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  • Christian Pulisic’s calf injury is the USMNT’s biggest story at the World Cup. Here’s what to know.

    Christian Pulisic’s calf injury is the USMNT’s biggest story at the World Cup. Here’s what to know.

    IRVINE, Calif. — In the traditional American sports, there are rules requiring teams to publish injury reports.

    Sure, a coach might just say a player has a “lower-body injury,” especially in hockey. But there still are rules, and many Philadelphians (especially 76ers fans) might know them by heart these days.

    At the World Cup, there are no rules — and there’s even less incentive to tell the truth. There’s a long history of subterfuge, from Brazil’s Ronaldo in 1998 to Canadian star Alphonso Davies’ hamstring and U.S. star Christian Pulisic’s calf today.

    So if you’re wondering why the U.S. staff haven’t said much about the matter, the answer is simple: why should they? All it would do is give things away to the tournament’s other teams, including the Americans’ next opponent, Australia.

    Christian Pulisic did some exercises in the workout tent at the start of Friday’s practice.Jonathan Tannenwald

    “When I’m in England, they tell you exactly what it is with stuff like this,” said midfielder Brenden Aaronson, whose Medford and Union roots make him as well-versed in American ways as the world’s game. “With this situation, I can’t tell you what it is because I’m not a part of the medical staff and stuff like that. But it is different, and it is a different part of the game when it’s at club and in international football.”

    Officially, Pulisic remains day to day. He trained on his own during the first 15 minutes of Wednesday’s practice, which was the portion that was open to watch. Most of that time was spent in the team’s workout tent, but he emerged toward the end and walked across a field to kick a ball back and forth with a coach.

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    This was the extent of the day’s drama, even though Pulisic’s absence from Friday’s game (3 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62) obviously would be a huge deal.

    There was a lighthearted moment when a reporter used a pair of binoculars to try to spot Christian Pulisic.Jonathan Tannenwald

    What do Pulisic’s teammates think of all this? Everyone who has spoken this week hasn’t said much, and that continued Wednesday.

    “I’m not sure the exact sort of terminology of his injury,” defender Antonee Robinson said. “I mean, he’s been taking it day by day, and he’s not been training fully with the group yet. We’ve still got a couple of days to see where he’s at, and thankfully we’ve got a lot of boys on the bench who are eager and ready to get involved in helping the team, and a lot of quality.”

    As the USMNT returns to work at the World Cup, Australia’s big win sharpens the focus

    A few hours later, the caravan flew north to Seattle to get ready for Friday’s big game (3 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62). The U.S. will train at the University of Washington on Thursday, then get ready for a thunderous atmosphere at the stadium downtown on Friday.

    Along the way, the ritual likely will be repeated: questions about Pulisic, vague answers, and a collective shrug. This is how it is, and how it has been, and it’s just another part of the World Cup’s spectacle.

    And would you believe that Christian Pulisic has WALKED OUT OF THE TENT and is now DOING A DRILL on the field.

    (In all seriousness, he’s got some kind of wrapping on his left leg. But otherwise, this whole thing is yelling into a molehill.)

    #USMNT

    [image or embed]

    — Jonathan Tannenwald (@jtannenwald.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 11:16 AM

    In awe of Messi’s hat trick

    Speaking of spectacle, they don’t come any better than Lionel Messi’s dazzling hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria. The 38-year-old tied the World Cup’s scoring record with his 16th goal in the tournament, sending a jam-packed crowd in Kansas City into rapture — and the rest of the world, too.

    “For the fans watching, obviously Messi’s probably the greatest footballer who’s ever lived, and he’s still going, still showing quality,” Robinson said. “As a fan, I’m sure it was amazing to watch him. That’s the magic of the tournament: you want to see the world’s best doing what they do on this stage, and hopefully every game like that keeps giving those moments, and it’s enjoyable the whole way through.”

    The USMNT-Paraguay game was the most-watched soccer broadcast in U.S. history

    Aaronson has also watched Messi plenty, including in person last year at Subaru Park when Inter Miami visited the Union. He admitted that “the fanboy comes out of all of us,” even though he also knows that if the U.S. finishes second in its group and reaches the round of 16, it could play Argentina.

    “If we do play Argentina, we’ll all be ready to go,” Aaronson said.

    Messi’s next chance to break the scoring record, which has stood since Germany’s Miroslav Klose set it in 2002, will come Monday against Austria in Arlington, Texas.

    But he isn’t the only player chasing history at this World Cup. France’s Kylian Mbappé’s two goals against Senegal on Tuesday took his tournament total to 14, and made him his country’s record scorer with 58 all-time.

    Mark Franek quit being a lawyer to teach the history of U.S. soccer to the future of U.S. soccer in the Philly area

    Mbappé’s next game is in Philadelphia, on Monday against Iraq. And if there wasn’t already enough hype around Les Bleus’ visit, their 3-1 win in the Meadowlands raises the hype around what might be this World Cup’s most star-studded squad.

    Mbappé and Messi’s heroics were expected to draw big TV audiences, along with Norway star Erling Haaland’s two goals in his World Cup debut, a 4-1 win over Iraq. It was quite a sight to have all three stars play on the same day.

    Expect another big number for Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut in the tournament with Portugal, in Wednesday’s 1-1 upset tie with the Democratic Republic of Congo. That game joined Cape Verde’s tie with Spain (featuring former Union midfielder Jamiro Monteiro), Jordan’s hard-fought loss to Austria, and Curaçao’s goal against Germany as great moments by underdogs so far.

