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Karen Carney, who joined Chelsea in 2015 after a pivotal conversation with Paul Green, believes the club’s decision to part ways with the long-serving head of women’s football has left the squad unrecognisable and staring at a defining summer. Speaking exclusively, Carney traced her own move to Kingsmeadow back to Green’s blunt ultimatum: accept the project or watch it accelerate without you. That edge, she insists, became the culture that powered 12 years of domestic dominance. Green and then-manager Emma Hayes operated as a deliberate double act. Hayes dazzled prospects with vision and passion; Green supplied the cold reality checks that closed deals. Between them they collected seven WSL titles, five FA Cups and two League Cups, while constantly refreshing a winning squad rather than waiting for decline. Carney recalls pre-season jolts when proven internationals arrived and instantly raised standards—“winning was non-negotiable,” she says—and credits Green’s scouting and negotiation network for making those upgrades seamless. When Hayes departed for the United States women’s national team in 2024, Green remained, a continuity link that many players assumed would steady the handover to new head coach Sonia Bompastor. Instead, Green’s exit this spring has coincided with a slump that leaves Chelsea nine points behind Manchester City in the WSL and has Carney questioning what identity remains. The 5-1 defeat to City last month looked, in her words, “style-less,” and she fears the real transition is only now beginning. Compounding the uncertainty, up to nine senior players—including Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten—are out of contract in July. Recruitment, once Green’s personal crusade of research, phone calls and tailored pitches, must now be rebuilt from scratch. Carney warns that the traditional Chelsea sell—“we win, do you want in?”—has been replaced by a trickier narrative of chasing rivals and weathering reconstruction. The club’s recent transfer windows have already skewed younger: since Bompastor’s arrival only one signing has been older than 28. Carney expects that trend to intensify, with the average age of incoming talent dropping again as Chelsea mimic the long-term model recently adopted by the men’s side. The looming overhaul will reveal who truly controls the women’s recruitment strategy and whether the old-school, relationship-driven approach that Green epitomised can be replicated by data-led or committee-based methods. For a dressing-room accustomed to guaranteed silverware, the next months will test both the retention of star names and the allure of a project suddenly shorn of its most persuasive architect. Chelsea’s summer, Carney concludes, will be “massive.” Without Green’s institutional memory and magnetism, the club that once felt inevitable must prove it can still compel players to believe.

Pedro Neto left the MKM Stadium clutching the match ball, the first senior hat-trick of his career sealing Chelsea’s 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round win at Hull City and, perhaps, the most eloquent answer yet to the rising chorus of criticism that has trailed him in recent months. The Portugal international’s treble—two crisp strikes either side of the interval and a corner that crept in untouched off goalkeeper Dillon Phillips—was not merely a personal milestone. It kept alive the club’s most realistic route to silverware this season and re-asserted his claim to be the most reliable wide option in an expensively assembled but still evolving squad. Deployed centrally as a No. 10 in the continued absence of Cole Palmer, Neto flourished in the extra pocket of space, drifting beyond Hull’s back line with the kind of conviction that has been missing during spells of the 2024-25 campaign. The performance arrived at a pivotal moment: online compilations highlighting misplaced crosses or heavy touches have become increasingly common, while groans inside Stamford Bridge have grown louder with every wayward pass. Yet the numbers illustrate why head coaches, first Enzo Maresca and now Liam Rosenior, have continued to start Neto more than any other winger at the club. Across all competitions he comfortably leads Estevao Willian, Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens for minutes played and goal involvements, his season tally now in double figures after Tuesday’s haul. Context, however, is required. Neto’s last five goals have arrived against lower-league opposition in domestic cups—Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic and Hull—while his first five came versus Premier League strugglers West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Burnley and Leeds. Since his €60 million move from Molineux in August 2024, his only strike against established top-flight opposition was at home to Arsenal last term. Even so, within the current squad his willingness to track back and defend remains unmatched among the wide players, a quality Rosenior values as highly as goals. “He brings so many different qualities that you need,” the Chelsea head coach said after the final whistle. “For me, he’s a world-class winger. What he sacrifices for the team is top, and he’s going to be really important for what we can achieve.” That faith stands in contrast to the uncertain form of his rivals. Estevao, 18, is being nursed through his debut English season; Garnacho was hauled off at half-time during the recent 2-0 loss to West Ham; Gittens is sidelined with a hamstring problem and yet to convince. With Sporting CP prodigy Geovany Quenda set to arrive in the summer, Neto knows competition will only intensify, particularly on the right flank he prefers. For now, his focus must be the present. Chelsea remain alive in the Champions League and FA Cup, while a top-five Premier League finish represents the minimum target. Neto’s response to the doubters has been to score goals and cover every blade of grass, occasionally cupping his ears in celebration as if to mute the outside noise. If the club’s ambitions are to be realised over the next four months, the 25-year-old’s blend of industry and moments of inspiration will be central to the cause.

Tottenham Hotspur are exploring a shock Bosman move for ex-Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger, who is set to become a free agent when his Real Madrid contract expires this summer, according to TeamTalk. Intermediaries have already sounded out Premier League suitors, with Spurs joined by London rivals Crystal Palace and West Ham in monitoring the 31-year-old German international’s situation. Sources indicate Rudiger is open to a significant wage reduction to facilitate a return to the capital, removing the burden of a transfer fee at a time when elite centre-backs command premium prices. The development comes as uncertainty grows over Cristian Romero’s long-term future in N17. The Argentine World Cup winner has publicly voiced frustrations over recruitment strategy, collected a costly red card in a pivotal clash with Manchester United and produced a string of uneven displays, intensifying debate about his suitability to lead the back line and wear the captain’s armband. Rudiger, by contrast, offers pedigree and proven resilience. Since overcoming a thigh injury in November he has re-established himself as a regular for the La Liga giants, remaining aggressive in duels, dominant in the air and comfortable defending a high line. Those traits address two chronic weaknesses for Tottenham: chaotic transition moments and set-piece vulnerability. Beyond the technical fit, the former Roma defender would inject a commanding personality into a dressing room that has appeared rattled during high-pressure stretches of the campaign. With no fee attached and wages negotiable, Spurs hierarchy view the potential deal as a low-risk, high-upside opportunity to stabilise the spine of the squad. Competition and caveats remain. Saudi Pro League clubs retain the financial muscle to blow Premier League offers out of the water, and Tottenham’s current standing outside the Champions League places could complicate negotiations. Yet if Romero agitates for an exit, Rudiger’s experience, winning mentality and immediate availability on a free transfer could prove too tempting for the club to ignore.

Newcastle United must confront the remainder of their season without captain Bruno Guimaraes after the influential midfielder sustained a hamstring injury during Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. The 28-year-old Brazil international is expected to miss between six and 10 weeks, ruling him out until after the March international break. Guimaraes limped off in the first half at St James’ Park, leaving manager Eddie Howe to reshuffle a midfield already depleted by knocks to Joelinton and Lewis Miley. While the pair could return for upcoming fixtures—Joelinton potentially as early as next week—Guimaraes’ prolonged absence represents a far heavier blow to the Magpies’ ambitions on multiple fronts. The timing is particularly cruel. Newcastle are scheduled for at least eight matches before Guimaraes can be considered for selection, beginning with Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round trip to Aston Villa. The Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland on March 22 falls squarely within his rehabilitation window, and should Newcastle overcome Qarabag in their Champions League play-off, the subsequent last-16 encounter—against either Chelsea or Barcelona—will also come too soon for the skipper. Statistically, Newcastle have struggled mightily without their midfield metronome. Since Guimaraes’ full debut in March 2022, the club have failed to win any of the 12 Premier League fixtures he has not started, recording six defeats and six draws. His value in the final third has been equally stark: Guimaraes has contributed to 11 top-flight goals at St James’ Park this season—eight goals and three assists—making him the club’s most productive player in 2025-26 and the highest-scoring midfielder in black-and-white stripes since Georginio Wijnaldum’s 11-involvement campaign in 2015-16. Internationally, Brazil have also pencilled in plans without Guimaraes, who will sit out friendlies against France on March 6 and Croatia on April 1 while he completes his recovery. Newcastle’s medical staff have not set a firm return date, but the club are preparing for the possibility that their captain will not reappear until the Premier League visit to Crystal Palace on April 11. Until then, Howe must find solutions in the engine room or risk seeing a promising season unravel.

