrel rate and 55.4% hard-hit rate in 56 batted ball events. He’s hitting more line drives this year than we saw last year, which limited the power output initially, but we're starting to see him look to turn on the ball more often now that he's gaining confidence. Another young power option from that same article mentioned above could be Coby Mayo - 1B/3B, BAL (3% rostered). In 74 plate appearances since May 13th, Mayo is hitting .250/.311/.515 with five home runs, 14 runs scored, and 11 RBI with a 58% hard-hit rate, 89.1% zone contact rate, 10.5% SwStr%, and 110.2 mph EV90. He's not playing every day because Blaze Alexander is also playing well, but Mayo's power could be valuable in deeper fantasy formats. Curtis Mead - 1B/2B/3B, WAS (25% rostered)(HOT STREAK, FORMER TOP PROSPECT)We’ve written a lot about Curtis Mead over the last month. He wasin Eric’s mid-May article on hitters who should produce more power, as well as in a video Eric recorded about his recent production and his latest article on May hot streaks. In 121 plate appearances since May 1st, Mead has hit .255/.372/.490 with six home runs, 17 RBI, and 19 runs scored. That came with a 45% hard-hit rate, a 12.5% barrel rate, 90% zone contact rate, and 6.2% SwStr%. His exit velocities aren’t off the charts, but his 89.4 mph average exit velocity is over two mph better than his career average. He flattened his swing a bit this year and is looking to pull and lift the ball more than usual, which will make the most out of his solid but not elite exit velocities. Among 260 hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this season, Mead ranks 52nd with a Pull Air% of 22.9%. His exit velocity on his fly balls and line drives is 93 mph, which is the same as Cal Raleigh, Cody Bellinger, and Salvador Perez, so that will be just fine for power production.Sam Antonacci - 2B/3B/OF, CWS (25% rostered)(GREAT LINEUP SPOT, SPEED UPSIDE) Antonacci has been productive for a while now. Since May 1st, he's hitting .304/.400/.360 with 25 runs scored and eight steals. He's not going to give you much power production, but he's hitting leadoff on a good team, so the runs will be there, and he stole almost 50 bases last season, so we know the speed will be there. An elite contact profile, combined with his multi-position eligibility, makes him a solid add in most formats. Last week, we said that we wish Blaze Alexander - 2B/3B/SS/OF, BAL (7% rostered) was playing more. He then started four of seven games between when that article was published and now. Not bad but not great. So far this season, we've wanted more playing time for Casey Schmitt and Curtis Mead, among others, so maybe bet on the talent. Alexander can play all over the field, so the Orioles can use him 4-5 times a week to give other guys a day off. He appeared in Eric’s article last week on hitters to target based on their May resultsbecause, since May 1st, he's hitting .366/.411/.549 with 18 RBI, 10 runs scored, and four steals in 92 plate appearances. He's making better-than-league-average contact in the zone with a better hard-hit percentage than league average as well. There is an intriguing profile here, but it's more of a deep league add right now until playing time emerges. Dalton Rushing - C, LAD (24% rostered)(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)Will Smith has now officially been placed on the injured list, so we expect this roster rate to jump pretty quickly. However, if Rushing is available in your league, now is the time to scoop him up. He may have cooled down from his torrid start to the season, but he's hitting .286/.388/.429 with one home run, six runs scored, and four RBI over his last 15 games. That, and his presence in this lineup, makes him worth rostering in one-catcher leagues while Will Smith is out. Keibert Ruiz- C, WAS (20% rostered) has been solid at the plate for a while now. Since May 1, he's been hitting .354/.368/.662 with four home runs and 17 RBI. Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic wrote a great article on how a dozen coaches sat down with Ruiz to create a plan for him moving forward. The crux of that meeting was that they believed Ruiz had a great foundation for success but needed to swing harder and pull the ball more. Solid. This season, Ruiz's bat speed is up, he has a career-high 39.8% hard-hit rate, and his average exit velocity is up over three mph to 89.7 mph. He's one-catcher league viable right now. Spencer Horwitz - 1B, PIT (19% rostered)(EVERY DAY PLAYER, RUNS UPSIDE)The Pirates have been a better offense than many expected, and Horwitz has played a big role in that. He has taken over the leadoff spot in the lineup and is hitting .315/.381/.533 over his last 25 games with six home runs, 14 runs scored, 16 RBI, and one steal. Not much has changed from previous seasons, other than the fact that he is being far more selective (swinging 6% less overall) and making far more contact. He's not hitting the ball any harder than he has previously, and so some of this elevated batting average and power feels like a fluke, but it's worth chasing the results right now while he's producing. Kody Clemens - 1B/2B/OF, MIN (17% rostered)(STARTING JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)Over the last month, Clemens has been far and away the best hitter on the Twins. He's batting .289/.317/.598 with six home runs, 14 runs scored, 12 RBI, and one steal in 25 games. He has his highest barrel rate ever (13.7%) and his highest average exit velocity ever (92.7 mph). His swing decisions and contact rates are similar to what we've seen from him in the past, but he also had 19 home runs in 119 games last year, so him pushing 25 home runs this season wouldn't be a surprise if he gets full-time playing time. He also had a .243 xBA last year, so his coming close to a .250 average on the year could also make sense. That's a pretty solid player. Paul Goldschmidt - 1B, NYY (14% rostered)(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, HOT STREAK)Don't look now, but Goldy is holding off Father Time. In 32 games since May 1st, the veteran is hitting .313/.383/.548 with seven home runs, 24 RBI, and a 40% hard-hit rate. He is playing much every day at first base or DH and will continue to get extra that kind of playing time with Aaron Judge sidelined for the next 6-8 weeks and the Yankees having fewer outfield spots to juggle. He hits near the top of the Yankees' lineup, which is good for run production. Now could also be the time to stash Jasson Dominguez - OF, NYY (9% rostered), who began a rehab assignment last Friday and has been swinging the bat well in Triple-A. Anthony Volpe has not been good for the Yankees lately, so Jose Caballero could go back to playing shortstop more regularly, which would open up a spot for Dominguez to replace Judge in right field when he returns. Colton Cowser - OF, BAL (14% rostered)(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)Another week of Cowser in here as his roster rate has climbed from 7% to 14%. The 26-year-old has started to turn things around, hitting .292/.365/.631 over his last 25 games with seven home runs, 14 runs scored, 16 RBI, and two steals. That comes with a 17/8 K/BB ratio but just a 28.6 percent hard-hit rate. Given the hot streaks we’ve seen him go on, now is the time to pick him up but remember that he is going to sit against most left-handed pitchers. The power hasn't been there for Henry Bolte - OF, ATH (7% rostered), but he is hitting .288 with four steals in his last 20 games while playing basically every day for the A's. They play all of their games at home this upcoming week, so while I'm worried about his overall contact rate, I think he's a decent gamble for this week. Joshua Baez - OF, STL (12% rostered)(POTENTIAL CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)We like to get ahead of prospect stashes on the waiver wire, and I think it might be time for Baez to wind up as your stash. Lars Nootbaar came back last week, so there is no immediate opening, but maybe the Cardinals decide not to have two catchers in the lineup every day and give Baez a shot. Baez has big-time power and hit .274/.347/.632 in 106 at-bats in May with 10 home runs, 24 RBI, and a 34/9 K/BB ratio. He’s now continued that pace to begin June and is knocking on the door. Another possible stash would be Kaelen Culepper - SS, MIN (3% rostered), who has 14 home runs and 40 RBI on the season to go along with a .269 batting average and .861 OPS. He hit .280/.4076/.540 in May with seven home runs, 21 RBI, seven steals, and a 22/19 K/BB ratio. I understand that Tristan Gray is playing well, but, at some point, a team like the Twins needs to try its top prospect over a 30-year-old journeyman. Lastly, you could look to stash Yohandy Morales - 1B/3B, WAS (2% rostered), who is now up to 15 home runs and 42 RBI on the season to go along with a .339 batting average and a 1.012 OPS. He’s ready for a chance at big league pitching, but with Curtis Mead playing well at third base, the Nationals will need to use Morales as a DH or a first baseman.Caleb Durbin - 2B/3B, BOS (8% rostered)(STOLEN BASE UPSIDE, HOT STREAK)Don't look now, but Caleb Durbin is heating up. Actually, do look now; that's the point of this article. Over his last 15 games, Durbin is hitting .313/.320/.583 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and one steal. This is a guy who was really solid as a rookie last season and had a few 30-steal seasons in his minor league career before swiping 18 bags with the Brewers last year. Clearly, moving to a new team led to some issues early on, but Durbin has begun to settle in and could be a solid asset for batting average and, eventually, speed. The man who took his place in Milwaukee at third base, David Hamilton - 2B/3B/SS, MIL (4% rostered) has provided fantasy value over the last few weeks because he has three home runs and four steals over his last 12 games while also hitting .282. A lot of that damage has come in two good games, but we know Hamilton has elite stolen base upside, so this could be worth chasing. Dominic Canzone - OF, SEA (8% rostered)(HOT STRETCH, POWER UPSIDE)Dominic Canzone hits the ball hard, so he's always going to find stretches where he's producing and needs to be added in a lot of places. Over his last 25 games, he's hitting .303/.370/.606 with five home runs, 11 runs scored, and eight RBI. Five home runs should get you a lot more than eight RBI. He will sit against lefties, so that's something to factor into the math, especially against the Red Sox and their three lefties next weekend. Ryan Ward - 1B/OF, LAD (2% rostered) is also in a strong side platoon with Teoscar Hernandez out, so he could draw four starts next week. He's gone .242/.265/.576 in 10 games with three home runs and 11 RBIs. Ward also hit 34 home runs in the minors in 2024 and 36 home runs in 2025, so there could be some power upside here. Jordan Lawlar - OF, ARI (7% rostered)(OFF THE IL, UPSIDE POTENTIAL)Jordan Lawlar is back from the 60-day IL after fracturing his wrist. He's also right back in the starting lineup on Friday. It seems like he will return to center field, moving Tommy Troy to the bench and Ryan Waldschmidt to left field. Lawlar had hit .333/.400/.556 in 20 plate appearances before fracturing his wrist in April, so he's worth an add to see if he can get that production back. Jacob Gonzalez - 1B/2B/SS, CWS (6% rostered)(REGULAR PLAYING TIME, BREAKOUT POTENTIAL)We've been intrigued by Gonzalez since he was promoted two weeks ago to cover for the injured Munetaka Murakami at first base. He's had a bit of a swing and miss issue over his first nine games in the big leagues — 29% strikeout rate — but he has just a 9.7% swinging strike rate, so that number should come down. He's also hitting .308/.419/.423 with a 53% hard-hit rate. Those are things we like to see. Wade Meckler - OF, LAA (4% rostered)(REGULAR PLAYING TIME, RECENT HOT STREAK)Maybe this is happening for Meckler? In 18 games with the Angels, he's hitting .316/.391/.509 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and two steals. He's slowed down a bit from his hot start, but he's just 26 years old, has solid enough bat speed, and has always made a ton of contact in the minor leagues. He makes good swing decisions and has begun lifting the ball more than we saw from him in the Giants' organization. He's not going to be a true power threat, but he can drive the ball into the gaps, and he's hitting third every day for the Angels. That's valuable in a 15-team format. Lars Nootbaar - OF, STL (4% rostered)(OFF THE TIL, STATCAST DARLINGNootbaar is another boring outfielder who is set to come off the injured list following offseason surgery on both of his heels. We know that you've been waiting for that Nootbaar breakout for a long time, but he remains a solid/productive player who should be in an everyday role on a solid Cardinals team. In six games since coming off the injured list, he's just 5-for-22, but that comes with two home runs and five RBI. He'll settle in. Speaking of boring outfielders, Andrew Benintendi - OF, CWS (2% rostered) has under-the-radar moments of production every season. He jumped on a Process+ leaderboard since the middle of May, and over his last 21 games, he's hitting .265/.342/.500 with four home runs and 13 RBI. That will work in deeper formats on a good offense. Jake Mangum - OF, PIT (3% rostered)(EVERY DAY ROLE, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)The Pirates have started to give Mangum nearly every day at-bats, and he's delivering. Over his last 19 games, he's hitting .339/.367/.446 with one home run, seven RBI, and six steals. We know that he can run, so the stolen base totals are the real pull here, but if Mangum is going to play 75% of the games for the Pirates, he's worth a gamble. Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire PitchersCade Cavalli - SP, WAS (33% rostered)Sure, go for it. Cavalli's last start against Arizona wasn't good, and we're not particularly fans of him as a breakout starting pitcher, but he has a 3.88 ERA and a 24% strikeout rate on the season and gets Tampa Bay this week, which is a fine but not great matchup. I dunno, we get it but don't love it. Walbert Ureña - SP, LAA (32% rostered)We've had Ureña on here a few times, but he's emerging as a solid streaming option this year. His power changeup (at 90 mph) is a really good pitch, and he uses it to both righties and lefties. He has showcased inconsistent command of an 87 mph sweeper, but that can miss plenty of bats to righties when it's on. He needs that sweeper because his fastball is just empty velocity, and will only be successful if he can get ahead with his other pitches and then try to get hitters to chase outside of the zone with elevated four-seamers. He gets Houston this week, which isn't a great start, but it isn't one we're scared of right now. Dustin May - SP, STL (31% rostered)A pitch mix change has unlocked a solid run of production for Dustin May. In his first three starts of the year, May threw almost 31% four-seam fastballs and just 11% cutters. He had a few terrible outings in that stretch and wasn't missing bats at all with a 17% strikeout rate and 7.4% swinging strike rate. Then, he made a shift. Over his next nine starts, he reduced his fastball usage to 24% and upped his cutter usage to 26%. That also enabled him to save the four-seamer to use more up in the zone for swings and misses. Since then, May has a 3.38 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 23% strikeout rate, and nearly 11% swinging strike rate. That will work in most formats. He gets a good two-start week this week against the Mets and Twins, both on the road. He'd then get the Royals the week after that. I'm also OK using his teammate, Andre Pallante - SP, STL (16% rostered) against the Mets this week because his velocity is up, he has more vertical movement on his four-seamer, and he has always had a good slider. Griffin Jax - SP/RP, TB (30% rostered)Yes, I still believe in Griffin Jax, and I figured more people would after his performance this week, throwing five shutout innings against the Marlins while striking out four and allowing just three hits. That was on just 62 pitches. We don't love that short leash, but it had never been that short before. He has a deep pitch mix and has managed to maintain velocity even when moving out of the bullpen. This is the profile of a pitcher who should deliver for your fantasy teams, and he gets the Nationals and Royals for his next two starts. Don't give up hope yet. Troy Melton - SP, DET (29% rostered)Melton has not had the strikeout numbers that we hoped to see when he came off the injured list, but he does have a 2.81 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in his first four starts. He's done that with great control of a solid 97 mph four-seamer, plus a good slider and cutter. He also pairs that with a sinker, curveball, and splitter to give him a deep arsenal that we can dream on. Melton is set to face Houston on the road this week, but then it gets confusing if the Tigers are bringing back Casey Mize and Justin Verlander, along with Tarik Skubal. We don't think Verlander looks ready to return, but our opinion doesn't matter to Detroit. Alex Lange - RP, KC (24% rostered)It seems that Lucas Erceg has finally pitched his way out of the closer's role in Kansas City. That has given Lange a chance to convert the last four saves for the Royals. The former Tigers' starter has a 4.06 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 34/18 K/BB ratio in 31 innings, so this is not the profile of a lockdown reliever, nor does he have anything close to elite swing-and-miss stuff. Still, he has produced of late and seems to be getting the chances now, so you can roll the dice if you want. Stephen Kolek - SP, KCR (22% rostered)Kolek has been on a good run of late, heading into his weekend start against the Astros, and gets a decent run against two solid but not overly scary offenses in the Cardinals and Rays after that. Kolek isn't overpowering, but he wins with command and limiting hard contact. You can feel comfortable using him when he's rolling like this, but just be sure to jump off the ride if it starts to wobble.Grant Taylor - RP/SP, CWS (22% rostered)Taylor was called on for a save chance against the Phillies last Saturday and completely blew them away. He struck out the side on 14 pitches, went up 0-2 on all three hitters, regularly sat near 100 mph with his heater, and forced six whiffs in that one inning of work. He was then called on to pitch two innings against the Braves this week and recorded a win without allowing a run. If he’s ever unleashed as the White Sox’s full-time closer, he’d instantly be one of the nastiest in the league. Even now, he is a great add for ratios and the stray win or save here and there. Yoendrys Gomez - SP/RP, MIN (15% rostered)Gomez has been really good since joining the Twins, pitching to a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings with a 19/7 K/BB ratio and four saves. His 114 Stuff+ score is pretty good, and he has a really good fastball and slider pairing. The Twins aren't winning too many games, but I think Gomez feels more stable as a pitcher than Alex Lange. Mick Abel - SP, MIN (14% rostered)Abel threw 47 pitches in a rehab outing at Triple-A on Wednesday and looked good. He's probably about two weeks away from returning to the Twins' rotation, but now could be the time to stash him if you have the bench space. Shane Drohan- SP/RP, MIL (13% rostered)I broke down Drohan's transition to the rotation in my streaming starting pitcher article on Monday, so I encourage you to check that out for a deep dive. I hate that his next start is against the Braves and that I don't trust the Brewers to keep him in the rotation, but I do like him as a pitcher. Ian Seymour - SP, TB (8% rostered)It seems like the Rays may finally be giving Ian Seymour a chance to start, and I couldn't be more excited. I wrote about him as one of my favorite late-round starting pitcher targets,which you can read here for full thoughts on his arsenal, and then he went ahead and lost a rotation spot to both Steven Matz and Nick Martinez. After getting blitzed out of the bullpen in the first game of the season, Seymour has been good for the Rays, pitching to a 3.60 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 26.6% strikeout rate in 35 innings. Remember that he was a good starting pitching prospect in the minors with the Rays as well. This has a chance to stick.

