England captain Harry Kane and several teammates swapped the football pitch for the golf course last week, enjoying a round with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka during their World Cup training camp in Florida.

Thomas Tuchel’s squad arrived in West Palm Beach last Monday, enduring hot and humid conditions as they prepare for the tournament.

Their schedule has included a sweltering friendly victory over New Zealand in Tampa, with an Orlando warm-up against Costa Rica slated for Wednesday.

The England boss has prioritised a relaxed atmosphere before the intense preparations begin in Kansas City, allowing players ample downtime.

Golf has emerged as a popular pastime, with skipper Kane, John Stones, Jordan Pickford, Elliot Anderson, and training goalkeeper Jason Steele joining former world number one Koepka on the greens.

England midfielder Anderson said: “We had a plus one, we had Koepka on. Harry must know him and, yeah, that was amazing. It was mad, really. It was mint.

“He was so good. Put me to shame. I was so nervous on the tee box, but I did all right, to be honest.”

England are staying at the Belgrove Resort and Spa in West Palm Beach, where the Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole Dutchman’s Pipe course is the jewel in the crown.

Koepka lives around 18 miles away in Jupiter and it sounds like his biggest threat came from England’s skipper and 27th man.

“Steeley and Kane, they’re the best,” Anderson said. “They’ve got a bit of a competition for who’s the best. Brilliant golfers. It’s good to play with them.”

Meanwhile, Dan Burn has credited a pre-tournament trip to Disney for helping him acclimatise to the heat ahead of this summer’s tournament.

A family trip to Disney World helped him adapt to the conditions before their warm weather camp began in Florida last Monday.

Burn said of Saturday’s 1-0 friendly win against New Zealand in sweltering Tampa: “It doesn’t feel like the World Cup yet, but coming in and seeing the fans, the hype of it all and getting excited about it, so, yeah, I was happy with how it went.

“I think we dealt with the heat pretty well, got a win and a clean sheet. We can build on that.

“I didn’t notice (the heat) that much, if I am being honest. I have been here a week before, I did Disney with the kids because I wanted to get a bit of a head start.

“Honestly, I think that helped. Don’t get us wrong, it wasn’t like a Saturday afternoon in Newcastle, but I felt a lot better than I was expecting to.”

Burn loved his time with the family at Disney – “Guardians of the Galaxy is the best ride – if you go to Disney, that’s the one,” he said – and was among several players to get a headstart by travelling across the pond early.

“I wanted to do that because I am not used to the heat as much,” the towering defender said. “About half the squad did that and half the squad didn’t, but I feel better for it.

“We probably haven’t had the weather that we wanted this week. It has been a bit cloudy and rainy, but the last two days especially there has been a bit of heat.

“Personally, it hasn’t affected me as much as I thought it would, but I can’t speak for anyone else.”

Wolves have signed former England full-back Kieran Trippier and are in talks to re-sign former striker Raul Jimenez on a free transfer.

Trippier left Newcastle at the end of the season when his contract expired and has signed a two-year deal at Molineux.

The 35-year-old played 160 times for Newcastle after joining from Atletico Madrid in January 2022, and made 54 appearances for England between 2017 and 2024.

“We know what we’ve lacked this year, and we know what we need next year – experience, leadership, resilient characters and strong characters,” said head coach Rob Edwards, external.

“That’s what we’re going to need in abundance, and Tripps ticks every box.”

Jimenez, 35, was listed by Fulham on Monday among a group of players set to leave the Premier League club when his contract expires at the end of the month.

It is understood negotiations have begun over a return to Molineux, where he scored 57 goals in 166 games between 2018 and 2023.

His 40 Premier League goals make him Wolves’ top scorer in the English top flight.

Jimenez is on international duty with World Cup hosts Mexico, who begin the tournament against South Africa on Thursday.

