List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

The Blue Jays called a players-only meeting on Thursday after losing their ninth game in 11 and dropping the series to the Rays.Coming off a second-place finish in the AL East last year, the Blue Jays hoped to take a step forward in 2023. Two months into the season, they're struggling to me...

Erik ten Hag fears winger Antony suffered a “serious” injury as Manchester United fulfilled the “main objective” of Champions League qualification by thrashing Chelsea. The Red Devils sealed their return to European football’s top table with a game to spare by thrashing Frank Lampard’s wasteful Blues 4-1 at Old Trafford on Thursday evening. Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford scored before Joao Felix struck a late consolation on a night that saw Antony leave on a stretcher in the first half. Asked for an update on the Brazil international, Ten Hag said: “I don’t know. Everyone has seen he came off. “I can tell you that it’s serious but we have to wait minimum 24 hours and then we know probably more about the status of his injury.” Ten Hag’s comments suggest Antony is in danger of missing the FA Cup final against Manchester City on June 3, with Luke Shaw also requiring assessment after being substituted with a reported back issue. “We have to wait,” he said. “Antony looks serious but we don’t know what it is. With Shaw, we have to wait as well. After tomorrow we know more.” Their absence would be big blows for a United side that are already without Lisandro Martinez, Marcel Sabitzer and Donny van de Beek for the FA Cup final. Beating City would be the cherry on top of what Ten Hag believes has already been a “successful season”. “I have always high expectations of myself and I think this club belongs in the Champions League, so you have to qualify in the first four,” he said. “But this league is very strong, and there are many teams, many clubs, who are competing for the position and they all can do it because they have high budgets, good squads. “We see Chelsea, they have massive, good squad with outstanding players. “So, we are happy we are in the first four. I think we played a good season in the Premier League. I would say, a very good season.” Put to Ten Hag that former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said finishing in the top four was the equivalent of winning a trophy, Ten Hag said: “Oh, I think in the Premier League, yeah, it’s something like that. “That is, I think, the main objective of the season, to get in the Champions League. “So, therefore you have to see yourself in the top four and, as I just tried to respond, the competition is tough. “It’s many teams with really good squads, good managers, so when you are in there you’re doing a good job and your team is playing well and performing well. “I think this is for this moment the maximum, but we want more.” That hunger for more means backing is required in the summer transfer window, whoever United’s owners are. “You have to see how you come out of the transfer window,” Ten Hag added. “But if I see now I think we need more, so I don’t have so much patience. And that is one of my mistakes.” Chelsea were already guaranteed to finish in bottom half for the first time in 27 years before this club record 16th defeat in a 38-game Premier League season. Interim boss Frank Lampard was understandably downtrodden in the press conference that followed his eighth loss in 10 matches in charge. “My personal feeling? I don’t think it’s about my personal feeling, I think it’s probably about the reality of where we’re at,” he said. “I’ve said it a lot going into the game, when things are off for a period, which has been the season for us – you can trace it back to probably pre-season – and then it’s not easy to turn it. “Then when you get into a run-in against top clubs that are going for something, nothing’s a given in this game. “Mixed feelings. We played OK in parts today, there was some individual performances within the game, which I think can be nice shoots for the future if they’re worked on. “But of course the reality is when you come to Manchester United and how clinical they are in front of goal and how non-clinical we were, how we defended individually poorly in the second half, then the result can come.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Michael van Gerwen creates Premier League history by winning seventh title Fleetwood owner Andy Pilley loses civil court fight with council Chiedozie Ogbene and Alan Browne in race to make Ireland’s Euro 2024 clashes

Atlanta Braves legendary third baseman Chipper Jones gave outfielder Michael Harris II some advice as he struggled in the batter's box earlier this season.The Atlanta Braves sit atop the NL East standings entering Memorial Day weekend. Their big stars are contributing, but there is one play...

The 2023 US Open Cup Round of 16 brought the goods this week as USL sides showed up their MLS rivals, and MLS teams battled it out on the run to the quarterfinals set for June 6.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott sees a more focused Josh Allen, who understands their Super Bowl window can only be open for so long.Ever since their AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2020 season, the Buffalo Bills entered each league year looking to get past th...

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones insists that he didn't "get into the NFL for money", although he's made quite a bit of it by purchasing the Cowboys.The motivations behind becoming an NFL owner range, from lifelong New England Patriots fan Robert Kraft buying the team to keep...

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah said there is “no excuse” for the club missing out on the Champions League this season after Manchester United thrashed Chelsea to confirm to place in the Premier League’s top-four. The Reds will be without Champions League football for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign next season, with Newcastle United also beating Jurgen Klopp’s side to a top-four spot - joining champions Manchester City and runners-up Arsenal. Salah has reached the Champion League final three times since moving to Liverpool in 2017 and said the club had “failed” by only reaching the Europa League. Liverpool were defeated finalists last year and Salah said the club had “everything” they needed to qualify again this campaign. The Egyptian posted a tweet immediately after United’s 4-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday, the result which confirmed Liverpool’s fifth-place finish this season, which read: “I’m totally devastated. “There’s absolutely no excuse for this. We had everything we needed to make it to next year’s Champions League and we failed. “We are Liverpool and qualifying to the competition is the bare minimum. “I am sorry but it’s too soon for an uplifting or optimistic post. We let you and ourselves down.” Liverpool went on a nine-game winning run to revive their hopes of Champions League qualification but Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at Anfield left United needing only a point from their final two fixtures against Chelsea and Fulham. Afterwards, Liverpool manager Klopp accepted his side have not been good enough to qualify for the Champions League this season. “I think the whole season is rather a season where we qualify for Europa League than for Champions League,” he said. “We were for too long not good enough or ourselves.” Read More Liverpool thought they’d bought the future – but two wrong moves left them counting the cost Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool have not been good enough for top-four finish Jurgen Klopp open to strengthening Liverpool defence during summer window

The Brooklyn Nets are clinging tight to Mikal Bridges, even if the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft isavailable.The Brooklyn Netscompletely remade their roster at the trade deadline in February, sending Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns for a historically large trade package centered on 3-and-D extrao...

Michael Block continues to wow fans.

