From teetering on the edge of going out of business during the early 2000s to preparing to kick off a league’s 31st season with some of the best players in the world, Major League Soccer has come a long way since the first ball was kicked between the San Jose Clash and D.C. United in 1996. What started as a mandate to bring first division soccer to the United States as a stipulation in landing the 1994 World Cup has become one of the top soccer leagues in the world, with no signs of slowing down. Beginning with only 10 teams in 1996, there will be 30 teams in action this weekend, as the league has grown in unimaginable ways. From multimillion-dollar facilities to the presence on national teams and World Cup rosters, and of course, Lionel Messi, the fingerprints of MLS will be all over the 2026 World Cup, taking place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer.
MLS commissioner Don Garber summed this up well during his state of the league address in December, saying, “We’d love to say that [the World Cup is] the rocket fuel, but this jet has been running for 30 years, and it’s going to run for another 30.”
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In what will be the biggest World Cup in history, the 2026 tournament will expand to 48 teams for the first time, featuring at least four first-time qualifiers. It’s expected to surpass records set by the 1994 World Cup, which is still the most attended in history. The 16 host cities are only the tip of the iceberg as well, with training facilities being picked out all around North America to ensure that national teams can have a true home away from home. But for any of this to happen, it goes back to the soccer builders in this country — Lamar Hunt (of the Hunt family that owns the Kansas City Chiefs), Alan Rothenberg, Philip Anschutz, and so many more.
Only a few may have expected things would advance so far when MLS started. However, for the first commissioner in league history, Doug Logan, this doesn’t surprise him in the slightest.
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“Yes, I did,” Logan said when asked if he expected to see the best players in the world playing in MLS. “People ask me that all the time. And the answer is yes. Part of the responsibility and the charge to the top leader in entities like this is to be able to have a vision of what could be and then tirelessly and ceaselessly keep the institution and the organization on that track. I realized where it was going to go. Not where it could go, but where it was going to go.
“I also realized after the first year or a year and a half that it was going to take longer and be more expensive to get there than my owners anticipated, And those were two realities for me, but if you’re asking me, did I ever envision it getting to this, the answer is yes.”
NASL collapses, MLS rises
Even with the league being founded in the wake of the North American Soccer League collapsing, that didn’t stop investors like the Hunt family from buying into the potential that MLS could have. The NASL brought Pele to North America, and the New York Cosmos are still to this day one of the most recognizable American soccer brands, despite not having played a game since 2020 — although that will change in March as they take the pitch to face Portland Hearts of Pine in New Jersey in USL League One.
At times, being able to keep that vision may have been easier said than done, especially during a period when Anschutz owned six of the league’s 10 clubs, but the message remained the same. The people involved with the founding of MLS saw the potential in the league, and it was massive, but to come full circle with another World Cup on United States soil is where things are special in this moment of reflection. It may have taken longer than expected to get the World Cup back, but this is where the league can show how far it has come from the days of 10 clubs and franchises folding (Tampa Bay Mutiny, Miami Fusion, Chivas USA) and take advantage of the increased interest in soccer in America during it.
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MLS cities, facilities to have huge impact
Host cities during the FIFA Club World Cup took notice when Boca Juniors fans descended on Miami, ES Tunis fans took over Times Square, and Brazilian fans marched from the Art Museum in Philadelphia, and it’s an effect that will only be magnified during the World Cup. Kansas City will be central to this, with Algeria, Argentina, England, and the Netherlands all training in the Kansas City region.
“A World Cup puts the host country and all of the host cities on the global map. And of course, Kansas City is a big city, but from a global standpoint, it’s probably not a very well-known city, with maybe the exception of its American football league team, which has garnered a little bit of global recognition over the last six or seven years,” said Clark Hunt, chairman and CEO of the Hunt Sports Group, which owns the Chiefs and MLS club FC Dallas. “But I really expect that Kansas City will become known globally because of its role in hosting World Cup games.”
MLS facilities have come a long way during this time, as the new Red Bull New York training facility in Whippany, N.J., that will open in March has a price tag higher than most early soccer-specific stadiums as over $120 million. That facility will host the Brazil national team during this summer’s World Cup.