Wolves are looking to rebuild after finishing bottom of the Premier League last season and being relegated to the Championship.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Indian cricket fans will not have to stay up as late to watch the men’s team’s upcoming T20I series in England. In a move aimed at boosting television viewership in India, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has revised the start times for three floodlit T20Is during India’s white-ball tour of England next month.India will play five T20Is and three ODIs in England between July 1 and July 19. According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the ECB has advanced the start times of three evening T20Is by one hour following discussions with broadcasters. The matches were originally scheduled to begin at 6.30 pm local time (11 pm IST), as announced last year. However, they will now start at 5.30 pm local time (10 pm IST), making them more viewer-friendly for Indian audiences.The adjustment means fans in India can expect the matches to finish around 2 am instead of stretching close to 3 am.The decision once again underlines the commercial significance of India matches for English cricket. Tours involving India continue to be among the ECB’s most valuable broadcast properties, with television audiences playing a major role in scheduling decisions.The timing change comes days after the BCCI announced India’s squads for the two-match T20I series against Ireland and the five-match T20I series against England.Shreyas Iyer will lead the side, replacing Suryakumar Yadav as captain, while the biggest talking point was the inclusion of teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in a senior India squad for the first time.The 15-year-old earned his maiden call-up after a record-breaking IPL 2026 season.Sooryavanshi finished as the leading run-scorer of IPL 2026, collecting 776 runs while winning the Orange Cap. He scored one century and five fifties at a remarkable strike rate of 237.30.His sensational campaign fetched him five individual awards — Emerging Player of the Season, Most Valuable Player, Orange Cap, Best Strike Rate of the Season and Most Sixes in the tournament.The youngster now stands on the verge of creating history. If selected during the Ireland or England series, Sooryavanshi will become India’s youngest international cricketer, surpassing the record currently held by Sachin Tendulkar.Tendulkar made his India debut at the age of 16 years and 205 days during the 1989 tour of Pakistan. At 15, Sooryavanshi has the opportunity to break a record that has stood for nearly four decades.

India squad for T20I series against Ireland:

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

India squad for T20I series against England:

Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohd. Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Alas Pilipinas holds its own against Kyrgyzstan and hopes to do so against the Koreans. —MARLO CUETO

CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur—Alas Pilipinas shifts its focus onto a pivotal test against South Korea on Tuesday in the AVC Women’s Cup after regaining its footing with a dominant victory over Kyrgyzstan.

Less than 24 hours after squandering a two-set lead in a five-set loss to Australia, Alas bounced back with a convincing 25-9, 25-11, 25-17 victory on Monday at Candon City Arena to improve to 2-1 in Pool A.

The lopsided win allowed interim coach Shaq Delos Santos to rotate his lineup and give key players a chance to regain confidence heading into a crucial showdown with South Korea, which opened the tournament with victories over Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

“You can consider it a do-or-die game, but we still have a chance in our last match,” Delos Santos said in Filipino. “Right now, our focus is on playing better tomorrow. Why not? The ball is round. We just want to give our best and play a good match rather than think about all the possible scenarios.”

Alas closes its Pool A campaign against Chinese Taipei on Thursday, with only the top two teams advancing to the semifinals.

“South Korea moves well as a team. Chinese Taipei has a different style altogether,” Delos Santos said. “As the tournament goes on, we’re seeing how tough these teams are to play against.”

The Philippine squad immediately turned its attention to film study after Monday’s victory, reviewing South Korea’s first two matches.

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Middle blocker Thea Gagate said Alas must stick to its identity against a Korean side ranked No. 38 in the world and sixth in Asia after recently being relegated from the Volleyball Nations League.

“For me and for the team, we just have to stick to what we’ve been working on in training,” said Gagate, who led all scorers with 11 points on eight attacks, two blocks and an ace. “We know South Korea is a fast team, so we need to adjust quickly and be ready to match that pace.”

Gagate, a holdover from the national team’s bronze-medal campaign in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup, said she hopes to contribute more in the tournament’s biggest matches.

“It’s about giving my best and applying everything I’ve learned from my previous national team tournaments,” she said.

Top scorers

Jovelyn Gonzaga paced Alas with 10 points, while Alyssa Valdez added nine and Ces Molina chipped in eight. Cla Loresco and Ara Galang scored four and three points, respectively, while Tin Ubaldo and Tots Carlos also saw action.

Alyssa Solomon, who erupted for 23 points against Australia, was limited to the third set and finished with three points. Delos Santos said the 6-foot-1 opposite hitter will have a bigger role against South Korea.

“We’ll need to utilize her more tomorrow,” he said. “But with Jovelyn, you already know what you’re getting. She’s always a fighter and always ready to compete.”

Kyrgyzstan fell to 0-3 despite four points from Aiturgan Aitbekova. Alas dominated the attack department, 48-12, while Kyrgyzstan held a 6-4 edge in blocks. INQ

IRVINE, Calif. — The U.S. team’s countdown to the World Cup began two weeks ago on a Manhattan pier and moved to a new national training center carved into Georgia pines. It passed through Charlotte and Chicago for the last tuneup matches before pulling into a former military air base that’s been transformed into a sprawling municipal sports complex.

With their Monday arrival at Great Park — and a spirited greeting from some 5,500 sun-drenched fans who won a lottery to attend a workout — the Americans reached their final destination before beginning Group D play Friday against Paraguay 45 miles northwest at SoFi Stadium.

