Browsing: stage

Former NBA player Jason Collins has Stage 4 glioblastoma. Collins — who in 2013 became the first openly gay active player in a men’s North American sports league — revealed his diagnosisto ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

Collins’ diagnosis comes months after his family announced he was dealing with a brain tumor. They did not provide additional details at the time, asking for “support and prayers.”

Advertisement

Collins, 47, explained that his family intentionally put out a vague statement, as it wanted to protect his privacy while he was “mentally unable to speak for myself.” Collins said he first started experiencing symptoms in the summer, but tried to fight through them at first. But things came to a head in August, when Collins couldn’t focus enough to pack for a trip to the US Open with his husband.

After undergoing a CT scan, it was determined Collins had Stage 4 glioblastoma. Given the shape of his cancer, it could not be fully removed without Collins coming out of surgery “different,” he told ESPN.

Since his tumor can’t be operated on, Collins said the standard prognosis is “only 11 to 14 months.”

“Because my tumor is unresectable, going solely with the ‘standard of care’ — radiation and TMZ — the average prognosis is only 11 to 14 months. If that’s all the time I have left, I’d rather spend it trying a course of treatment that might one day be a new standard of care for everyone.”

He vowed to seek out new, inventive treatment methods in the hopes that he can find something that helps him, or helps the next person diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma. Due to his NBA career, Collins said money was not an issue and that he’s willing to go anywhere in the world to seek treatment.

Advertisement

Collins drew parallels to when he decided to come out as gay. In both scenarios, he might be able to help people he’s never met, Collins explained.

“After I came out, someone I really respect told me that my choice to live openly could help someone who I might never meet. I’ve held onto that for years. And if I can do that again now, then that matters.”

Collins was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. He never played for the franchise, however, as he was traded to the New Jersey Nets. Collins spent a total of 13 seasons in NBA, seeing time with six different franchises.

The majority of his time came with the Nets, which he later joined during his final NBA season. He saw time in 22 games during the 2013-14 season, averaging 7.8 minutes per game in Brooklyn. At the end of the season, Collins announced his retirement from the NBA.

Source link

Dec 11, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

Jason Collins played for six teams across his 13-year NBA career and was the first active, openly gay player in NBA history. He is currently undergoing treatment for Stage 4 glioblastoma. This is his story.

A few months ago, my family released a short statement saying I had a brain tumor. It was simple, but intentionally vague. They did that to protect my privacy while I was mentally unable to speak for myself and my loved ones were trying to understand what we were dealing with.

But now it’s time for people to hear directly from me.

I have Stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. It came on incredibly fast.

In May I married the love of my life, Brunson Green, at a ceremony in Austin, Texas, that couldn’t have been more perfect. In August, we were supposed to go to the US Open, just as every year, but when the car came to take us to the airport, I was nowhere near ready. And for the first time in decades, we missed the flight because I couldn’t stay focused to pack.

I had been having weird symptoms like this for a week or two, but unless something is really wrong, I’m going to push through. I’m an athlete.

Something was really wrong, though. I was in the CT machine at UCLA for all of five minutes before the tech pulled me out and said they were going to have me see a specialist. I’ve had enough CTs in my life to know they last longer than five minutes and whatever the tech had seen on the first images had to be bad.

According to my family, in hours, my mental clarity, short-term memory and comprehension disappeared — turning into an NBA player’s version of “Dory” from “Finding Nemo.” Over the next few weeks we would find out just how bad it was.

What makes glioblastoma so dangerous is that it grows within a very finite, contained space — the skull — and it’s very aggressive and can expand. What makes it so difficult to treat in my case is that it’s surrounded by the brain and is encroaching upon the frontal lobe — which is what makes you, “you.”

My glioblastoma is “multiforme.” Imagine a monster with tentacles spreading across the underside of my brain the width of a baseball.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

Officially they had to do a biopsy to determine it was a glioblastoma, but when it’s in a butterfly shape — already in both hemispheres of the brain — it is almost always a glio and it is impossible to fully resect without coming out of the surgery “different.”

The biopsy revealed that my glio had a growth factor of 30%, meaning that within a matter of weeks, if nothing were to be done, the tumor would run out of room and I’d probably be dead within six weeks to three months.

My glio is extraordinary for all the wrong reasons, and is “wild type”– it has all these mutations that make it even more deadly and difficult to treat. What’s that mythical creature where you cut off one head, but it learns to grow two more? The Hydra. That’s the kind of glio I have.

People ask me what it was like hearing all this bad news. Well, the good thing is I was totally out of it when they were explaining all this to my husband and family in the hospital, and I don’t really remember. Brunson said I lost the desire to watch tennis while I was in the hospital, unable to move, and took a liking to calm, quiet Korean soap operas — in Korean.

One thing I’ve always prided myself on is having the right people in my life. When I came out publicly as the first active gay basketball player in 2013, I told a lot of the people closest to me before I did so. I wasn’t worried it would leak before the story came out, because I trusted the people I told. And guess what? Nothing leaked. I got to tell my own story, the way I wanted to. And now I can honestly say, the past 12 years since have been the best of my life. Your life is so much better when you just show up as your true self, unafraid to be your true self, in public or private. This is me. This is what I’m dealing with.

When my grandmother got sick with Stage 4 stomach cancer, she didn’t like people saying the word “cancer.” She never wanted that word being spoken. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum. I don’t care if you say the word. I have cancer, but just like my grandmother fought it, I’m going to fight it.

When they gave my grandmother her diagnosis, her doctor told her she had six months to live. Well, she ended up outliving the doctor who gave her that prognosis. So when a doctor says this is what your time frame is, in my mind already like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know there’s more in me. I know there’s more fight in me.’

While I was in the hospital, friends and family came to visit me to presumably say their goodbyes. At that point, no one knew if I’d ever come out of the fog I was in.

My husband and family were researching and coming up with a plan, however. They had to get me out of the hospital so I could begin taking a drug called Avastin, which is one of the first treatments for tumors like mine. It was my best chance of stopping the growth of the tumor and regaining any quality of life back, they said. Then came radiation.

Within days, I started coming out of my fog. They had to wheel me into my first radiation treatment. By the third one I could walk. By the middle of October I started to go on short walks around my neighborhood. My husband even gave me back my phone. (Apparently I was sending very weird text messages and watching mindless TikToks for hours while I was out of it.)

I started researching glioblastoma and all of my options. I wanted to know everything about what I was facing.

As an athlete you learn not to panic in moments like this. These are the cards I’ve been dealt. To me it’s like, ‘Shut up and go play against Shaq.’ You want the challenge? This is the challenge. And there is no bigger challenge in basketball than going up against prime Shaquille O’Neal, and I’ve done that.

There is a doctor we work with out of Duke, Henry Friedman, and he loves athletes because of their drive. We don’t get to our level by accident. It’s through a lot of hard work, determination, seeing an obstacle and figuring out how to overcome it.

NBA Christmas Day on ESPN and ABC

Thursday, Dec. 25
Cavaliers at Knicks, 12 p.m.
Spurs at Thunder, 2:30 p.m.
Mavericks at Warriors, 5 p.m.
Rockets at Lakers, 8 p.m.
Timberwolves at Nuggets, 10:30 p.m.

All times Eastern

Early in this process, I had a conversation with my twin brother, Jarron. We were both emotional, but he sat right in front of me on the couch and said, ‘You have to fight. No matter what, you have to fight.”

I know how to do that. When I was making my decision to come out publicly, I remembered a scene in the movie “Moneyball” where Red Sox owner John Henry (Arliss Howard) says to Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) that the first person through the wall always gets bloodied.

I feel like I’m right back in that position now, where I might be the first person through this wall. We aren’t going to sit back and let this cancer kill me without giving it a hell of a fight.

We’re going to try to hit it first, in ways it’s never been hit: with radiation and chemotherapy and immunotherapy that’s still being studied but offers the most promising frontier of cancer treatment for this type of cancer.

Due to my tumor’s genetic makeup, the standard temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy for glioblastoma doesn’t work on it. Currently I’m receiving treatment at a clinic in Singapore that offers targeted chemotherapy — using EDVs — a delivery mechanism that acts as a Trojan horse, seeking out proteins only found in glioblastomas to deliver its toxic payload past the blood-brain barrier and straight into my tumors.

The goal is to keep fighting the progress of the tumors long enough for a personalized immunotherapy to be made for me, and to keep me healthy enough to receive that immunotherapy once it’s ready.

Because my tumor is unresectable, going solely with the “standard of care” — radiation and TMZ — the average prognosis is only 11 to 14 months. If that’s all the time I have left, I’d rather spend it trying a course of treatment that might one day be a new standard of care for everyone.

I’m fortunate to be in a financial position to go wherever in the world I need to go to get treatment. So if what I’m doing doesn’t save me, I feel good thinking that it might help someone else who gets a diagnosis like this one day.

After I came out, someone I really respect told me that my choice to live openly could help someone who I might never meet. I’ve held onto that for years. And if I can do that again now, then that matters.

About a week before I went into the hospital, I fell upstairs at our house in Los Angeles. I couldn’t figure out how to turn off this cooler we have on our bed. There’s an app, but the tumor was clearly affecting my brain by then. So rather than use the app, I bent down, tried to unplug it from the wall and fell. I caught myself in a plank position and just stayed there.

I couldn’t figure out how to get myself up, how to put my knee down and balance to push myself up. I couldn’t do that for some reason. That was very scary.

But all I could think while I was down there was, ‘This is not how you’re going to find me. I’m not going to be like Elvis on the toilet. If something goes bad here, this is not how you’re going to find me. I’m going to figure out how to solve this puzzle. If I don’t panic, I will figure this out. I will get myself up.

You’re reading this now because I eventually got myself up and figured it out. Anyone who knows me knows not to underestimate me on this, either.

Source link

Welcome back to the world’s most accurate power rankings, where this week we will place the eight NBA Cup quarterfinalists into so perfect an order they barely even have to play the tournament to sort it out.

That is right: We ranked the eight teams remaining in the NBA Cup field from from least likely to most likely to win the single-elimination extravaganza. Bet accordingly, or don’t. I can’t guarantee winnings.

Advertisement

What I can guarantee is that these are the best damn NBA Cup quarterfinal power rankings around …

How they got here: PHX 118, UTA 96 • PHX 114, MIN 113 • PHX 112, SAC 100 • OKC 123, PHX 119

NBA Cup quarterfinal: at Oklahoma City (-15.5) on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

The Suns are playing better than anyone anticipated, hovering above .500, holding firm to a play-in tournament berth in the crowded Western Conference through the season’s first quarter. They are 3-4 in their last seven games, playing more like the team we imagined them to be, with a -4.7 net rating.

Advertisement

Devin Booker missed their last two games, including a blowout loss to the Houston Rockets, with a strained groin. While he is scheduled for reevaluation before Wednesday’s Cup quarterfinal game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Booker is unlikely to return in time to help punch Phoenix’s ticket to Vegas.

The Thunder, then, will host the wavering Booker-less Suns, and since every team but the Portland Trail Blazers has befallen the same fate against the defending champions, I’m not in love with the Suns’ odds.

The Suns will likely be without Devin Booker in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. (Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)

(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters)

How they got here: TOR 112, CLE 101 • TOR 109, ATL 97 • TOR 140, WAS 110 • TOR 97, IND 95

Advertisement

NBA Cup quarterfinal: vs. New York (-4.5) on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

As Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković said, suggesting his team needs a kick in the you-know-what at the campaign’s quarter-point, “I’m demanding more urgency from the whole team. I’m demanding more scrappiness. When we do that … weâ€re a completely different team, and we can compete with anybody.”

[Devine: Breaking down the East quarterfinal matchups]

That has been, for the most part, true, as Toronto has held its own in the Eastern Conference, seizing a home playoff seed through the season’s first 25 games. Like the Suns, the Raptors have struggled of late, losing five of their last six games, playing more like the team we envisioned, and like Phoenix, Toronto has been missing a key contributor to its rotation, as RJ Barrett (knee) has missed his last eight games.

Advertisement

Statistically, the Raptors have been about as good with Barrett on the court (+2.7 points per 100 possessions) as they have been without him (+2.5), which jibes with what we have seen from them — and what they have said — over their recent rough patch. I think this is a team that needs everyone, and, as Rajaković said, needs everyone pulling in the same direction, away from the lottery, to stay competitive.

How they got here: MIA 126, CHA 108 • NYK 140, MIA 132 • MIA 143, CHI 107 • MIA 106, MIL 103

NBA Cup quarterfinal: at Orlando (+2.5) on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

The Heat play faster than everyone else, mostly without screens, driving and cutting and rotating and spacing, and this brand of ball has led to significant improvements on the offensive end, where they rank 13th after falling into the bottom 10 last season. The arrival of Norman Powell has helped in that regard.

Advertisement

“You have to learn how to be in the best shape of your life, really,” Jaime Jaquez told The Athletic of the requirements necessary to play inside of their new system. “You just have to be really well-conditioned.”

Apparently they are. In addition to their freshly learned offensive responsibilities, the Heat are playing the same stout defense they did last season, ranking in the top 10 on that end. The resulting net rating (+3.5) has been good for a 14-10 record and the last guaranteed playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

There is some question about how well their style travels. They are 4-7 on the road, including a pair of losses in Orlando, where they will travel for Tuesday’s Cup quarterfinal. It might be easier for the Heat to run teams out of the gym when they are in Miami, where South Beach serves as a visitor’s distraction.

How they got here: ORL 123, BOS 110 • ORL 105, BOS 98 • ORL 144, PHI 103 • ORL 112, DET 109

Advertisement

NBA Cup quarterfinal: vs. Miami (-2.5) on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

The Magic were humming in the absence of an injured Paolo Banchero, got the former No. 1 overall pick back and then lost Franz Wagner to what appeared to be a severe injury. It is frustrating beyond words.

“You never want to see anybody go down, but that hurt my heart watching him hit the floor,” said Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley. “I’m just praying everything is going to be OK with him. You just don’t like to see that happen to anyone, especially [Franz], who tries to do everything the right way at all times.”

The official diagnosis for Wagner: A high left ankle sprain. It looked worse. Scratch him from the NBA Cup moving forward. “His return will depend on how he responds to treatment,” the Magic’s statement said.

Advertisement

Orlando is +1.3 points per 100 meaningful possessions this season when Wagner is on the floor without Banchero, and they are -6.3 points per 100 non-garbage possessions when the reverse is true, according to Cleaning the Glass. That does not bode well for their chances against Miami, but something tells me Banchero learned from watching Wagner in his absence, and the Magic have enough to get the job done.

How they got here: SAS 121, HOU 110 • GSW 109, SAS 108 • SAS 115, POR 102 • SAS 139, DEN 136

NBA Cup quarterfinal: at Los Angeles (-4.5) on Wednesday (10:05 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

Advertisement

Really, the Spurs have yet to show us what they are fully capable of, vacillating between the absences of De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama, plus a few other injuries. Still, they are 16-7, squarely in the hunt for a guaranteed playoff seed, and owners of a healthy +3.8 net rating, both good for fifth in the West.

“We’re having a good year right now, and we still haven’t had our whole team,” said Stephon Castle, a Rookie of the Year. “It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time. Guys are getting more comfortable and more shots when guys are out. Obviously we want the whole team together to get to our full potential.”

That may be possible on Wednesday, when Wembanyama is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles a few weeks removed from straining his left calf. His availability for the Cup quarterfinal remains uncertain.

Nobody but the Thunder has a better defense than when Wembanyama is on the floor for San Antonio, and that defensive rating falls to a bottom-10 figure when he is off the court. The offense has hummed along at a top-10 pace in Wembanyama’s absence, but they will need their full complement of defenders — with a healthy 7-foot-5 alien in the middle — in order to send the Lakers packing.

Advertisement

How they got here: LAL 117, MEM 112 • LAL 118, NOP 104 • LAL 135, LAC 118 • LAL 129, DAL 119

NBA Cup quarterfinal: vs. San Antonio (+4.5) on Wednesday (10:05 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

Luka DonÄić, Austin Reaves and LeBron James form the most dangerous offensive trio in the game, especially since James looked more like himself with a 29-point performance Sunday.

“Just at 40 years old, I mean, it just takes a while for my body to kind of get back into a rhythm,†James said upon returning to his All-Star form. “And so it felt good tonight to kind of feel like myself a little bit, being able to run and jump and cut and catch my second wind a lot faster tonight. Hopefully that stays.â€

Advertisement

Hopefully that stays. A forever mantra in L.A., where James will turn 41 years old later this month. Because, as long as he is on the floor, James provides the Lakers with a third offensive option who could command a double team, and there are not enough defenders to put two on DonÄić, Reaves and James.

The defense remains a concern, though, as the Lakers rate 21st on that end (116.2 points allowed per 100 possessions). It is hard to imagine them seriously contending for a title with their existing personnel, but at the same time it is hard to imagine anyone slowing each of the Lakers’ three dynamos in a must-win game, because, and this may be oversimplifying it, James and DonÄić know how to pull these games out.

How they got here: CHI 135, NYK 125 • NYK 140, MIA 132 • NYK 129, CHA 101 • NYK 118, MIL 109

Advertisement

NBA Cup quarterfinal: at Toronto (+4.5) on Tuesday (8:35 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

The Knicks welcomed OG Anunoby back into the fold from a left hamstring strain for a pair of victories against the Magic and Utah Jazz. When he is on the floor with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks are outscoring opponents by 35.6 points per 100 possessions, operating like the league’s best outfit on both ends of the floor, and that is a welcome sign for New York.

