SOCCER
The U.S. women’s national soccer team will give some younger and less experienced players an opportunity in a pair of exhibition matches against China next month.
Veterans Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alyssa Naeher and Crystal Dunn won’t be with the team for the games against China on Dec. 2 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and on Dec. 5 outside of Dallas.
Instead, interim head coach Twila Kilgore’s 26-player roster announced Monday includes midfielder Jenna Nighswonger, who plays for Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League, and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Korbin Albert. It is the first national team call-up for both players.
Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie, who has yet to appear in a match, also joins the team.
Kilgore chose the roster in consultation with U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker and Emma Hayes, the new head coach who will join the team in May after finishing out the season with Chelsea.
“We value these players who have recently been in camps or played in the World Cup and were not chosen for this roster, and they are of course still a part of our pool, but we know what they bring on and off the field,” Kilgore said in a statement. “At the same time, we also need to continue to evaluate and bring along players in the right ways to give the team the best chance for success.”
Returning to the team is veteran defender Abby Dahlkemper, who had back surgery in October 2022.
COPA AMERICA: Sergiño Dest forced the United States to play a man short following a pair of yellow cards in a dispute with the referee and the Americans qualified for next year’s Copa América despite a 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago in Port-of-Spain, winning the total-goals series 4-2.
Following a 3-0 win last week at Austin, Texas, Antonee Robinson scored in the 25th minute off Dest’s cross to give the 11th-ranked U.S. a four-goal series lead in the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal.
Dest got two yellow cards about 30 seconds apart when he lost his composure in the 39th minute and argued with Guatemalan referee Walter López.
With the U.S. a man short, Reon Moore tied the score in the 43rd. Alvin Jones put the 99th-ranked Soca Warriors ahead in the 57th with a 30-yard free kick off the hands of goalkeeper Matt Turner, who tried to parry the swerving shot.
EURO 2024: England completed an unbeaten qualifying campaign for the European Championship by drawing at North Macedonia 1-1 with Harry Kane forcing an equalizer via an own-goal just seconds after coming on as a substitute.
That canceled out the opener from Enis Bardhi, who tucked away a rebound after his penalty was saved by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 41st minute.
AUCTION: Sotheby’s is set to auction off six shirts worn by Lionel Messi during Argentina’s winning run at last year’s soccer World Cup in Qatar and thinks they could become the most valuable collection of sports memorabilia ever sold at potentially more than $10 million.
The auction house said it will put up for sale in New York six of the seven first-half jerseys the Argentina captain wore in Qatar, including the one he donned in the dramatic win in the final against France. Like many soccer players, he often swaps his shirt with someone from the opposing side at the end of each match, his being the most-sought after.
In defeating France in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw at Lusail Stadium, Argentina won its third World Cup. Messi scored two of the country’s goals.
Sotheby’s, which was founded in London in 1744, will offer Messi’s shirts between Nov. 30 and Dec. 14. A free exhibition at the company’s New York headquarters will allow the public to see the shirts during the bidding dates.
GOLF
PGA: Jordan Spieth is replacing Rory McIlroy on the PGA Tour policy board and will finish out the term that runs until the end of next year.
McIlroy, the first international player elected to the board, said last week he no longer felt he had the time and energy to serve his final year of what has been a period of turmoil on the PGA Tour as it fought and then proposed a partnership with Saudi backers of LIV Golf.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced the move to players. Golf Channel first reported his memo. Spieth was the unanimous choice of the five other board members. He now joins Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Webb Simpson and Peter Malnati. Hoffman goes off the board next year and is succeeded by Adam Scott.
TGL: Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will wait until 2025 to launch their tech-infused TGL competition because of damage to the Florida arena that was going to take too long to repair and create scheduling problems for television and players.
The six-team league was supposed to debut on Jan. 9 on ESPN and finish the season before the Masters in April. Ownership of the six teams had been announced and players were filling rosters. And then the league suddenly had no place to play because of a power failure last week.
The Nov. 14 failure of a temporary power system and backup systems used for construction of the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens caused the dome to deflate, which damaged the air-supported dome section of the arena.
No one was injured, and most of the technology was not affected.
AUTO RACING
FORMULA ONE: The Las Vegas Grand Prix, which Max Verstappen won Saturday night, blew past BetMGM betting handles for previous Formula One races.
Trading manager Seamus Magee said BetMGM took three times the number of bets than any other previous F1 race.
Westgate Las Vegas and Red Rock Resort reported on Saturday this race was the most-bet Formula One event at those sportsbooks.
Formula One’s most expensive and hyped race that included the lure of drivers competing on the famed Las Vegas Strip drove the betting action.
Verstappen, who has won three series championships in a row, took the lead with 13 laps left to win for an 18th time this season.
One BetMGM bettor wagered $200,000 at minus-200 to win $100,000 when Verstappen cruised past the start/finish line. He opened at minus-350 at that sportsbook, and the number moved down throughout the week before finally reaching minus-185.
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