Month: April 2026

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) — The booming drum beat from Portugal fans was a helpful reminder to anyone who might have been unaware: The World Cup is a mere two months away. That means it’s nervy times for players who are uneasy about making the 26-person roster, even if they don’t show it. The U.S. men’s national team wrapped its last camp on Tuesday night in Atlanta with an unimpressive 2-0 defeat to Portugal in front of an announced crowd of 72,297 people, many of whom were wearing Cristiano Ronaldo jerseys (even though he did not make the trip). The result came a few days after a humbling 5-2 loss to Belgium. USA manager Mauricio Pochettino will announce his final 26-man roster on May 26 in New York City, and now the only thing players who may be on the bubble can do is wait. And wait. And after Tuesday’s loss, players didn’t have much time to chat after the match. Many were rushing out the stadium to catch international flights back home to rejoin their respective clubs. When a few of them were asked if they found any clarity about their place within Pochettino’s World Cup plans during this past week, they seemed exhausted. “I just try to block it out,” a fairly calm Sebastian Berhalter said off to the side of a crowded mixed zone following the Portugal loss. The 24-year-old midfielder played in both games during this window and is hoping to make his first World Cup roster. “Just focus on myself,” added defender Auston Trusty, who has only made five appearances for the national team and started on the back line vs. Portugal. “I can only control what I can control.” The ‘Painful’ Process of Picking a Roster The U.S. players are all in the thick of their respective club seasons (17 of the players are based in Europe), and this was a fully packed week in Atlanta. It wasn’t just about training and games because it also included other responsibilities, like pre-tournament marketing opportunities and photo shoots. It can undoubtedly be taxing mentally to be part of those things when you don’t even know if you’re going to be on a World Cup squad. “Not too concerned with that, not too focused on that,” said goalkeeper Matt Freese, who made some quality saves against Portugal. Pochettino said the starting goalkeeper job is still open for competition, while Freese added that he has no inkling of whether it will be him or Matt Turner, who gave up five goals against Belgium. Pochettino said during his post-game press conference Tuesday night that he is still in the process of reviewing the player pool with his staff. “They know it’s going to be a competition,” Pochettino said. “They know that we are going to see [them play with their clubs] every single week, every single game, and we are going to assess one year and a half or more [of being with the team], and we are going to make the decision of 26 players being on the roster. “I think those who will be here will be happy, [and those] not on the roster will be sad.” Back in January, Pochettino said that for his team, the World Cup would begin in March. (The tournament’s actual start date is June 11, with the U.S. opening group play on June 12 vs. Paraguay in Los Angeles). That comment insinuated that he had narrowed the group down somewhat, and he probably has. But following the Portugal match, he was asked how many players in his mind are still in contention. Are there 30 guys vying for 26 spots? Maybe 35? “Yes, yes,” Pochettino said, laughing. “Maybe a few more. It’s going to be painful in that process. Emotional. It’s going to be really difficult to pick 26 from 75 players.” To Get (or Not To Get) The Call Last Friday, Pochettino described his style that he’ll only call the players who make the team and not reach out to those who don’t. It’s a different approach to four years ago when former coach Gregg Berhalter called players who were going to Qatar and those who weren’t. “I haven’t heard anything about that,” Trusty said when asked about Pochettino’s approach, sounding a bit surprised. “That’s new information to me. I don’t have an opinion on that, really. Obviously, if you don’t get the call, I mean, it’s not a good situation regardless.” Some players would like to know either way. “I would, personally,” said midfielder Cristian Roldan, who was part of the 2022 World Cup squad but didn’t play. “I think that I have so much respect for Pochettino and the coaching staff. And look, they didn’t have to bring me in back in September, and they gave me the opportunity, and I’m extremely thankful for that opportunity. And I think that respect goes a long way. “So if I didn’t make the squad, I would love to hear from Pochettino the reason why or just having that man-to-man conversation that is difficult at times. But it definitely plays a part in your entire career, and it could impact the way you look at things.” Throughout this past week, players spoke of how competitive and intense training sessions had been, as everyone knows no roster spot is guaranteed. Now, Pochettino has seen all he can from a national team perspective and will spend these next few weeks putting the puzzle pieces together. “I think this camp is very positive,” Pochettino concluded. “It was the end of our cycle in preparation for the World Cup. The next roster is going to be the roster that is going to be involved [in the tournament]. “I am more positive than I was before because, seeing the team compete, we are not far away. It’s only details we need to improve. When we match the opponent in the areas that we need to match, we are going to have a possibility to beat them.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Buckle up, college basketball fans. The second edition of the College Basketball Crown is set to get underway this week in Las Vegas. Eight power-conference programs will take the court in the single-elimination tournament, which tips off with first-round games on Wednesday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday and the championship game on Sunday. The tournament will be played at MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena with a $500,000 NIL prize pool. The complete bracket features Oklahoma, Colorado, Baylor, Minnesota, Stanford, West Virginia, Rutgers and Creighton. From freshman superstars to a Big East head coach looking to close out his career on a high note, there’s no shortage of intriguing storylines as the tournament gets set to tip off. Before the first game gets underway, our experts have filled out their brackets and made their predictions for how the 2026 College Basketball Crown will unfold. Here’s a look at our experts’ picks. Allison Williams, FOX Sports sideline reporter Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, West Virginia over Stanford, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over Stanford Championship: Creighton over Oklahoma Why Creighton will win the championship: Oklahoma has a really connected group of five players who have started every game together this year. The Sooners were playing their best basketball at the end of the season. But I believe Creighton will win this tournament. Head coach Greg McDermott announced that he will retire after the season ends. I think you’ll see a motivated Creighton team that wants to send their head coach out a champion after 16 years with the Bluejays. Michael Cohen, FOX Sports college football and basketball writer Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, Stanford over West Virginia, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over Stanford Championship: Oklahoma over Creighton Why Oklahoma will win the championship: Despite a lengthy losing streak in the middle of the season, Oklahoma still had a strong case to be included in this year’s NCAA Tournament given its résumé. The Sooners scored victories against five teams that qualified for the Big Dance, including Sweet 16 participant Texas. They also have one of the most potent offenses in the country (16th nationally in efficiency, per KenPom), which should translate well to a postseason tournament where points flowed freely last season. Oklahoma will arrive in Las Vegas as the best team in the field and will exit Sin City that way, too. [COLLEGE BASKETBALL CROWN: Schedule, Bracket, Teams] Casey Jacobsen, college basketball studio and game analyst Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, Stanford over West Virginia, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Stanford over Creighton Championship: Oklahoma over Stanford Why Oklahoma will win the championship: The Sooners have won six of their last seven games and were the last team left out of this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament field. That means this team will be motivated. The inaugural College Basketball Crown Tournament was won by Nebraska, a team that was led by two seniors – Brice Williams and Juwan Gray – that wanted to finish their careers on a high note. I feel the same way about Nijel Pack and Tae Davis.  While my heart wanted to take my alma mater, Stanford, my head tells me that Oklahoma is the clear team to beat. Rob Stone, FOX Sports studio host Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, Stanford over West Virginia, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Stanford over Creighton Championship: Stanford over Oklahoma Why Stanford will win the championship: The Cardinal have a game-changer at guard in Ebuka Okorie. They notched five wins over NCAA Tournament teams this year and are a program on the rise. Like Nebraska last year at The Crown, the Cardinal will use this tournament to propel them toward big things next season. LaPhonso Ellis, FOX Sports college basketball analyst Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, West Virginia over Stanford, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, West Virginia over Creighton Championship: Oklahoma over West Virginia Why Oklahoma will win the championship: Oklahoma is the hottest team in this tournament, winning six of its last seven games due to much-improved defensive play. The Sooners’ defense, combined with its efficient offense and explosive backcourt duo of Nijel Pack and Xzayvier Brown, is why the Sooners will be the 2026 College Basketball Crown champions. Nick Bahe, FOX Sports college basketball analyst Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, West Virginia over Stanford, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over West Virginia Championship: Creighton over Oklahoma Why Creighton will win the championship: Creighton gets its 3-point shooters rolling and wins a fast-paced, high-scoring game over the Oklahoma Sooners. In doing so, the Bluejays deliver the proper sendoff for