Kano Pillars have completed the signing of experienced winger Ubong Friday from Rivers United as the club continues to strengthen its squad ahead of the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.

The former Akwa United player joins the four-time NPFL champions after several impressive seasons with Rivers United, where he established himself as one of the league’s most reliable attacking players.

Ubong Friday is expected to add pace, creativity and experience to the Kano Pillars attack as new Technical Adviser Daniel Ogunmodede builds his squad for the new campaign.

A league title winner with Akwa United, Friday brings valuable top-flight experience and is expected to play a key role as Sai Masu Gida aim to challenge for honours this season.

The winger is one of several new arrivals at Kano Pillars following the appointment of Ogunmodede, who officially resumed duties after leaving Remo Stars.

The 46-year-old coach has already begun preparations for the new season, with the NPFL scheduled to kick off on August 28.

Kano Pillars have also signed defender Tarabina Biweribo from Plateau United, goalkeeper Abdallah Sulaiman from Katsina United, left-back Oloye Felix from Niger Tornadoes, midfielder Abdulraheem Shola from Kwara United, centre-back Tejiri Emonena from Warri Wolves, defensive midfielder Zayyad Musa and goalkeeper Efevwerha Joke from Warri Wolves.

The new signings underline the club’s ambition to compete for the NPFL title, with supporters hoping Ogunmodede can lead Kano Pillars back to the top of Nigerian football.

For Ubong Friday, the move marks a fresh challenge as he begins a new chapter with one of Nigeria’s most successful football clubs.

The 2026 college football season is just weeks away, and we’re kicking off our previews for the top teams in the West.

We begin with two legacy Pac-12 teams that switched coasts to compete in the ACC during realignment.

Neither has achieved the kind of success they once enjoyed in their former conference.

Both California and Stanford enter the season with new head coaches, and with them, renewed hope of turning their storied programs around.

Here is a quick look at the prospects of both teams in the upcoming season.

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California Golden Bears

General Outlook

In a weird way, everything’s different at Cal, but still pretty much the same.

The Golden Bears parted ways with Justin Wilcox and brought in former Cal defensive line coach and UCB defensive lineman Tosh Lupoi to lead the squad.

The Bears are one of the more intriguing teams nationally this year; they have the potential to win the conference, but could also “Cal it up.” Again.

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Everyone is excited about the return of quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, and rightfully so, but the key to the Bears’ season is improving their rushing attack and defense.

The schedule also lines up favorably for the men from Berkeley, as they miss games against Miami, Louisville, and Florida State.

Offense

The jump that Cal takes this year will likely be predicated on the flow of their offense.

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When Sagapolutele shined last year, the Bears were a tough out. But there are a few things to consider in Offensive Coordinator Jordan Somerville’s system.

Somerville emphasizes playing with ill intent and an explosive mentality—and that feels like what Cal’s been missing. It’s his first job as a coordinator, and he may lean on Assistant Head Coach Nick Rolovich for guidance.

The Golden Bears also brought in a slew of transfer wideouts, most notably Ian Strong. Another get in the portal is halfback Adam Mohammed, who should instantly spark a rushing attack that was one of the worst in the nation in 2025.

UCB is also breaking in two transfer tackles, which could hurt Sagapolutele’s mobility. Other key playmakers include tight end Dorian Thomas and wideout Chase Hendricks.

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Stanford Cardinal

General Outlook

Stanford is in a transitional state, but there’s new life in the program with the hiring of Tavita Pritchard. General Manager Andrew Luck and Pritchard are hoping to restore a program that feels like it’s lost some oomph.

If the Cardinal could finish 6-6, it’d provide vital confidence for the program moving ahead; they hadn’t won more than four games in a season since the pandemic.

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At the minimum, they need to generate some buzz on offense. The Tree finished 122nd in points scored per game last season.

They brought in enough pieces that this unit should get better, but they’ll probably still be one of the weaker units in the ACC.