    “You see the results in the last couple of days, of teams who definitely weren’t the favorites managing to get points, and I think that’s what the World Cup’s about,” Robinson said. “It’s about bringing lots of different cultures together and giving them moments like this, and experiences, and it’s really nice to see.”

  • Trea Turner gets ‘on a good track’ with three hits in return to the Phillies lineup

    Trea Turner gets ‘on a good track’ with three hits in return to the Phillies lineup

    Trea Turner didn’t waste any time in his return to the Phillies lineup.

    The shortstop sat out Tuesday’s game with a bruised wrist after getting hit by a fastball the day prior. But once the swelling went down, he was back in the lineup on Wednesday — and was back atop the order for the first time since May 25.

    Turner singled to lead off the first inning against Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara and then picked up two more hits, including a double, to finish 3-for-5 in the 12-4 loss. It marked his first game with at least three hits since May 9.

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    For the past three weeks, Kyle Schwarber has been leading off for the Phillies, and interim manager Don Mattingly even used Brandon Marsh in the No. 1 spot for a one-game experiment on Tuesday. But Mattingly said he always planned for Turner to return to being his long-term leadoff hitter because of his base-stealing ability.

    “He’s able to run up there,” Mattingly said. “He gets behind Schwarb, and he’s on, he’s not able to run. Always wanted him there.”

    Turner’s three hits on Wednesday raised his season batting average to .233, and he also stole his 15th base of the season. There’s still work to be done for him to dig out of this slump, but he saw positive signs on Wednesday.

    “I think I did a lot of good things today from my standpoint, just kind of competing, and two-strike hitting,” Turner said. “Fouled off some pitches I probably would’ve swung and missed at, and I feel like I was doing what I wanted up there. I felt like real positive individually today from just my at-bats standpoint, and felt like I’m on a good track.”

    Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo allowed two runs in seven innings in an 8-2 victory over the Marlins on Tuesday.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    Luzardo’s splits

    Jesús Luzardo describes himself as a “creature of habit.”

    A lot of it is because of superstition. The glasses Luzardo wears on the mound don’t actually correct his vision, but he wears them because in the past, he didn’t pitch well without them.

    The lefty is strict about his routines, so he would know better than anyone if there was an underlying change causing the discrepancy in his home and road splits.

    And this year, the difference between the numbers has been stark: he has a 1.55 ERA in seven road starts, compared to a 6.60 ERA in eight starts at Citizens Bank Park. His strikeout and walk numbers are around the same, but the contact that Luzardo has given up has been much harder at home. Of the nine homers he’s allowed this season, eight were at home.

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    Luzardo doesn’t have an explanation for it.

    “I just really think it’s a coincidence,” Luzardo said. “It’s unfortunate, obviously. No one wants to pitch bad, especially at home, but the routine stays the same.”

    Luzardo was slightly better on the road in 2025, his first season as a Phillie. He posted a 3.67 ERA in 16 away games compared to 4.16 in 16 home games. But the difference has never been this extreme.

    Luzardo hopes the start he made at home Tuesday, when he held the Marlins to two runs over seven innings, could be the beginning of a new trend.

    “Obviously, I know I can do it,” he said. “I felt really good. So, hopefully, just keep building on that.”

    Brandon Marsh is third among National League outfielders in All-Star voting.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Marsh on All-Star vote

    MLB released its first voting update for the 2026 All-Star Game, and Brandon Marsh is on track to make it to the next phase.

    Marsh, who entered Wednesday with a .327 batting average, good for third in baseball, accumulated 668,191 votes as of June 15. That places him third among National League outfielders, behind the Dodgers’ Andy Pages (800,496) and the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. (693,472).

    Once Phase 1 of voting concludes on June 25, the top two position players and top six outfielders in each league will advance to the second round. After Phase 2, the top position player and top three outfielders will be named starters.

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    If his trajectory holds, Marsh will be an All-Star for the first time in his career. He said last week that it would be “really, really cool” to be included in the group, especially at home in Philadelphia. But for now, he isn’t paying much attention to the voting.

    “I really haven’t even looked at it, to be honest with you,” Marsh said. “Really, just trying to enjoy now, and just take it day by day, and see where it all falls out at the end.”

    Extra bases

    Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.86 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series opener against the Mets’ Sean Manaea (1-2, 4.78 ERA). It marks the Phillies’ first meeting against the Mets this season. … Shane Victorino and Larry Bowa will serve as managers for the All-Star Futures Game on July 12 at Citizens Bank Park, Major League Baseball announced Wednesday.

  • Phillies send Andrew Painter down to triple A after another ugly start

    Phillies send Andrew Painter down to triple A after another ugly start

    The bullpen door swung open as the third inning began, and the question couldn’t be held back any longer.

    Can Andrew Painter keep pitching for the Phillies?

    The answer: Not right now.

    Painter was sent to triple A Wednesday evening, a few hours after his hard-to-watch rookie season got even uglier. The Marlins pounded him for six runs on six hits, including two homers, and knocked him out after two innings of a 12-4 matinee rout in Citizens Bank Park.

    And so, Painter heads back to the minor leagues with a 1-8 record and a 7.06 ERA, the second-worst mark among 115 pitchers with at least 60 innings.

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    The Phillies announced Painter’s demotion at 6:15 p.m., a little more than two hours after the final out. They will make a corresponding roster move Thursday before opening a three-game series against the Mets.

