On Thursday night the Twins played their first game at Target Field since the Pohlad family announced they would not be selling the team. Minnesota proceded to go out and lose to the Tigers in extra innings with manager Rocco Baldelli getting ejected following a colorful argument about whether or not a foul tip was caught or not.
The emotions from the loss, coupled with the recent news about the team's ownership situation, had the words "sell the team" fresh on everyone's mind and that became especially apparent during the team's postgame show where fans could be heard loudly chanting the request.
The Twins entered the season with a mid-range payroll, well above teams like the Marlins and Athletics, but far behind real contenders who are spending about twice as much each season in an attempt to put a competitive team on the field.
Two years removed from their last postseason appearance, Minnesota is currently 57-64, seven games out of the wild card.
Arne Slot heaped praise on the Liverpool fans at Anfield after some were spotted leaving early during their Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
The under-fire Dutchman does not believe Liverpool’s sixth loss in seven matches has increased the pressure on his team ahead of this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa. The Premier League champions won seven straight matches in all competitions as they bounced back from their shoot-out loss to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.
But that run came to a halt with a late defeat to the Eagles at Selhurst Park a month ago, sending the Reds into a spiral that they have yet to climb out of.
Palace got the better of Liverpool for the third time this season in Wednesday’s 3-0 Carabao Cup fourth round win at Anfield as Slot’s decision to leave out stars and make 10 changes backfired.
Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister were the first-team players deployed in a team of mostly youngsters, but the senior stars were some of Liverpool’s lowest rated players against Palace.
Liverpool player ratings v Crystal Palace: Slot's first-team stars worse than youngsters
It was an evening to forget for a young Liverpool side.
ByTom Cunningham Oct 29, 2025
Fans were spotted leaving the stadium as early as the 70th minute, but the Dutchman said he had no regrets and brushed aside the suggestion it had increased the pressure heading into Saturday’s return to Premier League action at home to Villa, with Man City and Real Madrid also to come in the next ten days.
“I don’t think it’s possible if you lose five out of six that there’s now after six out of seven even more pressure,” Slot said.
“If you’re on a run of results like this, if you play for Liverpool, if you manage Liverpool, you know the pressure is there and I don’t think it has changed much after this loss.
“But if it did then maybe the most positive thing about tonight was that the position we were in, 2-0 down and we weren’t really pushing for a goal because we weren’t able to, the fans were behind the team, were supporting us.
“That gives me the feeling that Saturday when our players will show how much it means to them, our fans will be incredibly supportive for us Saturday.
“But, again, we face a team that has rested in the week to play us, and that’s Villa.”
Liverpool could be boosted by the return of midfielder Ryan Gravenberch against Villa following an ankle issue, but British record signing Alexander Isak remains a doubt with to a groin complaint.
Slot's treatment of Liverpool star is a "sackable offence"
England's World Cup 2026 kick-off times and venues have been finally confirmed as Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions are set to face Croatia, Panama and Ghana in the group stage next summer. England learned their opponents during the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, DC, on Friday evening. The European Championship runners-up side will play their three group games in three different cities.
England learn World Cup match venues and kick-off times
A day after England learned that they are clubbed in Group L alongside Croatia, Panama and Ghana, the Three Lions have been informed about their match venues and kick-off times. Thomas Tuchel's side will endure a complicated commute as they are set to play their first match against Croatia at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Dallas on June 17.
Their next match will be six days later against Ghana at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and their final match will be held at New York's MetLife Stadium on June 27 against Panama.
The fans, who will watch the matches from back home in the UK, will have to tune in at 9 pm for the first two matches, while the final Panama clash will kick off at 10 pm.
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Tuchel shares opinion on England's draw
Speaking about his team's 2026 World Cup draw, Tuchel claimed that it was a tricky one as he told reporters: "We have Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups, and we have Panama. I don’t know much about Panama, but we will know everything about them when the tournament starts. For me personally, even in the Champions League, you have to focus on the group – the group is always the most difficult, and we want to escape, and we want to win the group. It’s a tough one.
"No one should be underestimated. Of course, Croatia is the standout name [and] the highest-ranked team from Pot 2 that we got into our group. It’s a difficult opener against Croatia. We take it from here."
The German coach added: "Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise, and has a big history in World Cup football," he said. "Also, Panama will try to make the most of the underdog role. No one can be underestimated – everyone deserves the fullest respect, and we will show that."
Tuchel's dig at World Cup draw
The Three Lions boss did not appreciate the long draw ceremony which dragged on for a long time. Before the actual draw, the United States President Donald Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino designating it for a person who has "taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace" and "united people across the world". Trump was given a large gold trophy, a medal, and a certificate, while Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand was also heavily involved in the draw.
Going by the England boss' comments, he didn't appear to be a fan of the whole affair. He told : "I do not, not like it but we could have done it like, without all of this. I don't need it. But of course, it's a huge stage and it's big entertainment. I was very well aware that it's not about the deep insight of football today."
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Which team did Tuchel prefer as possible group opponent?
Further sharing his thoughts on the draw and the opponents England will face, Tuchel added: "I had no preference because why would I worry? I cannot influence. The legends took the draw and this is what we get and what we have to deal with now. We know now our opponents, we know we will start late in the tournament if players are involved in European finals, hopefully. We didn't desire anything we just handled the situation as it is. You get a little more days before and then you get a condensed schedule later in the tournament. Everything comes with in upside and downside."
The New York Yankees spent a thoroughly unsatisfying weekend north of the border and return home needing to win three consecutive games against the Toronto Blue Jays in in order to keep their season going. There is still some shred of hope for Aaron Boone's team. But pinstripe fans will not be getting any silver linings from David Ortiz, who shared his bleak take on the state of affairs during Fox's pregame show Sunday night.
"They can bring Jesus back and they're still going to Cancun," the former Red Sox great said after the Yankees lost Game 2 on Sunday, 13-7. "It's over. It's a wrap."
Ortiz's other suggestion for the Yankees? Simply bring back since-retired players from the franchise to come back and play, including his two deskmates in Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.
Ortiz's commentary drew some elite television chuckles but in the end will improve to be entirely unhelpful. Major League Baseball rules prevent anyone who is not on the roster for the division round to be added in case of an 0-2 hole. So Andy Pettite can't pitch Game 3 with Babe Ruth lined up up for Game 4. Which means, you guessed it—no Jesus in the winner-take-all Game 5.
Surely Ortiz took no pleasure in providing this dose of reality.
وجه دانييل ستوريدج مهاجم ليفربول السابق رسالة للمدرب آرني سلوت بشأن التشكيلة التي سيعتمد عليها في مواجهة ليدز يونايتد غداً في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
وكان ستوريدج قد أبدى تألمه لرؤية النجم المصري محمد صلاح يجلس على مقاعد البدلاء، في مباراتين متتاليتين أمام وست هام يونايتد وسندرلاند.
وقال ستوريدج لشبكة “سكاي سبورت”: “إذا كنتم ستتركون صلاح خارج التشكيل مرة أخرى، فقم بتجربة خيار مختلف، وألعب بفيرتز واعتمد عليه في مركز الرقم 10 خلف إيزاك وإيكتيكي معاً، لنرى ما إذا كان سيفتح بعض الأبواب ويساهم في صناعة بعض الفرص”.
أقرأ أيضاً.. سلوت: محمد صلاح لاعب استثنائي.. وطبيعي أن يتحدث الناس عنه إذا لم يشارك
ونفى ستوريدج ما يتردد عن رحيل صلاح في يناير على الرغم من عدم رضاه، وأشار لوجود مشاكل في جاهزية لاعبي ليفربول مثل فيرتز وإيزاك والذين يحاولون استعادة مستواهم.
واختتم: “بشكل جماعي يجد اللاعبون إيقاعهم لكن الفريق يجد إيقاعه أيضاً، من المرجح أن العديد من الأشخاص بمن فيهم المدرب يبحثون عن الثقة”.
