Sports
Will another injury derail Adams’ World Cup prep for the U.S.?
The U.S. men’s national team will face numerous challenges in the run-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The club situations of potential players will be looked at with a microscope in terms of who is playing and who isn’t, but perhaps the biggest challenge of all will be just staying healthy.
The sad reality is that injury will strike a subset of players and prevent them from taking part in the biggest soccer party on the planet. In 2022, it was Chris Richards and Miles Robinson who missed out. In 2014, it was Stuart Holden who didn’t make the plane to Brazil, while Jozy Altidore was sidelined with a hamstring strain just minutes into the tournament.
So it goes for the USMNT this cycle, with the team’s hospital wing busier than manager Mauricio Pochettino would prefer. At least in some cases, a few players have made it back onto the field, but sadly, there is an exception.
Throughout the season, ESPN will be monitoring the progress of the player pool, delivering insights into those whose form or fitness has made them particularly intriguing. We call it the USMNT’s countdown to the 2026 World Cup.
ESPN will count down to June 11 every week. When the U.S. team is announced for this highly anticipated World Cup on home soil, no names on that 26-man roster will come as a surprise. Only 176 days to go.
2025-26 minutes: 1,219
2025-26 FotMob rating: 6.9
Another injury interrupts Adams’ strong season
Adams has endured his share of injuries over the course of his club career. A hamstring problem sidelined him for much of the 2023-24 season, while a back ailment following the 2024 Copa América limited his playing time as well. So it was with much relief that Adams showed some durability this season, playing in 14 of Bournemouth’s first 15 league matches. That is until Monday’s encounter against Manchester United, when Adams was substituted with not even five minutes on the clock due to a knee injury following a foot-to-foot challenge with United’s Matheus Cunha.
The early diagnosis for Adams is a sprained left MCL, although it’s unclear how much time he’ll miss.
“It’s bad news for us, because Tyler is massive for us,” Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said.
The injury comes at a time when Adams was near peak form, having just won the Premier League‘s Goal of the Month for his 47-yard dart against Sunderland. The hope is that Adams will recover in time to take part in the March international window.
2025-26 minutes: 331
2025-26 FotMob rating: 6.9
Robinson’s return strengthens U.S. defense
The Adams news is countered by the return to the field of Robinson, who made his first start of the Premier League season in the Cottagers’ 3-2 win over Burnley, and even contributed a secondary assist on Calvin Bassey‘s goal. But what warmed the heart the most was that Robinson went the distance in Fulham’s win. He then followed that up with another 90-minute appearance — and a primary assist — in Fulham’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The defender’s recovery from knee surgery last May has been stop-start. He missed the start of the Premier League season but then made a handful of appearances in September. He suffered a setback soon thereafter, and even as he joined his international teammates for the October window, discomfort in his knee was such that he was unable to get on the field.
Robinson’s absence has given players like Max Arfsten and John Tolkin a chance to stake their claim for the World Cup, but it’s clear that Robinson’s experience and ability on both sides of the ball mean he’s a cut above the competition. The USMNT is better off with his return.
2025-26 minutes: 868
2025-26 FotMob rating: 7.1
Pepi making his case to supplant Balogun
Pepi has endured some injuries of his own this season, in particular a muscle injury in his upper leg at the end of September that has made it difficult for him to unseat Guus Til for the starting striker spot with PSV. But Pepi is hitting peak form of late, scoring four goals in his past five matches — four of those starts. An even bigger help is that manager Peter Bosz has moved Til back into midfield the past few games, allowing both players to get on the field at the same time.
The change has helped Pepi make the kind of run he needs if he’s to make some headway at both club and international level. The path to a starting spot with the U.S. looks to be a bit more challenging, as AS Monaco forward Folarin Balogun is maintaining his grip on the position, but Pepi’s goals mean he’ll remain in Pochettino’s reckoning.
The in-form XI
Adams’ injury means a slight change in this week’s in-form XI.