Writes about football and basketball as a Senior Writer and hosts “The Nick Bartlett Show” for SuperWest Sports.

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Azzi Fudd became the first rookie ever to win the WNBA All-Star 3-point shooting contest with a stunning 30-point performance in the final round of Friday’s competition. Fudd, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Dallas Wings, was just the fourth rookie to compete in this event since its inception in 2006.

“It’s incredible,” Fudd said after making history. “First of all, just an honor to be invited to do it and participate against the other best shooters in the league. It’s an honor to win as well.”

It seemed like destiny for the former UConn standout, who as a high schooler faced NBA star Stephen Curry in a 3-point shooting contest at his basketball camp. Fudd didn’t win that one, but she was feeling confident after Friday’s win and publicly challenged him to a rematch.

“Steph, if you are listening, I’ve been asking for a rematch since high school, so maybe this is our time to start figuring out a time and a place,” Fudd said.

Her 24 points in the first round helped Fudd advance to the title round against Portland Fire forward Bridget Carleton, who punched her ticket with 29 points. Marina “Money” Mabrey, one of the favorites to win it all, was eliminated in the first round with just 18 points. Before Fudd, Rhyne Howard — who was also a participant on Friday — had been the only rookie to ever reach the final round (2022).

Carleton looked solid in the first round, but Fudd didn’t show any nerves and remained focused with her eyes on the trophy. She started her final round by making every single shot from the first rack and went on to make 20 of her 26 shot attempts. Meanwhile, Carleton missed her first three shots. She was not able to recover from that shaky start and finished with 19 points.

“Just focusing,” Fudd said during her post-win interview on the court. “This is what you do every single day as a basketball player.”

Many of Fudd’s former and current teammates from UConn and Dallas, including Paige Bueckers, witnessed the historic moment from the sideline. They helped her celebrate the win by pouring water on her. While she playfully complained about her hair, Fudd said it meant “everything” to have her friends and family there.

“I got nervous. First time ever,” said her dad Tim Fudd while waiting to take pictures with her. “I usually trust the work… It’s amazing. It’s all amazing. This is surreal, but this is her element so I’m happy to see it. I told her before she left the hotel, ‘just lock in.’”

Last year, Sabrina Ionescu also won the title with 30 points. However, her 37-point performance in 2023 is still the WNBA and NBA All-Star record.

First-round scores 

• Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire) — 29 points
• Azzi Fudd (Dallas Wings) — 24 points
• Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream) — 20 points
• Janelle Salaun (Golden State Valkyries) 19 points
• Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo) — 18 points
• Natisha Hiedeman (Seattle Storm) — 17 points

Steph up next?

At 15 years old in 2018, Fudd became one of the first female campers ever to be invited to Stephen Curry’s SC30 Select Camp. After winning the camp’s 3-point contest, she earned a chance to go head-to-head against Curry himself. 

“Really nervous but also exciting because it was so much fun to be at that camp, to be one of the first two girls there,” Fudd recounted. “And then, shooting against boys, it is always a little extra something when you win against boys. So it was a lot of fun. Shooting against Steph was super cool.”

Curry ended up winning their battle 20–16, but as she stated on Friday, Fudd is ready to take his crown.

Technically, Fudd already got him back last year at the Curry Camp in China while he and his brother Seth were touring with Under Armour. Fudd beat them both while making four out of five 3-pointers. Stephen made three and Seth made two.

GG Banks carries Washington to Shooting Stars competition win

Friday featured the Shooting Stars competition for the first time in WNBA All-Star history with four teams made up of three generations of women’s basketball players. Each roster had a retired WNBA legend, a current WNBA player and a top high school player from Nike EYBL.

Jezelle “GG” Banks, one of the top players in the class of 2027, lifted team Washington to victory in the inaugural competition. WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne helped teammates Banks and Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin advance to the championship with an outstanding performance in the first round. However, she joked that her stamina was not as good as it used to be because she couldn’t keep the momentum going.

