Magnolia coach LA Tenorio reacts during a game against Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Governors’ Cup.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Containing Barangay Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos was a big part of Magnolia’s defensive game plan on Sunday night.

And while limiting the production of a crafty and explosive scorer is a difficult task for other teams, the Hotshots made it look easy thanks to their head coach’s familiarity with Abarrientos.

“If there was anyone who knew RJ best on that court earlier, it was me,” said LA Tenorio, who was a former teammate of Abarrientos at Ginebra before being appointed as Magnolia mentor.

READ: PBA: Magnolia routs Barangay Ginebra after ‘frustrating loss’

Barangay Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos shoots during a game against Magnolia.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“RJ is a superstar, we can’t just play him straight or normal. We treated him like an import. I have so much respect for RJ. I know him. That was our plan.”

Tenorio played 13 seasons with the Gin Kings, helping the club win seven championships. His final season with Ginebra was also Abarrientos’ first, and the battle-tested veteran made sure to take the promising rookie under his wing during that time.

Sticking to their defensive strategy from the opening tip to the final buzzer, the Hotshots not only held Abarrientos to six points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field, they also made it tough for Gin Kings import Riley Grigsby.

Grigsby also struggled with 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting from the field in close to 46 minutes of action.

“I have to go back to the whole team. We were very disciplined with our game plan,” lauded Tenorio.

Former Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho pulled no punches at former club Chelsea after leaving the club for Aston Villa

Former Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho has taken aim at Chelsea after leaving for Aston Villa. The Argentinian fired a dig at his former employers, claiming that he was ‘enjoying football again’ after making his first appearance since joining the Europa League holders on loan.

Garnacho’s time at Stamford Bridge came to an abrupt end after new manager Xabi Alonso deemed the winger as surplus to requirements. As a result, the 22-year-old joined forces with Unai Emery on a temporary deal with a conditional obligation to buy.

The forward saw his time at Old Trafford end on a sour note after his initial move to Stamford Bridge didn’t materialise in January 2025. Garnacho fell out of favour under Ruben Amorim and was exiled from the squad for the win over Manchester City, while the Europa League final starting line-up omission sparked an outburst post-match.

After leaving one club unceremoniously, Garnacho appears to have left another negatively. Taking to social media after their 3-1 win over Indonesia All Stars, Garnacho said: “First start after three months.

“Happy to be enjoying football again. One percent every day. Thanks Indonesia.”

United will be watching on with intent as Garnacho prepares for his first season in the West Midlands.

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Michael Carrick’s side would be due 10 per cent of any future transfer fee for the 22-year-old and if the buyout clause is triggered, Villa will be forced to pay £43million for his services.

Garnacho endured a difficult debut season in the capital, in what was a turbulent spell for the Londoners that saw a turnover of managers.

Enzo Maresca had set his sights on signing the United man but left the club in January after 18 months in charge. Liam Rosenior was then installed as his successor, but his tenure was short-lived as he was axed after just 106 days at the club.

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Alonso was made permanent manager this summer after Calum McFarlane took the reins on a temporary basis. But in the Spaniards’ first act in charge at Stamford Bridge, he bombed out the Argentine.

Emery will be tasked with getting Garnacho’s career on track after hardship with both United and Chelsea. The Europa League-winning tactician said “We are delighted with Alejandro. He is so talented, young and he showed us his wish to help our project. We are really happy.”

Countdown to Kickoff: The Ultimate 26/27 Sky Sports Bundle

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Sky’s Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle includes at least 215 live Premier League clashes across the 2026/27 season with more than 1,400 live games across the EFL and beyond, plus F1, golf and darts.

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Perhaps the defining component of J.J. McCarthy‘s NFL career has been injury. That central facet of his pro career has contributed to a pile of issues, inconsistent play foremost among them.

Is that going to change? The Vikings certainly hope so.

Sometimes, the focus within the conversation surrounding McCarthy has been reasonably general in its assessment of the kid’s health problems. He’s just injury prone. Taking a step back to get a tiny bit more specific can be helpful. Scroll down to see a goofy visual to offer a reminder of what he hurt, where he got hurt, and the time missed.

The J.J. McCarthy Injuries Across 2024 & 2025

Get right into it. The visual made by yours truly:

Allow me to begin by talking directly to all medical doctors, those with computer skills, and none other than J.J. McCarthy: I send an apology for this visual. The point above is to function as a reminder of what his injuries have been alongside the time missed.