يستعد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي بيراميدز لمواجهة باور ديناموز، في اللقاء الذي يجمع بينهما في إطار منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.
ويتواجد بيراميدز في المجموعة الأولى، ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا مع أندية باور ديناموز ونهضة بركان المغربي وريفرز يونايتد النيجيري.
طالع | ترتيب مجموعة بيراميدز في دوري أبطال إفريقيا بعد فوز نهضة بركان على ريفرز يونايتد
ويحتل بيراميدز المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب المجموعة الأولى، برصيد 3 نقاط، بينما يقع باور ديناموز في المركز الثالث دون نقاط.
وكان نهضة بركان المغربي قد فاز على ريفرز يونايتد النيجيري بهدفين لهدف، ليحتل صدارة المجموعة برصيد 6 نقاط من مباراتين. تشكيل بيراميدز المتوقع أمام باور ديناموز في دوري أبطال إفريقيا
حارس المرمى: أحمد الشناوي.
خط الدفاع: أحمد سامي ومحمود مرعي ومحمد حمدي ومحمد الشيبي.
خط الوسط: بلاتي توريه ووليد الكرتي وأحمد عاطف قطة.
خط الهجوم: فيستون مايلي ومحمود زلاكا وعبد الرحمن مجدي.
The black-soil pitch is already devoid of any live grass four days before the first Test
Nagraj Gollapudi10-Nov-20251:43
Can Rabada make an impact in India?
Reverse swing will potentially play a key role in the first Test between India and South Africa starting November 14 in Kolkata. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the surface at Eden Gardens, which will host a Test match for the first time in six years, will have good bounce but is expected to start slowing down by the halfway mark.It is understood that the black-soil pitch is already devoid of any live grass four days before the Test with the grass cover expected to be barely a couple of millimetres by the time the match begins. While the second Test of the West Indies series, played in Delhi, was also a black-soil pitch, it is understood the Eden Gardens surface will not be a docile track like the one at the Arun Jaitley Stadium where India won by seven wickets on the fifth day.West Indies played the two-match series on completely contrasting pitches with the first match, in Ahmedabad, played on one of the greenest strips in India in recent times with four mm of live grass on a red-soil pitch with good bounce. The match finished inside three days as West Indies suffered a bruising innings defeat, lasting 44.1 and 45.1 overs in their two innings.Related
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In the wake of India’s 3-0 whitewash last year at home against New Zealand, India will be wary of preparing rank turners both in Kolkata and Guwahati against South Africa. It is understood that the Eden Gardens pitch is expected to roughen up quickly facilitating reverse swing for the fast bowlers. There is another encouraging fact for the quicks there: in the last 15 years, it is Kolkata where fast bowlers have recorded the highest wicket percentage (61%) with 97 wickets in six red-ball Tests.Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir visit the Kolkata playing surface•Associated Press
Another factor that is likely to be favourable to seamers is the cooler temperatures both in the first hour of the morning and final hour of the evening which could potentially aid lateral movement. All these factors combined could amount to the toss not playing a defining role. Also, while the outfield at Eden Gardens is among the quickest owing to the black soil (different from the one used for the pitch), the batters are likely to face the challenge once the pitch starts slowing down as the Test progresses.South Africa arrived in India on the back of their series-levelling Test win in Rawalpindi recently against Pakistan. The Pakistan series, which was played on spin-friendly pitches, saw South Africa’s trio of slow bowlers – Senuran Muthusamy (Player of the Series), Keshav Maharaj (Player of the Match in Rawalpindi) and Simon Harmer (second-highest wicket-taker in the series) – excel before arriving in India.This will be the fourth Test for South Africa at Eden Gardens where they won on their first visit in 1996 but lost the last two – in 2004 and 2010. The last Test played at the venue was in 2019 when India defeated Bangladesh under lights in a pink-ball Test. The last red-ball Test played in Kolkata was in 2017, against Sri Lanka, which ended in a draw.
