U.S./World Sports category, Page 140
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter to draw on Dutch lessons at World Cup
DOHA, Qatar — Gregg Berhalter felt like a student when he signed with the Dutch club Zwolle 28 years ago. The U.S. coach plans to apply the lessons he learned when the Americans play the Netherlands on Saturday for a berth in the World Cup quarterfinals. “I went to Holland...
No. 4 USC hopes to break playoff dry spell for Pac-12
LAS VEGAS — The Pac-12 will take a neutral stance when No. 4 Southern California plays No. 12 Utah in the championship game Friday night, but there’s little doubt what a USC victory would mean for the conference. A win by the 11-1 Trojans would put them in the College...
TCU takes its CFP hopes into Big 12 title game vs. Kansas State
ARLINGTON, Texas — It has been quite a comeback for third-ranked TCU, one much bigger than that 18-point deficit the Horned Frogs erased to beat Kansas State six weeks ago. A year after Sonny Dykes became their coach, the Frogs (12-0, 9-0 Big 12, No. 3 CFP) still haven’t lost...
No. 2 Michigan begins Big Ten title quest against Boilermakers
INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan needed a decade to reach its first Big Ten championship game. On Saturday, the Wolverines return to Indianapolis with even bigger aspirations. They can win back-to-back conference titles for the first time since 2003-04, break the single-season school record with win No. 13 and clinch a second...
No. 1 Georgia looks to add SEC title to trophy case vs LSU
ATLANTA — The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs have their eyes on the biggest prize of all. Yet there’s a gnawing desire to add another Southeastern Conference title to the trophy case. Undefeated Georgia heads into Saturday’s SEC championship game against No. 11 LSU having surely done enough to earn a...
College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams in 2024 season
The College Football Playoff announced Thursday it will expand to a 12-team event starting in 2024, completing an 18-month process that was fraught with delays and disagreements. The announcement came a day after the Rose Bowl agreed to amend its contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, which was the...
Clemson, North Carolina square off for ACC championship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Its College Football Playoff hopes dashed following a devastating loss to in-state rival South Carolina, No. 10 Clemson is turning its attention to returning to its familiar perch atop of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tigers (10-2, 8-0 ACC, No. 9 CFP) are seeking their seventh ACC...
Rose Bowl agrees to clear way for CFP expansion
Rose Bowl game organizers informed College Football Playoff officials Wednesday they are willing to alter agreements for the 2024 and ‘25 seasons, clearing the way for the CFP to expand to 12 teams. A person with knowledge of the discussions between game organizers and CFP officials told The Associated Press...
UAB hires ex-NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer as head coach
UAB has hired former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer as its next head coach on the eve of his high school team’s state championship game, the university’s athletic director announced Wednesday. The 50-year-old Dilfer won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 during a 14-year NFL career. He’s making...
World Cup fans see more active play from stoppages directiveVideo
DOHA, Qatar — Adding more time at the end of World Cup games to compensate for stoppages has raised the average active playing time to 59 minutes, FIFA’s head of refereeing said Wednesday. Pierluigi Collina said FIFA was “quite happy (with) the result” of games routinely extending from the 90...
Ronaldo linked with Saudi club as future still uncertainVideo
DOHA, Qatar — The noise surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo shows no sign of quietening amid widespread speculation that Saudi club Al Nassr is trying to sign the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. But Portugal, which has secured its place in the knockout stages of the World Cup with a game to spare,...
Iran win another step as U.S. soccer tries to boost interestVideo
DOHA, Qatar — American soccer hopes to be ascendant, to challenge the NFL, MLB and the NBA in the competition for U.S. market share. Reaching the final 16 with Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Iran was another step for a team for which success is measured in television viewers and...
Christian Pulisic listed as day-to-day with pelvic injury at World Cup
DOHA, Qatar — U.S. forward Christian Pulisic is listed as day to day after sustaining a pelvic injury during his team’s 1-0 World Cup win against Iran that sent the Americans to the round of 16 of the tournament on Tuesday. Pulisic scored the 38th-minute winning goal against Iran, but...
Blue Jays hire Don Mattingly as bench coach
TORONTO — Don Mattingly is joining the Toronto Blue Jays as bench coach to manager John Schneider, the team announced Wednesday. The former New York Yankees slugger, a six-time All-Star, joins the Blue Jays after seven seasons as manager of the Florida Marlins, where he won NL Manager of the...
Social media makes Jada Williams face of high school NIL
SAN DIEGO — It’s the middle of the afternoon and Jada Williams begins a live stream on Instagram. In a heartbeat, more than 1,000 of her 671,000 followers join the broadcast and begin typing in questions and comments. Williams does her best to follow along as the comments and questions...
Former NFL QB Dilfer leading candidate to become UAB coach
Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, who has been coaching a high school team in Tennessee for the last four years, is the leading candidate to become the new coach at UAB, a person with knowledge of the search told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. The person spoke on condition...
Ohio State is 5 in second-to-last CFP rankings behind USC
Ohio State was No. 5 on Tuesday night in the second-to-last College Football Playoff rankings, positioned to possibly take advantage if one of the top four slips up on championship weekend. Georgia (12-0) was No. 1 again. No. 2 Michigan (12-0) and No. 3 TCU (12-0) moved up a spot...
Christian Pulisic’s goal helps U.S. beat Iran, advance in World CupVideo
DOHA, Qatar — Christian Pulisic scored while crashing headfirst into the goalkeeper in the 38th minute, and the United States advanced to the knockout round of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Iran on Tuesday in a politically charged rematch of their famous meeting a quarter-century ago. Pulisic,...
England and Wales players take a knee in World Cup match
AL RAYYAN, Qatar — The players for both England and Wales took a knee before their final World Cup group game on Tuesday. The teams made the gesture as a sign of solidarity in the fight against discrimination. England and Wales were among seven European nations that had intended to...
Qatar says worker deaths for World Cup ‘between 400 and 500’
DOHA, Qatar — A top Qatari official involved in the country’s World Cup organization has put the number of worker deaths for the tournament “between 400 and 500” for the first time, a drastically higher number than any other previously offered by Doha. The comment by Hassan al-Thawadi, the secretary-general...
Iran-U.S. World Cup clash rife with political tension
DOHA, Qatar — The last World Cup clash between the United States and Iran 24 years ago is considered one of the most politically charged matches in soccer history. This time, the political overtones are just as strong and relations perhaps even more fraught as the U.S. and Iran face...
Middle Tennessee to play San Diego State in Hawaii Bowl
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee will play San Diego State in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 on the campus of the University of Hawaii after the bowl game was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Blue Raiders (7-5) announced Monday they have accepted an...
U.S. has clear World Cup task against Iran: win or go home
DOHA, Qatar — The task is clear for the United States: beat Iran in a politically charged World Cup match or go home. “We have to get out of our group by all means,” U.S. captain Tyler Adams said Monday. “It would feel like a success for us when we...
Houston reaches No. 1 in AP poll for first time since 1983
Make some room, Phi Slamma Jamma. Another Houston team has reached the top of men’s college basketball. Nearly four decades after Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwon took the Cougars to No. 1, the latest bunch led by Marcus Sasser and star freshman Jarace Walker took over the top spot in...
South Carolina tops women’s AP Top 25; Stanford, UConn next
South Carolina remained the unanimous No. 1 choice in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll released Monday as the Gamecocks keep close watch on the foot injury of reigning Player of the Year Aliyah Boston. The Gamecocks received all 29 first-place votes in the poll released Monday, a day after...