    After the game, interim manager Don Mattingly wouldn’t commit to having Painter make his next start, saying “it’s something we’ll probably talk about.”

    The conversation happened quickly. After Mattingly spoke with reporters, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Preston Mattingly poked their heads into his office, just as they do after most games.

    It seems Painter was Topic A.

    Phillies rookie Andrew Painter gave up six earned runs on six hits, including two home runs, in two innings against the Marlins on Wednesday.
    Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    The situation is nuanced. The Phillies remain bullish on Painter as a high-end starter. For now, they’ve asked only that the 23-year-old righty keeps them in games. He hasn’t done that lately, allowing six, five, six, and four runs in his last four starts and pitching a total of 15 innings for a 12.60 ERA.

    So, although the Phillies continue to believe in Painter, and while they don’t have appealing alternatives in triple A, they couldn’t allow him to continue to pitch every fifth game.

    “The fastball’s just getting hit right now,” Painter said after the game, before the demotion. “So, you know, I think we’ve just got to evaluate. Just trying to find out who I am as a pitcher right now.”

    And who is he?

    “I’ve had to lean heavily on spin,” Painter said. “Sweepers and sliders have been great for me. Earlier in the year, the changeup was great, and right now, I’m kind of searching for it.”

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    More than anything, though, Painter can’t locate his fastball. At least not the one that overpowered hitters in the low minors.

    It hasn’t been the same since he returned from a two-season absence after Tommy John elbow surgery in July 2023. It came and went last year in triple A, where he had a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts. Major leaguers were hitting .382 and slugging .573 against it entering the week.

    And that was before the Marlins’ Kyle Stowers and Owen Caissie teed off on center-cut heaters for two-run and solo homers, respectively, as Painter left the Phillies in 2-0 and 6-2 holes.

    “I don’t know if he feels like he can really get down the mound and really get after guys because he’s searching for that feeling that he had before,” catcher Garrett Stubbs said. “And it’s really hard.”

    Andrew Painter fell to 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA, second-worst among 115 pitchers with at least 60 innings.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Painter’s fastball velocity hasn’t dipped. His trust in the pitch, however, clearly has. Mattingly wants Painter to pitch with more “aggression.” Painter has talked about having greater conviction.

    Neither is apparent.

    “It’s just trying to get him to get out there and have that dog mentality that Philadelphia represents,” Stubbs said. “Go out and just kind of say [bleep] it and get after ‘em.

    “He knows that it’s in there. He just needs to go find it.”

    Painter has appeared downcast after recent starts. He sat facing his locker, dressed in full uniform, last Friday in Milwaukee. Even as Mattingly and pitching coach Caleb Cotham highlighted the positives, the results have been wholly negative.

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    Painter said his confidence is “about as good as it can be right now under the circumstances.” But he’s also human. Mattingly guessed Painter’s belief in himself “almost has to waver some.”

    “He’s been pretty resilient to this point,” Mattingly said. “But I’m sure it’s wavering.”

    Painter will search for his fastball in Lehigh Valley. His replacement isn’t apparent. The triple-A rotation consists of Tucker Davidson (6.50 ERA), Alan Rangel (3.74), Bryse Wilson (6.29), Brian Keller (4.35), and Chuck King (4.02). Rangel, the best of the bunch, started Wednesday night for the IronPigs and could slide into Painter’s spot.

    Mattingly said the Phillies were encouraged by Painter’s between-starts bullpen session. But Painter’s fastball failed him again. And after a 33-pitch second inning, which included an 11-pitch at-bat that ended with Xavier Edwards’ two-out infield single, Mattingly went to the bullpen.

    Painter said he can feel it in his hand when he throws a fastball that has “a little more life.” He’s trying to recapture that feeling more consistently. It’s elusive.

    “It’s tough,” he said after the shortest start by a non-opener Phillies starter since Jesús Luzardo lasted two innings last July 4. “You can have the best secondary stuff in the world, but everything kind of plays off the fastball.

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    “We’ve been searching for some things, and it’s gotten a little better than what it was. But it’s still obviously not to the extent of what it was pre-[surgery]. So, just trying to make adjustments and figure out what’s going to have the most success.”

    Maybe the answers are in triple A.

    “It’s going out there and having a few good outings in a row where you can keep getting after it and know that my stuff’s going to be in the zone and get guys out like he wants to,” Stubbs said. “And a lot of it probably is that confidence piece, right?

    “The expectations are high, and everyone wants to win, and the city wants to win. He’ll get there. I have full confidence that he’ll get there.”

    Not before taking a detour.

  • Flyers draft: Jaxon Cover and Ryder Cali grew up playing roller hockey in the Cayman Islands. Now they will be drafted into the NHL.

    Flyers draft: Jaxon Cover and Ryder Cali grew up playing roller hockey in the Cayman Islands. Now they will be drafted into the NHL.

    BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ryder Cali and Jaxon Cover were two of 90 players invited to the NHL’s scouting combine in western New York during the first week in June.

    They interviewed with NHL teams, including the Flyers, and members of the media. Together in the same group, they went through fitness testing on Saturday, with Cover finishing in the top 25 in two tests, including fifth in the dreaded Wingate test, and Cali getting on the board for seven tests, tying for first in the right-hand grip test.

    Cali and Cover’s hockey careers were intersecting once again. The two had first crossed paths in a locale not often associated with ice hockey greatness — the Cayman Islands.

