Lionel Messi picks MLS's Inter Miami in a move that stuns soccer after exit from Paris Saint-Germain
MIAMI — Lionel Messi has pulled off his latest stunning feat: He is headed to Major League Soccer, and joining Inter Miami.After months — years, even — of speculation, Messi finally revealed his decision to join a Miami franchise that has been led by another global soccer icon, David Beckham, since its inception but has yet to make any real splashes on the field.That likely will soon change. One of Inter Miami’s owners, Jorge Mas, tweeted out a photo of a darkly silhouetted Messi jersey shortly before the Argentinian great revealed his decision in interviews with Spanish news outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport.It was widely believed that Messi eventually would choose to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, following longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo to a nation where some clubs now are funded by the state’s sovereign wealth fund. Going back to Barcelona, a storied franchise where he spent most of his career, was another possibility.But in the end, he made the call that surprised many. Messi is joining MLS. He said in the interviews Wednesday that some final details still need to be worked out, but that he has made the call to “continue my path” in Miami.“After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way,” Messi said.He didn’t take the money. He didn’t choose the memories. He picked Miami instead. Messi’s next matches are likely to be exhibitions with Argentina against Australia on June 15 at Beijing and at Indonesia in Jakarta four days later — and then his Inter Miami debut figures to be sometime in July.“We are pleased that Lionel Messi has stated that he intends to join Inter Miami and Major League Soccer this summer,” read a statement from MLS. “Although work remains to finalize a formal agreement, we look forward to welcoming one of the greatest soccer players of all time to our league.”The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — the trophy given annually to the best player in the world — makes his move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain. At 35, Messi has nothing left to prove in the game and filled the only significant unchecked box on his resume back in December by leading Argentina to the World Cup title.Messi has more than 800 goals in his career for club and country, making him one of the greatest scorers in the sport’s history. In more than 17 years of representing Argentina on the international stage, he has scored 102 goals against 38 different national team opponents — 16 of those goals coming on U.S. soil. He scored twice in last year’s World Cup final against France, a match that officially ended 3-3 with Argentina prevailing in penalty kicks.He has been to the absolute mountaintop of the game.And now he comes to MLS, and a team that is struggling — last place in the Eastern Conference, just a few days removed from the firing of coach Phil Neville (who was hand-picked by Beckham two years ago).Messi’s decision to play in the U.S. might be the biggest boost ever for American soccer on the pro stage. Some of the game’s biggest names — Pele, Thierry Henry, Beckham himself — have come to the U.S. toward the end of their careers, but landing a player still no worse than near the pinnacle of his game and just a few months removed from hoisting a World Cup is simply huge.“This is obviously the biggest signing that they’ve brought in,” said U.S. men’s national team player Walker Zimmerman, who plays in MLS for Nashville SC. “It’s kind of reminiscent of Beckham when he came originally. You saw how the league has kind of changed in the 15 years since he arrived, and hopefully 15 years from now we’re seeing all the growth from this addition to the league. I think it’s a great thing. I think it’ll be great for the sport in this country, especially ahead of the 2026 World Cup. And I’m excited to play against him.”It took months of negotiations with MLS, the Inter Miami ownership, Adidas and even Apple getting involved in a creative pitch to bring Messi to Miami’s pitch. Apple — which is a broadcast partner of MLS — announced Tuesday that it will show a still-untitled four-part documentary series “featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes access to global superstar Lionel Messi. … In his own words, Messi tells the definitive story of his incredible career with the Argentina national football team, providing an intimate and unprecedented look at his quest for a legacy-defining World Cup victory.”And now, his story will have a Miami chapter.Inter Miami needed six years from inception to playing its first match, and its first four seasons have been less than stellar.Messi is joining a team that sits last in the Eastern Conference and just fired its coach. It has made the playoffs in two of its first three seasons but has yet to finish a season with a winning record or even a positive goal differential.Still, there have been hints for months that Miami remained very much in the Messi sweepstakes. Messi met with Inter Miami co-owner Beckham this spring, and that was shared publicly almost to ensure that everyone knew the sides were still talking. Messi and his family also own several pieces of luxury real estate in South Florida, and — almost as if to suggest something big was coming — the MLS club told fans the only way they could get tickets for the second half of this season was to purchase a season-ticket package.He’s an enormous draw everywhere on the globe, including Miami. Two days after Argentina won the World Cup, Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry sat on his team’s bench for a game unable to play because of injury. He wore a Messi jersey that night.Inter Miami still plays home matches in a temporary home in Fort Lauderdale, about 45 minutes north of the site in Miami where the team wants to build a permanent complex.And even in an area where the population has a serious Latin flavor, and where more people might actually call the sport futbol than soccer, Inter Miami has struggled to generate the same attention as do the area’s primary pro teams — basketball’s Heat, baseball’s Miami Marlins, football’s Miami Dolphins and hockey’s Florida Panthers.Messi could change that in an instant. In a flash, he becomes the biggest name in MLS and makes everything Miami does newsworthy.His decision ends what has been a wild saga. Barcelona made Messi a superstar, but the financial issues that forced the team to letting him go two years ago still remain an issue.“I heard that they’d have to sell players or lower players’ salaries and the truth is, I didn’t want to go through that,” Messi said Wednesday.There are no financial issues with Saudi Arabia, and speculation that he would end up there intensified when Messi made an unauthorized trip to the kingdom. PSG suspended him and some fans turned on him, serenading him with jeers toward the end of his season with the French club.Everyone knew he wouldn’t be back with PSG. Few likely thought he was heading to Miami. But here he is, a move to Miami by a superstar that might even be more shocking than LeBron James arriving to join the Heat 13 years ago.___AP Soccer Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
NASCAR penalizes Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club for illegal modification
NASCAR issued another set of penalties Wednesday for illegal modifications to its second-year Next Gen car, this time against Legacy Motor Club and driver Erik Jones. NASCAR said the team modified the greenhouse on the No. 43 Chevrolet and fined crew chief Dave Elenz $75,000 and suspended him one race. Both Legacy and Jones were […]
Titans bringing in 3-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins for visit
The Tennessee Titans will be the first NFL team to bring three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in for a free agent visitByTERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football WriterJune 7, 2023, 4:10 PMTennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) runs up the field during practice at the NFL football team’s training facility Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)The Associated PressNASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans will be the first NFL team to bring three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in for a free agent visit. They certainly could use his experience in a very young wide receiving group. Hopkins, who turned 31 Tuesday, would have led Tennessee last season with his 64 catches for 717 yards last season despite being limited to only nine games. Both coach Mike Vrabel and his new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly worked in Houston during Hopkins’ tenure with the Texans. Vrabel made clear Wednesday he won’t be trying to recruit Hopkins, something he’s left behind when he moved from Ohio State to the NFL. “I would really just want people that want to be here,” Vrabel said. “And then if that works out, then you go on to the next step. So that will be pretty much it until we either sign or don’t sign the next player.”Arizona released the five-time Pro Bowl receiver in a salary cap move May 26 after failing to find a trading partner in the offseason.The Cardinals cut Hopkins three seasons after acquiring him in a blockbuster trade in 2020 with Houston and had signed him to a $54.5 million contract extension through 2024. Hopkins would have counted close to $31 million against the cap this season for Arizona, which still took on a dead cap hit of $22.6 million. Hopkins ranks 36th in NFL history with 11,298 yards receiving in his 10 seasons over 145 games.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Tua Tagovailoa trying to 'work on everything' entering 4th NFL season
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel wanted to see a “graduation” from Tua Tagovailoa entering his fourth year in the NFL and second in McDaniel’s system.In Year One, the Dolphins starting quarterback had to learn and adapt weekly. In Year Two, McDaniel expects more command and consistency from him. So far this offseason, he’s seeing it.“I think Year Two, the prerequisite is that he as the quarterback has to have ownership of everything that he’s doing and what everyone else is doing as the facilitator of the offense,” McDaniel said, “and he’s checked that box every day.”Tagovailoa arrived at the Dolphins minicamp visibly bigger than he was last season, something he attributed to his commitment to working on more than what happens on the field.“I’m trying to work on everything. As much as I’m trying to work on throwing that ball, getting the ball to the guys, being able to push the ball a lot more down the field, I’m doing the same thing with my body,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday.The Dolphins picked up the fifth-year option on Tagovailoa’s rookie contract in March after he set career highs in passing touchdowns, passing yards and passer rating in a breakout 2022 season. He led Miami to a 9-8 record, second-place finish in the AFC East and the Dolphins’ first playoff berth since 2016. They lost to Buffalo in the wild-card round of the playoffs.His improvement on the field became less important however than his health after he was diagnosed with two known concussions that cost him several games and forced changes to the NFL’s concussion protocol.Tagovailoa has been training in jiu-jitsu this offseason to learn how to better protect himself when he takes hits, and he has said that it has allowed him to find more safe ways to fall.He’s also been wearing a new quarterback-specific helmet designed to better protect players from head injuries, which was approved in April by the NFL and NFLPA.“I’m still trying to feel it out, so you know what, what better time to feel it out than OTAs?” Tagovailoa said. “I hear it’s supposedly better than the helmet that I was wearing last year. If it could be that much more safe, then why not give it a shot.”Teammates have noticed changes in Tagovailoa’s body and leadership already.“This year you can tell that physically he looks different, but mentally he’s sharp,” linebacker Jerome Baker said. “I don’t think he even threw a pick this offseason. Now he’s getting on guys when they’re not doing right. That’s good to see.”Tagovailoa’s added weight has empowered him to own the quarterback position and be more vocal with teammates, McDaniel said, pointing to that as something he’s noticed along with Tagovailoa’s consistency during offseason training. “That probably doesn’t look the same if he didn’t go about his individual work on his body, which has residuals all over the place,” McDaniel said. “You’re talking his ability to make certain plays is enhanced. His ability to protect himself is enhanced, and his ability to communicate and do his job with his teammates is enhanced.”___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
