Expert Sports News & Commentary

Orlando City has completed one of Major League Soccer’s most high-profile transfers in history, unveiling France’s Antoine Griezmann as a Designpotto Designated Player through 2028, with a cluboption for 2029. The 34-year-old forward arrives from Spain’s Atlético de Madrid after finishing the 2025-26 European season and is scheduled to join the squad in July. Griezmez’s signature represents a seismic shift for a club that has reached the playoffs six consecutive seasons yet has struggled to convert steady relevance into championship contention. Owner Mark Wilf described the move as transformational, calling it both a sporting and a commercial leap designed to elevate Orlando into the league’s elite tier. The Frenchman’s résumé underscores the magnitude of the coup. A World Cup winner with France in 201 and a runner-up in 2022, Grizmann has 131 senior caps and 44 international goals. At Atléti he became the club’s all-time leading scorer and spearheaded the 2018 Europa League campaign. He twice finished on the Ballon d’Or podium and was named LaLiga’s Player of the Season in 2015-16. Unlike many European stars who cross the Atlantic in the twilight of their careers, Griezmann joins MLS while still operating at a high level. Orlando is banking on his exceptional game intelligence, tactical versatility and proven big-game composure to reshape matches and, ultimately, the club’s trajectory. In brief comments, Griezmann cited the club’s long-term vision, the passion of the fan base and the chance to play at Inter&Co Stadium as decisive factors in his decision. He will slot into a Designated Player corps alongside Marco Pašalić and Martín Odeja, forming an attacking core engineered for championship contention. The move coincides with structural change across the organization. The club parted ways with head coach Oscar Parela earlier this year, signaling an aggressive pivot toward a new competitive cycle. The message from the front office is clear: merely making the playoffs is no longer enough; Orlando intends to compete for trophies. Griezmann’s arrival reinforces a broader trend of elite European talent choosing MLS as a legitimate destination while still in prime form. For Orlando, the objective is now unambiguous: convert continental star power into tangible silverware and solidify the club as a marquee destination within the global game.

Liverpool, 27 March — Everton’s international contingent is making headlines on multiple fronts as the break for national-team fixtures intensifies. With James potentially on the c of a first senior England cap, the 22-year-old midfielder told Everton’s in-house media that he is relishing the opportunity to impress manager Gareth Southgate ahead of this summer’s World (EFL). His former Manchester United and England teammate Wayne Ro has backed him to make the squad, telling the BBC that “James has the temperament and the engine to shine at a major (BBC). Meanwhile, the United States of America might soon have their own Everton to support. Sports Boom report that the club are monitoring Florian, the on-loe Ville striker who is eligible to feature for the USMNT, alongside interest in the United States debutant Antonee of Fulham. On the club front, the Premier League has recognised Beto as Player of the Week after the Portuguese forward’s recent scoring exploits. It marks the first time an Everton player has claimed the weekly honour this campaign. The accol was confirmed alongside the announcement that Beto and James have been named to the March edition of Who’s Premier League Team of the Month. Everton’s official website notes that “plenty of action from around the globe” is expected as national teams continue their preparations, with the club keeping tabs on all of its representatives during the break.

Barcelona coach Hansi F has a problem: one returning 28-year-old superstar and one 18-year-old stranger who have never looked like strangers at all. Frenkie de Jong, the Dutch engine that powers the Blaugrana transition from first warning to final pass, is nearing the end of rehabilitation. His replacement, academy graduate Marc Bernal, has absorbed the tempo of the Camp Nou as if it were a Sunday afternoon kick-about in the 3 Carras. Bernal has started every game since De Jong’s setback, shielding the back four with a serenity that recalls a young Sergio Busquets and scoring goals that have helped keep alive Barça’s hopes in all competitions. The numbers under Hansi F have already rewritten history. After 105 games the German’s side has 298 goals, 54 more than Pep Guardi’s record start. Yet the rear of the team is not the fortress Guard built, and the midfield is now the area where F must decide whether experience or fearlessness will dominate the next chapter. Pedri pencils himself into the XI, Dani Olmo and Ferm López rotate, Gavi readies for minutes, and Casado waits. The real conundrum is at defensive midfield. Bernal, taller and more physically imposing than De Jong, has shown a Guardiola-era ability to turn under pressure and accelerate through the lines. De Jong, meanwhile, carries 7 seasons of elite European football, a mastery of second-phase possession and the positional IQ that has rescued Barça from countless storms. Flick’s public stance is that Bernar is not a project but a present-day option. internally the staff concede that changing a winning team is a risk, yet benching a fully fit De Jong is an equally uncomfortable gamble. The coach has until matchday to decide whether to keep faith with the teenager who has never looked out of place or to restore the Dutchman who oils the wheels between defence and attack. Decisions, decisions… the answer will shape the title push and define Flick’s final legacy at the club he has pledged will be his last in football.

Mumbai, June 25 — A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, The Times of India Group, niche global investor Bolt Ventures and Blackline’s long-form private equity arm have signed a definitive agreement to purchase 100 per cent of Royal Challengers Bengaluru from United Stri Ltd, a subsidiary of Diageo PLC, in a transaction that values the franchise at $1.78 billion (approximately ₹16,600 crore). The sale, the largest in IPL history, is subject to approval by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the IPL Governing Council and other regulatory authorities and will become effective after the completion of the 2026 season. Under the new ownership, Aryaman Vikklam Bir, director at Adityya Birla Group and former Madhya Pradesh cricketer who was part of the inaugural Rajasthan Royals squad, will assume the chairmanship of RCB. Satyan Gajwani, chairman of Times Internet Ltd, will serve as vice-chairman. The consortium has signalled that it will retain the existing management and coaching set-up that delivered the women’s and men’s titles in 2024 and 2025, making RCB the first franchise to hold both the Women’s Premier League and IPL trophies simultaneously. United Spirits had acquired the Bengaluru franchise in 2008 for $111.6 million (about ₹485 crore) when the BCCI floated the league. The new price tag represents a 16-fold appreciation over 17 years and surpasses all previous block trades in the league. Sources familiar with the bidding said that other suitors included Adar Poonawalla, Ranjan Pui of Manipul Hospitals, private equity heavyweights EQT, TPG and Temasek, and the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United. Commenting on the acquisition, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the IPL had transformed into a global sporting powerhouse and that his group would leverage its legacy of institution-building to elevate Rinto a “global sporting institution.” Satyan Gajwani promised to “remain rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka” while expanding the brand’s international footprint. David Blitzer, founder of Bolt Ventures, highlighted the “world-class fan base” and the league’s growth story, while Viral Patel, CEO of BXPE, cited RCB’s loyal fan base and multiple growth vectors as key attractions. The franchise, home to some of the biggest names in T20 cricket including Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Wats, Anil Kumble, Glenn Maxwell, Yuvraj Singh and Faf du Plessis, has consistently ranked among the most followed teams in the league. The 2025 Brand Finance report placed RCB as the second-most valuable IPL brand after Mumbai Indians and among the three strongest brands alongside Mumbai and Chennai, while global investment bank Houlihan Loley rated RCB as the most valuable IPL brand in its 2025 report. The new owners have pledged to support the players, coaches and leadership team as the franchise prepares to defend both titles in the coming seasons.