Tottenham Hotspur have moved swiftly to appoint Igor Tudor as interim head coach until the end of the season, hours after parting company with Thomas Frank following Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle that left the club 16th in the Premier League. The 47-year-old Croatian, who has never managed in England, arrives with a résumé that blends domestic silverware in his homeland with a reputation for short, intense tenures across Europe. Tudor’s playing career was anchored by nine trophy-laden years at Juventus, where he won two Serie A titles and earned 55 caps for Croatia, scoring against England at Euro 2004. Since moving into the dugout he has collected the 2013 Croatian Cup with Hajduk Split, rescued Udinese from relegation in 2018 and, most recently, steered Juventus to fourth place last spring before an eight-game winless run cost him his job in October. “I understand the responsibility I have been handed,” Tudor said on Friday. “My focus is clear: to bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.” The timing is critical. Spurs host Burton Albion in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday evening, while a relegation battle looms domestically. Chairman Daniel Levy has left the door ajar for a broader reset in the summer, with Mauricio Pochettino—currently in charge of the United States—already being mentioned as a possible permanent successor. Across the country, Newcastle must cope without captain Bruno Guimarães for up to eight weeks after the Brazilian suffered a hamstring tear in the same mid-week victory that hastened Frank’s exit. Scans confirmed the extent of the injury on Wednesday; Eddie Howe admitted the midfielder “definitely felt something” but had to stay on because the bench had been stripped of midfield options. Guimarães could miss at least ten matches, a setback that threatens to derail the Magpies’ push for European qualification. Cup romance is on the menu at the Pirelli Stadium, where League One Burton look to spring a famous upset against West Ham. The Brewers’ starting XI features former Premier League academy products such as Revan and Shade, while Julen Lopetegui has rotated his Hammers selection, handing a debut to 17-year-old midfielder Lamadrid and recalling experienced heads like Kanté and Areola. Southampton’s meeting with Leicester at St Mary’s offers an instant replay of Tuesday’s remarkable Championship encounter, when the Saints overturned a 3-0 half-time deficit to win 4-3 with Shea Charles’ 96th-minute strike. Russell Martin’s side will hope for a less dramatic route into the fifth round, yet Leicester, buoyed by the pace of Abdul Fatawu and the finishing of Patson Daka, remain dangerous. Wrexham are still celebrating their first appearance in the last 16 since 1995 after Josh Windass’ goal edged out promotion rivals Ipswich. Phil Parkinson, whose side sit sixth in the Championship, urged fans to savour the moment: “Every season in football is special and you’ve got to savour it.” The Red Dragons, promoted in each of the past three campaigns, will learn their fifth-round fate during Monday night’s draw. In Europe’s major leagues, the headline fixture sees Inter Milan host Juventus in Serie A tonight, a clash that could have title ramifications for both. LaLiga offers Real Madrid against Real Sociedad, while the Bundesliga’s afternoon programme features Bayern Munich away to Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund—fresh from a 4-0 rout of Mainz in which Serhou Guirassy struck twice—looking to keep pace at the top. Back in England, the FA Cup fourth-round weekend also doubles as a stage for fringe players and emerging talents. Manchester City, Liverpool, Newcastle, Brighton, Aston Villa and Burnley are all in action, while Millwall, Derby and Preston seek Championship momentum alongside cup progress. Off the pitch, England confirmed Thomas Tuchel will remain head coach through Euro 2028 after a qualifying campaign that sealed World Cup passage. The draw for this autumn’s Nations League pitted the Three Lions against Spain, Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group A3. With managerial chairs spinning—Nottingham Forest are poised to unveil Vítor Pereira as their fourth head coach of the season after Thursday’s dismissal of Sean Dyche—and injuries mounting, the weekend’s fixtures promise as much intrigue on the touchline as on the pitch.

Chicago Fire are mounting an all-out effort to lure Robert Lewandowski to Major League Soccer once his Barcelona deal expires on 30 June, sources close to the negotiations have told ESPN. The 37-year-old Poland captain has yet to decide where he will play next season, with lucrative proposals on the table from Saudi Arabia and the United States. Yet it is the Illinois outfit that has moved most aggressively, targeting not only the striker but also his wife, Anna, with a comprehensive off-pitch support package designed to ease a trans-Atlantic relocation. “Chicago is 100 percent committed to signing him,” said Janusz Michallik, the former United States international and long-time Fire observer. “They are trying hard to convince him and his wife. Anna knows that she will receive all kinds of support for her professional development in Chicago.” Michallik, who remains well-connected to both the club and the Lewandowski camp, indicated that the Middle East has already been ruled out by the family on lifestyle grounds, while a return to Germany or remaining in Spain with any club other than Barcelona has been dismissed. Paris Saint-Germain’s project under Luis Enrique is said to favour a different profile of forward, and the veteran is not thought to fit the current plans of England’s leading sides. Italy represents the only European alternative should Lewandowski opt to stay on the continent. Nevertheless, the player’s first choice is to prolong his stay at Camp Nou. “If Barcelona offers Robert a contract for next season, there will be no discussion whatsoever,” Michallik stressed. “Chicago Fire is only an option to consider if Robert leaves Barça.” Aware that time is not on their side, Fire officials have presented the move as a chance for Lewandowski to reinvent himself in a league where he would instantly become the marquee name. “At 38 he would arrive somewhere where he would be the centre of attention,” Michallik added. “For Robert, it would be like a kind of start to a new career.” While Lewandowski has requested additional time to weigh his future, Chicago’s pursuit comes with a deadline. Club hierarchy, intent on building what Michallik termed a “superclub,” are simultaneously exploring contingency targets should the Polish striker opt elsewhere. For now, the ball rests firmly in Barcelona’s court: produce a new deal and Lewandowski will stay; decline, and the Fire believe they can secure one of football’s most prolific scorers for the MLS stretch run.

Madrid – With the decisive stretch of the season looming, Real Madrid’s medical staff are clearing treatment-room space at precisely the moment Antonio Rudiger has regained full fitness. The German centre-back, limited to nine appearances this campaign by a succession of knocks, was included in the squad for last weekend’s visit of Valencia and is now in contention to start tonight against Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabéu. Rudiger’s re-emergence carries implications beyond simple squad depth. According to SPORT, his return places the starting berth of summer signing Dean Huijsen under immediate threat. When fit, Rudiger is considered the club’s second-best central defender behind the still-recovering Éder Militao, and staff believe he could slot straight back into the first XI. The scenario marks a swift reversal of fortune for Huijsen. Signed after a promising pre-season, the former Bournemouth defender initially impressed with composure in possession, yet his recent displays have dipped. Defensive lapses have drawn whistles from the Bernabéu crowd, eroding the confidence that once defined his early outings. Should Rudiger complete the full 90 minutes unscathed tonight, the coaching staff are expected to pair him with fellow youth product Asencio in the heart of defence, relegating Huijsen to bench duty once Militao also returns. With Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham still working their way back from injury, every positional battle is being magnified as Madrid enter the season’s critical phase. Rudiger, for his part, offers a blend of physicality and experience that Madrid have missed during his absence. If he reclaims his place, the pecking order established in September will have been upended within a matter of months. Keywords:

Madrid—As Real Madrid prepare to overturn a defeat at the Estádio da Luz, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has underlined the lessons taken from the setback and promised a different outcome once the tie returns to the Bernabéu next week. The 32-year-old Belgian, widely regarded as the squad’s second-most influential performer behind Kylian Mbappé, spoke candidly about the 3-2 loss in Lisbon and the mindset required to advance. “Tough game. It’s a difficult stadium to win, I know we didn’t play our best game there but we will learn from it,” Courtois told reporters. “It will be different when you know there is a second leg at Bernabéu.” Courtois, whose string of decisive stops has kept Madrid afloat during an uneven campaign, also detailed the daily regimen that allows him to maintain elite form after major knee surgery. “I have breakfast, then I treat myself with the physios and try to loosen my hips and my knees, because goalkeepers can get a bit more stiff after training,” he explained. “Around three times a week, I do strength and core stability training especially after my knee injury. At home, I always try to do cold water, hot water, maybe some sauna.” Before the Benfica rematch, Madrid must first navigate a knockout playoff against Real Sociedad. Courtois praised the Basque side’s resurgence under their new coach, noting that Copa del Rey commitments could leave them fatigued. “Real Sociedad is a difficult rival, they had some difficulties at the beginning of the season and now with a different coach they are winning everything,” he said. “They come from a semifinal of the Copa del Rey and we hope they are a little more tired. I think it’s important to start the game with a lot of energy.” Asked to single out the most challenging save of his career, Courtois selected his fingertip stop from Sadio Mané in the 2022 Champions League final. “He cut inside, and I took a step to the left then had to shift my entire body weight to the right to make the save. It was really difficult, I barely touched it and it hit the post.” With Madrid’s season hanging in the balance, Courtois’s blend of experience, preparation and self-belief could prove decisive in the pivotal weeks ahead.

Milan, Italy — Team USA’s pursuit of its first Olympic men’s hockey gold since 1980 resumes Saturday afternoon when it faces Denmark in a pivotal Group C clash at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Puck drop is set for 3:10 p.m. ET on Valentine’s Day, and the contest will be carried nationally on USA Network while streaming live on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s direct-to-consumer platform that is serving as the streaming home of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. Mike Sullivan’s squad opened the tournament with a statement 5-1 victory over Latvia, showcasing the scoring depth, elite goaltending and sandpaper-style role players that general manager Bill Guerin assembled once the NHL ended its 12-year Olympic hiatus. A win against Denmark would move the Americans closer to a quarterfinal bye and continue the momentum generated by a roster many analysts already consider the most talented U.S. team since the 2014 Sochi Games. Denmark, appearing in only its second Olympic men’s tournament, arrives with legitimate upset credentials. The Danes stunned Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship en route to a program-best fourth-place finish, and six of their 2026 Olympians currently skate in the NHL, including Carolina Hurricanes star winger Nikolaj Ehlers and experienced Washington Capitals center Lars Eller. Saturday’s matchup represents another opportunity for Denmark to announce itself as a rising force on the international stage. Points are at a premium in the three-team Group C. A regulation victory would give the United States control of the group heading into its final preliminary contest, while Denmark can vault into contention for an automatic quarterfinal berth with what would be the biggest win in the nation’s hockey history. Peacock subscribers can watch every minute of the game live on phones, tablets, smart TVs and web browsers. The service, which carries every Olympic and Paralympic event from Milan-Cortina, is available starting at $10.99 per month and can be canceled at any time. Replays, highlights and studio analysis will also be available on-demand immediately after the final horn. USA Network’s telecast will include the full pre-game show, intermission reports and post-game reaction, ensuring fans across North America can follow the developing storylines as the tournament’s knockout round picture comes into focus. With NHL talent back on Olympic ice for the first time since 2014, the stakes—and the spotlight—have never been brighter for both programs. Saturday afternoon’s faceoff could ultimately determine which path each team travels in the chase for medals in northern Italy. Peacock, USA Network, 3:10 p.m. ET. Set your alarms, clear your schedule, and witness the next chapter of Olympic hockey history.

Liverpool are preparing to break the bank for Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, with El Nacional reporting that a €95 million (£82.6 million) offer is being readied to trigger the 21-year-old’s release clause. The Spain international, who penned an unusually lengthy contract extension last summer, has emerged as the favoured solution to the creative void left by Mohamed Salah’s dip in form and the hindsight-inducing departure of Luis Díaz to Bayern Munich. Arne Slot’s rebuild does not stop on the flanks. Toulouse centre-back Charlie Cresswell, 23, has caught Liverpool’s eye after a string of imposing displays in Ligue 1. Ekrem Konur claims a €30 million bid could prise the former England U-21 captain away from southern France, with Brighton, Wolfsburg and West Ham also circling. Cresswell is viewed as the long-term successor to Joe Gomez. Across the Pennines, Manchester United are surveying right-back options after Diogo Dalot’s mixed season. Tuttosport says Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu has entered United’s thinking, prompting the Bianconeri to table an improved contract in a bid to ward off interest. Juventus, however, are not shy about raiding others. Calciomercato writes that the Turin giants want to refresh an ageing midfield and have set sights on Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva. The 31-year-old Portuguese playmaker is set to become a free agent in June, and Juve hope to tempt him to Serie A alongside Atalanta’s Brazilian destroyer Ederson. Tottenham, meanwhile, are weighing a move for South Korean colossus Kim Min-jae. After allowing club icon Son Heung-min to depart last summer, Spurs are keen to re-stock Asian talent and have identified the Bayern Munich centre-half—nicknamed ‘The Monster’—as a prime target. Chelsea retain a long-standing admiration for the 27-year-old, who is surplus to requirements in Bavaria. In the Gulf, Saudi powerhouse Al-Ittihad are plotting a coup for Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga. Mundo Deportivo reveals the French midfielder has been chosen as the ideal replacement for departed defensive anchor Fabinho, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal also monitoring the 21-year-old’s situation at the Bernabéu.

Madison, WI — The Kohl Center has hosted its share of statement wins, but few have resonated as loudly as Wisconsin’s 92-71 demolition of No. 10 Michigan State on Friday night. The Badgers buried 15 three-pointers, authored the largest margin of victory over an AP Top-10 opponent in program history, and served notice to every bubble team—and bracketologist—still mapping contingency plans for March. 1. A flammable offense can end games early Wisconsin’s first five triples came from four different players, turning a sold-out arena into a tinderbox. Nick Boyd’s highlight-reel crossover and baseline three—yes, the one that sent Jordan Scott sprawling—capped a 13-point burst across six possessions and stretched the lead to 18. The Spartans never sliced it below 10 again, and even a late 4-for-15 lull couldn’t drag the Badgers below 1.438 points per possession. KenPom logged the output as the sixth-most efficient performance against Michigan State in the metric’s history. 2. Boyd is the ignition, not the entire engine Boyd’s career-high 29 points drew the headlines, yet the symmetry of the box score told the truer tale. John Blackwell added 24, Nolan Winter posted a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Braeden Carrington’s rare rim attack kept defenders guessing. “When we’re sharing the ball like that, that’s Wisconsin basketball,” Blackwell said. Four Badgers finished with at least two assists; five recorded a three. 3. Defense flips the script on a marquee opponent Tom Izzo’s group arrived leading the nation in rebounding margin and allowing 60 or fewer in six of its first nine Big Ten contests. Wisconsin shredded both trends, limiting the Spartans to eight second-chance points on 14 offensive boards and holding them to 1-for-7 on layups. Center Carson Cooper, harassed by a rotating cast of bigs, missed back-to-back post touches in the first half and logged only 19 foul-plagued minutes. Jaxon Kohler, nationally 19th with 11 double-doubles, finished with two turnovers for every basket. 4. Rebounding becomes an equal-opportunity weapon Undersized on paper, the Badgers fought Michigan State to a 38-38 stalemate on the glass and outscored the Spartans 19-8 on second-chance points. Winter credited a week of “toughness drills, a lot of box-out drills” for preparing the front line. The sequence that sealed UW’s 15-0 surge started with Winter cleaning up a missed three and ended with Austin Rapp burying a kick-out triple—extra possessions turned into daggers. 5. Late-season trajectory points skyward The victory is Wisconsin’s third over a top-10 opponent in the past 35 days and lifts the Badgers to 10-8 in Big Ten play, extending a streak of double-digit conference wins to 22 of the past 25 seasons. Once on “tournament life support” in early January, Greg Gard’s team now looks like the matchup every high seed will hope to dodge on Selection Sunday. Boyd’s post-game declaration—”We shoot like that, there ain’t no team in the country that can beat us”—sounded like bravado. Against Michigan State, it felt like a statement of fact.