All players at Women's World Cup to get at least $30,000 in prize money; winners to get $270,000
GENEVA — Every player at the Women’s World Cup will be paid at least $30,000 by FIFA, and the 23 players in the title-winning team will each get $270,000.The details confirmed Wednesday by FIFA fulfils a promise made in March to financially reward the 732 players taking part in the July 20-Aug. 20 tournament hosted by Australia and New Zealand.It means more than half of FIFA’s total prize money fund of $110 million must be paid to the players in the 32 team squads. Players from the 16 teams which do not advance from the group stage are still guaranteed to get $30,000 -– more than the annual salary many get from their clubs. FIFA said it is making “a huge investment in women’s and, for the first time ever, we are guaranteeing prize money for players.”The $110 million pool is more than three times the $30 million prize fund FIFA paid out at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.FIFA president Gianni Infantino said at its annual congress in Rwanda that money should go directly to players.The players’ union FIFPRO had challenged FIFA to secure a “global guarantee” that 30% of the prize money would go to players.“Players are united behind simple yet concrete demands for greater professionalization of the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” FIFPRO said in March.The 16 nations exiting in the group stage will get a total of $2.25 million from FIFA — $690,000 to shares among the players and $1,560,000 for the federation.FIFA will pay $10.5 million to the title-winning nation. The majority of that, $6.21 million, will be distributed among the players with the remaining $4.29 million going to the federation.FIFA previously allocated $30.7 million in total to help the 32 teams prepare for the tournament. The players’ clubs will also get daily-rate payments from a $11.5 million fund for releasing them to national-team duty.It adds up to $152 million in FIFA payments compared to $50 million for the tournament four years ago.Infantino has set a target of equal prize money for men and women at their next World Cups in 2026 and 2027, respectively. The 32 national federations whose teams played at the men’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar shared $440 million in FIFA prize money.Infantino has cited getting a better commercial deal for women’s soccer as the reason for publicly pushing broadcasters in key European markets to raise their offers for tournament rights.Deals in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain — all with teams in the tournament lineup — are unsigned just six weeks before the opening game.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
MLB will discuss postponing games in New York, Philadelphia due to wildfire smoke
Major League Baseball plans to discuss whether to postpone games in New York and Philadelphia on Wednesday night because of poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfiresByThe Associated PressJune 7, 2023, 3:31 PMNew York Yankees’ Clarke Schmidt pitches to Chicago White Sox’s Tim Anderson during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in New York. Smoke from Canadian wildfires has traveled into the United States, resulting in a number of air quality alerts issued since May. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)The Associated PressNEW YORK — Major League Baseball plans to discuss whether to postpone games in New York and Philadelphia on Wednesday night because of poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.The New York Yankees are scheduled to host the Chicago White Sox, and the Philadelphia Phillies are slated to host Detroit.MLB said it planned to speak with the teams involved at about 4 p.m.The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for New York City, saying: “the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.” In Philadelphia, the NWS issued a Code Red.The Yankees and White Sox played through a lesser haze on Tuesday night.The National Women’s Soccer League postponed Orlando’s match at Gotham in Harrison, New Jersey, from Wednesday night to Aug. 9.“The match could not be safely conducted based on the projected air quality index,” the NWSL said.At nearby Belmont Park, The New York Racing Association said training went on as planned ahead of Saturday’s Triple Crown horse race.“NYRA utilizes external weather services and advanced on-site equipment to monitor weather conditions and air quality in and around Belmont Park,” spokesman Patrick McKenna said Wednesday. “Training was conducted normally today, and NYRA will continue to assess the overall environment to ensure the safety of training and racing throughout the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.”The smoke pouring into the U.S. East Coast and Midwest on Wednesday came from more than 400 blazes in Canada. It has raised alarms from health authorities about poor air quality.A two-game series in Seattle between the Mariners and the Giants was moved to San Francisco in September 2020 because of because of poor air quality caused by West Coast wildfires.New York’s NFL teams, the Giants and Jets, both had Wednesday off from offseason workouts. The Giants had been planning to practice inside Thursday, and the Jets say they are also likely to work out indoors Thursday.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports