19+ hour, 30+ min ago (449+ words) I generally try not to complain about the NBA too often because it is a beautiful league and I am fortunate to be able to cover it in the capacity that I do. However, one quibble I do have with it is how we vote on the Most Improved Player Award. To me, this honor should be reserved for the player who takes a leap that is unexpected, not one who is simply following their natural development curve. Right now, the three guys on FanDuel with the highest odds to win the award are Jalen Duren (+170), Josh Giddey (+460), and Deni Avdija (+550). All those guys are having great seasons, but how much of it was truly unexpected? If you examine their numbers from the second half of last year, this jump was somewhat predictable. If one of them does end up…...

13+ hour, 7+ min ago (725+ words) Chelsea's Hannah Hampton has been voted the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year for 2025. She is the sixth British winner of the accolade since its inauguration in 2015. The Player of the Match in the UEFA Women's Euro final, Hampton finished ahead in the voting of four other women who also took part in the game - England team-mate Alessia Russo as well as Spain's Aitana Bonmat, Mariona Caldentey and Patri Guijarro. The five-player shortlist was selected by "an expert panel made up of current and former professionals, coaches and journalists." The winner of the BBC World Service award was announced on the BBC's Newsday this morning. Hampton was presented with the award by her club coach Sonia Bompastor, and the BBC's Maz Farookhi in a surprise ceremony at the Chelsea training ground in Cobham. The 25-year-old goalkeeper, currently sidelined with a…...

1+ hour, 41+ min ago (361+ words) FC Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is expected to make bold changes to his starting line up when the Catalans take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League on Tuesday. Thanks to its eternal rival drawing 2-2 at Elche, Barca managed to cut the deficit to just one point at the La Liga summit, and badly need to make up ground in the Champions League league phase where Flick's men languish outside the spots which guarantee automatic qualification for the knockout phase without the need to contest a playoff. Despite the rousing win before 45,000 Culers in the half-finished, part-renovated cathedral of European soccer, Flick will tinker with his line up to take on the Club World Cup winner on its London patch. Once more, Joan Garcia starts in goal after making a successful return from injury and keeping a…...

1+ hour, 37+ min ago (364+ words) For those who have wondered what the next era of Inter Miami looks like, when Lionel Messi returns on a three-year contract extension, but veteran teammatezs Jordi Alba, Segio Busquets and potentially Luis Suarez move on to retirement, the last two weeks may have provided a frightening preview for MLS foes. The Herons" 50% and 51% possession numbers in those games were two of their five lowest figures against MLS opposition all season long. Meanwhile, Messi"s 2.1 expected primary assists were also the most he has registered in any MLS regular season or playoff match since his arrival in 2023. After spending much of this first season trying to get MLS to bend to the ball-dominant preferences of the core group of Messi and his former FC Barcelona veteran teammates, these trends suggest Messi"s future Miami sides will bear more resemblance to…...

12+ hour, 30+ min ago (483+ words) The United States defeated Uruguay to end the South American team's six-game unbeaten streak and leave Marcelo Bielsa with more questions than answers as his side prepares for the FIFA 2026 World Cup This was a statement result for the U.S men's national team, but a big blow for Uruguay. Not many would have predicted an outcome like this, but now the two-time World Cup winner has to wait until the March international window to rectify such a heavy defeat. The managers of these two international teams are great friends from Argentina. Marcelo Bielsa is the Uruguay coach, and a man that looks up to him as a mentor; Mauricio Pochettino is in charge of the U.S. "Poch' was crying out for a big win like this one, even if it had to come against his countryman. The USMNT's last statement international…...

18+ hour, 24+ min ago (1182+ words) Arsenal's signing of Eberechi Eze in August felt like a statement of intent and not just because they acquired one of the Premier League's most exciting players for "67.5m ($90.6m). Eze had been on the verge of agreeing a switch from Crystal Palace to Tottenham Hotspur just days earlier, until the Gunners nabbed him from under their rivals' nose and convinced him to return to the club he left aged 13. While Arsenal celebrated Eze's arrival with a mural outside the Emirates Stadium bearing the caption "All roads lead home, Tottenham were left smarting. On Friday, in his press conference ahead of the north London derby, Spurs manager Thomas Frank was asked whether he regretted missing out on signing the England international in the summer. "Who's Eze?, came the reply. There was no malice attached to Frank's comments and his tongue was firmly…...

14+ hour, 36+ min ago (430+ words) Colombia won two international friendly games on U.S. soil last week. The South American side defeated Australia and New Zealand, continuing a fine run of results ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup. Colombia defeated Australia 3-0 in New York on Tuesday night to make it nine matches on the bounce without defeat. In March of this year Vin'cius Junior scored a 99th-minute winner for Brazil against Colombia in FIFA World Cup qualifying. However, since then "Los Cafeteros" have enjoyed an unbeaten streak. In the Colombia win over the Socceroos, three crucial players got on the scoresheet in the last 15 minutes of the action. James Rodr'guez converted a penalty in the 76th minute, Luis D'az added a second after 89 minutes and FA Cup winner Jefferson Lerma scored the third and final goal in stoppage time. Days earlier Colombia defeated New Zealand 2-1 at the home…...

14+ hour, 22+ min ago (814+ words) On most occasions, the blame for faltering title defences lies squarely at the players' door. Let's not get things twisted, the manager is nearly always the person who pays the price. However, whether it was Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in 2015 or Claudio Ranieri with Leicester City a year later, pointing the finger at a coach alone is to almost always overlook the faltering determination and desire levels that emerge in the previous season's champions after the trophy celebrations die down. Unlike other less competitive divisions, the Premier League offers no room for complacency. A weak start or midseason collapse will be punished and harshly so. It is a cold, hard truth being learned right now by Liverpool, whose sudden and unexpected demise has put them well off the pace. The loss of form is so dramatic that Nottingham Forest, a club…...