Many of the league’s newest facilities have garnered praise globally, with players noting the differences as well as teams and executives abroad taking note, but with national teams making the United States their home during the summer, it will be a true show of what these facilities have to offer. They were a large part of why the first expanded World Cup is taking place in the United States, and who knows, the facilities could lead to a few transfers into MLS following the World Cup. During a changing tide of American soccer, even those will be easier with the league looking to adopt a summer-to-spring schedule shift in 2027 to aling with the rest of the soccer world.
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It’s one of many reasons why this World Cup feels like as much of an inflection point as it does a celebration of soccer, which was also the case in 1994, which brought the pressure of a new league, as there wasn’t even a commissioner until November of 1995, before beginning play in 1996.
“I had less than three months before we were going to play in 10 cities. It was a whirlwind kickstart. We had an incredibly successful first year because everyone was kicking the tires and thinking that it’s going to be like the World Cup, and leagues are not like the World Cup. Leagues are there to endure and stay and have a legacy,” Logan said.
And more than 30 years later, MLS has endured and is building its legacy brick by brick. This year won’t have such a sprint compared to what ’94 did, but with the coming shift, it’s clear that the league is also entering a new era. New stadium projects will also see New York City FC’s time playing at Yankee Stadium come to an end, and MLS has a massive opportunity in the wake of the World Cup.
But the trajectory doesn’t end there because it also impacts the youth level, which MLS EVP and Chief Communications Officer Dan Courtemanche notes.
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“We’re a league now that has elite player development and incredible facilities, and 43,000 kids playing in MLS NEXT. My son plays U15 MLS NEXT. He’s with an elite club; he plays against the Red Bulls, New York City FC, the Revolution, and D.C. United, and I see the sophistication now at the youth level,” Courtemanche said. “This is my 34th season about to start in professional soccer but I’m only a few season in when it comes to viewing it as a soccer parent at a serious level, and my son, when he’s done within 24 to 36 hours, he goes onto Taka.io, the software program, our partners, and he can see videos of all the key plays that he made, the pluses and the minuses and it helps him evaluate his game he works with his coach and it makes him better, and I gotta tell you, I didn’t see that coming probably even five or 10 years ago that 43,000 kids have access to that.”
With players like Alex Freeman and Obed Vargas making the jump to top level European leagues this year and others like Cavan Sullivan set to follow in the future, the impact of MLS Next on youth soccer can’t be understated as well as the impact that the United Soccer League has in offering more pathways and opportunities for people to play and learn about soccer who may not have previously been able to.
Capitalizing on the World Cup wave
While there’s optimism about what MLS can gain from the World Cup, it’s critical to catch soccer fans soon after the World Cup. It’s easier to do when the league can now say, “Look at these players who were at the World Cup, you can keep watching them in MLS,” which isn’t something that could’ve been said to this degree in previous World Cups outside of members of North American national teams. Truth be told, 2022 was a banner year for MLS at the World Cup, and the 2026 edition is set to be even bigger. Messi joined MLS in the following summer, and he won the Ballon d’Or as a member of Inter Miami for his production in 2022.
Lionel Messi’s 2023 Ballon d’Or was awarded to him as a member of Inter Miami.
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“During the last two years, in total attendance, we were the second-highest attended league in the world behind the Premier League. And I wouldn’t have imagined that either,” Courtemanche said. “So look, the world’s game is here. It’s continuing. And even during the World Cup in 2022, we had 37 players from Major League Soccer competing for various national teams. That was more than any other league in the Western Hemisphere.”
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But how that conversion is done is critical. Just because someone watches the World Cup doesn’t mean that they’ll automatically decide that MLS is the league for them, but the league will need to ensure that it capitalizes on those people sampling soccer to turn them into domestic fans.
“One of the things that has happened after every World Cup in recent times is that the domestic league that plays in the host country receives a big boost,” Hunt said. “If you look at the attendance numbers, the TV viewership, in the year or two after a country hosts the World Cup, those numbers grow significantly. And I think in a country like the United States, where we still have an opportunity to create a lot of new soccer fans, I think that’ll be particularly pronounced. And so MLS will have a real opportunity to benefit both in terms of fans attending games and watching the league on TV. So I think that’s very exciting for Major League Soccer and something that we need to make sure we capitalize on.”
MLS isn’t a league that has been around for the vast majority of Americans’ lives like some other places that have hosted World Cups, but with a fandom that tends to a younger demographic, the league can set itself up well for the next 30-plus years, although, hopefully, it won’t take that long for the World Cup to return to America. Soccer in America has come a long way since the last World Cup, and it could be unrecognizable, taking another look back in the future, in a good way, considering the successes that have happened since the MLS’ founding. American players have taken massive steps over the last several years, and MLS has as well. They are counting on their growth to continue, be further cultivated by the World Cup, and for the next set of years to bring exponential growth initial founders could have only dreamed of.
Former UConn football standout and Texas laboratory owner Keith J. Gray was convicted Thursday for his role in a wide-ranging genetic testing fraud scheme, the Justice Department announced Friday.
According to investigators, the cardiovascular testing scheme generated up to $328 million in fraudulent claims. Gray, who never appeared in a regular season NFL game, owns Axis Professional Labs and Kingdom Health Laboratory.
He was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, five counts of violating the anti-kickback statute. Gray also faces three counts of money laundering, a news release from the DOJ confirmed.
Texas lab owner and former NFL player Keith J. Gray was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks. Gray faces five counts of violating the anti-kickback statute and three counts of money laundering.(Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Prosecutors said Gray knowingly billed Medicare for “medically unnecessary genetic tests designed to evaluate the risk of various cardiovascular diseases and conditions.” According to officials, Gray provided kickbacks in return for referrals of DNA samples and executed test orders authorizing the procedures.
Marketers would seek out Medicare beneficiaries and “doctor chase” to uncover the identity of the beneficiaries’ primary care physicians. Prosecutors said that once an individual’s identity was obtained, a doctor was believed to have been pressured into approving the tests.
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Fabricated documents and invoices were used to try and conceal payments that listed charges for “marketing” hours. Another aspect of the operation involved Gray allegedly mischaracterizing the payments as “software” expenses or labeling them as non-existent loans.
Keith Gray of the Carolina Panthers poses for his 2009 NFL headshot at photo day in Charlotte, North Carolina.(NFL Photos )
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence including text messages between Gray and a co-conspirator. The messages appeared to be enthusiastic exchanges between the two over the anticipation of the money they were gaining from Medicare.
“$ent, you should have it any minute if you don’t already. Get it?” Gray then replied by saying, “Sorry I was filling my bathtub with ones. Yes lol.”
Texas lab owner and former NFL player Keith J. Gray was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks. Gray faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.
Axis and Kingdom billed Medicare an estimated $328 million for false claims, while Medicare paid claims totaling approximately $54 million. A sentencing date for Gray was not immediately announced. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.
Spending extended periods with Mark Walker’s Cranbourne operation has only heightened the stable’s appreciation for Geegees Mistruth.
Last spring, the Tasmanian-bred four-year-old moved from Stuart Gandy’s yard to join Walker.
Having secured six wins from 15 starts, Geegees Mistruth is still seeking her first mainland victory, with the Walker team optimistic about the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) on Caulfield’s Saturday card.
Assistant-trainer Ben Gleeson indicated the preparation focused on maintaining freshness for the mare in this race.
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Gleeson highlighted how the reduced field suits Geegees Mistruth perfectly.
The mare notched placings in all three of her outings for the Walker stable.
She opened her recent preparation third over 1000m at Caulfield on January 24 before resuming jump-outs with a win on February 9.
“She trialled up impressively and we’ve intentionally gone a month between runs, second-up, which her record is two wins, two seconds,” Gleeson said.
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“She flies with that little bit of freshness in her.
“She couldn’t have trialled any better and her gallop on Tuesday was excellent.
“The less than capacity field suits as she can find trouble in the run, but the extra 100 metres is good and hopefully those gaps come easier for her.”
Gleeson noted Geegees Mistruth’s training challenges, but emphasized improving control as time progresses in the stable.
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“We’ve tried a few different things with her training, and we think that it’s working,” Gleeson said.
“She’s a trick to train, but we love her, and we think we’ve got the best of her now and hopefully on Saturday she shows it.”
The reunion between jockey Jye McNeil and Buckaroo, who placed in the Cox Plate, occurs for the gelding’s autumn campaign opener at Caulfield.
On Saturday, Buckaroo resumes in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield under McNeil’s guidance.
Out of Buckaroo’s 31 starts to date, McNeil’s sole previous ride came in last spring’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes, run over Saturday’s track and distance.
In that Memsie Stakes, Buckaroo grabbed third spot behind Treasurethe Moment and Mr Brightside, then notched placings in the Underwood Stakes, the Might And Power along with Cox Plate – all Group 1 contests – ending with a tail-end finish in the Melbourne Cup.
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Following the Memsie Stakes, Buckaroo had Blake Shinn, James McDonald, Mark Zahra and Craig Williams as his jockeys in those next four appearances.
Buckaroo prepared with two Sydney trials and appeared at Caulfield on Tuesday morning partnered by McNeil.
“Last campaign I rode him first-up in the Memsie over the same distance and he surprised a few people by running really well,” McNeil said.
“He was third behind Treasurethe Moment and Mr Brightside, and if he can put a run together like that, I think the team would be very happy.
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“He seems fantastic in the work he did. I didn’t work him going into last campaign, but he seems very well.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be partnering him but I’m looking forward to the opportunity on Saturday.”
Buckaroo is expected to handle any Saturday track upgrade from the anticipated Good 4, per McNeil.
“The track was on the firmer side on Tuesday morning, but we didn’t do too much, just held him together, and he felt fine,” McNeil said.
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View the best online bookmakers for betting markets on Buckaroo in the Futurity Stakes.
Feb 20, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) talks with referee Suyash Mehta (82) in the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Anthony Edwards scored 40 points on 16-for-30 shooting, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 122-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night in Minneapolis.
Rudy Gobert notched a double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota, which won its third game in a row as it returned from the All-Star break. Naz Reid scored 21 points off the bench, and Julius Randle contributed 13 points.
Khris Middleton scored 18 points to lead Dallas, which lost its 10th consecutive game. Naji Marshall and Marvin Bagley III finished with 15 points apiece.
Edwards shined throughout the game, including the final minutes with the Timberwolves’ lead in the single digits. He scored seven points in the last 2:27 on a floating jump shot, a pull-up jumper from the elbow and a 3-pointer from the left corner.
The Timberwolves closed the game on an 11-4 run after Dallas cut the deficit to four.
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Earlier in the fourth quarter, Dallas went on a 12-2 run to tie the score at 103-all with 6:55 to go.
Minnesota led 69-57 at the half.
The Timberwolves jumped to a 40-25 lead at the end of the first quarter. Donte DiVincenzo buried a trio of 3-pointers in the first six minutes to help Minnesota grab the early lead.
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Reid provided a highlight-reel dunk late in the first quarter. He dribbled behind his back before elevating for a thunderous right-handed slam over a leaping Daniel Gafford, who stands 6-foot-10 but was overpowered by the leaping Reid.
The Mavericks played without star rookie Cooper Flagg, who remained sidelined because of a sprained foot. The injury forced Flagg to miss the NBA All-Star activities last weekend.
Gobert picked up a flagrant foul after striking Bagley during a battle for a rebound in the second quarter. He surpassed the limit for flagrant fouls on the season and will be suspended for Sunday’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers unless the league reassesses the call and downgrades the flagrant foul violation before then.
‘The Mexican Monster’ was initially expected to return with another title defence for his next bout as he looked to affirm his status as one of the best 175lbs fighters in the world, but he surprised everybody when he announced his intentions to move to cruiserweight.
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He heads to the 200lb division to take on unified WBA and WBO champion Ramirez, and the bout has now been made official for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday 2 May.
Ramirez will be returning after a near one-year absence, with his last bout coming in June 2025 when he successfully retained his titles with a unanimous decision win over Yuniel Dorticos.
A victory over Benavidez would undoubtedly be the biggest win of Ramirez’s career so far, who has suffered just one loss in his 49 professional fights, coming when he campaigned at light heavyweight at the hands of Dmitry Bivol back in November 2022.
Benavidez would become a three-weight world champion if he is triumphant in May, having previously also reigned as WBC super-middleweight champion on two occasions.
Conor Benn has made a shock change to his career after it was announced he has signed with Zuffa Boxing and Dana White.
Benn had been promoted by Matchroom Boxing for his entire tenure after making his professional debut back in 2016, and has established himself as one of the biggest names in Britain.
Those bouts ended a difficult chapter for Benn, who in October 2022 was forced to pull out of his initially planned fight date with Eubank after a failed drugs test, leading to a several year battle in an attempt to clear his name.
Matchroom and Eddie Hearn stood by Benn throughout that saga, and had big plans for the future following the win over Eubank, but Benn will now make those plans alongside his new promotional outfit Zuffa Boxing.
“First and foremost, I want to thank Eddie and the entire team at Matchroom for everything they’ve done for me over the past decade. From guiding me when I first turned pro, to headlining stadium shows. They were not only with me for those highlight moments but stood shoulder to shoulder with me during the tough times.
“It’s been a journey beyond anything we could have imagined, and for their belief, support and guidance, I will always be truly grateful, but Zuffa Boxing presented me with an opportunity I simply couldn’t refuse. I’d love Eddie to continue to be part of my team and for our partnership to evolve in this new chapter.
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“I’m filled with excitement and hunger for what’s ahead with Zuffa Boxing. I want the legacy fights, the biggest nights, the biggest stages. I fear no man at any weight, and I’m ready to give the fans the fights they’ve been calling for. I’m in my prime, and together we have bold, ambitious plans.”
‘The Destroyer’ had targeted fights with a number of big names, including the winner of Saturday’s WBC title fight between Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia, along with newly-crowned WBO champion Shakur Stevenson, with Zuffa now the ones tasked with making those bouts.
Hockey fans on social media reacted as Team USA booked its spot in the gold medal game at the Olympics.
On Friday, the United States delivered a dominant performance, defeating Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinal. Team USA will now battle for gold against rival Team Canada, which edged Finland 3-2 in a thrilling comeback victory.
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This will be the second straight high-stakes final between the USA and Canada after the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Here’s how fans on X (formerly called Twitter) reacted.
One tweeted:
“Let’s go team USA! We need this win, so we can make Canada cry for a second time in a matter of a few days.”
“USA vs Canada for a gold medal is a travesty for the sport of hockey.”
Here are some of the other top reactions on X:
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“Women’s hockey just ain’t for me. All due respect to these lovely ladies but this USA vs Canada gold medal match has been BRUTAL. Are they skating with cement filled boots or something?” a third fan wrote.
“Watching the Canadians cry after losing is satisfying now. I never would have felt that way before Trudeau & Carney,” one X user wrote.
“And against Canada….Wouldn’t want it any other way. Go get the gold, boys!!” another chimed in.
“All that for Midtthews to lose another winner take all game,” added another.
Team USA advanced to the gold medal game after defeating Slovakia 6-2 in semifinal at Olympics
Dylan Larkin opened the scoring for the United States after putting them ahead 1-0 at 4:19 of the first period. With less than a minute remaining in the period, Tage Thompson scored on the power play to make it 2-0 before heading into the second period.
Jack Hughes scored at 12:14 of the second period to increase the lead to 3-0. Jack Eichel made it 4-0 at 12:33, before Hughes scored his second of the night to make it 5-0 for Team USA before the final period.
Juraj Slafkovsky scored for Team Slovakia, cutting the deficit to 5-1 at 4:55 of the third period. Brady Tkachuk scored at 10:52 to make it 6-1 for the United States. Pavel Regenda scored for Slovakia at 13:17 for the final scoreline of 6-2.
Team USA will be up against Team Canada for the Olympic gold medal game on Sunday.
Terry Dunfield only took to the field once for Manchester City in the Premier League, but off the pitch the club saved his career.
His story is one of travel, trauma and turnarounds. Leaving Canada as a 14-year-old to break through at City, suffering a horrible injury while playing for Bury that left his career in the balance before rebuilding, rehabilitating and returning to forge a successful career in England and his homeland that culminated in international recognition.
But it’s behind the scenes at City, in the depths of his injury nightmare, that proved the pivotal period in Dunfield’s footballing journey, and it was club physio Robin Sadler who saved the day.
“Without him we are probably not talking now,” says Dunfield, speaking to the MEN from the other side of the Atlantic. “He was there when I was in the academy and he took me under his wing. Following a second surgery, I remember being in parks by his house training and at Carrington using the facilities when the lads left for the day. I owe Robin for my life.”
