football

Tutu Atwell played quarterback. He played receiver, and he also played on defense.

Years before diminutive and speedy Atwell matured into an NFL prospect, the Rams receiver played flag football.

Could anybody stop him?

“Nah, nah,” Atwell said, chuckling.

So Atwell, a 2021 second-round draft pick who will earn $10 million this season, said he would be cool and fun if he got the opportunity in a few years to try out for the 2028 U.S. Olympic flag football team.

Atwell echoed the feelings of Minnesota Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson and other players in the league since NFL owners last week approved a resolution that would allow them to try out for flag football. The resolution limits only one player per NFL team to play for each national team in the Los Angeles Games.

NFL players would compete for spots with others already playing flag football.

“It’s great,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “If that’s something that players say they want to be able to do, then I think it’s a really cool experience for them to be able to be a part of while also acknowledging that, man, there are some other guys that have been doing it.

“I’m not going to pretend to understand the nuances tactically and what that game entails, but I think it’s good. I think it’s great.”

Current flag football players might feel otherwise about an influx of NFL talent.

“This is a sport that we’ve played for a long time, and we feel like we are the best at it and we don’t need other guys,” Darrell Doucette III, the quarterback for U.S. men’s teams that have won five consecutive world championships, recently told the Washington Post. “But we all have one goal in mind, and that’s to represent our country.

“We’re definitely open to all competition. If those guys come in and ball out and they’re better than us, hats off to them. Go win that gold medal for our country.”

Details regarding NFL players’ participation in the Olympics still must be worked out by the NFL, the NFL Players Assn., the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and national governing bodies.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, one of the top passers in NFL history, grinned broadly when asked about playing flag football in the Olympics. Stafford would be 40.

“Sure,” he said, laughing. “I mean, nobody’s going to want me to, but yeah, sure. It’d be fun. I’ll coach.”

Etc.

The Rams signed offensive lineman David Quessenberry to a one-year contract, the team announced Thursday. Quessenberry appeared in 84 games with the Houston Texas (2017), Tennessee Titans (2018-21), Buffalo Bills (2022) and Minnesota Vikings (2023-24). The Encinitas, Calif., native was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma after being drafted in 2014 but underwent his last cancer treatment in 2017. He was the 2017 recipient of the George Halas Award, given by the Pro Football Writers of America to an NFL player, coach or staff member who succeeds in the face of adversity.

What: UEFA Champions League final
When: Saturday, May 31, 9pm (19:00 GMT)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Who: Paris Saint-Germain (France) vs Inter Milan (Italy)

How to follow our coverage: We’ll have all the build-up from 5pm (15:00 GMT) on Al Jazeera Sport.

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season concludes at the dazzling Allianz Arena in Munich as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) meet three-time champions Inter Milan in the final of Europe’s premier club competition.

PSG will be appearing in just their second Champions League final, having lost their first to German side Bayern Munich in 2020.

For PSG manager, Luis Enrique, it is just the latest chapter in his record of climbing to new highs – first from release by Real Madrid, as a youngster, and then by winning the 2015 title treble at Barcelona as a coach, the club where he also made his name as a player.

Road to the final

PSG, backed by owners Qatar Sports Investments, booked their place in the Champions League final earlier in May. The Paris-based side beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Parc des Princes, winning their semifinal tie with a 3-1 aggregate scoreline.

Inter Milan beat Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate, with the second leg in Italy going to extra time despite the Spanish club leading in injury time in normal time.

How did PSG and Inter fare in their league seasons?

Inter Milan finished second in Serie A in a dramatic final round showdown with Napoli, who began the final day with a one point advantage.

Once Napoli won their final game against Cagliari to seal the league title, Inter’s title charge was over, despite a hard-fought 2-0 win against Como.

PSG were dominant in the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season, wrapping up the domestic title by an incredible 19 points – and that was despite slacking off towards the end of the season with three straight winless matches to end their campaign.

Their last outing, however, was the French Cup final, which resulted in a 3-0 win against Reims last Saturday.

Which French forward will prevail?

PSG’s gifted French forward, Ousmane Dembele, overcame a slow start to the season to reel off one of the greatest offensive performances in Europe this season.

In 50 appearances this season, the 27-year-old Dembele scored 32 goals – and he was huge part of an incredible 30-match unbeaten league run by PSG.

Inter Milan’s French international Marcus Thuram has netted 18 goals in 52 appearances this season.

Son of Lilian Thuram, a legendary French World Cup winner, Marcus was born in Italy, where his father was representing Parma at the time.

The 27-year-old has scored twice for France in 29 appearances for his country, and has proved a fine foil for Inter’s top scorer this season, Lautaro Martinez.

Where will the final be played

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League final will take place at the Munich Football Arena.

The 75,000 seat venue, better known as Allianz Arena, is the home of current German Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich.

It’s the first time a German venue has held the Champions League final since 2012.

Have PSG ever played Inter?

This will be the first time that Inter and PSG meet in a competitive fixture.

The teams last played in a preseason friendly on August 1, 2023 at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. Inter won the contest 2-1 with Stefano Sensi scoring the game-winner in the 83rd minute.

Why did star player Hakimi leave Inter for PSG?

Current PSG defender Achraf Hakimi last played for Inter Milan in the 2020-21 season.

The Spanish-born speedy right-back, widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, was a casualty of Inter’s huge cost-cutting drive caused, in large part, by the financial debts attributed to the COVID-19 shutdown period.

Hakimi appeared in 37 matches for the Italian giants, scoring seven goals and racking up eight assists as Inter won their first domestic league title since 2010.

Team News: PSG

Out: None
Doubtful: None

Enrique has a fully fit squad to choose from, no doubt boosted by the fact that PSG wrapped up the French top flight with six games to spare – thereafter managing the players’ workloads in the run-up to the final.

Team News: Inter Milan

Out: None
Doubtful: Bisseck (knee), Pavard (ankle), Zielinski (muscular)

Inter pushed champions Napoli to the wire in Serie A – which concluded last Friday – so will inevitably feel heavier in the legs.

Inter fullback Benjamin Pavard and striker Lautaro Martinez are both expected to be fully fit, with the latter having returned to the bench in recent matches.

“My wish is to have everyone available on Saturday evening,” Inzaghi said. “We’re going to approach the final in the best possible way.”

Possible lineups:

PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Barcola

Inter Milan: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Thuram

Form guide

PSG (all competitions, most recent first):

W-W-W-W-L

Inter Milan (all competitions, most recent first):

W-D-W-W-W

What the managers had to say

Luis Enrique, PSG manager: “It’s Inter Milan’s second final in three years. They’re ready. They’ve not made too many changes to their side. It’s a team that dominates from set pieces. It’s up to us to go into the final in the right frame of mind.

“We’ve grown a lot this season and the players have progressed a lot. I think the strength of the team is the most important thing. You learn something every day after many years of experience as a coach, and I’m improving all the time with this group.”

Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan manager: “The players did something extraordinary. We played four amazing games against two world-class teams like Bayern and Barcelona. It was great to celebrate this achievement [reaching the final] here with our fans.”

What is the prize money

• Winner: €20m ($22.5m)
• Runners-up: €15.5m ($17.5m)

When Luis Enrique leads his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) team out to play Inter Milan in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final, the coach will be seeking to win the European continent’s top prize for the first time for the French side and reverse years of fan frustration at the Parc des Princes.