DETROIT—On a sun-splashed Saturday morning at a quiet Cass Tech practice field, Donald Tabron II’s right arm did the talking. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound sophomore—already rated the No. 3 quarterback and No. 27 overall prospect in the rising class of 2028—unfurled a series of crisp deep balls and timing routes while a handful of private coaches charted every throw. The session, closed to media and fans, was the latest checkpoint in a recruitment that has exploded to 28 scholarship offers before Tabron II has even started his junior season. “He’s not a kid who needs the spotlight every second,” one observer said. “But when the ball’s in his hand, the spotlight finds him.” Rivals currently lists Tabron II as a four-star and the third-best signal-caller in the ’28 cycle, trailing only California’s Elijah Brown and Texas’ Cade McConnell. The Detroit product first flashed that pedigree in 2024, when he started as a freshman and piloted Cass Tech to the Michigan Division I state title, finishing 1,656 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. MaxPreps rewarded the debut with Freshman All-American second-team honors. Tabron II’s encore was even louder: 2,819 passing yards and 35 touchdowns while returning the Technicians to the state championship game. Along the way he showcased the pocket patience and field-wide vision that 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins highlighted in an August 2025 scouting note, praising the quarterback for being “efficient with the feet and stay on-schedule.” College programs have noticed. Oregon, Texas A&M and Auburn have emerged as the early front-runners, per Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong. The Ducks extended their offer in May 2025, followed by a late-January visit from Tabron II to Eugene, where he toured the facilities and met with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach—who outlined how Oregon’s quarterback room will transition from Dante Moore in 2026 to Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola in 2027. The Aggies entered the picture after Tabron II attended Texas A&M’s October 2025 win over Mississippi State; he already knew Marcel Reed would return as the 2026 starter and that four-star Helaman Casuga and 2027 pledge Jayce Johnson are stockpiling the depth chart. Auburn’s courtship dates back to June 2024, under then-coach Hugh Freeze, and survived the regime change to Alex Golesh; Tabron II’s Saturday workout came less than 24 hours after he toured the Plains and met the new staff. Despite the mounting attention, Tabron II insists he won’t rush. The early signing period for the class of 2028 is still 18 months away, giving him ample time to dissect playbooks, depth charts and relationships. Between now and then he will also chase a third state-title appearance and continue leaping—literally—as a high-jump specialist for Cass Tech’s track team. For now, the only numbers that matter are the ones spinning off his fingertips on a quiet Detroit field, each pass another reminder that the next great quarterback out of Michigan is only beginning to scratch the surface.

Tottenham Hotspur have moved to steady their turbulent future by tying down 17-year-old winger Conall Glancy to his first professional contract, the club confirmed on Tuesday. The signature arrives at a moment when first-team results have plunged the club into crisis: Spurs sit just one point above the Premier League relegation zone after a 3-0 home humiliation by Nottingham Forest and the pressure around the training ground is said to be at boiling point. Yet amid the gloom, Glancy’s progression offers a glimmer of long-term daylight. The Edinburgh native, who turned 17 last month, joined the Spurs academy last summer after a prolific spell with Celtic’s youth ranks. In 2024-25 he fired 15 goals for a treven-winning Celtic Under-16 squad, persuitating Tottenham’s recruitment staff to bring him south on a scholarship deal. Now a first-year professional, Gl has 12 appearances for the Under-18s this season 2025-26 campaign and scored his maiden league goal in a 4-1 dismantling of Birmingham City. November also saw him taste continental competition, starting in the Under-18s’ UEFA Youth clash with Paris Saint-Germain, experience that academy staff believe will accelerate his ascent toward senior football. Under-18 coach Jamie Carr has deployed the Scot primarily from the left flank, where pace, direct running and an improving end product have caught the eye of senior management. While manager Igor Tudor searches desperately for attacking spark, the club’s academy hierarchy insist Glanc represents part of a deliberate long-term strategy inside the 1billion stadium. With supporters urging the board to act decisively on and off the pitch, securing one of the country’s most highly regarded teenagers is a statement of intent. Glancy will continue to train with the academy but, given Spurs’ crisis, a first-team breakthrough could come sooner than expected. Tottenham, meanwhile, must now balance survival anxiety with the promise of a youthful rebuild. In the signature of a 17-year-old Celtic alumnus, they believe they have both a present morale boost and a future cornerstone.

Madrid — When Thibaut Courtois clutched his thigh in training earlier this month, the clock inside Valdebebas reset to a familiar narrative: Andriy Lunin, the quiet Ukrainian who had waited six seasons for scraps, was suddenly the man charged with protecting Real Madrid’s European dream. It is a role Lunin knows intimately. In March 2024 a similar Courtois injury propelled the 27-year-old into the Champions League knockout rounds; three months later Madrid lifted the trophy in London. Lunin’s fingerprints were on every key tie: two penalty saves in the shoot-out against Manchester City, command of his box against Bayern Munich, and the calm authority that convinced Carlo Ancelotti to keep faith even when summer signing Kepa Arrizabalaga arrived on loan. Now the script has looped. Courtois is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, a window that covers the quarter-final with Bayern Munich, a potential semi-final, and the Clásico at the Camp Nou on 10 May. The final itself, on 30 May in Munich, falls just outside the Belgian’s projected return date—inviting the same tantalising symmetry that saw Courtois reclaim the gloves for last year’s showpiece. Inside the club, no one is panicking. Staff describe Lunin as “methodical, almost detached”, a goalkeeper who treats every training session like a cup final. Signed from Zorya Luhansk for €8 million in June 2018, he has amassed only 67 appearances, yet his reputation among coaches is bullet-proof. Goalkeeping guru Luis Llopis, the architect of Courtois’s refinement, praises the Ukrainian’s footwork and shot-stopping in the same breath. Lunin’s journey has been one of patience. Three loans—Leganés, Valladolid, Oviedo—preceded a belated debut in January 2021, a 2-1 Copa del Rey humiliation at third-tier Alcoyano. Rather than wilt, he absorbed the lesson, returning to become the undisputed No 2. When Courtois ruptured an ACL in August 2023, Lunin seized the stage, outperforming Kepa and finishing the campaign with 31 appearances, a Copa del Rey runners-up medal and a new contract through 2030. His cult status is sealed by off-beat details: a tracksuit wedding, a proposal on Valladolid’s pitch, and the penalty heroics that turned the Bernabéu into a cauldron against City. In the dressing room he forms a tight quartet with Arda Güler, Federico Valverde, Fran García and Brahim Díaz, yet shuns the spotlight. Sources close to the player say he and his young family are settled in Madrid, content with a supporting role behind one of the world’s elite keepers. Courtois, 34 in May, has quietly extended his deal to 2027, ensuring the hierarchy remains unchanged. For Lunin, the immediate task is clear: navigate Bayern, keep Barcelona at bay, and maintain the momentum that has made Madrid the competition’s modern masters. Should he succeed, another chapter in the Champions League legend of the enigmatic backup goalkeeper will be written—whether or not he graces the final itself.