Even after Teresa Weatherspoon — the team’s official ball passer — accidentally started four seconds late, Team Seattle made it tough for Washington with 24 points in their final round. Washington got to the four-point spot needing just one bucket to win it, but the shots were initially not falling from Spot 7. Banks remained calm and eventually hit the winning shot, and then one more before the clock ran out. 

“I got a pro and a legend in my squad. They are putting the confidence in me,” Banks said after the win. “I felt like I could do anything when I was with them.”

Coincidentally, Delle Donne went to Ursuline Academy in Delaware, the same high school Banks currently attends.

Italy will appoint legendary midfielder Andrea Pirlo as the country’s new manager, according to local reports.

Pirlo was a key part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning side and played for Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus in a gloried playing career. He also coached Juventus, as well as Sampdoria and Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk, before his current role in charge of Dubai United.

Pirlo will sign a four-year contract, taking him to the 2030 World Cup, Italian publication La Repubblica reported.

Italian ⁠football is facing one of its deepest crises in decades, and the ⁠appointment of a new national team coach is seen as the first step in a wider effort to ‌rebuild a youth development ​and talent pathway system that has deteriorated ‌significantly in a country where football ​remains a national obsession.

Gennaro Gattuso resigned as Italy head coach in April after the four-time world champions failed to qualify for a third World Cup in a row.

The news comes after Pep Guardiola turned down the chance to coach Italy.

Italian football federation president Giovanni Malago had confirmed talks with Guardiola were underway this week. The former Manchester City manager had been in talks with the Italian Football Federation over the role, but rejected the position due to “personal reasons that go beyond football”, Sky Italy reported.

Guardiola said before his City exit that he wasn’t planning on taking a new job “for a while”, citing a lack of “energy” – just as his rival Jurgen Klopp said when he departed Liverpool. Klopp, 59, was on Friday unveiled as the new head coach of Germany, which is his first managerial position since leaving Liverpool two years ago. Klopp has said he feels “recharged”.

Klopp, meanwhile, has signed a four-year contract with Germany that will see him take charge of the team at Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.

“The national team brings us Germans together like almost nothing else can. That’s what makes this task so special for me,” Klopp said at his unveiling in Frankfurt on Friday morning.

Premier League giants Manchester United and Arsenal are reportedly monitoring Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who has attracted interest from Turkey and other European clubs.

Watkins, 30, has been at Villa Park since arriving from Brentford in the summer of 2020. Since then, he has struck 108 times and provided 47 assists in 278 games across competitions, including 21 strikes and five assists in 55 games last season.

He contributed five goals and two assists in their victorious UEFA Europa League campaign, while Unai Emery’s side finished fourth in the Premier League, behind Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Although he’s contracted to Villa Park till 2028, Watkins – who played two games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, where England finished third – is being tracked by the Gunners and the Red Devils, as per The Sun.

The publication mentions that Fenerbahce were looking to submit a £30 million bid, but Villa rebuffed their approaches. The Turkish giants were prepared to give Watkins a salary between £7.5-8.5 million per year on a three-year deal.

The Gunners are keeping tabs on Watkins, as Gabriel Jesus is attracting interest and could be on the move. Meanwhile, the Red Devils could make a move if Joshua Zirkzee leaves, amid interest from Juventus and AS Roma. Villa are expected to ask for around £40 million for the striker.

What’s next for Arsenal and Manchester United?

Both Arsenal and Manchester United are coming off successful campaigns, especially in the Premier League, where the Gunners ended a 22-year title drought, while the Red Devils finished third, their best league finish since 2023.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have upcoming pre-season games against Girona (August 1), Real Betis (August 6), Borussia Dortmund (August 9) and Como (August 13) before their Community Shield clash with Manchester City on August 16. They open their Premier League title defence six days later at home to Coventry City, who won the Championship last season.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils have friendlies coming up against Atletico Madrid (August 1), Paris Saint-Germain (August 8), Leeds United (August 13) and AC Milan (August 16) before travelling to promoted Hull City for their Premier League opener on August 22.