    Island in the sun

    Like most teenagers who will be selected at the NHL draft in either the first round on June 26 or Rounds 2-7 the next day, Cali got on skates for the first time at 2 years old. He confesses that he hated it and cried the whole time, but skating has been in his blood — from his mom’s side.

    A Toronto native, Fiona McLeod played college hockey at St. Cloud State and then professionally for seven seasons in Switzerland for the Ladies Team Lugano, in what is now the PostFinance Women’s League. It is Switzerland, where she met Cali’s father and where the now 17-year-old Ryder was born.

    Around the same time Cali was tying his laces for the first time, more than 5,000 miles away, a 3-year-old Cover was putting on his first pair of skates, too. But instead of steel blades, his boots had wheels, and there was no ice to be found for miles. He fell in love with the game at a learn-to-skate program on the only roller hockey rink in the Cayman Islands.

    Cali and his family moved not long after his twirl on skates when his banker dad got a new job. So it was on an island in the Caribbean Sea filled with sandy beaches and wafted by ocean breezes that Jaxon Cover and Ryder Cali met and where their hockey dreams took hold.

    “It was kind of a new thing growing up, because as I was growing up it started getting bigger too, and a lot more people were joining and joining,” Cover recalled in an interview with The Inquirer. “I feel like, especially with how far I’ve come in ice hockey, hopefully I can inspire some kids in Cayman to enjoy the game, and just anyone from an unconventional place of ice hockey to hopefully just enjoy the game and just try getting into the game.”

    Jaxon Cover (middle) and Ryder Cali (to his right with his back to camera) had easy access to beaches but also grew up playing roller hockey in the Cayman Islands.Courtesy of

    The two families became close, and the boys played roller hockey with Cover, who is seven months older, developing into a burgeoning roller hockey star at the ripe old age of 6. He played in tournaments across North America while skating against kids older than him, crediting the sport with amplifying his competitiveness.

    Cali and his family, meanwhile, moved to Ontario when he was 7, and he swapped his wheels for steel. Needless to say, it was an adjustment.

    “I do remember when I moved to Canada, I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t do anything,” he told The Inquirer with a grin. “I was the island boy who just saw ice for the first time.

    “I think roller hockey is much more of a skill game; I think that’s kind of where guys like Cover get all their skill from, is playing games like that, where I don’t think there’s as much contact.”

    Northern attitude

    At around 8 years old, Cover and his family would start visiting his grandfather — dad Patrick is from Etobicoke, Ontario — in the same province during the summer. While there, Cover would go to SK8ON Hockey School and, like Cali, he had trouble stopping.

    “It was a pretty weird switch, going from ice to roller,” he said. “I had to get the stopping down. It was a little weird to me not having wheels to just glide on, and it was just like these sharp blades on the bottom of my feet. But it was a lot of fun.”

    Jaxon Cover honed his skills as a member of the London Knights.Courtesy of London Knights

    However, Cover didn’t really start playing ice hockey until he went to boarding school. In September 2020, he began studying at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ontario, with his brother Jaedon; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to play organized hockey that first year.

    David Manning, Cover’s coach for the U18 AAA team his final two seasons at St. Andrew’s, said it was actually beneficial for the winger to get comfortable on ice without coaches and the pressure that comes with competing. It helped him work on some of his bad habits and switch from a sport that doesn’t have much stopping to one that thrives on quickness and consistent stopping and starting.

    “He had some ups and downs [but] there’s a higher level of accountability in terms of managing the puck,” Manning said. “He very much sees himself as an artist out there, and wants to create and make nice plays. I think there’s a balancing act with that mindset, and also playing the game in a strategic, smart way, and so he worked through that the entire year and had a solid season.”

    Cover spent the past season with London of the Ontario Hockey League, the same league where Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk won a Memorial Cup. Cover played three games that season with the two prospects at the end of the 2024-25 season.

    From afar, Manning acknowledged the work Cover has put in — “He had more points in the OHL than he did with my team … he just keeps getting better” — as the winger dropped 20 goals and 52 points in 67 games with the Knights.

    The two kids from the Cayman Islands went head-to-head in an OHL game this season, with Cali getting the upper hand as North Bay won 3-2 in a shootout. But Cali finished behind Cover in scoring with 16 goals and 36 points in 47 regular season games, missing time with a separated shoulder.

    Just a place to call your own

    Cover will return to London in the fall before heading off to Penn State in 2027 — he wants to study law and go into corporate law after his NHL career is done, of course — but there is plenty of work still to do.

    “I feel like I did have to change some aspects of my skating style, and I still do have to change some aspects, because I still do have that roller hockey stride in my game,” he said, adding he wished his roller hockey speed translated better to the ice. “But I feel like it helps my lateral skating a lot, just playing roller, my shiftiness too, and my hands, I feel like I credit my hands a lot to roller.”

    Cali, who Canada’s U18 men’s ice hockey coach Drew Bannister called a power forward who is heavy on his stick, will be heading to Providence in the fall and plans to study psychology — he wants to understand the brain and how people work. Maybe it helps on the ice too?

    “He’s a bull in a china shop,” said Friars coach Nate Leaman. “I think he’s got that potential. He’s got this big frame … but I think he’s got a lot of potential that’s untapped. I think he’s got a really good release, he’s got a good IQ, he gets to the net. … And I think Ryder does a good job of always being around the net in the offensive zone for a big strong moose of a kid.”

    And the 200-foot center does not lack confidence, stating that “I think that’s a big part of my game is forechecking and stealing pucks and turning it into offense. I think I’m the guy you need to win, and I love winning.”