Whenever discussions about Zay Flowers arise, one topic inevitably follows close behind: value. As the talented receiver enters a pivotal season, questions continue to surface regarding his future and his standing among the NFL's top wideouts. Lamar Jackson doesn't appear interested in debating either subject.The Ravens quarterback made it clear during minicamp that he views Flowers as one of the league's premier playmakers and a critical piece of Baltimore's offense moving forward.When asked about Flowers' importance to the team, Jackson didn't hesitate."We love Zay. We need Zay."The quarterback then expanded on why he believes Flowers deserves recognition among the NFL's best."He's one of the best receivers in the league, and he's shown that since he stepped on the NFL field back in 2023."Jackson pointed to Flowers' production and consistency as evidence that the conversation should already be settled.Later, when asked about those who question whether Flowers can be considered a true No. 1 receiver because of his size, Jackson offered a short but emphatic response."Zay Flowers is a 1,000-yard receiver in the NFL for a reason."The quarterback wasn't finished."His value is out of this world."For Jackson, the discussion isn't about projections or future potential. Flowers has already proven himself as a difference-maker in Baltimore's offense.As the Ravens continue installing Declan Doyle's new system, Jackson's confidence in his top receiver remains unwavering. And if the quarterback's comments are any indication, Flowers is expected to remain a central figure in whatever the offense becomes this season.This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Lamar Jackson backs Zay Flowers as elite receiver

It was not immediately clear what the investigators were looking for, but a board member with a progressive group said members had been served with search warrants.

President Donald Trump has called the U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team ahead of its opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles. Trump will not be in attendance at SoFi Stadium later Friday, but he shared words of encouragement with the team over the phone. The president told the players Thursday night, “We're all rooting for you. The pressure is gone. Have some fun,” according to Fox Sports’ Jenny Taft. The team later took to social media to share a clip of the call, in which Trump told coach Mauricio Pochettino that he was a “fantastic guy.”President Donald Trump has called the U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team ahead of its opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles (Getty Images)This is a developing story...

Where to watch USA vs. Paraguay live stream, TV channel, start time for World Cup Group D match originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.On the second day of the 2026 World Cup, host nation USA will take on Paraguay at 9 p.m. ET from SoFi Stadium.Team USA will be making its 12th appearance in a World Cup, and the first in front of its home crowd since hosting the 1994 tournament. Paraguay, on the other hand, will be suiting up for the country's first World Cup appearance since 2010 in South Africa, when they reached the quarterfinals.Group D is a rather wide-open group compared to some others. While the U.S. and Turkey are favored to finish in the top two spots, Paraguay could cause some commotion if they were to emerge victorious over the Americans. The U.S. must ensure they walk out in Inglewood without underestimating La Albirroja, as Miguel Almiron and youngster Julio Enciso headline a sneaky Paraguayan team that is capable of stealing this game.The Sporting News takes you through all the information you need to follow the game.LIVE:Follow USMNT vs. Paraguay updates from 2026 World CupUSA vs. Paraguay live stream, TV channelTV channel: FoxLive stream: fubo,Fox One, Fox Sports app/websiteThis match will be broadcast nationally on Fox in the United States with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, with new customers able to sign up a for a FREE trial.Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)What time does USA vs. Paraguay start?This World Cup clash kicks off Friday, June 12, at 9 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.Here's how that time translates across the United States timezones:DateKickoff timeEastern TimeFri., June 129 p.m.Central TimeFri., June 128 p.m.Mountain TimeFri., June 127 p.m.Pacific TimeFri., June 126 p.m.World Cup schedule today and tomorrowAll times Eastern.Friday, June 12Canada vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina (3 p.m.)USA vs. Paraguay (9 p.m.)Saturday, June 13Qatar vs. Switzerland (3 p.m.)Brazil vs. Morocco (6 p.m.)Haiti vs. Scotland (9 p.m.)MORE:Complete World Cup schedule and fixtures2026 FIFA World Cup FAQsWhen is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 through July 19, 2026. It will be the first World Cup hosted across three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico.Where is the 2026 FIFA World Cup being played?The 2026 World Cup will be played across 16 host cities in North America, with matches taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be the first men’s World Cup hosted by three countries.The 16 host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle in the United States; Toronto and Vancouver in Canada; and Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey in Mexico.How many teams are in the 2026 World Cup?The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams, expanding from the 32-team format used in previous tournaments. The larger field also means more matches, more knockout-round games and more countries involved than ever before.The 48 teams are Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Curaçao, Czechia, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, United States, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.How many games are in the 2026 World Cup?There will be 104 matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That includes the group stage, knockout rounds and the final.Can I stream the 2026 World Cup?Yes. Streaming options will depend on the match, language and broadcast partner. In the U.S., Fox Sports lists FOX and FS1, which are available on fubo for English-language coverage, while Telemundo will stream every match live on Peacock and the Telemundo App for Spanish-language coverage.What channel is the 2026 World Cup on?In the U.S., English-language matches are expected across FOX and FS1, which are available on fubo for those without cable, while Spanish-language coverage will air on Telemundo and Universo, which you can stream on DIRECTV and Peacock. Check the schedule for the specific match you want to watch.When is the 2026 World Cup final?The 2026 FIFA World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026. The match will be played at New York-New Jersey Stadium, FIFA’s tournament name for MetLife Stadium.What time do World Cup games start?Kickoff times vary by date, host city and round. Because the tournament is being played across multiple time zones in the United States, Canada and Mexico, fans should check the official match schedule for start times in their local time zone.Is the United States playing in the 2026 World Cup?Yes. The United States automatically qualified for the 2026 World Cup as one of the three host nations, along with Canada and Mexico.

The Texas Longhorns added to an already strong 2027 defensive recruiting class on Friday with the commitment of four-star 2027 EDGE Jabarrius Garror. The Mobile, Alabama prospect is the third EDGE commitment in the 2027 Longhorns class. UT has also gained commitments from Cameron Hall and Derwin Fields. Both are four-stars and both play EDGE. The Horns also have a commitment from DB Greedy James and LB Cade Haug. Garror had 106 tackles and 21 sacks as a junior last season at Vigor High School. The 21 sacks is an incredible number, no matter the competition. He had 21.5 sacks as a sophomore. BREAKING: Four-Star EDGE JaBarrius Garror has Committed to Texas, he tells me for @RivalsThe 6’3 225 EDGE chose the Longhorns over Georgia, Auburn, and Florida State“Hook ‘EM 🤘🏾😌”https://t.co/xAEkzZ1YCapic.twitter.com/9m8TgScWpp— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 12, 2026The 6-foot-2, 215-pound lineman is one of the most coveted prospect in the country, with 30 offers, including 13 from the SEC. He was seriously considering Auburn, Georgia and Florida State before picking Texas. Garror initially committed to Alabama in the summer of 2024 before reopening his recruitment a couple months ago. Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire.This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Four-star 2027 EDGE Jabarrius Garror commits to Texas Longhorns

Team USA's run at the 2026 World Cup begins on Friday night with its opening group stage match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium.The United States is hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1994, and as the host nation, its first game will be preceded by an opening ceremony featuring what should be an exciting performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner."Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney of the Grammy Award-winning country music duo Dan + Shay will be performing the national anthem for the American team. Meanwhile, the Paraguayan national anthem will be performed by musical duo Purahei Soul.The national anthem will likely come at the tail end of the opening ceremony, which will also feature appearances from Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla, though it's not entirely clear if those appearances will include musical performances.It's going to be a massive moment for American soccer on Friday night, and the U.S. Men's National Team will hope to start the World Cup with a victory on its own soil.USMNT World Cup opener time, TV infoThe match between the United States and Paraguay is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET and will air on FOX. The opening ceremony is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.This article originally appeared on For The Win: World Cup 2026: Who is singing national anthem in USMNT opener?

