Gio Reyna was just 19 years old when he boarded a plane from Germany to Doha just before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He was expecting to play a major role on a United States squad filled with fellow youngsters who were talking the biggest stage in sports for the first time in their careers. Because the national teams previous generation had failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup the Americans' first miss in more than three decades just only player on the squad, veteran defender DeAndre Yedlin, had ever played in global soccers quadrennial showpiece. The USA survived the group stage, tying trophy favorites England and beating Iran, before being outclassed by the Netherlands in the round of 16. Reyna, famously, barely played. Almost four injury-plagued years later, the now 23-year-old is desperate to get to another World Cup, this one on home soil. And hes armed with lessons from the past. "I think just individually and collectively, we were all very, very young and maybe a little bit inexperienced at the time," Reyna said Tuesday from Germany on a video conference with reporters hosted by Borussia Mnchengladbach, his club. "And then in the end, it sort of just happened that we came up against a Holland team that was a little bit more experienced, a little bit better, a little bit more savvy with the game, and in the end, it was almost too much for us." "Obviously, it's an amazing experience," he continued. "I learned so much from that." Unlike last time around, Reyna isnt a lock to make the 26-man American roster this time around. But hes making a late push. The New York native and son of two-time U.S. World Cup captain Claudio Reyna (and former womens national teamer Danielle Egan) scored his first goal of the Bundesliga campaign last weekend. Perhaps more important, he logged 32 minutes off the bench the most hes played in any match since December. Reyna was sidelined by a muscle ailment midway through the season. But he is approaching full fitness now up from the 85 percent he said he was in November after scoring for the U.S. in an exhibition win over Paraguay. The tournament co-hosts will face the same opponent in its World Cup curtain-raiser in Los Angeles on June 12. "I don't know if any player is really ever 100-percent there's always knocks and things that come up at this point in the season," Reyna told me on Tuesday. "But yeah, I feel ready to play sort of 90 minutes, and feel that I can give my max at this moment in time. So I guess you could say 100 percent. I feel very, very fit. I feel very sharp. And all I really want to do is show it on the pitch." Pochettino, the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager, will name the U.S. World Cup roster on May 26. "I have a great relationship with Mauricio," Reyna said of the Argentine, who used him off the bench in a pair of World Cup tune-ups in late March. "When we're in camp, he's very invested, very communicative, very open and honest with what he wants to see from the team and from players individually." Still, several World Cup hopefuls who probably deserve a World Cup invite wont make the team. After all, Pochettino has looked at more than 70 players since replacing former coach Gregg Berhalter in late 2024. He can't take them all. Reyna admitted that the uncertainty is difficult as what could be a career-defining choice looms. "It's on everyone's mind," he said. "No spot is guaranteed or safe." Asked if he believes hes done enough to earn a spot, Reyna said its "a hard question to answer." "If I say no, Im not backing myself, and if I say yes it's the arrogant answer, where I feel like I should be there," he said. "I love the staff, I love the players, I love the national team. Obviously, whatever happens, happens. But Im really hoping and wanting to be there to make an impact and achieve something great with the team. But the decision is out of my hands." That doesnt make it any easier. "I try not to let it sort of take over my day and stress me out too much," said Reyna. "But it is in the back of my mind." Its not the only thing. After making just two cameos as a substitute in 2022, Reyna would relish a bigger role at this World Cup, too. Despite his lack of playing time at club level since Qatar, hes been a consistent performer for his country, helping the U.S. win Concacaf Nations League titles in 2021, 2023 and 2024. "Of course Id want to play more in this upcoming tournament," Reyna said. "But at the same time, you learn that you're just trying to do whatever you can to help the team. "It's just about the collective," Reyna added. "Its about the team doing whatever we can to do something special for our country." USA ROSTER PROJECTION: DOES REYNA MAKE THE CUT?

Owen Tippett has revealed internal bleeding sustained during the Pittsburgh series forced him out of the entire second-round matchup against Carolina. The Flyers star says he is recovering and expects to be ready for training camp.

Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts, and Isaiah Likely are all breakout candidates in 2026

Book feels Guirassy is "genuinely keen to stay at Dortmund" despite exit rumoursDespite growing rumours of a summer exit from Borussia Dortmund, sporting director Ole Book is of the feeling that Serhou Guirassy's future may still be with the Westphalians.I also have the feeling that he's genuinely keen to stay at Borussia Dortmund and can help us," explained Book, during a media briefing about the striker himself."I think we see that week after week, and the statistics are indicative of that. I really enjoy talking to him, and we also have very substantive discussions about football."His goals make him very, very important. So it's not our plan not our premise, to say that we want to let him go. Likewise, if exceptional offers come in, we'll consider it," he added."This obviously applies to other BVB professionals as well. At the end of the day, everyone knows how this business works: offers for our players can come in at any time."Therefore, it is very likely that there will be further transfer activity over the course of the summer," said Book, hinting that BVB's business won't end with the signing of Joane Gadou."We have to manage our resources wisely, even though we generally have the leeway to make transfers. However, we must also be creative and find other models.I can't give a specific answer about which transfers are planned. Many of our players will play in the World Cup. It's possible someone will have an outstanding performance there.That could lead to offers [over summer]. It depends heavily on the market. We don't need to sell many players, the 40-year-old BVB boss concluded.

Attorneys for the accused driver in the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau argued that charges should be dismissed over a discrepancy in blood alcohol level reporting.

Injuries to some of soccer's biggest names are mounting ahead of the World Cup which starts next month, including Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Mohamed Salah.

Melese was gearing up for a race in Ottowa on May 24 but had a sudden medical emergency in Addis Adaba, her nation's capital.