This is the club which, until recently, boasted superstar players the caliber of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr, but failed to win any European silverware since the third-tier UEFA Intertoto Cup way back in 2001.

Since his arrival in 2023, Enrique has changed PSG radically, overseeing the high-profile exits of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, and transitioning from a team of ageing galacticos into one of the most exciting attacking sides in Europe.

Whether Enrique’s method is the best may ultimately be judged by what happens in the Champions League final in Munich.

Enrique the player

Away from events on the pitch, who is the real Luis Enrique who has presided over this radical transformation at PSG?

The 55-year-old began his football career in 1988, playing in the midfield for his local side, Sporting Gijon, a team in the Spanish Segunda Division.

In 1991 he was signed by mega club Real Madrid where he helped Los Blancos win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Super Cup. On an individual level, Enrique did not perform up to expectations, which was mostly attributed to playing out of position on the wing and in more defensive roles.

Bitter rivals FC Barcelona snapped up an out-of-form Enrique in 1996, where he reverted to his favoured central midfield role.  It paid dividends for the Catalan giants and Enrique went on to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup trophies with Barca.

After retiring as a player in 2004, he went into management, reportedly at the invitation of current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Enrique started his coaching career at FC Barcelona “B”,  before moving to AS Roma in Italy’s Serie A for the 2011-2012 season. The Spaniard was sacked at the end of the season, with a year still remaining on his contract, after Roma finished a disappointing seventh in the premier domestic competition.

Managing expectations

His next move was to Spanish La Liga side Celta Vigo – but he also departed from that club after just one year. It was then that Enrique received his career-altering managerial opportunity, returning to Barcelona as manager of the first team.

His four-year reign at the Nou Camp was crowned by Barca’s victory in the Champions League final in 2015 against Juventus, with the “Big-3” of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar leading the attacking line, completing a rare treble for the club: Spanish League (La Liga), Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey) and European (Champions League) titles.

If PSG win the Champions League final on Saturday, Enrique will make history be becoming the only man to ever achieve a treble on two occasions.

When Enrique was named team coach of Spain in 2018, he entered a new world of international football.

Before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Spain was fancied as possible winners. However, after a crushing round of 16 loss to underdogs Morocco, Enrique announced his resignation from the national side.

Incessant media speculation linked Enrique’s next managerial job with a move to England’s Premier League.

He was interviewed by Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea – but it was PSG, to the surprise of many, who secured his signature.

Perhaps it was the unique challenge of winning the Champions League with one of only two European super clubs never to have achieved the milestone – Arsenal being the other – which made him head to Paris.

Or perhaps it was a desire to show off his vision of attacking football by rebuilding a club his way.

Take me to Paris

A recent three-part documentary, produced by Zoom Sport Films, provided an intimate portrait of the coach who allowed the cameras into his private life for the first time, despite Enrique’s well-known animosity towards the media.

No Teneis Ni P*** Idea (You Don’t Have Any F****** Idea) reveals a driven man who is as passionate about football as his family – and keeping fit.

Viewers see Enrique arriving at PSG speaking only a few words of French. Nevertheless, he imposes his character on the club from the start.

Known by his nickname, Lucho, Enrique brings a Spanish-speaking coaching staff with him and addresses the players in his own language, with the aid of a French translator.

As relations with his biggest star – Mbappe – appear to worsen, viewers are treated to Enrique giving the star player what former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson used to call the “hairdryer treatment”, or a huge telling off.

But, as this is France, Enrique calls it “C’est Catastrophique (It’s catastrophic)” on a big presentation screen to the striker. The Spaniard is referring to Mbappe’s apparent refusal to defend at all after PSG were beaten 2-3 at home by Barcelona in the quarterfinal of the Champions League in April last year.

Despite the manager-star player bust-up, PSG would move on to the semifinals, where they were ultimately beaten by Borussia Dortmund. A year on, Enrique’s post-match comments may turn out to be prophetic:

“Now it’s a sad moment but you have to accept sometimes sport is that way. We have to try to create something special next year and win it.”

Behind-the-scenes with Lucho

Curiously for a football manager, he spends much of his day studying his team on a series of computer screens.  This is interspersed with workouts. “You must move every half an hour,” he says.  In the documentary, Enrique is seen, in his plush Parisian house, regularly doing various strenuous exercises or cycling.

At the PSG training camp, he mixes team talks with plunges into his ice pool. It pays off, as the manager is fit. But when he walks around the pitch, it is always barefoot as he believes in “grounding” or getting back in touch with nature.

The documentary mixes moments from Enrique’s illustrious career, from the Real Madrid and Barca days, as well as the Spain role – the good and the bad. Not surprisingly, the lowest point is when Morocco upsets Spain and knocks the bookmaker’s favourite out of the World Cup.

Away from football, we also see a tender side to Lucho when the documentary touches on his close relationship with his youngest daughter, Xana, who died at the age of nine from osteosarcoma, a bone tumour, in 2019.

Enrique set up a foundation in her name with his wife, Elena Cullell, to try to help other families who are stricken by the same condition.

Graham Hunter, a producer on the documentary and a football journalist who is friends with Enrique, described his personality as “demanding and inspirational”.

“As a footballer, he was exceptional. A Spanish Roy Keane. His ability to play everywhere on the pitch slightly cut how good he was because managers used him all over the pitch. He was trophy-laden at Madrid and Barca,” he says.

“He did not want to be a coach originally. [He] Accepted an invitation from Pep [Guardiola] I think to coach Barca B. Although he clashed a little bit with Messi and Luis Suarez but that [2015] Champions League victory, it was unbelievable. They won the treble.”

Hunter believes Enrique changed the playing style of the Spain team during his managerial tenure, introducing young talent like Pedri.

“He built what has become a winning franchise and he carries a huge amount of credit to him,” he said.

Hunter says Enrique did not just go to PSG to win the Champions League.

“He went to PSG to imprint his brand of football and to convince the players, the fans that it was a brilliant, modern way to play football and to do that, you have to win the Champions League. For him, he is as interested in how people see his football as attacking and inspirational as winning trophies.”

Arne Slot thanked “the wider football community” for its support following the incident at Liverpool’s title parade as he was named manager of the year and Premier League manager of the year at the League Managers Association (LMA) awards.

About 50 people – including four children – were injured on Monday when a car rammed into crowds in central Liverpool.

Slot was honoured with the Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy at the annual LMA ceremony in London – which he did not attend.

After replacing Jurgen Klopp last summer, the 46-year-old only signed one player – forward Federico Chiesa – but still delivered Liverpool’s second Premier League title, winning the league by 10 points from Arsenal.

“I have had to withdraw from the event out of solidarity with all affected,” he said., external

“This is not a decision I have taken lightly but it is one that I feel is absolutely right given the seriousness of the situation.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the wider football community, including the LMA itself, the Premier League and many clubs for the support we have received over the last 24 hours.

Al-Hilal move for Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Manchester City join the race for Rayan Cherki and Leroy Sane could return to the Premier League.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have offered a deal for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, 30, and told the Portugal midfielder he has 72 hours to make a decision. (Mail, external)

Manchester City have joined the race to sign Lyon’s 21-year-old French midfielder Rayan Cherki, who has also been linked with Liverpool and Chelsea. (Telegraph – subscription required, external)

Everton have joined Leeds United in the race to sign 33-year-old Newcastle United and England striker Callum Wilson, who is out of contract next month. (The Sun, external)

Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign 29-year-old Bayern Munich and Germany winger Leroy Sane, who will become a free agent at the end of next month (Sky Sports, external)

Aston Villa look poised to sign Feyenoord’s 18-year-old Dutch striker Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer this summer. (Sky Sports, external)

Arsenal have held talks with Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres’ agent in Lisbon and made a £58.7m offer to sign the Sweden international. (Correio da Manha – in Portuguese, external)

Manchester United have agreed the framework of a deal for Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap and are now waiting for the English striker to decide on his next move. (ESPN, external)

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, is expected to leave Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and sign for a new club to play in the Club World Cup, which kicks off on 15 June in the United States. (Telegraph – subscription required, external)

Global football giants Barcelona have announced a new six-year deal with 17-year-old Spanish international Lamine Yamal.

Spanish teenage sensation Lamine Yamal has signed a new six-year deal with Barcelona, the Catalan football club have announced.

The 17-year-old was an integral part of Barcelona’s domestic treble-winning season and helped to guide Spain to the Euro 2024 title.

Barca won La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey this season, which dethroned Real Madrid in the league, while also defeating their fierce rivals in the finals of both the cup competitions.

Yamal, who came through the ranks of the club’s famed La Masia academy, has quickly become renowned for his dribbling, playmaking and goalscoring.

The Barca-born forward scored the decisive goal to clinch his side’s 28th Spanish league title in a 2-0 victory at crosstown rival Espanyol in mid-May.

In 2031, Lamine Yamal is only gonna be 23. 😳 pic.twitter.com/TPNgRloGaH

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 27, 2025

Barca, who are managed by former German national team coach Hansi Flick, also reached the semifinals of the Champions League, where they were eliminated after extra time by Inter Milan.

Yamal scored 18 goals in the past season, and his tally of 13 assists was a league best in the Spanish top flight.

The winger, who can play on either flank, played a significant role in Spain’s 2-1 win against England in the final of the European Championship last summer. He also scored in the 2-1 semifinal victory against France.

Barcelona handed Yamal, who turns 18 in July, his debut in April 2023, and he has already made 106 appearances for the team.

“In 2031, Lamine Yamal is only gonna be 23,” the club said in a post on social media platform X, in a statement regarding how far the player, who joined his hometown club at the age of seven, has come.

Judge Julieta Makintach was accused of participating in a documentary about the famed football player’s death.

One of the three judges presiding over a negligence trial related to the death of Argentinian football player Diego Maradona has resigned, leaving the case’s future uncertain.

On Tuesday, Judge Julieta Makintach announced she would recuse herself after reports emerged that she had participated in a documentary about Maradona’s death and its aftermath.

“This is a judicial tragedy,” said Fernando Burlando, a lawyer for Maradona’s eldest daughters, Dalma and Gianinna.

Judges are largely forbidden from taking part in interviews and other public commentary while proceedings are ongoing. Since March 11, Makintach has been part of a three-judge panel weighing the fate of seven healthcare workers who tended to Maradona during his final days.

The seven have been charged with negligent homicide following Maradona’s death by cardiac arrest in 2020 at age 60.

It is a high-profile case that has stirred a great deal of scrutiny in Argentina. Maradona is a national hero, having led the national football squad to a World Cup victory in 1986.

His performance in that year’s World Cup tournament has since become the stuff of sporting legend. Even a foul he committed during the quarterfinal has been dubbed the “Hand of God”, since it led to an Argentinian victory over England – a rival with whom the country had an ongoing territorial dispute.

In 2000, the football governing body, FIFA, named Maradona one of its two “Players of the Century”, alongside Brazil’s Pele.

But Maradona struggled with addiction, and he passed away shortly after undergoing brain surgery for a blood clot. The circumstances of his death, in turn, led to questions about whether the football player received adequate medical care in his final days.

The seven defendants include a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, nurses and other healthcare professionals who attended to him. They face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. An eighth person is expected to face court separately.

More than 190 witnesses are expected to testify against the seven main defendants. One coroner already told the court in March that Maradona’s death “was foreseeable” and that the football player likely died in “agony”.

But the trial was brought to a halt last week when one of the key defendants, Leopoldo Luque, called for Judge Makintach to be removed from the bench.

Luque was a neurosurgeon and a personal doctor to Maradona when he died. Luque’s lawyer, Julio Rivas, told the court that his client had been approached by the BBC, a British news company, to take part in the documentary.

Through that interaction, Rivas explained they found out that the documentary’s production company had ties to Judge Makintach’s brother, Juan Makintach.

Police also indicated that they had seen a camera in the courtroom, allegedly approved by Judge Makintach.

On May 20, prosecutor Patricio Ferrari called for the trial to be paused for a week while the incident was reviewed. Footage was presented to the court from the documentary, showing the start of the trial. It appeared to feature the judge as a central figure.

Judge Makintach has denied wrongdoing. But Ferrari argued, “The situation compromises the prestige of the judiciary.”

It is unclear whether a new judge will replace Makintach in the coming months.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. Whether you’ve been paying attention or not, high school football is changing. Let’s discuss.

Dealing with changes

Corona Centennial football coach Matt Logan.

(Jeremiah Soifer )

Rolling your eyes has been the theme if you follow college football and high school football. Changes keep happening because rules are in flux regarding name, image and likeness. Transfer numbers keep growing. Agents are picking up clients who are teenagers. Parents are examining options. Coaches are adjusting on the fly.

It’s the best of times and the worst of times. Many believe things will settle when court cases are finalized. Others believe amateur football has been changed forever.

Here’s a look at some of the issues, good and bad, that are affecting the high school football world.

Baseball

El Camino Real pitcher Devin Gonor celebrates after completing three-hit shutout over Venice on Saturday in a 2-0 win in the City Section Open Division final at Dodger Stadium.

(Craig Weston)

Devin Gonor of El Camino Real proved Saturday at Dodger Stadium that trusting the process still works. He played on the freshman team, then the junior varsity team for two years. He waited his turn, made his varsity debut last season as a junior and this season is 11-1 and pitched a three-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over Venice to give El Camino Real its 10th City Section Open Division title. Here’s a look at how the Royals did it.

Carson players celebrate after a 3-1 win over Banning in the City Section Division I final at Dodger Stadium.

(Craig Weston)

Carson won its first ever City Section title in baseball by taking the Division I crown with a 3-1 comeback win over rival Banning at Dodger Stadium. Here’s the report.

Crespi players launch a victory celebration in the ninth inning of a 3-2 win over Mira Costa.

(Craig Weston)

The final week of the Southern Section season begins Tuesday with semifinals in Division 1 featuring Corona at St. John Bosco and Crespi at Santa Margarita. Here’s a report on the quarterfinals that saw four close games.

Seth Hernandez of Corona celebrates after hitting the first of his two three-run home runs.

(Nick Koza)

It also was the week Seth Hernandez of Corona hit two three-run home runs and struck out 10 in an impressive playoff performance. He’ll pitch Tuesday. Here’s a report. And Venice’s Canon King went five for five in a semifinal win over Sylmar. Here’s the report.

Here’s the complete Tuesday schedule.

Softball

El Modena players greet Kaitlyn Galasso after her first-inning home run against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

(Craig Weston)

It will be El Modena playing Norco for the Southern Section Division 1 softball championship this weekend in Irvine.

El Modena came through earlier in the week with a comeback semifinal win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. Here’s the report.

On Saturday, Norco defeated Ayala and El Modena knocked off Temescal Canyon to reach the final in a season where hitters have had the advantage over pitchers. Here’s the report.

The City Section has its semifinals Wednesday with Granada Hills hosting Venice and San Pedro hosting Carson. The championship game will be played Saturday at Cal State Northridge.

Track

Birmingham’s Antrell Harris (center) runs stride for stride with Granada Hills’ Justin Hart, left, in the boys 200-meter final at the City Section Track and Field Championships.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Birmingham football standout Antrell Harris was one of the stars at the City Section track and field championships, winning the 100 and 200. He’s headed this weekend to compete in the state championships at Buchanan High in Clovis. The weather report is for temperatures in the triple digits.

Here’s a report from the City championships.

The Southern Section held its Masters Meet, and RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga was the top qualifier in the 200 and has one more week of high school competition left before he heads off to play football at USC. Here’s the report.

Golf

Joseph Wong of Granada Hills won the City Section individual golf title.

(Steve Galluzzo)

Joseph Wong of Granada Hills won the City Section golf championship. Here’s the report.

Grant Leary of Crespi won the Southern Section individual golf championship with a 66 for a one-stroke victory. Here’s a roundup of Southern Section team champions. Here’s a look at Leary.

Volleyball

Mira Costa has qualified from Southern California to compete in the first state championship in boys volleyball Saturday at Fresno City College. The Mustangs will face Archbishop Mitty from San Jose.

Here’s the compete schedule of state championship matchups and results from regional finals.

Notes . . .

Catcher Trent Grindlinger of Huntington Beach has changed his commitment from Mississippi State to Tennessee. . . .

Former Bishop Amat football coach Steve Hagerty will become athletic director at West Covina. . . .

Ethan Damato is leaving Laguna Beach to become girls water polo coach at JSerra. . . .

Connor Ohl, a junior at Newport Harbor, has committed to Stanford for water polo. . . .

Oliver Muller is the new boys soccer coach at Oaks Christian. . . .

YULA and Shalhevet, two schools that pulled out of the Southern Section baseball playoffs to participate in a Jewish tournament in Ohio, have been placed on probation and banned from next year’s playoffs for violating Southern Section rules about outside participation during the season. Here’s an opinion piece on how the decision by the two schools will hurt coaches and athletes. . . .

Former Chatsworth football coach Marvin Street has accepted a teaching position at El Camino Real and will become the junior varsity head coach. . . .

Loyola running back Sean Morris has committed to Northwestern. . . .

Kevin Reynolds, the basketball coach at Villa Park for 30 years, died Friday morning, the school announced. He was 59. He had been diagnosed with cancer. His teams won 634 games in his coaching career. . . .

John Quick, who was a longtime basketball coach in the South Bay, has died. . . .

Loyola’s James Dell’Amico has committed to Pepperdine baseball. . . .

Former Tesoro football coach Matt Poston is the new athletic director at San Clemente. . . .

The CIF state championships in tennis will be held Saturday in Fresno. Irvine University has qualified. …

Darius Spates is the new athletic director at Verbum Dei. He’s a 2012 graduate.

From the archives: Pete Crow-Armstrong

Drew Bowser (left) won the home run derby and MVP honors at the Perfect Game All-American Classic and Harvard-Westlake teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong also played in the game.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Harvard-Westlake has produced some outstanding pitchers who went on to the major leagues, but Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs is the Wolverines’ first breakthrough every day player. As a center fielder with electric speed, he has come into his own this season to become an All-Star candidate.

He used to be a teammate of Drew Bowser, who went to Stanford instead of signing out of high school and is now working his way up in the minors.

Crow-Armstrong entered last week hitting .290 with 12 home runs. He hit a two-run home run Friday against former Sherman Oaks Notre Dame pitcher Hunter Greene of the Reds.

His senior year got cut short in 2020 because of the pandemic. Here’s an interview with Crow-Armtrong from that year and how he kept his focus on the future.

Here’s a story from 2019 on how he had become a hitting machine.

Recommendations

From the Washington Post, a story on what a rowing coxswain does.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on UC Irvine baseball coach Ben Orloff, a Simi Valley High graduate.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on the new Compton High campus opening this fall with fantastic athletic facilities.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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Manchester City move for £55m midfielder, Manchester United and Newcastle eye Premier League forwards and a Bellingham could be off to Germany.

Manchester City are ramping up their pursuit of AC Milan and Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, 26, who, is expected to command a fee of more than £55m. (Mail), external

Brazil midfielder Casemiro, 33, and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, 20, are among the players Manchester United want to move on as they look to significantly reduce their squad for next season. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

Manchester United have held talks with Brentford and Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo, 25, who is valued at around £50m. (Talksport), external

Newcastle United are holding showdown talks with England Under-21 forward Liam Delap, 22, as they look to convince the Ipswich Town player to join them instead of Everton, Manchester United or Chelsea. (TeamTalk), external

Newcastle also have a serious interest in Brighton’s Brazil forward Joao Pedro, 23. (i Paper – subscription needed), external

Chelsea have discussed a move for Eintracht Frankfurt’s 22-year-old French forward Hugo Ekitike. They also have significant interest in Sporting’s Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres, 26, and Ipswich’s Delap. (Independent), external

Eintracht Frankfurt value Chelsea-target Ekitike at £84m, albeit with a negotiable payment structure. (Athletic), external

Sunderland’s 19-year-old English midfielder Jobe Bellingham is in Germany for transfer talks with Eintracht Frankfurt – two days after helping his club win promotion. Borussia Dortmund – who brother Jude played for – and Leipzig are also interested. (Sky Sports), external

Manchester United want Wolves and Portugal right-back Nelson Semedo. The 31-year-old will be a free agent this summer. (Football Transfers), external

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has confirmed Liverpool’s “concrete” interest in 22-year-old Germany attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz. (Sky Sport Germany – in German), external

Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna says they have been working on a deal to sign Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 33, for some time and “can see the finish line”. His contract at Manchester City expires next month. (Rai News – in Italian), external

Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Manchester United have all shown concrete interest in signing AC Milan and Portugal forward Rafael Leao, 25, this summer. (Teamtalk), external

Newcastle have decided against taking up the option to extend 33-year-old former England striker Callum Wilson’s contract but have entered negotiations about a new incentive-based deal. (Athletic – subscription needed), external

Ligue 1 newcomers Paris FC are interested in signing 35-year-old Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye, whose contract at Everton expires next month. (Foot Mercato – in French), external

Police say a male suspect is taken into custody after a car collides with several pedestrians in Liverpool.

A man has been arrested after driving a car into a crowd in Liverpool during a parade to celebrate Liverpool FC’s Premier League football title, emergency services say.

Merseyside Police in northwest England said they were contacted just after 6pm (17:00 GMT) on Monday “following reports a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians”.

The PA Media news agency, quoting police, reported the arrested man is a “53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area”.

“Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision,” police said. “We would ask people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding tonight’s incident.”

There was no immediate word from authorities about how many people were injured.

Social media footage appeared to show a dark-coloured car swerving into the dense crowd at the end of the celebrations as players showed off the trophy on an open-topped bus through the city.

Harry Rashid, who was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters, told The Associated Press news agency the car began ramming people about 3 metres (10ft) away from him.

“It was extremely fast,” Rashid said. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”

Crowds and uniformed police officers quickly surrounded the vehicle and several people lying on the ground.

Cordons were put in place, and a fire engine was also at the scene.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was being kept updated about the incident.

“The scenes in Liverpool are appalling – my thoughts are with all those injured or affected. I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident,” Starmer said on social media.

The incident followed a large celebration in the city centre, where tens of thousands of dancing, scarf- and flag-waving fans braved wet weather to line the streets and watch Liverpool’s players display the Premier League trophy atop two buses bearing the words “Ours Again”.

The hours-long procession – surrounded by a thick layer of police and security – crawled along a 10-mile (16km) route and through a sea of red smoke and rain. Fireworks exploded from the Royal Liver Building in the heart of the city to seemingly signal the end of the parade.

Rashid said after the car struck its initial victims, it came to a halt and the crowd charged the vehicle and began smashing windows.

“But then he put his foot down again and just ploughed through the rest of them. He just kept going,” Rashid said. “It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.”

Rashid said it looked deliberate and he was in shock and disbelief.

“My daughter started screaming, and there were people on the ground,” he said. “They were just innocent people, just fans going to enjoy the parade.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool said in a post on X that it was in direct contact with police about the event. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident,” the team said.

With 31 league goals and 62 points, Mbappe is European football’s top scorer this season.

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe has ended his first season in Spain by collecting the European Golden Shoe award.

Mbappe, who also won the Pichichi Trophy for being the top goal scorer in La Liga, scored twice in Real’s final league game on Saturday to overtake Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres at the top of the weighted table, which counts only league goals.

Mbappe, 26, ended with 31 league goals and became the third Real Madrid player to win the award after Hugo Sanchez and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The last Frenchman to collect the Golden Shoe was Thierry Henry, who won it in 2004 and 2005 with Arsenal.

Mbappe could have been caught on Sunday while he was in Monaco watching the Formula One Grand Prix.

Mohamed Salah, who needed a hat-trick in English champions Liverpool’s last league game, scored once to finish third with 29 goals.

Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona, already certain to finish ahead of Real Madrid in the race for the Spanish league title, scored twice on Sunday at Bilbao. He achieved a total of 27 goals for fourth place in Europe and second in the Pichichi.

The Pole won the Golden Shoe twice with Bayern Munich and claimed the Pichichi in 2023.

Last year’s Golden Shoe winner, Harry Kane, finished fifth with 26 Bundesliga goals to go with his league champions medal at Bayern. Mateo Retegui with 25 for Atalanta was the top Serie A player in sixth place.

Gyokeres outscored Mbappe with 39 goals, but the table is weighted. Each goal in the “big five” European competitions – La Liga, Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A – is doubled. For the next 16 ranked leagues, goals are multiplied by 1.5.

Below that, a goal is just a goal.

In the final calculations, the top five in the rankings were as follows: Mbappe (62 points), Gyokeres (58.5), Salah (58), Robert Lewandowski (54) and Harry Kane (52).

Mbappe, the top scorer in the 2022 World Cup, hit 43 goals in all competitions for Real this season.

Rocafonda, Spain – The front page of Spain’s biggest sports tabloid Marca screamed LAMINE YA! (Lamine Now!) as speculation mounted over whether the teenage wonder boy would sign a new contract for FC Barcelona.

Lamine Yamal is expected to renew his contract with Barcelona before he turns 18 in July, his agent Jorge Mendes assured reporters last week.

Deco, the sporting director of Barca, denied reports that Yamal’s agent had asked that the 17-year-old be made the highest paid player in the dressing room, while Spanish media speculated that he could look forward to a 10-fold pay increase to more than 15 million euros ($17m) net per season.

Whatever the astronomical sums involved in signing the gifted winger who helped Barca clinch the La Liga title this season, it will seem a world away from the very humble beginnings of this Spanish sporting prodigy.

Yamal grew up in a poor area of Mataro, an industrial town located about 32km (20 miles) north of Barcelona, but it is a world away from the glitz and glamour of the Catalan capital.

The Barca footballer learned his craft on the streets of Rocafonda, a working-class neighbourhood of Mataro.

About half of the 11,000 people who live in this corner of Mataro are classified as “at risk of poverty”, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute. Many flats appear run down and lack basic modern-day amenities like lifts. One centre in Rocafonda offers help to children who are struggling at school.

With 88 different nationalities in the area, Arabic halal butchers are a common sight.

Evictions are a daily occurrence in Rocafonda as many households struggle to pay the rent, which averages about $1,334 per month, a fortune to many.

Gen-next inspiration

Nevertheless, football – or rather Yamal – gives people hope here.

“In Rocafonda, more Lamine Yamals and fewer evictions”, reads the graffiti at the Club de Futbol Rocafonda, the municipal football pitch.

Children play nearby, perhaps dreaming that maybe, just maybe, they could be the next Lamine Yamal.

Wearing an Argentina shirt, Mohammed Kaddouri, who is a year younger than Yamal, says the Barca football player is an inspiration to young people here.

“Since Lamine, so many people have started playing football and believe they could be like him. It is not just boys but more girls are playing football too,” he says.

His friend Damia Castillo, also 16, met Yamal when he came back to see his family, who still live in the neighbourhood.

“He always talks to us like he is a normal person, not like he is some big star. He is from here, and so are we. It makes you think, you know, maybe it could be me,” Castillo told Al Jazeera.

The Messi effect

Friends said Yamal owes his precocious talents to a baptism of fire playing in the tough streets of Rocafonda.

“Lamine learned to play so well because he started playing with bigger kids. Some of these were bigger than him, and some of them were tough kids,” says family friend Mohammed Ben Serghine.

“Despite what has happened to him with all this fame, he has remained humble, and he is good with the kids when he comes back to Rocafonda to see his family.”

We meet in the Bar El Cordobes, the local bar frequented by Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, who pops in now and again.

On the wall is a yellowing Barca shirt signed by Yamal and replete with his photograph.

Last year, the Spain winger’s father published a photograph on social media of his son, which was taken when he was a baby.

Yamal was cradled by then-Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi. He wrote on social media: “Two beginnings of two legends. It now appears amazingly prescient.”

The Argentina superstar was 20 at the time and had taken part in a promotional campaign for FC Barcelona for UNICEF. Yamal was only five months old when his parents entered him into a raffle and he was paired up with Messi. Yamal’s smiles won over a nervous Messi at the photoshoot.

Statistically, Yamal is ahead of Messi for a 17-year-old player, according to football writer Ryan O’Hanlon of ESPN.

“Broadly, this is the conclusion: [Michael] Owen, Kylian Mbappe and Yamal are the best teenagers in modern soccer history,” he wrote, basing these assertions on the number of goals and assists.

‘304’ celebration

Rocafonda might have been forgotten, like many other fringe, outer-suburban Barcelona neighbourhoods, were it not for Yamal himself.

On the walls, someone has painted the number 304. It might just be graffiti, except for one thing. When Yamal scored a wonder goal against France in the Euro 2024 last year, he celebrated by making the sign three, zero, four with his fingers. It was a reference to the postcode of Rocafonda, which in full reads 08304.

As the world was transfixed by Yamal’s dazzling skills, it was a sign that even when footballers can expect seven- or even eight-figure salaries, some have not forgotten their roots.

At the Bar Familia L Y 304 Rocafonda, run by the player’s uncle, Abdul, you are left in no doubt that Yamal remains faithful to where he came from.

Decked out in photographs of Yamal and signed shirts, in one corner is a tiny, plastic version of the World Cup. It begs the thought: might Yamal one day lift the real thing for Spain?

Family is everything

The player’s own story starts 30 years ago when his maternal grandmother, Fatima, arrived from Morocco and took up a job in an old people’s residence.

She worked to bring her seven children over from Morocco and managed as a single mother.

Yamal’s mother, Sheila Ebana, is from Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish colony in Western Africa. The player’s parents divorced, and when she moved away from Rocafonda, she enrolled him in Club de Futbol La Torreta in Granollers, a nearby town.

Yamal speaks fondly about his mother, who gave him the best childhood she could despite the difficulties she faced.

“Maybe I didn’t have the best childhood, but I didn’t see it. I only saw the beautiful, thanks to her,” he said in an Instagram interview with user tumejorjugada.

Life for both parents has changed dramatically since their son became a superstar.

Ebana now has 258,000 followers on Instagram and has moved to Barcelona. His father has also moved to the Catalan capital.

Changing expectations

Yamal started playing for CF La Torreta, a small club with 200 players, when he was only five.

On the window of the club, there is a photograph of the player when he arrived as a small child and another more recent one.

“He came here when he was five years old and stayed just two years before Barcelona came for him,” says Jordi Vizcaino, president of CF La Torreta.

“I still can hardly believe it when I see how far he has gone, when I see Yamal playing for Barca and Spain. He was just a kid when he came here and is still just a kid really.”

Rocio Escandell, president of the Association of Rocafonda Neighbours, has known Yamal and his family all his life.

“Lamine has put Rocafonda on the world map. It is a working-class area with lots of migrants, but he has made people here believe they can be something. It does not have to be a footballer. It might be a doctor. Just to believe,” she told Al Jazeera.

Her nine-year-old daughter, Abril, is proof of how Yamal has changed expectations.

“I have been playing football since I was small, and I score more and more goals. When I am older, I want to be like Lamine,” says Abril.

Napoli want to sign Alejandro Garnacho after missing out on the Argentine in January, Arsenal join Bayern Munich in the pursuit of Kaoru Mitoma, Viktor Gyokeres will leave Sporting this summer.

Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna is set to meet with Manchester United over a possible deal for 20-year-old Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, who was the subject of a rejected £40m bid from the Italian champions in January. (i paper), external

Arsenal have joined Bayern Munich in the race to sign Brighton’s 28-year-old Japan midfielder Kaoru Mitoma. (Sky Germany), external

Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres will leave Sporting this summer. The 26-year-old is linked with Arsenal and Chelsea and has an agreement with the Portuguese club to allow him to leave for less than his £84m release clause. (Sky Sports), external

Arsenal want Aston Villa’s Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 32, to return to the club amid interest from Real Madrid in their 29-year-old Spain shot-stopper David Raya. (Sun), external

Tottenham assistant manager Ryan Mason is the leading candidate to become West Brom boss. (Talksport), external

Leicester City have made a bid to sign 18-year-old Guinean forward Abdoul Karim Traore from French club Bourg-en-Bresse. (Foot Mercato – in French), external

Arsenal want Ghana defensive midfielder Thomas Partey to remain with the club beyond his current deal, which expires in the summer, despite being linked with Real Sociedad’s 26-year-old Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi. (football.london), external

Napoli have offered 33-year-old Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne a £23m salary over a three-year deal following his departure from Manchester City this summer. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has confirmed the club’s interest in De Bruyne. (II Mattino, via Mirror), external

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has held talks with AC Milan winger Rafael Leao, 25, in a bid to persuade him to move to Emirates Stadium this summer. (TeamTalk), external

Norwich City have approached Bristol City manager Liam Manning over potentially taking charge at Carrow Road next season. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

Arsenal have made an offer to sign 21-year-old RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

United finish with their lowest standing in the Premier League era as Newcastle confirm Champions League spot.

Manchester United have ended their disappointing 2024-25 season with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on the final day of the Premier League campaign, denying the visitors a Champions League qualification spot in the process.

United surprisingly dominated the first half of Sunday’s game against a side chasing a top-five finish.

Against the run of play, Morgan Rogers appeared to have netted Villa a crucial goal 18 minutes from time, but referee Thomas Bramall ruled that he had fouled United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir before slotting home.

The hosts’ cause was aided as Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was sent off just before the break.

Furious Villa’s mood worsened after Amad Diallo immediately headed the hosts in front down the other end, before Christian Eriksen’s penalty ensured United finished 15th and sixth-placed Villa had to settle for a place in the Europa League next term.

Newcastle United breathed a sigh of relief as their 1-0 defeat by Everton could have opened the door for Villa to climb above them with a win over United.

Villa manager Unai Emery confronted Bramall after the final whistle, unhappy at what he believed was a “big mistake” by the match official.

“The TV is clear with the move but of course we have to accept it,” Emery said. “It was a mistake. A big mistake.”

At the final whistle, Emery stood motionless on the touchline and stared at Bramall for a long time. After confronting the official as he came off the field, Emery continued his discussions with him as they went down the tunnel.

Protest songs against Manchester United’s ownership greeted the final whistle, even if supporters had been treated to a rare home success.

This season’s final standings 🤝 pic.twitter.com/lRWyvmvkXQ

— Premier League (@premierleague) May 25, 2025

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s disappointing season ended with the consolation of a place in the Champions League after a 2-0 victory at Fulham, earned by Ilkay Gundogan’s overhead kick and an Erling Haaland penalty.

The victory ensured City finish third in the table with 71 points from 38 games, the first time they have ended outside the top two since the 2016-17 season. Fulham finished 11th with 54 points.

City opened the scoring at 21 minutes when Matheus Nunes’s chipped shot on the angle was clawed away by Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno and into the path of Gundogan, whose acrobatic effort steered the ball into the net off the crossbar.

The visitors doubled their advantage when Sasa Lukic fouled Gundogan in the box and Haaland converted the spot kick to score his 22nd league goal of the campaign, while Kevin De Bruyne came off the bench for the final five minutes in his farewell to City.

City left Jack Grealish out of their match-day squad amid talk he could leave the club, while De Bruyne spent time with the City fans at the final whistle, many of them holding up signs of thanks to the Belgian for his decade at the club.

City ended up with 71 points, Chelsea on 69 and Villa on 66, but with an inferior goal difference to Newcastle on the same points.

Forest, who still had hopes of a top-five finish going into the last day, will go into the UEFA Conference League.

Champions Liverpool ended their campaign with a 1-1 home draw against Crystal Palace in a party atmosphere at Anfield.

Runners-up Arsenal, who ended 10 points behind Liverpool, beat bottom club Southampton 2-1 away.

Brighton and Hove Albion brought Europa Cup winners Tottenham Hotspur down to earth with a bump as they won 4-1 in north London to finish eighth, but that will not be good enough to secure a European berth for the south coast side next season.

Tottenham finished a woeful league season in 17th place, their worst performance since being relegated in 1977.

When Charles Dickens began his 1859 novel “A Tale of Two Cities” with the legendary line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” who knew that it would aptly describe the state of amateur football in 2025?

From college athletics to high school athletics, if you’re a parent, coach, athlete or fan, you have plenty of stories to tell. Take notes, because there’s so much material you’ll be able to write a book, launch a podcast or participate in court cases still to be decided.

“It’s all crazy,” said future Hall of Fame football coach Matt Logan of Corona Centennial.

Football isn’t in a crisis but it is in a black hole with stakeholders seeking an escape path.

With final rules still not adopted in how name, image and likeness is supposed to work and college programs not only paying their own athletes but high school recruits, too, everyone is adjusting on the fly. Parents trying to navigate the changes are hiring agents, who are showing up to high school camps trying to find clients. There’s the college transfer portal and something similar in high school that saw more than 17,000 students switch schools in California last year.

Until NIL rules are figured out, it’s roll your eyes and don’t be surprised at anything.

Some elite high school players have been reclassifying their graduation years to take advantage of money opportunities. And that’s after parents held them back entering high school to be bigger, stronger and faster as a 16-year-old freshman.

It’s all legal and even logical but the changing landscape is riddled with pros and cons and bad actors.

One big concern in high school sports is that parents might be too focused on scholarships for their kids and earning NIL money while forgetting the real reason people play sports — for the love of the game.

“For me, the whole value in sports has been degenerated,” Logan said. “You don’t play sports to get a scholarship. You play to learn how to lead, how to take orders, how to be a good teammate, how to work together. This could be the only chance to have fun, play with their friends, have a great experience.”

There have been football scandals in recent years — twice at Narbonne High, which had City Section championships taken away in 2019 and 2024 for using ineligible players. Now the football community is focused on what the Southern Section intends to do this fall about Bishop Montgomery, which supposedly has numerous transfer students (some from Narbonne) and is so confident it’ll ‘ll be declared eligible that a trip to Hawaii and a nonleague game against powerful Mater Dei have been scheduled.

Every week, coaches have to decide how to deal with players and parents who have little patience and many options. It’s a balancing act, and for the elite of the elite, coaches can’t even count on juniors returning as seniors because of opportunities to skip ahead to college.

“I understand why they are doing it. They have my full support,” said Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse, who’s losing star defensive lineman Richard Wesley to Oregon a year early after he reclassified to the class of 2026.

Ellinghouse is embracing the idea his job is to “put them into positions to have life-changing opportunities.”

There are many different paths to success and failure. Remember how LaVar Ball didn’t care that his youngest son, LaMelo, was 13 years old playing summer basketball as a freshman for Chino Hills. He threw him in against older players and the rest is history. He averaged 25.2 points this season for the Charlotte Hornets as a 23-year-old in his fifth NBA season.

There are others who were 19-year-old seniors in high school, stopped developing, kept switching schools and will probably blame their coaches for not making the pros when the truth is it’s difficult to become a professional athlete.

It is the best of times with all kinds of money to be given out for being a good athlete. It is the worst of times because many of the treasured lessons from playing amateur sports no longer receive priority treatment. What happened to the importance of getting a college degree?

It will take someone with magical ideas to return a balance to the amateur sports world.

Late goals by Lionel Messi and Telasco Segovia allow Inter to split the points on the road against Philadelphia Union.

Inter Miami have fought back from 3-1 down to grab a 3-3 draw at the MLS Eastern Conference leaders, the Philadelphia Union, thanks to a stoppage-time leveller from substitute Telasco Segovia.

Israeli forward Tai Baribo scored twice for Philadelphia on Saturday to give them the two-goal advantage, but Lionel Messi gave Miami hope with an 87th-minute free kick before Segovia’s dramatic 95th-minute goal grabbed the point for Inter.

Quinn Sullivan, called up this week by Mauricio Pochettino to the US national team squad, fired Philadelphia ahead in the seventh minute with a sweet strike after Miami’s defence failed to close down.

Baribo made it 2-0 with an instinctive finish in the 44th minute as Miami’s defensive troubles continued.

The visitors got a foothold in the game in the 60th minute when Noah Allen floated in a cross from the left that was met by a firm header from Argentinian Tadeo Allende.

But Philadelphia restored their two-goal cushion when, from a long throw, Miami were unable to clear and Jean-Jacques Danley pounced on the loose ball and Baribo fired home.

Messi beat Union keeper Andrew Rick with a characteristically well driven free kick for his sixth goal of the season three minutes from the end of regulation time to set up a frantic finale.

Jovan Lukic hit the bar from inside the box early in stoppage time as Philly looked to wrap up the win, but they were left crestfallen in the fifth minute of stoppage time when, after good work from Messi, Segovia pounced and blasted home.

While the result was a welcome sign of character from Miami, they remain with just one win in their past eight games in all competitions, having conceded 23 goals.

Javier Mascherano’s side are sixth in the Eastern Conference and the former Barcelona and Argentina midfielder praised his team’s response.

“We showed character, personality. It was another difficult start of the game for us because in the beginning, we conceded the goal, … but the guys showed they want to fight to get out of this situation,” the Miami coach said.

“We are in a bad trend but with a lot of spirit to come back to be the team we were at the beginning of the season,” he added before demanding better from his back line.

“We cannot concede every single corner kick and every single throw-in and give opponents opportunities to score. … We need to be more focused in those situations,” Mascherano said.

Arsenal lift the UEFA Women’s Champions League with a 1-0 win that ended Barcelona’s hopes of a three-peat.

Arsenal upset defending champions Barcelona 1-0 to win the Women’s Champions League for a second time.

Stina Blackstenius scored in the 75th minute after being set up by fellow second-half substitute Beth Mead in the final at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Saturday.

Arsenal’s title came 18 years after it became the first, and still the only, English club to win the top club title in women’s football.

Arsenal’s players embraced on the final whistle and ran to celebrate in front of the red-and-white corner of the stands, which were otherwise mostly dressed in burgundy and blue.

“We believed from the moment our Champions League journey started,” Arsenal striker Alessia Russo told broadcaster TNT Sports. “We knew that we had the capabilities. We knew that we could be good enough. It was just about going and doing it. And we’ve done it!”

Barcelona were considered the heavy favourite. They were aiming for a fourth title in five years and to become the only team other than Lyon to win three consecutive titles. The team led by two-time Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas won nine straight in the competition and blew out Wolfsburg and English champion Chelsea in the knockout rounds.

But Arsenal locked down in defence, except for early in the second half, and created the best chances. Only two superb saves by Barcelona goalkeeper Cata Coll to deny Frida Maanum and Blackstenius kept it scoreless, until Blackstenius finally beat her.

The victory marks an incredible finish to a rocky season for Arsenal, which included coach Jonas Eidevall resigning and being replaced by assistant Renee Seglers.

Since taking over, Seglers steered the team through a spectacular European campaign. Arsenal built its confidence from come-from-behind wins over Real Madrid and eight-time champion Lyon in the knockout rounds before laying low the almighty Barcelona.

The loss was a huge disappointment for the large group of Barcelona fans who filled the stadium that is home to Sporting Lisbon. Blue-and-burgundy shirts and flags outnumbered the red-and-white section, but their calls of “Yes we can!” in the final minutes were not enough to inspire a comeback by the Catalan club.

The closest Barcelona came to a goal was a shot by Claudia Pina that hit the crossbar just after halftime when the Spanish team had its best period. Otherwise, the game was to Arsenal’s liking.

“We are very sorry for all our fans who have come to support us,” Bonmati told Catalunya Radio in the field before the award ceremony. “We will try to do it again.”

Arsenal shook off some early jitters in defence and soon had Barcelona on the back foot. Arsenal’s pressure up the field stopped Barcelona from getting their possession game going, and Arsenal found spaces with long balls down the left flank.

England striker Russo was a rock for Arsenal, using her size to win balls and keep the attack going.

Arsenal thought it went ahead in the 22nd but a video review waived off an own goal by Barcelona’s Irene Paredes when the referee spotted an offside by Frida Maanum. Maanum then went close with a long shot in the 27th that Coll did well to stretch and push over her bar.

Bonmatí was the only Barcelona player who seemed to be in the flow before halftime. Her dribble moves through the middle created a few threats and kept Arsenal on guard in defence. Leah Williamson blocked her best shot deep in the box in the 12th.

Barcelona came out of the restart firing.

Pina hit the woodwork with her chipped shot from a sharp angle in the 49th. Bonmati forced goalie Daphne van Domselaar to get low to parry her shot, and Ona Batlle bombarded the area with three shots from long range.

But Blackstenius set the tone when she had a golden chance when she stole a ball with only Cata to beat, but the goalie got her leg out to block her effort in the 72nd. The Sweden forward would not be denied a second time.

Cristiano Ronaldo is in discussions to play at FIFA’s Club World Cup where Lionel Messi currently headlines the event.

Cristiano Ronaldo is in “discussions” to play at FIFA’s inaugural Club World Cup this summer, according to the president of the sport’s global governing body.

Gianni Infantino says the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward might play in the tournament, which is being staged in the United States in June, because of a unique transfer window.

Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr did not qualify for the tournament, but Infantino suggested that the Portugal star could switch to one of the 32 teams participating in the tournament.

“Cristiano Ronaldo might play in the Club World Cup,” Infantino told online streamer IShowSpeed, whose YouTube channel has more than 39 million subscribers. “There are discussions with some clubs, so if any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup, who knows? Still a few weeks’ time, will be fun.”

FIFA confirmed on Wednesday that last-minute transfer signings are open to all teams going to the tournament, which fuelled more speculation that one of them will try to sign the 40-year-old Ronaldo on a short-term deal, potentially a loan.

Such a move would be unprecedented in modern football, though it could appeal to FIFA by boosting the profile and ticket sales of an inaugural tournament being played in 11 US cities.

A transfer for Ronaldo would also reunite him and Lionel Messi in the same competition for the first time since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Last October, FIFA invited Messi’s Inter Miami to enter the tournament in the slot that was expected to be reserved for the host nation’s champions. Inter Miami were eliminated in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Speculative reports have linked Ronaldo to the one Saudi club that qualified, Al Hilal, the Brazilian club Palmeiras and Wydad of Morocco, even though that club is currently banned by FIFA from registering new signings.

Transfers can be made from June 1-10 and again from June 27 to July 3, according to exceptional rules FIFA approved in October.

“The objective is to encourage clubs and players whose contracts are expiring to find an appropriate solution to facilitate the players’ participation,” FIFA said in Wednesday’s statement.

Who: Barcelona vs Arsenal
What: UEFA Women’s Champions League final
When: Saturday, May 24 (18:00 kickoff, 16:00 GMT)
Where: Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal

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Barcelona are aiming to complete a three-peat of Women’s Champions League titles and win its fourth European crown in five years when it faces Arsenal in Lisbon on Saturday.

Al Jazeera Sport looks at a final that pits two of the biggest names in women’s football for the game’s biggest club prize.

What is the secret to Barcelona’s success?

Barcelona are out to reaffirm their status as the dominant force in European women’s football after they finally beat Lyon and successfully defended their title in last year’s final.

Their possession-hungry and high-scoring attack is led from the midfield by Ballon d’Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas and several other members of Spain’s World Cup-winning team that beat England in the 2023 final.

What is Barcelona’s Champions League record?

Barcelona will be playing in its sixth Champions League final in seven seasons and a record-equalling fifth in a row at Lisbon’s 50,000-capacity Estadio Jose Alvalade.

The Catalan club has the chance to become the only team other than Lyon to lift the European Cup in three consecutive years.

Bonmati, the Ballon d’Or winner in 2023 and 2024, said the experience gained from previous finals is invaluable.

“I’ve learned a lot of things. It is the path that has fallen to us. The first final in Budapest was an inexperienced team that was going to see what happened. Now, we are the team to beat,” she said.

“Knowing how to be, knowing how to suffer, is very important. And never giving up. We have had finals where we have come back. We have had games of all colours.”

What is Arsenal’s take on facing Barcelona?

Standing in Barcelona’s way is an Arsenal team that has excelled as a spoiler this campaign and hopes it can pull off another upset and win its second European title.

“They’re a fantastic team and they’ve obviously got the recent history to prove it,” Arsenal defender Leah Williamson said about Barcelona in the build-up to the final.

“We respect them a lot, but it’s a final, so everybody turns up and everybody gives their best.”

How do Barcelona and Arsenal match up?

First-year Barcelona coach Pere Romeu has a side that can hit from all angles with multiple scoring options.

They lead all the major team statistics in attack: most goals scored with 44, to Arsenal’s 25, the highest possession, best pass accuracy and most shot attempts.

Barcelona forward Claudia Pina leads the competition in scoring with 10 goals, ahead of Arsenal pair Mariona Caldentey, who joined from the Spanish club last year, and Alessia Russo with seven each. Bonmati and teammate Patri Guijarro lead the competition with five assists each.

Have Barcelona improved on last season?

Barcelona added to its winning squad in the offseason by signing Poland striker Ewa Pajor, who went on to lead the Spanish league with 23 goals.

Pajor, 28, is seeking her first European title after losing four finals with former club Wolfsburg, including the 2023 final to Barcelona after leading 2-0.

“The final is played in the details, and we can prepare the details before the game,” Pajor said. “What I have also learned, because I’ve played in four finals, you have to be there in the first minute until the end.”

How has Barcelona’s season progressed?

Barcelona has rolled to a sixth consecutive Liga F title and has reached another Copa de la Reina final, but at the same time, it has proven beatable.

Barcelona’s home unbeaten run in Liga F came to an end after a record 64 games this season, and it lost to Real Madrid for the first time in 19 Clasicos since its top rival founded a women’s team.

They also started the Champions League with a rare group stage loss to Manchester City.

“We lost a couple more games than we are used to, and we lost some games that hurt more than others,” Barcelona forward Caroline Graham said, adding about the City defeat: “A lot of people thought that our run to be good in the Champions League was a bit over. That was a motivation to show that we still are good and that we can still compete against the best.”

How do Arsenal shape up?

Arsenal remain the only English team to win the biggest title in women’s club football after it won UEFA’s Women’s Cup in 2007 when it beat Umea, two years before the tournament was reformatted and renamed the Women’s Champions League.

Arsenal may be the underdog, but it is likely comfortable with that role given its recent run of comebacks.

Renee Slegers’s side rallied against Madrid in the quarterfinals, and then shocked eight-time winner Lyon in the semifinals when they rebounded from a 2-1 loss in London by winning 4-1 in France.

This is the English club’s only chance to win some silverware this campaign after finishing second to Chelsea in England’s Women’s Super League and failing to reach the finals of the FA Cup or League Cup.

“We’ve had to come back from a lot of difficult situations, from setbacks, but the persistence of the team and the [fact that we] keep on believing, that’s been key for us,” Slegers said. “We’ve done some magical things.”

Do Arsenal and Barcelona have history?

Arsenal were Barcelona’s first opponents in Europe’s top club competition in the 2012-13 season, when the English side crushed the Catalans 7-0 over two legs.

Barcelona were nowhere near as good as they are now, however. They overwhelmed Chelsea, who went unbeaten across the 22-game Women’s Super League season en route to winning the title, 8-2 on aggregate in the Champions League semifinals.

“Everything leads you to be what you are now,” Putellas said. “In that first match of this competition, it was unthinkable what would come next. It’s thanks to work. I feel privileged to have been able to live this whole journey.”