What time is USA vs. Paraguay? Live stream, TV channel, kickoff schedule for USMNT World Cup 2026 match originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The United States begin their massive summer opportunity as they embark on their journey through the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a group stage opener against Paraguay.The USMNT was drawn into Group D for the tournament on home soil, beginning with this match before games against Australia and Turkey to follow.Thanks to the new 48-team expanded format, a strong start for the United States can set them up well to earn a spot in the knockout stage.The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match and kickoff times.LIVE:Follow USMNT vs. Paraguay updates from 2026 World CupWhat time does USA vs. Paraguay kick off?The World Cup match for the USMNT takes place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA and kicks off on Friday, June 12 at 6 p.m. local time.Here's how that time translates across the United States:DateKickoff timeEastern TimeFri, Jun. 129 p.m.Central TimeFri, Jun. 128 p.m.Mountain TimeFri, Jun. 127 p.m.Pacific TimeFri, Jun. 126 p.m.USA vs. Paraguay live stream, TV channelHere's how to watch this World Cup match in the U.S.:TV channel: FoxLive stream: fubo,Fox One, Fox Sports app/websiteThis match will be broadcast on Fox with streaming options available on its dedicated platforms.The best place to catch the match is on streaming service fubo, with new customers able to sign up for a FREE trial.Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)World Cup fixtures today and tomorrowAll times Eastern.Friday, June 12Canada vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina (3 p.m.)United States vs. Paraguay (9 p.m.)Saturday, June 13Australia vs. Turkey (12 a.m.)Qatar vs. Switzerland (3 p.m.)Brazil vs. Morocco (6 p.m.)Haiti vs. Scotland (9 p.m.)MORE:Complete World Cup schedule and fixtures2026 FIFA World Cup FAQsWhen is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 through July 19, 2026. It will be the first World Cup hosted across three countries: the United States, Canada and Mexico.Where is the 2026 FIFA World Cup being played?The 2026 World Cup will be played across 16 host cities in North America, with matches taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be the first men’s World Cup hosted by three countries.The 16 host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle in the United States; Toronto and Vancouver in Canada; and Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey in Mexico.How many teams are in the 2026 World Cup?The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams, expanding from the 32-team format used in previous tournaments. The larger field also means more matches, more knockout-round games and more countries involved than ever before.The 48 teams are Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Curaçao, Czechia, DR Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, United States, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.How many games are in the 2026 World Cup?There will be 104 matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That includes the group stage, knockout rounds and the final.Can I stream the 2026 World Cup?Yes. Streaming options will depend on the match, language and broadcast partner. In the U.S., Fox Sports lists FOX and FS1, which are available on fubo for English-language coverage, while Telemundo will stream every match live on Peacock and the Telemundo App for Spanish-language coverage.What channel is the 2026 World Cup on?In the United States, English-language matches are expected across FOX and FS1, which are available on fubo for those without cable, while Spanish-language coverage will air on Telemundo and Universo, which you can stream on DIRECTV and Peacock. Check the schedule for the specific match you want to watch.When is the 2026 World Cup final?The 2026 FIFA World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026. The match will be played at New York-New Jersey Stadium, FIFA’s tournament name for MetLife Stadium.What time do World Cup games start?Kickoff times vary by date, host city and round. Because the tournament is being played across multiple time zones in the United States, Canada and Mexico, fans should check the official match schedule for start times in their local time zone.Is the United States playing in the 2026 World Cup?Yes. The United States automatically qualified for the 2026 World Cup as one of the three host nations, along with Canada and Mexico.

British-Jewish journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti authored an article entitled, “Bombing Iran is the perfect way to celebrate Pride.” While the article’s title has since been changed to, “Bombing Iran’s evil regime is a point of Pride for Israel”, in it he praises Israel’s missile strikes against “the homophobic tyrannical theocratic regime in Iran.” Numerous web commenters have condemned the article. “Sure, gay rights weren’t their primary war concern, but it still seems a fitting way to inject some true meaning back into the now-hollow Pride movement,” Sacerdoti writes, having earlier written (in the same article) that, “Gay Pride has become a tiresome and hollow celebration of ultra-sexualized behavior in public places… a counter-productive circus of debauchery … now almost completely devoid of any meaningful ideological principle.” He also laments that Pride month observances last the entire month. Related Palestinians are dying in the name of LGBTQ+ people. This is not what we stand for. He then recounts Iran’s hardline religious laws which deny LGBTQ+ people legal due process and punish them with whippings (and even death) as well as anal rape in prisons. “So while the Tel Aviv pride parade hasn’t yet been officially canceled, I for one can see no better replacement for the traditional drug-fueled display of sexual vulgarity than the continued thrashing of the horrific Iranian regime,” Sacerdoti concludes. “I’m not sure the Gays for Palestine or [gay Jewish-British Green Party leader] Zack Polanski’s Islamist-aligned go-go dancers will agree, but this seems a far more meaningful way to stand up for non-heteronormative rights.” Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today One commenter on Bluesky, Caio Almendra, called the article an example of “pinkwashing.” The term can refer to “an instance or practice of acknowledging and promoting the civil liberties of the LGBTQ+ community, but superficially, as a ploy to divert attention from allegiances and activities that are in fact hostile to such liberties.” Pinkwashing is sometimes associated with “homonationalism,” when people cite Muslim-majority countries’ anti-LGBTQ+ policies as a pretext for racism, Islamophobia, and violence against Muslims. Another Bluesky commenter, Ben Kafir, called Sacerdoti “someone who thinks pride should be celebrated by bombing more school children.” The comment may refer to the February 28 U.S. military strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ Elementary School, which killed 156 civilians, including 120 schoolchildren. Fellow Bluesky user, Scott Dagostino, called The Spectator “a homophobic rag begging for hate-click attention.” Dagostino noted that the publication recently published another article entitled, “The tyranny of Pride is coming to an end.” Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

South African fans were distraught after their team's loss [Reuters]The normal display of African unity in the early stages of a football World Cup was notably absent from social media as many fans from across the continent backed Mexico in the tournament's opening match against South Africa.The memes were light-hearted - including sombreros, mariachi bands and tacos - but they pointed to a dark underbelly. The banter reflected anger over the reports of xenophobic violence in South Africa.A poor South African performance on the pitch led to a 2-0 defeat against the World Cup co-hosts.As the final whistle blew, social media lit up with a flood of mocking posts. But some South Africans pushed back, praising the spirit of their team, nicknamed Bafana Bafana.South Africa is one of 10 African teams at this year's expanded World Cup, with the US and Canada co-hosting along with Mexico.Ahead of Thursday's match, some African football fans justified their support for Mexico by linking it to the current tensions in South Africa over migration."You want people to cheer for you when you play soccer just because we're African?" one X user asked citing reports of mistreatment of migrants."We're supporting Mexico so that South Africa can go back home early to protect their jobs," another user posted, playing on the unfounded accusation that foreigners were responsible for South Africa's high unemployment rate."I hope South Africa is not blaming African migrants for the 2–0 defeat and two red cards in the match against Mexico," posted Ahmednasir Abdullahi, a prominent Kenyan lawyer.Others shared memes playfully embracing Mexican culture for the day, changing their profile pictures to Mexican flags and adopting Spanish-sounding names, under the caption "Mexico versus xenophobia".Daniel Kaniki, a Congolese football supporter who was at a fan park in the US city of Atlanta told the BBC: "Africa is like one country and if one is chasing others, we are not a family any more. That's why I'm supporting Mexico today."Though not everyone agreed.Ghanaian Vanlare Quist, was also at the fan park and said he was rooting for South Africa, adding that he was "a proud African" and blamed the anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa on a few individuals.In South Sudan, fans at public viewing centres in the the capital, Juba, were also backing Bafana Bafana. People there have a strong affinity to South Africa, linking their fight for independence from Sudan to the struggle against white-minority rule in South Africa."It was unfortunate that on social media we saw some African countries supporting Mexico and even wearing Mexico jerseys. As South Sudanese, we are behind South Africa and will continue to support South Africa - because they are representing Africa. So, all African countries must support South Africa during this World Cup," 23-year-old student George Kenyi Charles Rehan told the BBC in Juba.South Africa still has two more matches to go to prove their mettle [AFP via Getty Images]In a statement, the South African government commended Bafana Bafana for their "spirited performance", adding that while the final score was not what the nation had hoped for, the team "represented South Africa with unity, determination, and a sense of pride on the world's biggest stage".South Africans on social media were robust in their response to the trolling."We qualified for the World Cup alone without your support and whether we win or lose we will remain South Africans who love their country. And illegal immigrants will still leave our country whether you hate us or not," one posted on social media. Another said: "They can support Mexico all they want we are not backing down. Come to South Africa legally."In South Africa, migrants from elsewhere in Africa have been the targets of violence and intimidation in recent weeks.Anti-migrant groups have set a deadline of 30 June for foreign nationals living in the country illegally to leave.President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned against people taking the law into their own hands saying that "only authorised government officials can act against violations of our law". But he also stated that South Africans' concerns "deserve to be heard, and they deserve to be addressed". On Wednesday, Nigeria became the latest African country to repatriate some of its citizens from South Africa.Ghana, Zimbabwe and Malawi have already carried out evacuations, saying that they were taking the anti-migrant threats seriously. Many people from other parts of Africa moved to South Africa around the time white-minority rule ended in 1994, hoping for a better life.But with South Africa facing an unemployment rate of more than 30%, anti-migrant sentiments have risen, with protest marches being held in major cities and people facing xenophobic attacks.Additional reporting by Celestine Karoney in Atlanta and Nichola Mandil in Juba You may also be interested in: 'We have to prioritise South Africans': Anti-migrant movement blocks foreigners from healthcareSouth Africa police investigate killing of two Mozambican men The king's speech - and why it has foreigners in South Africa worried[Getty Images/BBC]Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Focus on AfricaThis Is Africa

The Abilene Cooper Cougars headline a list of eight Big Country-area high school football programs that have punched their ticket to the 2026 Texas high school football State 7-on-7 Tournament.The Cougars – who are back at the state tournament for the first time since 2024 – will be making their second appearance at the state 7-on-7 tournament since 2018 alongside seven other Big Country football programs: Stephenville, Sweetwater, Albany, De Leon, Goldthwaite, Hawley and Hico.Each of those teams earned their way to the state tournament by winning or placing at a State Qualifying Tournament.State Qualifying Tournaments are held throughout the Lone Star State each summer, and teams that place at a 7-on-7 State Qualifying Tournament earn a spot at the state 7-on-7 tournament from Thursday, June 25, through Saturday, June 27, in College Station.SQTs can vary in size, though, ranging from eight to 32 teams per site. SQTs also vary by the number of available state tournament bids.State qualifying tournaments with 32 teams send the top three to state, while SQTs with 16 and eight-team fields have two and one state tournament bids up for grabs, respectively.Additionally, competition at the State 7-on-7 Tournament is divided into three divisions.Division I contains all the Class 5A and 6A UIL teams that reached the state tournament, as well as all SPC and TAPPS Division I private schools.Division II consists of 4A DI, 4A DII and 3A DI UIL schools as well as all other private schools.Division III is made up of UIL schools competing in 3A DII or below in football.More: Cooper High School names head football coachMore: Cooper football's Roan tabbed as Abilene ISD’s next Assistant ADMore: Gordon, Hamlin baseball standouts named to 1A UIL All-Tournament TeamMore: Gordon baseball falls short in return to state championship gameAbilene Cooper will head to the State 7-on-7 Tournament as the Big Country’s lone representative in the Division I field after the Cougars defeated Fort Worth Brewer, Lubbock Monterey, Odessa High and the Cooper JV team to win Pool A at the Abilene State Qualifying Tournament on Friday at Shotwell Stadium.El Paso Eastlake claimed the Abilene SQTs other state tournament bid after winning Pool B over Abilene High, Abilene Wylie, Del Rio and Midland High.Abilene Cooper will be making its 17th appearance in school history at the State 7-on-7 Tournament.The Stephenville Yellow Jackets and the Sweetwater Mustangs are set to join Cooper at the State 7-on-7 Tournament as the Big Country’s Division II representatives.Stephenville – fresh off an undefeated season and its seventh UIL football state championship in school history – will be making its eighth all-time appearance at the State 7-on-7 Tournament this summer.It marks the Jackets’ first appearance at the State 7-on-7 Tournament since a streak of six consecutive trips from 2005 to 2010.Sweetwater will be making its State 7-on-7 Tournament debut.More: Abilene Christian replaces track, begins renovations at Elmer Gray StadiumMore: Report: Texas Tech exploring alternatives for Week 1 game versus ACU footballMore: ACU has a million reasons for Texas Tech football to cancel | WilliamsFinally, five premier Big Country-area Class 2A football programs will be competing for the Division III title at the State 7-on-7 Tournament.Albany, De Leon, Goldthwaite and Hawley will all be making their first trip to the State 7-on-7 Tournament this summer.Hico, meanwhile, will be making its return to the state tournament for the first time since 2003.This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Cooper among Big Country State 7-on-7 football qualifiers

The UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House scheduled for Sunday will proceed as planned, despite a lawsuit attempting to stop it from happening. On Friday, a federal judge ruled that the White House is permitted to stage a UFC event on the South Lawn of the building scheduled for Sunday, June 14. The show is being held on President Donald Trump's 80th birthday and intended to celebrate the United States' 250th anniversary. Judge Amit P. Mehta of the federal district court in the District of Columbia ruled against an injunction filed by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of an activist and a Vietnam War veteran to block organizers from building a structure for the UFC event on White House grounds. An advocacy group argued that the structure constructed for the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn of the White House would cause "irreparable harm." (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)AP Photo/Alex BrandonAccording to the judge, the injunction failed to demonstrate "irreparable harm" or "aesthetic harms" caused by "The Claw" structure constructed to light the matches for spectators and broadcast and grass that will likely be damaged by the temporary seats and the Octagon for the event. Despite concerns about "unauthorized, commercial exploitation" and "environmental damage," Judge Mehta ruled that the temporary nature of the structures, which will be disassembled beginning on Monday morning, did not support the plaintiffs' arguments. Staging equipment for press conferences set up at the Lincoln Memorial and ceremonial weigh-ins at The Ellipse will be taken down before then. The injunction, naming the Department of Interior and National Park Service as defendants, argued that the Trump administration was not allowed to issue permits for sporting events on the White House South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial since the UFC Freedom 250 was a privately organized, for-profit business venture. Additionally, Mehta noted that the plaintiffs waited until one week before the event to file the injunction. The UFC Freedom 250 event had been in the planning stages for nearly a year and construction on the temporary facility began in May. In a statement issued to ESPN, the White House praised the judge's ruling. "The court rightly rejected an untimely and frivolous effort to halt the historic UFC event hosted to honor the 250th anniversary of our Nation," said White House spokesman Davis Ingle. "The White House is thankful for this correct decision and looks forward to hosting this once-in-a-lifetime celebration on the South Lawn," the statement added.UFC CEO Dana White has claimed his company will take a $30 million loss for an event that will cost $60 million to stage, though the former number has been heavily disputed.

