Sports
Can anyone stop Lamine Yamal and Spain marching to World Cup glory?
While the majority of the world’s great national teams were doubting, pouting or ‘what-abouting?’ over the last few days of the September international break, Spain got on with routing Turkey in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Sunday. It was a recital of football which underlined that, on their day, the European champions remain the most exciting, devastating and irresistible team in the world.
If you didn’t see their 6-0 thrashing of Vincenzo Montella’s team which featured Real Madrid‘s Arda Güler, Inter Milan‘s Hakan Çalhanoglu and Fenerbahce‘s Kerem Aktürkoglu then, please believe me, it was not just a big score against a team which hasn’t shipped six at home for 41 years — it was sublime, choral football.
Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakır was by far their best player (let that one sink in). Spain started without six of the XI which won the European Championship last summer, and yet La Roja‘s second goal came from 75 seconds of possession, 25 passes, 66 touches on the ball with every single one of Luis De La Fuente’s team having been involved in the move at least once.
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Meanwhile, Germany fell to Slovakia (No. 52 in the FIFA World Ranking) — Die Mannschaft‘s first-ever away defeat in the history of their World Cup qualifying campaigns (56 matches) — and England bored their fans into snores while edging narrowly 2-0 past 174th-ranked Andorra (population 82,000).
Netherlands snuck a 3-2 win against 143th-ranked Lithuania in Kaunus, having stumbled 1-1 against Poland at home a couple of days earlier, while 2018 World Cup and 2023 Nations League finalists Croatia, still boasting Luka Modric, squeaked home 1-0 against 142th-ranked Faroe Islands (population 54,000).
Italy — having had to sack their coach, Luciano Spalletti, following a 3-0 humbling against Norway — beat minnows Estonia 5-0, the same scoreline by which Portugal won in Armenia with a 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo still leading the line (and scoring goals).
But what of the South American behemoths? World champions Argentina won 3-0 against a weak Venezuela, but there was a bust-up in the tunnel after half-time and, postmatch, Lionel Messi stunned the world by announcing that “the most logical thing is that I won’t make it” to next year’s World Cup. We shall see.
Brazil also won 3-0 against bottom-of-the-group Chile, but they’ve needed to appoint a foreign coaching staff — Carlo Ancelotti and Paul Clement — for the first time in their proud history to do so. Plus, there’s a running spat with Neymar, who’s miffed at having been excluded from Ancelotti’s first squad.
Asian powerhouse Japan are going great guns, becoming the first country to qualify for next year’s World Cup in March. They claimed a creditable 0-0 draw in Mexico on Saturday and face United States on Tuesday,
So, there’s your worldwide context and a lens through which to view Spain’s performance. Now, back to La Roja.
The summary is that they could easily have won 10-0, they danced across a cow-patch of a pitch in Konya, played with brutal intensity, never took their foot off the accelerator (nor the throat of Montella’s team) and Pedri played Ballon d’Or vote-winning football with Lamine Yamal not far behind (sadly, voting closed a week ago.) Once you watch the highlights, by all means take your pick of the favourite — but the 2-0 goal was pretty special. Maybe even all-time special.
By the time the move reaches Nico Williams just outside the penalty spot it has been uninterrupted Spain possession for well over a minute, 10 of La Roja‘s players have participated and the Athletic Club winger is in a position to have a shot, but he thinks Mikel Oyarzabal (who thus becomes the 11th man in the move) is in a better position. ‘Big Foot’ Oyarzabal thinks that Merino’s in an even better position, and once the ball’s zipped through three pinball penalty-box passes in three seconds the Arsenal man slots home with his left foot.
Merino is now on a run of six goals, plus two converted shootout penalties, in just six Spain appearances. In the absence of a true No. 9 (though converted winger Oyarzabal has a goal and three assists in the last two matches), he is La Roja‘s increasingly well-known ‘secret’ weapon.
Possibly most interesting are Pedri and Lamine Yamal. In just under a fortnight, Yamal will become the youngest footballer ever to earn a podium place (whether he’s first, second or third) in the history of the Ballon d’Or. But the brutal truth is that, with the exception of 30 startling minutes against Mallorca, the 18-year-old has been far from his best or most effective for Barcelona this season.
Going on Spain duty has jolted him back to life. On day one he was teased, mercilessly, by Oyarzabal during training in the playful accusation that he’d dived the previous night when winning and converting a penalty at Rayo Vallecano. That’s not something he’s going to experience when working with Hansi Flick’s squad.
Then reigning Ballon d’Or holder Rodri admitted: “I didn’t want the cameras to catch me doing it but, yes, I told Lamine ‘Keep working and you can achieve whatever you want’ and I also told him ‘make sure you put yourself at the service of the team, and of football worldwide.’
“We’ve all seen footballers of huge talent who then go on to ‘lose’ themselves. Lamine really sees things clearly and he’s got people around him who support him with good advice. What I see is a happy kid, smiling and if he develops this massive talent he’s got it’ll be to the benefit of Spain.”
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Under a different spotlight, surrounded by guys who don’t rely on him the way his Barça teammates do, mixing with hard-nosed serial winners, the catalytic effect on this genius teenager has been notable. Three assists, probably the game-changing performance in Thursday’s 3-0 win in Bulgaria, and electrically good against Turkey with several defensive tackles in the mix. Not to mention him and Arda sparking a little ‘who you looking at?’ push-and-shove scuffle which bodes well for the ‘Morbo’ in the build-up to the next Clásico (Oct. 26, stream LIVE on ESPN+.)
Then there’s Pedri. There seemed to be three of him on the pitch in Turkey. Intercepting, tackling, blocking, running elegantly into space, creating chances, scoring and, late in the game when everyone else was running on empty, making lung-busting overlapping runs.
UEFA’s social media accounts posted: “Pedri makes excellence look so easy!” De La Fuente added, postmatch: “Pedri’s the best in the world in his position.” And that’s right.
What to do once Rodri — back again in these last two matches after long-term injury — Fabián Ruiz, Merino, Gavi, Dani Olmo plus Pedri are all fit and in top form at the same time? One thing’s for sure, Pedri will start. Probably with Rodri and Fabian. He’s that good, that important.
And now with three goals in his last four Spain matches, and only 22, and racking up appearances for club and country without a hitch, the outstanding assignments, scoring big goals and staying fit, are arriving long before he hits the peak of his career.
Spain are now two matches (home to Georgia and Bulgaria) away from equalling their all-time run of 29 competitive matches unbeaten (in normal or extra time).
Set aside Williams’ adductor injury (Athletic will be praying for a lad they so badly need for when the UEFA Champions League campaign begins) and this has been an outright stellar few days for Spain. They play the most delightful football in the world, and are best-placed to make their part in the World Cup an attractive prospect next summer.
In what might be the biggest deal before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the LA Clippers agreed Tuesday to swap point guards Darius Garland and James Harden in a one-for-one deal that also sends a 2026 second-round pick to the Clips, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Both teams are hoping this trade of 2025 All-Stars with nearly identical salaries will produce better results during disappointing campaigns. The Cavaliers are battling for positioning in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race after finishing atop the standings a season ago, while the Clippers’ recent hot streak has lifted them only into the play-in tournament after a dreadful start.
Let’s break down the implications of Cleveland and Los Angeles exchanging point guards and what it means for the rest of the 2025-26 season and beyond.
Cleveland Cavaliers get:
G James Harden
LA Clippers get:
G Darius Garland
2026 second-round pick
Grades
Cleveland Cavaliers: B
What this deal means for the Cavaliers: The more I think about it, the more I like Cleveland adding Harden to jolt a team that ranks eighth in offensive rating this season after leading the league in 2024-25 en route to 64 wins.
Garland’s toe injuries have been a key factor in that decline. He has been dealing with toe issues since April, and offseason surgery hasn’t solved them. Garland suffered a contusion to his troublesome left toe shortly after returning in November, and he is now sidelined by a big toe sprain on the right foot.
When he has been available, Garland is shooting just 36% on 3s, down from 40% a season ago. His usage rate has declined too, while Garland’s steal rate would be the lowest since his rookie season. Those struggles are reflected in team performance. The Cavaliers have been outscored by 3.0 points per 100 possessions with Garland on the court, according to NBA Advanced Stats, which is the worst of any player on the team who has logged more than 500 minutes.
To stay afloat, Cleveland has relied heavily on Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging 33.9 minutes per game and has his highest usage rate since playing for the Utah Jazz. An extended absence for Mitchell could be devastating for the Cavaliers, who are within two games of second place in the East but only three games from falling into the play-in tournament.
Beyond that, Cleveland would ideally like to lighten Mitchell’s load the rest of the way. He dealt with a calf strain and an ankle sprain during last year’s playoffs, shooting just 24.5% from 3-point range in the Cavaliers’ conference semifinals upset against the Indiana Pacers.
Enter Harden, who is still playing at an All-Star level at age 36. He ranks 11th in my wins above replacement player (WARP) metric this season, tops among players who weren’t chosen for the game now that former Clippers teammate Kawhi Leonard was picked Tuesday as an injury replacement. Harden had played 44 of a possible 47 games before sitting out the last two due to personal reasons and is averaging 35.4 minutes per game.
Yes, Harden and Mitchell both like to have the ball in their hands. However, I think Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson can draw on Harden’s past experiences to keep both players healthy and fresh.
When Harden played with Chris Paul for the Houston Rockets, getting within a game of the 2018 NBA Finals, coach Mike D’Antoni strictly staggered their minutes to keep one on the floor whenever the score was competitive. Harden and Paul played together about 20 minutes per game, giving Harden 15 or so minutes per game as the lone playmaker and Paul around 12.
The current playing time for Harden and Mitchell translates to a similar stagger, so we’re talking about less than half the game they’ll likely be playing together. When that’s the case, I think Brooklyn Nets-era Harden should be the model.
Playing alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Harden finished 28% of the Nets’ plays with a shot, trip to the free throw line or turnover — similar to Garland’s 27% usage rate last season — but averaged 10-plus assists per 36 minutes. Given Mitchell’s history playing off the ball alongside true point guards and the finishing ability of bigs Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley out of pick-and-rolls, Harden should be able to do the same with the Cavaliers.
Defensively, Harden’s size provides more options for hiding than the undersized backcourt of the 6-foot-1 Garland and the 6-foot-2 Mitchell did. Given Mobley’s defensive versatility, it’s possible Harden could end up checking power forwards at times, taking advantage of his uncanny ability as a post defender.
Certainly, I understand the concern about adding Harden to a team with NBA Finals aspirations given his track record of playoff underperformance. Still, this isn’t breaking up a Cleveland team that was rolling like last year. The most likely outcome for the Cavaliers barring a trade was a loss within the first two rounds of the playoffs, same as the previous three postseasons.
Nobody knows Garland’s health better than Cleveland, and if the Cavaliers were convinced that he wasn’t likely to return to last season’s All-Star level of play regularly, moving on now made sense.
Harden was the best player that Cleveland could likely acquire in a one-for-one swap. The Cavaliers will have to navigate Harden’s player option for 2026-27, but they’ll surely be happy to pay up if they reach the conference finals for the first time since LeBron James‘ departure in 2018.
LA Clippers: B-
What this deal means for the Clippers: A drastic change of course from their current path, which was built around contending now while keeping cap space available for the star-studded crop of potential 2027 free agents — a group that includes Mitchell.
From that standpoint, trading Harden would have made more sense in December, when the Clippers were as many as 15 games below .500. They subsequently ripped off 16 wins in a 19-game stretch to get back in the play-in spots in the West and suggest they might be capable of a playoff upset.
Nonetheless, I can get the Clippers pulling the plug on their win-now strategy. Projections using ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gave them just a 5% chance of reaching the top six and ducking not only the play-in tournament but also any chance of a first-round matchup against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers would have to climb to at least eighth in the standings to have a chance at avoiding the Thunder in the first round, and BPI has that happening less than 40% of the time.
More surprising is the Clippers’ willingness to take on Garland’s contract, which runs through 2027-28 at $44.9 million. Before this trade, starting center Ivica Zubac was the only Clippers player under a guaranteed contract beyond 2027 at a more manageable $21 million.
With Garland and Zubac on the books, the Clippers still have a path to max-level cap space in the summer of 2027 but won’t be able to offer two max players the chance to team up in L.A. without future moves.
It’s certainly possible that Garland is back to playing at a star level by then. We’ve seen him bounce back from a down season before. Garland’s performance to date is eerily similar to 2023-24, when his mouth was wired shut for a month following a jaw fracture. Back then, Cleveland resisted calls to break up the Garland-Mitchell backcourt and he responded with the best season of his career in 2024-25. As the lower-spending team in this trade — an unfamiliar position — the Clippers don’t face the same urgency to win now as the Cavaliers.
If Garland returns to the level he played at last season, this deal could be a huge win for the Clippers. They’re swapping a 36-year-old who was in pursuit of a new contract — surely the reasoning behind the willingness of the Clippers and Harden to work together on finding a trade — for a player who’s more than a decade younger. In the Dunc’d On Daily Duncs newsletter, Dan Feldman couldn’t find a historical analogue where two past All-Stars so different in age were traded primarily for each other.
Getting younger could be especially important if the NBA strips multiple draft picks from the Clippers as punishment for possible salary-cap circumvention relating to the league’s investigation of Leonard’s sponsorship deal with Aspiration. We’ve seen this season how important the energy provided by late second-round picks Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders has been to the Clippers’ turnaround.
The Clippers’ pursuit of 2027 cap space also ran counter to recent NBA trades. Stars have been more likely to change teams via trade-and-sign extensions than hit free agency since the Clippers signed Leonard in the summer of 2019, ancient history in front office terms. If Giannis Antetokounmpo and other stars find new homes this summer, the Clippers might want to forego hoarding cap space either way.
My biggest concern is ultimately that Garland’s toe problems might prove more difficult to shake than a fluke injury to his jaw. Given his small stature, any decline in Garland’s quickness would be challenging to overcome. Consider the upcoming Clippers medical exam one of the highest-stakes physicals in recent NBA memory.
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The Los Angeles Clippers are trading veteran guard James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers, per ESPN.
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James Harden (1) of the LA Clippers in action against the New York Knicks during a game at Madison Square Garden on November 6, 2023, in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Clippers 111-97. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
In return, the Clippers are getting Darius Garland and a second-round pick.
Harden, 36, is averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists this season.
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James Harden (1) of the LA Clippers handles the ball during the game against the Detroit Pistons on March 5, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
Garland, 26, is putting up 18.0 points and 6.9 assists this year, but a right foot injury has kept him off the court since Jan. 14.
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Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) warms up prior to game four of round one of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at Intuit Dome on Apr 26, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (Jayne Kamin/Oncea-Imagn Images)
Harden sat out the Clippers last game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
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Sports
Panthers stars Bryce Young, Rico Dowdle share optimism after making playoffs: ‘A starting point in Carolina’
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SAN FRANCISCO – It was not that long ago that the Carolina Panthers were at the bottom of the barrel.
The Panthers went 2-15 in Bryce Young‘s rookie season after selecting him first overall. The following year, the win total improved to five, but Young also spent some time on the bench, leaving plenty of question marks.
This season, they responded by winning the division and narrowly reaching the divisional round as double-digit underdogs.
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Bryce Young hands off to Rico Dowdle of the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Young set career highs with 23 touchdowns and 3,011 passing yards and was also sacked 27 times, the lowest mark of his career. The improvements have been clear, and perhaps his 2025 season was a stepping stone to living up to the No. 1 pick hype.
“The more experience you get, the more times I have around my guys, I always lean on them, so I’m extremely excited for the future,” the Alabama alum told Fox News Digital on Radio Row in San Francisco.
Running back Rico Dowdle was a newcomer this year, filling the void quite nicely after Chuba Hubbard missed some time. After leaving the star-studded Dallas Cowboys, it was fair for him to wonder if he made the right choice.
Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers is seen before playing the Seattle Seahawks at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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He seemed rather confident he did.
“It’s always fun doing what you love to do. We didn’t get to the end goal that we set out to do from the beginning, so that wasn’t fun. But it was good. We had some ups and downs throughout the season, had our moments as a team, and this year was a starting point in Carolina, for sure,” Dowdle said.
Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle celebrates after scoring against the Miami Dolphins during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/AP Photo)
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Carolina had a late 31-27 lead over the Los Angeles Rams last month in the wild-card round, but the Rams scored with 38 seconds left to end the Panthers’ Cinderella ride.
But the glass slipper has been broken, and the Panthers have more shoes to fill.
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