أقيمت مباراتان في دور ربع النهائي من بطولة كأس العرب 2025، حتى الآن، بين منتخبي المغرب وسوريا، وانتهت بفوز أسود الأطلس ومباراة السعودية وفلسطين حيث انتصر الأخضر السعودي.
طالع|موعد مباراة المغرب في نصف نهائي كأس العرب 2025
وخطف منتخب المغرب، فوزًا صعبًا من سوريا، بهدف نظيف، في اللقاء الذي جمعهما اليوم الخميس، ضمن منافسات كأس العرب.
وضمن منتخب المغرب تأهله إلى الدور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس العرب، فيما تتبقى ثلاثة مقاعد أخرى.
وتأهل منتخب السعودية بعد الفوز على فلسطين ليصبح ثاني المنتخبات التي وصلت إلى نصف النهائي.
وحقق الأخضر السعودي الفوز على الفدائي الفلسطيني بثنائية مقابل هدف بعد مباراة ماراثونية امتدت إلى الأشواط الإضافية. مواجهات نصف نهائي كأس العرب 2025
وينتظر منتخب المغرب الفائز من مباراة الجزائر والإمارات في نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس العرب 2025.
وسيلعب منتخب السعودية أمام الفائز من الأردن والعراق.
Thomas Tuchel has never looked as happy as during the eight months in which he has been in charge of the England team. But now comes the sad part: being away from the players he has grown so fond of until the next international window in March. Despite the cynicism around his appointment, the German has proved to be a fine choice of coach and has given the Three Lions the shake-up they needed.
England have had promising qualifying campaigns for previous tournaments, but never before have they won all of their matches heading into a World Cup or ended one without conceding a goal. They might have had a relatively straightforward path to next summer's competition, but they took their task deadly seriously, developing a ruthless edge which saw them dig deep to see off Albania 2-0 in their final game with two goals in the final 15 minutes.
"It's as good as we've ever had," said captain Harry Kane, who has qualified for six major tournaments with England. "We're going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites and we have to accept that, it's been like that the past few tournaments now and that's part of it. We've been building, had a great year together with the new coach and it's now to 2026."
England have many reasons to be excited about next year, where they will be aiming to end a 60-year major trophy drought with a first triumph since the 1966 World Cup on home soil. England have always been optimistic ahead of tournaments, and while other nations might view that optimism as arrogance, the hype is now justified and they will have to be taken very seriously in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
But despite overseeing a perfect campaign, Tuchel still has a few issues to solve ahead of the tournament in June. Here, then, are the big questions the coach must answer over the next seven months…
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How should he handle Jude Bellingham?
Tuchel has learned that the England media agenda essentially revolves around Jude Bellingham, whether he plays or not. The Real Madrid midfielder's absence from the squad in October remained a big talking point even when the games began, and the question of whether he would be recalled dominated the build-up to the November camp.
Even after impressing in a starting role against Albania, Bellingham managed to dominate the headlines again despite not scoring. His reaction to being substituted was instantly pored over by the press even though it was from the worst reaction that has ever been seen. Bellingham was not exactly thrilled to be taken off before the end, but nor did he throw his toys out of the pram, and Tuchel was caught unawares when asked about the reaction, saying he would "have to review it".
Despite appearing to not be bothered by Bellingham's reaction, Tuchel repeated his mantra that the team must come first by saying: "We're about standards, commitment and respect to each other. We'll not change our decision just because someone is waving their arms."
That could be interpreted as another criticism of Bellingham from Tuchel, who earlier this year revealed that his own mother found the Madrid man's behaviour to be "repulsive". It showed that Tuchel has still not learned how to properly handle Bellingham, and if he wants to have him in his squad then he needs to embrace Bellingham's ultra-competitive nature and resist giving the media more ammunition to use against him.
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What happens if Kane gets injured?
Kane scored his 77th and 78th goals for England against Albania, taking him past the total international goals scored by the great Pele. He found the net in six of the eight qualifiers, while he has scored eight more goals than any other player in Europe (Cristiano Ronaldo is his nearest challenger) across World Cup and European Championship qualifiers since 2019. Kane has become even more pivotal under Tuchel, scoring nine goals in nine games under the German coach, accounting for 34 percent of England's total strikes.