In a vote that ended June 12, Cincinnati.com readers selected the 2025-2026 Cincinnati Enquirer/Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Athletes of the Week from high school sports action through June 7.Winners can print their certificates from this week starting Monday and other weeks now using this Drop Box link. Send a photo of the winners with their certificates for our photo gallery.Here are this week's winners.More: How to add names to Cincinnati Enquirer's high school athletes of the week ballot in 2025Ohio big-school baseball team: Anderson – The Raptors reached the regional championship game thanks to a 2-1 win over Worthington Kilbourne.Ohio small-school baseball team: Fenwick – Fenwick is on to the state tournament after a 16-6 win against Newark Licking Valley and a 5-4 thriller over Roger Bacon.Northern Kentucky/Indiana baseball team: Campbell County – The Camels picked up a win in the opening round of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association tournament, beating LaRue County 6-1 before falling in a 14-10 shootout against Apollo.Boys spring team: Little Miami track – Little Miami’s 4x400-meter relay team won the state title as the Panthers scored 32 total team points, tying for fourth overall in the Division I state meet.Girls spring team: Loveland track – The Tigers, led by a three-championship performance by Caroline Murnan, scored 31 points to finish in fourth place in Division II.Ohio big-school baseball: Grant Fyffe, Anderson – The sophomore pitched a complete game in a 2-1 win over Worthington Kilbourne in the regional finals, sending the Raptors to the regional final. He allowed two hits, two walks and struck out four.Ohio small-school baseball: Isaac Barker, Fenwick – He made two key plays during a two-run rally in the seventh inning as the Falcons beat Roger Bacon 5-4 in the regional final for their first regional title since 1982. He placed a perfect bunt to third base for a single to load the bases, and he raced home with the winning run on Boyd Westerfield’s grounder, barely beating the throw from shortstop.Northern Kentucky/Indiana big-school baseball: Camden Tiemeier, Campbell County – The senior had a double, home run and four RBIs in the Camels’ 6-1 win over LaRue County in the first round of the state tournament. He had a two-run homer in the team’s 14-10 loss to Apollo in the second round, ending the season with 11 homers and 63 RBIs.Ohio boys lacrosse: Vince Fiorina, Mariemont – The senior scored three goals in Mariemont’s regional semifinal match against Bishop Watterson.Ohio girls lacrosse: Nellie Deeter, Mariemont – The sophomore netted five goals in Mariemont’s narrow 14-13 semifinal loss to eventual state champions St. Francis DeSales.Ohio boys track and field: Dom Ellis, St. Xavier – The senior won the Division I 3,200-meter run state title in 9:10.04, leading four Cincinnati-area runners to the podium. He also won the 1,600-meter run in a new personal best of 4:10.37, becoming the first Cincinnati boy in 32 years to win a cross-country title and the outdoor 1,600- and 3,200-meter titles in the same school year.Ohio boys track and field relay team:Little Miami – Carson Cherry, Isaiah James, J.Q. Wayne and Ethan Greenwood captured the Division I 4x400 meter relay in 3:16.9, a season’s best time and the top overall time in the state this season.Ohio girls track and field: Caroline Murnan, Loveland – One day after being part of the state-record setting 4x800 meter relay, she won the DII 400-meter dash in 55.29 seconds and won the 200-meter dash in 24.0 seconds, a new personal best and the second-fastest time in the state this season.Ohio girls track and field relay team:Loveland – Delaney Cilley, Brynleigh Scherman, Emma Todd and Caroline Murnan won the 4x800 meter relay in a new Division II state record of 9:05.14.If you win, what's next?The Enquirer will no longer mail certificates to schools after getting feedback that families weren't receiving them. Alex Harrison will make digital copies of all certificates available to families by 8 a.m. the Monday after the Friday win. Families will access the PDFs through this public Dropbox link.Once printed, families can email a photo to mlaughman@enquirer.com.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Enquirer names high school athletes of week, June 12, 2026

In a vote that ended June 12, Cincinnati.com readers selected the 2025-2026 Cincinnati Enquirer/Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Athletes of the Week from high school sports action through June 7.Winners can print their certificates from this week starting Monday and other weeks now using this Drop Box link. Send a photo of the winners with their certificates for our photo gallery.Here are this week's winners.More: How to add names to Cincinnati Enquirer's high school athletes of the week ballot in 2025Ohio big-school baseball team: Anderson – The Raptors reached the regional championship game thanks to a 2-1 win over Worthington Kilbourne.Ohio small-school baseball team: Fenwick – Fenwick is on to the state tournament after a 16-6 win against Newark Licking Valley and a 5-4 thriller over Roger Bacon.Northern Kentucky/Indiana baseball team: Campbell County – The Camels picked up a win in the opening round of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association tournament, beating LaRue County 6-1 before falling in a 14-10 shootout against Apollo.Boys spring team: Little Miami track – Little Miami’s 4x400-meter relay team won the state title as the Panthers scored 32 total team points, tying for fourth overall in the Division I state meet.Girls spring team: Loveland track – The Tigers, led by a three-championship performance by Caroline Murnan, scored 31 points to finish in fourth place in Division II.Ohio big-school baseball: Grant Fyffe, Anderson – The sophomore pitched a complete game in a 2-1 win over Worthington Kilbourne in the regional finals, sending the Raptors to the regional final. He allowed two hits, two walks and struck out four.Ohio small-school baseball: Isaac Barker, Fenwick – He made two key plays during a two-run rally in the seventh inning as the Falcons beat Roger Bacon 5-4 in the regional final for their first regional title since 1982. He placed a perfect bunt to third base for a single to load the bases, and he raced home with the winning run on Boyd Westerfield’s grounder, barely beating the throw from shortstop.Northern Kentucky/Indiana big-school baseball: Camden Tiemeier, Campbell County – The senior had a double, home run and four RBIs in the Camels’ 6-1 win over LaRue County in the first round of the state tournament. He had a two-run homer in the team’s 14-10 loss to Apollo in the second round, ending the season with 11 homers and 63 RBIs.Ohio boys lacrosse: Vince Fiorina, Mariemont – The senior scored three goals in Mariemont’s regional semifinal match against Bishop Watterson.Ohio girls lacrosse: Nellie Deeter, Mariemont – The sophomore netted five goals in Mariemont’s narrow 14-13 semifinal loss to eventual state champions St. Francis DeSales.Ohio boys track and field: Dom Ellis, St. Xavier – The senior won the Division I 3,200-meter run state title in 9:10.04, leading four Cincinnati-area runners to the podium. He also won the 1,600-meter run in a new personal best of 4:10.37, becoming the first Cincinnati boy in 32 years to win a cross-country title and the outdoor 1,600- and 3,200-meter titles in the same school year.Ohio boys track and field relay team:Little Miami – Carson Cherry, Isaiah James, J.Q. Wayne and Ethan Greenwood captured the Division I 4x400 meter relay in 3:16.9, a season’s best time and the top overall time in the state this season.Ohio girls track and field: Caroline Murnan, Loveland – One day after being part of the state-record setting 4x800 meter relay, she won the DII 400-meter dash in 55.29 seconds and won the 200-meter dash in 24.0 seconds, a new personal best and the second-fastest time in the state this season.Ohio girls track and field relay team:Loveland – Delaney Cilley, Brynleigh Scherman, Emma Todd and Caroline Murnan won the 4x800 meter relay in a new Division II state record of 9:05.14.If you win, what's next?The Enquirer will no longer mail certificates to schools after getting feedback that families weren't receiving them. Alex Harrison will make digital copies of all certificates available to families by 8 a.m. the Monday after the Friday win. Families will access the PDFs through this public Dropbox link.Once printed, families can email a photo to mlaughman@enquirer.com.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Enquirer names high school athletes of week, June 12, 2026

Here are seven errors that really stick out for three Los Angeles-area landscape designers and architects. READ MORE...

STATE COLLEGE — Throughout Blackhawk’s postseason run in the WPIAL and PIAA playoffs, there has been a simple formula to the Cougars’ success and that has been to start fast and the results will come. While Blackhawk got off to that signature fast start, Valley View’s bats staged a five-run comeback in a massive fourth inning to defeat the Cougars 13-8 to claim back-to-back PIAA 4A high school softball championships on Friday, June 12 at Beard Field.“When the lights come on and it’s time to play, these girls come out and get off to fast starts,” Blackhawk head coach Jim Riggio said. “Things were moving, scoring five in the first two innings and would have loved to take that fourth inning back, but if you told me that we would score that much against Valley View, I’d take it in a heartbeat.”After cutting into the Blackhawk (15-6) deficit in the third inning, Valley View (24-3) put together a fourth inning of epic proportions, tagging the Cougars for nine runs on nine hits. The inning consisted of six straight hits to begin the frame and four extra-base hits, capped off by catcher Maggie Hanett’s bases-loaded three-RBI single to give Valley View a five-run lead of its own. “There might have been a couple of above-average plays that we could have made, but Kylie Prisuta has been our mule all year and you allow her to get out of those jams,” Riggio said. “I decided to walk the pitcher to load the bases. I wasn’t going to let her beat us.”Despite the lopsided nine-run inning from Valley View, it wasn’t for a lack of effort from the Blackhawk bats, with the team ending Valley View’s impressive nine-game shutout streak. Required Reading: Blackhawk softball dances its way to PIAA championship on historic runRequired Reading: Blackhawk knocks off Harbor Creek in PIAA 4A softball semifinalsRequired Reading: Despite loss, Hopewell's James Armstrong completes impressive sophomore yearThe middle of the order for Blackhawk was the driving force to the team’s offensive success, with center fielder Addy Ramer and Lara Selick combining for all eight of Blackhawk’s runs. Ramer finished with five RBIs, driving in a pair in the second inning with a double down the left field line, another on a sacrifice fly earlier in the game, followed by a two-run home run to left field in the sixth. Selick did her damage with a pair of RBI singles in the first and second innings, followed by a sacrifice fly to right field in the fourth. “I just play the game,” Ramer said. “Knowing that it’s my senior year and playing in the final game of my high school career, I wanted to go out with a bang. As a team, that’s the way that we play. We always go for it all no matter who we play.” While the ending was not one that Blackhawk would have liked, it came following another historic run, reaching the state semifinals and championship game for the first time in the program’s history.“We had such a talented group during this run. Kylie [Prisuta] and Morgan Alexander are two of my best friends and I cannot wait to see what they both do in the future,” Ramer said.Ethan Morrison is the sports reporter for the Beaver County Times. Contact him at emorrison@usatodayco.com and follow him at EthanMorrison26 on X. This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Blackhawk falls to Valley View in PIAA 4A softball championship

Ole Miss baseball's season has stayed alive through the start of the transfer portal window.The Rebels made it to the 2026 College World Series, which begins June 12 and runs through June 22. That means the postseason will overlap with the transfer portal, which opened June 1 and will close June 30.The Rebels got big contributions from transfers such as Dom Decker to make the CWS, and will look to retool the roster while competing in Omaha, Nebraska.The Clarion Ledger is keeping track of Ole Miss' transfer moves for the 2027 roster below.Ole Miss baseball's additions in transfer portal1B Trey Hawsey (Louisiana Tech)Ole Miss added Louisiana Tech's Trey Hawsey on June 12. He announced his commitment on social media. Hawsey was a starter for the Bulldogs in 2026 who batted .335 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs as a sophomore.P Brent Stukes (South Carolina Upstate)Ole Miss landed a commitment from pitcher Brent Stukes on June 12, per his announcement on social media. Stukes was 8-3 with a 5.65 ERA as a junior. Ole Miss baseball players who've entered transfer portalNo Ole Miss baseball players have declared their intention to transfer.Ole Miss baseball players who said they'll return in 2027Players aren't required to announce they plan to return for next season, but it has become common in the age of the transfer portal.Here are the Ole Miss players committed to returning for the the 2027 season:This section will be updatedSam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss baseball transfer portal tracker for 2027 Rebels roster

A.J. Epenesa has found his next NFL home, as he's set to join a Super Bowl contender.The former Iowa football star spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, who took him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He compiled 24 sacks in Buffalo, to go along with five forced fumbles, four interceptions, and three fumble recoveries in 91 regular-season games. He never posted jaw-dropping statistics, but was a consistent player on a strong Bills defense.And now he's set to move over to the NFC in pursuit of a ring. Epenesa has agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.Eagles sign DE A.J. Epenesa. pic.twitter.com/36PwPbOLPD— NFL (@NFL) June 10, 2026Epenesa had originally agreed to a deal with the Cleveland Browns earlier in free agency, but a failed physical voided it. Now with a presumably cleaner bill of health, Epenesa joins a bona fide contender looking to win the Super Bowl in 2026.As of now, Epenesa will compete for a depth role on the team. The Eagles have a pair of entrenched edge rushers in Nolan Smith and Jonathan Greenard. They run a 3-4 defense, meaning Epenesa will probably end up backing up those guys on the outside linebacker depth chart. Philadelphia could move him down to the defensive line if things don't work out in the linebacker room.Epenesa will join fellow Hawkeye Cooper DeJean on the Eagles' defense. He's already turned in a solid six-year NFL career. Getting a chance with a contender like the Eagles could help Epenesa elevate his game to the next level. And maybe even end up with a Super Bowl parade in the process.Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hineyThis article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Former Iowa football DE A.J. Epenesa signs with Eagles