Chicago Fire’s ambitious bid to lure Robert Lewandowski away from Barcelona this summer has hit a significant roadblock, with the MLS club said to be “struggling to convince” the Polish striker and his inner circle that a move to the Midwest is the right next step. Lewandowski, whose contract at Camp Nou enters its final months, has emerged as a prime target for both MLS and Saudi Arabian outfits looking to secure a marquee forward on a free transfer. Yet ESPN commentator and former U.S. international Janusz Michallik insists the 35-year-old’s hierarchy of preferences is clear: “The first thing to keep in mind is that if FC Barcelona offer Robert a contract for next season, there will be no discussion. Chicago Fire is only an option to consider as long as Robert leaves Barça.” That single sentence underscores the uphill battle facing the Fire, who have enlisted head coach Gregg Berhalter in a full-court press designed to sell Lewandowski on a role that transcends the pitch. Club officials have pitched the striker as the public face of a long-term project aimed at transforming the Fire into what Michallik terms “a superclub,” a vision amplified by the 2028 unveiling of a soccer-specific stadium that ownership believes will anchor the franchise among MLS elites. Privately, Chicago’s front-office concedes the decision may rest as much with Lewandowski’s wife, Anna, as with the player himself. Sources indicate the club has guaranteed comprehensive support for Anna’s professional endeavors in the city, hoping the family’s quality-of-life concerns can be neutralized. Should Barcelona table an extension—reportedly contingent on a wage reduction—Michallik expects an immediate answer from Lewandowski, effectively ending the Fire’s pursuit. If no new deal materializes in Catalonia, the striker’s camp has already ruled out a return to Germany, a stay in Spain outside Barça, and a switch to Saudi Arabia on lifestyle grounds. Paris Saint-Germain, managed by Luis Enrique, are said to be targeting a different profile of attacker, while England’s leading clubs are not viewed as viable landing spots. That leaves Italy as the lone European alternative should Lewandowski opt against remaining in La Liga or crossing the Atlantic, though no Serie A destination has yet advanced beyond preliminary interest. For now, Chicago Fire remain “100% committed” to the chase, even as they confront the reality that their best sales pitch may still finish second to a renewed Barcelona offer.

Manchester City will open the doors of the Etihad to neighbours Salford City on Saturday afternoon for an FA Cup fourth-round tie that pits the quadruple-chasing hosts against ambitious League Two promotion hopefuls. Pep Guardiola’s squad arrive at the weekend buoyed by successive Premier League victories over Liverpool and Fulham, results that trimmed Arsenal’s lead at the top to four points and maintained hopes of sweeping every competition on the calendar. With a place already secured in the League Cup final, City now aim to move one step closer to a domestic double in the world’s oldest cup competition. Salford, sitting sixth in the fourth tier, travel across Greater Manchester aware of the size of the task. The Ammies were routed 8-0 at this ground in last season’s FA Cup and know another disciplined performance will be required to keep the deficit respectable. Erling Haaland is expected to miss out after reporting a “niggle” in the closing stages of the Fulham win. In his stead, Omar Marmoush is poised to start through the middle; the German forward struck twice against Newcastle when deputising earlier this month. Guardiola’s selection is further complicated by injuries on the flanks. Jeremy Doku and Savinho remain unavailable, leaving the manager short of natural width, while full-back Josko Gvardiol and midfielder Mateo Kovacic continue their rehabilitation. With a congested calendar ahead, rotation appears likely. James Trafford could be handed a rare start in goal, and summer arrivals Nico Gonzalez and home-grown talent Rico Lewis are in contention after limited recent minutes. Manchester City predicted XI: Trafford; Lewis, Khusanov, Stones, Ake; Gonzalez; McAidoo, Reijnders, Foden, Cherki; Marmoush. Kick-off is at 3pm GMT on Saturday 14th February 2026.

Stoke-on-Trent, 14 February 1976: while most of the country exchanged cards and chocolates, a nine-year-old boy in the Potteries received a very different kind of Valentine. Standing among 41,176 spectators at Stoke City’s old Victoria Ground for an FA Cup fifth-round tie, he was captivated not by the home side but by the cacophony of red-and-white devotion booming from the away terrace. That distant, swaying mass of Sunderland supporters—singing, chanting, willing their team on—etched itself so deeply into his imagination that, half a century later, he still counts the day as the moment lifelong love affair began. “I can’t remember a single kick of the match,” the now 59-year-old admits, “but I can still feel the vibration of those songs and the colour of that crowd.” The game itself finished 0-0; Stoke’s biggest gate of the season could not separate the sides. Yet for the youngster, neutrality was no longer an option. Within weeks he was scouring the sports-final editions of evening papers for Sunderland’s results, compiling scrapbooks and badgering his parents for lifts to Midlands and north-west fixtures whenever the Lads were within reach. His schoolmates, steeped in Liverpool and Manchester United allegiances, found the new allegiance baffling. “Mackem” became an affectionate playground curiosity, but the boy embraced the outsider status. The obsession even provided ballast during turbulent formative years: “Football, and Sunderland in particular, became my coping mechanism,” he reflects. “The players were my heroes; I’d imitate Kerr’s passing or Robson’s movement for hours against the garden wall.” The romance was duly rewarded. A replay at Roker Park the following Wednesday drew 47,583 fans and ended 2-1 to Sunderland, propelling them into a quarter-final against Crystal Palace. Though Palace would prevail 1-0 before the last-ever 50,000-plus crowd at the old ground, the die had been cast for one devoted nine-year-old now celebrating 50 years of unbroken loyalty. From that first Valentine’s encounter to countless away ends up and down the country, the spark first glimpsed across a divided terrace still burns: a reminder that football’s greatest gift is not silverware but the enduring emotional tether between a club and a supporter who, once smitten, can never quite let go.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend reaches its crescendo on Saturday, Feb. 14, when the league’s high-flying stars take center stage at Intuit Dome for the annual Slam Dunk Contest. The marquee event of All-Star Saturday Night is scheduled to tip off at approximately 8 p.m. ET, immediately following the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest. Fans can watch every dunk live on NBC or stream the action in real time via Peacock, NBCUniversal’s flagship platform. Peacock’s sports portfolio also includes NFL Sunday Night Football, Premier League soccer, Big Ten basketball, and Olympic coverage, with subscription plans starting at $10.99 per month and no long-term commitment. Format at a Glance Each competitor will execute two dunks in the opening round. A panel of four judges—scoring each attempt on a 40-to-50 scale—will be joined by a composite fan vote submitted through the NBA app; the aggregated fan tally acts as the fifth judge. The two participants with the highest combined averages advance to the finals, where another two dunks apiece will decide the champion. The dunker with the top cumulative score from all five judges earns the 2026 crown. With tip-off locked in for 8 p.m. ET and multiple ways to tune in, the league’s most theatrical showcase is set to deliver another unforgettable night of aerial artistry.

With thousands of sports-related programs jostling for space on the App Store and Google Play, Australian supporters can find themselves paralysed by choice. To cut through the clutter, we have tested the market against a simple benchmark: does the app deliver timely, relevant and genuinely useful information for fans who follow rugby league, cricket, AFL and the wider sporting landscape? Three mobile platforms passed the test. ESPN Australia The global giant’s local edition punches well above its weight. Users can tailor the home screen to prioritise the sports and teams they care about, ensuring the latest NRL or AFL score, video feature or breaking-news alert surfaces first. Push notifications keep supporters across developments in rugby league, cricket, football, tennis, boxing and motorsports, while the depth of match analysis and video content rivals any domestic outlet. For sheer breadth and personalisation, it remains the most rounded news source available. BettingTop10 Australia’s appetite for a wager is no secret, yet the sheer volume of mobile sportsbooks can overwhelm even seasoned punters. Rather than downloading half a dozen operators and hoping for the best, fans can consult the comparison platform BettingTop10. The service continuously audits licensed Australian bookmakers, publishing unbiased ratings and reviews that highlight which apps deliver competitive odds, rapid payouts and robust customer support. Think of it as a form guide for the betting market itself. Fox Sports Fox Sports has long been the nation’s television gateway to live sport, and its free companion app extends that authority to the second screen. While full event streaming requires a subscription, the no-cost tier still supplies exhaustive coverage of football, cricket, horse racing and rugby, backed by a statistics engine deep enough to satisfy the most data-hungry supporter. Whether you need team news, injury updates or historical head-to-head numbers to inform a wager, the Fox Sports app consolidates everything in one place. Download all three and the modern Australian sports fan is effectively carrying a 24-hour sports desk, odds comparison tool and live-stats terminal in a single pocket. ESO keywords:

PITTSBURGH — One year after a brief and rocky trial in the rotation, right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski will get another chance to start for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026, according to a report by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. With spots one through four locked in behind Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Mitch Keller, the final vacancy is up for grabs — and Mlodzinski has retooled his arsenal in hopes of claiming it. The 2020 first-round pick opened 2025 as a starter but lasted only nine outings. Over 39 2/3 innings he posted a 5.67 ERA, 4.35 FIP and 1.61 WHIP while striking out just 15.6 percent of batters faced. A demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis arrived in mid-May; when Mlodzinski returned in June, it was as a multi-inning reliever. The results were stark: 2.12 ERA, 2.65 FIP, 25.5 percent strikeout rate and a microscopic 0.41 home runs per nine innings the rest of the way. The turnaround coincided with the birth of a new weapon. Mlodzinski added a splitter last spring that quickly became one of baseball’s most unhittable secondary pitches. Thrown 200-plus times, the offering generated a 43.1 percent whiff rate — eighth-best among splitters league-wide — and held opponents to a .235 batting average and .279 slugging percentage. Exit velocity against the pitch averaged just 85 mph with a three-degree launch angle, producing a barrage of harmless grounders and empty swings. The problem, Mlodzinski admits, wasn’t the first lap through the order. Hitters managed only a .226/.284/.310 line and .266 wOBA in their initial look last season. The damage came the second time around: a 7.77 ERA and .358/.377/.587 slash line. Armed with a now-polished splitter and a year of lessons, the 25-year-old believes he can flip that script. Competition for the role will be stiff. Left-hander Hunter Barco and right-hander Thomas Harrington, both highly regarded prospects, are also in camp stretched out as starters. Yet Mlodzinski’s 80 innings of big-league experience — and the memory of his dominant bullpen run — give him a slight edge should the spring prove close. Pirates officials have stressed that nothing will be handed out. But if Mlodzinski can pair his mid-90s fastball with the improved secondary mix and navigate lineups twice, the back of the 2026 rotation could bear his name.

Newcastle-born Dennis Tueart’s journey to Wearside immortality began in the very heart of enemy territory, yet the postcode on his birth certificate never clouded red-and-white affections. Recruited through Sunderland’s prolific 1960s youth pipeline, Tueart arrived at Roker Park a raw striker, but it was on the flank that he would torment defences for the best part of a decade. “A right-footed left-winger” was how the player described himself, and that self-diagnosis proved devastatingly accurate: pace to burn, close control that could twist blood, and a poacher’s nose that ultimately delivered 196 senior goals. Manager Alan Brown handed the 19-year-old his debut on a grey afternoon in 1968 against Sheffield Wednesday. Three months later, on 1 March 1969, Tueart opened his account with the winner against Stoke City. Brown, sweeping away the old guard in favour of academy graduates, fast-tracked the teenager into a side wrestling with inconsistency. Christmas of the 1968-69 campaign found Sunderland in mid-table respectability, but London excursions turned into horror shows: Geoff Hurst plundered six in an 8-0 humiliation at West Ham; Jimmy Greaves hit four in a 5-1 loss at Tottenham; Bobby Tambling repeated the dose for Chelsea in April. Four points above the drop come May, survival felt like a stay of execution. Relegation followed a year later. Despite Tueart nailing down a starting role, the club slipped into the Second Division and hopes of an immediate return foundered amid board-room austerity and a contract dispute that saw the winger exiled to the reserves for three months after Brown rejected his wage demands. The clouds lifted in 1971-72. Reinstated to the first XI, Tueart added end-product to enterprise, rattling off double-figure seasons every year until 1982. Full-backs were routinely roasted by his searing bursts; centre-forwards thrived on the left-footed crosses delivered by a supposedly one-footed winger. December 1972 brought the watershed. With Brown’s rigid regime steering Sunderland towards the basement, Bob Stokoe strode into the dug-out and unleashed the handbrake. Suddenly Dennis Tueart and Billy Hughes were galloping forward with licence, and the Stadium of Light faithful dared to dream of the FA Cup. Manchester City and Arsenal were swept aside en route to Wembley, where Leeds United, the swaggering champions of England, awaited. Tueart’s three goals had already fired the fairytale; on the hallowed turf he watched Jimmy Montgomery’s legendary double save unfold from the halfway line. Norman Hunter’s whisper said it all: “It looks like it’s going to be your day, Dennis.” It was. Sunderland’s 1-0 triumph remains one of the competition’s greatest upsets. Promotion should have been the next step, but it never materialised. Still Tueart flourished, scoring in the Cup-Winners’ Cup and attracting England recognition under Don Revie. When Manchester City courted him in March 1974, ambition tugged the first of Sunderland’s Wembley heroes away from the North-East. At Maine Road he would lift the 1976 League Cup, netting a sensational overhead kick against his hometown club Newcastle, yet for Tueart the FA Cup of 1973 remained the pinnacle. Every FA Cup weekend revives the memories, and no montage is complete without the image of Dennis Tueart, arms aloft on the Wembley grass, the embodiment of a club legend who proved that greatness can be born anywhere, but on Wearside it is forever cherished.

MARSEILLE – When Olympique Marseille president Pablo Longoria told the Daily Telegraph barely a fortnight ago that he wanted Roberto De Zerbi to become “our Simeone,” a decade-long dynasty sounded plausible. Instead, the Italian’s reign ended at 02:35 local time on Wednesday, announced in a terse club statement that closed one of the most turbulent chapters in recent Ligue 1 history. De Zerbi leaves after 18 months, a second-place finish last season that returned Marseille to the Champions League for the first time since 2022, and a 57 per cent win-rate – the best of any OM coach this century. Yet the highs were matched by spectacular turbulence: training-ground flare-ups captured for club documentaries, a 15-game ban for Longoria after an extraordinary “corruption” rant, a 5-0 capitulation to Paris Saint-Germain, and a 3 a.m. training-camp wake-up call in Rome after a defeat at Reims. The tipping point arrived on Sunday night in the French capital. Marseille were thrashed 5-0 by PSG, their heaviest Classique loss since 1978. Forty-eight hours later De Zerbi, Longoria, sporting director Medhi Benatia and owner Frank McCourt (on video link) met at La Commanderie and agreed there was “no way forward.” The club pushed the release out in the small hours to pre-empt leaks; by dawn the 45-year-old was heading back to Italy, the first time he has walked out on a club mid-season. From flare-lit streets to flare-ups on camera The memories of May 2024 still linger: De Zerbi, flare in hand, celebrating on the Canebière after guiding Marseille to runners-up spot. It secured Champions League revenue the club craved and convinced Longoria to back a summer overhaul – 12 signings including Igor Paixao, Angel Gomes, CJ Egan-Riley, Nayef Aguerd, Tim Weah and the return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Luis Henrique was sold to Inter; Adrien Rabiot, after a dressing-room brawl with Jonathan Rowe in the opening-day defeat to Rennes, was dispatched to Milan. Results lurched. Marseille lost at home to 10-man Rennes, were beaten by struggling Nantes after the winter break and surrendered a 95th-minute equaliser to PSG in the Trophee des Champions in Kuwait. Longoria labelled French officiating “a s****y championship” after a 3-0 loss to Auxerre in February and received a 15-game suspension; Marseille lost five of the next seven league matches. Cameras filming an Amazon-style documentary caught De Zerbi ordering Canada midfielder Ismael Kone to “take a shower” and call his agent after a training-ground dispute. Kone left for Rennes on loan in February; after Murillo was berated in a video session following a 2-2 draw at Paris FC, the Panamanian was told he had no future and sold to Besiktas. “I want hunger,” De Zerbi explained. “If I don’t see it, I take decisions.” European dream dissolves in 98th-minute chaos Europe offered hope. Marseille beat Ajax and Newcastle and, going into the final league-phase night, sat 19th but poised for the knockout play-offs. Instead they collapsed 3-0 at Club Brugge and were eliminated when Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin headed a 98th-minute winner against Real Madrid to flip the goal-difference standings. Benatia spoke of “shame”; De Zerbi skipped training the next day, officially “unwell,” and held crisis talks with Longoria at Clairefontaine. A 2-2 draw at Paris FC followed, then the 5-0 Classique rout. Ultras unveiled a banner – “No stability, ambition or balls, shame on you” – before a 3-0 Coupe de France win over Rennes briefly dulled the noise. It returned with a vengeance at Parc des Princes. Marseille flew home overnight, stayed at the training centre, and by Tuesday night the divorce was sealed. What next? Assistant coach Jacques Abardonado takes charge against Strasbourg on Saturday while a section of the Virage Nord will remain empty for the first 15 minutes in protest. McCourt will attend; Benatia, who reportedly offered his own resignation, stays for now. Lyon have surged to third; Lens stalk PSG at the summit. Fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League and the financial hole becomes a chasm. De Zerbi, linked last summer with vacancies at Manchester United and Tottenham, again finds his name on shortlists. For Marseille, the search for a 36th manager since 2000 begins – and the circus shows no sign of leaving town.

