SOCCER
White House for Gotham
US President Joe Biden is to welcome US National Women’s Soccer League champions Gotham FC at a White House reception on Monday, as the New York/New Jersey team become the first from the top-flight US women’s league to receive the honor. The White House regularly receives championship teams from the US men’s “Big Four” leagues and the move this year represents “a major benchmark moment for professional women’s soccer,” Gotham FC said in a statement. Retired fan-favorite Ali Krieger, championship Most Valuable Player Midge Purce and Juan Carlos Amoros, the 2023 NWSL coach of the year, are expected to attend along with commissioner Jessica Berman. Gotham beat Seattle Reign 2-1 to collect their first championship title in November last year and currently sit third in the table.
TENNIS
Osaka to return in NZ
Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka would start her 2025 season at the ASB Tennis Classic in Auckland in January. The four-time Grand Slam singles winner returned to tennis this year after an 18-month break during which she gave birth to a daughter, Shai. She is ranked 76th in singles and lost in the second round of the US Open on Aug. 29. Osaka last played in Auckland in 2017, reaching the quarter-finals. Osaka last week split with her coach after her US Open loss. “Naomi is one of the premier players in tennis with an exciting and hard-hitting game,” tournament director Nicolas Lamperin said yesterday. “It is always challenging to return to this sport after extensive time away but Naomi has shown some extremely promising form.”
TENNIS
Gauff splits from coach
Coco Gauff split from coach Brad Gilbert after more than a year and one Grand Slam title together, the pair announced on Wednesday via separate messages on social media. The end of their partnership comes nearly three weeks after Gauff’s defense of her 2023 championship at the US Open unraveled amid 19 double-faults during a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss to Emma Navarro in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. That Sept. 1 loss was the latest in a series of disappointing-for-her results in recent months for Gauff, a 20-year-old American who recently dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 in the WTA rankings.
NBA
Sixers have mayor backing
The Philadelphia 76ers have a new teammate in their bid to build a new US$1.3 billion arena downtown. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker on Wednesday announced that she has forged a deal with the team’s owners to keep the NBA franchise in town and would send it to the city council. The decision comes despite objections from nearby Chinatown residents and just weeks after New Jersey’s governor offered US$400 million in tax breaks to build the site across the river in Camden. “This is an historic agreement,” Parker said in a video posted on the social platform X. “I wholeheartedly believe this is the right deal for the people of Philadelphia. To the people of Chinatown, please know that I hear you. We have the best Chinatown in the United States, and I am committed to working together to support it.” Team owners say their planned 76 Place would improve a struggling retail corridor near City Hall and capitalize on the city’s public transit.
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
BELGIANS ADVANCE: Club Brugge gave Atalanta a lesson in efficiency, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had 29 efforts at goal, compared with seven from the visitors Seldom has a player’s sending off had such an influence on a game. AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s second yellow card — for diving — as Feyenoord advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday, giving the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs, eliminating Celtic, UEFA Europa League winner Atalanta BC and French team AS Monaco respectively. “In soccer everything changes in a second,” said Milan forward
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