The New York Giants completed their three-day mandatory minicamp this week, their first under new head coach John Harbaugh and his staff. They won't meet as a team again until training camp, which begins the last week of July in West Virginia. The near-seven-week break may appear to be coming at the wrong time for Big Blue, a team that has just begun to gel, but there is a silver lining to the time off as well. The Giants have several key players returning from injury who could surely use this time to rehab and continue to heal. Here are five of those players.Wide receiver Malik NabersNabers' status for the start of the season is still very much up in the air at the moment. His surgically-repaired knee needed a second procedure this spring to remove scar tissue. Nabers was seen at OTAs and minicamp, but was not actively participating.Harbaugh, in his parting address on Wednesday, said he's hopeful that Nabers would be back "soon," and general manager Joe Schoen said he expects Nabers to be ready for the team's regular season opener versus Dallas on Sept. 13.An update on Giants WR Malik Nabers from John Harbaugh: “He’s still grinding.” 👇 pic.twitter.com/BYxc4kt74m— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) June 10, 2026The reality is Nabers could begin training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, just as a precaution. That would give the Giants more options heading into the season in terms of his availability.Left tackle Andrew ThomasThe All-Pro tackle has been bitten by the injury bug all too often in his Giants career, and it has cost both him and the Giants. The new coaching and medical staff are being smart with Thomas this summer, managing his on-field time and reps, giving him some time off for "maintenance" purposes.Various leg and foot injuries have sidelined Thomas for the past several seasons, and he is currently dealing with a shoulder issue. The Giants will play it safe, ramping him up for the season.Andrew Thomas split reps with Marcus Mbow at left tackle in live periods today. That's the first team we've seen Thomas in 11-on-11 action this spring. Good sign as they continue to ramp up Thomas.— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) June 3, 2026Running back Cam SkatteboThe second-year budding star has been barking about getting back on the field ever since he suffered a dislocated right ankle, a fractured fibula, and a ruptured deltoid ligament last Oct. 26 against Philadelphia. Skattebo finally got back on the field this week at minicamp, taking handoffs in a non-contact 11-on-11 drill. "I'm confident Cam will be back. He's working hard," Harbaugh said this week. "You saw him out there taking team reps today. That was during the team period. That was really good to see."Cam Skattebo taking handoffs at Mini CampVia @SNYGiantspic.twitter.com/e9MTOJkqJh— Giants Nation Show (@GiantsNationPod) June 8, 2026Harbaugh also said the Giants wouldn't hesitate to add a running back if they found one that could help them get better. Defensive lineman Roy Roberson-HarrisRobertson-Harris tore an Achilles tendon over three weeks ago, yet remains on the active roster. Unlike two other players who suffered similar injuries (Gunner Olszewski, Thaddeus Dixon), the Giants have not placed Roberson-Harris on injured reserve (IR). It appears they believe he could return this season and are waiting for further clarification."There's a chance Roy could get back, actually," said Harbaugh. "With Roy's situation, time frame-wise, there's a chance he could get back late in the season. We're going to try to hold off on that if we can."Harbaugh said they haven't put DL Roy Robertson-Harris (torn Achilles) on IR because there's a chance he could return late in the season. Harbaugh said they're going to hold off on putting Robertson-Harris on IR if they can.— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) June 3, 2026Wide receiver Darius SlaytonSlayton underwent surgery to repair a core muscle this offseason, a procedure that was reclassified later as a sports hernia. He did not participate in drills at OTAs or minicamp. The Giants are saying that he will be ready by training camp, but again, seeing is believing.Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton at Giants camp pic.twitter.com/sePJQPRppZ— SNY Giants (@SNYGiants) June 8, 2026They've added a ton of wideouts to the roster since March, perhaps as insurance should Nabers and Slayton can't get back in time. Training camp should be very interesting this year.This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: 5 New York Giants injuries that could define their summer

Cyle Larin's 79th-minute goal helped Canada earn a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opening match of the World Cup in Toronto on Friday.After spending most of the game dominating possession but failing to find a way past Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, Canada coach Jesse Marsch brought Larin on with 14 minutes to play in hopes of a spark. Three minutes later, the move paid off.Larin's equalizer was a long-time coming for Canada. Throughout the match they were able to find space in the Bosnia and Herzegovina end, but were provided no good fortune in the final third. Jonathan David had a chance early on, but his shot went right at Vasilj for an easy save.Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentNearly a half hour before Larin's goal, Richie Laryea had Vasilj beat following a lovely passing sequence by Canada, but his shot was cleared off the line by Sead Kolašinac.Canada had to chase a tying goal for over 50 minutes. They fell behind in the 21st minute after Jovo Lukić got on the end of a corner kick for his first international goal. The 1-0 lead dampened the joyous atmosphere inside BMO Field, which had a festive atmosphere following a march to the match by a large number of supporters from both sides.Canada finished with 61% possession as Larin's goal only further pushed them to seek a late winner. But no goal was to be had, even as Larin had an opportunity blocked in the final minute of stoppage time. The co-hosts had to settle for an opening match draw as they still search for their first-ever World Cup victory.Canada will next face Qatar in Vancouver, while Bosnia and Herzegovina will take on Switzerland in Los Angeles with both matches taking place on June 18.

David Hockney, the pioneering gay artist best known for his portraits of male desire in mid-century settings, has died. He was 88. His cause of death is not yet publicly known. The British artist, who, along with compatriots Francis Bacon and Lucien Freud, was uncompromising in his depictions of gay love, devoted his 60-year, transatlantic career to centering the human figure, beginning in an era of abstraction that made it anything but fashionable. Related This gay painting is now the most expensive work of art by a living artist Hockney’s death comes nine months after a career-honoring retrospective of 400 of his works at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, the largest of his career. Even with his health failing, Hockney continued to paint. “I just go on with my work,” he told The New York Times before the show opened last April. “When I come back from Paris, I’m going to carry on painting.” Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Hockney lived in Los Angeles for many years, a location that inspired a break with his British contemporaries’ sometimes claustrophobic, always interior depictions of their subjects. The self-described “English Los Angeleno” soaked his canvases in color and light, in exultant portraits that welcomed viewers in. Sun-splashed pools became a favorite motif. For a time, Hockney’s iconic Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) was the most expensive painting sold by a living artist, when it earned $90.3 million at auction in 2018. The 1972 work depicts Hockney poolside with his then-lover and muse Peter Schlesinger, who appeared in several of the artist’s paintings. Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), by David Hockney, 1972 | Wikipedia A trip to New York City in 1961 was Hockney’s first to the United States. Inspired by the visit, he produced a gay take on British painter William Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress, transforming the young man at the center of the 18th-century morality tale into a still-libertine, but liberated 20th-century New Yorker, drinking in gay bars and cruising runners in Central Park. The casually abstracted but realistic figure set the painter’s style for a lifetime. Hockney soon found a personal look to match the vibrant colors of his canvases; he was well-known for his colorful, eye-catching wardrobe, owlish glasses, and a mop of bleached blonde that Andy Warhol’s wigs would envy. Admirer Keith Haring later took Hockney’s cue for distinctive frames associated with an artist’s style. Over decades of prodigious output, Hockney experimented with many forms of portraiture and later landscape, in photography, collage, and immersive stage design for ballet, theatre, and opera. He embraced digital art forms, as well, with the appearance of computer graphics programs in 1985, and working on an iPad late into his career. Hockney was also a champion of LGBTQ+ rights. A traveling exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London was put in jeopardy in 1988 when he threatened to withdraw paintings he owned in the show to protest anti-gay legislation in the British Parliament. The measure was defeated, and the exhibition went on. The young artist came out at 23 while studying painting at the Royal College of Art in London, seven years before the U.K. decriminalized homosexual acts in 1967. Hockney is survived by his longtime partner and former assistant, Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, and his brothers Philip and John. In an interview with the Times in 2001, he summed up his life and style. “I prefer living in color,” Hockney said. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The lieutenant governor and the top elections official, both Republicans, are investigating whether the challenger coordinated with a Democrat to confuse voters.

Aston Villa Want This La Liga Goalkeeper As Martinez’s Replacement: Right Choice For Emery?Unai Emery isn’t a man to be caught cold. While Aston Villa fans are still basking in the glow of last month’s historic Europa League triumph, the manager is already planning for a seismic shift between the sticks. Reports from Madrid-based outlet AS suggest the club have renewed their pursuit of Real Sociedad goalkeeper Álex Remiro.Emery prepares for life after Emi Martínez as Aston Villa target La Liga stopperWhy the sudden movement? Look to Italy. Juventus are pushing hard for Emiliano Martínez. The Argentine World Cup winner is coveted in Turin, forcing Villa’s hierarchy to move swiftly. They need a top-tier replacement. This isn’t a new obsession, though. Villa earmarked the Basque keeper last summer during an earlier bout of anxiety over Martínez’s future. That deal stalled when the South American chose to stay at Villa Park. Now, Spanish publication Estadio Deportivo reports that several unnamed clubs have joined the hunt alongside the Birmingham outfit.The 31-year-old hasn’t had it easy in San Sebastián this term. Far from it. He has shipped 62 goals in 39 matches, keeping just four clean sheets. Despite the ugly statistics, Emery remains a massive fan of his compatriot. Real Sociedad are ready to sell, too. They want a reasonable fee between €8m and €10m, matching Transfermarkt’s €9m valuation. Feel Winner, the agency representing the keeper, is already handling communications ahead of his contract expiry in 2027.The tactical gamble facing the West Midlands clubGIRONA, SPAIN – MAY 14: Alex Remiro of Real Sociedad looks on during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Girona FC and Real Sociedad at Montilivi Stadium on May 14, 2026 in Girona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)Losing Martínez is a massive punt. No two ways about it. The penalty-saving specialist brings a certain aura to B6, a dressing-room leadership that money simply cannot buy. Dropping an unproven Premier League keeper into his boots is incredibly risky. Remiro lacks the aerial dominance of the Argentine, and those 62 goals conceded this season will definitely raise eyebrows in the Holte End.But look closer at what Emery actually wants.His system demands a keeper who can play out from the back under ferocious pressure. Remiro does exactly that. He is incredibly comfortable with the ball at his feet, popping passes into midfield effortlessly. Then there is the financial side of the game. A cut-price deal under €10 million keeps the Premier League’s profit and sustainability watchdogs at bay. It frees up vital cash for other positions while bringing in an experienced European performer.Fans will be hurt if their talisman heads for the exit. That is football. But the manager knows the Spanish market inside out, and backing his recruitment usually works out.

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — England launched its home Women's Twenty20 World Cup in style by crushing Sri Lanka by 87 runs at Edgbaston on Friday.After making the highest total in tournament history — 219-1 — with 105 not out by opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge, England dismissed Sri Lanka for 132.Left-arm pacer Freya Kemp took a career-best 4-21 including three wickets in one over that reduced Sri Lanka to 92-8.But it was England's record-setting batting that shone on a sunny evening in front of 14,865 fans.Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones, who was pushed up the order to open, combined for 100 inside 10 overs. Jones was dropped on 12 and 48 and was out for 53 off 38 balls. But her's and Wyatt-Hodge's stand of 135 was England's highest opening partnership in T20 World Cup history.Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, only just back from a torn calf in April, was dropped on 14. But her unbeaten 46 off 22 balls shot her past Charlotte Edwards, the former captain and current England coach, to be England's highest run-scorer in T20 World Cups. Sciver-Brunt has 784 and Edwards 768.Sciver-Brunt gave Wyatt-Hodge, on 97, the last two balls of the innings. She immediately hit behind square to the boundary, reaching the seventh hundred in tournament history and the second by an Englishwoman.She punched the air and made a baby-rocking celebration a la Brazil's Bebeto in the 1994 men's soccer World Cup. Wyatt-Hodge was only just back from maternity leave. Her wife gave birth to their first child on May 20.“It was great fun out there,” Wyatt-Hodge said. “My century celebration was for my daughter Daisy. I hope TV got it.”She also hit the last delivery for four, her 13th, to finish her third T20 century 105 not out from 62 balls.If that wasn't enough, Wyatt-Hodge took a brilliant catch, running from deep square leg, over her shoulder with a dive to remove Sri Lanka’s biggest threat, captain Chamari Athapaththu, on 4 in the fourth over.Wyatt-Hodge dropped her next two chances but neither caused any great harm.On Saturday, it's Ireland vs. Scotland, Australia vs. South Africa, and defending champion New Zealand vs. West Indies.___AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Watch "ABC7 Sports Overtime with Dionne Miller" live Fridays at 5:30 and 8 p.m., and Saturday mornings at 4:30 a.m. on ABC7 Chicago's 24/7 stream.ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watchDionne talked to ESPN Radio's Jeff Meller about the first place Chicago White Sox. It's been quite the turnaround from recent years for the South Siders. Dionne and Jeff discussed what has fueled them to becoming the best team in the AL Central up to this point in the 2026 season.The Chicago Bears wrapped up minicamp this week. Dionne was at Halas Hall, where Ben Johnson talked about how pleased he was with the program.The Chicago Bears wrapped up minicamp this week. It's the last time we'll see them for six weeks. Dionne was at Halas Hall, where head coach Ben Johnson talked about how pleased he was with the players' offseason program and the team understanding what the standard should be for the Monsters of the Midway.The Chicago Wolves are set to play in the Calder Cup Finals against the Toronto Marlies at Allstate Arena. Dionne chatted with coach Spiros Anastas.The Chicago Wolves are set to play in the Calder Cup Finals. Game one for the AHL Championship is Friday night against the Toronto Marlies at Allstate Arena. Dionne chatted with Spiros Anastas, who was the interim head coach earlier this season before being officially named head coach back in April. Anastas, who became the 15th head coach in franchise history, shared his formula for success as he hopes to bring the Calder Cup back to Chicago.ABC7's Mark Schanowski shared his thoughts on the passing of his friend, Chicago Bulls commentator Stacey King, who passed away suddenly on Sunday.ABC7 Sports anchor and reporter Mark Schanowski shared his thoughts on the passing of his friend Stacey King, who passed away suddenly on Sunday. Mark and Stacey were co-hosts on the "Gimme The Hot Sauce Podcast." Mark shared personal stories that show how three-time NBA champion Stacey King became a beloved fan favorite with Chicago Bulls fans as the color commentator with memorable calls of Bulls games. Mark talked about Stacey taking the time for just about every fan he ever met and how his personality lit up every room he walked into.