Harare’s high-scoring final feels like yesterday: the thin air, the white ball disappearing into the night sky 15 times over the ropes, the scoreboard frozen at 175 off 80 balls as a 14-year-old lifted India to a record sixth Under-19 World Cup. Barely a fortnight later, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will walk into Podar International School, Samastipur, find his allotted desk, and turn over the first page of his Class 10 board examinations on 17 February. Neel Kishore, the school principal, has already framed the moment in cricketing idiom. “This is an academic pitch, not a cricket pitch,” he told ANI after handing the teenager his admit card. “All facilities, safety and security will be the same for all.” The directive is clear: no autograph queues inside the hall, no extra-time allowances, no nets in the corridor. Around 400 students will sit for the boards; one of them simply happens to be the tournament’s second-highest run-getter, owner of a new Under-19 World Cup record of 30 sixes, and the youngest centurion in both IPL and Syed Mushtaq Ali history. Sooryavanshi’s numbers across the past five months read like a video-game scorecard: 439 runs in the 2026 U-19 World Cup at 62.71 and a strike rate of 169.49; 1,412 runs in U-19 ODIs at 56.48 with a scoring rate above 165; an IPL deal with Rajasthan Royals worth Rs 1.1 crore; 252 runs in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 206.55; and a Vijay Hazare blitz of 190 that made him the youngest List A centurion. Yet the immediate challenge is a three-hour paper on a subject he has not faced with a bat in hand. Teachers say the middle-order phenomenon—who began his ascent with a 58-ball hundred against Australia U-19 in Chennai in October 2024—has been revising between training sessions, often sending voice notes to classmates about quadratic equations while cooling down after net sessions. “There is excitement among everyone, be it teachers, students or parents, for his arrival,” Kishore admitted, “but once the bell rings, he is just another roll number.” For Indian cricket, the brief hiatus is unusual: a star batter trading power-hitting for periodic tables, a talent pool that rarely pauses voluntarily. For Sooryavanshi, it is a conscious guard against burnout. The aggressive, high-risk template that produced 15 fours and 15 sixes in the Harare final can, on off-days, bring a quick dismissal; the boards offer no second innings either. He will return to the crease next month for age-group Vijay Hazare matches, but first comes the small matter of scoring passing marks rather than strike-rate bragging rights. As examination centres across Bihar ready their seating plans, the boy who announced himself with a first-ball six in the IPL and finished with a hundred on the biggest youth stage now faces the simplest of instructions: read the question, watch the clock, and, for once, leave the six-hitting to the imagination.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — The most combustible rivalry in world cricket will ignite the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup on Sunday night when India meet Pakistan at R Premadasa Stadium, the tournament’s first sell-out fixture and a contest that was itself in danger of boycott only days ago. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time (13:30 GMT) with global television audiences expected to exceed one billion. Al Jazeera Sport’s rolling build-up begins at 9:30 GMT, followed by ball-by-ball text commentary. The fixture survived an eleventh-hour diplomatic crisis after Pakistan’s government initially ordered the team to withdraw in solidarity with Bangladesh, expelled from the event for refusing to travel to India. ICC-led negotiations involving Sri Lanka, the co-hosts, persuaded Islamabad to reverse the boycott, allowing the group-stage blockbuster to proceed at the 35,000-capacity venue. Sunday’s showdown is a re-run of the 2025 Asian Cup final, won by India by five wickets, a match remembered for the absence of post-game handshakes and India’s refusal to accept the trophy from ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi. With neutral venues mandated for Indo-Pak contests since a 2024 bilateral agreement, Colombo has become the latest diplomatic halfway house. Pakistan’s trump card could be 30-year-old mystery spinner Usman Tariq, whose double-jointed, sling-shot action has already claimed 11 wickets in four T20 internationals, including a hat-trick against Zimbabwe. A former Dubai-based salesman, Tariq credits the 2016 Bollywood biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story for resurrecting his cricket dream. “I had left behind thinking of making a name in cricket, but one day I watched this film, and it convinced me that I can also do the same,” he said. Cleared twice by the ICC’s biomechanics lab, Tariq took 3-27 against the USA in Colombo earlier this week and has been labelled “our X-factor” by captain Salman Ali Agha. Demand to witness the contest has sent Colombo hotel rates soaring to $660 per night, triple normal levels, while regional flights from Chennai and Delhi have climbed above $600. Sri Lanka’s tourism authority estimates 20 percent of February’s first 100,000 visitors are travelling specifically for the match, boosting an economy recovering from a recent cyclone and financial crisis. India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, are expected to field Ishan Kishan behind the stumps and a pace attack headlined by Jasprit Bumrah. Pakistan will rely on openers Saim Ayub and Babar Azam, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah spearheading the bowling. The toss could prove pivotal on a surface that has already assisted spin in earlier tournament fixtures. Tickets vanished within hours of release; scalpers are reportedly commanding four-figure sums. For Sri Lanka, the match is more than spectacle—it is a statement that the island can serve as a neutral, secure hub for South Asian neighbours whose political tensions rarely allow bilateral sport. As both sides complete final preparations under floodlights, the question is not merely who advances in the group, but whether cricket’s fiercest rivalry can remain confined to the 22 yards in the middle. India XI: Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson/Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah Pakistan XI: Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Mirza, Salman Ali Agha (c), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed

Pebble Beach’s seaside gusts are usually the story, but this week the spotlight belonged to a single clubhead: Callaway’s yet-to-be-released Quantum TD-TD driver. Within hours of Thursday’s opening tee shots the prototype had already notched two high-profile converts—Min Woo Lee and Kevin Yu—and the early returns were impossible to ignore. Lee, the 25-year-old Australian known for 170-mph 2-iron speed, had spent the off-season searching for a combination of lower spin and a neutral start line. After tying for the Tour lead in driving accuracy at last fall’s FedEx Open de France with Callaway’s Elyte Triple Diamond Tour Draw, he still felt he was “living at the high end of the spin window,” hovering between 2,400 and 3,000 rpm. A single range session with the Quantum TD-TD and a shaft swap to Fujikura’s new Ventus Black 7-X VeloCore+ shaved roughly 300 rpm and tightened his launch delta to 2,300-2,700. The result: 19 fairways hit through 25 attempts and a .648 strokes-gained off-the-tee figure in an opening 67 at Spyglass Hill. “He loved the smaller footprint and the reduced face progression,” Callaway tour rep Kellen Watson said. “About 12 shots and nine windy holes at Pebble were enough for his stamp of approval.” Yu’s path was different but equally decisive. A lifelong push-draw player, Yu had cycled through Callaway’s Elyte Triple Diamond Max and Paradym Ai-Smoke Triple Diamond Max models, altering his swing to keep the ball in play. The Quantum TD-TD’s more neutral onset allowed him to re-introduce a baby fade without sacrificing ball speed or launch dynamics. Yu hit 11 of 14 Pebble fairways on Thursday and gained nearly .8 strokes off the tee. Spec sheets reveal subtle but important tweaks. Lee’s 10.5-degree head (set to 10.6) measures 45 inches with a half-inch tip and a Gripmaster leather wrap, while Yu’s 9-degree head (bent to 9.9) plays 45.5 inches with a Graphite Design Tour AD-VF 6-X. Both setups emphasize forward CG and reduced spin, hallmarks of the Quantum line that first appeared on the USGA conforming list last autumn. The driver’s momentum is spreading quickly: eight of Callaway’s 10 staffers in the AT&T field—10 percent of the entire entry—teed up a Quantum model by week’s end. Lee’s bag saw another overhaul, shelving the 2-iron he once labeled his “secret weapon” in favor of a 21-degree Apex Utility Wood. “I spun the hybrid way too much,” Lee explained. “This one keeps spin down but still gives me the height I want into par-5s.” Tour reps say the UW’s tungsten speed cartridge and stepped-sole design produced identical ball speed to his utility iron in stinger mode while offering a steeper landing angle when flighted high. On the greens Lee swapped his black-and-white Odyssey S2S Jailbird for a new prototype featuring four sole weights to fine-tune center of gravity and encourage slightly more face rotation. Keegan Bradley and Sepp Straka made similar Odyssey moves, underscoring a week of micro-adjustments that could pay macro dividends once the West Coast swing shifts to more traditional venues. Whether the Quantum TD-TD will graduate from prototype to retail remains unannounced, but its tour baptism has already delivered something every equipment manufacturer covets: immediate, measurable performance in the game’s most unforgiving environment.