    The plan is to do a lot of that moving forward, while donning an NHL jersey.

    Jaxon Cover is a top NHL draft prospect after playing for the London Knights.Courtesy of London Knights

    Cover, a 6-foot-1, 183-pound creative winger, and Cali, a 6-1, 214-pound 200-foot center, are projected to go anywhere from late first round to the second round. As they await hearing their names called to become the NHL’s next generation, the two kids from the Cayman Islands are ready to inspire the generations coming behind them.

    “I’m just really honored, and just really humble about it,” Cover said. “Just trying to get better every day, and just make sure my game progresses. And it’s really cool; if you told me I’d be in this spot, maybe even two years ago I wouldn’t believe you.

    “I just dedicate a lot of my hard work to it, and just how much I love the game, and hopefully I can inspire some kids in unconventional places to play the game, and hopefully my story encourages kids like that.”

  • Sixers are all over — from top 10 to bottom half of the league — in way-too-early NBA power rankings roundup

    Sixers are all over — from top 10 to bottom half of the league — in way-too-early NBA power rankings roundup

    After a first-round series win over the Boston Celtics, the 76ers’ season ended with a sweep vs. the New York Knicks, which extended the team’s drought of conference finals appearances to 25 seasons.

    To help get over their second-round hump, the Sixers, who finished the 2025-26 season with a 45-37 record, hired former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey as their new president of basketball operations. However, the team also has limited salary cap flexibility with three max contracts.

    Ahead of the 2026-27 season, here’s where the Sixers rank in some way-too-early NBA power rankings …

    The Athletic: No. 8

    The Athletic placed teams within five different tiers. Tier 1: top contenders, Tier 2: in a good place, Tier 3: the bubble, Tier 4: not the tier to fear, and Tier 5: basement floor. The Sixers round out Tier 2, checking in at No. 8 behind the Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 7) and the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 6).

    “The 76ers were the lone Eastern Conference playoff team that was outscored during the season,” Law Murray wrote. “And they looked like light work for the Celtics through four games of the quarterfinals. But All-NBA point guard Tyrese Maxey, All-Rookie shooting guard VJ Edgecombe, veteran small forward Paul George and former MVP center Joel Embiid put together a great week and overcame a 3-1 deficit.”

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    Murray added that “Gansey needs to figure out what to do about free agents Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Quentin Grimes while seeking to upgrade the power forward position.”

    The New York Knicks (No. 1), San Antonio Spurs (No. 2), and Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 3) top The Athletic’s list.

    Guard Quentin Grimes is among the Sixers’ free agents.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    ESPN: No. 12

    ESPN has the Sixers ranked at No. 12, two spots above their previous ranking. They rank just below the No. 11 Indiana Pacers and the No. 10 Houston Rockets and ahead of the No. 13 Atlanta Hawks.

    “With three max contracts on the books, the 76ers only have so much flexibility and will all but certainly be into the luxury tax if they just retain Kelly Oubre and Quentin Grimes, both unrestricted free agents this summer,” Tim Bontemps wrote.

    Topping ESPN’s list are the Thunder (No. 1), the Spurs (No. 2), and the Knicks (No. 3).

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    Sporting News: No. 12

    Sporting News also has the Sixers 12th, below the Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 11) and the Houston Rockets (No. 10), and (again) just ahead of the Hawks.

    “It’s impossible to predict what will happen with the Sixers because of the constant drama surrounding the team and the murky health status of Joel Embiid,” Stephen Noh wrote. “He had moments where he looked like his old self on offense, but it’s unreasonable to pencil him in for any more than half of the regular season games.

    “Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and VJ Edgecombe are capable of picking up the slack when Embiid is missing. … The Sixers will be a solid team in the East, but they need depth.”

    The familiar trio of the Knicks (No. 1), the Spurs (No. 2), and the Thunder (No. 3) top Sporting News’ rankings.

    Joel Embiid (left) and Tyrese Maxey are on max contracts.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    FanSided: No. 18

    FanSided had the Sixers ranked at No. 13 in its pre-playoffs ranking. After another second-round exit, they fell to the No. 18 ranking and into the outlet’s fifth tier: “teams that won’t tank but deep down might want to.”

    Joining them in Tier 5 are the Charlotte Hornets (No. 16), the Indiana Pacers (No. 17), the Phoenix Suns (No. 19) and the Utah Jazz (No. 20).

    “The 76ers financial situation is such a calamity, I can’t even detail it here” Oliver Fox wrote. “This team has to start thinking draft-first with building around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe; it’s not The Process, but they need fresh talent.”

    FanSided also has the Thunder (No. 1), Knicks (No. 2), and Spurs (No. 3) listed in its top tier.

    Bleacher Report: No. 18

    Bleacher Report placed the Sixers at No. 18, below the Los Angeles Clippers (No. 17) and the Toronto Raptors (No. 16) and ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers (No. 19).

    “And though Embiid still has moments when he looks like the kind of player who can contend for MVPs and be the No. 1 option on a contender, his health remains one of the biggest question marks in the league,” Andy Bailey wrote.

    “There may not be any teams willing to assume that question from Philadelphia, but the 76ers have to seriously consider moving Embiid and moving into an era solidly built around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.”

    The Knicks top the list, followed by the Spurs (No. 2) and the Thunder (No. 3).