The UFC will spend about $60m (£44.3m) on the event [Getty Images]The UFC's show at the White House on Sunday will go ahead as planned after a judge rejected a federal lawsuit alleging the event would break American law.The one-of-a-kind show, named UFC Freedom 250, is set to take place on the South Lawn on US President Donald Trump's 80th birthday, as part of celebrations to mark 250 years of American independence.Last week, the Public Integrity Project filed a lawsuit seeking an emergency temporary restraining order over the "profound misuse of sacred national monuments for private gain".The group argues that the Trump administration has unlawfully organised a private sporting event on public property in violation of National Park Service rules, but Judge Amit P. Mehta has denied the challenge.Mehta, of the US District Court in Washington DC, says the plaintiffs failed to establish that they would suffer any irreparable harm or aesthetic injury if the UFC fights were to take place.Mehta noted that the event had been public knowledge for nearly a year, but the Public Integrity Project did not file its lawsuit until 7 June 2026 - more than two weeks after visible preparations commenced at the White House.Mehta added the late lawsuit "undercuts their claims of irreparable harm", and that the temporary claw-shaped structure built to host the event makes "risk of any significant environmental damage doubtful".The Public Integrity Project has brought several suits against Trump, including one to undo the sale of the social media app TikTok and another to stop a billion-dollar "anti-weaponisation" fund.In response to the group, the Trump administration told the BBC: "This is an obstructionist, baseless and dilatory lawsuit brought simply to prevent President Trump from hosting what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most historic sporting events in our nation's history during our semiquincentennial celebration."The White House has hosted recreational sports and events before but the UFC's show will mark the first professional live sporting event to take place on the grounds.The UFC has spent about $60m (£44.3m) on the event, which is headlined by a unification fight between lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje.The co-main event pits Ciryl Gane against Alex Pereira in an interim heavyweight title bout.MMA schedule and results 2026Watch every Born to Brawl episode More MMA from the BBC Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport

For the second straight weekend, Denny Hamlin went from worst-to-first as he took the checkered flag at Michigan last Sunday.Now, the 45-year-old in the No. 11 Toyota will aim for his third consecutive victory — and first place in the point standings — as NASCAR heads to Pocono’s tricky triangle for the Great American Getaway 400.The win for Hamlin last weekend put him in a tie for ninth all-time in Cup Series victories with Kyle Busch at 63. Hamlin grabbed a custom flag from pit road — showing a stylized No. 18 for Busch — and held it out the window during his victory lap. Hamlin was teammates with Busch, who shockingly died on May 21 at the age of 41 after complications from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, at Joe Gibbs Racing from 2008 through 2022.Another victory for Hamlin would give him sole possession of ninth place on the all-time leaderboard for Cup Series wins, and could potentially vault him ahead of Tyler Reddick for first in this season’s point standings. Heading into Pocono, Hamlin trails Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota by just 51 points. Reddick — who drives for 23XI Racing, the team Hamlin co-owns with NBA legend Michael Jordan — had his first DNF of the season last week after he wrecked midway through Stage 2.More: Christopher Bell to race at Pocono after breaking wrist in violent NASCAR crashThe Michigan race drew 2.07 million viewers on Prime Video, marking a 17% increase in viewership from last season’s comparable figures. Amazon’s streaming platform has two races left on its slate for the NASCAR Cup Series, Pocono and San Diego, before the broadcast moves to TNT.Pocono’s iconic triangle track has been on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule since 1971. Hamlin is the track’s all-time wins leader with seven victories, one more than Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.Should Hamlin win on Sunday, he would join an exclusive group of NASCAR drivers to win three consecutive races. Active drivers who have accomplished the feat include Reddick, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. Despite being the oldest full-time driver in the Cup Series this season, Hamlin shows no signs of slowing down.This week's race is the final one to set seeding for NASCAR's inaugural in-season challenge. Ty Gibbs won the $1 million prize last year. The five-race tournament begins at Sonoma on June 28.Bell will drive this weekend in the JGR No. 20 Toyota with a broken wrist after suffering the hardest hit in NASCAR's next gen era.What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono start?The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono on?The Great American Getaway 400 will be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video. That means there is no national TV broadcast for the race. Pre-race coverage will start at 2 p.m. ET.MRN will carry live radio coverage.Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?Yes, the Great American Getaway 400 will be streamed on Prime Video.Individual driver cameras can be watched on HBO Max.How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?The Great American Getaway 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile track for a total of 400 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 30 laps; Stage 2: 65 laps; Stage 3: 65 laps.Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono last year?Following a weather delay, Chase Briscoe outdueled JGR teammate Denny Hamlin for the victory. Briscoe’s No. 19 Toyota led 72 laps on the day and it would be the first of three races that he would win in the 2025 season, later taking checkered flags at Darlington and Talladega. The track was a strong one for Ford last season, which placed six machines in the top 12, led by Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher finishing third and fourth.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Start time, lineups for 2026 NASCAR race at Pocono, Great American Getaway 400

I’m not entirely sure what I had achieved by the age of 26, but it certainly wasn’t anything close to that of Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. I mean, managing to order a drunken taxi home with one eye closed while juggling one of London’s best Turkish kebabs could be filed under success to some, perhaps. Anyway, “Bam” is a bonafide superstar.The pound-for-pound contender is a two-weight world champion, blasting his way to an unbeaten 23-0 record. He makes a jump up to bantamweight this weekend looking to extend this run and add a third divisional title to his honors board.And if that was a bit too proper and legitimate for you, former Love Island star and younger brother of Tyson Fury, Tommy Fury, fights former strongman Eddie Hall on a MF-Pro show in Manchester, England. You see: Something for everyone.Let’s take a look at the best of the weekend’s action.1. ‘Bam’ is up at bantamweight and is still must-see TV“Bam” Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs) is on the move this weekend, up in new waters at 118 pounds and attempting to become a three-weight world champion. To do so, he has to get past a solid, but also limited (elevated) WBA bantamweight champion in Antonio Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KOs) on Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona.The truth is the “Bam” train is unlikely to get derailed by the current champion. That’s not to totally overlook the 29-year-old, but Vargas’ career has sort of slogged along in the shadows in recent years, unable to grab that big career-changing promotional push.Vargas’ last win came in 2024 against Winston Guerrero, and he has since edged a draw on the cards in Yokohama, Japan against Daigo Higa in an all-out war. The fact that Vargas has found himself on the canvas in each of his past three contests will be all the motivation the explosive-hitting Rodriguez needs.“Bam” is a special, special talent — 118 pounds probably won’t be his ceiling in the sport, but Vargas is the perfect opponent to see how this particular rung on the ladder feels.2. Jones, Carranza run it backWe’re going to try and clear up some confusing scorecards this weekend, as Oshae Jones (9-0, 3 KOs) and Elia Carranza (11-2, 3 KOs) run back their IBF junior middleweight title fight from last July.Two of the three judges felt Jones had done enough to win that first meeting, scoring it 8-2 and 6-4 respectively. The third official, however, saw things very differently, awarding everysingleround to Carranza.So we head to Orlando for Most Valuable Promotions' MVPW-04 show at Caribe Royale Resort on Saturday, and Jones heads to the Sunshine State looking to prove any doubters wrong."I definitely didn't want this fight," Jones told ESPN. "When I beat her the first time, I wasn't 100% but I got the job done, and that's all that should matter. But now it's a big rematch, and that motivates me to blow her out of the water."3. Kiwitt continues his German runSince losing in the United Kingdom to Luther Clay in 2019, German super welterweight Freddy Kiwitt has decided to ply his trade back on home soil, running up a 12-fight win streak in Germany (with one fight coming in Denmark).His ability to do so underlines the boom that boxing is enjoying in Germany at the moment, with heavyweight contender Agit Kabayel leading the charge.Kiwitt (29-3, 18 KOs) returns to the ring against Venezuela’s Jose Arcon (15-1, 13 KOs) this weekend, headlining a card that — at the time of writing — reads like a UN meeting. Nations including Germany, Czechia, Ukraine, Austria, Venezuela, Romania, Singapore, Kenya, Argentina, Nicaragua, Azerbaijan, Syria and the United Kingdom are all represented by fighters inside the Gorzelniaski Hall, Flensburg.Kiwitt was supposed to be defending his WBF and WBO Global super welterweight titles, but due to a late change of opponent, it’s just a good old-fashioned dust-up.4. Love Island’s Tommy Fury is fighting retired strongman Eddie Hall MF-Pro fights are supposed to be a bit of fun, right? And that’s exactly what to expect when Tommy Fury and Eddie Hall lock horns this weekend in Manchester, England.Fury (11-0, 4 KOs) can fight. Just not that well. We saw him struggle against KSI and Jake Paul in similarly viral bouts, and he’s clearly decided to go down the novelty route rather than trying to carve out a more traditional boxing career like the rest of the Fury clan.As for Eddie Hall? Who knows. The strongman — and the most prolific record-breaker in the history of strength sports — lost his only other boxing bout against Iceland’s Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson in something that I am not going to watch back, and, arguably, the most shocking thing about him is that he is only 37 years old!It’s billed as “Beauty vs. The Beast” — but don’t be surprised if it turns into “Tangled.”5. Elif Nur Turhan defends her IBF lightweight title against Gabriela TellezElif Nur Turhan is the new sparkly toy in the women’s game.Such was her appeal after going on a four-fight knockout assault of the super featherweight and lightweight divisions, that Matchroom struck and signed her up to a multi-fight deal on its DAZN platform. The IBF lightweight queen is now 13-0 with eight stoppages and considered one of the fiercest punchers around her weight, but a lackluster display in her most recent outing against Taylah Gentzen in January will need improving on.The Turkish fighter accepted the challenge of American Gabriela Tellez (7-0, 3 KOs) this weekend, defending her IBF strap on the Rodriguez-Vargas undercard in Glendale, Arizona.The 31-year-old is tied for No. 9 in Uncrowned’s pound-for-pound rankings and will be eyeing a jump up by the end of 2026 with the likes of Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor winding down their remarkable careers.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson was activated off the injured list on Friday, and designated hitter Brent Rooker was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to Tuesday because of a bone bruise in his left knee.Wilson was placed on the injured list a month ago because of a dislocated left shoulder. The 2025 All-Star is batting .292 with three home runs and 19 RBIs over 39 games this season.Rooker missed the victories over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday and Wednesday, and manager Mark Kotsay said he would be further evaluated on the off day Thursday.A two-time All-Star who has hit 30-plus home runs each of the past three seasons, Rooker is hitting. 200 with 10 homer and 29 RBIs over 48 games this year.The A's are in Las Vegas this week and open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

TimesofIndia.com in Dharamsala: India's first ODI assignment since the T20 World Cup is also the start of a longer journey towards South Africa, where conditions next year are likely to place a premium on pace, bounce and seamers capable of hitting the deck hard.With Jasprit Bumrah unavailable and Harshit Rana still recovering, the Afghanistan series could offer India an early look at some of the fast-bowling options competing to join them on that flight. Bowling coach Morne Morkel indicated that expanding India's pace reserves ahead of the World Cup was very much part of the thinking behind the opportunities likely to come the way of youngsters such as Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar."That's definitely part of our thinking and our vision - to give ourselves options for that World Cup in South Africa," Morkel said on the eve of the first ODI in Dharamsala."It's good for Indian cricket that we give guys opportunities under pressure against good opposition and see what they can do."Luckily we've got two guys now in Prince and Gurnoor in our squad. I'm pretty sure Gautam (Gambhir) will give those guys opportunities and see how they go in the Indian shirt."It's different playing international cricket with that Indian badge."Morkel was encouraged by what he has seen from the pair since they joined the squad."My first impressions, it is sort of almost like I felt they'd been part of the squad for five years. I saw no nervousness in their faces, although I can imagine coming into this squad they would be pretty nervous."I think the way they've gone about training, the energy they trained with, was very nice and good to see."In terms of their skills, I can also see that they've done a lot of work on that. They were on the money, accurate."While the immediate focus is on Afghanistan, Morkel made it clear that the management's sights are fixed on a bigger target."For me, it is just taking the learnings from South Africa, taking the learnings from New Zealand and looking for improvement in our white-ball game, especially in our 50-over game," he said."That's the goal now - looking for small improvements and making sure when we come to the World Cup next year, we're peaking at the right time.”