Liverpool will wave goodbye to Mohamed Salah at the end of the season, closing the book on a nine-year Anfield odyssey that transformed both the club and the man himself. In a quietly emotional video posted to 66 million Instagram followers on Tuesday night, the 33-year-old sat before his gleaming trophy cabinet, exhaled, and delivered the sentence supporters had dreaded: “Unfortunately, the time has come … I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.” The announcement arrives 348 days after Salah’s last televised address from Anfield, when he strode along a red carpet, settled onto a gilt-edged throne and declared “the story will continue” after signing a two-year extension. Twelve trophyless, turbulent months later, that story will finish with 255 goals in 435 appearances, two Premier League titles, one Champions League and a personal haul that places him third on the club’s all-time scoring chart behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt. Numbers, though, feel inadequate when weighed against the cultural earthquake triggered by a boy from rural Egypt who conquered English football. Salah’s 32-goal debut campaign in 2017-18 included a 36-yard lob over Ederson against Manchester City, a slaloming Merseyside derby strike and a solo dagger against Tottenham. Across eight full seasons he averaged 30 goals in all competitions, registering 284 combined goals and assists in the Premier League era—bettered only by Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard, each of whom required at least 100 more appearances. Yet his influence stretches far beyond statistics. He is the only player to be crowned PFA Players’ Player of the Year three times in the award’s 52-year existence. In the Arab world he carries the symbolic weight of Messi in Argentina or Ronaldo in Portugal, becoming the first North African footballer to achieve truly global superstardom. Time magazine listed him among the planet’s 100 most influential people in 2019, citing both his philanthropy and his public call for gender-equity reform in Egypt. That soft power was forged on Merseyside for an initial £36.9 million—smaller fees than Liverpool’s rivals paid for Alvaro Morata, Romelu Lukaku and Alexandre Lacazette the same summer. What appeared a gamble matured into the perfect marriage: the right player, the right club, the right moment, repeated season after season until this winter’s sharp decline. A run of nine defeats in 12 games precipitated a November dropping and an explosive interview in which Salah claimed he and head coach Arne Slot “suddenly … don’t have any relationship” and suggested “the club has thrown me under the bus.” Egypt duty at the Africa Cup of Nations in December looked set to end his Liverpool career prematurely; instead he returned, regained his place and scored memorable goals against Brighton in the FA Cup and Galatasaray in Europe, even if the electrifying bursts that once terrorised full-backs have become fleeting. Off-field trauma has shadowed the campaign. The death of teammate Diogo Jota in a July car crash left Salah “frightened” of returning to Melwood, he admitted on Instagram. On the opening weekend he wept in front of the Kop as fans chanted Jota’s name, a moment that encapsulated both the fragility and unity of the current squad. With a year remaining on his deal, Salah’s departure is framed by the club as mutual, opening the door to a lucrative Saudi Pro League move. Al Ittihad, part of the Public Investment Fund portfolio, attempted to sign him in 2023 and a marquee Arabic icon would fit the kingdom’s expanding sporting blueprint, especially as Cristiano Ronaldo approaches his 41st birthday. For now Salah’s focus is a respectable farewell. Liverpool remain in contention for the FA Cup and a Champions League berth, and though the landscape surrounding Slot’s own future is uncertain, the Egyptian’s final Anfield appearance against Brentford on 24 May is poised to be an emotional coronation rather than a subdued coda. When the curtain falls, the memories will resist the erosion of time: the curled finishes, the jubilant hugs with the Kop, the records that nudged him past legends, the shy smile that belied a relentless competitive furnace. In an era when transfers feel increasingly transactional, Mohamed Salah and Liverpool shared something rare and resonant—an alliance that elevated both parties beyond their own expectations. The goals may have dried up this season, but the legend is already set in stone.

London — For every Premier League side outside the top four, the mathematics have changed. The Champions League’s new 36-team format opened a fifth English berth in 2024-25, and the Premier League is poised to secure one of UEFA’s two bonus European Performance Sppots again next season. Add a second Europa League place, a Conference League slot, plus the extra rewards available to trophy-winners, and the domestic table becomes only part of the qualification puzzle. That complexity could see a record 11 English clubs on continental duty in 2026-27, according to data modelling carried out by The Athletic. The route to the unprecedented figure begins with the simplest equation: the first five finishers in this season’s table would all enter the Champions League if the Premier League secures the EPS. At present that quintet is Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool. The sixth-placed club (today Chelsea) would head to the Europa League, as would the FA Cup winners. Should a top-five side lift that trophy, the Europa League place rolls down to the seventh-placed club, currently Brentford. The Carababao Cup winners are entitled to the Conference League qualifiers — Manchester City’s victory on Sunday means the berth would pass to eighth-placed Everwood if City stay in the top five. that eight places are already accounted for, but three more routes exist. Scenario one: Nottingham Forest, 14th in the league but alive in the Europa League, could emulate Tottenham’s 2024 run and win the title, becoming England’s sixth Champions League participant. Scenario two: Crystal Palace, through to the Conference League quarter-finals, would upgrade to the Europa League should they lift that trophy. Scenario third: a double triumph for Liverpool (Champions League) and Villa (Europa League) while both finish outside the top five would add two extra Champions League spots, pushing the eighth, ninth and tenth-placed clubs into the Europa League, and eleventh into the Conference League. The most extreme outcome would see ten English clubs in the Champions League and Europa League alone, with an eleventh in the Conference League, meaning more than half of the league’s membership would embark on European campaigns. With seven rounds of league matches plus cup finals still to play, the permutations remain fluid, but the sheer volume of English teams still alive in Europe has already guaranteed that the country’s coefficient lead will stay intact. Inside the clubs’ analytics departments, spread-sheet permutations are being updated weekly; for supporters, the ordinary end-of-season scoreboard watching has become a multi-coloured matrix of what-if plots. An unprecedented 11-international flight schedule is still improbable, but no longer theoretical. The final seven weeks of domestic and continental action will determine whether the Premier League becomes the first competition in the modern-pool era to send more than half of its members into UEFA tournaments. Anantaacojith covers data and tactics for The Athletic.

Long Creek High School’s girls soccer team saw its landmark season come to a close Tuesday night, absorbing a 1-0 second-round defeat to La Vernia that ended the deepest playoff run in program history. The match’s lone goal arrived in the ninth minute, a moment Lady Dragons head coach Abigail Palomino believes set the tone for the night. “We came out soft in the first 15 minutes,” Palomino said. “We’re a young squad, so the importance of that first 15 and last 15 are huge, and I don’t think we came out as strong as we needed to.” Long Creek regrouped after the break, controlling possession and manufacturing a flurry of chances. Freshman forward Shayla Silva spearheaded the attack with multiple shots on target, while junior midfielder Mady Benson anchored the middle of the park. Sophomore outside back Kericia Rico also drew praise for an aggressive, high-tempo performance that helped pin La Vernia deep in its own half. “She started stepping to the player quicker, making moves, working up the field a lot faster and connecting passes,” Palomino said of Rico. “She went in headfirst into every play.” Despite the surge, La Vernia’s goalkeeper denied each attempt, and the five-back defensive scheme the Bears deployed limited second-chance opportunities. Long Creek, accustomed to facing traditional four-back alignments, struggled to find seams through the extra defender, while La Vernia’s swift counterattacks—many funneled through the influential No. 18—kept the Lady Dragons honest until the final whistle. The narrow loss closes a campaign that already rewrote school records. Long Creek earned a top-four district finish against a slate of regional powers, then captured the first playoff victory in the program’s brief existence. With all but one player—an international transfer—expected back, Palomino sees the defeat as a springboard rather than an endpoint. “Playoffs are hard because you have seniors graduating and you’re losing a leadership group,” she noted. “Going into next season, being able to establish this at such a young age—now they become what you call seasoned veterans.” Off-season plans center on building chemistry after a year spent shuttling to New Braunfels Middle School for practice once football season ended. Early-season workouts were staged in the outfield of the softball diamond while the school’s soccer facilities were under construction. Palomino believes the completion of on-campus amenities will accelerate development. “We’re returning everyone,” she said. “Once our facilities are there, that’s going to help us a ton.” For a roster loaded with freshmen and sophomores, Tuesday’s setback provided a crash course in playoff intensity. The Lady Dragons trailed by a single goal against an experienced opponent, created multiple chances, and walked off the pitch certain they had left everything on the field. “We went down swinging,” Palomino said. “They weren’t happy with how they played in the first half, and that kind of shifted their mindset. They took that seriously and said, ‘Hey, let’s go.’” Although the season ended earlier than hoped, Long Creek’s breakthrough year has laid a foundation the program hopes will produce deeper postseason runs in the very near future.

Chapel Hill, N.C. — The University of North Carolina has ended its partnership with men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis following five seasons at the helm of the storied program, according to an announcement released early Thursday. Athletic department officials offered no immediate details on the decision or on potential successors, but the move marks a swift conclusion to Davis’s tenure in charge of the Tar Heels. The 54-year-old former UNC standout and longtime assistant took over the program ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, becoming only the program’s third head coach since 1961. Davis guided North Carolina to a national championship game appearance in his first season and recorded four NCAA Tournament berths during his five years. His overall record and conference mark were not specified in the university’s brief statement. A national search for the next head coach will begin immediately, officials said.

LOS ANGELES — The final exhibition of spring training sounded more like a playoff anthem Tuesday night at Chavez Ravine, and the composer was Shohei Ohtani. In a 3–0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, the Dodgers’ two-way star authored a four-inning, 11-strikeout masterpiece that left teammates, opponents, and a sellout crowd convinced the Cy Young race has an early front-runner. Ohtani wasted no time announcing his intent, blowing a 95-mph sinker past Zach Neto and then surprising Mike Trout with a 97-mph heater up and in for back-to-back strikeouts to open the game. The tone was set: this was no ordinary March tune-up. The only hiccup arrived in the second. A leadoff single by Jorge Soler and a walk to Yohan Moncada put two on with nobody out. Ohtani responded by snapping off a curveball that Jo Adell chased in the dirt, blowing a 98-mph fastball past Josh Lowe, and burying another breaking ball to freeze Travis d’Arnaud—three hitters, three swings, three strikeouts. By the end of the third inning, Ohtani had eight punchouts, including a second strikeout of Neto and a Trout whiff on an 84-mph sweeper that had the stadium buzzing with regular-season electricity. He added three more in the fourth, finishing his outing having struck out 11 of the first 13 outs he recorded. Manager Dave Roberts praised the precision and intent. “The intensity was there, focus was there and execution was there,” Roberts said. “He’s ready to go.” The fifth inning illustrated the tightrope Ohtani and the Dodgers will navigate all year. Back-to-back singles and an RBI knock from Oswald Peraza pushed Ohtani to 86 pitches and closed his line at 4 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts—numbers that somehow still felt dominant. That dominance fuels an emerging question: can a player who is also one of baseball’s most feared hitters realistically chase a Cy Young Award? Roberts answered without hesitation. “Oh yeah. Because of just talent, ability and will. If he does that, he’ll be in the conversation, absolutely, I have no doubt about that.” The path will require careful management. Ohtani enters 2024 without the post-surgical restrictions that limited him to one-inning cameos last July. Yet the Dodgers plan to monitor pitch counts, consider extra rest, and weigh whether his bat stays in the lineup on days he pitches. For now, Roberts sees no reason to remove the stick from the two-way phenom’s hands. “He really loves to hit. Until we see or learn otherwise … we kind of move forward.” Tuesday’s performance offered a glimpse of what managed volume can still produce: a varied arsenal of 97-mph heat, darting sinkers, and sharp breaking balls that kept hitters guessing and missing. If that level translates to the regular season—and Ohtani stays on the mound with any consistency—the Cy Young conversation may quickly become his to lose. As the Dodgers pivot toward Monday’s Opening Day against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the last image of spring is unmistakable. Ohtani isn’t merely preparing for the season; he’s preparing to own it.

Paris—Kylian Mbappe delivered an unequivocal message to France supporters and World Cup rivals on the eve of Les Bleus’ U.S. tour: the knee injury that sidelined him for 54 days is “behind me,” and his place at this summer’s tournament was never in doubt. Speaking in Paris before joining the national squad for friendlies against Brazil today and Colombia on Sunday, the 27-year-old Real Madrid striker described the lay-off—the longest of his career—as a period of “frustration, anger and anxiety.” Yet scans taken in early March showed no need for surgery, and Mbappe insists speculation about a more serious ligament rupture was unfounded. “Lots of people gave their own diagnosis; I heard many false things,” he said during an appearance at an insurance firm he has invested in. “At worst I could have had a partial rupture ruling me out until April, but there was never a debate about the World Cup or the climax to the season with Real Madrid.” Mbappe resumed full training under a self-imposed “return-gently-but-hungry” regime and has already logged minutes at club level: a cameo in the Champions League last-16 tie at Manchester City and 25-plus minutes in Sunday’s 3-2 Madrid derby victory over Atletico. With 38 goals in 34 matches he remains Real’s leading scorer this campaign. The French captain, who lifted the trophy in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2022, admitted he and the club “tried to manage it as best as possible” while he played through January and February. “Today I have no pain and we are still in the hunt for trophies,” he added. “All the pain is gone.” France’s two-match American swing marks the next checkpoint on the road to the June finals. Mbappe welcomed the chance to face a Brazil side led by his former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. “When you play Brazil, the greatest footballing nation with five World Cup wins, it is unbelievable,” he said. “We are not going there for a holiday; we are going as a step in our preparations for the World Cup.” Mbappe expects to feature during the international break and believes the friendlies will offer valuable benchmarks against fellow contenders. “Even if we cannot take a lot of learnings out of this get-together, we can nevertheless take some,” he noted. For now, the focus is simple: minutes on the pitch, sharpness restored, and a third World Cup campaign looming with “all systems go.”

MunPLANEGG, 15 May — Bayern Munich’s summer rebuild will not include RSC Anderlecht’s 22-year-old midfield orchestrator, Nathan De Cat. Despite persistent links, Sport Bild head of football Christian Falk confirmed on Thursday that the Bavarian club has removed the Belgian from its shortlist. “FC Bayern find the player interesting, that’s very true,” Falk said, “but there just isn’t a free space in midfield for another No 6 or 8 of his style.” The decision clears a path for Premier League suitors and leaves academy prospect Kennet Eichhorn as the internal fallback option should the club add depth in the engine room. The clarification follows steady conjecture about external reinforcements, yet the club is clearly leaning toward promoting from within rather than splashing cash on another central midfielder. Meanwhile, a swirl of speculation linking Aleksandar Pavlovic to Chelsea was quashed by the same authoritative source. Falk confirmed that no talks have taken place between the London club and the 19-year-old German who has broken into the Bayern first team this season. “There was contact in the winter, but not from Chelsea— it was Manchester City,” he revealed, noting that the answer from the record champions was a firm “no.” Chelsea are not alone in admiration for Pavlovic, but for now Bayern regard him as part of their long-term core and are not entertaining any offers. Else in Europe, Barcelona are weighing up a one-year extension for Robert Lew andowski, according to Fabrizio Romano. The 37-year-old striker has not made a decision and is also assessing approaches from the Saudi Pro League and MLS ahead of the summer window. In England, Nottingham Forest newcomer Elliot Anderson is attracting a trio of top league sides. Newcastle United are plotting a reunion with their former academy graduate, while Manchester United and Manchester City are monitoring the 21-year-old closely. Borussia Dortmund may cash in on Serhou Guirassy should a €50 million offer arrive from a top European club. The Guine international’s representatives are taking a measured approach and will not decide until the off-season. Should Guir an depart, Hoffen heim’s 20-year-old forward Fis Asllani is a prime candidate to replace him, partly thanks to his shared history with new BVB sporting director Book at El ver sberg. E intracht Frank f t appear ready to cash in on Swedish midfielder Hugo Larsson after years of rebuffing su ors. Premier League and La Liga clubs have already approached through super-agent Has an C tin kaya and formal proposals are expected once the summer window opens. and Mo Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the campaign, bringing his stor mer years at An field to a close. Bayern’s next on-field focus is a blockbuster Champions League semi final against Real Madrid without Belgian keeper Th b Cour ois, while the club is reportedly about to boost Michael Ol ise’s wages as part of a new long-term deal. Keywords:

LeBron James has long stated that owning an NBA franchise—specifically an expansion club based in Las Vegas—was his post-playing ambition. Yet in March 202 free agency, the four-time champion abruptly reversed course, telling reporters he was “not at all” interested in pursuing ownership. The Fenway Sports Group, which handles James’s portfolio inside the sports market, privately cited ballooning valuations that now range between $7 billion and $10 billion as the deterrent. A new report, however, suggests the true driver of James’s pivot may lie inside the orbit of his most trusted business partner. According to a comprehensive investigation by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon and Mike Vfree agency, Maverick Coxfree agency—James’s longtime confidant and the chief architect of the LeBron James Family Companies—has quietly accepted a seat on the board of directors for “Project B League,” an up-start professional circuit aiming to directly challenge the NBA’s monopoly on elite talent. Project B intends to tip off next fall with a November-to-April schedule that overlaps the NBA’s regular season, forcing players to elect one league over the other. Sources tell The Athletic that the league is prepared to offer guaranteed salaries above current NBA mid-level money plus equity stakes tied to future revenue growth, a structure designed to entice stars to spurnextension talks with their NBA clubs. Grady Burnett, Project B’s co-founder and public face, confirmed to The Athletic that he has resumed working with Coxfree agency, who served as an informal consultant during the league’s earliest planning stages. “Carter, 44, who oversees day-to day operations of James’s businesses, had been a consultant for Project B until this fall but is now back in the fold as an adviser and board director,” Burnett said. Coxfree agency’s spokesperson acknowledged his friendship with Burnett but denied that Coxfree now holds any formal title inside the organization. Burnett says Coxfree has not approached James about investing or owning a Project B franchise, yet he left the door open: “We’re focused, as I said, on building the foundation, and we will have those conversations as we go forward with the right players at the right time.” The league has already announced marquee signings on the women’s side—Nneka Ogfree agency, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, and Sophie Cunningham among them—while promising a “mirror blueprint” for men that targets both rising prospects and veteran names seeking extended career runway. Coxfree’s ties to Coxfree sports Group, which owns stakes in Liverpool FC and other franchises, adds another layer of potential conflict. Insiders say Coxfree agency inside Coxfree sports Group—meaning Coxfree agency’s dual roles could have complicated James’s attempt to become an NBA owner. LeBron’s public explanation for stepping away from ownership ambitions cites skyrocketing valuations. Yet the timeline aligns with Coxfree’s deepening involvement in Project B, a venture that would directly compete with any NBA interests James would hold. For now, Coxfree agency remains the only person who can clarify whether Coxfree agency’s new league—and the potential profits it promises—helped detonate the four-time MVP’s long-held dream of owning an NBA team.

MIAMI—Janic Sinto Sinner’s march through the Miami Open has been as clinical as the statistics suggest: three matches, zero sets lost, and a quarter-final ticket stamped with a 6-3, 6-3 dismissal of American Alex- Michels en in the fourth round on Tuesday afternoon. Yet beneath the tidy box score lies a player quietly managing the shifting sands of clay-bound rankings math that will arrive next month. “I played a night match yesterday and then a day match today, so the conditions were very different,” Sinner said after the 90-minute win, noting the sun’s position during Michelsen’s second-set push. “I tried to find solutions as the match went on.” The Italian’s solution was resolute shot selection and a serve that woke up on cue, saving two break points in back-to-back games before breaking the 20-year-old in the 10th game to close the set and match. It was the latest extension of a streak that now shows nine consecutive straight-set wins and 28 consecutive Masters 1000 sets, a run that began during his title run in Paris last autumn. Michelsen, who hammered 11 aces and forced a set point on serve at 5-4, was left to rue a moment of bad luck: “The sun was in his face on set point, I tried to serve as well as I could,” Sinner said, tipping his cap to the American’s level. “I was also a bit lucky.” Luck, however, has been in short supply for the rest of the draw. The top seed has dropped just 22 games in three rounds, while the section around him continues to crumble. Only Alexander Zverev joins Sinner among the original top 15 seeds remaining, meaning the path to a first Miami crown—and a potential Sunshine Double after last month’s Indian Wells trophy—has cleared dramatically. The wider context is impossible to ignore. Carlos Alcar am holding the No 1 spot, but the Spaniis defending a raft of clay points from Monte Carlo to Roland Garros, while Sinner has comparatively little to protect. The math is in the Italian’s favour, but the sentiment inside his camp remains grounded. “I’m aware of the scenarios,” Sinner acknowledged. “But clay is completely different. It depends on how you start and how you feel on that surface.” The comment was as much a concession to the calendar as it was to his rival. “With him being No 1 and me No 2, the only way we can face each other is potentially in the final,” Sinner said of Alcaraz. “There are many tough matches ahead. You can lose in a second. I take it day by, one opponent at a.” That next opponent is American Frances Tiafoe, who advanced under the same hot sun and will enjoy a raucous crowd on Thursday night. Sinner, meanwhile, will savour a rare day off after three straight weeks of play. “I’ve played almost three weeks in a row. I know I need to play my best tennis if I want to go far,” he said. If he does go far—perhaps all the way to a Miami title on Saturday— the No 1 debate will intensify on the clay. For now, Sinner is content to let the numbers quietly assemble while he focuses on the Miami heat and the next fore that matters.

Gennaro Gasseto has left Federico Chiesa off his roster for the coming World Cup playoff, a decision that leaves Italy with no margin for error ahead of the do-or die matches. Gasseto said only “someone without blood in their veins” would not feel the nerves as the national team fights to secure a place in the finals. Italy enters the playoff window under heavy pressure and without room for excuses. Gasseto’s message is clear: there are no alibis.

Kelowna turned into a hockey capital this weekend as the Central Zone Rockets completed an unprecedented sweep at the BC Hockey Provincial Championships, claiming gold in all three female divisions—U13, U15, and U18. The historic feat marks the first time in BC Hockey annals that one association has captured every age-group title in the same season. The U15 and U18 squads reinforced their dominance by repeating as provincial champions, successfully defending the banners they raised a year ago. Meanwhile, the U13 squad capped a dramatic climb up the podium, upgrading last season’s silver medal to championship gold and completing the organization’s perfect weekend. With three banners heading back to Kelowna, the Central Zone Rockets have set a new benchmark for excellence in British Columbia minor hockey.

Madrid—Pere Romeu kept a straight face for only a moment. Asked whether Barcelona have a surprise tactic tucked away for tonight’s UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid, the 32-year-old head coach broke into a grin and delivered the punch-line every reporter in the room expected: “I wouldn’t tell you if we had a secret weapon!” The quip, delivered during Tuesday’s pre-match press conference at the Estádio Alfredo di Stefano, underscored both Romeu’s calm demeanour and Barcelona’s refusal to over-complicate a tie that could define their European season. After last May’s defeat to Arsenal in Lisbon ended the club’s quest for a third straight UWCL crown, Barça are determined to reassert themselves among Europe’s elite. “It’s a knockout game which gets us particularly excited, and we’re going to play the best game possible to return to the Spotify Camp Nou with an advantage,” Romeu said. “It’s a tough tie, as they always are in the Champions League, but if we stick to our identity we give ourselves the best chance of progressing.” That identity, Romeu reiterated, is built on relentless possession, rapid circulation and snuffing out counterattacks—an area in which Madrid have proved dangerous. “You already know our game,” he said. “We try to dominate possession, create lots of chances in front of goal and impede any counterattacks. If we have control, we’ll be on the right path.” Respect for the opposition was balanced by confidence in his squad. “We have got respect for Real Madrid and we’ve got respect for this competition,” Romeu noted, “but we’ll go out there and play the best game that we can to return to the Spotify Camp Nou with a favourable scoreline. We know it’s a tie of 180 minutes, so it won’t be decided tomorrow.” Wednesday’s encounter kicks off a rare trilogy: after tonight’s European skirmish, the sides meet again Saturday in Liga F at the same venue before heading to Catalunya for next week’s decisive second leg. Romeu insisted Barça will resist looking beyond the opening 90 minutes. “We can’t think about the long term,” he said. “Previous games against them help us analyse what worked and be even better in what’s to come.” Barcelona will run out at the Alfredo di Stefano, Madrid’s secondary ground and the only quarter-final venue not to be the host club’s main stadium. For Romeu and his players, the location is secondary; the mission is singular—reignite their European charge and take a lead back to the Spotify Camp Nou. SEO keywords:

ATLANTA — While the U.S. Men’s National Team has long searched for reliable finishers, a sudden glut of in-form strikers has turned this summer’s World Cup roster race into a genuine contest. Among the contenders, none arrived here with a résumé quite like Patrick Agyemang’s. The 25-year-old is one of three U.S. forwards currently scoring in double figures in Europe, yet his journey began far from the bright lights of the English Championship or Ligue 1. Agyemang’s first collegiate touches came at NCAA Division III Eastern Connecticut State University, a starting point so modest that even the most thorough scouts rarely bother to look. From there he transferred to Rhode Island, spent a summer with USL League Two’s Western Mass Pioneers, and eventually parlayed steady improvement into a 2023 MLS SuperDraft selection by Charlotte FC. Two-and-a-half productive seasons in MLS caught the attention of Derby County, where Agyemang has wasted no time acclimating to the physical demands of England’s second tier. Ten goals in his debut Championship campaign have propelled him onto the senior national-team radar and, thanks to an injury to Coventry City’s Haji Wright, into this pivotal January camp ahead of friendlies against Belgium and Portugal. “I feel myself building in all types of areas, on and off the field,” Agyemang said after training at the Falcons’ facility. “When I got to England it was obviously an adjustment factor, but it’s been amazing. I think it could obviously translate here.” Translation is precisely what U.S. coaches will be evaluating. With the Americans hosting the 2025 World Cup, competition for striker spots has tightened. AS Monaco’s Folarin Balogun has 13 goals across all competitions this season; PSV Eindhoven’s Ricardo Pepi also sits on 13 and has been linked with a Premier League move to Fulham. Agyemang’s tally of five goals in 12 senior caps in 2025 keeps him firmly in that conversation. “It’s good to see all the boys doing well,” Agyemang said. “With the national team it’s always competitive. You’re competing against a lot of top guys … I like to dial into what I can control and keep working hard.” That self-reliant mindset was forged during years when few were watching. Unlike Balogun, who came through Arsenal’s academy, Agyemang crafted his game in relative anonymity, relying on work rate and adaptability rather than a prestigious youth pedigree. His former Charlotte teammate Tim Ream, a 12-year veteran of English football, believes that background has prepared him for the moment. “You just never know with the Championship what kind of reaction you’re going to get from guys, especially someone like him who got a very unique path,” Ream said. “He’s in a place mentally and physically that he feels good. And when you feel good, you feel like you can do anything.” Ream has tracked Agyemang’s progress from afar and likes what he sees: a confident striker meeting the primary job requirement—putting the ball in the net. “Double digits in his first year, that says a lot to me,” Ream added. “So it’s great to see it.” For Agyemang, the immediate objective is straightforward: perform in camp, impress against Belgium and Portugal, then return to Derby County and keep scoring. The larger prize, a World Cup roster spot on home soil, remains tantalizingly within reach. “Right now I’m focusing on doing my best with the boys here … taking it each day at a time,” he said. “I’ve been trying to do that the whole year … I just want to continue doing it until the end of the season and potentially the World Cup.” If the goals keep coming, the kid who started in Division III could find himself leading the line for the United States when the world’s biggest tournament kicks off on American soil this summer.

Barcelona’s pursuit of a permanent deal for Joao Cancelo may hinge on the future of academy product Marc Casado, according to a report in Mundo Deportivo. With the international break amplifying transfer chatter, Casado’s name has resurfaced in connection with a €20 million move to Saudi Arabia, a valuation that could prove pivotal in negotiations for the Portuguese full-back. Cancelo’s loan from Manchester City expires in June, and while Barcelona want him to remain at the Camp Nou beyond that date, Al-Hilal—who currently hold his registration—are demanding €15 million to sanction a transfer. Barça, constrained by financial considerations, are exploring creative solutions to bridge that gap, and Casado has emerged as a potential makeweight. The 20-year-old midfielder, valued at €5 million more than Al-Hilal’s asking price for Cancelo, has started only sparingly for the first team. Mundo Deportivo outline a scenario in which the Saudis express concrete interest in Casado, opening the door to a swap arrangement that would see Cancelo remain in Catalonia while the La Masia graduate heads to the Middle East. Casado has previously spoken of his dream to spend his entire career at Barcelona, yet he recognises the fierce competition for minutes in a squad brimming with talent. The report notes that a “round trip” to the Saudi Pro League—similar to the paths taken by Gabri Veiga and Aymeric Laporte—could tempt the player if it ultimately accelerates his return to elite European football. Any deal remains contingent on Casado’s willingness to leave his boyhood club, and no formal offer has been tabled. Nonetheless, Barcelona’s hierarchy view the midfielder’s market value as an unexpected lever that could help them secure Cancelo’s long-term future without meeting Al-Hilal’s cash valuation outright.

Barcelona are ready to cash in on Ferran Torres ahead of the 2026 summer transfer window, with the 25-year-old forward expected to be the sacraced attacking asset that helps finance Hansi Flick’s overhaul of the squad. Club officials have concluded that the coming window represents the last realistic opportunity to collect a transfer fee for Torres, whose current contract at the Estadi Olí relocates him to free-agency status in June 2027. Rather than negotiate an extension, Barcelona will listen to outside offers, sources told ESPN. The decision is rooted in both financial prudence and a tactical rethink. Flick is earmarking two new signings in the final third: a permanent deal for Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford is viewed as the likely marquee move, while a new number nine is also on the shopping list. Torres’ departure would free space on the wage bill and inject cash into a transfer budget that has been under scrutiny for years. Although Lewandowski has long been the presumed exit, the Poland striker is now in line for a new contract, shifting the focus onto Torres. The former Valencia and Manchester City player has opened the season with 16 goals, but his post-winter break slump has coincided with Barcelona’s declining confidence in his long-term role. A Premier League return is considered the most probable destination should a sale materialise. Aston Villa, who have tracked Torres since his time at City, are weighing up a fresh approach should Barcelona formally signal that a move is viable.

Prague—With the Olympic cauldron barely cooled after the Milan-Cortina Games, the women’s singles competition at the 2026 ISU World Figure Skating Championships will open at 6 a.m. EST on Wednesday, March 25, and the chase for gold has never felt more wide open. Olympic champion and defending world titlist Alysa Liu has stepped away from competition to capitalize on professional opportunities and a social-media following that now tops 10 million. Russia’s Adeliia Petrosian, sixth in Italy, remains barred by the ISU’s blanket ban on Russian athletes. Their absences clear the lane for a new world champion, and the field is stacked with skaters eager to seize the moment. Kaori Sakamoto, the newly crowned Olympic silver medalist and a three-time world champion, arrives as the presumptive favorite. The 25-year-old Japanese star has already announced that these championships will be her competitive swan song, adding emotional weight to what she hopes will be a fourth global title. If Sakamoto shows any vulnerability, the most likely beneficiary is her 17-year-old compatriot Ami Nakai, whose daring triple axel and buoyant presentation electrified the Olympic short program and briefly put her in the lead at Milan-Cortina. Nakai ultimately captured bronze in Italy and could upgrade that medal in Prague. The top American hope is Amber Glenn, whose fifth-place Olympic finish and reputation as one of the sport’s greatest triple-axel technicians make her a podium threat if she delivers two clean skates. Glenn, 26, is seeking her first world medal after placing fifth at last year’s championships. She will be joined in the U.S. delegation by 18-year-old Isabeau Levito, a 2024 world silver medalist who dazzled coaches in Tuesday’s practice by cleanly landing a new, high-difficulty jump combination. Levito’s 12th-place result in Italy was an outlier driven by a single shaky free skate; a rebound in Prague could easily land her on the podium. Japan’s depth does not end with Sakamoto and Nakai. Mone Chiba, the 2025 world bronze medalist and fourth-place finisher at the Olympics, has the technical arsenal and competitive maturity to capitalize on any slips above her. Estonia’s Niina Petrokina, fresh off historic Grand Prix and European titles, could become the first Estonian woman ever to win a world medal. South Korea’s Haein Lee, the 2023 world silver medalist and Four Continents champion, brings elegance and consistency, while teammate Jia Shin, still just 18, used a personal-best free skate in Italy to hint at bigger results ahead. Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova, the 2023 European champion, rounds out the list of skaters capable of disrupting the established hierarchy. With the short program set to begin live on Peacock, the women’s event promises five days of high-stakes drama that will close the book on the 2025-26 season and, in the case of Sakamoto, perhaps on an illustrious career.

Tucson — The Arizona Wildcats opened spring football on a bright desert morning, and everything about the first workout felt different: the same voice calling plays, the same quarterback taking the first snap, the same face in the headset upstairs. For the first time in years, continuity is not a talking point at Arizona; it is the program’s organizing principle. That continuity begins with redshirt senior Noah Fif, who returns for a final season under center and, crucially, for a second straight year in the same offensive system. Offensive coordinator Seth Doege is back orchestroside him, creating the first repeat play-calling partnership of Fifita’s college career. Head coach Brent Brennan made retaining the staff a top priority after last season, and the dividends are already visible. Fif was crisp during the Wildcats’ initial walk-through at the Davis Indoor Sports Center and Dick Tomey Practice Fields, operating without pads but with purpose. He is processing faster, throwing on time, and, according to coaches, leading with a quiet confidence that springs from trust in the scheme around him. That scheme will have more toys than at any point in Fifita’s tenure. Arizona’s wide receiving room mixes familiar names with splashy transfers. Brandon Phelps and Isaiah Mizell, both returners, lined up alongside West Virginia transfer Rodney Gallagher during the first practice, while San Diego State transfer Arthur Ban worked at tight end and Marshall transfer Antwan Roberts carried the ball at running coach. Brennan labeled the opening session “helm and underwear,” emphasizing fundamentals and chemistry over contact. For Fifita, every rep is an investment in a fall season he hopes will translate continuity into a championship run. The Wildcats will continue spring workouts with the pads off for now, but the message is already clear: in a program that has seen constant turnover, familiarity is now the strongest weapon.

BEL AIR, Md. — Harford Community College officially launches its first-ever women's flag football program this week, becoming only the second junior college in Maryland to field a team in the rapidly growing sport. The Fighting Owls will open their history-making season at home Thursday at 3 p.m. against visiting Villa Maria College. Athletic Director Ed Leisch spent two years laying the groundwork for the program, citing a surge of local interest and the chance to create new pathways for female athletes. "It's their chance now to play a sport that hasn't been offered to them ever," Le said, adding that flag football's inclusion in future Olympic Games and rumors of a professional league make the timing ideal. "We're providing them opportunities to move on beyond the juco level." Head coach turned out to be the missing piece until Leisch recruited Andre Smalls, whose patience and vision have shaped the fledgling roster. "They are understanding what we're doing and it's just a progress right now we're looking pretty good," Smalls said. "Everyone's catching. They understand the game, but we still have a long way to go." Roughly half the roster lists dual-sport athletes, many of whom have never strapped on shoulder pads. Basketball standouts and Turkey natives Nehir Safkin and Ayca Kazak are among the newcomers learning the fundamentals from scratch. "My coaches taught me really good and I learned how to throw a football first, and that was kind of hard for me, but I figured it out," Kazak said. Safkin echoed the feeling of starting over: "Our coach is like teaching from the, so we're trying to learn from the beginning, like step by." Neriya Kindred, a volleyball player at Harford, is experiencing football for the first time in her life. "It's been an experience for sure. It's so fun. It's so to get like the knowledge of a whole new sport and see like a whole different perspective of what another sport is outside of volleyball," Kindred said. "I've definitely been a learning experience. I love." The home opener Thursday marks the start of what Harford officials hope will be a springboard for the program and a milestone for women's athletics in the region. Keywords:

Racing Post Sport’s daily tipping column turns its spotlight on the women’s game tonight, and resident football analyst James Milton believes the value lies with Barcelona Women to shut out Real Madrid Women in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano (kick-off 5.45pm). Barça, still smarting from last season’s 1-0 final defeat to Arsenal, cruised through the league phase of this term’s competition, topping the table and conceding just three goals in six matches. Real, by contrast, needed a playoff round triumph over Paris FC—aided by an early red card for the French side—to reach the last eight. Recent head-to-head evidence points heavily in the visitors’ favour: Barcelona have beaten Madrid 4-0 in the league, 2-0 in January’s Super Cup and 4-0 again in last month’s Copa de la Reina final. With the Catalan giants priced at a prohibitive 1-5 for the outright win, Milton’s preferred wager is the 21-20 available on Barcelona to prevail without conceding.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Prep Sports Media Association unveiled the 2026 girls basketball All-Ohio squads on Monday and Tuesday, honoring the state’s top performers from the regular season as nominated by the association’s seven districts. Whitney Stafford, a 5-foot-8 senior from Lewis Center Olentangy who averaged 21.3 points per game, earned the Division I Player of the Year award. She headlines the Division I First Team alongside Pickerington Central 5-11 junior Zoe Coleman (17.8 ppg), Massillon Jackson 5-11 senior Maddie Lepley (18.3), Wadsworth 5-9 senior Lauren Decker (14.1), Kettering Fairmont 5-8 senior Kaylah Thornton (18.0), Cincinnati Princeton 6-1 sophomore Erin Thomas (20.7), Batavia West Clermont 5-11 freshman Bella Swisshelm (20.1) and Mentor 5-5 senior Nina Rodriguez (19.2). In Division II, Sunbury Big Walnut 6-2 junior Sydney Mobley claimed top honors after posting 20.5 points per contest. She is joined on the First Team by Westerville Central 6-1 senior Ella Martin (21.4), Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame 5-7 senior Mia Vieth (15.8), Cincinnati Seton 6-4 senior Lauren Bain (17.5), Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 6-0 senior Leah Pike (20.0), Rocky River Magnificat 5-11 senior Gemma Wichmann (14.6), Massillon Washington 5-8 sophomore Delaney Pierce (26.7) and Akron Hoban 5-8 senior Niera Stevens (17.0). Division III co-Players of the Year are Lyndhurst Brush 5-10 junior Tatiana Mason (24.6 ppg) and Chillicothe Unioto 5-10 senior Milee Smith (23.7). They anchor a First Team that also includes Steubenville 5-8 senior Nylah McShan (20.3), Columbus Hartley 5-7 sophomore Naomie “Pinky” Burkett (19.2), Columbus Centennial 5-8 junior Kennedy Houston (22.4), Hamilton Badin 5-10 senior Braelyn Even (20.5), Ashland 5-8 junior Kennedy Lacey (22.7), Norwalk 5-7 senior Trinity Lazzara (12.5), Copley 5-8 senior Evelyn McKnight (23.9) and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 5-7 junior Melania Cornute (22.0). Shaker Heights Laurel 5-8 senior Tristan Williams, who averaged 22.8 points, was named Division IV Player of the Year. The First Team features Columbus International 5-8 senior Leila Carter (27.0), Circleville 6-2 junior Addison Edgington (20.1), Franklin Bishop Fenwick 6-1 sophomore Lucy Luers (14.7), Cincinnati Purcell Marian 6-3 junior Samaya Wilkins (22.4), Bellevue 6-3 senior Kaitlyn Turinsky (12.9), Ashtabula Edgewood 5-7 junior Carly Kray (23.5), Norton 5-7 senior Dakota Graham (16.1) and Wintersville Indian Creek 5-9 junior Kaydence Walker (18.2). Complete second- and third-team listings, along with special mention and honorable mention honorees, accompany the release and recognize standout performers from every corner of the state.

Madrid—Antonio Rüdiger has never been shy about confrontation, but the Real Madrid defender says the collisions fans see on television are only the final product of a mental chess match that begins long before kick-off. In a wide-ranging interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the 32-year-old detailed how pain-killing injections, self-edited video dossiers and deliberate psychological pressure combine to form the uncompromising approach that has carried him to two Champions League titles and close to 100 Germany caps. “I analyze players thoroughly beforehand—sometimes I even prepare my own video analyses—and I know who I need to send a physical message to from the start,” Rüdiger revealed. “A striker wants space, he wants peace of mind with the ball. My job is to take both of those things away from him, even when the ball isn’t even close.” That mission, he insists, is rooted in psychology rather than mere brute force. “A little bump here, close marking there… you have to be present. You learn the right level of toughness with experience.” The centre-back’s education in mind games has been refined during a season in which his body repeatedly threatened to betray him. Rüdiger admitted he spent most of the 2024-25 campaign managing pain that required regular injections, a situation that deteriorated in January and forced him to halt activity ahead of this summer’s World Cup. “Since practically August-September 2024, there was always some problem,” he said. “Last season I could only play—and even train—if I was taking painkillers. In January of this year, I got worse again, and then I knew: now you have to stop.” A subsequent surgery and tailored rehabilitation have restored him to what he terms “100 percent,” yet Rüdiger makes no apology for having put club commitments ahead of long-term health. “I put my health on the back burner and wanted to be 100 percent for Real Madrid, because there’s nothing I hate more than letting my teammates down. Would I do it again? Probably!” Such single-mindedness feeds directly into the aerial duels, shoulder charges and well-timed nudges that have become his calling card. Rüdiger argues that removing that edge would strip away the very qualities Madrid covet. “If I take away that intensity, that commitment, that playing on the edge, I’m only half as good. That edge is exactly what brought me to Real Madrid.” Critics who label him reckless are presented with a statistical rebuttal: the last red card of his career came in 2017 while at Roma, and his average tally of yellow cards in recent league seasons hovers around five. “Nine years without a red card on the field isn’t a coincidence,” he noted. “I know perfectly well what minute it is and what’s at stake.” Aware that some incidents have “crossed the line,” Rüdiger welcomed objective feedback, saying it sharpened his focus on providing “stability and security” rather than controversy. Yet he remains unapologetic about the core tenets of his defending. “Being a tough defender is part of my DNA. If you want to be a one-on-one specialist at this level, you can’t be a nice little helper. You have to tell the striker, ‘Today is going to be a bad day for you.’ It’s a matter of mentality.” That mentality, he concluded, is carefully calibrated to each opponent. Facing a diminutive, rapid forward demands a different toolkit than battling a 1.90-metre target man, and if film study reveals a short fuse, Rüdiger will ignite it. “Of course, if an opponent gets frustrated quickly, I take advantage of that too.” As La Liga enters its decisive weeks and international tournaments loom, the defender’s blend of restored fitness, psychological insight and controlled aggression leaves him perfectly positioned to keep disturbing a striker’s peace of mind—one calculated bump at a time.

Liverpool have confirmed that Mohamed Salah will depart the club when the current campaign concludes, bringing the curtain down on what the Premier League champions described as an “illustrious” nine-year stay on Merseyside. The announcement, released on Tuesday, ends widespread speculation over the Egypt forward’s future and marks the impending close of a prolific era at Anfield. Since arriving in 2014, Salah has become a talismanic figure for the Reds, his goals and creativity helping transform the side into domestic and European contenders. Although the club’s statement offered no detail on his next destination, it underlined the significance of his impending exit, paying tribute to a player whose impact has been felt far beyond the pitch. With the season entering its decisive stretch, focus now turns to how Liverpool will reshape their attack and whether Salah can sign off with further silverware, adding a final flourish to a Liverpool career already laden with milestones.

Barcelona have no intention of cashing in on captain Ronald Araujo despite mounting interest from Liverpool, Sport reports. The Uruguayan centre-back has found himself on the periphery of first-team plans this season, a situation that intensified after he took a brief mental health break in November. On his return, Arauledged largely with the right-back berth, filling in for injured team-mates Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia and Alejandro Valde. Barcelona’s hierarchy remain adamant the 26-year-old is part of their long-term vision, praising both his recent performances and the contrasting defensive attributes he offers compared with other Barca defenders. Liverpool are among several clubs monitoring Araujo’s situation, yet the Catalan club regard the defender as integral to their present and future plans, citing his ability to operate across the back line. Meanwhile, the future of another Barça defender, Andreas Christendensen, is less certain. The Denmark international enters the final months of his contract and has been offered a new deal that would entail a significant base salary reduction, offset by performance-related bonuses. Barcelona are aiming to keep at least five senior centre-backs for next season and hope Christendensen will accept the restructured terms, but they acknowledge rival clubs could swoop in with more lucrative proposals. With both players set to return for next season’s preparations, the club’s priority is clear: keep Arauledged and finalise Christendensen’s renewal on their terms.