With Middlesbrough‘s Aidan Morris also dealing with an ankle injury in recent weeks, Weston McKennie gets moved back to the center of midfield alongside Tanner Tessmann. McKennie’s placement speaks to his versatility. For Juventus, he has played as a wingback, a center midfielder and even as an attacking midfielder for a spell. He has played the latter two positions for the USMNT. When the next international window arrives in March, it will be interesting to see where McKennie is deployed.
Having McKennie slide in beside Tessmann creates a spot for Malik Tillman, who has adapted well to new surroundings at Bayer Leverkusen. At the start of the campaign, it looked like he was boarding a sinking ship, with manager Xabi Alonso and a passel of star players all leaving. When Alonso’s replacement, Erik ten Hag, was fired early on, those fears appeared to be confirmed. There was also the challenge of Tillman making the jump from the Eredivisie to the Bundesliga, but the U.S. international has successfully navigated that switch to be a solid contributor and has earned the trust of new manager Kasper Hjulmand. Impressive stuff so far.
Also impressive, but flying a bit under the radar, has been the development of Patrick Agyemang with Derby County. Agyemang is another player who has been tasked with making the jump to a more competitive league, going from MLS to the English Championship, but he has handled the move with aplomb.
His two goals in a 3-0 defeat of Sheffield Wednesday earlier this week gave him eight goal contributions in 1,221 minutes this season, second highest on the team, as Derby are now within four points of the playoff places. Another plus for Agyemang is that he has been playing on the left wing after having been used almost entirely as a central striker with the USMNT. It’s a move that makes sense given that it allows the attacker to square up to goal more often.
Agyemang still has some players to climb over in order to secure a World Cup roster spot — Balogun, Pepi and Haji Wright appear to make up the center forward pecking order — but his form of late is keeping him in the running.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al Nassr clinched the Saudi Pro League title with a 4-1 win over Damac on Thursday, ending his long wait for domestic silverware.
A trademark free-kick and a close-range finish, both in the final half-hour, sealed the win Al Nassr needed on the last night of the season, with Al Hilal finishing just two points behind.
Ronaldo, 41, who was without a major club trophy since winning Serie A with Juventus in 2020, arrived in the kingdom to great acclaim in 2023, wept as he watched the final minutes from the bench.
He adds the Saudi championship to his English, Spanish and Italian titles and five Champions League medals.
Al Nassr took a 2-0 lead but were back to 2-1 before Ronaldo’s free-kick on 63 minutes evaded the goalkeeper and a forest of legs to find the far corner.
He struck again nine minutes from time, receiving a cut-back on the edge of the six-yard box and smashing high into the net.
Next up for the all-time leading men’s international goalscorer, with 143 goals, is a sixth crack at the World Cup after he was named in Portugal’s squad this week.
Desert trailblazer
Ronaldo opened the door to a series of big-money Saudi signings when he joined Al Nassr in January 2023 following an unhappy second spell at Manchester United.
Neymar and Karim Benzema were among those to follow after Ronaldo inked a two-and-a-half-year deal estimated at 200 million euros, extended for two years in June 2025.
The stated aim was to turn the Pro League into one of the world’s top five football competitions measured by the quality of players, stadium attendances, and commercial success. International interest has been muted, however.
In December 2024, Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of the 2034 World Cup, a coup as it pushes to decouple its economy from oil and attract business and tourists, partly via the buzz of sports.
With a record 664 million Instagram followers, Ronaldo has been a highly visible ambassador as Saudi Arabia tries to turn the page on the ultra-conservative image that has defined it for decades.
The world’s biggest oil exporter and home of Islam has been accused of “sportswashing” — using sport to deflect human rights criticism — as it has invested in Formula 1, golf, boxing, and tennis alongside football.
Some of the more outlandish spending on economic diversification, including sprawling tourist developments and NEOM, a futuristic city in the desert, is being reined in.
This month, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund said it was exiting the breakaway LIV Golf tour, after reportedly ploughing more than $5 billion into a venture that split the sport.
Expensive football signings have also waned with the stream of big-money transfers slowing to a trickle.
Tears and a protest
Ronaldo was the Pro League’s top scorer in his first two seasons, with his career tally now at 973 — tantalisingly close to the 1,000-goals milestone.
His Saudi stint has not always been smooth. In 2024, he was left in floods of tears when Al Nassr lost the King’s Cup final to Al Hilal on penalties, denying him his first Saudi title.
This season, he disappeared from Al Nassr’s line-up for three games in an apparent protest at Benzema´s transfer to rival team Al Hilal.
Al Hilal and Al Nassr were among the stable of Saudi teams owned by the Public Investment Fund, the country’s $900 billion sovereign wealth fund.
Before Thursday, Ronaldo’s only silverware with Al Nassr was the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup. He was also disappointed on Saturday, when Al Nassr lost to Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League Two final.
Sports
Knicks crush Cavaliers in Game 2, take commanding 2-0 lead in series behind Josh Hart’s career night
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The New York Knicks didn’t need a historic comeback to take Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals from the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Instead, it was a dominant victory in regulation, 109-93, as the Knicks take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series to Cleveland this weekend.
There was no hangover for the Cavaliers to begin the game, as they owned a 27-24 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Knicks found their way into the lead by halftime.
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Josh Hart of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
It was the third quarter where New York started to pull away, getting the lead up to 18 points as the Madison Square Garden crowd went ballistic. The Knicks went on an 18-0 run at one point as well, which was reminiscent of Game 1’s fourth-quarter comeback.
However, Cleveland wasn’t letting off the gas despite the deficit. The Cavaliers cut the 18-point lead in half with around 8:30 left in the fourth quarter, as New York struggled to buy a basket.
KNICKS STORM BACK TO SHOCK CAVS IN GAME 1 AS JAMES HARDEN’S DEFENSIVE PLAY COMES UNDER SCRUTINY
But once OG Anunoby knocked down a three-pointer from the left wing, things were back to normal for the Knicks crowd.
Mikal Bridges, who had a stellar night on both ends of the floor, hit a wide-open three with 6:12 remaining in the fourth that got the lead back up to 13 for the Knicks, and they would coast from there.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks celebrates after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Jalen Brunson, the team’s All-Star point guard, was phenomenal in the comeback on Tuesday night, dropping 38 points. But Cleveland made their game plan known right away in this matchup, putting pressure on him to the point where he’d be giving up the rock in double-teams.
As a result, the Cavaliers were fine with Josh Hart taking shots instead. While the plan seemed to work in the first half a bit, Hart found his groove in the second and set a new career high with a team-high 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-11 from three-point range. He also got on the board with seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Brunson tallied 19 points and dished out a playoff career-high 14 assists for New York. And once again, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, playing efficiently for Mike Brown’s Knicks.
With the lead back up to 18 for the Knicks, all starters were pulled with under two minutes to play, as the crowd gave their squad a standing ovation for a job well done.
The Knicks shot 52% from the field and only saw 14 foul shots all game long, but they held the Cavaliers to just 39% shooting as a team. Cleveland also failed to capitalize on key free throws late in the game, as they were in the bonus with over nine minutes to play. As a team, they shot just 69% (22-of-32) from the charity stripe.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks dribbles against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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Evan Mobley also had 14 points in the first half, but he curiously didn’t take a single shot in the second half for Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell matched Hart’s 26 points, though he shot 8-of-18. James Harden also went 6-of-15 for 18 points.
With the win, the Knicks have now won nine straight playoff games.
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Austin Theory and Logan Paul have one of their biggest tests as world tag team champions this weekend as they defend their titles against The Street Profits at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Theory and Paul are members of The Vision – the top faction on “Monday Night Raw” featuring the future of the WWE. Bron Breakker may be the in-ring leader of the group as he made a thunderous return to the roster at WrestleMania 42 and then defeated Seth Rollins at Backlash. Theory and Paul are the ones with the gold while Paul Heyman is the mouthpiece for the next generation of superstars.
With the tag team title around his waist, Paul has now held gold twice in WWE since making his debut with the company in 2021. Paul has the tools that any pro wrestler dreams of – the athletic prowess in the ring coupled with immense heat from the crowd along with his skills on the mic.