The broken kneecap was sustained in a game for Bury, where Dunfield had joined after choosing to leave City as a 20-year-old, and having impressed with the Shakers in the fourth tier a move higher up the pyramid looked likely.
“The part that was really hard for me was that I had started to get my s**t together when I was at Bury and got injured three days before the transfer window,” he explains. “I believe that January I would have moved on. I was probably tracking to be playing higher than where Bury was, with all due respect. Everything was going well and it was taken away so it was double amplified.
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“Your support network becomes your teammates, that never disappeared. But it was always whether I would get another chance because of my knee, when I did I didn’t take it for granted but man was I going to make the most of it.”
And make the most of it he did.
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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.
A move to Macclesfield, where Dunfield was living and who had his former City reserve team boss Asa Hartfield on the staff, followed and impressive performances saw him join Shrewsbury Town and play at Wembley in the League Two play-off final before he returned home to play for fledgling MLS franchise Vancouver Whitecaps and latterly Toronto FC.
“The Whitecaps were coming into MLS and that was my hometown and they found a way back to bring me home,” recalls Dunfield. “The opening game for the Whitecaps, there was 30,000 there, the only problem was that I played a bit too well against Toronto and got traded there six months later.”
After 17 years, Dunfield’s career ended in Canada, but it started in Manchester. Spotted by City playing in a youth tournament in Staffordshire, he joined at 14 and progressed through the ranks to a first team debut on the final day of the 2000-01 season. City, under Joe Royle, had already been relegated and Dunfield came on for an injured Jeff Whitley in the first half.
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It was the culmination of seven years of hard work, of a teenager travelling halfway across the world to pursue his dream away from friends and family. Canada to the Premier League in the early 2000s was not a particularly well-trodden path.
“This is what you had to do if you wanted to follow your dreams,” said Dunfield. “My family would come back and forth. I went to school in Macclesfield, I moved into digs with Shaun Wright-Phillips and Michael Brown in Bramhall.
“I think being in England normalised pretty quickly because I got to do what I loved to do every day, at 14 I never thought further ahead of when is the next training session.
“One thing that helped was that I quickly adapted to Manchester culture, I quickly lost my side parting, got a Manchester haircut and even picked up the accent!”
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Dunfield was not just settling off the pitch but on it as well. He impressed coaches and under Royle made the first-team breakthrough with that debut against Chelsea. The hope was it was another stepping stone in his City career rather than the final chapter.
“It went well,” said Dunfield. “A new contract followed and Kevin Keegan came in at the end of the season, I was part of the plans in pre-season.
“The opportunity came to go on loan to Bury and I just enjoyed playing and was ready to play. Probably the worst decision of my life was asking to leave to sign for Bury. Andy Morrison (on the staff at Bury and a former teammate of Dunfield’s at City) was hard to say no to! If I could do things differently I would probably have stayed a bit longer but it was an incredible ride.”
So what was the motivation for moving?
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“It was probably ‘I’ll go prove you wrong’. I had mates in City’s academy who had gone out on loan, probably a bit of impatience as well. Thinking back I had Ali Benarbia and Eyal Berkovic ahead of me.
“But I think going to Bury was a great way to grow up and I loved it but unfortunately I had a really bad injury. I was able to get over that but at that point it was finding a way to have a career rather than playing with a ton of freedom and pushing the limits of my potential.”
Not only did Dunfield, with more than a little help from City, find a way. He became a Canada international, winning 14 caps.
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He spent three seasons as a player with Toronto FC and, following his retirement in 2015, transitioned into coaching at the club, including a spell as caretaker manager and a year as an assistant coach. That progression led to opportunities with the national team at age-group levels, building up to an assistant coach role at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Dunfield is well placed to look ahead to this summer’s World Cup, which is being co-hosted by Canada.
“It’s really exciting,” he said. “When we qualified for Qatar, players like Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies had began to kill the stigma that Canadian players should be playing ice hockey.
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“There has been growth since 2022 and we’re tracking in the right direction, the big question here is how do you capture everything that is coming here and ensure there is legacy and long-term development beyond 2026?
“There is a system now for players to follow their dreams, whereas when I was young, to be a pro and have a career each of us had to find a way. Each player’s story was very different.”
Dunfield’s story is certainly different, a career made and saved in Manchester.
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With UFC Houston just hours away, Sean Strickland has produced another polarizing moment ahead of his main event clash against the dangerous Anthony Hernandez.
During the ceremonial weigh-ins and subsequent face-off, Strickland was booed by the South Texan crowd, and sure enough, ‘Tarzan’ did not let the disrespect slide.
Hilariously, ‘Fluffy’ bore the brunt of the collateral damage as the former middleweight champion went scorched earth on the local MMA fans in a fiery rant. After picking up the microphone from Jon Anik, Strickland took aim at Hernandez’s Mexican heritage, while calling him out over his fighting style:
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“Listen here, you motherf**kers. I know you guys, you know. You might want your local Mexican to win. There is nothing wrong with that. But, let me tell you, to the Lone Star State. There is only one motherf**ker who stands and bangs, your f**king guy wrestles. I fight more like a Mexican than that motherf**ker. F**k you.”
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Check out Sean Strickland’s comments about Anthony Hernandez below:
Strickland is 3-2 in his last five and most recently suffered a unanimous decision loss to Dricus du Plessis in their middleweight title rematch. Meanwhile, Hernandez is currently on an eight-fight win streak, securing a fourth-round submission win over Roman Dolidze in his most recent bout.
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Many believe a win this weekend would position either man as a leading contender for a future crack at Khamzat Chimaev’s middleweight throne, likely after the Chechen-born Emirati dukes it out with Nassourdine Imavov later this year.
UFC Houston: Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez fight odds
UFC Houston, headlined by a middleweight clash between Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez, will go down on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
According to BetOnline, Strickland is listed as a +210 underdog for the matchup, with Hernandez currently positioned as a -250 favorite. However, the odds might change as the bout draws closer.
This means a successful $100 wager on ‘Fluffy’ will return a payout of $140, while the same bet on the former champion will provide a total return of $310, if Strickland gets his hand raised.
Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford has shared an update during his time at Barcelona
Manchester United will have the benefit of watching their rivals in Premier League action this weekend. Michael Carrick’s squad are scheduled to face Everton on Monday evening.
The lack of a weekend fixture means that United will understand exactly what is required to remain in the top four when they meet David Moyes’ side at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Carrick has made a remarkable start as caretaker manager, securing four victories from his five matches at the helm, and will be keen to keep progressing as the club targets a return to the Champions League.
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The new United manager is making a strong case to be handed the role permanently beyond this season. While the club hierarchy consider their next managerial appointment, Carrick’s immediate priority will be securing three points against Everton.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Marcus Rashford update
Marcus Rashford has offered an update on his recovery from a knee injury after being ruled out for Barcelona in recent weeks. The England forward has netted 10 and contributed 13 assists in 34 matches but has missed his parent club’s previous two fixtures.
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A statement released by Barcelona on Thursday confirmed that Rashford had returned to training. The 28-year-old subsequently took to Instagram to share photographs of himself back with the squad, captioning the post: “Back on the grass after a few weeks out.”
The transfer deal struck between United and Barcelona includes a £26million buyout clause. Rashford has been open about his wish to remain at the Camp Nou, despite suggestions that the change in management at United could persuade him to stay at his boyhood club.
Barcelona have found results difficult during the United forward’s brief injury absence, suffering defeats to Atletico Madrid and Girona. Rashford will be hoping to regain full fitness in time to stake his claim for a starting spot in their home fixture against Levante on Sunday.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Carrick said: “It’s not a stock answer – for me, it’s the ultimate role. I’m really enjoying it, I love what I’m doing. I’m fortunate. I feel privileged to be in the position I am, but it’s not the fact that I believe I can do it and I’m here to do it.
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“I said it when I came in – there’s the sentimental side of that, of understanding the role and coming through the club and being here and loving the club and being a supporter and all that side of it is one thing. But, actually, I’m here to do a job now and to make a good team and be successful.
“I don’t decide how long that’s going to be but I love being here and and while I’m here, I’ll give everything I can. And I always plan for the long-term future for the benefit of the football club. That’s how I believe it should be.”