— READ MORE: OL Gets Nice Boost as Vikings’ Star Left Tackle Said to be Ready —
— READ MORE: The Vikings Brought 9 Players to Town for a Workout —
— READ MORE: Jadeveon Clowney is Becoming Popular, So it’s Time for Vikings to Call —

In particular, that right side has been a problem. Nobody wants any other injuries to arise for the Michigan man. If they do, the first question will be if it’s along the right side of his body.

A sneaky detail to remember is that he has had the first normal offseason for the first time in a couple years.

Turning the clock back to 2024 would mean recognizing that he was preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft. The Combine isn’t totally detached from real football but it’s not the same. Worse, he had the knee injury after impressing in his debut NFL preseason game.

Last year, McCarthy was coming off that injury. He was also being tasked with fixing his wonky mechanics. And then Week 2 arrived. He missed practice time due to the birth of his child — reasonable — and then got walloped in that Falcons game. His ankle sprain led to missing five games afterwards.

His two full seasons in the NFL should have involved thirty-four games. He has played in just ten, missing time within some of those ten games.

J.J. McCarthy is 23.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Chelsea have completed the signing of Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco on a seven-year deal.

The 21-year-old becomes Chelsea‘s sixth signing of the summer after the arrivals of Morgan Rogers, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha, Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra.

The midfielder will join the remainder of Chelsea‘s pre-season tour, with the Blues set to face Italian side Juventus in Hong Kong on 5 August.

Chelsea did not disclose the fee.

The Argentine appeared once for his country at the 2026 World Cup, where they finished runners-up to Spain.

A product of Boca Juniors’ academy, Barco joined Brighton in 2024 for a fee of £7.9m.

But he spent just a year on the south coast, and joined Strasbourg the following summer after a successful loan spell.

He comes the second player this summer to join Chelsea from Strasbourg, with both clubs owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

It is the 13th deal between the two clubs since the start of last season.

Lonnie Andrews III was gearing up to push for his third straight championship at the helm of Oscar Smith High School (Chesapeake, VA). Now, the Tigers will have to play without the three-star quarterback, as the Virginian-Pilot reported that Andrews will miss his entire senior season due to an injury.

Over the last two years, Oscar Smith has gone a combined 30-1 behind Andrews. As a sophomore, he led the Tigers to an undefeated 17-0 season, and last year, they repeated as champions as Andrews threw for about 3,300 yards and 43 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, according to the Virginian-Pilot. As a dual-threat quarterback, he also rushed for over 550 yards, he posted to social media platform X.

Jockey Tim Clark celebrated his birthday with a memorable performance at Rosehill, clinching a riding treble and taking an early lead in the Sydney jockeys’ premiership.

His earlier wins aboard Funshow and Steel Strike preceded a polished ride on Carbonados to secure victory in the NSW Jockeys Association Handicap (1300m).

Clark had to exercise patience, finding himself momentarily held up behind the leaders before seizing an opportunity in the straight.

“Carbonados travelled up well,” Clark said. “But then coming into the straight I had to figure out how well the horse (Gatsby’s) was going outside the leader. It looked like the leader was going better so I was happy to stay where I was. I had the horse to make a run when the slightest of gaps appeared and he was able to push his way through and won well.”

The $15 outsider then burst through to win by 1¼ lengths from the fast-finishing Althoff ($9.50), with the favourite Fire Star ($4.60) taking third.

This win marked a significant turnaround for Carbonados, who had struggled in his previous three starts, finishing poorly.

“Carbonados has been a little hit and miss and hard to catch but the switching of states, changing things up for him worked well,” Clark added.

The Ben, Will and JD Hayes-trained Carbonados, from the Flemington stable, now has seven wins from 22 starts, with career earnings nearing $400,000.

The Lindsay Park stable also had a successful raid on Rosehill, with Run Harry Run contributing to their stable’s double for the day.

These results place Team Hayes in a tie for the lead in the early Sydney trainers’ premiership, alongside Richard and Will Freedman, whose runners Attractiveness and Horizons also saluted on the opening day of the new season.

Meanwhile, defending champion trainer Chris Waller endured a rare winless Saturday at his home track as he begins his quest for a 17th consecutive Sydney trainers’ premiership.

Get the latest racing odds at these betting sites.