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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Gavin McKenna’s nerves finally eased when lifetime Maple Leafs fan and international pop icon Justin Bieber took the NHL draft stage to announce who Toronto was selecting No. 1.

“He was looking at me and I kind of was thinking, maybe,” McKenna said with a laugh. “Crazy. Just crazy what’s going on right now.”

With most of Yukon watching and a loud presence of Maple Leafs fans in the stands, Toronto chose the Penn State left winger, validating longstanding projections of McKenna being his age group’s top prospect. The 18-year-old from Yukon’s capital of Whitehorse has been a prolific scorer on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.

And if Bieber’s appearance and taking the stage to the artist’s song “Yukon” wasn’t enough, McKenna was welcomed to the Maple Leafs with a video message from Toronto captain Auston Matthews.

“Obviously he’s on the first line. I’m going to have to prove myself to be able to play with a player like that. But that’s my goal,” McKenna said about Matthews, who was chosen No. 1 by Toronto in the 2016 draft, which also happened to be held in Buffalo. “My game’s obviously a playmaker, he’s a shooter, so I think we could complement each other pretty well.”

McKenna represents a major plank in in a rebuilding process for a team in transition under new general manager John Chayka. Toronto finished last in the Atlantic Division last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since Matthews’ arrival.

Canucks select coach’s son, Caleb Malhotra
The draft featured dueling cheers — and boos — between large contingents of Maple Leafs and Sabres fans, several surprises, nine trades and a poignant father-son moment when Vancouver selected center Caleb Malhotra with the No. 3 pick, joining a team coached by dad Manny Malhotra.

“I hugged him right after, and we were happy,” said Caleb, who is from British Columbia and finished second among OHL rookies with 84 points with Brantford last season. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I’ve never felt anything like this. And that embrace was so comforting, and I’m so glad he’s here with me as dad.”

Malhotra said his dad was not aware of the Canucks’ draft plans. And he now has bragging rights on his father in being selected four spots higher, after Manny went No. 7 to the New York Rangers in 1998.

Run on defensemen
After forwards went with the first three picks, including Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg second to San Jose, the expected run on defensemen began with five selected over the next six picks, and 10 overall.

Buffalo selected Prince Albert blue-liner Daxon Rudolph at No. 4, followed by Latvia’s Alberts Smits going fifth to the Rangers. Chase Reid, who is from Michigan, went seventh to Seattle as the first American-born player selected.

Smits split last season playing professionally in Finland and Germany, while also representing Latvia at the Milan Cortina Olympics. He became the highest drafted Latvian.

Trades and more trades
This was a much more active first round with picks traded for NHL players than the previous couple of years. The Rangers got Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas for picks 26 and 92, and a 2028 first-rounder. Boston acquired JJ Peterka from Utah for a pair of first-rounders. And St. Louis traded two of its picks to Anaheim for Mason McTavish.

The selections featured an international flavor with 10 Canadians, a first-round-record seven Swedes and seven Americans chosen. The first round ended with Ottawa selecting forward Jaxon Cover, who was born in Miami, raised on Grand Cayman where he played roller hockey, and developed his hockey skills in Toronto.

And Bieber wasn’t the only music star to make a pick, with country music’s Luke Bryan on hand to announce Nashville’s selection of Wyatt Cullen before performing a concert a few blocks away.

Rudolph was wowed watching his good friend McKenna being welcomed to the stage.

“To see him be selected first and with Justin Bieber and everything, it was amazing,” Rudolph said. “I just remember talking to my mom and saying. ‘Wow, this is so cool,’ as I’m sitting there on the couch waiting to be picked.”

McKenna accustomed to the spotlight
McKenna is accustomed to the spotlight. He combined for 79 goals and 244 points in 133 games with Medicine Hat in the WHL. As a freshman at Penn State, he finished with 51 points, tied for fourth in the nation, last season.

He became just the fifth NCAA player to go first, and third in six years, since Michigan defenseman Owen Power went No. 1 to Buffalo in 2021.

McKenna also became the fifth Yukon-born player to be selected in the draft, and first to go No. 1. He now heads to a metropolis that is nearly 100 times larger than Whitehorse’s population of about 39,000.

This was the NHL’s second straight decentralized draft, with teams making selections from their respective headquarters.

Decentralized draft Part II

Lacking in the new format is each draft pick joining his new team’s front office on stage. Last year, the NHL attempted to rectify that by having teams welcome their prospects by video conference call on stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The interviews were widely panned for being awkward and glitchy, and contributing to the draft lasting nearly 4 1/2 hours.

This year the NHL had the top prospects seated with their families in what resembled a lounge area, featuring plush couches, directly in front of the stage. After being selected, each player was interviewed on a couch on stage, with the backdrop representing the team in a first round that took about four hours to complete.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Lionel Messi, the top scorer in World Cup history, will not start when defending tournament champion and Group J winner Argentina plays Jordan on Saturday night in its last match before the knockout stage.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said Friday, two days after Messi’s 39th birthday, that the team’s captain will begin the match on the bench, but also indicated through an interpreter that he “will come in a little bit later.”

Scaloni didn’t say when Messi might substitute in to the game, or what his lineup would be against first-time World Cup participant Jordan, which lost its first two matches.

Messi scored all five goals for Argentina in the first two group matches, and now has 18 goals overall in his six World Cups. He had his first-ever hat trick in the tournament in a 3-0 win over Algeria to tie the career scoring record at 16 goals that had been held by Miroslav Klose of Germany. He broke that mark with the goals in a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys — where the group finale will be played.

Klose played in 24 World Cup matches for Germany, which wrapped up his fourth tournament by winning the 2014 final 1-0 in extra time over Messi and Argentina. Kylian Mbappé matched Klose at 16 with two goals in France’s 3-0 win over Iraq later Monday. Mbappé, who has four goals in the tournament, didn’t score in a 4-1 win over Norway on Friday in his final group match.

Considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, Messi has made 201 international appearances for Argentina, including a FIFA-record 28 World Cup matches. He has scored in six consecutive World Cup games, joining France striker Just Fontaine and Brazil great Jairzinho as only players to do that.

Messi had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury with Inter Miami of Major League Soccer that slowed him in the lead-up to the World Cup.

While there have been no indications of any issues since, Argentina has a lot of games left if it is going to get to another World Cup final. The knockout round for La Albiceleste begins next Friday in South Florida, and in this expanded 48-team tournament that would be the first of five matches in 17 days if they make it to the final on July 19.

Even with Argentina trying to go undefeated in group play for the fifth time, and first since 2014, Messi isn’t the only starter expected to get a break.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez could be the only regular starter in a lineup that could feature several new faces. Nicolás Paz, who made his World Cup debut subbing in for Messi late in the opener against Algeria, is now expected to start in his place.

“The hope is that the team will play the same way. That’s what we’re going to try to do,” Scaloni said. “Jordan is a good opponent, and we’re not taking anything for granted. We’ll try to tweak some aspects of the last match, but with the same intention of controlling the ball and dominating the opponent.”

ISTANBUL – Japan drew with Sweden 1-1 on Thursday in their final Group F match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Dallas Stadium in the US to secure their place in the next round.

While the first half was stagnant, Japan was the side that in particular improved as it went on and looked the more likely to break the deadlock.

Going into the second half, the Japanese momentum building over the first half clearly showed, as they managed to find their opener in the 56th minute with Daizen Maeda to upset Sweden.

However, the Swedish response did not take long. Anthony Elanga, scoring for a second straight match, leveled the game in the 62nd minute with an unstoppable effort that moved past Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.

Both sides shored up their offensive lines to try to get a lead over the other, but the stalemate continued. The tempo of the game slowly came to a lull and neither side managed to get the upper hand.

As a result of the game, Japan finished Group F in second place, securing their place past the group stage, while Sweden finished third and is also expected to advance as part of the best third teams within the current rankings.

Japan is set to play Brazil, while as things stand, Sweden is set to face France in the Round of 32.

Brazil blitzed through Scotland 3-0 late Wednesday to secure their place in the next round. 

This could be a major hurdle for Manchester United in the transfer market this summer.

Manuel Ugarte didn’t make it to halftime of Uruguay’s World Cup group stage finale against Spain on Friday as he was forced off on a stretcher after a nasty-looking collision.

Manchester United’s tough tackler started his third game of the summer tournament, charging around from the base of midfield with his typical brand of industry—although it was a lack of dexterity which would come back to bite him.

Shortly before the first half’s conclusion, with the score still level as Spain gently circulated possession exclusively in front of Uruguay’s navy shirts, Ugarte joined Mathías Olivera and Rodrigo Bentancur snapping at Pedri’s heels. The 25-year-old somehow conspired to avoid making contact with the player or ball, instead jamming his studs into the turf which appeared to jar his knee.

To add insult to what looked like a nasty injury, Spain scored from the same unbroken passage of play. Ugarte had bigger concerns, as he headed off the pitch after extensive medical treatment.

Man Utd’s Summer Transfer Plans Put on Hold
The first point of concern for everyone involved is Ugarte’s health. As the legendary former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson used to make a point of highlighting: “Those who discuss football in abstract terms overlook the reality that it is played by creatures of flesh and blood and feeling.”

However, once Ugarte’s wellness is established, thoughts at Old Trafford will invariably consider him an asset once again. The Uruguay international emphatically failed to establish himself at club level last season, starting just eight Premier League fixtures all term and only once since Michael Carrick took the helm in January.

Various reports have heavily tipped Ugarte for an exit which would suit all parties this summer. Several Serie A clubs have been floated but any hopes of United recouping the $66 million (£50 million) which they paid for him in 2024 have long since faded. No one is going to pay anything for a player with a serious injury.

Even if Ugarte has avoided the dreaded ACL tear, it will be hard to offload a player whose last competitive outing ended on a stretcher.

United are bracing themselves for a midfield revamp this summer. Casemiro’s replacement still needs to be found and there should also be cover for Kobbie Mainoo, who will presumably be required to play more than half a season in 2026–27. Ugarte’s departure would have likely forced another purchase but now those plans have to be put on hold.

Germany legend Toni Kroos has pulled no punches in his assessment of the national team following their underwhelming group-stage conclusion. The 2014 World Cup winner warned that Julian Nagelsmann’s side face an immediate exit in the knockout rounds unless they urgently address glaring defensive vulnerabilities and recover the form of their talismanic players.

• Defeat exposes veteran lineupGermany comfortably secured top spot in Group E following a resounding 7-1 victory over Curacao and a narrow 2-1 win against Ivory Coast. However, despite an early opener from Leroy Sane, Nagelsmann’s side fell to a 2-1 defeat against Ecuador in their final group match. Fielding their oldest starting lineup at a World Cup since 1998, the aging squad turned in a sluggish performance that drew heavy criticism from pundits.

Kroos demands gritty approach

Expectations were sky-high for Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz heading into the tournament, but both playmakers struggled as their dribbling threat was neutralised by Ecuador’s physical approach. Speaking on his TikTok live show alongside Lukas Podolski, Kroos openly disagreed with Nagelsmann, who had refused to question his players’ absolute desire to win.

Kroos stated: “It has to be nasty to play against us, meaning we need to be capable of defending well and being gritty. We aren’t doing that yet. And we need [Jamal] Musiala and [Florian] Wirtz in top form – which we don’t have right now.

“If both of these things don’t change, we won’t last much longer. We used to have matches where we played poorly too – like against Algeria. But we were still able to win those bad games. I don’t think this current team has that in them.

“This is a group that gives everything. However, I don’t agree with the coach saying that [complacency] had absolutely nothing to do with it. You always have that in the back of your mind when you’ve already qualified. You can’t just block it out; it’s completely human. We are simply not a physical team.”

• Podolski urges quiet reflectionWhile Nagelsmann defended the application of his players after rotated selections, former forward Podolski agreed that the unexpected setback could serve as a valuable wake-up call. Despite acknowledging their structural shortcomings, both veterans maintained faith in the squad’s ultimate potential if they successfully navigate the initial knockout hurdles.Podolski added: “Maybe a defeat like this is a good thing. To get a slap in the face. So that everyone says: ‘Alright, let’s calm down now.’ Maybe a loss like this does some good, so that everyone takes a moment to reflect in their own room. We shouldn’t just talk everything down now. Let’s push the boys.”Kroos concluded: “And I stand by my statement: I believe that if it comes to a match against France, if everything clicks, we can beat them.”

Knockout phase challenges await

Despite the recent disappointing performance, Nagelsmann has no plans to abandon the Musiala and Wirtz partnership for Monday’s round-of-32 tie against Paraguay in Foxborough. Germany must swiftly restore their defensive strength and ignite their creative play to overcome a resilient South American side. A victory would potentially set up a monumental round-of-16 blockbuster against tournament favourites France, leaving the out-of-form team with no margin for error.

The Los Angeles Angels, barreling toward their 11th consecutive losing season, fired general manager Perry Minasian on Friday, while also announcing that longtime executive John Mozeliak will be brought in as a consultant to the baseball operations department.

In a release, the Angels said Mozeliak, who served as GM of the St. Louis Cardinals from 2008 to 2025, will “oversee the day-to-day baseball operations for the Angels while refining a baseball operations strategy and assisting the organization in its search for a new general manager.” Mozeliak is expected to stay with the organization through the end of this calendar year.

Minasian, 46, was in his sixth season as Angels GM and in the final year of his contract. Whoever succeeds him will be the Angels’ fourth full-time GM since 2012, following Jerry Dipoto and Billy Eppler.

Minasian replaced Eppler following the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, and the Angels never finished with more than 77 wins under his watch. The team lost a franchise-record 99 games in 2024, then made a nine-win improvement in 2025. This year, though, they sit 34-48, tied for the worst record in the American League.

“Perry has been a valued leader who worked tirelessly over the last six years to strengthen our baseball-operations department,” first-year Angels president Molly Jolly said in a statement. “I am grateful for his dedication, insight and many contributions to our organization.”

Minasian made bold moves shortly after taking over the Angels’ baseball operations department, starting with the release of future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols in 2021 and the firing of World Series-winning manager Joe Maddon in 2022. But he was often handcuffed. Given the influence of longtime owner Arte Moreno — on a payroll that has become more restrictive and a continued reluctance to institute a proper rebuild — Minasian’s tenure has long been difficult for people on the outside to truly analyze.

The most prominent example occurred in the summer of 2023, when Moreno opted against trading two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in his final season before free agency. Instead, Minasian made an aggressive, win-now move to acquire pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox and watched the team collapse in August. Ohtani signed with the crosstown rival Los Angeles Dodgers the ensuing offseason. Not trading him set the franchise back several years, according to rival evaluators.

As his tenure endured, and injuries to high-priced players Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon mounted, Minasian continually talked up a young group of position players headlined by Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Logan O’Hoppe, Christian Moore and, though he was drafted by Eppler, Jo Adell. But perhaps outside of Neto, that group has not developed as expected. And Minasian was never able to put enough pieces around them to lift the Angels into contention, either through free agency or the minor leagues.

Since Minasian took over at the start of 2021, the Angels sport the sixth-lowest winning percentage, have scored the eighth-fewest runs and have put up the fifth-highest ERA in the major leagues, all while possessing a farm system that has consistently been rated among the worst in the industry. This year has seen some young starting pitchers emerge — namely Reid Detmers, Jose Soriano and Walbert Urena — but it has not been nearly enough to keep the Angels competitive.

In his 18-year run leading Cardinals baseball operations, Mozeliak, 57, oversaw 10 postseason appearances, six division titles, two pennants and a World Series championship in 2011. At the conclusion of the 2025 regular season, Mozeliak stepped down as president of baseball operations, making way for Chaim Bloom. He joins an Angels organization that has Pujols and Chris Carpenter, two central figures in the Cardinals’ dominant run of the 2010s, as special assistants in the front office.

His manager, Kurt Suzuki, is a rookie on a one-year contract — and represents the Angels’ fifth since Mike Scioscia’s contract expired after the 2018 season.

“John is one of the most accomplished and respected baseball executives with a proven track record of building a winning organization,” Jolly, who replaced longtime president John Carpino in April, said in a statement. “For three decades, he constructed one of baseball’s most respected organizations, combining strong leadership with a commitment to player development and organizational excellence. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Angels and look forward to benefiting from his experience and perspective as we continue to shape the future of our organization.”

NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters) – The manicured lawns of Wimbledon came to the heart of Manhattan on Friday when former Grand Slam champions and fan favourites including Andre Agassi and Caroline Wozniacki took to a temporary pop-up grasscourt erected in New ​York’s Central Park.

Agassi and Wozniacki were joined by former U.S. player James Blake and ​Canadian former world number five Eugenie Bouchard for a series of exhibition matches ⁠designed to bring a taste of southwest London to New York ahead of the Grand ​Slam’s start on Monday.

The quartet played singles exhibitions before teaming up for mixed doubles on a ​Wimbledon-style court installed at Wollman Rink at the southern end of Central Park, against a backdrop of trees and Manhattan skyscrapers.

“It was an amazing experience,” Wozniacki said. “Playing on a grasscourt in the middle of Central Park doesn’t ​happen every day. To be part of this amazing event was something that I won’t forget.”

The ​head agronomist at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Mark Ferguson, oversaw the court, and the grass was ‌specially ⁠grown in neighbouring New Jersey for the pop-up installation.

“I think it’s a fantastic kind of juxtaposition of Wimbledon and New York together,” Ferguson said.

The exhibition also provided an opportunity for the former players to discuss the return of 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams, who is set ​to make a surprise comeback ​at Wimbledon after ⁠four years away from singles competition.

“I’m very excited to see her back,” Wozniacki said.

“It’s always great to see some of the best players ever ​come back and play. I’ll be watching, I’ll be supporting and it ​will be ⁠great.”

Asked whether she might consider another comeback of her own, Wozniacki smiled and replied: “I don’t know. That’s a good question.”

Bouchard said Williams faced a daunting challenge by returning directly at Wimbledon without a ⁠warm-up event.

“I ​think it’s bonkers – in a good way,” Bouchard said.

“The fact ​that she hasn’t played a singles match in four years is pretty crazy to play the first one at Wimbledon.

“But ​if there’s anyone that can handle it, it’s Serena.”

VANCOUVER, June 26 : Belgium coach Rudi Garcia credited his senior players for leading the charge in their 5-1 rout of New Zealand at the World Cup on Friday, brushing aside criticism about the team’s veteran core earlier in the tournament.

Leandro Trossard, 31, struck twice as Belgium thrashed New Zealand to clinch top spot in Group G and advance to the round of 32. Kevin De Bruyne (34), Romelu Lukaku (33) and Alexis Saelemaekers (27) were also on the scoresheet.

Belgium finished above Egypt on goal difference after both sides ended with five points from three matches. The Belgians will next face one of the eight best third-placed teams.

Garcia told reporters that his side were more efficient than in their games against Egypt and Iran.

“This is what the oldies did tonight, quote unquote,” he added. “Now, we haven’t won anything yet but we moved on to the next phase, but thank goodness we had a difference of four goals and that gave us the opportunity to be first of the group …

“We can’t say that we are fully into it but we are growing into it. We’re gaining momentum. We’ll see against whom we will be playing in the round of 32, but we will relish this first victory.”

Garcia made five changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Iran.

Striker Romelu Lukaku was dropped to the bench, while winger Jeremy Doku returned to the starting line-up after recovering from illness and a brief absence following the birth of his son.

Asked whether external criticism about the team’s “oldies” had been a motivation, Garcia said: “No, I did not read it, but this is what I’ve heard from France, from Belgium and this is not a source of motivation honestly.

“I trust my players and that’s why my team is the way it is right now.

“I fully trust my leaders and there’s only one thing that we can do. It’s actually happening on the pitch and so the answer happened on the pitch and I have nothing else to say.”

VANCOUVER, June 26 : New Zealand’s World Cup journey came to an end with a 5-1 thrashing by Belgium on Friday, but coach Darren Bazeley said he was proud of how his players had performed despite finishing bottom of Group G.

New Zealand led against Iran before being pegged back in a 2-2 draw, and they opened the scoring against Egypt before slumping to a 3-1 defeat.

Bazeley said the World Cup experience would be a valuable one for his squad. 

“I think when you saw the draw and we knew we were playing these (Belgium) last, you probably expected them to already be on six points and that maybe could work in our favour … we needed to pick up our points in the first two games and we gave ourselves the opportunity to do that, and we didn’t take it,” Bazeley told a media conference.

“We tried to get back in the game, we weren’t going to just leave this World Cup defending a 2-0 loss, we wanted to try and score, to try and get back in the game, but unfortunately, we got punished a few times.”

New Zealand did manage to pull a goal back when Elijah Just netted his third of the tournament, but Belgium went on to score twice more in the closing stages to complete the rout. 

“Most of these guys will be back in four years’ time and they will be better for it, and they have to be better for it, if we’re going to get to where we all want to, which is into those knockout games,” Bazeley said. 

“They’ll definitely learn from it. This is a great group of players that have got a really great future, a bright future, both individually at clubs and together. They’ll definitely be better for it because it’ll hurt, and it should hurt because we’re at a World Cup and now we’re going home.”

Striker Chris Wood, who was part of New Zealand’s 2010 squad, said there has been a clear progression during his time with the team. 

“You always want to play the best teams, that’s how you progress and that’s how you get better. I think we showed that against Egypt and Iran,” he told reporters. 

“We raised our level to that, but we couldn’t raise our level to Belgium tonight unfortunately. They’re a top side, but if we get our players into bigger leagues around the world, that will also help.”

June 27 : Former England cricketer Liam Plunkett swapped his cricket colours for a baseball glove on Friday, playing his first game for independent American club Oakland Ballers and even claiming a strikeout.

Plunkett, 41, was part of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning side — his final international appearance — taking three wickets in the tied final against New Zealand as England emerged victorious by the narrowest of margins on boundary count. He subsequently moved to the United States, where his wife is from, and has since played Major League Cricket for the San Francisco Unicorns.

His latest venture came with the Ballers, who participate in the Pioneer Baseball League (PBL), an independent competition and official Major League Baseball (MLB) Partner League. The seam bowler featured under the PBL’s “marketing player” exception, a clause which allows teams to temporarily sign high-profile cross-sport athletes.

Facing the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds at Raimondi Park, Plunkett started on the mound and recorded a strikeout in the process.

“Originally, I thought it’s like the ceremonial open pitch, but it was the real thing. I was first on the mound, a little bit nervous, but the catcher was excellent,” Plunkett said in a post-game interview.

“But yeah, I mean I got that strikeout. I think the hitter didn’t know what was coming. I think it was a bit unusual, a mix between bowling and then pitching.”

“Play first game, get a strikeout. What more could I ask for? Happy days!”