  • Shane Victorino and Larry Bowa to manage in Futures Game during All-Star week

    Shane Victorino and Larry Bowa to manage in Futures Game during All-Star week

    Shane Victorino and Larry Bowa will serve as managers for the 2026 All-Star Futures Game, Major League Baseball announced Wednesday.

    The Futures Game showcases baseball’s top minor league prospects in a seven-inning game. Victorino will be at the helm of the National League team, while Bowa will manage the American League prospects. The Futures Game will be held on July 12 at Citizens Bank Park as part of the All-Star week festivities.

    ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Larry Bowa on Philly’s 1976 All-Star Game, a Trea Turner rebound, and more

    Victorino and Bowa won the World Series with the Phillies during their playing careers. Victorino was a key member of the championship core in 2008, while Bowa was the starting shortstop when the franchise captured its first title in 1980. Following his 16-season playing career, Bowa transitioned to coaching and won Manager of the Year in 2001 with the Phillies. He serves as a senior advisor to baseball operations with the team.

    Last year, the Phillies were represented by catcher Eduardo Tait, who was later dealt to the Twins as part of a trade package for Jhoan Duran. Andrew Painter was also included on the National League roster but did not make an appearance.

  • Union part ways with longtime defender Olivier Mbaizo

    Union part ways with longtime defender Olivier Mbaizo

    The Union waived defender Olivier Mbaizo on Wednesday morning, marking the club’s first publicly announced roster move since it fired former manager Bradley Carnell and removed the interim tag from sporting director Jon Scheer in May.

    Mbaizo, 28, spent nine seasons with the Union but made just one appearance in the first 15 games of the 2026 MLS season. Mbaizo was signed to the team through the end of this season and was set to be paid $502,875 in guaranteed compensation, according to the MLS Players Association’s salary guide.

    The defender was part of Cameroon’s national team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but Mbaizo did not make it onto the pitch before Cameroon exited the tournament in the group stage.

    He signed with the Union from Cameroonian side Rainbow FC Bamenda in 2018. He split time between the Union and Bethlehem Steel, the Union’s former developmental team, before becoming a part of the Union’s main rotation in 2020.

    Mbaizo made 122 MLS appearances with the Union, including 96 starts. His role with the team peaked in 2021, when he appeared in 30 league matches, made 28 starts, and logged more than 2,400 minutes on the pitch.

    “We want to thank Olivier for his time spent with the club,” Scheer said in the team’s release. “We are grateful for his dedication, professionalism, and impact on the organization and wish him all the best going forward.”

    Olivier Mbaizo (left) played in 122 games over his nine seasons with the Union. Philadelphia Union

    Mbaizo’s role with the team dwindled when Carnell took over for Jim Curtin as manager in 2025. Mbaizo appeared in nine matches in the Union’s run to the Supporters’ Shield in 2025 and appeared twice for the Union in the first half of 2026.

    He made a start at right back in the team’s 7-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago’s Defence Force FC in the opening round of the Concacaf Champions Cup and entered as a substitute in the Union’s 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution.

    As Union brass hinted after Carnell’s dismissal in May, more roster moves are likely for the team, which sits at the bottom of MLS after winning one game in its first 15 league matches.

    The league currently is on a break for the FIFA World Cup but will resume on July 16. The Union’s first match after the break will be against the New York Red Bulls on July 22 at Subaru Park (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

  • WNBA to expand to 50-game schedule for next season

    NEW YORK — The WNBA is expanding its schedule to 50 games per team next season — the most in the league’s 30-year history.

    The new collective bargaining agreement that was ratified earlier this year allows the league to play up to 50 games for the next two seasons. There can be up to 52 regular-season games in 2029 and for the rest of the CBA.

    “Demand for the WNBA has never been greater, and expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, a Collingswood native, said in a statement.

    “This move reflects our commitment to growing the game and creating more opportunities for fans to watch the best players in the world and experience the extraordinary talent and competition that define the WNBA.”

    Ex-Villanova star Lucy Olsen continues her growth with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics

    The league is playing 44 games again this season. Over the next few seasons, the WNBA is adding three new teams through expansion. Cleveland is joining in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. Connecticut is moving to Houston next year.

    When the league first started in 1997, teams only played 28 games. That’s grown over the past three decades with the exception of 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Engelbert has said she’d love to play games overseas starting next season. The league expanded its footprint to Canada this year with the addition of the Toronto Tempo — the first WNBA franchise outside of the United States.

    The WNBA has added a lot of new TV and streaming partners over the past few years including ION, USA Sports, NBC, and Amazon to go along with ESPN and CBS.

  • Maybe Jalen Brunson should wear his Jalen Hurts jersey in the Knicks’ parade. They’ve traveled the same road

    Maybe Jalen Brunson should wear his Jalen Hurts jersey in the Knicks’ parade. They’ve traveled the same road

    At 10 a.m. Thursday, Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson will ride up Broadway through Manhattan’s “Canyon of Heroes,” showered with the same sort of ticker tape that fell upon Teddy Roosevelt, John Glenn, and Queen Elizabeth II.

    If Brunson has any sense of loyalty, he’ll wear his Jalen Hurts jersey. He’s done it before.

    Why not? After all, Brunson and Hurts are essentially the same guy. Soft-spoken leaders. Tireless workers. Kind-hearted humans.

    Would Daryl Morey still be here if the Sixers had slowed the Knicks’ runaway train? At least one NBA source thinks so.

    And, after the Knicks’ five-game series win over the Spurs in the NBA Finals on Saturday, they are both unlikely champions.

