nit Page 1 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

D.C. United decline striker Christian Benteke's option
D.C. United declined veteran striker Christian Benteke's contract option for 2026, the club announced Wednesday.,Benteke, who turns 35 next month, recorded 47 goals and 10 assists in 93 MLS matches (90 starts) from 2022-25.,The United said they are in discussions with his representatives potentially...

Expansion SDFC blank Minnesota United, reach West final
Anders Dreyer scored his fourth goal of the MLS Cup playoffs midway through the second half, lifting San Diego FC to a 1-0 victory over visiting Minnesota United in a Western Conference semifinal match on Monday.,Dreyer's 23rd goal in all competitions helped No. 1 seed San Diego become the first exp...

Anders Dreyer, San Diego FC plot to take down Minnesota United
Top-seeded San Diego FC will try to continue defying expectations when they host No. 4 seed Minnesota United on Monday night in a conference semifinal.,San Diego became the second expansion team in three seasons to finish atop the West standings, and in the process set an MLS points record for a fir...

Unbeaten but imperfect Penn State seeks crisper showing vs. Providence
Penn State's undefeated start hasn't always been pretty, but coach Mike Rhoades knows that college basketball isn't a beauty contest.,Fresh off a narrow victory over Harvard, Penn State is hoping for a crisper effort Saturday when the Nittany Lions travel to Uncasville, Conn., to take on Providence....

Spain leads, U.S. rises in latest FIFA men's world ranking
Spain maintained its top spot in the latest FIFA men's world rankings in advance of the 2026 World Cup, while the United States men's national team moved up two spots to overtake rival Mexico.,The United States' 5-1 thrashing of Uruguay at Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, moved the team up two spots in the ...

Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz to defend United Cup title
World No. 3 Coco Gauff and world No. 6 Taylor Fritz will return to United Cup play in January, focused on defending the United States' title in the mixed-team event.,The Americans were named the top seeds on Thursday. ,Eighteen countries are entered in the event, which will run from Jan.2-11, with m...

Against all odds, Minnesota United knocks out Sounders in shootout
Goaltender Dayne St. Clair made five saves then delivered the game-winner in the 10th round of a shootout as 10-man Minnesota United rallied to defeat the Seattle Sounders on penalty kicks following a 3-3 tie in a first-round playoff clincher Saturday at St. Paul. Minn.,Minnesota United finished wit...

Against odds, Minnesota United knocks out Sounders in shootout
Goaltender Dayne St. Clair made five saves and then delivered the game-winner in the 10th round of a shootout as 10-man Minnesota United rallied to defeat the Seattle Sounders on penalty kicks following a 3-3 tie in a first-round playoff clincher Saturday at Saint Paul. Minn.,Minnesota United finish...

Loons out to overcome hurdle, top Sounders in decisive Game 3
Minnesota United must try to figure a way to get past an old nemesis when they host the Seattle Sounders in the decisive match of the best-of-three Western Conference First Round series Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn., ,The Sounders, who won the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019, are 15-3-3 all-time ...

'Tata' Martino returns as head coach of Atlanta United
Gerardo "Tata" Martino has signed on for a second stint as head coach of Atlanta United.,The club announced Thursday that he signed a two-year contract. He replaces Ronny Deila, who was dismissed after one season and a 14th-place finish in the MLS Eastern Conference.,He was the first coach of the ex...

Behind Obed Vargas' brace, Sounders level series with Loons
Obed Vargas notched a brace Monday night and the Seattle Sounders stayed alive in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with a 4-2 win over visiting Minnesota United.,The result tied the best-of-3 series at 1-1 with the deciding match scheduled for Saturday in Saint Paul, Minn. The seri...

Loons eye first-round sweep, 4th straight win vs. Sounders
Coaches often say it's hard to beat a team three times in a season.,So what's their stance on four?,Minnesota United FC will try to accomplish that feat Monday night in Seattle and complete a sweep of their first-round, best-of-3 Western Conference playoff series.,The fourth-seeded Loons beat the No...

Minnesota United win Game 1, edge Sounders in penalty shootout
Kelvin Yeboah, Nectarios Triantis and Joaquin Pereya converted penalty kicks as Minnesota United FC defeated the Seattle Sounders following a scoreless draw Monday night in St. Paul, Minn., in the opener of their best-of-three MLS Western Conference playoff series.,Game 2 is scheduled for next Monda...

William Byron wins at Martinsville, joins Championship 4 with Kyle Larson
William Byron beat Ryan Blaney in an 11-lap dash and won the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, putting him in the field with teammate Kyle Larson for next weekend's championship race after Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 finale in Martinsville, Va.,With Blaney leading and the pair charging...

Minnesota United eager to rid 'sour taste' in clash vs. Sounders
If there was ever a season that Minnesota United FC should feel good about its MLS playoff possibilities, this is it.,The Loons challenged for the Western Conference title before finishing fourth, earning home field in the best-of-three first-round series against the fifth-seeded Seattle Sounders. M...

Australia jolts U.S., wins LPGA's International Crown
Minjee Lee and Hannah Green recorded 2 and 1 wins in each of their singles matches in the final on Sunday, helping Australia defeat the United States to capture the LPGA's International Crown tournament in Goyang-si, South Korea.,Lee and Green dispatched Angel Yin and Yealimi Noh, respectively, afte...

U.S. heads joint bid to host 2031 Women’s World Cup
The United States is expected to host the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup in a joint effort with Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica.,The presidents of the four nations' soccer federations revealed the details of their bid plans at a press conference Monday in New York.,The joint bid is uncontested, leaving ...

Ronny Deila out as coach of Atlanta United after 5-win season
Atlanta United dismissed head coach Ronny Deila on Sunday after one season.,The club was 5-16-13 in MLS play (6-18-13 in all competitions) and posted just one win in its past 18 matches. With 28 points, Atlanta United finished in 14th place in the Eastern Conference.,There were high expectations for...

Minnesota United drops regular-season finale to Galaxy
Matheus Nascimento and Joseph Paintsil scored as the Los Angeles Galaxy held on for a 2-1 win over visiting Minnesota United on MLS Decision Day on Saturday in Carson, Calif.,The loss ensures that Minnesota (16-8-10, 58 points) will finish in fourth place in the Western Conference. The Loons will ho...

Iowa stages second-half comeback to top reeling Penn State
Quarterback Mark Gronowski ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns Saturday night and Iowa rallied from a 21-10 third-quarter deficit to edge visiting Penn State 25-24 in Iowa City.,Gronowski's 67-yard run set up the winning score, an 8-yard run on a jet sweep by receiver Kaden Wetjen with 3:54 remaini...