USMNT chooses Irvine, Calif., for World Cup base

The U.S. men's national team will set up its World Cup training base at Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine, Calif., this summer.

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the decision on Tuesday.

The Irvine location is less than 50 miles from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where the USMNT will play two of its three group-stage matches. The other match will be played in Seattle.

Should the U.S. win the group, its first knockout-stage match would be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Great Park features 24 soccer fields, including a 5,000-plus-seat stadium that is the home of Orange County SC, a soccer team in the USL Championship. The USMNT will train at the stadium with sessions that won't be open to the public.

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U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker said in a statement, "We are delighted to have Great Park as our training site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The facilities are simply outstanding and will provide the perfect training environment for our team to prepare to be successful at the World Cup."

Irvine Mayor Larry Agran said in a statement, "We are honored that the U.S. Men's National Team has chosen to train at the Great Park during the FIFA World Cup. This decision reflects the caliber of the Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium and the professionalism of the staff who operate it. Irvine is proud to welcome the players, coaches, and supporters from around the world to our great city for one of the world's most celebrated sporting events."

According to The Athletic, U.S. Soccer first looked to UC Irvine, but the university and FIFA didn't reach an agreement on the proposal. U.S. Soccer then pivoted across town to Great Park.

The USMNT has four friendly matchups scheduled ahead of the World Cup: March 28 vs. Belgium and March 31 vs. Portugal, both in Atlanta; May 31 vs. Senegal in Charlotte; and June 6 vs. Germany in Chicago.

The U.S. opens World Cup Group D action against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, then faces Australia on June 19 in Seattle. The USMNT's final group game, on June 25 in Inglewood, will be against the winner of a UEFA playoff, either Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey or Romania.

--Field Level Media

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March 11, 2026

USMNT chooses Irvine, Calif., for World Cup base

The U.S. men's national team will set up its World Cup training base at Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine, Calif...

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USA stunned by Italy, needs help to reach WBC quarterfinals

Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci and Jac Caglianone all homered for Italy, which moved to the top of the World Baseball Classic Pool B standings by holding on to upset the United States 8-6 on Tuesday night in Houston.

Italy, which raced out to an 8-0 lead before Team USA rallied in the final four innings, is 3-0 in Pool B play and would clinch a spot in the quarterfinals with a win against Mexico in Wednesday's finale.

An Italy win Wednesday would secure the final Pool B spot for Team USA, which finished 3-1.

If Mexico (2-1) beats Italy, those teams along with the United States will finish Pool B at 3-1. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, which would be 1-1 for all three teams. The second tiebreaker is the fewest runs per out in head-to-head games.

Team USA allowed 11 runs against Italy and Mexico and recorded 54 outs (.2037 runs per out), while Mexico got 24 outs against Team USA and gave up five runs (.2083 runs per out). Italy yielded six runs against Team USA on Tuesday over 27 outs (.2222 runs per out).

As a result, Team USA needs Italy to win, which would eliminate Mexico, or Mexico to win while allowing at least five runs (assuming the game ends in nine innings). Mexico and Italy would advance, eliminating the United States, if Mexico wins and permits four or fewer runs in a nine-inning game.

Italy starter Michael Lorenzen earned the win, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two over 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

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Teel hit a solo blast and Antonacci added a two-run homer off Team USA starter Nolan McLean in the second. Caglianone hit a two-run shot in the fourth off Ryan Yarborough before Italy added three more runs in the sixth. J.J. D'Orazio scored on an error by Team USA pitcher Brad Keller and Dante Nori lofted a sacrifice fly before Antonacci scored on Keller's wild pitch.

Gunnar Henderson's solo shot began Team USA's comeback bid in the sixth before Pete Crow-Armstrong hit the first of his two homers, a three-run blast, in the seventh to make it 8-4. Roman Anthony had an RBI single in the eighth and Crow-Armstrong went deep with one out in the ninth off Ron Marinaccio to cut the deficit to 8-6.

Greg Weissert entered and gave up a single to Bobby Witt Jr. before striking out Henderson and Team USA captain Aaron Judge to earn the save.

Teel was 2-for-2 before exiting with a leg injury following a sixth-inning double. Caglianone also had two of Italy's six hits.

Witt and Will Smith had two hits apiece for Team USA, which posted 11 hits.

McLean gave up three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings.

--Field Level Media

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March 11, 2026

USA stunned by Italy, needs help to reach WBC quarterfinals

Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci and Jac Caglianone all homered for Italy, which moved to the top of the World Baseball Classi...

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Cricket-Quick-witted wife saves India's World Cup hero's train ruse

By Amlan Chakraborty

NEW DELHI, March 11 (Reuters) - India's Twenty20 World Cup hero Shivam Dube thought a train ride in disguise would keep him ‌incognito - until a ticket-checker yelled his name.

But just when Dube feared his ‌ruse would fall apart, his quick-witted wife saved the day for the 32-year-old.

Dube planned to return ​home soon after India won the World Cup, beating New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday to be with his four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter.

With all flights to Mumbai fully booked on Monday, Dube decided to travel by ‌train along with his wife ⁠Anjum and a friend despite the risks of getting identified and mobbed.

"There was no flight available, so I decided to ⁠take a train from Ahmedabad early in the morning to Mumbai," the all-rounder told the Indian Express newspaper.

"I wore a cap, a mask, and a full-sleeved t-shirt."

While his ​companions ​boarded first, Dube slipped on at the ​last moment, made for his coach ‌and climbed to the top berth, hoping for a quiet eight-hour ride.

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He, however, had his heart in his mouth when the ticket-checker walked in and inquired loudly if the Shivam Dube among passengers was the famous cricketer.

Anjum quickly stepped in saying: "No, no. How can he be here?"

Dube eventually had to seek police ‌help before he got down in Mumbai, ​though.

"They thought I was landing at the airport, ​but were surprised when I ​told them that I was travelling by train," he told ‌the paper.

"I was provided a police escort ​so things were ​easy and the exit was smooth."

Cricketers enjoy rock-star-like status in India, where the game is considered something of a religion.

The game further cemented its ​popularity in the world's ‌most populous nation on Sunday when India became the first team ​to win three men's T20 World Cup titles.

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty ​in New Delhi; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)

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March 11, 2026

Cricket-Quick-witted wife saves India's World Cup hero's train ruse

By Amlan Chakraborty NEW DELHI, March 11 (Reuters) - India's Twenty20 World Cup hero Shivam Dube thought a...

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McDavid’s late power-play winner lifts the Oilers past the Avalanche 4-3

DENVER (AP) — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals, Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist, and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Tuesday night.

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McDavid's goal, his 36th of the season, came on a snap shot on the power play with 10:57 remaining in the third period, breaking a 3-3 tie.

In a game featuring three of the NHL's four points leaders, Leon Draisaitl had his 59th and 60th assists of the season, the second of which set up McDavid's winner. Jack Roslovic also scored for the Oilers, who won for the fourth time in six games after a four-game losing streak. It was Nugent-Hopkins' third multigoal game of the season and first since Dec. 21.

Edmonton had two goals on four power-play opportunities against an Avalanche team that had the NHL's third-best penalty kill entering the night.

Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram left the game with 34 seconds remaining in the second period after Nathan MacKinnon's knee collided with his head while the Avalanche star was skating across the crease during a power play. Ingram was replaced by Tristan Jarry and MacKinnon was charged with a five-minute major for goaltender interference, as well as game misconduct, sidelining him for the remainder of the game.

Ross Colton, Martin Necas and Valeri Nichushkin scored for the Avalanche. Colton, who later left with an upper-body injury, scored just 32 seconds into the game, giving Colorado its NHL-leading seventh opening-minute goal this season.

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Mackenzie Blackwood, who was fourth in the NHL in goals against average this season, gave up four goals on 24 shots for the Avalanche.

Colorado had won five consecutive games and seven of its past eight.

Up next

Oilers: At Dallas on Thursday.

Avalanche: At Seattle on Thursday.

AP NHL:https://apnews.com/NHL

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March 10, 2026

McDavid’s late power-play winner lifts the Oilers past the Avalanche 4-3

DENVER (AP) — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals, Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist, and the Edmonton Oilers defe...

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Inside the numbers: Bam Adebayo's 83 points, and some of the records that were set

MIAMI (AP) — A look inside the numbers fromBam Adebayo's 83-point gamefor the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, the second-highest total in NBA history:

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83 points

Start with the obvious one. Only Wilt Chamberlain with his 100-point game is now ahead of Adebayo on the NBA single-game list.

Kobe Bryant — Adebayo's idol — had the No. 2 spot, with 81 points.

"It speaks volumes for his hard work," Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "I know Bam. He works his butt off every single day. He never cheats the game. Seeing a guy like him doing something like this is incredible."

The 40-40 club

Adebayo is the first player in the NBA's play-by-play era — dating back to the start of the 1996-97 season — to have 40 points in both halves of a game.

He had 43 points in the first, 40 in the second.

The closest anyone has come to that in the last 30 years is Luka Doncic, who had 41 in the first and 32 in the second for Dallas against Atlanta on Jan. 26, 2024.

Chamberlain is the only other 40-40 member — barely. He had 41 in the first half of his 100-point game, then 59 more after halftime.

The free throws

Adebayo made 36 free throws and took 43, both of which are NBA single-game records.

Chamberlain made 28 on the night that he scored 100, March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania for Philadelphia against New York. Utah's Adrian Dantley also made 28 free throws, in Las Vegas, against Houston on Jan. 4, 1984.

The record for free throws attempted was 39, done twice, both times by Dwight Howard. He took that many for Orlando against Golden State on Jan. 12, 2012 — then did it again for the Los Angeles Lakers, against Orlando, on March 12, 2013.

The 3-pointers

Adebayo attempted 22 3-pointers, making him the seventh player in NBA history to try that many in a game.

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The others with at least that many: James Harden has done it four times and Stephen Curry twice, while Damian Lillard, Marcus Smart, J.R. Smith and Klay Thompson all did it once. Thompson has the record for attempts in a game with 24, done for Golden State on Oct. 29, 2018, against Chicago.

Thompson had a record 14 made 3s that night as well.

For perspective, Adebayo averaged — averaged! — 15 3-point attempts per season over his first seven years in the league.

43 shots

Adebayo's 43 field goal attempts wasn't even a season-high in the NBA. Cade Cunningham took 45 in a game for Detroit on Nov. 10.

Scoring average

In one night, Adebayo's average went from 18.9 to 20.0 points per game.

Heat records

Among the many Heat regular-season records that Adebayo set on Tuesday night:

— Most points in a quarter (31, previous was LeBron James with 25).

— Most points in a first half (43, previous was 31 by James, Dwyane Wade and Sherman Douglas).

— Most points in a second half (40, previous was 37 by James).

— Most shots in a game (43, previous was 39 by Wade).

— Most 3-point attempts in a game (22, previous mark was 17, done on six occasions).

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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March 10, 2026

Inside the numbers: Bam Adebayo's 83 points, and some of the records that were set

MIAMI (AP) — A look inside the numbers fromBam Adebayo's 83-point gamefor the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, the second...

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Luka's 31, Reaves' big 2nd half propel Lakers to season sweep of Timberwolves with 120-106 victory

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 31 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in his seventh triple-double of the season, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame LeBron James' latest injury absence to sweep their season series with the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 120-106 victory Tuesday night.

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Austin Reaves scored 29 of his 31 points in a scorching second half for the Lakers (40-25), who pulled even with Minnesota for fourth place in the Western Conference standings after their third straight win over the team thatknocked them out of the first roundof last season's playoffs.