    On Jan. 18, 2023, three nights before the Eagles hosted the Giants in a wild-card playoff game, Brunson entered Madison Square Garden wearing a midnight green Eagles jersey with the No. “1″ on the front.

    It read, “Hurts” on the back.

    The athlete whose mirror image Brunson has become.

    As they left college and began their pro careers, experts measured everything about them — everything, that is, except grit, determination, work ethic, and heart. That didn’t seem to matter.

    What mattered was that Brunson was too short, too slow, didn’t shoot well enough, couldn’t defend. What mattered was that Hurts was too short, his arm was too weak, he couldn’t run a prostyle offense, he’d never won the Big Game.

    Sure, they won as amateurs. But on the pro stage? Bah. These guys weren’t going to win anything.

    Now, they can compare rings.

    Roots

    Brunson went to high school about an hour north of Chicago, but he spent his preteen years in South Jersey. Naturally, he developed a passion for the Eagles.

    When he wore the Hurts jersey to MSG three years ago he was trolling the New York fans as much as he was supporting the Birds. Brunson, a social media virtuoso with a mischievous personality, delights in this sort of subtle jousting.

    Brunson also is an unlikely NBA success story, in the manner and mold of Hurts.

    Both were viewed as athletes who likely had reached their peak in college. Neither was considered a viable option to lead a team to a title.

    Jalen Brunson said that Jalen Hurts (1) motivated him after beating the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX: “He just wants to win. So I commend him for that.”Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Who could know that, 3½ weeks after Brunson wore his jersey, Hurts would fall just three points short of winning Super Bowl LVII? Who could know that, two years later, Hurts would win Super Bowl LIX and the game’s Most Valuable Player award?

    Did that inspire Brunson?

    “Absolutely,” he told the New York Post after the Eagles beat the Chiefs for the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LIX. “Obviously, all the criticism about Jalen Hurts and him not being a champ. And he’s said the whole time that he doesn’t care about anything individual. He just wants to win. So I commend him for that.”

    Who could know that, 3½ years after Brunson wore Hurts’ jersey, that Brunson would lead the Knicks to their first NBA championship in 53 years? Who could know that he would score 45 points in a Finals closeout game, tied with Michael Jordan for third-most all time?

    Nobody. That’s who. That’s why their parallel ascent to the top of their games thrills and warms your heart.

    Don’t get it twisted: A.J. Brown, like Carson Wentz, betrayed Philadelphia and his Eagles teammates

    Winner, Part 1

    Brunson was a two-time NCAA Tournament champion at Villanova who, as a junior, swept player of the year awards in 2018, after which he declared for the draft. Mistake? He wasn’t drafted until the second round, the 33rd overall pick, by the Mavericks, who, in 2022, let him escape to the Knicks via free agency. (Don’t give the Knicks a pass: In 2018, they drafted Kentucky bust Kevin Knox 24 slots ahead of Brunson).

    The 2018 draft was remarkably fruitful. It produced two-time reigning NBA MVP Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, who also won an NBA title last year. It produced six-time All-Star and two-time scoring champion Luka Dončić, for whom the Mavericks traded Trae Young and a first-round pick on draft night (then, insanely, traded again, to the Lakers, last year).

    Luka went third in the draft. SGA went 11th.

    However, eight years later, Brunson carries the greatest value of anyone in that draft. For that matter, Brunson is the greatest 33rd pick in league history.

    Hurts might be the best 53rd pick in NFL history.

    Jalen Hurts poses with the MVP and Lombardi trophies the day after winning Super Bowl LIX in 2025.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    Winner, Part 2

    Like Brunson, Hurts wins like he breathes.

    He helped win a national title at Alabama as a sophomore starter but lost his starting job. After a final season with the Crimson Tide and early graduation, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to the four-team College Football Playoff and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting. Still, like Brunson, Hurts didn’t fit the NFL quarterback mold and fell to the Eagles in the second round, a team that announced they considered him a long-term solution as Carson Wentz’s backup. By the end of his rookie season, Hurts had stolen Wentz’s job.

    Hurts might not be the best second-round player in NFL in history, considering Brett Favre and Larry Allen were second-rounders. In this moment, he might not be the best 53rd overall pick; wideout Davante Adams went 53rd in 2014.

    A ‘proud’ Jay Wright revels in the success of his former Villanova pupils with the ’Nova Knicks

    But Hurts is, inarguably, the best value in the 2020 draft. That included Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, CeeDee Lamb, and Justin Jefferson.

    Those guys have two things in common:

    They all were drafted at least 31 picks ahead of Hurts.

    And none of those guys have rings.

    Winner, Part 3

    Brunson articulated the core trait that drives both of the Jalens when he said Hurts “just wants to win.”

    Indeed, Hurts’ most consistent motto, often recited after ugly wins in which the Eagles’ passing game sputters, is: “Keep the main thing the main thing.”

    This is how badly Brunson wants to win:

    He left more than $100 million on the table when he signed a contract extension in 2024 instead of 2025, money that allowed the Knicks to pursue starters OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns, Brunson’s chief wingmen in the Finals against the Spurs.

    Brunson can recoup some of that money in his next deal, but he risked injury for two years on a lesser contract, all so he could win.

    Mission accomplished.

    Reality check

    No matter how deep his love for Philly’s football team, and no matter how strong his admiration for Hurts, there’s no chance that Brunson on Thursday will recognize the kinship with the man who shares his name. After all, Brunson’s Knicks and their fans swept the Sixers out of the playoffs and swept team president Daryl Morey out of his job.

