AP National Sports

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich has hired Thomas Tuchel as coach to replace Julian Nagelsmann after losing the lead of the German league. Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn blames “big fluctuations in performance” and said the squad wasn’t showing its true potential under Nagelsmann. Tuchel will take over training from Monday with a contract until

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer The NFL will consider significant changes to the kicking game, with the competition committee proposing that the league adopt the college rule that allows touchbacks on fair catches of kickoffs and moving the touchback spot on punts to the 25-yard line. NFL executive Troy Vincent says the competition

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — The Trevor Bauer era in Japan began Friday at an introductory news conference with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The 2020 Cy Young Award winner is in Japan on a one-year deal that could let him prove himself and return to Major League Baseball. He was

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine is out two to four weeks after straining a triceps muscle in practice. His absence is yet another blow to the NHL’s last-place team. The Blue Jackets have 454 man-games lost to injury. That’s one of the highest numbers in the league. Laine already missed

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Jurgen Klinsmann’s first game as coach of South Korea ended in a 2-2 draw with Colombia with Son Heung-min scoring two goals. It was South Korea’s first match since losing to Brazil in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar and Klinsmann’s first game since coaching the

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Luis de la Fuente will get his first test as Spain’s new coach when it hosts Norway in Malaga on Saturday to start their campaign to qualify for the 2024 European Championship. De la Fuente was promoted from Spain’s Under-21 team to replace Luis Enrique in

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama has pulled out of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. That means Max Homa gets the day off and will advance as the winner of his group. Matsuyama is citing a neck injury for conceding the match against Homa. He was warming up on the range for about 20 minutes

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina leading scorer Gregory “GG” Jackson II says he’s entering the NBA draft after one season in college. The 6-foot-9 freshman started 29 of 32 games this season and averaged 15.4 points per contest. He also led the team with 26 blocks and 24 steals. The 18-year-old is projected to

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Kaori Sakamoto has fended off a challenge from South Korea’s Lee Hae-in to become the first Japanese woman to defend her title at the figure skating world championships. Sakamoto led after the short program and made only one mistake in the free skate at Saitama Super Arena when she singled a

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland coach Steve Clarke has extended his contract through the 2026 World Cup. The deal should make him the Tartan Army’s longest-serving coach in more than 20 years. The Scottish Football Association announced the deal ahead of European Championship qualifying games against Cyprus and Spain. Clarke led Scotland to Euro 2020

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich has praised Julian Nagelsmann as an “outstanding” coach amid reports he is set to be fired and replaced by Thomas Tuchel. Both Kicker magazine and German tabloid Bild reported Thursday that Bayern was ending Nagelsmann’s spell in charge following the team’s 2-1 loss at Bayer Leverkusen

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has renewed its push to keep Russian athletes out of the Olympics ahead of an International Olympic Committee board meeting next week which is expected to lay out the framework for their return to many international sports events. Ukraine’s sports minister Vadym Guttsait is sharply critical of the IOC’s push

By KIKI RICE For The Associated Press GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — UCLA freshman Kiki Rice is checking in periodically from the NCAA Tournament as told to AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg. In the second installment, Rice talks about playing in the tournament, the UCLA dance parties pregame, heading to South Carolina.

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — The Trevor Bauer era in Japan began Friday at an introductory news conference with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The 2020 Cy Young Award winner is in Japan on a one-year deal that could let him prove himself and return to Major League Baseball. He was

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Adam Lowry scored the tiebreaking goal with 9:13 to play and the Winnipeg Jets made progress in the playoff race with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Kyle Connor scored his 28th goal and Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves for the Jets, who opened

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Alabama was expected to be in the Sweet 16 as the overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Few thought the teams standing between the Crimson Tide and a trip to the Final Four would be No. 5 seed San Diego State, sixth-seeded Creighton

BEIJING (AP) — China’s scandal-plagued football association has been rocked by new corruption probes into its chiefs of discipline and competition. The sports ministry on Friday said Wang Xiaoping, director the CFA’s Disciplinary Committee, and Huang Song, were both “suspected of serious violations” of law and discipline — the government’s usual bywords for graft. Huang

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — A confrontation between two players in the postgame handshake line following Bowling Green’s win over Memphis on Thursday night in the Women’s NIT has been referred to campus police. As the teams walked toward center court following Bowling Green’s 73-60 win in the Round of 16 game, Memphis’ Jamirah Shutes

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Andrei Kuzmenko scored his 35th goal to set a Canucks franchise record for a first-year player as Vancouver cruised to a 7-2 rout of the San Jose Sharks. The Russian forward also had an assist and topped the 34 goals scored by Pavel Bure in 1991-92. J.T. Miller, Dakota Joshua,