Scottie Scheffler made a Sunday charge that came too late at the PGA Championship, a 65 that wasn't enough to catch Brooks Koepka at Oak Hill. The runner-up finish came with a small consolation prize for Scheffler: He replaced Jon Rahm at No. 1 in the world.Scheffler has been there ever since.As for Rahm? He can only wonder which direction his career would have gone had he not bolted from the PGA Tour at the end of 2023 to take the Saudi riches of LIV Golf.He firmly dismissed the notion Tuesday that his departure six months after the PGA Tour tried to strike a deal with the Saudis was an attempt to force the two circuits to unite.I was never thinking that I was going to be any sort of weight that would tip the scales to make things come together," Rahm said. That was never an argument in my mind.The Spaniard prefers not to look back not at any shot or any round that cost him a chance to win any tournament. And certainly not a decision that is starting to look worse by the day as LIV's future no longer includes financial backing from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.I've made a lot of decisions in my life, and I've never gone back thinking, Oh, had I know this again, I would do x' and y different. I could do that about 15 different golf shots on the golf course every single day," Rahm said. "If I lived my life like that as a golfer, I would be a very pessimistic person.So we dont know whats going to happen tomorrow, and all we can do is learn from things that happen in the past good and bad, he said. Just to speculate on what could have done, what could have been different doesnt really make much sense.Three years ago can seem even longer considering where he was.Scheffler won the Phoenix Open Rahm finished third to return to No. 1 in the world, which lasted all of one week until Rahm won at Riviera. Three weeks later, Scheffler went back to No. 1 by winning The Players Championship and stayed there for a month until Rahm won the Masters.Back and forth they went Rory McIlroy joined the fray in the summer until December when Rahm famously wore that black letterman's jacket during the announcement that he had joined LIV.Where are they now?Scheffler has been No. 1 since that 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, the longest streak of anyone other than Tiger Woods since the ranking began in 1986.Rahm is at No. 20, a ranking that comes with an asterisk because LIV Golf started getting ranking points only last year, and then at a reduced rate because of the size and strength of its field. Only the top 10 on LIV receive points, but Rahm has never finished out of the top 10. Moot point.Rahm, though, is keenly aware of the perception.He referred to himself as being under the radar at the Masters this year, and then lived up to that by nearly missing the cut.But he has a point because he hasn't been part of the conversation about the best golf. Despite two wins and four runner-up finishes in the seven LIV events this year, the talk of golf is Scheffler and McIlroy, with Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick on the fringes.As good as I played this year, nobodys expects anything from me this week, Rahm said. Its just funny, in that sense. ... I think as players, we usually have a fairly good assessment of where we stand. I dont really necessarily need a ranking to tell me where Im at or where I feel like Im at.And where is that?Rahm wasn't about to attach a number to where he thinks he should be. That's asking for a debate he doesn't want.I will just say I feel like the way Ive played, including the last three years, I feel like I'm playing better than the ranking I have now, he said.That makes weeks like this so important for Rahm.It's only four weeks a year that he gets a crack at a full field of golf's best players, and it hasn't gone very well for him since he left a full schedule of top competition.In the eight majors Rahm has played since leaving for LIV, he has finished out of the top 30 in half of them, including a missed cut.He has had three top 10s but only one serious chance of winning. That was last year in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow when he rallied from five shots back of Scheffler, only for his Sunday charge to stall. He played the last three holes in 5 over when the tournament already was decided and wound up in a tie for eight, seven shots behind.He also tied for seventh in the U.S. Open, though he started the final round 11 shots behind. He tied for seventh in the 2024, eight shots behind.Rahm described his form as very, very comfortable.I've been playing obviously besides the Masters pretty good golf up until now, he said.The Masters is where he gets the true measure. The PGA Championship is no different. Winning won't return him to No. 1 in the world or get him close to Scheffler or even McIlroy. But it might at least get him back in the conversation.___On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Scottie Scheffler made a Sunday charge that came too late at the PGA Championship, a 65 that wasn't enough to catch Brooks Koepka at Oak Hill. The runner-up finish came with a small consolation prize for Scheffler: He replaced Jon Rahm at No. 1 in the world.Scheffler has been there ever since.As for Rahm? He can only wonder which direction his career would have gone had he not bolted from the PGA Tour at the end of 2023 to take the Saudi riches of LIV Golf.He firmly dismissed the notion Tuesday that his departure six months after the PGA Tour tried to strike a deal with the Saudis was an attempt to force the two circuits to unite.I was never thinking that I was going to be any sort of weight that would tip the scales to make things come together," Rahm said. That was never an argument in my mind.The Spaniard prefers not to look back not at any shot or any round that cost him a chance to win any tournament. And certainly not a decision that is starting to look worse by the day as LIV's future no longer includes financial backing from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.I've made a lot of decisions in my life, and I've never gone back thinking, Oh, had I know this again, I would do x' and y different. I could do that about 15 different golf shots on the golf course every single day," Rahm said. "If I lived my life like that as a golfer, I would be a very pessimistic person.So we dont know whats going to happen tomorrow, and all we can do is learn from things that happen in the past good and bad, he said. Just to speculate on what could have done, what could have been different doesnt really make much sense.Three years ago can seem even longer considering where he was.Scheffler won the Phoenix Open Rahm finished third to return to No. 1 in the world, which lasted all of one week until Rahm won at Riviera. Three weeks later, Scheffler went back to No. 1 by winning The Players Championship and stayed there for a month until