But it begs the question: what happens if Kane gets injured? England have grown to become so reliant on Kane that Gareth Southgate picked him in all seven matches at Euro 2024 despite him clearly lacking sharpness following a back injury. Trusting in Kane now makes perfect sense given he is in the best form of his career, but England need a contingency plan for the eventuality that he does become unavailable, especially as he is likely to be feeling the strain of his record-breaking season for Bayern Munich by the time the World Cup comes around.
"I don't want to think of an England without Harry Kane," said former England defender Conor Coady on , and he's not the only one. Tuchel didn't even bother to pick another centre-forward in his latest squad after Ollie Watkins was ruled out with injury, leaving Jarrod Bowen and Marcus Rashford as the only options in the event Kane wasn't available. They will, however, need a more proven option next summer.
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Who should partner John Stones at the back?
John Stones has started England's last four games after recovering from injury, and as long as he can stay fit until next June, he looks nailed-on to be one of the starting centre-backs in North America. He gives England twin assets of a wealth of experience in defence as well as flair in midfield, but it is a toss-up over who should partner him at the heart of the defence.
Dan Burn was exposed at several points during the trip to Albania and he lacks senior tournament experience, and Marc Guehi seems the more reliable option given he was one of England's most consistent performers at Euro 2024, although it is not clear how much Tuchel rates him. The manager took the Crystal Palace captain out of his starting line-up last month against Latvia with no obvious explanation and did not bring him off the bench either.
A foot injury put Guehi out of contention for the latest camp and Ezri Konsa, who stepped in for him when he was suspended for a game at the Euros and took his place against Latvia, performed well against Serbia in his absence before then sustaining a calf injury of his own which ruled him out against Albania. Jarell Quansah, who made his debut against Albania, is the fourth choice as things stand.
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Can out-of-favour full-backs earn a recall?
While Tuchel has shown himself to be largely uninterested in public opinion when it comes to picking players, a couple of options he previously favoured have fallen out of favour due to the decisions of other coaches.
Myles Lewis-Skelly scored the first goal of the Tuchel era against Albania back in March amid his stunning breakthrough season for Arsenal, but he has since faded from the picture for club and, by extension, country. The left-back has fallen behind Riccardo Calafiori in the pecking order for Mikel Arteta and has only started four games this season, none of which have come in the Premier League.
Tuchel continued to pick Lewis-Skelly for the fixtures in September and October, but drew the line this time around, partly because Nico O'Reilly's form for Manchester City was impossible to ignore. O'Reilly completed 90 minutes against both Serbia and Albania and now looks to be the frontrunner to be first-choice left-back at the World Cup, especially if Lewis-Skelly continues to get little playing time with Arsenal.
Tuchel acted more swiftly to drop Trent Alexander-Arnold following his slow start with Real Madrid, dropping him for the September games and has not recalled him since. England do have many other options at right-back, although Tino Livramento is currently out with a knee problem and Reece James has a complicated injury history of his own, even if he has remained fit so far this season.
Alexander-Arnold remains a classy option to return to given his vision and passing ability, but Tuchel, rather like with Arteta, is at the mercy of Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, who has handed the former Liverpool right-back just three starts in all competitions so far this term.
Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson tied his team's contest against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night with an RBI infield single … until he didn't.
Down 3–2 with a runner on third and two outs on the board, Swanson took the plate against Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft. Swinging on a full count, he sent a grounder down the left side where third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes picked it and threw to first—but not in time, allowing Willi Castro to score. Upon further review, however, it was determined that Swanson missed the first base entirely. He was called out, the run was wiped and Cincy maintained their lead.
Take a look at the mishap here:
Swanson's blunder ended up being a costly one. No runs were scored for the rest of the game, and the Reds came away with a 3–2 win—cutting into Chicago's lead atop the National League wild card race.
It'll take a while for the two-time All-Star to live this one down.