Sports

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil soccer fans have been shocked into silence back home after the national team was eliminated by Croatia from the World Cup. The mood in Sao Paolo and Rio Janeiro was festive at first after Neymar put Brazil ahead in extra time. But then it

By LEKAN OYEKANMI and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Brittney Griner returned to the United States Friday and was reunited with her wife nearly 10 months after her detention in Russia made the basketball star the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firestorm. Griner’s status as an openly

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer Japanese pairs skaters Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara narrowly edged Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier at the Grand Prix Final on Friday in a rematch of their head-to-head showdown won by the Americans at the world championships. In the women’s competition, world champ Kaori Sakamoto of Japan leads after

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — A fan ran onto the field in the 75th minute of Argentina’s World Cup quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. The incident happened just after Lionel Messi converted a penalty kick for a 2-0 lead. The spectator wore a light blue shirt that he started to take off when he was tackled

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Neymar walked off the field with teammate Dani Alves by his side, tears still rolling down the Brazil forward’s cheeks. Other players had already tried to console Neymar as he cried while sitting near midfield, head down, hiding his face. There wasn’t much they

By DAVID SOLOMON Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals will have a new starting catcher for the first time in more than 18 years. The team says it officially signed catcher Willson Contreras to a five-year contract with a club option for 2028. Financial terms were not released, but a source

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State has hired former Cal Poly head coach Beau Baldwin as its next offensive coordinator. The school announced Baldwin’s hiring of new coach Kenny Dillingham’s staff on Friday, a week after he resigned at Cal Poly. The 50-year-old Baldwin spent three seasons as the Mustangs’ head coach, going 4-21. Baldwin

By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is listed as questionable to play at Tennessee despite returning to practice. Lawrence missed two days of work because of a badly sprained big toe on his left foot. He watched from the sideline as C.J. Beathard took all

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Lamar Jackson missed a third straight day of practice for the Baltimore Ravens. Coach John Harbaugh conceded that backup quarterback Tyler Huntley would likely start Sunday at Pittsburgh. Jackson is listed as doubtful on the injury report, but there’s been little indication that he’s recovering quickly enough to play this

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer More than half of WNBA players are competing abroad this winter to supplement their incomes. But due to the 10-month saga that All-Star Brittney Griner endured in Russia, her colleagues avoided that country and are fanned out in Australia, Turkey, Italy and other places. Griner returned to the United

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are giving each other more time to decide if they want to opt out of the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, a person with knowledge of the talks said Friday. The new opt-out date will be set for early 2023 and

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina receiver Josh Downs is opting out of the Holiday Bowl against No. 15 Oregon to prepare for a jump to the NFL draft. Downs announced his decision in a social-media post Friday. That came less than a week after he had 11 catches for 100 yards in the

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — England coach Gareth Southgate has nothing to tell his players just before they leave the locker room to play France in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday. That’s his choice. Southgate prefers players to take control and cites his own playing experience of managers who

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson could be without his top receiver Sunday in Cincinnati after Amari Cooper sustained a hip injury in practice. Cooper, who leads Cleveland with 61 catches for 832 yards and seven touchdowns, didn’t practice Friday and is listed as questionable against the

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — The slippery hips of Luka Modric wriggled away from danger. The laser-like precision of his passing and the intelligence to control the tempo for long periods were ever present. There was the customary adjustment of his hairband here and a tug of his captain’s

By WILSON RING Associated Press Three women are suing the University of Vermont, alleging the school failed to properly respond after they reported they had been sexually assaulted at school. The women say in a lawsuit filed this week that a number of administrators and school staff showed “deliberate indifference to student-on-student harassment, sexual assault,

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Left-handed pitcher Matt Strahm has joined the Philadelphia Phillies on a two-year deal. The team announced the signing Friday. The 31-year-old free agent was a relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 2022 season. He had a 3.83 ERA in 50 appearances, striking out 52, giving up 17 walks and

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Trevor Williams and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a two-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. The agreement was confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday by a person speaking on condition of anonymity because nothing had been announced yet. The free

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI and DENG MACHOL Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — For many in Africa, Morocco’s underdog performance is the best story in the World Cup so far, with the hopes of the continent soaring ahead of the match on Saturday against Portugal. Across the continent of more than 1.3 billion people, African fans