MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The World Cup has narrowed to eight teams, with six from Europe. Unless Morocco surprises everyone, the champion will be from Europe or South America as usual. Historically, 12 champions have come from Europe and 10 from South America. North America is hosting this year and had high hopes with the U.S., Mexico, and Canada but all were eliminated before the quarterfinals. Africa's hopes now rest on Morocco. Despite some close matches, African teams also made early exits. The tournament continues to show dominance by traditional soccer powerhouses.
LONDON (AP) — The “Ferytale” continues at Wimbledon. Arthur Fery grew up five minutes from the All England Club and now the 114th-ranked player is a semifinalist at the grass-court Grand Slam. The 23-year-old British player who needed a wild-card invitation to enter the tournament beat ninth-seeded Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-0 on Centre Court in front of a Royal Box contingent that included Britain’s Queen Camilla on Wednesday. He will face Alexander Zverev in Friday's semifinals. Earlier, Marta Kostyuk beat Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 to reach her first Wimbledon semifinals. Kostyuk will be back on Centre Court on Thursday to face Linda Noskova, who beat Elise Mertens 6-3, 7-5.
The stutter-step penalty has been a feature of this World Cup. Leading adopters of the technique are superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Neymar. It has had varying levels of success, with Messi not even hitting the target when he tried one in group play. The stutter-step technique sees a player produce sometimes repeated feints and keep his eyes on the goalkeeper during the run-up to the ball before shooting. It is widely believed to have been spawned in Brazil in the late 1950s and early 1960s and was made famous by Pelé.
If your team is out of the World Cup, don't worry. Here's a guide to help you pick a new favorite from the quarterfinalists. Led by Lionel Messi, Argentina aims to retain its title. Belgium and Switzerland have surprised many by reaching this stage but may be a good pick if you like chocolate. England has been trying to recapture glory since 1966 and offer a mix of tradition and talent. Recent champion France remains a fan favorite. Morocco made history by reaching the semifinals in 2022. Norway is back after a long absence, while Spain boasts a strong defense. Choose your team and enjoy the ride!
DETROIT (AP) — Justin Verlander plans to call it a career later this year. The three-time Cy Young Award winner, two-time World Series champion and 2011 AL MVP will retire after this season with the Detroit Tigers. Verlander made the announcement on Wednesday, shortly after he was added as a Legend Pick to the American League All-Star roster. The 43-year-old Verlander is the oldest player in Major League Baseball. He signed a $13 million, one-year contract. He has pitched only once this season and that was back in March. Verlander went on the injured list with hip inflammation and a pulled hamstring.
LONDON (AP) — As Marta Kostyuk played her first Wimbledon quarterfinal on Centre Court, her compatriots back home in Ukraine were dealing with another deadly attack by Russia on Kyiv. It has been the same for much of her run to the semifinals at the Grand Slam tournament. For Kostyuk, every day is about finding a way to focus on tennis while not shutting her eyes to what is going on at home. After beating Jasmine Paolini, Kostyuk says: “It’s not easy to disconnect entirely" but that “I try for these things not to influence me too much.” She also criticized the International Olympic Committee for provisionally lifting its ban on Russia, calling the decision ”terrible."
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard will miss the start of the season after he had surgery on his left shoulder. Team physician Michael Terry says Bedard is expected “to make a full recovery in an approximate timeline of four months.” The NHL hasn’t announced its regular-season schedule, but the Blackhawks played their first game last season on Oct. 7. Bedard, who turns 21 on July 17, got hurt while skating with a group of NHL players last week in his hometown of Vancouver. It’s a major blow for a Blackhawks team trying to emerge from a painful rebuilding process.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays took a no-hitter into the ninth inning on Wednesday before the Giants’ Heliot Ramos broke it up a line-drive single to center field. Cease was lifted after Ramos’ hit and got a standing ovation from the San Francisco crowd. Tyler Rogers came on and got the last three outs on four pitches as the Blue Jays won 10-0. The 30-year-old Cease threw a career-high 118 pitches, 81 for strikes, as he sought his second career no-hitter and the first solo no-hitter in the majors since 2024. The All-Star right-hander struck out 11 to increase his American League-leading total to 148.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Queen Camilla is making her customary visit to Wimbledon and was joined in the Royal Box by an actor who once portrayed her husband. It is the fourth year in a row that the queen, the wife of King Charles III, has visited the All England Club on Day 10 of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament. She wore a light blue dress as she took her seat to watch the women’s quarterfinal between Jasmine Paolini and Marta Kostyuk on Centre Court. Other famous faces in the Royal Box included actors Elle Fanning and Dominic West, who was nominated for an Emmy for his role as Charles in the Netflix drama “The Crown.”
MIAMI (AP) — Tim Hardaway Jr. now wears a Miami Heat jersey, following in his father's footsteps. The Heat introduced him on Wednesday, giving him a No. 10 jersey with “Jr.” added. Hardaway Jr. often visited Miami as an opponent, inspired by his father's retired jersey. Now he joins the team he grew up around. He recalls running around the practice floor as a kid while his dad played. Miami wanted a superstar and shooting talent this offseason. Hardaway fits the bill, coming off a strong season. His role is to support Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo by making shots.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Toronto 10 San Francisco 0
Final Miami 2 Seattle 0
Final Chicago Cubs 9 Baltimore 7
Final Washington 8 Houston 2
Final N.Y. Mets 6 Kansas City 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 3 N.Y. Yankees 0
Final Detroit 6 Athletics 1
Final Boston 5 Chicago White Sox 0
Final L.A. Angels 13 Texas 1
Final Minnesota 6 Cleveland 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Atlanta 3 Pittsburgh 0
Final St. Louis 5 Milwaukee 1
Final Cincinnati 11 Philadelphia 5
Final L.A. Dodgers 4 Colorado 3
Final San Diego 10 Arizona 4