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Coach Mauricio Pochettino led the crowd in “USA” chants before the players conducted an hour-long session that was a bit more involved than a public session figured to be. (Nonetheless, no competitive secrets were revealed.)

The Argentine-born manager told the supporters he hopes the team “rewards your energy” when the 48-nation competition kicks off across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

The U.S. Soccer Federation visited 27 venues between Seattle and San Diego before choosing Irvine, team manager Sam Zapatka said. Initially, the team was planning to train on the UC Irvine campus — a location it has used in the past — but opted for Great Park, which also houses the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks’ training facility.

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The Americans will use three of the 24 soccer fields, including a tidy stadium where USL Championship’s Orange County SC plays its second-division matches.

The delegation is staying at a seaside resort, the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, which, with police escort, involves a 30-minute bus ride to the training site.

The county of more than 3 million will serve as the team’s home for the next several weeks, with almost daily workouts before the opener and between matches. The U.S. will fly to Seattle less than 48 hours before the second game, vs. Australia on June 19, then resume sessions at Great Park ahead of the June 25 finale against Türkiye at SoFi Stadium.

“Pulling up here with 5,500 fans ready to watch a training session is incredible,” captain Tim Ream said. “It’s been a long two weeks, a hard two weeks, but guys are in a great position, mentally, physically, emotionally and ready to get going.”

Great Park opened in 2007 on the site of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, which was decommissioned in 1999 after 56 years of training pilots and other military operations. From above, portions of the runways are still visible. President Richard Nixon flew in and out of here when visiting the western White House in nearby San Clemente.

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Now known for recreation and not an infamous resignation, the 194-acre park includes baseball and soccer fields, as well as basketball, tennis and volleyball courts. There is a 10,000-capacity amphitheater, a carousel and a balloon that, for $10, takes riders 400 feet up. (For the U.S. stay, it’s been decorated with the U.S. crest and, to avoid spying, is closed.)

Set up in base camps all over the U.S., Mexico and Canada, every World Cup team is required to conduct one public event at some point during their stay. The remainder of the U.S. sessions will be closed to the public and, except for 15-minute glimpses during stretching sessions and light exercises, will also be off-limits to reporters.

The USSF erected tents with exercise equipment and one on the stadium concourse for players’ treatment and post-training recovery. It also set up a tent for up to 270 media members.

“You want to feel like you have a good home base, a place you [don’t] have to worry about all the little details off the field,” Ream said. “Everything’s been taken care of for us. We’re very, very much spoiled in that way as players, and that allows us to focus on everything that we need to.”

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The final run-up to the World Cup began May 26, when Pochettino named his 26-man squad at a public event in New York. Before and after a 3-2 victory over Senegal in Charlotte, he conducted workouts at the national training center that opened last month 12 miles south of Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The send-off match was Saturday at sold-out Soldier Field in Chicago, a 2-1 loss to Germany.

Chris Richards returns to full training after ankle injury

The health and welfare of center back Chris Richards is paramount to U.S. preparations. Hobbled by an ankle injury, he missed the friendlies against Senegal and Germany and hasn’t played since May 17 with the Premier League’s Crystal Palace.

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After rehabbing and training on his own for two weeks, Richards joined a full World Cup session for the first time Monday. He did not show any signs of the injury, though the team wasn’t engaged in the most rigorous session either. Nevertheless, it was a promising sign that he’ll be available, and perhaps start, against Paraguay.

Midfielder Tyler Adams did not train for load management reasons, a team spokesman said.

As for the players performing in front of an audience that included many young fans, the opportunity to make an impact in this World Cup was not lost on them.

“It means so much to be able to be in a position to inspire the next generation, and there’s a compounding effect to it,” goalkeeper Matt Freese said. “Obviously, we were inspired by the previous generation. Hopefully, we inspire the next generation. The more we inspire them, the better the following generation will be.”

Manchester United academy graduate Marcus Rashford faces an uncertain future with Barcelona beyond this summer with doubts over whether the Catalan side will make his loan move permanent

Marcus Rashford is reportedly only focused on completing a move to Barcelona amid recent links with Bayern Munich. The Manchester United forward spent the 2025/26 campaign on loan in Catalonia.

The La Liga champions have a £26million purchase option included in their loan arrangement with United to secure his services. Barca have until June 15 to activate their buy option for Rashford, but reports from Spain suggest the Catalan side are hesitant to pay the agreed sum and may attempt to renegotiate it.