Of course, when Towns and center Mitchell Robinson share the floor, the Knicks are also outscoring opponents by 6.1 points per 100 possessions, another healthy number. To have a pair of starting-caliber lineups to choose between is far from the worst problem for Knicks head coach Mike Brown to have.

Either way, the Knicks have lived up to the hype as favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference. They, too, have defensive concerns, ranking in the middle of the pack on that end, given the limitations of Brunson and Towns, though they have been one of the league’s better defenses at home this season.

Advertisement

“Weâ€ve done a great job of protecting our home court,” said Josh Hart, whose Knicks are 13-1 at Madison Square Garden. “This should be the hardest place to play in the NBA, and we want teams to know that.”

How they got here: OKC 132, SAC 101 • OKC 144, UTA 112 • OKC 113, MIN 105 • OKC 123, PHX 119

NBA Cup quarterfinal: vs. Phoenix (+15.5) on Wednesday (7:35 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

There is a lot of lip service in the NBA, and this certainly sounds like lip service …

“We have a team that over time has formed a belief that youâ€re only as good as you are tonight,” said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. “Nothing we have done previous to this has helped us tonight.”

Advertisement

… but it’s not.

Oklahoma City actually believes its mantra. The Thunder wake up each morning in service of performing their jobs, which is to win basketball games, and no previous victory will assure them of the next. So they must give forth a full effort. And their full effort is better than anybody else’s almost every single night.

“Our team has been way more of the same than different,” Daigneault said of his defending champions. “The only difference might be a little more confidence — internal confidence and assuredness. I think the chemistry and continuity help with that. But it feels the same. The same things weâ€ve emphasized.”

There is little else to say about this team, other than that they are apace to be the greatest of all time.

Source link

With NXT Deadline just hours away, fans are already hyped for the Iron Survivor Challenge matches and the NXT Title main event—but now weâ€ve got our first real look at what the nightâ€s going to look like.

In an update, Shawn Michaels took to Twitter and dropped a video straight from inside the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas—giving fans a full view of the stage setup for tonightâ€s Premium Live Event.

“It may be quiet now, but trust me, weâ€re about to make some noise in San Antonio!â€

The stage includes the signature Deadline logo, sleek LED panels, countdown-style numbers lining the entrance, and of course, the fully installed penalty box for the Iron Survivor Challenge matches.

This yearâ€s show features the Menâ€s and Womenâ€s Iron Survivor Challenge matches, plus Ricky Saints defending the NXT Championship against “The Ruler†Oba Femi, in whatâ€s expected to be the show-stealer.

With a stage this clean and a card this stacked, Deadline promises to be one of NXTâ€s biggest nights of the year—and now thanks to Shawn Michaels, fans got a front-row peek before the action even starts.

WWE NXT Deadline 2025 Lineup:

• NXT Championship: Ricky Saints (c) vs. Oba Femi
• Menâ€s Iron Survivor Challenge: Jeâ€Von Evans vs. Joe Hendry vs. Myles Borne vs. Leon Slater vs. Dion Lennox
• Womenâ€s Iron Survivor Challenge: Sol Ruca vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey
• NXT North American Championship: Ethan Page (c) vs. Mr. Iguana
• Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame

What do you think of the NXT Deadline stage setup this year? Drop your reactions in the comments and let us know.

Source link

The good news – at least from a planning perspective – for Scotland supporters is that Group C is one of only two groups to be played in a single country (the USA).

Scotland begin their campaign against Haiti, either in Boston or New Jersey, while the follow-up against Morocco on 18 June will be in Philadelphia or Boston.

Their final group-stage fixture against Brazil will be in Atlanta or Miami on 24 June.

For now, England fans know their opener against Croatia on 17 June will either be staged in Toronto or Dallas, while the fixture against Ghana on 23 June will be in Toronto or Boston.

Their final group-stage match against Panama will be in New York or Philadelphia.

Group A: Guadalajara, Monterrey, Mexico City (Mexico), Atlanta (US)

Group B: Toronto, Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle (US)

Group C: Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia (US)

Group D: Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle (US)

Group E: Toronto (Canada), Houston, Kansas, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia (US)

Group F: Monterrey (Mexico), Dallas, Houston, Kansas (US)

Group G: Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, Seattle (US)

Group H: Guadalajara (Mexico), Atlanta, Houston, Miami (US)

Group I: Toronto (Canada), Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia (US)

Group J: Dallas, Kansas, San Francisco (US)

Group K: Guadalajara, Mexico City (Mexico), Atlanta, Houston, Miami (USA)

Group L: Toronto (Canada), Dallas, New York/New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia (USA)

Source link

The run-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup began in earnest Friday, with the group-by-group draw for the 48-team field revealed. (Eventually. After musical performances, the typical FIFA- and Kennedy Center-style bombast and, for some reason, Kevin Hart.)

The complete schedule won’t be revealed until Saturday — why rush, right? — but we know who, where and when the tournament’s hosts will play. Let’s break down what the U.S. men’s national team will face and make some immediate, ironclad and infallible predictions.

Game-by-game breakdown

There’s a chance that the U.S. will end up in a group with three teams it has already played in 2025. The Americans beat Australia in an October friendly and Paraguay in November; meanwhile, they lost to Türkiye in June. Türkiye will be the favorite to advance from UEFA’s Path C playoff, one that also involves Kosovo, Slovakia and Romania.

Paraguay

June 12 | Inglewood, California
FIFA ranking: 39
Elo ranking: 21

When the U.S. beat Paraguay 2-1 in Philadelphia last month, it was seen as a sign of solid progress — Paraguay finished only one point outside of second in CONMEBOL qualification, beating Brazil (1-0), Argentina (2-1) and Uruguay (2-0) at home and finishing with more qualification wins than losses for the first time since 2010.

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

Paraguay boast some familiar faces for American fans: Veteran winger Miguel Almirón plays for Atlanta United again after a long stint at Newcastle United, and 22-year-old midfielder Diego Gómez has been a breakout performer for Brighton & Hove Albion this season in the Premier League. Strasbourg’s 21-year-old Julio Enciso is quickly making a name for himself as well. But the meat of this squad plays in South America — captain Gustavo Gómez, with his 86 caps, plays for Palmeiras, as does midfielder Ramón Sosa, and a majority of the 26-man roster will likely hail from clubs in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

After Gio Reyna‘s early strike gave the U.S. the lead in Philly, Almirón assisted on an Alex Arce goal to make it 1-1 before Folarin Balogun scored in the 71st minute to give the U.S. the win in a cagey match that featured 50% more fouls (24) than shot attempts (16). Expect similar physicality at SoFi Stadium.

Australia

June 19 | Seattle
FIFA ranking: 26
Elo ranking: 30

A full week after the Paraguay match, the U.S. will head to Seattle to face another recent foe. Australia made easy work of World Cup qualification, losing only once in 16 matches and outscoring outmanned opponents by a combined 52-3. They began 2025 with seven straight wins before their 2-1 defeat to the U.S., and in the past two years they’ve played 10 teams in this World Cup field, losing to only the U.S. and, in February 2024, South Korea.

This is a strong, cohesive team, but it lacks a bit when it comes to major-club talent. Among recent call-ups, only midfielders Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe (both St. Pauli), defenders Kasey Bos (Mainz) and Alessandro Circati (Parma) and veteran goalkeeper Mathew Ryan (Levante) play for teams in Europe’s Big Five leagues. (Bos has yet to make an official national team appearance.)

Feyenoord’s Jordan Bos put Australia ahead of the U.S. in October’s friendly before two Haji Wright goals, both assisted by Cristian Roldan, gave the Americans the win. Australia allowed the U.S. to dominate possession (63%) but gave up just 11 shot attempts, three from within 14 meters. That was normal: They are natural and willing underdogs, happy to cede the ball and create counterattacking opportunities — even while rolling through qualification; in fact, they enjoyed only 53% possession.

UEFA Path C playoff winner: Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo

June 25 | Inglewood, California
FIFA rankings: Türkiye (25), Slovakia (45), Romania (47), Kosovo (80)
Elo rankings: Türkiye (15), Kosovo (42), Slovakia (48), Romania (53)

The U.S. beat Australia in an October friendly, and the two sides will meet in their second group stage game at next summer’s World Cup. Robin Alam/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images

It’s hard to preview four teams at once, but let’s give it a try. On March 26, Slovakia will host Kosovo in one playoff semifinal while Türkiye and Romania meet in the other. The winners will face off five days later with a spot in Group D — and a June 25 date with the U.S. in Southern California — on the line.

As you can see from the rankings above, Türkiye have to be considered the favorites to advance, although the prospect of winning a pair of single-elimination matches means that no one can be heavy favorites. Türkiye indeed defeated the U.S. in East Hartford in June: Jack McGlynn scored in the first minute for the hosts, but goals from Real Madrid’s Arda Güler and Fenerbahce’s Kerem Aktürkoglu gave Türkiye an advantage they wouldn’t cede. In Güler, Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Can Uzun — all 20 years old — the team boasts some of the brightest young attacking talent in the world, although defense let it down at times in World Cup qualification: Türkiye gave up eight goals in two matches against Spain.

If Türkiye don’t advance, Slovakia might be considered the second favorites. They have reached the knockout rounds of two of the past three World Cups, and their squad could feature veterans such as midfielder Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli) and defenders Milan Skriniar (Fenerbahce) and Dávid Hancko (Atlético Madrid). They beat Germany to begin qualification play, but a lack of scoring (six goals in six matches) rendered them the group runners-up.

Meanwhile, Romania placed third in their qualification group, behind Austria and Bosnia-Herzegovina, but advanced to the playoff thanks to a strong Nations League performance. It would bring an experienced squad to the U.S. — and there would be symmetry of sorts, with the Americans and Romanians sharing a group just as they did in 1994 — but there isn’t a lot of major-club talent on the squad. Kosovo are playing for their first major tournament berth since declaring independence 15 years ago and boast quite a few players in Serie A (including captain Amir Rrahmani, of Napoli) and the Bundesliga (including 23-year-old TSG Hoffenheim star Fisnik Asllani). — Bill Connelly

How far will the U.S. go?

Connelly: Though Türkiye could end up being a high-end obstacle, this is about as favorable of a group as the U.S. could have hoped for. Paraguay and Australia are talented, but neither is in the top 20 of either the current FIFA or Elo rankings, and if Türkiye don’t advance, there will be no top-20 teams.

The enhanced ESPN App

Watch your favorite events in the newly upgraded ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now

We’ll keep these predictions simple and, well, predictable. Home teams usually fare rather well in the World Cup, and with even stronger and more partisan crowds in its favor than it saw in late-2025 friendlies, we’ll say that the U.S. is able to back up those friendly wins with victories in its first two matches. The Americans will survive a physical test from Paraguay by a 1-0 margin, then beat Australia 3-1 with a late counterattacking score. That will take the pressure off for the final match, and while it would be pretty easy to predict a loss or draw against Türkiye and a win over any of the other playoff winners, we’ll split the difference and call for a 1-1 draw. That will put the U.S. at seven points, which would have won any of the groups in the 2022 World Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team will advance to play the third-place squad in Group B, E, F, I or J, and a win would potentially put the Americans up against Group G’s winner (probably Belgium) in the round of 16. Again: It’s hard to ask for a draw much more favorable than this, even if a quarterfinal berth likely means a matchup with Spain, England, Portugal or Colombia.

Jeff Carlisle:I think for the U.S., Group D has some tricky aspects to it, especially if Türkiye emerge from the playoff. If that happens, the average FIFA rank in Group D will make it the most competitive in the tournament. My sense, however, is it could have been far worse. The U.S. avoided Norway from Pot 3 and Italy (probably) from Pot 4, and Australia is one of the lower-ranked teams from Pot 2. The U.S. has also beaten two out of the three likely teams in its group in the past two months, those being Australia and Paraguay.

For that reason, as well as the fact that the Americans will enjoy the support of the home crowd, the U.S. should expect to win the group. And in many respects, it needs to win the group. Doing that would see it play one of the third-place teams in the round of 32 before potentially facing the winner of Group G in the round of 16, with Belgium the favorite to emerge from that group.

But make no mistake, this will not by any means be easy. Though the U.S. defeated Australia and Paraguay, the matches weren’t pushovers. Türkiye beat the U.S. quite easily in June, but that seems like a lifetime ago for this U.S. squad. In the meantime, the goal for the U.S. over the next six months will be to continue to improve.

Cesar Hernandez: Sure, Australia and Paraguay won’t be easy and the U.S. just narrowly defeated both of them 2-1 in the fall, but Pochettino should feel confident about his team’s chances in its first two matches of the group stage. Assuming the Americans get the job done and avoid a loss, they seem likely to collect three more points against the European playoff winner: Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo.

Subsequently, as the leader of Group D, it would then have the benefit of facing a third-place side in the round of 32. Once through there, though, the odds are likely that the Americans would face a team such as Belgium in the round of 16. Even with a home-field advantage that’ll boost its chances, it’s difficult to predict a successful result against the highly talented European side.

play

0:39

‘That’s my house alarm!’ Frank Leboeuf interrupts World Cup draw watchalong

Frank Leboeuf is left red-faced as his mobile phone alarm goes off during the ESPN FC Live World Cup draw watchalong.

It might not be a dream run for the Americans, but they’ll at least have one knockout round win in hand.

All that said, the group stage won’t be simple either, especially if Türkiye earn that final ticket into Group D. Their introduction could make this more of a free-for-all in the chase for knockout round invitations.

Lizzy Becherano: The U.S. can and should dream about reaching way beyond the group stage of the tournament.

The Americans’ opener against Paraguay will be a difficult but fair matchup. Although just a friendly, the U.S. just beat Paraguay 2-1 in the November international window. The stakes will be much higher next summer, but at least Pochettino saw a glimpse of success against the future opponents.

As for the game against Australia, the U.S. enters as favorite with the comfort of playing at home. Although Pochettino & Co. can’t truly start planning until a winner from March’s playoff is confirmed, any of the four options can be considered beatable. Türkiye would pose the greatest threat, but dreaming of a first-place group stage finish is possible.

Realistically, the U.S. can advance as winner of Group D, giving the Americans better odds of less stressful route in the knockouts. On home turf, the U.S. has a decent chance of impressing at the 2026 World Cup.

Source link

MUMBAI: In a boost to his career which looked in the doldrums last year, former Mumbai batter Prithvi Shaw is set to lead Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy league stage, which will start from Nov 26. Shaw has replaced Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been recalled to Indiaâ€s ODI squad for the upcoming home series against South Africa, for the captaincy position.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Since he moved to Maharashtra from Mumbai at the start of the season after being dropped from Mumbaiâ€s Ranji Trophy team last year, Shaw has been in sizzling form in the Ranji Trophy, with 470 runs in five matches (seven innings) — including a scintillating double-century (222 off 156 balls against Chandigarh at Chandigarh) and three half-centuries — at an superb average of 67.14, Shaw has been the highest run-getter for his team after the first leg.

Shreyas Iyer makes his first public appearance after injury, spotted with Preity Zinta

On Monday, Shaw was named as the captain of the 16-man Maharashtra quad for the tournament by the Maharashtra selection committee — chaired by former left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar.”Yes, Prithvi has been named as the Maharashtra captain for SMAT, because Ruturaj won’t be available. It’s a collective decision, taken by our selectors and Shaun Williams, who is our director of cricket and the head coach of the Maharashtra senior team. Prithvi has done exceptionally well for us with his experience and skill. He also scored a double century for us. Our team is very happy with him. He is taking the team along with him, and he’s the one who can lead from the front. He deserves to be the Maharashtra captain. We are happy with him, he’s shown his commitment to come back into the Indian team,” Maharashtra Cricket Association secretary Kamlesh Pisal told TOI from Pune.

Poll

Do you think Prithvi Shaw will excel as captain of Maharashtra in SMAT?

With the IPL auction scheduled for Dec 15 in Abu Dhabi, the Maharashtra captaincy couldn’t have come at a better time for Shaw, who went unsold in the IPL last year in a major setback to his career. The 26-year-old scored 197 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 156.34 in SMAT last season, while playing for Mumbai.Maharashtra has been placed in Group B, alongside Jammu & Kashmir, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Goa. The team will play all its league matches in Kolkata. Maharashtra will launch their campaign against Jammu and Kashmir on Nov 26.Maharashtra Squad: Prithvi Shaw (C), Arshin Kulkarni, Rahul Tripathi, Azim Kazi, Nikhil Naik (WK), Ramakrishna Ghosh, Vicky Ostwal, Tanay Sanghvi, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, Mandar Bhandari (WK), Jalaj Saxena, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Yogesh Dongare, and Ranjit Nikam.

Source link

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost an eight-point lead in the final 50 seconds Friday night in Phoenix during a 114-113 NBA Cup loss to the upstart Suns.

They lost something else over the final minute and a half, too, according to Wolves head coach Chris Finch.

Advertisement

“We lost our minds,” Finch said, according to The Associated Press. “Poor execution, turnovers, obviously, and just didnâ€t stay locked in during the last 90 seconds.”

Minnesota gave the ball away three times in the span of 26.6 seconds down the stretch, and Suns point guard Collin Gillespie dropped in the game-winner jumper while defended by his former Villanova teammate, Donte DiVincenzo, clinching the 10-6 Suns’ seventh win in their past eight games. The stunning, last-minute turnaround spoiled a 41-point outing from Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.

Phoenix carried the highest payroll in league history last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20. This season, without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the Suns are a pleasant surprise under the direction of new head coach Jordan Ott.

Advertisement

Ott put the ball in Gillespie’s hands when it mattered most. By that point, four-time All-Star guard Devin Booker had fouled out. So had the team’s second-leading scorer, Dillon Brooks, who was called for an offensive foul with 18 seconds left after pairing an assist with a key steal earlier in the come-from-behind sequence.

After Edwards missed two free throws, and forward Ryan Dunn collected a critical Suns rebound, Ott took a timeout down one with 11.5 seconds to go.

Gillespie checked in and received the subsequent inbound pass. He hesitated for a moment before flipping on the accelerator and driving right. Gillespie was picked up by a switching DiVincenzo, but Gillespie had the inside track to the cup. As DiVincenzo scurried to catch up and contest, Gillespie gathered and elevated for a short jumper that gave the Suns a one-point lead with 6.4 seconds left.

Before the buzzer, Julius Randle, who had back-to-back turnovers moments earlier, was off the mark on a 3-pointer and Phoenix celebrated a triumph over last year’s Western Conference runner-ups.

Advertisement

Friday was the latest notch on Gillespie’s NBA belt as his breakout season continues. The third-year guard poured in 20 points off the bench. He also finished with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

He’s averaging 11.1 points and 25 minutes per game, both career highs after playing in a combined 57 games the past two seasons and going undrafted in 2022.

The Suns also got 13 points off the bench from Jordan Goodwin. He went undrafted out of St. Louis the year before Gillespie. They both seized the spotlight against the Wolves, as Goodwin erased more than half of the Suns’ eight-point deficit in the final minute of play.

“Weâ€re just super competitive, winners and want to play winning basketball,†Gillespie said. “I think you saw a little of that at the end of the game. Just no quit. Fight until thereâ€s no time left.â€

Source link

Shardul Thakur will captain Mumbai for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Gallo Images/Getty Images) Mumbai: All-rounder Shardul Thakur will lead Mumbai in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy (SMAT), which will begin from November 26. Mumbai will play their league stage matches of the domestic T20 tournament at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.As TOI had reported on November 20, Mumbai will enjoy the services of India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav and all-rounder Shivam Dube in the league stage of the tournament, who are both a part of the 17-man squad picked by the Mumbai selectors on Friday.Interestingly, opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who has been captaining the Mumbai Under-23 team this season, has been named as one of the two wicketkeepers in the side.Shardul successfully captained Mumbai in the league stage of the Ranji Trophy this season, with the side securing outright wins in three out of five matches.Mumbai are the defending champions in the tournament, having won the SMAT title last season under Shreyas Iyerâ€s captaincy. Veteran batsman Ajiyakha Rahane, who had scored 469 runs in nine matches at 58.62, including five half-centuries and a strike rate of 164.56, in Mumbai’s triumphant campaign last season, is a part of the squad.Mumbai will take on Railways in their first match on November 26, followed by clashes against Vidarbha on November 28, Andhra on November 30, Assam on December 2, Kerala on December 4, Chhattisgarh on December 6, Odisha on December 8.Squad: Shardul Thakur (captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Siddhesh Lad, Musheer Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Atharva Ankolekar, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Suryansh Shedge, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Sairaj Patil, Irfan Umair.

Source link

Pittsburgh Penguins‘ goaltender ArtÅ«rs Å ilovs is enjoying quite a fast start to what is, technically, considered his rookie season in the NHL.

The native of Riga, Latvia suited up for the Vancouver Canucks in 10 games during the 2024 playoffs, and he performed pretty well for a guy with only nine games of NHL experience spread across two seasons prior to that. Unfortunately – for the Canucks’ sixth-round pick in 2019 – the emergence of Kevin Lankinen in Vancouver and the commitment to veteran Thatcher Demko didn’t leave much room for Å ilovs going forward with the Canucks, even though he led the Abbotsford Canucks to their first-ever AHL championship last season with a .931 save percentage and five shutouts through 24 games.

Advertisement

So, he was dealt to the Penguins this summer for a fourth-round pick and a lower-level prospect. And he’s made a huge impact so far.

Heck, the 24-year-old’s .917 save percentage this season has been enough to catch the attention of folks around the league, as he is involved in some early-season Calder Trophy talks. In fact, he has been one of the best goaltenders in the league up to this point, with the third-highest save percentage among NHL goaltenders with at least 10 appearances.

There’s no doubt that Å ilovs came to Pittsburgh with a lot to prove and some pressure to perform, and he has risen to the occasion thus far. But what some may not know is that Å ilovs has also already performed well at the highest levels of international hockey – and he will have another chance to do so for Team Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina.

As one of the first six players named to Team Latvia’s Olympic squad – Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender â Elvis Merzļikins, Canucks forward Teddy Blueger, Tampa Bay Lightning center â Zemgus Girgensons, Philadelphia Flyers center Rodrigo Abols, and Florida Panthers defenseman Uvisâ  â Balinskis are the others – Å ilovs is getting an opportunity that he hasn’t yet experienced, even if he has thrived on Latvian national teams.

“Itâ€s always an honor to represent your country, especially [for the] Olympics,” Å ilovs said. “NHL players didnâ€t have a chance to play in the past, what, 10 years? I think itâ€s a great opportunity to see the best of the best, especially representing the national team… itâ€s a special team. Everyone is doing anything for the cause.â€

Advertisement

And saying he’s “thrived” on Latvia’s national teams is a bit of an understatement. He turned heads at the 2022 IIHF World Championship, when he put up a .952 save percentage and 1.22 goals-against average in four appearances despite a 2-2 record – giving his team a chance in every game. For IIHF competition in general that year, Å ilovs appeared in six games and posted a whopping .968 save percentage and 0.87 goals-against average against some high-level competition, including Sweden and Finland.

He followed that up in 2023 with a .921 save percentage in 10 appearances at the World Championship, which – once again – caught the attention of many, especially since Latvia was one of the biggest surprises of that tournament when they won the Bronze Medal game over Team USA, 4-3, and went 7-3 overall in the tournament.

Canucks Blueger & Å ilovs Named To Latvia’s 2026 Winter Olympic Games Preliminary Roster

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/latest-news/canucks-blueger-silovs-named-to-latvia-s-2026-winter-olympic-games-preliminary-roster" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Canucks Blueger & Å ilovs Named To Latvia's 2026 Winter Olympic Games Preliminary Roster Teddy Blueger and ArtÅ«rs Å ilovs are headed to the Olympics. The two Vancouver Canucks players were among the first six named to Latvia’s preliminary roster for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. As for the other four named, they were Elvis Merzļikins, Uvis Balinskis, Zemgus Girgensons and former Canucks draft pick, Rodrigo Ä€bols.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “> Canucks Blueger & Å ilovs Named To Latvia’s 2026 Winter Olympic Games Preliminary Roster Teddy Blueger and ArtÅ«rs Å ilovs are headed to the Olympics. The two Vancouver Canucks players were among the first six named to Latvia’s preliminary roster for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. As for the other four named, they were Elvis Merzļikins, Uvis Balinskis, Zemgus Girgensons and former Canucks draft pick, Rodrigo Ä€bols.

Advertisement

Of course, Å ilovs was a huge part of the team’s success. But he gave a lot of credit to the fans and to the fact that high-level hockey is becoming more and more prevalent in his home country.

“I think more guys are now playing outside of Latvia, and we can see a lot of junior guys are playing Canadian or American or or somewhere else and top in Europe,” he said. “So I think it gives a lot of experience for the guys, and when they get together for, like, U20s, or their first international game, I think they have a confidence that theyâ€ve already played against good players. Thereâ€s a lot of [draft picks] and guys who are probably going to play in the NHL like two, three years later.

“So, I think that gives confidence for a lot of guys. Youâ€ve already seen the skill, what can happen and what canâ€t happen, and I think just getting experience. Because if youâ€ve never seen anything like that, itâ€s really hard to say, ‘Oh, weâ€re going to play good.†I feel like, for smaller countries and for less developed countries which donâ€t have hockey that much, itâ€s really tough. You canâ€t compare the guys who play in their local tournament and then try to play against some of the best, right?â€

BREAKING: Abbotsford Canucks Win 2025 Calder Cup

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/game-day/breaking-abbotsford-canucks-win-2025-calder-cup" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:BREAKING: Abbotsford Canucks Win 2025 Calder Cup After a magical playoff run filled with standout performances, the Abbotsford Canucks have officially won the 2025 Calder Cup. This is Abbotsfordâ€s first Calder Cup win in franchise history and their first time making it out of the second round since their inaugural season in 2021. They clinched the Calder Cup after a 3–2 Game 6 win against the Charlotte Checkers in the Calder Cup Finals. The last time the Vancouver Canucks†AHL affiliate made it to the Calder Cup Finals was when the Utica Comets did so in 2015. ;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “> BREAKING: Abbotsford Canucks Win 2025 Calder Cup After a magical playoff run filled with standout performances, the Abbotsford Canucks have officially won the 2025 Calder Cup. This is Abbotsfordâ€s first Calder Cup win in franchise history and their first time making it out of the second round since their inaugural season in 2021. They clinched the Calder Cup after a 3–2 Game 6 win against the Charlotte Checkers in the Calder Cup Finals. The last time the Vancouver Canucks†AHL affiliate made it to the Calder Cup Finals was when the Utica Comets did so in 2015.

Advertisement

And playing against some of the best internationally – in addition to his playoff experience in both the AHL and NHL – has given Å ilovs that “ice-in-the-veins” mentality that is a requirement for the NHL’s best goaltenders. Part of the reason so many folks are excited about what prospect Sergei Murashov could do at the highest level is because of that exact thing.

Well, Å ilovs has it, too. He plays at his best when the stakes are highest, and no stage is too big for him. And that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates and his coach.

“He’s gained some really good experiences in his career so far, and he’s obviously still a relatively young guy,” Muse said. “I think those things, they seem to all kind of stack up. To have that run that he had last year, and then to have the playoffs before, and then you also look at some of the different experiences that he’s had in international play… you look at it and see he’s not that old. He’s got all these things already, and you own those now. You own those experiences, and you carry them with you.”

Nov 14, 2025; Stockholm, SWEDEN; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) makes a save against the Nashville Predators in a Global Series ice hockey game at Avicii Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

Like some of his teammates in Sidney Crosby (Canada), Erik Karlsson (Sweden), Rickard Rakell (Sweden), and Bryan Rust (USA), playing on, arguably, the biggest possible stage at the Olympics is a huge motivating factor for Å ilovs this season, especially since – again – he has never had the chance to participate prior to 2026.

Advertisement

And if his track record – and his play so far this season – is any indication, he should give Team Latvia a pretty good chance to remain competitive in every game during the tournament. And he is excited for the opportunity.

“Iâ€ve never been in an Olympics, so itâ€s just awesome to be a part of it,” Å ilovs said. “[It’s my] first time for the Olympics to experience things, experience the way it is there, and see how the Olympics work. So, yeah, it’s just very exciting.â€

‘It’s Huge For Me’: Olympics Big Motivating Factor For Penguins’ Players This Season

‘It’s Huge For Me’: Olympics Big Motivating Factor For Penguins’ Players This Season The 2026 Olympic Games in Milano Cortina are a huge motivating factor for several Pittsburgh Penguins’ players like Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust – as well as for the entirety of the NHL.

Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

Source link