Cliff Jones was part of the first Wales squad to play in a World Cup in 1958 [Getty Images]Wales and Tottenham Hotspur legend Cliff Jones has been recognised in the King's Birthday Honours list.Jones, 91, has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Welsh football.The winger scored 16 goals in 59 internationals and was part of the Wales team that reached the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden before they were knocked out by Pele's Brazil.Jones was a member of the Tottenham side that won the Football League and FA Cup double in 1961.He then played his part as Spurs beat Atletico Madrid 5-1 in the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup two years later to become the first British team to win a European trophy. Jones also helped Tottenham win the FA Cup in 1962 and 1967.Keeping up with the JonesesCliff Jones played for Tottenham Hotspur between 1958 and 1968 [Getty Images]Jones' father Ivor and uncle Bryn both played for Wales, with his uncle's transfer from Wolves to Arsenal for £14,500 in 1938 a world record at the time.Jones played 580 club games in an 18-year career between 1952 and 1970.After starting with his home club Swansea, where he scored 54 goals in 193 appearances in all competitions, Jones transferred to Tottenham for £35,000 in 1958.Jones scored 159 goals in 378 games in all competitions for Spurs and is considered one of their greatest players.He left White Hart Lane for Fulham in 1968.Jones was inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame in 2013 and later that year was the recipient of a lifetime achievement trophy at the Sport Wales awards.Meanwhile, former Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chief executive Roger Lewis, who held the role between 2006 and 2015, has been made an MBE for voluntary services to service personnel and veterans in his role as chair of the Churchill Lines Foundation.Tom Hooper, who is from Newport and is the Bristol Metropolitan head of sport, has been appointed an MBE for services to education.Cardiff City director Steve Borley is made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Welsh economy across engineering, construction and sports participation.Diana's wedding dress designer says he still misses her as he receives MBESinfield knighted and six Lionesses made MBEs'Honoured and humbled' BBC presenter Watson appointed MBE

Kevin Sinfield has been recognised as well as England footballers Lauren James, Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly [Getty Images]Kevin Sinfield has received a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours while six of England's Euro 2025-winning squad have been made MBEs.Sinfield, the former Leeds Rhinos and England captain, is just the second rugby league figure to be knighted after Billy Boston.Fellow rugby league legend Neil Fox has been upgraded from an MBE to a CBE, while there are OBEs for two-time Ryder Cup-winning captain Luke Donald, former snooker world champion Shaun Murphy and former England rugby union captain Emily Scarratt.The latest Lionesses to be appointed MBEs are Michelle Agyemang, Jess Carter, Hannah Hampton, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo, after five of their team-mates were recognised in the New Year list.Former Scotland international Lou Macari has also been made an MBE, for services to football and homeless people in Stoke-on-Trent, along with Gary Street, who coached the England women's rugby union team to World Cup glory in 2014.Meanwhile, ex-Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has become an OBE for services to football and charity.'Everyone should have a friend like Kevin'Sinfield and Rob Burrow became friends while playing at Leeds Rhinos together [PA Media]Sinfield, 45, led Leeds to seven Super League titles between 2004 and 2015, and has since raised more than £11m to aid research and support families affected by Motor Neurone Disease.The current England rugby union defence coach was inspired by his close friend and former team-mate Rob Burrow, who died in 2024 aged 41 after a five-year battle with MND."My playing career was everything I could ever have dreamed of as a young man but the last seven years have given me so much inspiration," said Sinfield."The MND community are the very best of us and it has been my privilege to support them and put their battle on the stage it needs."Just four days ago Sinfield announced his seventh and final annual challenge to raise money for MND charities."I am pleased that this honour allows me to continue to raise awareness and I am looking forward to joining up with the '7 in 7' team again in September," he added.Sinfield's first challenge was in December 2020, and he and Burrow were both made CBEs in the New Year Honours list in December 2023.Rob's widow Lindsey said: "On behalf of the whole Burrow family, I would like to congratulate Kevin on his knighthood. We are all delighted for him and I can not think of a more deserving recipient."Kevin did so much for Rob but also the whole MND community. [It] means so much to so many people to have a champion like Kevin in their corner."As Rob used to say, everyone should have a friend like Kevin and so many people will be pleased to see him get this recognition."Sinfield is the third-highest points scorer in British rugby league history, with the 87-year-old Neil Fox the clear leader.Nigel Wood, chairman of the Rugby Football League, said: "Neil's astonishing feats, largely with the glorious Wakefield Trinity side of the 1960s, have stood the test of time in rugby league."'Honoured and humbled' BBC presenter Watson appointed MBEWales and Spurs legend Jones, 91, made MBE'It's an honour to be part of that list'Lauren James (left), Jess Carter (second left) and Michelle Agyemang (second right) helped England win Euro 2025 [Getty Images]Golfer Luke Donald won four Ryder Cups as a player for Europe and will attempt to become the first captain to lead a team to three consecutive wins next year at Ireland's Adare Manor.Snooker's Shaun Murphy narrowly missed out a second world title last month and has been recognised for his charity work, notably for the Rainbow Children's Hospice in the Midlands."I couldn't believe it, I started shaking," he told BBC Sport. "It had actually gone to our previous address [initially] so we had 24 hours to respond and accept, so I might have missed it."You realise that for your family, who have been on this journey since I started snooker when I was eight, that's as big as it gets. I don't think I've ever heard my mum as happy or as proud."Emily Scarratt has also been made an OBE having retired last year after a second women's Rugby World Cup win."It's a huge honour and incredibly humbling to be named on the King's Birthday Honours list," Scarratt said.Former coach Gary Street, who suffered a stroke in 2024, is regarded as one of the most influential figures in turning the Red Roses into powerhouses of women's rugby.Under his guidance, England won the Six Nations in each of of his first six seasons in charge and ended a 20-year wait to lift their second World Cup in 2014.His wife Helen said: "Gary is incredibly honoured and grateful to receive an MBE. Rugby has given so much to him throughout his life, and we owe a huge debt of thanks to everyone who has been part of that journey."Jess Carter is one of six England footballers to become an MBE and told BBC Sport: "It's amazing to be recognised. I've seen it with a lot of my Lioness team-mates, who've done incredible in the sport and continue to raise awareness of women's football, and sports for everybody really, so it's an honour to be part of that list."England men's Under-21s coach Lee Carsley has also been made an MBE, along with 91-year-old Cliff Jones, who played for Wales at the 1958 World Cup and was a member of Tottenham's double-winning side of 1961, plus flat racing's three-time champion jockey Ryan Moore.Broadcasters Ian Robertson and Garry Richardson have also been recognised with each having spent more than 45 years with the BBC.Lou Macari played for Celtic and Manchester United, and had two spells as Stoke manager before setting up a foundation to help combat homelessness in the city. "It's a great honour," the 77-year-old told BBC Sport. "It started 10 years ago and never did I think 10 years later I'd still be doing it, but such is the need for homeless people to get looked after, I'm still there and we'll still be there for a number of years probably from now on."I get more people talking to me now about the homeless situation in this country than about the football, and I don't mind that. I'm delighted that there's still people who are interested."After 24 years as Arsenal's vice-chairman, David Dein founded The Twinning Project in 2018, to forge bonds between football clubs and local prisons with the aim of minimising re-offending."Football is a major part of my life and finding a way to employ it as a force for good within HMPPS (His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service) has been a matter of huge pride," Dein said.King's Birthday Honours list for sportsKnighthoodKevin Sinfield (coach, former international and fundraiser), for services to rugby league, rugby union and the MND communityCommanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)Neil Fox MBE (former rugby league international), for services to rugby league and the community in West YorkshireOfficers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)Mel Bound (founder, This Woman Runs), for services to women's community sportDavid Dein (former Arsenal chairman and founder, The Twinning Project), for services to football and charityLuke Donald (golfer), for services to golfDr Clare Halsted (administrator, volunteer and former athlete), for services to fencingShaun Murphy (snooker player), for services to snooker and charityIan Robertson (broadcaster and former Scotland international), for services to rugby union and broadcastingEmily Scarratt (former England international), for services to rugby unionMembers of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)Michelle Agyemang (England international), for services to footballBrenda Bland (former Great Britain team manager), for services to swimmingLee Carsley (coach, England men's Under-21s), for services to footballJess Carter (England international), for services to footballJane Figueiredo (coach, Aquatics GB), for services to divingHannah Hampton (England international), for services to footballJane Harvey (official), for services to tennisLauren James (England international), for services to football Cliff Jones (former Wales international), for services to Welsh footballChloe Kelly (England international), for services to footballLou Macari (founder, Macari Foundation, and former Scotland international), for services to football and homeless people in Stoke-on-TrentRyan Moore (jockey), for services to horse racing and British sportRichard Morris (head, GB Para Badminton), for services to sport and disabled peopleGarry Richardson (broadcaster), for services to sport broadcastingAlessia Russo (England international), for services to footballGary Street (former England women's head coach), for services to rugby unionBrian Walsh (coach), for services to cricket

The $111 billion deal would unite two major movie studios and put CNN under the same roof as CBS News.

Elon Musk said he had initially given SpaceX less than a 10 percent chance of succeeding. His rocket company has come a long way.

SAN ANTONIO — As the postseason has dragged on over the past two months, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson has constantly referred to the phrase “100 games,” an indication of not only how long an actual regular season can last, but also how experience can build over time. Game 4, a historic Finals collapse, was unlike anything this team had ever experienced, but Johnson’s method of motivation, even in instances when his team let go of the rope, has always been a balancing act: emphasizing positive areas that helped build leads, which the Spurs have done plenty this series, while also acknowledging what went wrong. But does this approach work at the highest level of the sport, in the most tense, emotional, draining moments? “It's a good question,” Johnson said. “I think every game takes on different personalities. A lot of times when you watch the games back, with the level of detail that I would guess all staffs do, but I can speak for our staff, there's so much that starts to happen, whether on a certain play before you make the shot or before the runs happen.“I think that's what gives someone a lot of clarity on what went well and what didn't, what led to it. A lot of times, again, these things aren't in a vacuum, isolated types of things. As you see that there's a lot of themes of the game that may not necessarily show themselves in a box score on the surface level, when you start peeling back the layers, you start to understand the ripple effect, good and bad, of what you do or what you did.”Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournamentDivvying up the blame pie chart for surrendering a 29-point lead is an interesting social experiment; Victor Wembanyama leaned too far into high-usage, low-efficiency shots in the second half, missing 11 of his 14 attempts; De’Aaron Fox’s split-second decision-making when veteran guidance was required will replay on and on; Stephon Castle’s inability to create the separation he had enjoyed for weeks in the postseason proved costly. The list could go on and on. But as Johnson sat at the podium, he seemed to absorb all of the responsibility. After all, it was him that allowed two huge runs in the second half, a 13-0 run in the middle of the third quarter and a 32-11 Knicks blitzkrieg over the final nine minutes, all without making adjustments. It was him that allowed Wembanyama’s usage and minutes to climb and climb without trying to find some breathing room for him, literally and figuratively. It was him that extended too much of a leash to Keldon Johnson in hopes of playing him into a rhythm needed from the second unit, as opposed to recalling Dylan Harper. It was him that largely went away from creating paint touches that create secondary and tertiary actions and shots, getting swept up in the dramatics of Madison Square Garden. Johnson spoke about the lack of execution and discipline in the second half, focusing on the third quarter, when he felt San Antonio began to lose its identity, which manifested itself in the final frame. But the more he elaborated on the Spurs’ mistakes, it was clear Johnson understood that everything boiled down to him. “There [were] a lot of things that we did, where it felt like we could have put our energy into the right spots in that third quarter,” Johnson said. “Some things that I could have done to help that, as well. I think that quarter probably was the most disappointing for me. There's some learning things in every quarter, don't get me wrong, some things we want to be sharper with, better at, finish games. We weren't as connected and disciplined as we should have been.”In Game 5 (8:30 p.m. ET Saturday, ABC), the margin for error is lower than the floor with the Spurs facing a 3-1 series deficit. The reason why an overwhelming majority of tickets have been purchased by traveling Knicks fans is because they smell blood in the water and sense a wounded team. But in the same token as Mitch Johnson running to the defense of his players — like Fox — his roster, that has grown with him, protects its shot caller. “De'Aaron Fox will have the basketball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow, and I have the utmost confidence he's going to deliver like he's done countless times for us,” Johnson saidIf there’s any hope or luck from the basketball gods in extending this series, both fronts will need to be in unison. “He understands people very well and knows how to speak to them,” Wembanyama said of Johnson. “I am no exception. He knows how to speak to me. In-game, it feels like non-verbal communication as much as verbal because sometimes it's loud, sometimes we're far away. He knows what I need. He knows what I need to get to. I also know what he needs, what signals he needs. We've grown very much in that sense.”That communication will be especially important considering Wembanyama’s rising workload. The 22-year-old, who played a shade over 29 minutes per game during the regular season, has seen his playing time jump from 28.3 minutes per game in the opening round to a whopping 40.3 through Game 4 of the Finals. Wembanyama acknowledged the presence of possible fatigue but refused to allow it be used as an excuse for how the team fell apart late in Game 4. Regardless, it’s Johnson who monitors his star’s energy levels and admitted he could have done a better job of handling the Frenchman. “Looking back on it, I do believe that I have to make sure that I help him have the energy required to finish the game as strong as he needs to finish the game,” Johnson said. “I think I could have done better in that regard. That's not a number of minutes. That's not meaning he's going to play this many minutes tomorrow. It's looking back on the game, and that game in itself, I got to make sure that I help with that. I think I could have been better in that regard looking back from that game.”A team this young and inexperienced needs a leader to lean on, and Johnson has shown since taking the reins from Gregg Popovich that he’s capable, forward-thinking and brave. The Spurs have shown through their actions that they’re willing to run through a brick wall for Johnson. He’ll need to repay their faith with fortitude if San Antonio dares to pull off what seems like the impossible.