Reports in The Sun, meanwhile, have suggested that Bundesliga giants Bayern are willing to match United‘s valuation of the England forward. However, it is said there is not the same enthusiasm to pay Rashford’s sky-high wages.

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And Spanish publication Marca claim that the 28-year-old is not keen on joining Vincent Kompany’s team, regardless. It is claimed that Rashford is not answering any calls from other teams – including Bayern.

The report adds that the German champions have made no concrete approach at this stage. It remains unclear whether Rashford will play for Barca again, but it is understood that United have no intention of bringing him back into their first-team fold.

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Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has spoken warmly about his experience working with Rashford, but declined to be drawn on talks regarding his long-term future at the Camp Nou.

Speaking after the attacker scored against Real Madrid in El Clasico on May 10, he said: “I’m very happy with Marcus. He has shown his quality and he scored an important goal.

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“I can’t say anything about his future, we have to focus on the matches until the end of the season.”

Rashford netted 14 times and contributed a further 14 assists across all competitions for Barca – playing a pivotal role in their La Liga and Spanish Supercopa victories.

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Speaking to the press after they clinched the Spanish top-flight crown with victory over Real, he said: “It’s really good. I come here to win.

“So this is, I want to win as many things as I can. So, this is one more to add to this.

“Yeah, this team is a wonderful team. They’re going to win so much in the future as well. So, to be a part of that would be special. So we will see.”

There are 32 teams in the National Football League. Eighteen of them have new playcallers this year. 

Eighteen! 

It’s a staggering number. The race is on to find the next Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay or Ben Johnson, any genius who can innovate an offense and push a team toward a Super Bowl. You know, as Klint Kubiak did, he went from the champion Seahawks to the worst-in-league Raiders this offseason. 

The funny thing is that almost every single one of the 18 playcaller jobs that were filled are connected to Shanahan, McVay or Johnson. And it’s even funnier that as former assistants fill those jobs, those three continue to tweak their offenses, adding wrinkles and changes to keep things fresh. Even those who revolutionized offenses are evolving. 

The players themselves matter more to Fantasy Football since they’re the ones you’re drafting and starting. Talent is obviously important but opportunities matter more, and it’s these playcallers who will determine the opportunities their players get. 

That’s why studying each new playcaller and making some educated guesses on what they’ll do and how they’ll operate this season is important draft prep work. 

I’ve gone ahead and ranked all 18 playcallers — some are head coaches who will call plays, others are offensive coordinators. Last year, new play callers Liam Coen (Jacksonville) and Ben Johnson (Chicago) had two of the biggest impacts on the Fantasy Football season. So keep an eye on who ranks atop this list. We’ll put together a landing page for all 18 pieces at the end and cross-link on each piece once we’re caught up.

We’ll start by working backwards with my 18th-ranked new play caller until we get all the way through to No. 1. Without further ado, the team with the 18th-ranked new play caller:

18. Panthers OC Brad Idzik

Who’s new?

Son of former NFL salary cap manager John Idzik and Dave Canales consigliere Brad Idzik will take over calling plays for the Panthers. He was Carolina’s offensive coordinator last season but didn’t call plays, so the expectation is that he’ll stick with the same West Coast principles the Panthers have rolled with since 2024. 

What’s expected this year?

More of the same slower-paced offense we saw from the Panthers, with only a modest uptick in pass plays (55.1% pass rate last year). Wide receivers remained a priority position for Bryce Young to target with running backs and tight ends nearly equal at about a 20% target share each. There is a question about how effective the Panthers run game will be after the team didn’t re-sign Rico Dowdle and didn’t add anyone to work alongside presumed starter Chuba Hubbard. Third-year RB Jonathon Brooks is definitely a candidate to potentially leapfrog Hubbard as he slowly makes his way back from a second ACL tear. Maybe the biggest problem facing the Panthers is left tackle Ikem Ekwonu not being ready for the season, and potentially missing the season after rupturing his patellar tendon in January. Rookie Monroe Freeling (18 starts in college) might have to play in his place all year, ready or not.

Winners and losers for Fantasy

Keeping things status quo, save for a new voice in Young’s ear, doesn’t really present a lot of winners or losers for the Panthers. Hopefully, the team does more to scheme up Tetairoa McMillan since he’s got the unique size and quickness to make plays over and over. To that end, Canales referred to rookie Chris Brazzell II as “one of my favorite players in the draft.” Both he and Idzik spoke about how Brazzell can force defenses to respect the downfield pass, opening things up for both the run game and the short-area passing game. Carolina hasn’t had a guy like that since Canales has been there. If Brazzell works out as Canales and Idzik envision then it could mean easier coverage on McMillan.