AC Milan have not abandoned their pursuit of Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka and are maintaining regular dialogue with the player’s camp in hopes of engineering a summer transfer coup, sources have confirmed. The Serie A giants have tracked the 29-year-old for months and, despite a crowded midfield field at San Siro, view Goretzka’s blend of physicality and experience as an ideal fit for Paulo Fonseca’s evolving squad. Contacts between Milan sporting directors and the Germany international’s representatives remain “alive and consistent,” according to people familiar with the discussions. Goretzka’s exit from the Allianz Arena was effectively rubber-stamped last month when Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund, flanked by head coach Vincent Kompany, told reporters that the club and player would part ways at season’s end. The announcement ended months of speculation over the midfielder’s future after he slipped down the midfield pecking order and became a lightning rod for supporter frustration. While Goretzka’s reduced game time this term raises questions about match sharpness, Milan believe a full pre-season under Fonseca could restore the dynamism that once made him a mainstay for both club and country. Scouts from the Rossoneri have attended several Bayern fixtures since January, compiling detailed reports on the player’s positioning, pressing intensity and leadership within the squad. Competition could yet emerge. The source text notes that “excellent clubs” are monitoring developments, though none have matched Milan’s level of engagement to date. Goretzka’s wage demands—estimated in previous windows at around €12 million net per season—may thin the field, yet Milan are exploring a structured deal that would spread the salary burden across performance-related bonuses. Any move hinges on Milan qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Sitting inside the top four with a game in hand, the Diavolo are increasingly confident of securing the revenue streams necessary to green-light what would represent one of the marquee signings of the Italian summer. For Bayern, Goretzka’s impending departure forms part of a broader midfield refresh. The Bavarians continue to weigh moves for younger, high-energy profiles, though the club’s immediate priority lies on the flanks. Interest in RB Leipzig prodigy Yan Diomande has cooled after sporting figures inside the club balked at the €100 million valuation set by Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff. With Michael Olise, Luis Díaz, Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl already pencilled in as next season’s wide options, Bayern regard a nine-figure outlay for a back-up winger as fiscally imprudent. Meanwhile, uncertainty clouds the future of captain Manuel Neuer. Bayern have not tabled a contract extension beyond 2026, and talks have been pencilled in for March or April. Neuer, who turns 40 on 27 March, recently rebuffed overtures from the German FA regarding a national-team return, fuelling speculation that the iconic keeper could opt to retire in the summer rather than extend his 14-year tenure in Munich. Elsewhere on the market, Manchester United have set a €30 million floor for Marcus Rashford should Barcelona attempt to convert the England forward’s loan into a permanent switch. In France, Olympique Marseille are poised to decline their €15 million purchase option on Inter-owned defender Benjamin Pavard after a string of underwhelming displays. Liverpool, for their part, will listen to offers around £35 million for Federico Chiesa as Serie A clubs circle. For now, all eyes at Milanello remain fixed on Munich. If Milan secure European football and Goretzka green-lights the switch, the Rossoneri could land a statement signing capable of reshaping their midfield for years to come.

San Antonio — Grief and frustration converged on the Northside Independent School District Monday evening as dozens of parents of Stevens High School football players pressed district officials for clarity surrounding the death of 16-year-old Jaren “JLaw” Lawson, who collapsed during practice and later died. The meeting, held in the Stevens cafeteria, was marked by emotional pleas and pointed questions about the circumstances that led to the sophomore’s collapse. Several parents said they still do not know basic facts about the incident, including the precise timeline of Lawson’s collapse and the immediate medical response. “What if I’m next?” one mother asked district representatives, voicing a fear echoed by others in the room. “We’re handing our kids over every day, and we don’t even know what happened.” NISD officials reiterated that an internal review is underway but disputed key allegations raised by parents, though they did not specify which claims were inaccurate. District representatives declined to provide additional details, citing privacy laws and the ongoing investigation. Lawson, described by classmates as a dedicated athlete with aspirations of varsity play, died after being transported from the campus last week. The district has not released the exact date of his death or the medical cause, prompting further unease among families.

DUNLAP — Twelve months ago Concord senior Brycen Brosamer could barely walk. On Saturday he will stride into Fort Wayne’s Allen County War Memorial Coliseum as one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the 144-pound semistate bracket, carrying a 31-4 record and a season’s worth of momentum that few saw coming. The turnaround began with a decision last summer: football was finished. After breaking his fibula and ankle during his junior gridiron campaign, Brosamer limped through only nine wrestling matches, finishing 5-4 and hobbling to sixth at sectional. The injuries cost him preseason training, then re-appeared the moment he re-took the mat. “I came back for one practice, landed wrong and it felt like I had a broken leg again,” Brosamer recalled. Doctors confirmed a second fracture—this time in the ankle—and his season never restarted in earnest. Rather than risk a repeat, Brosamer gave up the shoulder pads, devoted himself to rehabilitation and attacked wrestling with single-sport focus. The payoff has been swift and decisive: sectional champion, regional champion, Northern Lakes Conference champion and, now, a legitimate threat to punch his first ticket to the state finals. “I feel I can compete with anybody at the semistate and win the whole thing,” said Brosamer, who opens against Wabash’s Corbin Goshert, a 7-1 victim earlier this year. “I just have to finish out matches and wrestle all six minutes.” Concord co-head coach Brian Pfeil believes the senior’s confidence is justified. “I believe he’s a top-four wrestler at 144 at the semistate and a state qualifier, as long as he goes out and wrestles like he has all season,” Pfeil said. “Bryce put in a lot of offseason work. Mentally, he’s in a much better spot.” That mental edge was hard-earned. Brosamer began wrestling in sixth grade as a 90-pounder who, by his own admission, “was terrible.” The progression from curiosity to contender has surprised even those who coached him in junior high. “My junior high coach said I’ve shocked everyone,” Brosamer noted. “I’ve become something nobody thought I would become.” The semistate stage is not unfamiliar territory; as a freshman alternate he lost his opening match at 138 pounds. He expects the experience to steady his nerves this weekend while he chases the biggest prize of his career. Away from the mat Brosamer maintains a 4.015 GPA and has already fielded outreach from college programs—conversations he has tabled until the final whistle of his senior season. “I want to live in the present and work my hardest now,” he said. For a wrestler who once wondered if he would walk normally again, the present moment looks remarkably like a championship opportunity. SEO keywords:

A place in the last 16 of English football’s most storied knockout competition is on the line on Saturday, and the FA Cup fourth-round schedule is loaded with potential pitfalls for Premier League heavyweights. Seven ties dot the map, beginning with League One Burton Albion hosting West Ham United in the lunchtime kick-off and ending with Brighton & Hove Albion’s daunting visit to Anfield to face Liverpool under the lights. Burton, the lowest-ranked side in action, welcome the Hammers to the Pirelli Stadium hoping to replicate the cup shocks that have become the competition’s lifeblood. West Ham, still processing the euphoria of their 2023 Europa Conference League triumph, can ill-afford complacency against a Brewers side buoyed by home support and the knowledge that one bounce of the ball can flip a tie on its head. Liverpool’s evening assignment looks, on paper, a sterner test. Brighton arrive on the back of a December league defeat at Anfield and carrying the weight of history—only two wins in 53 years on Merseyside. Yet the Seagulls have already demonstrated their taste for an upset this term, winning at Old Trafford to manufacture this tie, and will hark back to 1983 when Jimmy Melia’s team stunned a dominant Liverpool in the fifth round. With Fabian Hürzeler’s side drifting uncomfortably close to the relegation conversation, a cup run could provide timely respite. The pick of the all-Premier League clashes takes place at Villa Park, where Aston Villa entertain Newcastle United in a repeat of August’s tepid league meeting. Since then, Villa have beaten Newcastle on Tyneside but subsequently fallen off the title pace after successive league defeats. Eddie Howe’s visitors, meanwhile, ended a wretched run of away form with a 2–1 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday, Jacob Ramsey—once of Villa—registering his first goal involvement for the club. The Magpies’ travel sickness remains a concern, yet the cup’s knock-out nature often liberates cautious teams. Manchester City, finalists last season and fresh from a 10-goal demolition of Exeter City in the previous round, are overwhelming favourites when Salford City pitch up at the Etihad. The Ammies, managed by Karl Robinson, survived a thriller against Swindon Town to earn a second successive glamour tie, but memories of last season’s heavy defeat across Manchester will fuel their desire to keep the scoreline respectable. Pep Guardiola’s side, still alive on four fronts, view the domestic cups as their most realistic route to silverware in what could be the Catalan’s farewell campaign. Elsewhere, Burnley travel to Mansfield Town, another League One side eager for a scalp, while Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion renew acquaintances in an all-Championship affair. On the south coast, Southampton host Leicester City just days after producing one of the Championship’s great comebacks—trailing 3–0 at the King Power Stadium before winning 4–3 to deepen Leicester’s relegation worries. The Foxes, 2021 FA Cup winners, must quickly regroup or risk a second defeat to the Saints inside a week. Port Vale’s meeting with Bristol City has fallen victim to a waterlogged pitch, meaning only six ties will conclude on Saturday. Yet with forecasters predicting wind and rain across the country, the conditions may yet level the playing field for the underdogs. The FA Cup’s fourth round has long been the stage where dreams are extended and seasons are re-ignited. For Liverpool and Aston Villa, the task is clear: navigate tricky ties or join the long list of fallen giants. For Burton, Mansfield, Salford and the rest, the opportunity to etch a permanent line into cup folklore awaits.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Nebraska’s bats roared to life on opening night, pounding out hit after hit en route to a run-rule victory over UConn on Friday. The offensive barrage set an early tone for a program looking to make noise in 2026. Playing in the desert at Charles Schwab Field, the Huskers wasted no time showcasing their lineup’s firepower, turning the contest into a hit parade that ended early under the mercy rule. The win marks an emphatic start to a season that has been previewed as pivotal for Nebraska baseball. Evan Bland and Sam McKewon discussed expectations for the Huskers during the Pick Six Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, highlighting the roster’s potential to contend in the Big Ten. Friday’s outburst offered an early glimpse of that promise, as Nebraska piled on runs and never let up. With the season now officially underway, the Huskers will look to carry the momentum of their opening-night onslaught into the rest of their schedule.