It's been an eventful offseason for the New Orleans Saints, who worked throughout the spring to turn over their roster with free agency, draft picks, and even a couple of trade acquisitions. It's all been aimed at improving the supporting cast around Tyler Shough after the quarterback gave fans something to cheer for. We know he can spin a football, lead a clutch drive, and beat NFC South rivals on the road. Now we need to see if he can steady the ship and take advantage of a stronger roster.So just how different could the Week 1 lineup in 2026 be from the squad Shough led onto the field in Week 18 of 2025? Let's run through each position group from that season-ending loss in Atlanta.Offensive lineLeft tackle: Kelvin Banks Jr. (14 snaps), Asim Richards (54 snaps)Left guard: Dillon Radunz (68 snaps)Center: Luke Fortner (68 snaps)Right guard: Cesar Ruiz (68 snaps)Right tackle: Taliese Fuaga (68 snaps)Sixth man: Will Sherman (3 snaps)It was a revolving door at left guard again in 2025, with Radunz getting the nod to close out the season. The Saints had cycled through a couple of different players at that spot before landing David Edwards in free agency, and he's expected to be a major upgrade. Next to him, it's Erik McCoy, who is hoping to stay healthy and return to the Pro Bowl in 2026. As long as we're looking at absences, it's worth noting Shough had to finish this game with a backup left tackle after Banks was pulled early on. It's looking like Torricelli Simpkins III is the favorite to back up McCoy after Fortner left the team in free agency.Wide receiversKevin Austin Jr. (66 snaps), 20 snaps in the slotDante Pettis (52 snaps), 27 snaps in the slotRonnie Bell (36 snaps), 7 snaps in the slotSamori Toure (10 snaps), 2 snaps in the slotThis group might have had the biggest shakeup. Pettis and Toure have since been let go, with Austin and Bell left competing against three draft picks and a couple of other new arrivals for their roster spots. In an ideal world the Saints would have Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, and Devaughn Vele on top of the depth chart with Bryce Lance and Barion Brown backing them up, but everyone needs to show they can stay healthy and outwork guys like Ja'Lynn Polk and Trey Palmer to make the cut.Running backsAudric Estime (57 snaps)Evan Hull (8 snaps)Nyheim Miller-Hines (1 snap)Estime took point at running back in the season finale, and he's the only one of this trio to return for 2026. He's also facing stiff competition for a roster spot with Kendre Miller and Devin Neal both returning, not to mention Alvin Kamara and Travis Etienne Jr. on top of the depth chart. Estime ran hard and should be in consideration for that RB3 or RB4 spot, but it is worth noting that six of the nine snaps Hull and Miller-Hines played came in passing situations. Tight endsJuwan Johnson (51 snaps), 10 snaps as a blocker, 17 snaps inlineMoliki Matavao (24 snaps), 17 snaps as a blocker, 20 snaps inlineTaysom Hill (23 snaps), 7 snaps as a blocker, 3 snaps inlineTreyton Welch (7 snaps), 5 snaps as a blocker, 3 snaps inlineMost of these players are returning -- everyone but Hill, at least so far -- but the Saints added a lot of talent to the group by signing Noah Fant and drafting Oscar Delp, plus Cody Hardy, who was guaranteed $170,000 to sign as a rookie free agent. The top three spots appear to be locked in place, but it looks like just one or two of the tight ends who Shough finished the season with will be on the final roster this year. The competition between Matavao, Welch, and Hardy for that fourth spot could be intense.This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints have overhauled Tyler Shough's offensive supporting cast

NiJaree Canady's holdout with the AUSL has officially reached its conclusion.The Texas Tech softball star signed her contract with the Texas Volts, the team announced Friday. The Volts drafted Canady second overall earlier this year. The team continues its season with a two-game series at the Carolina Blaze this weekend. Canady's Texas Tech teammate, Jackie Lis, is also on the Volts and been the team's starting first baseman through the first week.Canady's agent, Lindsay Colas at The Team, told Front Office Sports on Thursday that Canady hadn't signed her contract yet as she was holding out for "a fair and equitable contract."This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech softball star NiJaree Canady officially signs with AUSL, Texas Volts

There is plenty of excitement at St. Joseph's Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey for the FIFA World Cup, because school alum Matt Turner is Team USA's goalkeeper.Turner graduated from St. Joe's in 2012 and is an inspiration for the school's current soccer team."I mean, it's such an inspiring story," said student Quinn Brennan. "He came here, like, not really looking to play soccer, and then he just became, like, a great player. I mean, he had a better career after high school.""As a goalie, there's a lot of pressure on you, especially at the world stage, and you just have to keep going forward," said student Evan Uzar.Pictures of Turner in action are posted throughout the school"It's great for the school, great for the team, and it's a great representation of our team," said student Angelo Paino. "And it makes our team want to work harder.Every time Turner makes headlines, it keeps students engaged and working to achieve their goals."Absolutely. He had a great career here, but he definitely got better once he left there," said St. Joseph's Athletic Director Patrick Kivlehan. "So, it gives those kids something to strive for that when they leave here, they go to the next level and continue to grow as an athlete and a student."Turner has had an illustrious career playing professional soccer and even has a signed New England Revolution jersey at the school.Friday's game means so much to students and staff. It's a chance to showcase an alum on the world stage."So, for Matt to be playing in a second one on home soil, playing tonight in front of our home fans. Hopefully, he could, you know, get that big gold trophy, you know, in his hands and in a month," said soccer coach Conrad Madej.They'll be watching the big game around Turner's Park Ridge hometown and in Jersey City where thousands will gather for a festive FIFA watch party.----------* Get Eyewitness News Delivered* More New Jersey news* Send us a news tip* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts* Download our connected TV appSubmit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness NewsHave a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.

HENDERSON, NEVADA - MAY 28: Offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko of the Las Vegas Raiders attends a news conference after an OTA offseason workout at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center on May 28, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images Andrew Janocko is the “fixer” for Klint Kubiak. While he won’t be calling plays — that responsibility will be in Kubiak’s capable hands, even as a first-time head coach — Janocko is a key element of the Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff. That may seem detrimental to Janocko’s title of offensive coordinator, however, the relationship between the Silver & Black’s head coach and OC is longstanding and there’s already well-built heavy synergy. Hence the fixer role. Janocko is Kubiak’s vital right-hand man and primary offensive problem-solver. Kubiak has the ultimate responsibility of reshaping a Raiders offense that struggled mightily the last two seasons. Designing the offensive playbook, coordinating game plans, spearheading player development, and installing the Kubiak system are all in Janocko’s wheelhouse. The Andrew Janocko/Klint Kubiak DynamicTime Spent TogetherMinnesota Vikings (2019-21): Kubiak’s ascension to offensive coordinator in 2021 led to Janocko becoming quarterbacks coachNew Orleans Saints (2024): With Kubiak as offensive coordinator, Janocko served as quarterbacks coach Seattle Seahawks (2025): With Kubiak as offensive coordinator, Janocko served as quarterbacks coachLas Vegas Raiders (Current): Kubiak hired as head coach and Janocko tabbed as offensive coordinatorThe built-in dynamic Janocko has with Kubiak was a major reason they linked up again, this time in Las Vegas. “I think sitting there with my wife, and we were making the decision, the best decision for our family, this was something that we wanted to be a part of. We want to be a part of this organization, want to be a part of building this culture, bringing the shield back, and then getting to work with unbelievable people, getting to work with really good people,” Janocko said during a post-OTA media session last week. “That’s something in this business that really goes underrated is when you can work with good people, it makes the job, the stresses of the job, the good parts even better and the bad parts, you want to fight through those things with the people that you’re around.”View LinkProblem SolverThe Raiders are the fourth franchise where the pairing continues to develop and grow and being tied closely at the hip gives Janocko the right-hand man moniker for Kubiak. With mutual trust and an aligned vision for game planning, it’s not difficult to envision exactly what Janocko meant when he said you want to fight through the bad with people you have built a relationship with. That’s the Janocko-Kubiak dynamic in a nutshell. Just how aligned are the two coaches? Look no further than the “listen to your feet” mantra both wholeheartedly believe in. It initially began with the quarterback spot but has since evolved into a way of keeping the entire offense on time with progressions. “That goes back a long way, that something we believe in whether it started with the quarterback position, but it really is everything about our offense that we build ourselves, we build our brains, and then we build ourselves from the ground up,” Janocko said. “So, if you’re listening to your feet, whether you’re a quarterback and you’re progressing on time within your footwork, or you’re an offensive lineman and you’re gaining ground on your first step, or you’re a receiver, and how are my feet helping to contribute to my route depth. All those things, are we gaining ground on our first step in the wide zone? So everything, our building blocks start there.”The amplification of a unified message should help Las Vegas correct the wrongs from previous coaching staffs. While Kubiak’s focus gamedays will be calling plays, Janocko’s role of the logistics of the offense, resolve scheme issues, and give Kubiak clarity and real-time data and insight in-game is something the offensive coordinator is comfortable with. Throughout his coaching career, Janocko coached wide receivers, the offensive line, and quarterbacks which gives the 38-year-old coach unique insights at integral offensive position groups. An example of this having the micro view of each position group at his various stops and being able to zoom out and provide a macro view on pass protection, run blocking, route concepts, and the like to figure how to fix or improve play calls that didn’t work. By being a sounding board for Kubiak, Janocko filters the real-time data of the course of a game to ensure the head coach and play caller has the pertinent information to send the plays into the quarterback for the offense to execute on the field. “LOVE HIM!”If Derek Carr’s endorsement of Andrew Janocko means something to you, RaiderNation should be VERY excited about their new offensive coordinator.Janocko has worked with new @Raiders Coach Klint Kubiak in Minnesota, New Orleans, Seattle and now Las Vegas.According… pic.twitter.com/FU4bX3LGue— HouseRules (@houserules789) February 15, 2026Quarterback QualifiedThere was a notion early on that the Raiders could forgo hiring an official quarterbacks coach with Janocko hired as Kubiak’s offensive coordinator on February 15. Especially considering the former’s background as a QB position coach under Kubiak’s wing. Las Vegas didn’t go that route though and brought in highly respected veteran Mike Sullivan to be the team’s quarterbacks coach on March 24. This affords the Raiders a trio of coaches on offense — Kubiak, Janocko, and Sullivan — who are renowned for developing all-important signal callers. Sullivan’s military background (West Point graduate and U.S. Army infantry officer) is a the core of his teaching and the chaos management portion of that aligns well with both Kubiak and Janocko. Sullivan teaches quarterbacks to “complete the mission” by staying clear headed, not panic when plays break down, and persevering by adapting and overcoming situations. Think of “listen to your feet” as mentioned above. Also, it likely won’t surprise you to hear that Janocko worked with Sullivan — the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where Sullivan was Greg Schiano’s offensive coordinator and Janocko was an offensive quality control assistant to Sullivan. So naturally, with Kubiak, Janocko, and Sullivan on staff alongside veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in the room, too, how Las Vegas ensures it’s unified and not crossing wires for prized rookie and 2026 NFL Draft top overall pick quarterback Fernando Mendoza is a logical question. “Yeah, I think it’s just about having one singular voice, and us being all together on it, whether it’s Klint, myself, Sully (Mike Sullivan), any of the guys that step in that position room, making sure that we have our wires together, that we’re making sure that we give one singular voice, whether it be to Kirk, whether it be to Aidan (O’Connell), or whether it be to Fernando (Mendoza), that when those guys hear that, they understand that there’s a clear message, and if it’s not clear, we get it fixed right away.”#Raiders QB coach Mike Sullivan on Fernando Mendoza's development thus far: "It is a long process, and there's no shortcut to it. There's no magic wand where a guy can develop the type of skills necessary to be successful in the offense, particularly talking under center type…— Ryan McFadden (@ryanmcfadden_) June 2, 2026

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Spain will have a full squad available for its World Cup opener against Cape Verde on Monday with forward Víctor Muñoz returning to training a day after Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams also were back.Spain was hit by injuries late last season and had to adjust its preparations in the run-up to soccer’s biggest tournament. Mikel Merino and Fabián Ruiz also dealt with injury setbacks before returning to the squad. One player who did not make it in time was Barcelona midfielder Fermín López, who has a fractured foot.The biggest concern for Spain had been with Yamal, the young Barcelona winger who injured his left hamstring in a Spanish league game in April.The 18-year-old Yamal is expected to lead the team as it tries to win its second World Cup title. Spain won soccer's greatest prize in South Africa in 2010, when Yamal was 2 years old.Williams hurt his hamstring while playing for Athletic Bilbao in a league match in May. Both Williams and Yamal were out for the season with their clubs as they focused on recovering in time for the World Cup.Muñoz, who returned to practice on Friday, sustained a muscle injury while playing with Osasuna in May.Spain coach Luis de la Fuente probably won’t use Muñoz, Yamal and Williams from the start against Cape Verde on Monday in Atlanta. They are more likely to be fully fit for Spain’s second game against Saudi Arabia on June 21, also in Atlanta. The team's final group match will be against South American powerhouse Uruguay on June 26 in Guadalajara, Mexico.Spain, which has been training in Tennessee, rebounded from a round of 16 elimination by Morocco at the 2022 World Cup by winning the 2024 European Championship in Germany. La Roja also won the 2023 Nations League, and was runner-up to Portugal in the 2025 Nations League.Spain hasn’t gone further than the last 16 in the World Cup since its lone title in 2010.___AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty ImagesFIFA and IFAB have introduced several rule changes at this World Cup, all aimed at speeding up play and maintaining match rhythm.The main focus is cutting down time-wasting. Substitutions are now timed, injured players may have to wait before returning to the pitch, and referees have more authority to punish slow restarts.That final change was quickly put into practice during Canada’s 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the second half, Bosnia left-back Sead Kolasinac took too long over a throw-in, and Canada were handed the ball.How the five-second restart rule worksPhoto by Alex Pantling – FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesThe incident happened as Bosnia and Herzegovina were preparing to resume play from the touchline. Kolasinac delayed the throw, the referee applied the new standard, and Canada were given possession.The rule is designed to stop teams wasting time at throw-ins and goal kicks. It does not mean every restart is limited to five seconds, as the referee first has to decide that a player is intentionally slowing the game down.Once that call is made, a visible five-second countdown begins. If the throw-in is not taken before the countdown ends, the throw-in is given to the other team.Goal kicks carry an even harsher penalty: if the defending team fails to restart in time, the opposition are awarded a corner.It is a small but significant change, as sides protecting a lead can no longer assume slow restarts will only bring a warning.Read more:Ryan Reynolds celebrates as Cyle Larin scores historic Canada goalHow to livestream USA World Cup opening ceremony as Katy Perry prepares for pre-game showThe Arsenal graduate who was cruelly denied chance to claim unique World Cup record for Canada