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.
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Heavyweight Tyrell Fortune rose through the professional MMA ranks roughly a decade ago. It took until Saturday for him to secure his first UFC victory, though it did not come without drama.
Fourteen years after being pronounced dead during a weight cut, Fortune now also adds a UFC win to his comeback.
Fortune initially beat Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night, receiving judges scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. However, cage announcer Bruce Buffer caused confusion by reading the scores incorrectly, announcing totals that favored Fortune’s opponent.
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Tyrell Fortune reacts after a victory against Marcin Tybura of Poland in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Climate Pledge Arena on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
The error went unnoticed until Fortune had exited the octagon and headed toward the tunnel. Officials brought him back, where he was officially declared the winner.
“I was so upset with myself,” Fortune said as he evaluated his performance. “I felt I didn’t do enough. I was just upset. With two weeks’ notice, I feel like I did a good job, but I also need to come with a better performance next time.”
The former NCAA Division II wrestling champion’s path to Saturday’s victory includes a 2012 weight-cut incident that left him pronounced dead before he made a full recovery.
Tyrell Fortune prepares to face Marcin Tybura of Poland in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Climate Pledge Arena on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
He recalled the experience, saying it still doesn’t feel real years later. “I tried to forget about it for so long … because it seemed so far-fetched. Like, “Man. I died. Everything was over for a second, and I came back to life,'” Fortune told ESPN.
“And it really changed my perspective of life in general and how I view just living life on a day-to-day basis. When you’re in a situation like that, you really start to look at your values as a person, and you see what’s important to you, because it was all self-inflicted.”
Marcin Tybura (red gloves) fights Tyrell Fortune (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Climate Pledge Arena on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)
“It was just after my junior-college season, and I wasn’t a big heavyweight. I averaged around 220, 230 pounds. That’s in the middle of two weight categories. International weight classes are 211 and 265 pounds. I’m at 230. I’m like, ‘I can either give up this 30 to 40 pounds, or I can cut weight and be bigger than everybody at 211.’ So that’s what led to the decision to cut weight.”
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Fortune stepped in to fight Tybura on Saturday on two weeks’ notice after an injury withdrawal.
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Saud Shakeel-led Quetta Gladiators claimed their first Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 triumph as they defeated Hyderabad Kingsmen by 40 runs at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing 175, Kingsmen were restricted to 134-8 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of an exceptional bowling performance by Gladiators’ bowling attack.
Saim Ayub was the first to fall after smashing back-to-back fours in the opening over. He scored eight off four deliveries before being undone by a sharp, unplayable bouncer from Alzarri Joseph.
In the following over, second opener Maaz Sadaqat was dismissed for a second-ball duck by Abrar Ahmed, leaving the side reeling at 17-2 in 1.2 overs.Kingsmen failed to build momentum and lost their third wicket inside the powerplay as Abrar struck again, dismissing Usman Khan cheaply for 14 off 18 balls, including two fours.Saad Ali and Marnus Labuschagne then attempted to stabilise the innings, adding crucial runs to take the total past the 50-run mark.
However, Usman Tariq made an immediate impact in his first over, removing Saad Ali for seven off 12 deliveries as Kingsmen slipped to 51-4 in nine overs.
Skipper Saud Shakeel then chipped in with the ball and struck in his first over, claiming the key wicket of Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 23 off 21 balls, including three fours, reducing Kingsmen to 57-5 in 9.4 overs.Irfan Khan Niazi and Hassan Khan then put together a decent partnership, keeping the scoreboard ticking and guiding the total past the 100-run mark.The 48-run stand was eventually broken when Ahmed Daniyal dismissed Hassan Khan, who had played a fine knock of 31 off 19 deliveries, including three fours and a six, leaving Kingsmen under pressure at 105-6 in 15 overs.
Abrar struck again to hand Kingsmen another blow, dismissing Irfan Khan for 33 off 25 deliveries, including two fours and two sixes. Ahmed Daniyal then joined the attack and removed Hammad Azam for six off eight balls, adding further pressure on the side.Hyderabad ended their innings losing eight wickets, falling short of the target, with Maheesh Theekshana unbeaten on two and Riley Meredith scoring three runs.Batting first, the Gladiators notched up 174-8 in their allotted 20 overs after going off to a decent start as their openers, skipper Saud and Shamyl, began adding runs from the outset.
However, Riley Meredith struck on the final delivery of the second over, dismissing Saud after he had scored a run-a-ball four, giving his side the early advantage as the Gladiators were reduced to 21-1.
In the fourth over, Meredith struck again, providing another crucial breakthrough by dismissing Rilee Rossouw for a five-ball duck.
Shamyl Hussain then joined forces with Hassan Nawaz, as the pair aimed to stabilise the innings, taking the team past the 50-run mark.
Their partnership of 50 runs eased the pressure, allowing them to score at regular intervals and put pressure on the Kingsmen’s bowling attack.
Shamyl was in fine form, raising his bat for back-to-back fifties in PSL 11.
However, the 89-run stand was broken when Meredith struck yet again, dismissing Shamyl Hussain after an exceptional knock of 54 off 41 balls, which included three fours and three sixes.
Hassan continued to pile on the runs, reaching his fourth PSL fifty, with Khawaja Nafay joining him at the crease.
However, Maheesh Theekshana turned the game with his bowling in the 15th over, claiming two quick wickets.
He dismissed Nafay for six off four deliveries, including one four, and followed it up by sending wicketkeeper-batter Ben McDermott back to the pavilion for a duck.
Tom Curran smashed boundaries in the final overs of the innings, helping his team’s total soar past the 150-run mark.
Akif Javed bowled the final over, claiming two crucial wickets—first dismissing Curran for 31 off 18 balls, which included one four and three sixes, and then removing Alzarri Joseph for a duck.Abrar Ahmed came to the crease and hit back-to-back fours, taking a single on the final delivery to finish unbeaten on nine off three balls, while Ahmed Daniyal contributed six runs off eight deliveries.
Riley Meredith was Kingsmen’s standout bowler, claiming 3/38 runs in four overs, while Maheesh Theekshanan and Akif Javed contributed two wickets each.
Lahore Qalandars won the toss and decided to bat first against Karachi Kings in their second match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
Playing XI
Lahore Qalandars: Mohammad Naeem, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Parvez Hossain Emon, Haseebullah Khan†, Sikandar Raza, Usama Mir, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Mustafizur Rahman, and Ubaid Shah
Karachi Kings: DA Warner (c), Muhammad Waseem, Salman Agha, Saad Baig, MM Ali, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan†, Abbas Afridi, Hasan Ali, A Zampa, and Mir Hamza
Head-to-head
Arch-rivals Qalandars and Kings have come face-to-face 22 times, with the 2020 champions leading the head-to-head records with 14 victories, while the holders have eight triumphs to their name.
Their last meeting came in the Eliminator of the landmark 10th edition of the marquee league, which the Qalandars won comfortably by six wickets and went on to clinch the coveted title.
Kings and Qalandars also locked horns twice in the league stage of the previous edition, with both securing one win apiece.
- Matches: 22
- Karachi Kings: 14
- Lahore Qalandars: 8
Form Guide
The two teams enter the fixture with decent momentum in their favour as both Qalandars and Kings won their campaign openers against Hyderabad Kingsmen and Quetta Gladiators, respectively.
Qalandars crush the tournament debutants by 69 runs, while the Kings edged past the previous edition’s runners-up by 14 runs.
The holders’ victory had extended their winning streak to five matches, while the 2020 champions have two defeats in their last five games.
Lahore Qalandars: W, W, W, W, W (most recent first)
Karachi Kings: W, L, L, W, W
Tyrell Fortune wins UFC debut after score error reversal, years after being pronounced dead
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