    But no matter what Brunson wears Thursday morning as he rides down Broadway, he and Hurts will forever be linked as storybook athletes who bucked the measurables, ignored the analytics, and, in their quiet, determined way, put two big-shoulder cities on their own broad shoulders, quieted their critics, and walked away as ultimate winners.

  • Charlie Sifford is known as the Jackie Robinson of golf. Now, a scholarship in his honor helps students attend HBCUs.

    Charlie Sifford is known as the Jackie Robinson of golf. Now, a scholarship in his honor helps students attend HBCUs.

    Coming from a single-parent household, with another sibling already in college, 20-year-old Philadelphia native Tommi Crump knew she would need a lot of scholarships if she wanted to attend Delaware State.

    So, one day, her mother, Erika Wines, sent her a social media post about the Charlie Sifford Scholarship Fund. Crump applied for and received the $5,000 scholarship before her freshman year in 2024 and earned it again this year. The fund was created to honor Sifford, a trailblazing golfer who got his start at West Philadelphia’s Cobbs Creek Golf Course, and help fund college costs for students attending historically Black colleges and universities or for students focusing their education on a golf management program.

    “It truly made a great impact on me and helped me out a lot financially because attending an out-of-state HBCU is very expensive,” said Crump, who’s majoring in preveterinary medicine. “And my mom definitely doesn’t have the funds to provide $40,000 a year for me to attend school. So it really means a lot that someone is gracious enough to provide me with financial aid support.”

    Philly native Tommi Crump, a junior at Delaware State, is a 2026 Sifford Scholar.Sifford Scholars

    Sifford is known as the Jackie Robinson of golf and was the first Black person to play and win on the PGA Tour. His perseverance helped many other young golfers make their way onto the course, including his protégé, Tiger Woods.

    Now, his legacy lives on through the Sifford Scholarship Fund.

    “He faced a lot of obstacles that could have discouraged a lot of people,” said Houston native Lourraine De Luna, another 2026 Sifford Scholar. “But he continued forward, changing the landscape of his sport. I’m also an athlete, so his story reminds me of true leadership that isn’t just about personal success. It’s about creating opportunities for those who come after me. It’s the kind of legacy I hope to leave as well.”

    How Golfing pioneer Sifford got his start at Philly’s Cobbs Creek

    As a sophomore soccer player at Lincoln University, De Luna, 19, is a first-year recipient of the award. Before applying for the scholarship, she already knew of Sifford’s legacy from her father, Alfred Quarles, a huge fan of the golfer. De Luna also is interested in golf and has volunteered at her aunt’s golf tournament, the DMP Servant’s Heart Charity Golf Classic, in Houston.

    “Receiving this scholarship is an incredible honor because it connects me to a legacy bigger than myself,” De Luna said. “His impact continues to grow and inspire people every day, and I’m grateful to be carrying his legacy forward.”

    Lincoln soccer player Lourraine De Luna also is a 2026 Sifford Scholar.Sifford Scholars

    De Luna and Crump are two of 12 scholarship recipients.

    The Sifford Scholarship Fund was founded in 2022, during Sifford’s centennial year. Sifford, a Charlotte, N.C., native who moved to Philly as a teenager and lived there for nearly two decades, died in 2015 at age 92.

    Each tournament did something to celebrate Sifford’s centennial year. But organizers of the Hartford Open, now known as the Travelers Championship, wanted to do something more to honor his legacy. Sifford’s first PGA Tour win came at the 1967 Hartford Open.

    “They were the catalyst for starting the scholarship fund and they are the inaugural donor,” said Russell Crockett Jr., the managing partner of Just Let Me Play LLC, which manages Sifford’s estate. “They had a golf tournament on the golf course Charlie won the tournament on as a fundraiser for our scholarship fund. But, one of the criteria as part of a scholarship is that we had to have an already established foundation in order to manage the funds.”

    Golf pioneer Charlie Sifford, former Philly resident, dies at 92 | from 2015

    That’s where the Cobbs Creek Foundation comes in. The foundation is a nonprofit focused on restoring the Cobbs Creek Golf Course, which is known as the “great uniter,” welcoming everyone to enjoy the game of golf, including Sifford, who called it his “home course.” In addition to its driving range, learning facility and nine-hole short course, the complex recently opened the Little Horse Tavern, named in honor of Sifford.

    “This is where [my father] got his first start after experiencing what it was like to be a Black golfer in the segregated South,” Charles Sifford Jr. said at a Cobbs Creek event in April. “He began to see what might be possible. Even when opportunities were limited because of his skin color.

    “Cobbs Creek is more than a golf course. It’s a place of community, a place to play and compete, and a place to belong. I love the fact that not only is the golf course being restored to its original routing. It brought back its original purpose — a place where all Philadelphians can come and enjoy.”

    That connection made backing a scholarship to benefit HBCU students a no-brainer.

    “It was a natural thing for us,” said Enrique Hervada, the chief operating officer of the Cobbs Creek Foundation. “We met Russ Crockett and Charles Sifford Jr., and they were looking for some help to get the foundation started. So we became their fiduciary for them.

    “We try to support them however we can. It’s very rewarding for us at the foundation, the Cobbs Creek Foundation to see real things come out of the work we’ve done. We’re helping a lot of kids here as well, but as far as the Sifford scholarship, we’re thrilled to be a part of it. We think it’s a great mission and something we certainly believe in and are happy to help with.”