Theory told Fox News Digital that Paul’s rise in the WWE has made it tougher for any outsider to come in and have success, suggesting the YouTube sensation has set the bar enormously high.
Austin Theory and Logan Paul speak during WWE Backlash at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla., on May 9, 2026. (Michael Owens/WWE)
LOGAN PAUL’S JAW-DROPPING SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT WOW FANS AT WWE MONEY IN THE BANK
“I say with Logan Paul, with his athletic ability and his skills in wrestling and how he’s been able to just develop it so quick,” he said. “It’s impressive to me – somebody who’s wanted to be in WWE since I was eight, started training at 18, signed with the WWE at 22 and took that longer path. But I have to give Logan his respect. This is a dude, as a young kid, started with YouTube and streaming and pretty much – dude created YouTube. He put it on the map, his whole streaming thing.
“Kind of both of us building our dreams in different ways and kind of meeting in the middle. I just think he kinda just messed it up for everybody on the outside that wants to come into WWE and thinks like, ‘Oh wow, this is easy. Like, I can pick up a mic and talk trash and I can do these cool moves off the ropes like Logan Paul,’ but you can’t. There’s an art to it. Logan Paul is exceptional on the mic. In the ring, he does things even highflyers we have in WWE couldn’t even do. He’s just a phenomenal athlete. When it comes to me and Logan Paul, we’re freaks of nature. That’s why I say we’re gonna motivate everybody this Saturday at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Fort Wayne.”
The Vision, which also includes an injured Bronson Reed, is under the tutelage of Heyman, who has been a “wiseman” and an “advocate” for many young talents in WWE.
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Theory had the utmost confidence that Heyman was sending him and his stablemates in the right direction.
World Tag Team Champion Austin Theory enters the arena during Monday Night RAW at Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, N.C., on May 18, 2026. (Michael Owens/WWE)
“With Paul Heyman, you know, this history with him having Brock Lesnar, having Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins – you know, before he realized he was a loser,” he said. “Paul Heyman, man, he’s the ‘wiseman.’ I think anything that comes out of his mouth is gold and especially kind of molding The Vision and sending us in the right direction. I couldn’t ask for more. It’s just sitting under the knowledge tree of history. He’s from back in the 80s to present day. The dude’s done it all. I’m very grateful for the wiseman, Paul Heyman.”
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins will challenge for the tag titles. The two returned to “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 after a prolonged absence.
Theory gave them credit where credit is due. They are three-time WWE tag champions and won the tag titles at NXT and Evolve. However, Theory made clear that Ford and Dawkins are running into “the greatest tag team champions of the world.”
“Well, the Street Profits. They’ve been in the WWE a very long time,” he said. “Feels like too long, like 60 years. I do realize every time I have a title, they’re around, which makes sense because they’re irrelevant and I’m relevant. But not to push them too low down, they’re very athletic, they have a great resume. But it’s just that comparison to Austin Theory and Logan Paul – The Vision. The greatest tag team champions of the world, of the universe. You can’t really compare.
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World Tag Team Champions Austin Theory and Logan Paul stand alongside Bron Breakker and Paul Heyman during Monday Night RAW at Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, N.C., on May 18, 2026. (Michael Owens/WWE)
“Unfortunately, yes, I said unfortunately, the show is in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I look at this match as more of a big motivational moment for those people because they’re gonna see two guys that don’t look like anybody from Fort Wayne. We look like freaking superheroes. We’re really there to inspire everybody and then after the match, get the hell out of there.”
Saturday Night’s Main Event will take place Saturday in Fort Wayne, Indiana, much to Theory’s chagrin. And, it’s a loaded card.
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Aside from the tag team title match, read below for how the rest of the card looks.
- Paige and Brie Bella (c) vs. Nia Jax and Lash Legend for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
- Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca.
- Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Jade Cargill, Michin and B-Fab.
- Penta (c) vs. Ethan Page for the Intercontinental Championship.
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