Manchester United secured qualification for next season’s Champions League as Erik ten Hag’s men roared to a comprehensive 4-1 victory against wasteful Chelsea. The Dutchman has led the Red Devils to Carabao Cup glory and next month’s FA Cup final during a promising first season that looked certain to end in a top-four finish until a recent wobble. But Ten Hag has righted the ship and United secured a return to European football’s top table with a game to spare as Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford scored against toothless Chelsea. This was a club record 16th defeat in a 38-match Premier League season for Frank Lampard’s Blues, who saw a bad early Mykhailo Mudryk miss punished by a sixth minute Casemiro header. Further Chelsea chances went begging across the evening, including the miss by Conor Gallagher in first half stoppage time that was followed by Martial scoring. Bruno Fernandes’ penalty and substitute Marcus Rashford’s goal – his 30th of the season in all competitions – wrapped up a victory that was only dampened by Antony’s exit on a stretcher and a late Joao Felix consolation. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Last May, Casemiro won the Champions League. This May, he has qualified for it. It sounds the lesser achievement. A player who played in four Champions League final victories is now mathematically assured of a top-four finish. As Manchester United returned to the top table of European football, it owed much to Casemiro. Over the season, he has been a catalytic force. On the night when they condemned Chelsea to defeat and Liverpool to the Europa League, he was again. United had been short of goals of late but Casemiro started a rout of the 2021 Champions League winners. Erik ten Hag bought a defensive midfielder, but Casemiro has contributed much in attack. He scored the opening goal and helped set up the second with a sand wedge of a pass. Anthony Martial scored it, Bruno Fernandes added a third from the penalty spot before the substitute Marcus Rashford became the first player to score 30 goals in a season for United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. But the name that echoed most around Old Trafford, unsurprisingly, was Casemiro’s. He signed in August after the embarrassment of the 4-0 demolition at Brentford; undeterred, Casemiro has helped lead a revival. United’s season, which began disastrously, will end with Ten Hag in credit. With a trophy in the cabinet and a top-four finish, there is a sense his mission has been accomplished, even if the mood will partly be affected by whether United end Manchester City’s treble hopes in the FA Cup final. There was a pragmatic element to buying Casemiro, paying £63m for a player in his thirties. There was a need for a short-term return on their investment, but United have got it. As Ten Hag had noted on Wednesday, and in relation to Chelsea, money is not enough without strategy. Some £600m later, the Londoners played some enterprising football at Old Trafford but departed with an eighth defeat in 10 matches under Frank Lampard. United instead showed the flair to get four goals and, with Chelsea’s defence disintegrating, could have had twice as many. A third successive win took their tally to 40 victories this season and 29 games unbeaten at Old Trafford. Casemiro is the serial winner who has assumed a symbolic importance. Ten Hag revamped and upgraded United’s midfield last summer and his signings combined effectively. Casemiro’s aerial ability at set-pieces has proved a welcome benefit and he headed in Christian Eriksen’s free kick. Until the Dane was injured in January, he ranked second only to Kevin De Bruyne for assists in the Premier League, and the quality of his delivery has added another dimension. Casemiro had opened his United account against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Bought to give ballast to the midfield, he has proved more prolific than most expected; a seventh goal of the season equalled the best haul of his career. It is a moot point if this was his most important goal for United – he did score in the Carabao Cup final – but the significance of Champions League football means it could be. Jadon Sancho and Martial were particular culprits as United’s attackers took poor decisions and bad touches until, in a moment of redemption, the winger sprang the offside trap to meet Casemiro’s pass and centre for the striker to have a tap-in. Thereafter, Fernandes hit the post after being found by Sancho. Eriksen ought to have added a third from about three yards but was denied by that rarity, a wondrous save by Kepa Arrizabalaga. Fernandes did when tripped by Wesley Fofana, scoring the spot kick himself. Fofana’s traumatic afternoon continued as he gifted the ball to Fernandes. He found Rashford, who ended up rolling the ball in to become the first United player to reach 30 since Robin van Persie. Rashford had come on when Antony was stretchered off, his chances of appearing in the FA Cup final presumably over, head in hands after an innocuous challenge by Trevoh Chalobah. Luke Shaw came off at half-time with a minor back injury that is less likely to rule him out. For Chelsea, the relief may be that there is only one more game to go in a harrowing season. Frank Lampard named Chelsea’s youngest ever team in the Premier League. The youngest of them acquitted himself well: for the second time in five days in Manchester, Lewis Hall was their best player. He twice could have had an assist, inviting crosses bringing an awful miss from Mykhailo Mudryk and a header wide by Kai Havertz, and had a shot parried by David de Gea. Carney Chukwuemeka showed glimpses of talent, too, and the substitute Joao Felix drilled in a consolation goal. But, when Alejandro Garnacho hit the bar, they came perilously close to conceding a fifth. It is little over a year since they faced Casemiro, then with Real Madrid in a Champions League quarter-final. He will be in the competition again next year. Chelsea certainly won’t be. Read More Erling Haaland aims to cap stunning debut season with Man City by winning treble Manchester United vs Chelsea LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Pep Guardiola: Disallowed Haaland ‘goal’ proves Man City success is on own merit Chelsea the title favourites as Leicester look to survive – WSL talking points How Chelsea match is pivotal to Man Utd’s hopes of signing Mason Mount Rumours: Man Utd in £55m Mount bid as Arsenal consider Smith-Rowe sale

The Chicago Cubs traded Craig Kimbrel to the Chicago White Sox back in 2021. Initially the move looked like a win-win, but is that still the case with Nick Madrigal's struggles?A crosstown trade between the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs is rare, but in recent history it's involved...