Greg McDermott’s final game as head coach, winning the College Basketball Crown. [COLLEGE BASKETBALL CROWN: Top 10 Players] Tim Brando, FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, West Virginia over Stanford, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over West Virginia Championship: Oklahoma over Creighton Why Oklahoma will win the championship: There was never any doubt that the Sooners were coming to this event. They were the last team left out of the NCAA Tournament by the selection committee. This team has an edge to them when it comes to winning it all in Las Vegas. They have all the players they had throughout the year and played great down the stretch. Mike Hill, FOX Sports studio host Opening Round: Oklahoma over Colorado, Baylor over Minnesota, Stanford over West Virginia, Creighton over Rutgers Semifinals: Oklahoma over Baylor, Creighton over Stanford Championship: Oklahoma over Creighton Why Oklahoma will win the championship: There was never any doubt that the Sooners were coming to this event. They were the last team left out of the NCAA Tournament by the selection committee. This team has an edge to them when it comes to winning it all in Las Vegas. They have all the players they had throughout the year and played great down the stretch.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles) — Before Teoscar Hernandez ran out to patrol left field in the ninth inning last Friday night, he lingered in the dugout a while longer than usual. The game was almost over, but the show was about to begin. In the eighth inning against the Diamondbacks, Kyle Tucker roped a go-ahead single to put the concert in motion, setting the scene for the debut of the team’s other major offseason expenditure. Hernández wanted a front-row seat to take in the spectacle as closer Edwin Diaz jogged in from Dodger Stadium’s home bullpen for the first time. “Everyone was waiting for that moment,” Hernández said. “I wanted to watch everything — him coming out of the bullpen, getting all the way to the mound.” Díaz took his first step onto the newly-dubbed Uniqlo Field, patted his glove a couple times, then watched the Dodger Stadium fade into darkness as the bass in the sound system began to thump. In the left-field pavilion, trumpeter Tatiana Tate began to play “Narco,” the walk-out song that Díaz and musician Timmy Trumpet made famous in Queens. The live rendition in Los Angeles was a surprise touch that Díaz wasn’t expecting, but it added to the pageantry of the occasion. “It was bumping out there,” Tucker said. Everybody, Hernández said, was surprised this actually became a reality. No one thought the three-time All-Star closer would leave New York. But after a year in which the Dodgers’ unreliable bullpen was nearly their undoing, the back-to-back champs stayed persistent. And when they offered a few million dollars more than the Mets, giving Díaz three years and $69 million — the largest annual salary ever for a reliever — it was enough to entice the two-time National League Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year to leave the place he had called home for the last seven years. In Los Angeles, Díaz felt he had the best chance to win his first championship. He had only heard great things about the organization from his brother, Alexis, who made nine appearances for the Dodgers in 2025, and fellow Puerto Rico native Kiké Hernández, a fan favorite who now holds the Dodgers’ franchise record for most postseason games played. But even Dave Roberts didn’t think there was a chance of landing Díaz entering the winter. The Dodgers manager grew more optimistic while on vacation in early December, when the front office reached out to him about joining in on a call with Díaz. “We talked for probably, I’d say, 45 minutes on a Zoom,” Roberts recalled. “Afterwards, I told my wife, I go, ‘We’re gonna get him.’ I felt really good about it.’” Why was Roberts convinced? “It was just kind of selling ourselves and talking about how well we value him and the culture and the team and ownership,” Roberts said. “If you really want to win a championship, this is the place to be. Obviously talked to his wife and convinced her that moving West was a good decision. Yeah, and I also think that his brother being here last year was a big help. Having him here as a call-up from the minors, and us treating him like a superstar, I think that kind of helped the decision and comfort going forward.” Fast-forward three months, and everything the Dodgers envisioned was playing out as planned. On Friday afternoon, the Dodgers received their 2025 World Series rings. Díaz watched some of the ceremony from the dugout before retreating to the clubhouse to prepare for the game that night. If he wanted any extra motivation before his first performance for his new team, that was as good as any. “My goal for this year is being in that moment next year,” Díaz said. “I want to help this team to win. I know if this team stays healthy, we can do it again.” Hours later, the two players the Dodgers brought in to try to lift their chances of hoisting a World Series trophy for a third straight season — a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in more than a quarter-century — played their roles to perfection. Tucker, sandwiched between Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts at the top of one