Rahm won the Masters.Back and forth they went Rory McIlroy joined the fray in the summer until December when Rahm famously wore that black letterman's jacket during the announcement that he had joined LIV.Where are they now?Scheffler has been No. 1 since that 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, the longest streak of anyone other than Tiger Woods since the ranking began in 1986.Rahm is at No. 20, a ranking that comes with an asterisk because LIV Golf started getting ranking points only last year, and then at a reduced rate because of the size and strength of its field. Only the top 10 on LIV receive points, but Rahm has never finished out of the top 10. Moot point.Rahm, though, is keenly aware of the perception.He referred to himself as being under the radar at the Masters this year, and then lived up to that by nearly missing the cut.But he has a point because he hasn't been part of the conversation about the best golf. Despite two wins and four runner-up finishes in the seven LIV events this year, the talk of golf is Scheffler and McIlroy, with Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick on the fringes.As good as I played this year, nobodys expects anything from me this week, Rahm said. Its just funny, in that sense. ... I think as players, we usually have a fairly good assessment of where we stand. I dont really necessarily need a ranking to tell me where Im at or where I feel like Im at.And where is that?Rahm wasn't about to attach a number to where he thinks he should be. That's asking for a debate he doesn't want.I will just say I feel like the way Ive played, including the last three years, I feel like I'm playing better than the ranking I have now, he said.That makes weeks like this so important for Rahm.It's only four weeks a year that he gets a crack at a full field of golf's best players, and it hasn't gone very well for him since he left a full schedule of top competition.In the eight majors Rahm has played since leaving for LIV, he has finished out of the top 30 in half of them, including a missed cut.He has had three top 10s but only one serious chance of winning. That was last year in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow when he rallied from five shots back of Scheffler, only for his Sunday charge to stall. He played the last three holes in 5 over when the tournament already was decided and wound up in a tie for eight, seven shots behind.He also tied for seventh in the U.S. Open, though he started the final round 11 shots behind. He tied for seventh in the 2024, eight shots behind.Rahm described his form as very, very comfortable.I've been playing obviously besides the Masters pretty good golf up until now, he said.The Masters is where he gets the true measure. The PGA Championship is no different. Winning won't return him to No. 1 in the world or get him close to Scheffler or even McIlroy. But it might at least get him back in the conversation.___On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Southampton have requested more time to deal with spying claims after being charged by the EFL.The Saints have been charged with a "breach of EFL Regulations", with the matter being "referred to an Independent Disciplinary Commission".Middlesbrough claim that a member of the Southampton coaching staff was discovered watching and recording a training session at their Rockliffe Park facility on Thursday. This incident occurred just two days before the teams played a 0-0 draw at Riverside Stadium in the first leg of their play-off semi-final.TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour SaySouthampton have at no stage denied the allegations, with boss Tonda Eckert leaving his press conference early after being asked about the situation multiple times.The Saints CEO, Phil Parsons, has called for the club to be given "time" after the EFL asked the independent disciplinary commission for "a hearing at the earliest opportunity".Parsons said: "The club is fully cooperating with the EFL and the disciplinary commission, while also undertaking an internal review to ensure that all facts and context are properly understood."Given the intensity of the fixture schedule and the short turnaround between matches, we have requested time to complete that process thoroughly and responsibly.LATEST SPORTS NEWSPremier League braced for epic finale with 11 teams in season-defining fightFormer Premier League manager, 78, to become oldest boss in World Cup historyReal Madrid fear Kylian Mbappe does not want to play at the Bernabeu again"We understand the discussion and speculation that has followed over recent days, but we also believe it is important that the full context is established before conclusions are drawn."The clubs meet at St Mary's in the second leg this evening, with the winners facing Hull City in the final at Wembley on May 23.The EFL announced it was charging the Saints last week, in a statement reading: "Southampton Football Club has today been charged with a breach of EFL Regulations, and the matter will be referred to an Independent Disciplinary Commission."This follows a request from the EFL for the club's observations after a complaint from Middlesbrough relating to alleged unauthorised filming on private property ahead of the two clubs meeting in Saturday's Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final first leg."Under EFL Regulations, Southampton would ordinarily have 14 days to respond to the charges."However, given the nature of the matter, the EFL will ask the Independent Disciplinary Commission to shorten the response period and to list a hearing at the earliest opportunity."Responding to the news, Southampton, in a club statement, said: "Southampton Football Club acknowledges the statement issued by the EFL in relation to alleged breaches of EFL Regulations."We can confirm that we will be fully cooperating with the league throughout this process. Given the ongoing nature of the matter, the club is unable to comment any further at this time."The breaches are in relation to EFL Regulations 3.4 and 127.Regulation 3.4 states: "In all matters and transactions relating to the league, each club shall behave towards each other and the league with the utmost good faith."EFL rule 127 is focused on observing training sessions during a time frame or without invitation.It reads: "Without prejudice to the requirements of Regulation 3.4 (that each club shall behave towards each other club with the utmost good faith), no club shall directly or indirectly observe (or attempt to observe) another club's training session in the period of 72 hours prior to any match scheduled to be played between those respective clubs."The rule was introduced following a "spygate" incident in 2019 when then Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa admitted sending a member of staff to spy on Derby County.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter