Sports
Grades, questions from Team USA’s Olympic hockey win vs. Latvia
Team USA has won its opening game in the 2026 Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament, upending Latvia by a final score of 5-1.
The contest was not without some drama, as the first period included two successful coach’s challenges from Latvia that wiped U.S. goals off the board.
After that, however, the ice seemed to tilt the Americans’ way, and goals from Tage Thompson, Auston Matthews and a pair from Brock Nelson were the difference.
Here’s what we learned in the opener, along with an overall team grade and big questions to ponder prior to Team USA’s matchup against Denmark on Saturday.
Takeaway 1: Who did it better, the Hugheses or the Tkachuks?
There are certain players every team must rely on if it’s going to win. Team USA is no different, and that’s what makes the Hughes and Tkachuk brothers rather crucial.
Let’s start with the Hughes brothers. Quinn might be the most important player on the roster. He’s a top-pairing defenseman who can be trusted in every situation. That was on display against Latvia, as he finished with a team-high 21:29 in ice time and registered two assists. Jack opened the game on the fourth line and also finished with a pair of assists.
What about the Tkachuks? Physicality was a theme Thursday, and the Tkachuks are at the heart of why it was a factor. But there’s so much more to their respective games than being bruising power forwards. It’s why they were on the top line alongside Jack Eichel, which created a combination that used size, speed and skill to present numerous issues throughout the game for Latvia. Brady scored the game’s opening goal, and Matthew added a pair of assists.
Takeaway 2: Does coach Mike Sullivan have a decision to make about his lines?
We’ll expand on Brock Nelson’s individual exploits here shortly, but his contributions showed how the U.S. got quite a bit from its fourth line. Nelson anchored the line featuring Jack Hughes and J.T. Miller and had two goals (and could have had more).
The younger Hughes brother had a pair of assists, but Miller’s contributions are a bit more complicated. Miller set up Quinn Hughes for a first-period goal that was one of the two that were disallowed. He was also at the net front for what became a second disallowed goal that was called back for goaltender interference. Miller had the most ice time of the trio, with a little more than 12 minutes, while his linemates each finished with slightly more than 11 minutes.
Will we see some changes in the games against Denmark and Germany, or will Sullivan stick with what worked?
Everything coming up BROCK. NELSON. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/yy7xGkXiR0
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2026
Takeaway 3: The fatigue factor
One of the underlying themes from the 4 Nations Face-Off was the pace, especially in the final game between Canada and the U.S.
That pace was a factor in the first four minutes of this game, as part of an approach that saw the U.S. wear down Latvia in numerous ways. Combining that speed with physicality and puck possession eventually made Latvia go from a team that tied the game at 1-1 to a team that struggled to just keep up for the final 40 minutes. There were the penalties. There were the goals that came from those penalties. There were those long shifts that allowed the U.S. to dictate play in a way that helped it score four unanswered goals.
Can the U.S. do that against other teams? It’s possible against the other nations with a mix of NHLers and non-NHLers, but what we saw from the Canadians on Thursday indicates that they would be able to keep up.
Player of the game: Brock Nelson, center
There were the two goals he scored. There were also the two goals he almost scored: one off the post, and one disallowed for goalie interference.
Either way, Nelson had the most memorable and arguably strongest performance of any Team USA player.
Naturally, the conversation around Nelson’s game is going to center around his goal contribution. But there’s also a point to be made about how was always in position and used his 6-foot-4 frame to create openings in what was a physical game against Latvia.
Will the U.S. score even more goals against Denmark?
Being the two gold medal favorites is why there’s going to be one eye on Team USA and another on Canada throughout this preliminary round.
Canada struck first with a dominant 5-0 win over Czechia, shifting the focus to the U.S. in its matchup later on Thursday. The answer was a 5-1 win.
Now it’s about seeing if Team USA can carry that over into its next game Saturday against Denmark. The Danes were playing at the same time as the U.S. and lost 3-1 to Germany, despite the fact they finished with 38 shots.
Overall team grade: A-
The only blemish for Team USA in its opening game was the lone goal it allowed because of a net-front scramble. Beyond that, the Americans controlled every aspect of their opening game.
Those disallowed goals along with Latvia’s game-tying goal created a bit of a tenuous start. But the four unanswered goals — and how the U.S. flexed its skill and strength — made it too hard for Latvia to find an opening.
Bruno Fernandes has outlined one player he believes should be among Manchester United‘s midfield targets this summer, while Chelsea will again look to sister club Strasbourg to add to their own squad.
Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
Transfers home page | Men’s winter grades | Women’s grades
TRENDING RUMORS
– Manchester United are in the market for two midfielders this summer and, according to The Sun, Bruno Fernandes will recommend that one of them is West Ham United‘s Mateus Fernandes. United are set to lose Casemiro this summe when his contract expires and have been linked with a number of replacements, including Nottingham Forest‘s Elliot Anderson. Fernandes will urge United to sign his Portugal teammate, with United sporting director Hugo Viana already a strong admirer of the 21-year-old.
– Chelsea are in talks to sign Strasbourg midfielder Valentín Barco, as reported by TalkSport. The 21-year-old permanently joined the Ligue 1 club last summer for £8 million having previously played for them on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, and he could now reunite with Liam Rosenior by following his route from Strasbourg to Stamford Bridge. The Argentina international has recorded two goals and nine assists in 28 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
– Manchester United have been closely tracking Bayern Munich winger Maycon Cardozo, according to TEAMtalk. The 17-year-old signed a new contract with Bayern last month and has since made his first-team debut. United are reportedly impressed by his technical ability and, although a move anytime soon would be difficult to complete for due to the recent contract renewal.
– Atlético Madrid will soon make their opening offer for Atalanta midfielder Éderson with a proposal worth €35 million plus €3 million in add-ons, as reported by Sky Sports Italia. That falls short of the figure of €50 million that Atalanta expect to receive for the 26-year-old. Éderson has already agreed a four-year contract with Atlético worth €5 million-per-season plus a €2 million signing bonus. Negotiations appear to have begun and Atleti are making aggressive moves to complete a deal.
– Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are among the clubs interested in Blackburn Rovers defender Tom Atcheson, according to TEAMtalk. The 19-year-old has stepped up to the senior level for Blackburn and Northern Ireland under Michael O’Neill, which has also resulted in further Premier League attention from Sunderland, Everton, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion. He is also being looked at by European clubs such as RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and Napoli.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen ranked Mateus Fernandes at No. 33 in his list of the best U21s players in world football. He wrote:
Last season, Fernandes suffered relegation with Southampton despite winning both of the club’s Player of the Season and Fan’s Player of the Season awards, but he had to play only three games in the Championship before making a £40 million move to West Ham. However, somehow he is in much the same predicament this season, as West Ham are in a battle to avoid the drop.
Fernandes is a central midfielder who equally brings defensive and attacking qualities. On one hand, he makes tackles, presses well and regains possession — 158 duels puts him in the 95th percentile among midfielders — while he also has the vision to deliver excellent long passes (61.1% success rate) and pick out deep runs from his teammates.
He generally covers a lot of ground and reads danger superbly, winning a lot of loose balls, while he copes well under pressure and can shift play quickly. That, along with fine dribbling at high speed, makes him equally useful at either end of the pitch. But his three goals this season — including the fastest Premier League goal of the campaign, scored after just 29 seconds against Aston Villa — also suggest he has a knack of arriving in good goal-scoring positions.
OTHER RUMORS
0:57
Hutchison: Cucurella ‘out of order’ for Chelsea transfer policy criticism
Don Hutchison reacts to Marc Cucurella’s recent comments about Chelsea’s transfer policy.
– Chelsea have a strong interest in Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs but face competition from Liverpool and Manchester City. (Football Insider)
– Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants Manchester United to make £100 million from departures with Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford all set to leave. (The Sun)
– Liverpool, Inter Milan, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur all have Atalanta’s Cagliari loanee Marco Palestra on their radar. (Caught Offside)
– Juventus and Como have both sent scouts to watch Real Valladolid attacking midfielder Chuki in recent weeks. RB Leipzig and Stuttgart have already made moves for the 21-year-old. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
– Juventus could be willing to let Gleison Bremer leave during the summer transfer window. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
– Juventus are looking at Genoa for right-back Brooke Norton-Cuffy, striker Jeff Ekhator and center back Leo Skiri Ostigard. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
– Roma are preparing their strategy to sign Almeria attacking midfielder Sergio Arribas and are interested in Kerim Alajbegovic, whose re-sign clause has been triggered to move him from RB Salzburg to Bayer Leverkusen. (Corriere dello Sport)
– AC Milan and Napoli also want Kerim Alajbegovic, with the former sending scouts to watch him during Bosnia & Herzegovina’s win against Wales. (Corriere dello Sport)
– Paris Saint-Germain Feminines have reached an agreement with Real Madrid striker Naomie Feller. (L’Equipe)
– Several Premier League clubs are monitoring Sassuolo centre-back Tarik Muharemovic. (Nicolo Schira)
– Ollie Watkins is growing increasingly likely to leave Aston Villa during the summer transfer window. (Football Insider)
The 2026 World Cup field is set, and many of the usual suspects are in the favorites conversation to win the tournament. Spain tops the odds board at +450, with France and England following at +600. Brazil and reigning champions Argentina round out the top five at +850.
Portugal (11-1), Germany (14-1) and the Netherlands (20-1) make up the next tier, with perennial contenders such as Belgium (35-1) and Colombia (40-1) also close behind. Some relative newcomers to the conversation include Norway (28-1) and Japan (50-1), which opened at 50-1 and 100-1, respectively, at some shops.
Meanwhile, the host nations sit longer with the USA at 65-1, Mexico at 70-1 and Canada at 200-1. The Americans are drawing a lot of outsized attention with U.S. sportsbooks, attracting 6.7% of the tickets and 4.9% of the handle at BetMGM to be one of the sportsbook’s largest liabilities, along with France (17.7% of handle) and England (14.3%).
There’s one very notable absence from the odds board: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive tournament after falling to Bosnia and Herzegovina (250-1) in the UEFA playoff. The Italians had ranked 10th on the board at 30-1 odds before they were eliminated from contention.
Here are all 48 teams’ odds to win their group, qualify from the group stage and advance through the knockout bracket to win the 2026 World Cup.
Odds subject to change, see DraftKings Sportsbook for more.
Liam Rosenior has refused to be drawn on Enzo Fernández‘s agent’s criticism of Chelsea but insisted “things aren’t what people maybe think they are” regarding the player’s future.
Fernández was dropped for Saturday’s 7-0 FA Cup quarterfinal thrashing of League One strugglers Port Vale, but attended the game in support of his teammates.
The 25-year-old will also miss next weekend’s Premier League clash with Manchester City after twice casting doubt over his future, initially in an interview with ESPN Argentina after the club’s Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain.
Fernández went further when speaking during the international break, suggesting “I’d like to live in Spain, I really like Madrid” amid ongoing speculation over a possible move to Real Madrid.
He has a contract at Stamford Bridge until 2032 and sources have told ESPN they value Fernández in excess of £100 million ($132m).
Rosenior claimed Fernández had “crossed a line” and sanctioned the player with what is effectively a two-game ban.
However, Fernández’s agent Javier Pastore branded the decision “completely unfair.”
“We don’t understand the punishment because he doesn’t mention any club or say he wants to leave Chelsea,” Pastore said.
Asked about Pastore’s intervention, Rosenior said: “That’s his opinion. I don’t have anything to say on someone else’s opinion. Enzo knows what I think of him and it was brilliant to see him here to support the players today.
“We’ll move forward and make sure we have a really good run-in in the season.
“I said yesterday, the conversations I have with my individual players, with Enzo, with anyone in the squad when it comes to things like this, stay within.
1:21
Gibbs: Chelsea’s huge Port Vale win ‘a step in the right direction’
Kieran Gibbs reacts to Chelsea’s much-needed FA Cup win over Port Vale after an eventful week off the pitch.
“The dressing room is sacred. I made it really clear what I think of him as a person.
“He’s a top, top guy. But at the same time, I want us now to focus on the football and achieve what we want to achieve through the season.”
Rosenior was pushed to answer whether Fernández felt the suspension was unfair.
“In the right time, in the right moment, which isn’t now, going through what we’ve gone through, I’m sure the discussion will happen in terms of what’s been said between me and Enzo,” the Chelsea boss said.
“Enzo and I are in a very good place. I saw him today, had a really good conversation with him today one-to-one, and things aren’t what people maybe think they are.”
Chelsea eased to victory through goals from Jorrel Hato and João Pedro before an own goal from Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel put the Blues 3-0 up at the break.
– Enzo Fernández’s agent: Chelsea punishment ‘completely unfair’
– ‘Not a leader’ – John Obi Mikel slams Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández
– Chelsea hammer Port Vale 7-0 in FA Cup quarterfinal
Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, Estêvão and an Alejandro Garnacho penalty ensured Chelsea reached the semifinals.
However, Rosenior revealed they had suffered a fresh injury blow after Jamie Gittens sustained another setback.
“Unfortunately, Jamie, in training yesterday, picked up what looks like a hamstring injury again,” Rosenior said.
“We have to scan him and make sure.
“It’s a real shame for him, I think it’s the third time it’s happened. We need to help him and we need to make sure he’s ok. I can’t give you a time frame on that at the moment.”
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