Doncic secured the 89th triple-double of his career — seventh-most in NBA history — early in the fourth quarter. Deandre Ayton had 14 points and 12 rebounds in a strong effort with both of his backup big men sidelined.

James sat outfor the third straight game with injuries for the Lakers, who have still won three straight and six of seven. He also missed the Lakers' first two wins over Minnesota this season back in October.

The Lakers improved to 13-8 without the top scorer in NBA history in their lineup, including 10-2 when Doncic and Reaves both play without James.

Julius Randle scored 14 points and Anthony Edwards finished with 14 points on a 2-for-15 shooting night for Minnesota, which has lost two straight after a five-game winning streak. Four Timberwolves bench players scored in double figures in the opener of a four-game trip.

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Both teams were mostly awful on offense in the first half. The Lakers missed 17 of their first 21 shots during their 16-point first quarter.

But after a 1-for-8 first half, Reaves scored 16 points in the third quarter while the Lakers pushed their lead to 19. Reaves completed two four-point plays in the second half, and he finished with a season-high seven 3-pointers.

Up next

Timberwolves: At Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Lakers: Host Chicago on Thursday.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/NBA

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March 10, 2026

Luka's 31, Reaves' big 2nd half propel Lakers to season sweep of Timberwolves with 120-106 victory

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 31 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in his seventh triple-double of the season, and ...

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Gonzaga tops Santa Clara to claim WCC title for last time

Freshman Mario Saint-Supery established season bests of 21 points and six 3-pointers to help top-seeded Gonzaga post a 79-68 victory over Santa Clara on Tuesday night in Las Vegas to win the West Coast Conference tournament title for the 22nd time in the past 28 seasons.

Tyon Grant-Foster recorded 20 points and seven rebounds as the Bulldogs (30-3) claimed the WCC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Graham Ike added 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting and Davis Fogle added 13 points off the bench for Gonzaga, which was playing in the WCC title game for the final time before relocating into the rebuilt Pac-12 next season.

Christian Hammond scored 24 points and Allen Graves added 11 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Broncos (26-8).

Santa Clara is expected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament field after knocking off second-seeded Saint Mary's in the semifinals. The Broncos haven't been part of March Madness since finishing a run of three appearances in four seasons in 1996 during the Steve Nash era.

With Saint Mary's solidly in the field, this will mark just the fourth time that the WCC will have three teams in the NCAA field if Santa Clara is selected.

The Bulldogs shot 52.8% from the field and made 10 of 25 from 3-point range while improving to 3-0 against the Broncos this season. Gonzaga had a 27-0 edge in fastbreak points.

Santa Clara connected on 38.2% of its shots, including a shaky 9 of 34 from behind the arc.

Gonzaga never led in the contest until Fogle drained a 3-pointer for a 50-49 edge with 13:08 remaining.

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But that trey began a sequence in which the Bulldogs scored 18 of 25 points. Saint-Supery made two 3-pointers during the run, the latter one giving Gonzaga a 65-56 lead with 6:33 remaining.

After Santa Clara moved within five, Saint-Supery buried a wide-open 3-pointer to make it 68-60 with 4:34 left.

Fogle's three-point play made it 75-65 with 1:12 remaining as Gonzaga finished off its final WCC title game in style.

Hammond scored 12 first-half points as Santa Clara led 33-29 at the half. The Broncos outrebounded the Bulldogs 23-15 and had a 13-0 edge in second-chance points over the first 20 minutes.

The Broncos opened the game with a 9-1 burst before Gonzaga later tied the score at 16 on Fogle's driving hoop with 9:37 left in the half.

Santa Clara led 33-25 after a 3-pointer by Sash Gavalyugov with 1:55 left before the Bulldogs scored the final four points of the half.

Ike took just two shots in the first half, scoring four points.

--Field Level Media

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March 10, 2026

Gonzaga tops Santa Clara to claim WCC title for last time

Freshman Mario Saint-Supery established season bests of 21 points and six 3-pointers to help top-seeded Gonzaga post a...

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