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TORONTO, June 18 : Clad in Canada gear with a red cowboy hat and a maple leaf painted on her face, Catherine Paternal was ready to celebrate Canada’s national soccer team. But she is in no mood to be co-hosting Canada’s first World Cup with its southern neighbor.

U.S. President Donald Trump in recent weeks has renewed threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, and said he might not renew the trilateral trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico — the co-hosts of this year’s World Cup.   

“The World Cup is about bringing countries together. I don’t feel like the U.S. is a good example of bringing people together right now,” said Paternal, a 44-year-old from Mississauga, a city neighboring Toronto.

The U.S. president has also imposed tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles from Canada, accused Ottawa of taking advantage of the U.S., and on many occasions referred to Prime Minister Mark Carney as “governor.” Canadians for over a year have boycotted U.S. products and canceled trips south of the border.

Most Canadians Reuters spoke to said they were not willing to put their feelings aside during the World Cup. 

“Absolutely not,” 68-year-old Linda Anson said bluntly in Toronto, when asked if she would make the trip to catch games in the United States. She highlighted Trump’s remarks about Canada as the main reason and said she would have preferred the World Cup to be hosted exclusively in Canada and Mexico.

“We are a sovereign nation,” her husband Bruce added.

Canada fan Liam Delaney went straight to the Toronto Stadium from work to catch a glimpse of his team playing against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their World Cup opener on Friday. He did not mince his words in regard to the U.S. president.

“I think he is ruining the world of football for North Americans. He is making us look really bad,” he said. 

A poll from Abacus Data this month showed 80 per cent of Canadians think the United States is on the wrong track. Another survey, from Nanos, showed 53 per cent of Canadians believed boycotting U.S. goods and avoiding U.S. travel had been helpful in strengthening Canada’s position with the United States.

Not everyone agrees with that stance.

Mauricio Gonzalez, a Mexican Canadian, wants everyone to park those tensions awhile.

“Just put that aside … just enjoy soccer for a month, and we can resume everything else after,” he said.

Canada has worked closely with its joint hosts to make the World Cup a success and the engagement with the U.S. and Mexico has been positive, said Bahoz Dara Aziz, spokeswoman for Canada’s secretary of state for sports. 

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the World Cup required close coordination between various U.S. partners and FIFA, without commenting specifically on its co-hosting nations.

WE WERE FRIENDS

The world’s showpiece soccer event is being played across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, after they were named joint hosts during Trump’s first presidency in 2018. Canada plays its second match, against Qatar, in Vancouver on Thursday. 

Catherine Thomas, a resident of the city of Oshawa, reminisced about a time when the U.S. and Canada were steadfast allies. 

“When we started with this World Cup thing, the U.S. and Canada were still friends,” she said. “I don’t feel that way towards the U.S. now.”

Even Justin Trudeau’s patriotism came into question as annoyed fans queried why the former prime minister had ditched the first World Cup game on home soil in favor of Los Angeles. He was spotted in the stands watching the U.S. opening match with pop star girlfriend Katy Perry after she had performed at the U.S. opening ceremony.

“Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call. But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup,” he posted on social media.

GDANSK, June 18 : Veteran coach Ismail Kartal has returned to Fenerbahce for a fourth managerial spell, the Turkish Super Lig side said on Thursday.

Fenerbahce said in a statement to Turkey’s Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) that they had appointed 65-year-old Kartal on a one-year contract.

Kartal, who spent a decade at Fenerbahce during his playing career, previously coached the club in 2014-15, then on an interim basis in 2021-22 before returning for a full campaign in 2023-24. He was an assistant manager at Fenerbahce the last two times the club won the Super Lig.

Fenerbahce have finished second in the Turkish top-flight in the last five seasons straight, with their Istanbul rivals Galatasaray winning the title four times in a row.

Indian Premier League champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have no immediate plans to follow rivals and buy franchises in overseas leagues, co-owner Satyan Gajwani ​said, as the new owners prioritise fan engagement over expansion.

BENGALURU, June 18 : Indian Premier League champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have no immediate plans to follow rivals and buy franchises in overseas leagues, co-owner Satyan Gajwani said, as the new owners prioritise fan engagement over expansion.