MILAN — The Quad God proved mortal after all. Ilia Malinin, the 18-year-old Virginia phenom who arrived at the 2026 Winter Games carrying the weight of a nation’s gold-medal hopes, tumbled from heavy favorite to eighth-place finisher in a men’s free skate that will live in U.S. Olympic infamy. The two falls—one on an attempted quadruple lutz, another moments later—erased the commanding short-program lead that had cast him as the heir to American skating legends and relegated him to the periphery of a podium swept by Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov. While Malinin did contribute to the United States’ team-event gold earlier in the Games, his individual collapse instantly joins the pantheon of American Olympic heartbreaks. Here is where the defeat slots among the most stunning U.S. flops on the global stage: 2004 Athens men’s basketball: Larry Brown’s star-laden roster—LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan, Carmelo Anthony—staggered to a 5-3 record and bronze after opening with a 19-point humiliation against Puerto Rico. Dan Jansen, Calgary 1988: The world-record sprater entered the 500- and 1,000-meter races as the clear pick for double gold, only to fall in both amid the emotional backdrop of his sister’s death from leukemia. He persevered four years later to capture 1,000-meter gold in Lillehammer. Calgary 1988 overall medal haul: Beyond Brian Boitano and Bonnie Blair, the U.S. collected just six medals—its lowest count in 52 years. 1992 Barcelona decathlon: The Reebok-hyped “Dan & Dave” showdown never materialized when Dan O’Brien failed to qualify and Dave Johnson settled for bronze. Mikaela Shiffrin, 2022 Beijing & 2026 Milan: Owner of a record number of World Cup wins, Shiffrin walked away from two Olympics without an individual medal, her latest setback coming in the alpine team combined. Mary Decker, Los Angeles 1984: The hometown 3,000-meter favorite collided with Great Britain’s Zola Budd, crashed to the infield and left without hardware, later enduring a doping controversy that shadowed her remaining Olympic attempts. Bode Miller, Turin 2006: America’s headline alpine star vowed five medals, delivered zero, and shrugged that he was “just having fun.” Marion Jones, Sydney 2000: She blazed to five golds, then surrendered every medal after admitting to steroid use. Ryan Lochte, Rio 2016: A relay gold could not mask a fifth-place individual finish and the fabricated gas-station robbery tale that cost him sponsorships and a suspension. Lolo Jones, Beijing 2008 & London 2012: The hurdling world champion clipped the penultimate barrier in ’08 and finished fourth in ’12, never reaching the podium. 2016 U.S. women’s soccer: Ranked No. 1 and led by Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan and Hope Solo, the Americans fell to Sweden in quarter-final penalty kicks and left Brazil empty-handed. 1972 Munich men’s basketball: A disputed last-second sequence ended the Americans’ 63-game Olympic winning streak and produced the still-rejected silver medals of perhaps the most controversial gold-medal game in history. Malinin’s eighth-place finish, set against the backdrop of his “Quad God” nickname and the expectation of a new era of American dominance, now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with those historic setbacks. The program that began with a short-program roar ended with a thud heard from Milan to Milwaukee, ensuring that whenever future lists of U.S. Olympic calamities are compiled, Ilia Malinin’s name will appear near the top.

UEFA referees’ chief Roberto Rosessa has warned that football risks losing sight of why VAR was introduced, arguing that the technology has drifted from its original mandate of correcting “clear and obvious” mistakes into “microscopic” analysis that undermines the spirit of the game. His comments come after Barcelona’s Copa del Rey clash with Atlético Madrid on Thursday, where a disallowed goal from Pau Cubarsi was upheld following an eight-minute VAR review. The decision left the Catalan camp furious, with Hansi Flick and Frenkie de Jong protesting that no offside existed. Speaking at the UEFA congress, Rosessa said: “About the VAR intervention, I can tell you this: I believe that we forgot the reason why VAR was introduced. We forgot a little bit. Everywhere. You remember, eight of years ago, I came to London. We discussed the ‘what VAR stands for’. We spoke about clear mistakes. “Why we spoke about clear and obvious mistakes. Because technology works so well in factual decisions. In objective decisions, it is fantastic. For interpretations, subjective evaluation is more difficult. That’s why we started to speak about clear and obvious mistakes — clear evidence. “I believe that we need to, at the end of the season, again in our meetings, to speak about this. We cannot go in this direction of microscopic VAR intervention. We love football like it is.” Barcelona interim president Rafa Yuste confirmed the club will demand explanations for the prolonged delay during the match. The episode adds to a growing list of European matches this season in which VAR has been criticised for lengthy reviews and marginal calls. Keywords:

Baldwinsville—For 26 minutes on Friday night, the Bees’ finest season since 2019 looked destined for a deflating finish. Liverpool had controlled the middle quarters, built a 16-point cushion with six minutes left, and appeared ready to hand Baldwinsville a sobering final-regular-season setback. Instead, the Bees authored one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the year, storming back to stun the Legends 68-63 and polishing off a 16-3 campaign that now carries serious momentum into sectionals. “We went into a diamond press and we got some steals,” head coach Kathy Morse said of the game-changing adjustment. “We started playing better defense. We were kind of lacking on defense in the first three quarters, but the kids turned it up. They didn’t give up.” The tactical tweak ignited a back-court frenzy. Baldwinsville’s diamond press forced turnovers in bunches, while a perimeter-oriented attack shredded Liverpool’s 1-3-1 zone. The Bees buried four fourth-quarter three-pointers, turning a double-digit hole into a deafening home-court celebration. Senior guard Natalie Hollingshead authored the offensive eruption, pouring in 14 of her game-high 25 points over the final six minutes. The outburst more than doubled her season average of 12 per game and featured a trio of momentum-swinging triples. “Natalie really stepped up at the end,” Morse said. “She had most of her points in the fourth quarter and took it upon herself to bring the team together and get them going.” Juniors Sicily Shaffer (18 points) and Beverly Marinelli (10 points) provided critical support, while seldom-used reserve Addison Burkhard delivered the intangible spark Morse called “the hero tonight.” Liverpool, which closes its regular season at 10-9, received 19 points from senior Graceanne Sleeth and 14 apiece from Angeliena Kohler and Lyric Noel. The loss snaps a three-game win streak for the Legends. Baldwinsville, winners of six of its last seven, now turns its attention to the postseason, carrying both confidence and chemistry after a comeback Morse believes can galvanize a deep run. “When they all came together and just decided that they were going to try to win this game, it was really great,” she said. “I think that carries us into sectionals.”