Sports

MIDDLESBROUGH, England (AP) — United States forward Matthew Hoppe has joined second-division Middlesbrough from Spanish club Mallorca in search of regular playing time that could earn him a World Cup roster spot. The 21-year-old Hoppe signed a four-year contract after one season in Spain’s top flight where he made just seven appearances for Mallorca, with

TORONTO (AP) — Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Borje Salming has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, the team announced Wednesday. Salming, who played 16 seasons with the Leafs and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996, said he recognizes that there is no

By JAY COHEN AP Baseball Writer DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Egypt. Australia. A hot dog place in Pennsylvania. A junior college in Chicago. If Major League Baseball is looking for another place for a game, oh man, do we have some fun ideas. The second “Field of Dreams” game is Thursday night in the cornfields

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Kyle Pitts likes to set goals. One thing is definitely on his mind after a brilliant rookie season: getting to end zone more often. Pitts was held to a single touchdown catch in 2021, which is about the only thing he had to complain

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns return specialist Jakeem Grant Sr. was placed on injured reserve after tests confirmed he tore his left Achilles tendon during practice. Grant will miss the season, forcing Cleveland to find another option to fix its lackluster return game. The 5-foot-6 Grant signed a three-year contract

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The performance didn’t come close to matching the hype for the 2021 quarterback class. With QBs going 1-2-3 for third time ever in the common draft era and five going off the board in the first round for the fourth time, expectations were

NEW YORK (AP) — Albert Korir is joining fellow Kenyan runner Peres Jepchirchir in attempting to defend his title at the New York City Marathon. Korir won the 50th edition of the five-borough race last November, two years after finishing second. He’ll be joined in the men’s field by 2021 runner-up Mohamed El Aaraby of

MADRID (AP) — The Spanish soccer federation is blaming the newly created professional women’s league for a two-week delay in the draw for this season’s competition. The federation says the draw will finally take place on Friday after a ruling by Spain’s highest sports authority. Both sides wanted to handle the draw that will determine

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer A couple of days before Serena Williams claimed the 22nd of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon in 2016, she was asked what she makes of it when people refer to her as one of history’s greatest female athletes. Her reply: She prefers being characterized as “one

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman will miss “an extended period of time” for treatment of what the school described Wednesday as medical condition unrelated to football. In a statement, the school said Hartman sought medical attention Tuesday following a workout. He will miss team activities indefinitely and it’s unclear

By GERALD IMRAY AP Sports Writer Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has launched a 24-club super league that he says will revolutionize soccer on the continent and become its richest competition. The launch Wednesday comes as CAF reported a loss of nearly $50 million last year. Motsepe says the CAF Africa Super League

By DENNIS PASSA AP Sports Writer Lauren Jackson has been named on her fifth FIBA World Cup roster for Australia in a comeback to international basketball. The 41-year-old Jackson was officially informed of her place in the 12-woman team by head coach Sandy Brondello. It came 10 months after a comeback to the sport and

PRAGUE (AP) — Czech Republic midfielder Jakub Jankto is moving to Sparta Prague on a one-year loan from Getafe. The Czech club said Wednesday it has an option to sign the 26-year-old midfielder on a permanent contract. Jankto joined Getafe a year ago and made 14 appearances in Spain’s top tier last season. He struggled

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch women’s soccer coach Mark Parsons has left the job after the defending champion was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the European Championships. His departure was by mutual agreement with the Dutch soccer federation which called results at the tournament “disappointing.” Parsons succeeded Sarina Wiegman who led the Netherlands

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Host nation Qatar is set to play in the opening game of its own World Cup tournament after all — and on a stand-alone day being added to the schedule barely 100 days before kickoff. Soccer’s marquee tournament is now set start one day earlier than

By GERALD IMRAY AP Sports Writer Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe is set to launch a 24-club super league that he has promised will revolutionize soccer on the continent and become its richest competition. The scheduled launch later Wednesday will come as Motsepe’s organization reported a loss of nearly $50 million last year.