of the most decorated lineups ever constructed, reached base twice and knocked in the winning run. Díaz surrendered a walk and nothing more, striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth to secure his 254th save and first as a Dodger. One night later, Diaz entered again with a one-run lead again and promptly retired all three batters he faced to finish a sweep of the Diamondbacks. Stability in the late innings was a luxury these Dodgers weren’t accustomed to last year, when they ranked 21st in bullpen ERA, blew the ninth-most saves in the sport, saw the first year of Tanner Scott’s four-year, $72 million deal go up in flames and were forced to use starters in relief to carry them through October. Now, in a scary reality for the rest of the league as the Dodgers embrace their status as baseball villains, the back end of the Dodgers’ bullpen looks daunting. Not only does Díaz give the Dodgers the shutdown closer they lacked, but Scott also appears to be finding his form again in a lower-leverage role. Roberts intimated this winter that Scott never felt right physically last season and believed the left-hander’s 2025 season, during which he went 1-4 with a 4.74 ERA, was an “outlier year.” At one point six months ago, at his lowest point after one of his 10 blown saves, Scott lamented that baseball hated him. By trying to be too perfect, he thought he got away from his strengths. He was missing his spots consistently. There were mechanical issues involved, too. The struggles became mentally exhausting. “I threw too many balls in the zone and paid for it a lot,” Scott said. “It was terrible.” But a new year brings a fresh slate. It’s a short sample, but Scott has retired seven of the eight batters he has faced in 2026, including three by strikeout, in three scoreless appearances. “There’s a physical component which certainly feels better,” Roberts told me in a scrum. “There’s a mental component where it’s a new year.” Scott’s fastball, which yielded nine home runs last season, is getting the swing-and-miss that wasn’t there a year ago when the pitch too often found the middle of the plate. His slider is coming in a tick harder, and though he told me that he hasn’t changed the grip on the pitch, he has done a lot of work with Dodgers pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness and bullpen coach Josh Bard to get the slider in a place where he trusts it. “Just going back to what I did in ‘23 and ‘24 and seeing the success I had and what I was doing with it,” Scott told me. “I kind of got away from what I was doing really good the previous two years. Baseball’s a grind. You’ve got to put in the time, and it’s paying off. But we’ve got to keep going.” Added Roberts: “The slider’s just a better pitch this year than it ever was last year.” Scott is careful not to get too far ahead of himself, especially given how last year went, but he’ll take the small wins. Everything, Scott said, feels good right now. It’s evident both in his presence on the mound and in the  “funky swings,” as Roberts described them, that he’s generating. “I think even with Tanner, who’s as good as anyone at washing the slate clean, you’ve still got to have success,” Roberts said. “When you’re not having success, it’s like, ‘Here we go again’ kind of mindset. So for him to get off to a good start, it’s important.” This time, the weight of finishing games has been lifted. The Dodgers have not had a single closer record more than 25 saves since Kenley Jansen departed after the 2021 season. The primary ninth-inning option has been a revolving door since then, from Craig Kimbrel in 2022 to Evan Phillips in 2023 and 2024 to Scott last season. With Diaz now cemented as the team’s shutdown closer, the Dodgers’ manager can deploy Scott, Alex Vesia and his other high-leverage options in more advantageous lanes as he sees fit in the innings prior. “It’s huge,” Roberts said. “I don’t think that there’s one way to manage a pen, but when you have a guy like Edwin Díaz as your closer, I do think it frees up other guys, myself included, not having to worry about matchups for the ninth. I think that’s freeing for me and allows for kind of getting the matchups we need in the prior innings.” Bullpen success can be volatile, but at least in the early going, the Dodgers’ most glaring weakness from last year’s team now looks like one of their many strengths — and that’s before the expected returns later this year of relievers Phillips, Brock Stewart and Brusdar Graterol. The top four hitters in the Dodgers’ lineup — Ohtani, Tucker, Betts and Freddie Freeman — are batting a combined .192 through five games, yet the Dodgers are 4-1 behind an elite rotation and a fortified bullpen that has started the year 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA and a new closer who has converted each of his first two save opportunities. Dîaz allowed his first run of the season in his third appearance Tuesday night, but Roberts attributed the result to the rainy conditions and a water-soaked mound. Díaz still rebounded to comfortably finish off the Dodgers’ win against the Guardians. The fact he’s there at all is still an almost unbelievable reality for those around him. “I just know I gotta keep doing my job,” Díaz said, “and hear the trumpets here in Dodger Stadium.” Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports