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Messi brace lifts Miami in 3-2 MLS win over DC United | The Express Tribune

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Messi brace lifts Miami in 3-2 MLS win over DC United | The Express Tribune



MIAMI:

Superstar Lionel Messi scored two superb goals and created another as Inter Miami beat DC United 3-2 on Saturday to inch closer to an MLS Cup playoff berth.

Amid indications this week from sources close to the club that Messi is poised to sign a contract extension that would keep him in Miami at least through next year, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner showed just why the club and Major League Soccer are so keen to see him stay.

The 38-year-old now has 22 goals in 22 matches played this season. With his seventh double of the MLS season he moved to the top of the league scoring list, passing England’s Sam Surridge, who has 21 for Nashville.

“It was another ordinary night for him, which is totally extraordinary for any other football player,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said.

“His ability not only to score but to make the team play, to find situations, and to carry the team on his shoulders when we needed him most and faced difficulties — that is the advantage of having him, and today we were able to take advantage of it.”

Miami dominated from the outset on a rainy night at their Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, against a team already eliminated from playoff contention.

They took the lead in the 35th minute when Messi produced a well-judged through ball forward to Tadeo Allende, who beat United goalkeeper Luis Barraza with his first touch and smoothly fired into the right corner of the net.

Christian Benteke headed the visitors level in the 52nd minute.

Messi forced a pair of quick saves from Barraza before he fired Inter back into the lead in the 66th minute, collecting a pass from Jordi Alba in the box and turning to slot a left-footed shot past Barraza.

Two minutes after coming on as a substitute in the 69th minute, Argentine Mateo Silvetti was fouled in the box by Barraza.

The referee pointed to the spot and the 19-year-old stepped up to take the kick, but he smashed the attempt off the crossbar.

“Leo gave it to Toto (Silvetti) surely as a gesture to let him have his first goal, which I think is something very good, unfortunately he couldn’t score it,” Mascherano said, adding that the gesture was one Messi had made often in his career to “involve someone who needs it more than him.”

– Important win –

But Messi pushed Miami’s lead to 3-1 with a bit of trademark magic in the 85th, picking up a pass just outside the area and eluding his defender to loft a shot out of the reach of Barraza.

It proved invaluable, as Jacob Murrell struck for DC United in the seventh minute of stoppage time to trim the deficit to one.

With the win Mascherano called “very important,” Miami climbed one spot to fifth in the Eastern Conference with 52 points but will have to wait to secure their playoff berth after New York Red Bulls produced a 2-0 victory over Montreal.

New York City FC clinched their ninth playoff spot in 11 seasons with a 2-0 victory over playoff-bound Charlotte.

Alonso Martinez converted two penalties and Matt Freese saved a Wilfried Zaha spot kick as City stretched their unbeaten run to three matches.

Philadelphia Union maintained their grip on first place in the East and bolstered their bid for the Supporters’ Shield awarded to the top team overall with a 1-0 victory over New England.

Bruno Damiani broke the scoreless deadlock in the 71st minute with a crisp finish from a perfectly placed pass from Frankie Westfield.

Orlando denied Nashville’s chance to clinch a playoff berth with a 3-2 victory.

Martin Ojeda scored two goals and Duncan McGuire added another for Orlando, who are also in pursuit of a post-season spot. Hany Mukhtar and Jacob Shaffelburg scored for Nashville.



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Silver considering all remedies for rampant tanking in NBA

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Silver considering all remedies for rampant tanking in NBA


INGLEWOOD, Calif. — NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday that tanking has been “worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory” and he’s considering “every possible remedy” — including taking away draft picks — to stop the type of overt behaviors he fined the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers for this week.

“In the old days, it was just sort of an understanding among partners in terms of behavior,” Silver said before Saturday’s All-Star Saturday events. “I think what we’re seeing is modern analytics where it’s so clear that the incentives are misaligned. … Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view. Which was what led to those fines, and not just those fines but to my statement that we’re going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams’ behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice.”

Silver began his news conference by saying he had recently talked to 97-year-old Bob Cousy about the first All-Star Game in 1950, and they had both remarked at how far the game had come since then. That framed Silver’s line of thinking that after 75 years, it might be time to rethink how the league runs its draft, just as the league continues to experiment with its All-Star Game format.

Silver noted that in conversations with general managers and other members of the league’s competition committee, the incentive structure of the lottery has made it unclear that the worst teams are actually the teams with the worst records.

“If teams are manipulating their performance in order to get higher draft picks even in a lottery, then the question becomes … are they really the worst-performing teams?” Silver said. “It’s not clear to me, for example, that the 30th-performing team is that much measurably worse than the 22nd-performing team, particularly if you have incentive to perform poorly to get a better draft pick.

“It’s a bit of a conundrum. As I’ve said, the All-Star [Game] is 75 years old. The league is 80 years old. It’s time to take a fresh look at this to see to whether that’s an antiquated way of going about doing it.”

On several occasions Saturday, Silver reflected on the conundrum between the short-term incentives teams might have to lose games to improve their draft position and the long-term best interests of the league.

“It’s the whole community coming together and deciding what’s in the best interest,” Silver said. “It’s part of my job to remind everybody. … I understand what your short-term interests may be, but we’d better not lose sight of our fans here. We’d better not lose sight of the people who support this league day in and day out.”

Silver noted that last point as part of an answer to a question about the ongoing investigation into whether the LA Clippers circumvented the NBA’s salary cap in an endorsement deal between then-team sponsor Aspiration and star forward Kawhi Leonard.

Silver said he had no updates on the investigation, which is being conducted by Wachtell Lipton in New York.

“It’s enormously complex. You have a company in bankruptcy. You have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that have been needed to be interviewed,” Silver said.

“I will say, just in case anyone is wondering, the fact that All-Star [Weekend] is here this weekend has had no impact on the timeline of the investigation. Our charge to the Wachtell law firm is to do the work and then come back and make recommendations to the league office, and that’s where things now stand.”

Silver said he had no timeline on when that investigation might conclude.

He did, however, provide an update on the NBA’s plans for expansion, noting that he expected the board of governors to discuss the issue at its next meeting in March and then start reaching out to potential expansion cities and owners to gauge interest. He noted that the league was not considering a relocation of any of its current franchises.

“I think the logical next move would be to say, ‘All right, we’ve had those discussions internally, we’ve made decisions about cities to focus on and what the opportunity is, and now, we’ve got to go out into the marketplace,'” Silver said. “I think that’s probably the most important step, to find out who is potentially interested in owning a franchise in particular cities, what’s the value of that franchise. There’s some work to do in terms of potential conference realignment. That’s the next step there.”



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Big Clash in Colombo Today: PCB Chairman Meets National Team Ahead of India Match – SUCH TV

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Big Clash in Colombo Today: PCB Chairman Meets National Team Ahead of India Match – SUCH TV



Colombo: Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, met the national cricket team and management ahead of the crucial match against India, boosting the morale of the Shaheens.

During the meeting in Colombo, the PCB chairman praised the players’ determination, commitment, and preparation, while extending his best wishes for the high-stakes encounter. He encouraged the team to play with confidence and maintain their fighting spirit on the field.

Captain Salman Agha, head coach Mike Hesson, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema, all squad members, and the coaching staff were present at the meeting. PCB Chief Operating Officer Sameer Ahmed, PSL Chief Executive Officer Salman Naseer, and Director Media Aamir Mir also attended the session.

It is worth noting that Pakistan and India are set to face each other today at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The much-anticipated clash is expected to be watched jointly by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and ICC Chairman Jay Shah.

 



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2026 Winter Olympics: Live updates from Milan Cortina

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2026 Winter Olympics: Live updates from Milan Cortina


The second Sunday of the 2026 Winter Olympics is a busy one for fans of Team USA.

Mikaela Shiffrin skis in the giant slalom — the race she won at the 2018 Olympics, and her second shot at a medal in Milan Cortina. It’s also the race where she suffered a severe injury with a puncture wound in 2024. Shiffrin has had to deal with PTSD from the crash, and competing again in Olympic giant slalom is part of her comeback. Speedskater Erin Jackson will attempt to defend her Olympic gold in the 500 meters. Pairs figure skating begins, with Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea the top American pair. They had clutch performances to help the U.S. win gold in the team event and have an outside chance of a medal. And U.S. men’s hockey will be back in action against Germany.

Key events (all times ET)

  • 4:00 a.m. — Women’s giant slalom

  • 11:03 a.m. — Women’s 500m speedskating

  • 1:45 p.m. — Pairs figure skating

  • 3:10 p.m. — Men’s hockey (USA vs. Germany)

MORE: Medal tracker | Full schedule of events | Olympics 101

Here’s a live look at the top moments from Sunday’s events.




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