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  • Dolphins’ rookie class tours Historic Overtown in recognition of Juneteenth

    The Miami Dolphins’ 2026 rookie draft class spent June 15 touring Historic Overtown alongside members of the Booker T. Washington Senior High School football team as part of the organization’s celebration of Juneteenth.

    Overtown, 100 years ago the center of the Black community in Miami, is described by the official website of Greater Miami and Miami Beach as having a cultural expansion in the 1930s that reflected the Harlem Renaissance, at the time serving as a haven to Black stars and artists visiting the city during the Jim Crow era.

    In the 1960s, the construction of multiple major highways forcibly relocated the majority Black residents in Overtown by the thousands, ensuring economic decline throughout the area.

    Today, the impact and significance of Historic Overtown can be experienced through museums, artistry and food — or in the case of the Dolphins rookies, a tour with local historian Dr. Marvin Dunn.

    As part of Dunn’s tour, players enjoyed lunch at Red Rooster Overtown, co-owned by the 2024 Jason Jenkins Corporate Community Pillar Award winner, Derek Fleming. That award was named in remembrance of former Dolphins senior vice president Jason Jenkins, who died in 2022 and was himself a pillar of the South Florida community. The rookies were able to learn more about Overtown’s evolution and community impact through their meeting with Fleming.

    Following the tour, the participating Dolphins traveled to Booker T. Washington high to visit further with the football team as the school celebrates its 100th anniversary.

    The June 15 event was part of the franchise’s offseason community programming, which is geared toward building relationships and developing cultural understanding through experiences that inspire change for the better.

    It’s notable that the excursion through Overtown was experienced by Dolphins rookies, who come from all over but now have a better sense of a part of their new home, as well as the history that comes with it.

  • Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love setting no ‘personal goals’: ‘It’s all about the team at the end of the day’

    The Arizona Cardinals followed their heart when they spent the No. 3 overall pick on Jeremiyah Love.

    He’s planning on winning their affection all over again by dedicating himself to team excellence.

    “I’ve learned throughout my time just playing football, the personal goals aren’t going to get you really where you want to get to. It’s all about the team at the end of the day,” Love said Monday. “As long as you do your part on the team, usually you’ll get the personal accolades and the personal goals that you have in your mind. So, in my mind, my goal for myself is to jell really well with this team and do whatever coach [Mike] LaFleur wants me to do, and do it to the best of my ability.”

    Arizona might ask a lot of Love, an explosive, three-down back capable of accounting for the majority of an offense’s production even as a rookie. If one needs a comparison, Bijan Robinson’s essential role in Atlanta fits. But Love happily pointed out he isn’t the only playmaker listed on the Cardinals’ offensive roster, and while he’s willing to do whatever LaFleur’s staff wants, he understands there are options.

    “All the pressure is not going to be on me,” Love said when asked what excites him most about Arizona’s offense. “You’ve got guys like Marv(in Harrison Jr.), Trey (McBride). We’ve got a lot of guys in the running back room, as well, so split some carries if need be. You don’t need just one guy going out there and getting 30 carries a game. What do we got, 21 games this season potentially? So, that’s not going to do too good in the long run. But I just love being around guys that are great at football. A lot of professionals around, the NFL, it’s just great to be around, and I’m excited to showcase our skills together.”

    While Love said all the right things concerning his goals, he admitted he’s still chasing individual honors just as he did at Notre Dame. The difference, though, is only wants to win them as part of the greater team effort.

    “That’s kind of how I’ve always been,” Love said. “Never really been the type to set, well I’ve always been the type to set goals for myself, but they’ve always been connected to the team in some type of way. Like last year, I wanted to win the Doak Walker Award in college, wanted to win the Heisman, but those things weren’t going to happen unless I did what I had to do for my team and play my role for the team. Both of them go hand in hand, so I kind of try to make everything team-oriented.

    “At the end of the day, it’s a team sport. You can’t do anything by yourself, especially as a running back. Got to have a good O-line, got to have a quarterback that can read defenses and see a lot of things, and you’ve got to have receivers that can take the top off to lighten up the box, as well. Everything goes hand in hand, so I try not to make things personal and make it all team-oriented. Because if the team is good, a lot of times you’re going to do good as well.”

    An obvious question exists under center, where the Cardinals have a trio of quarterbacks on the roster. Each of them could realistically see the field in 2026. Jacoby Brissett is expected to emerge as their starter, but that doesn’t mean Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck won’t also get some reps, especially if Arizona struggles in its first year under LaFleur.

    Regardless of whether they’ll admit it, Love’s selection was made with this in mind. If Arizona is going to insulate itself from quarterback-related disaster, it needs to surround a given signal-caller with talented playmakers.

    McBride, Harrison, Love and receiver Michael Wilson form a respectable quartet of playmakers. If Love fills a Robinson-like role, expect him to emerge as the most important of the four.

    “As far as numbers, nothing’s ever easy,” Love said. “The way I think of it now is I’m going to have to earn every yard that I get, every touchdown I get. In college, both years I started, I scored 20-plus touchdowns per year. I haven’t seen what that looks like in the NFL. I think a lot of guys probably don’t score that many touchdowns, but that’s the standard that I’ve set for myself. Hopefully I can live up to that standard through hard work and dedication and discipline, but as far as the numbers I try to not to think about them or I try not to set specific numbers. I’m not making it too personal.

    “Like I said, everything’s about the team. If you make sure you’re doing your part on the team, those things will come, and the rewards will come and the accolades will come and the All-Pros will come. All that stuff will come as long as you are keeping everything team-oriented and you’re playing for your guys.”

  • London City sign former England goalkeeper Mary Earps

    June 19 : London City have signed goalkeeper Mary Earps on a two-year contract starting July 1, the Women’s Super League club said on Friday, as the former England international returns to the competition after two years.

    The 33-year-old will join after her contract with Paris St Germain expires, having spent two seasons in France following her departure from Manchester United.

    “The club’s values represent what I want to represent, and they are passionate about what I want to achieve and change the game in a positive way,” Earps said in a statement.

    “I’m looking forward to getting to know the players, the staff, the style of play and club culture and trying to give everything I can to help the club achieve its collective goals and be as successful as possible.”

    Earps spent five seasons at United between 2019 and 2024, making 102 appearances and keeping 45 clean sheets. She helped the club qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League and win the Women’s FA Cup in 2024, their first major trophy.

    At international level, Earps played a key role in England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their run to the 2023 World Cup final. She retired from international football in May 2025 with 53 caps, having also represented England at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-23 levels before making her senior debut in 2017.

  • New Zealand punish England as Nicholls century builds huge lead

    LONDON, June 19 : New Zealand seized complete control of the second test against England as Henry Nicholls struck a masterful century in a 161-run partnership with Rachin Ravindra to stretch their lead to 352 on day three at the Oval on Friday.

    Having dismissed England for 291 just before lunch for a first-innings lead of 100, New Zealand lost openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway cheaply but then turned the screws to reach a commanding 252-3 at the close.

    On a baking day of unbroken sunshine, Nicholls took full advantage of the batsman-friendly conditions with an unbeaten 119. Daryl Mitchell was 32 not out at the close.

    Ravindra, dropped on seven with New Zealand wobbling slightly on 48-2, played fluently but with a century beckoning he fell lbw for 76 to England’s part-time spinner Jacob Bethell.

    England began the day on 226-6 in reply to New Zealand’s first-innings 391 and lost Jordan Cox, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue in quick succession as pace bowler Matthew Henry completed his first five-wicket haul against England.

    HOSTILE OPENING SPELL

    A defiant half century by number nine Matthew Fisher put the brakes on New Zealand and Archer then produced a hostile opening spell as England threatened a counter-attack.

    But England’s fire faded and New Zealand are now clear favourites to level the three-match series having lost the opener by 115 runs at Lord’s.

    “It’s obviously a great day. To bowl them out with a lead and get where we are now is what we wanted,” the 34-year-old Nicholls, recalled to the side after New Zealand great Kane Williamson retired after the first test, said.

    “I wasn’t ever going to be able to replace (Williamson). I just really enjoyed being back in test cricket, you want to contribute. It was fun, the partnership with Rachin and with Daryl at the end there.”

    Fisher’s unbeaten 50 in a 10th-wicket stand of 53 with Sonny Baker helped give England something to cling after they completely lost control of the match on day two.

    With Archer roaring in all guns blazing and bowling at more than 90mph, England briefly looked capable of turning the tide.

    He produced a devilish delivery to send Latham back for four – New Zealand’s skipper forced to play at a ball that seamed off a length to take the edge and give debutant wicket keeper James Rew a simple take.

    When Josh Tongue then got Conway (11) snaffled at second slip by Harry Brook at first slip New Zealand were 28-2.

    Phillips looked edgy early against England’s pacemen but stayed composed, while Ravindra was given a let-off when he edged behind off Tongue but Rew grounded a routine catch.

    After that the runs flowed smoothly for New Zealand with the elegant Ravindra’s 76 coming off just 99 balls.

    Bethell, who took three wickets in the first innings, proved England’s unlikely partnership breaker as Ravindra missed an attempted sweep and was trapped in front of his stumps.

    But Nicholls continued the punishment, bringing up his 11th test century by smashing a Bethell long hop for a boundary.

    Earlier, New Zealand set about mopping up England’s tail in far more effective fashion than the hosts had managed the day before when New Zealand added 100 vital runs.

    Henry, who took the prize England wickets of Joe Root and Brook the previous evening, removed Cox for 22 with Latham taking a smart catch at short mid-wicket.

    Archer looked stunned as he was next to go, swiping at a wide delivery from Henry but edging to wicket keeper Tom Blundell who took a reflex catch close to the stumps.

    Tongue followed soon after, Nathan Smith clinging on to his lofted drive at mid-on at the second attempt as England lurched from 235-6 to 238-9.

  • Niemann handed two-stroke penalty for throwing club at US Open

    SOUTHAMPTON, New York, June 19 : Chilean Joaquin Niemann received a two-stroke penalty on Friday for throwing his club on the par-four sixth hole during his opening round at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

    The LIV golfer had a dreadful start on the sixth hole at the famously tricky Southampton course on Thursday, hitting two drives out of bounds before chucking his club in frustration when he missed the green on his approach shot, as windy conditions tested competitors.

    Organisers said the act constituted “serious misconduct,” and he carded a septuple bogey for the hole. He shot an eight-over par 78 in the opening round.

    “I hit it two times out of bounds on the right, two bad swings. Then, yeah, got pretty frustrated. I’m not someone that likes to be in that behaviour. I’m the first one to judge myself when I don’t behave on the golf course,” Niemann told reporters. 

    “That was a misbehave from my part. I felt like a little bit extra penalised with a two-shot penalty, but I think it is what it is. I think I’m going to learn from it. It definitely kind of helped me a little bit to have a better round today.”

    Niemann was at three-over par through the first two rounds of the tournament, after carding a five-under par 65 on Friday.

  • Clark in command at US Open halfway mark

    SOUTHAMPTON, New York, June 19 : Wyndham Clark built a four-shot lead heading into the weekend at the U.S. Open, reaching the halfway stage on Friday at seven under par as he hunts for redemption at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

    The 2023 U.S. Open champion made headlines a year ago when he wrecked a locker after missing the cut at the tournament at Oakmont. But he has been all poise this week at the notoriously tricky Southampton course, where he carded a six-under-par 64 in the first round and a one-under-par 69 in the second.

    Two-time major winner Xander Schauffele, the 2022 champion Matt Fitzpatrick, American Sam Stevens and South Korea’s Tom Kim shared the second spot on the leaderboard, at three under par.

    “Yesterday, I really drove it great, and then I was just really conservative into the greens. These greens are obviously the challenge of this golf course,” said Clark.

    “Then today I kind of did the same thing. Wasn’t as sharp, but the consistency of hitting it to kind of conservative targets really paid off.”

    Clark cancelled out a bogey at the par-four ninth with birdies at the 12th and 13th on Friday but ran into trouble late in the round when he landed in the bunker twice en route to another bogey on the par-five 16th. He held his nerve with a beautiful 33-foot putt for another birdie on the par-four 18th.

    “The nice thing on that green is everything kind of funnels towards the hole as long as you kind of match the speed a little bit. I hit a good putt, and it was tracking,” Clark told reporters. “It was a great way to finish the round. I really didn’t putt my best on the green, so it’s nice to have that momentum going into tomorrow.”

    Clark will not have history on his side this weekend, as no second-round leader at the last four U.S. Opens at Shinnecock has gone on to win the tournament. 

    Starting on the back nine, Schauffele (66) jumped up the leaderboard with a single bogey on the par-five fifth hole, the only blemish in an otherwise superb day with five birdies. The Englishman Fitzpatrick birdied twice in the final three holes to avoid calamity and card an even-par 70.

    Stevens (69) finished the day with three birdies and two bogeys while Kim (67) produced some of his best golf with four birdies and a bogey.

    “It’s a golf course that can beat you up pretty quickly,” said Fitzpatrick. “You have to stay patient, but you know, if you are chasing, you can’t really afford too many mistakes.”

    SCHEFFLER’S GRAND SLAM BID IN TROUBLE

    Pre-tournament favourites Scottie Scheffler (68) and Rory McIlroy (71) were on the fringes of contention, seven shots off the lead in a crowded tie for 11th place at even par.

    “If there’s a course where you feel like you still have a chance if you’re seven back going into the weekend like I am, it’s definitely this one,” said the back-to-back Masters winner McIlroy.

    World number one Scheffler is attempting for the first time to complete the career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors, after winning last year’s PGA Championship and British Open.

    “This golf course can change pretty quickly, so we’ll see how the golf course presents itself tomorrow,” said Scheffler, who drained a nearly 41-foot putt for birdie on the par-four 15th. He put up two more birdies and a bogey for the day. 

    BIG NAMES STRUGGLE

    Clark’s playing partner and former champion Dustin Johnson of LIV Golf was among several high-profile collapses on Friday.

    Johnson was second after a terrific opening round (66) but tumbled down the leaderboard with three bogeys, a double bogey and a quadruple bogey against two birdies for a seven-over-par 77.

    His fellow LIV competitors Jon Rahm (78) and Bryson DeChambeau (75) missed the cut, along with defending champion J.J. Spaun (71) and Australian Adam Scott (75), who was competing in his 100th consecutive major this week.

    The cut came in at four over par, with 67 professionals and five amateurs advancing.

  • De Minaur knocked out in quarter-finals at Queen’s Club

    LONDON, June 19 : Top seed Alex de Minaur’s hopes of adding his name to the illustrious list of winners of the Queen’s Club title ended in defeat by American Brandon Nakashima on Friday.

    The Australian world number six is regarded as one of the best exponents of grass court tennis but was unable to handle the aggressive Nakashima in a 7-5 6-3 quarter-final defeat.

    A tight opening set dominated by serve was edged by world number 32 Nakashima as he converted the first break point of the match in the 12th game.

    De Minaur had a chance at 1-1 in the second set on Nakashima’s serve but was unable to take it.

    On a boiling hot day on Andy Murray Arena, he dropped serve at 3-4 and there was no way back as Nakashima clinched his first win against a top-10 player in two years.

    Nakashima will face Argentina’s seventh seed Francisco Cerundolo after he battled past British wildcard Arthur Fery 7-6(1) 3-6 6-4. Cerundolo suffered a scare when he was struck in the throat by a Fery backhand from close range and was left on the ground.

    “I got hit and I couldn’t breathe, but after one or two games it went away,” he said.

    The other semi-final will see American former champion Tommy Paul take on France’s Ugo Humbert. Paul beat fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 6-3 7-6(4) while Humbert thrashed Australia’s Rinky Hijikata.

  • Kane says England fans’ ‘Wonderwall’ moment ranks among his best

    KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 19 : England captain Harry Kane says soaking in the sound of thousands of England fans belting out Oasis song “Wonderwall” after their 4-2 World Cup victory over Croatia this week was a highlight of his career.

    “That was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt and especially at a major tournament,” he told England’s in-house show the Lions’ Den.

    “I know it’s just the first game and we’re not getting carried away, but that emotional connection with the fans, we know how much it means to them,” Kane added.

    England manager Thomas Tuchel has repeatedly stressed the importance of forging a strong bond within the squad. 

    The 32-year-old Kane said the squad, who have all grown up as fans, were determined to provide more special moments at the World Cup.

    “I think they see how much it means to us. We have that connection right now, but that moment, singing ‘Wonderwall’ in the stadium — everyone knew the words — was really special,” he said.

    “We know back home is the same, we know there would be plenty of beer getting thrown around, with it being a night game, so we love that stuff.”

    POSITIVE VIBES

    Tuchel is building on the framework previous manager Gareth Southgate began at the 2018 World Cup, when he transformed the culture of the England team, repairing a historically fractured relationship with the media, and generated a surge in positive public support.

    “You can see the hunger, the desire and excitement from the players to be part of what could be a special summer,” Kane said of this year’s squad.

    “There’s real competition for places, but no negativity, just a shared focus on performing when called upon.”

    Kane matched childhood hero David Beckham’s record with 115 international appearances for England on Wednesday.

    “David sent me a nice voice note before the game and after the game,” said Kane. “He just congratulated me on getting to 115. He said he knows how hard it is to be that consistent and to reach that many caps.”

    Kane’s two goals against Croatia also took him level with Gary Lineker on 10 World Cup goals for England.

    He said he was inspired by the performances of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who opened his World Cup with a hat-trick, and Norway’s Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe of France, who kicked off their tournaments with two goals each.

    “Obviously I saw the guys scoring their goals and I don’t like to concentrate too much on other people,” he said after the game. “But I think it’s natural – as a sportsman, as an athlete – to try and reach the highest levels and obviously all those guys started in a great way.”

    Kane and several teammates attended the Kansas City Royals game on Thursday evening, where Tuchel threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

    England continue their Group L campaign against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday.

  • Portugal tuning out ‘noise’ as Ronaldo criticism mounts at World Cup, says Dias

    PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida, June 19 : The Portugal squad are shutting out criticism of the team and captain Cristiano Ronaldo following an underwhelming draw in their World Cup opener against Democratic Republic of Congo, defender Ruben Dias said on Friday.

    Congo, playing in their first World Cup for 52 years, frustrated Portugal in a 1-1 draw that left the European side with just one shot on target despite completing 740 passes, prompting a barrage of criticism.

    Ronaldo, in particular, found himself in the firing line as the 41-year-old’s goal drought at major tournaments extended to 10 games stretching back to the 2022 World Cup, despite being the all-time top scorer.

    “The criticism is not significant for us, it’s noise and part of the competition … It’s all noise,” Dias told reporters at Portugal’s training camp.

    “It always happens if you have a match that doesn’t go well. We’re closing ourselves off from unnecessary criticism.”

    The Portugal captain was dealt a sharp critique by former France striker Thierry Henry, who suggested Ronaldo was playing for personal glory rather than team success.

    “One thing that’s important: the team needs to score, not you need to score,” Henry said in his analysis on Fox, adding that Ronaldo was getting in the way of team-mates in a better position to score.

    RONALDO ‘USED TO MEDIA PRESSURE’

    But Dias refused to single out Ronaldo, who is competing in his sixth World Cup.

    “Cristiano, of course, is used to dealing with the media pressure we usually face in the club, the national team, world tournaments, European competitions,” Dias said.

    “In this sort of competition, it will never be perfect … This is a competition you can win only if you play well game after game,” he added.

    READY FOR UZBEKISTAN CLASH

    Dias, who was benched for the opener while recovering from injury, declared himself ready to play for Tuesday’s second group match against Uzbekistan.

    Having faced Congo’s defensive back five, Portugal could encounter a similar strategy from Uzbekistan, and Dias said it was a tactic he had seen repeatedly while playing for Manchester City.

    “I come from playing most of my club matches against teams that use a back five, so I have a very clear idea about it,” Dias said.

    “Respecting positional discipline becomes decisive in matches like these.

    “I believe we have players with enough quality that, by respecting our positions and making the right decisions, we can make the difference.”

  • Spain’s worrying lack of cutting edge faces Saudi test

    ATLANTA, June 19 : Spain came into the World Cup as a favourite but after an underwhelming display against minnows Cape Verde the European champions need a far sharper attacking edge against Saudi Arabia in their tighter than expected Group H.

    Luis de la Fuente’s side were held to a shock 0-0 draw by the World Cup debutants in Atlanta on Monday and return to the same stadium on Sunday to face Saudi Arabia, who also drew their opening fixture 1-1 against Uruguay.

    Spain and Uruguay were expected to take the top two places in the group and advance automatically to the knockout stages, with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde left to battle it out in the hope of earning one of the best third-placed spots.

    Instead, all four are level on one point and De la Fuente may opt to start winger Lamine Yamal to inject some pace.

    Before the Cape Verde game, the Spanish manager said the introduction of Yamal from the bench would depend on how the match was progressing, with the 18-year-old returning from injury.

    He can hardly have expected the need to turn to Yamal in an effort to win the game, and while the teenager did spark some life into Spain for the final 20 minutes, it still was not enough.

    Nico Williams also came off the bench late on, and both he and Yamal could get the nod this time, with the ineffectual Gavi and misfiring Ferran Torres set to make way.

    Yamal, however, is not ready for a full 90 minutes, so the manager must decide whether to throw him in from the start and hope to get the job done or keep him in reserve yet again.

    Strike Mikel Oyarzabal failed to get a touch of the ball in the opening half hour against Cape Verde. Those behind him enjoyed plenty of possession, but did very little with it, and will need to be far more incisive against Saudi Arabia.

    Spain may not be overly concerned with the opening result, but it is the performance which was worrying.

    “There was a stir over a draw and in the end many teams have drawn, it means nothing,” Yamal said.

    “For me, winning the first game 6-0 doesn’t help you at all, then you have to win the knockout rounds.”

    Saudi Arabia caused an upset four years ago when they beat eventual winners Argentina in their opening game, and after frustrating another South American side, they will be buoyed with confidence.

    The only time the Saudis advanced past the group stage was in 1994, the last time the United States hosted the World Cup.

    Manager Georgios Donis is expected to field a mostly unchanged side to the one which earned a valuable point against Uruguay.