A consortium including the Aditya Birla Group, Times of India, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone bought the franchise for $1.78 billion in March, ending United Spirits’ tenure.

Despite IPL teams including Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders building a presence in leagues in the United States, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean, RCB are taking a cautious approach.

“Don’t think we have any plans as of now. We’re a bit ahead of ourselves as we’re still focusing on closing the transaction and then thinking about where we’re going from there,” Times Internet Chairman Gajwani told Reuters.

“I think RCB as a brand is very centred around Bengaluru and around cricket.”

Gajwani said the franchise’s immediate focus was on strengthening its core rather than stretching into new markets, even though he acknowledged the brand’s global potential.

“The RCB brand warrants a global presence and that could be through other forms like academies that we could do on the ground, it could also be potentially through expanding into franchise cricket and other markets,” Gajwani said.

“It’s still a little bit in the air to decide whether or not we want to do that.”

RCB ended a 17-year wait for the men’s IPL title last season and retained it this year, while their women’s team have won titles in 2024 and 2026.

However, Gajwani said the consortium’s immediate priority is to drive engagement beyond the IPL’s two-month window and address the persistent demand-supply gap for tickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium which has a capacity of only 33,800.

“One of the issues we have is the stadium can only fit as many people and it’s not easy to buy tickets for RCB games. So, hopefully, we’ll find ways to grow the stadium and ways to bring more fans into it,” he added.

At long last, Sean Manaea is back to being a first-inning starter for the New York Mets.

Manaea will look to build off a productive outing Thursday when the Mets open a three-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Throughout the majority of the season, New York has used an opener for Manaea (1-2, 4.78 ERA), who clearly has improved over the past month. In particular, the veteran left-hander has a 3.00 ERA in three June outings.

Manaea was allowed to start the first inning for the first time in 2026 in his most recent outing, and he backed up the team’s confidence by allowing two runs and four hits in six innings against the Atlanta Braves. Still, he took a 3-1 loss in the Saturday game.

“He earned it,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of the start. “He continues to put himself in a position where days like (Saturday), it was an easy call for us.”

Manaea has allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight straight appearances heading into Thursday’s meeting with Philadelphia, though of those outings were very brief relief stints.

“It feels really good,” he said after his most recent outing. “I’ve put in a lot of work with the coaches here, the staff. It feels good just to put in some hard work and have a game like (Saturday).”

Manaea has made eight career appearances (six starts) against the Phillies and is 2-3 with a 5.30 ERA.

On Thursday, he’ll likely be facing a lineup with several left-handed hitters. Kyle Schwarber leads the majors with 25 home runs, while Brandon Marsh’s .323 batting average ranks fourth in the National League entering play Thursday.

Bryce Harper is having a solid season as well, although he is just 1-for-19 over his past six games.

The Phillies are coming off a series victory against the Miami Marlins despite a 12-4 setback in Wednesday’s finale. Leadoff hitter Trea Turner had three hits to highlight the offensive effort by Philadelphia.

“Your vision for your best team is with Trea at the top, or the top couple,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said amid suggestions that the inconsistent Turner should be moved down in the order. “If we’re gonna get where we need to go, he needed to get going.”

Philadelphia will give the ball to Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.86), who has been inconsistent as well. After closing May on a positive note, the right-hander has a 6.43 ERA and no wins so far in June. Nola gave up three runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 9-8 victory.

“With Noles, I think he matches up good with anybody if he’s doing his thing,” Mattingly said earlier this month. “If he’s locating and using all his pitches and able to use his mix, he matches up with anybody.”

Nola is 11-10 with a 3.42 ERA in 30 career appearances (all starts) against the Mets but will be facing them for the first time this season. In fact, this is the first matchup of 2026 between the National League East rivals, who will play each other 13 times over the final 88 games.

New York and Philadelphia essentially have had opposite results this week, as the Mets lost their first two against the Cincinnati Reds in lopsided fashion before notching a comfortable 9-1 win on Wednesday afternoon.

Bo Bichette recorded multiple hits for the sixth straight game, finishing with three singles and three runs.

“I don’t know about satisfying, but it felt good,” Bichette said. “We needed to come out here and win a game.”

Cincinnati on Wednesday responded to the agent of quarterback Brendan Sorsby publicly questioning the school’s handling of his gambling in 2024, saying it never would knowingly play an athlete who violated NCAA gambling rules.

Ron Slavin, Sorsby’s agent, told Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan earlier Wednesday that Cincinnati should be “questioned or catching heat” because the school knew of Sorsby’s gambling for two years and “never said anything.”

Sorsby played at Cincinnati for two seasons, beginning in 2024. On Aug. 19, 2024, Cincinnati was alerted to Sorsby’s activity on daily fantasy site PrizePicks, according to court documents. The school questioned Sorsby after receiving the alert and was told by the quarterback that he was denied access to the site and had not placed any wagers, according to the documents. Sorsby also received sports wagering education and the matter was closed, according to the documents.

“We will reiterate what we have said before,” Cincinnati said in a statement. “All of our student-athletes receive extensive gambling education multiple times throughout the year, and we would never knowingly play an athlete who violated NCAA sports wagering regulations. If we ever became aware of impermissible wagering, we would report to the NCAA and comply with sanctions.”

Cincinnati uses a technology called Prohibet to monitor for impermissible betting by student-athletes, coaches and other prohibited personnel. In responding to a public records request by ESPN, Cincinnati said it had received Prohibet alerts on six active student-athletes between January 2024 and February 2026. None of the six active student athletes was the subject of more than one alert, and none of the alerts was triggered for impermissible wagering. Student-athletes are prohibited from placing bets, including on fantasy sites, involving any NCAA-sanctioned sports.

Cincinnati is suing Sorsby for breach of contract after he transferred to Texas Tech this offseason. The school says it suffered damages of more than $1 million from Sorsby transferring.

Sorsby has admitted to placing more than 9,000 bets over the past four years, including some on Indiana when he was a reserve for the Hoosiers in 2022 and 2023. Sorsby did not play in any of the games on which he bet, and there has not been any evidence that he manipulated his performance, used inside information to make his wagers or knowingly provided privileged information to bettors, according to court documents.

On Monday, Texas Tech announced that Sorsby was leaving the team, and a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that the QB officially has applied for the NFL supplemental draft.

Washington Wizards star Trae Young plans to decline his $48.97 million player option for the 2026-27 season and will become a free agent Monday, sources told Andscape’s Marc Spears on Wednesday.

Washington remains the front-runner for the four-time All-Star, but multiple teams are expected to have interest, sources said.

Young entered last season determined to prove he was worth a four-year, $229 million max extension and was the leader the Atlanta Hawks needed to contend in the East. But he suffered a sprained right MCL in the fifth game of the season in late October and did not return until mid-December.

In Young’s absence, the Hawks saw enough in rising star Jalen Johnson and the players around him to deal Young to the Wizards in early January for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.

Young played only five games for the rebuilding Wizards and averaged 17.9 points and 8.0 assists in a combined 15 games for the Hawks and Wizards.

The Wizards traded for Young, who has averaged 9.8 assists per game over his eight-year career, to be the quarterback for their young core. They also acquired big man Anthony Davis last season and believe Young and Davis can be an All-Star duo that can lift the franchise to compete for a playoff spot next season.

The team also says it believes the two veterans can help a young core of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Bub Carrington and the No. 1 pick in next week’s draft take the next step after the franchise lost 64 or more games in each of the past three seasons.

ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, trying to rebound from a tough injury-filled season, said he likes their new offense — but a lot more work remains.

“I’ve still got a long way to go,” he said.

The Commanders changed offensive systems after last season, hiring David Blough as offensive coordinator after a mutual parting with Kliff Kingsbury. They’ll go from an attack featuring more no-huddle and less under center to one that will be the opposite.

For Daniels, it’ll be the second system he has had to learn in his first three NFL seasons. Though the coaches have seen growth, Daniels said he still has a lot to learn — he has looked comfortable with his footwork operating from under center but he’s more focused on other aspects.

He said it’s about expanding on the foundation they’ve built.

“Just learning the new offense, terminology,” he said, “why we’re attacking this play, what we want to do on this play — things like that.”

But Daniels also made it clear that 2025 is done. He played in only four full games and seven overall as multiple injuries — sprained knee, hamstring and a dislocated left elbow — caused him to miss the other games. It was quite a change from 2024 when Daniels was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, guiding Washington to a 12-5 record and its first appearance in the NFC Championship Game since the 1991 season. He threw for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 891 yards and six scores.

Last year, he threw for 1,262 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing for 278 yards and two scores. He sat out the final four games after re-injuring his left elbow in a 31-0 loss to Minnesota in Week 14.

“I’m done talking about last year,” Daniels said. “Last year is last year; I’m moving on to this season and whatever happened last year, happened last year. It can’t do anything for me; I’ll just continue to get better.”

Daniels said Washington’s new offense can help by providing more variety, including with different formations and what the Commanders hope is a stronger play-action game.

“It opens up a lot more things,” Daniels said.

But, while Daniels said he has a lot to improve upon, coach Dan Quinn said he has been impressed by his quarterback’s processing speed in the new system. Quinn said they can feature him in ways they perhaps could not do his first two seasons, such as operating more outside the pocket on occasion.

“I thought he did a really good job of owning and being in command at a very quick level already,” Quinn said.

Washington left tackle Laremy Tunsil called Daniels a “dawg.”

“I don’t have much to say about five,” Tunsil said, referring to Daniels’ jersey number. “He’s going to get it done.”

TEMPE, Ariz. — Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck said he has jumped headfirst into the early days of his NFL career rather than trying to take things slowly.

With uncertainty at the Cardinals’ quarterback position looming as incumbent starter Jacoby Brissett left Arizona’s mandatory minicamp without the reworked contract for 2026 that he covets, according to a source, Beck could, in theory, be in play to compete to be the starter for the Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

“From day one, for me, I didn’t want to ease into anything, to be completely honest,” Beck said Wednesday.

Beck said he has been putting in 13-hour days at the Cardinals’ facility, going beyond what Arizona is asking of its rookies. After the rookies are done with their meetings, Beck spends time with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and quarterbacks coach Matt Schaub. Beck also has access to first-year head coach Mike LaFleur if questions arise.

“It’s really cool because, obviously, Coach Schaub did it,” Beck said. “He’s been in the league. He played the position, which it’s so hard to understand what the position of quarterback is if you haven’t actually done it, right? And he has done it, he’s been there, he’s done it.

“Coach Hackett has coached amazing quarterbacks, just such a smart mind. Coach LaFleur’s coached amazing quarterbacks, such a smart mind. So, just trying to pick their brains and just take every little inch and every little thing to add it to my repertoire and get as good and as comfortable as I can is something that I’ve done from the second I feel like I’ve stepped in the building.”

Beck said he has spent his almost six weeks with the Cardinals either at home or at the facility learning the playbook and soaking in everything he can.

With some eating and sleeping mixed in.

“Because that’s pretty necessary as well, being a football player,” Beck said. “But, really, that’s all I’ve done. I’ve been here a ton, been around the guys, been around the coaches, meeting and trying to learn everything as quick as possible.

“So, obviously the playbook is big. There is a lot of things to learn, but the more time that I spend and the more reps you get, the more comfortable you get with it and the more it just kind of feels like you’re looking at the back of your hand.”

During mandatory minicamp last week, Beck had a chance to meet Brissett, who had missed all of the voluntary portions of Arizona’s offseason program.

Beck said they didn’t talk much about anything besides football, but he enjoyed their time together.

“He seems like a great guy,” Beck said. “Sat down, had a couple conversations, nothing obviously super deep. I mean we’re in the facility, we’re talking about football. So, again, seems like a great guy and I’m excited to continue to build our relationship.”

TAMPA, Fla. — Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles acknowledged that Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea is a minicamp hold-in.

Vea has been present at practices but has been observing on the sideline and not physically participating. Doing so avoids a fine as minicamps are considered mandatory.

