SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco Giants star Joc Pederson is scared to fly. Outfielder Seth Brown of the Oakland Athletics, too. They are hardly the only ones. Longtime manager Dusty Baker would bet that anxiety in the air has shortened more than a few careers. He recalls watching terrified teammates and coaches cling tightly … Read more
Nick Marsman, the Inter Miami goalkeeper who questioned Lionel Messi’s transfer, has had his contract terminated by the Major League Soccer club. Marsman, who joined the club from Dutch side Feyenoord in 2021, voiced doubts about Miami’s infrastructure ahead of the World Cup winner’s official unveiling in July. “I personally think that this club is … Read more
Simone Biles returned to gymnastics for the first time since suffering from “twisties” at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021; it was the perfect comeback for the 26-year-old as she dominated the women’s all-round competition at the US Classic in Chicago on Saturday Last Updated: 06/08/23 9:31am Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video … Read more
By the numbers, this Women’s World Cup has been every bit as dramatic as headlines about Morocco’s triumphs and Brazil’s heartbreak would have you believe — and then some. In the 48 contests of the now-concluded group stage, nine underdogs on betting lines won outright, and another 10 fought favorites to draws. And many of … Read more
Randy Waldrum was perhaps the only person in the room who was not surprised by what had just happened. As tens of thousands of shell-shocked Matildas fans filtered out of Lang Park in Brisbane, the Nigerian head coach walked casually into the post-game media conference, looked around at the wide-eyed journalists clamouring for answers, and took a … Read more
U.S. women’s national team captain Lindsey Horan said Carli Lloyd’s comments following the 0-0 draw with Portugal were “kind of frustrating for me to hear, especially knowing this team and how much we put into every single game” during a news conference at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Thursday. Here’s what you need … Read more
Vlatko Andonovski says it is “insane” to question the mentality of the USWNT after Carli Lloyd criticised the players’ reaction following a 0-0 draw with Portugal. The U.S. qualified for the last 16 but failed to win its group for just the second time in Women’s World Cup history after Tuesday’s stalemate. It avoided a … Read more
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — France star Wendie Renard was injured in her first appearance of this Women’s World Cup and her status is now in question for an important match against Brazil. Renard was injured during France’s underwhelming 0-0 draw against Jamaica, and although she played the entire 90 minutes in the opener, she … Read more
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona’s preseason game against Juventus in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday was called off after Barcelona players fell ill. Barcelona have issued a statement hours before the friendly schedule which will be played at Levi’s Stadium. The club said a ‘significant part of the (Barcelona) squad has viral gastroenteritis’. Swiss striker … Read more
Welcome to the 36th Media Mailbag for The Athletic. Writing a mailbag — as egocentric as it is — is always a fun exercise. Thanks for sending in your questions via the website and app. There were more than 200 questions, so this is a two-parter. Part 1 appeared last week. Note: Questions have been … Read more