“It’s not concerning. We’ve been through it before. It’s part of the business,” Bowles said Wednesday.

When asked if he was confident that a resolution could be reached prior to the start of training camp, Bowles said, “I could not tell you that.”

Bowles has been vague on the issue. On Tuesday, when asked if Vea was injured, he said, “No he is not.”

Asked why he wasn’t participating, Bowles said, “We’re just bringing him in that late. He’s full-speed. He needs to go through training camp, but we don’t need to see him right now.”

Vea had not participated in OTAs — which are optional — and instead has been training with former Bucs teammate Ndamukong Suh in Portland, Oregon, something he has done for multiple years.

But it wasn’t until after Bowles’ availability Tuesday that NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Vea is not practicing due to a contract situation.

Vea is entering the final year of a four-year, $71 million contract. He is set to earn $17 million this season, but none of it is guaranteed. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is also entering the final year of his contract and has been actively trying to negotiate a new deal as well, but he has been a full participant.

This is not the first time the Bucs have navigated this with a key player. In 2024, All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs was also a hold-in during minicamp. Negotiations carried into training camp and Wirfs only participated in individual drills before a new deal was reached.

In addition to leverage, when players sit out from practice during contract negotiations, it’s typically done to protect the player from injury when there is no guaranteed money. Vea does have a history of injuries, including injuries sustained in camp.

In addition to his 2020 broken right leg and ankle fracture — which he returned from in time for the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LV — Vea missed the majority of training camp and the first three games of his rookie season in 2018 with a strained left calf. In 2019, Vea missed a portion of camp and the entire preseason with an LCL sprain in his left knee.

Last year, Vea dealt with a foot injury late in the summer that forced him to miss practices prior to Week 1. He did, however, go on to play all 17 games in the 2025 regular season, just the second time in his pro career that he played in every single game in a season.

METAIRIE, La. — Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan will end his career in New Orleans after signing a one-year deal during the team’s minicamp Tuesday.

Jordan’s 16th NFL season likely will be his last, according to a video he posted on social media that highlighted his return. The end of the video had the tagline: “One final season.”

“I’m going to treat it like it’s the final season with intention because I believe between God and my wife, that’s the only two people that can get me back through,” Jordan said.

Jordan had his wife and four children in attendance to sign his new deal, which will be incentive-based, sources told ESPN.

Jordan also played last season on an incentive-based deal after reworking his contract, and earned $2 million in bonuses for his 10.5 sacks. He said earlier in the offseason that he would not take a similar type of deal, but admitted he had to “humble himself” to get a new deal done.

“I think that in any negotiation there’s always going to be things that you want and can get through,” Jordan said. “And at the end of the day, it was more along the lines of what our family felt. So I kept sort of deferring to not only my foundation but to my wife. … Contract-wise, there was a couple bumps that we just cleared up recently.”

Jordan, 36, became a free agent in March when his last contract with the Saints automatically voided. The Saints have been vocal all offseason about their interest in his return, and did not select a pass rusher in April’s draft — although they traded to acquire Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson.

Jordan has said that the right opportunity, such as playing time, would be a factor in his free agency decision, and said that he feels like he got clarity on that during his talks with the Saints.

“I think that there’s a higher purpose this year, whether that’s the motivated ‘Every play is going to be felt like my last’ or it’s the, ‘Hey, how can I get my guard Carl Granderson with Tim Sacks or how can I get Chase to 20?’ Because I think they have the capability to do so,” Jordan said. “I know what I can do and if I can push my teammates to be the best version of them, how much farther can we go as a team?”

Jordan was the Saints’ first-round pick out of Cal in 2011 and has 132 official sacks, a team record since that statistic became official in 1982. He also ranks first in franchise history with 175 tackles for loss, fourth in pass deflections (67), fifth in forced fumbles (17) and 10th in fumble recoveries (12).

“In my mind, I’m all into the idea of 2026 Saints go to the Super Bowl. It might be too early to call it, but I feel like I call it every year and I’m going to keep on believing where I think we can,” Jordan said. “I thought we had promise to shock some people last year. I think we have promise to build upon what we did last year.”