Charlotte Checkers advance to next game in Calder Cup Finals
The Checkers are in a must-win scenario to keep playing on in the finals.
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The Florida Panthers' minor league team won in overtime Saturday night against the Canucks to force a game six.
The Canucks still lead the series 3-2.
Charlotte will need to win the next two games to claim the Calder Cup.
The game starts at 7 p.m.
VIDEO: Charlotte Checkers sweep Laval for trip to AHL Finals
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Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘They have 24 months to milk the hell out of it': Will Son signing open up Asia for MLS?
South Korean baseball fans have long been accustomed to organizing their weekends around MLB schedules – now it is time for the country's soccer supporters to do the same with MLS. Son Heung-min has started his two-year contract with Los Angeles FC, coming just after the attacker helped Tottenham Hotspur become the biggest club in his homeland (even if claims of close to 13 million fans are surely wildly overexaggerated) and one of the biggest in his home continent. Now it is the time to see what he can do in Los Angeles on the field and what the club can do off it. Related: Son Heung-min makes instant impact in LAFC debut and hails MLS welcome 'They've got 24 months to milk the hell out of it,' Sasi Kumar, a former Singapore international and founder of sports marketing agency Red Card Global, told the Guardian. 'The commercial opportunities are obvious, staring LAFC in the face.' Son has been the main man in Asian soccer for years: a golden boot and Puskas award recipient who lifted one of European football's biggest trophies as a captain of a major club just months ago. Having one of the biggest stars in the world's most popular league for so long was a matter of national pride in Korea and appealed across Asia. It fueled his superstardom. Son has helped to ensure that, now, pretty much every talented young Korean star wants to go straight to England's top tier. MLS does not enjoy anywhere close to the same stature – there has traditionally been little interest in the league in Asia, and it was barely mentioned as a possible destination for the 33-year-old. There has been a debate in Korea going back a few years when and where Son should go – a club like Barcelona was the one often mentioned. Even when the forward struggled for form and fitness last season, there were still options in Europe, where most expected him to stay. A move to Saudi Arabia was always unlikely. For a player who has never played in the K-League, going to a rival Asian competition may not have gone down well in his homeland where he has been the face of more than 30 brands. Still, MLS was not, initially, a popular choice. 'At the beginning, the fans' reaction was divided as some wanted Son to stay in Europe and play in the Champions League for at least one more season,' said Lee Seung-mo, a Seoul-based author and journalist. 'However, after Son explained why he chose LAFC and MLS, now the majority of fans understand and support his decision.' Being based Stateside also makes sense ahead of the World Cup, likely to be Son's fourth and last appearance at the tournament. Lee admits that not all the fans who have watched Son in England will watch him in the US. 'It won't be 100% the same in MLS in terms of viewership as the Premier League has the most fans of any league but most Son fans will want to watch MLS.' Those years at the top of the game have made Son into such an icon in his homeland that he can transcend any competition he plays in. 'His image cuts across different demographics, geography – everything,' said Kumar. 'Whenever Spurs played you got Asians from all of Asia supporting him, he's such a loveable character, you didn't need to be a Spurs fan to like him,' LAFC has advantages. While MLS may not be the EPL, the USA is also not the UK. Economically, South Korea already has a strong connection with the US, sending almost 20% of exports in an export-based economy to the United States in 2024, compared to just 1% for Great Britain. 'The Korean market is so connected to the US; it is a huge market for Korean beauty products, electronics, cars, phones etc,' Kumar said. 'Son has provided a platform and opportunity to enter the market with a huge asset. The obvious thing for LAFC is to tour Asia and they should actively look in different markets for brand and content partnerships. LAFC's commercial team will be working overtime how to sell digital assets, image rights and work with global brands like Samsung and Kia.' Such Korean companies have always been involved in sports (the was – and, to a large extent, still is- based on corporate ownership and Hyundai has been hugely influential in the Korean Football Association over the years) and there should be plenty of knowhow on the opposite side. 'What is well known about American sports in general is that they are arguably the best in sports marketing, and I'm sure LAFC and MLS both will try their best in Korean market,' said Lee. The fact that LA have made such a big deal of the signing has gone down well. Steve Han is a LA-based Korean content lead for Fifa and host of Fairpoint podcast and has witnessed the excitement. 'At the introductory press conference, there were Korean journalists who attended with LAFC shirts on,' Han told the Guardian. 'For years, LAFC have already been one of the most well-branded clubs in MLS. Even the contents that the club pushed out so far have really got the fans excited. The stage is set for Son to put the icing on the cake now.'
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Defending flag football champion Orange Lutheran aims to achieve even more this season
Last year's theme for the Orange Lutheran flag football team was 'Set the Standard.' The Lancers did just that, finishing 23-2 and defeating Newport Harbor 20-18 to win the inaugural Southern Section Division 1 title and secure the No. 1 ranking in California. Coach Kristen Sherman revealed this season's theme is "Raise the Bar" and, having graduated only one starter, it looks like her team could be even better than a year ago. It may have to be if it wants to defend its crown as the talent throughout the Southland is deeper than ever. 'We're hoping to reach a higher level this year,' said Sherman, whose husband, Rod, is head coach of Orange Lutheran's football squad. 'These new rules change a lot. I may have preferred the old rules, but the girls like punting and returning, so I think it'll be more fun for them.' Since defensive players will now be able to line up six yards closer to the ball, an elite quarterback will be essential, and the Lancers have the best in Makena Cook, the reigning CIF player of the year. On Aug. 6, the two-sport athlete committed to Georgia for soccer, but her focus right now is on a repeat. 'We're definitely better ... but it's a clean slate,' Cook said after tossing six touchdown passes against host Long Beach Poly in a scrimmage Thursday — her first competitive game since November. As a sophomore last season, Cook passed for 6,611 yards and 97 touchdowns, 20 of them caught by All-CIF receiver Julia Oberholtzer (now a senior) who also led the defense with 114 flag pulls and eight interceptions. The Lancers open the season Wednesday at Woodbridge. Sherman once again filled the schedule with quality opponents, including a Sept. 4 clash with Irvine Northwood, which took the Division 2 title last fall thanks to Natalie Keith, who earned division player of the year honors after throwing for five touchdowns in the final against Trabuco Hills. Sherman predicted Trinity League competition will be a 'smack in the face.' JSerra's roster features three incoming freshmen who are members of the 15U junior national team — quarterback Katherine Meier and wide receiver/defensive backs Tessa Russell and Ava Irwin. Kendra Hansen will be a scoring threat every time she touches the ball for Mater Dei, and running the offense at Santa Margarita will be All-CIF senior Madi Lam, who quarterbacked her Conquer Chargers club team at the NFL Flag Championships in Canton, Ohio, in July. Division 1 finalist Newport Harbor graduated All-CIF quarterback Maia Helmar, but sophomore Scarlett Guyser will take over the position. Cooper Dick (a Texas Tech soccer commit) and Maddy Michel are set to be her primary targets. Skylie Cid led the team in touchdowns as a freshman. The Sailors beat Orange Lutheran in triple overtime in a tournament at Beckman over the summer, but Cook did not play. Huntington Beach has all the offensive firepower it needs to challenge Newport Harbor for Sunset League supremacy with the return of Roxie Shaia, who threw for 7,465 yards and 99 touchdowns in 2024, and receiver/safety Taylor Savage, who racked up 1,491 receiving yards. Last fall, Ventura lost a shootout to Huntington Beach in the Division 1 quarterfinals, but the Cougars could ride the arm of senior Ava Ortman to a deeper playoff run in 2025. Statistically, she was one of the best in the section with 6,974 yards, 110 touchdowns and a 141.2 rating. In its opener Thursday, Ventura takes on Camarillo, which has one of the top two-way players in Ventura County in Stella Alessi (41 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season). Long Beach Poly will seek to three-peat in the Moore League, but it will be a taller task without All-CIF quarterback Kenzie Paimany, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament playing soccer. She threw for 60 touchdowns last year. The most versatile player for the Jackrabbits is senior receiver/linebacker Ki'ele Ho-Ching, who has committed to Oklahoma for softball. 'We're hoping she can come back towards the end of the season,' Poly coach Rob Shock said about Paimany. 'We take every game as a tough game. Nothing's given, everything's earned.' Lakewood St. Joseph suffered only one defeat in 22 games last year, however, the Jesters are poised to go further with junior signal-caller Lexi Loya (5,377 yards and 73 touchdowns last fall) throwing to sophomore receiver Jaclyn Brennan (76 catches for 985 yards and 16 touchdowns). The City Section is up to 93 teams, and the one to beat appears to be Narbonne, led by its All-City two-wayers Faith Ugoje, Shayla Rivera and Luna Orozco. The Gauchos beat King/Drew 7-0 for the Division I title last year and twice defeated the 2024 Open Division winner Banning in the summer. Ugoje was chosen Division I player of the year after rushing for 1,660 yards, catching 60 passes for 828 yards and scoring 23 touchdowns as a freshman under City coach of the year Sherrelle Holmes. Also contending for the Marine League crown will be is two-time Open finalist San Pedro. Teams to watch: Orange Lutheran, JSerra, Santa Margarita, Newport Harbor, Mater Dei, Huntington Beach, Northwood, Eastvale Roosevelt, Ventura, Narbonne, Lakewood St. Joseph, Aliso Niguel, Trabuco Hills, Anaheim Canyon. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Forbes
5 minutes ago
- Forbes
Why The Atlanta Hawks Aren't Rushing To Sign Trae Young To An Extension
Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young became eligible to sign a four-year extension worth as much as $228.6 million in early July. The San Antonio Spurs recently handed De'Aaron Fox that exact same deal shortly after he became extension-eligible on Aug. 3, but the Hawks don't appear likely to follow suit with Young anytime soon. On Sunday, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported "there are no plans for Young and the Hawks to engage in extension talks this summer." He added that "Young's side has actually been resigned for some time to the prospect of seeing out the final guaranteed year on his current contract, rather than securing an extension." That reportedly isn't sitting well with Young, though. He recently posted this on X as a response to Dallas Cowboys star edge-rusher Micah Parsons requesting a trade amidst his own contractual standoff. During a recent episode of ESPN's NBA Today, Marc J. Spears of Andscape said, "What I'm hearing now, at this point—you can tell by Trae's tweet, and I saw him during the Finals—I think he's disappointed that it hasn't come, it hasn't been offered." Young is earning $46.0 million this season, and he has a nearly $49.0 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign. If he declines it, he could be one of the marquee free agents in a class that's quickly losing high-end talent because of extensions. Aside from Fox, both Luka Dončić and Jaren Jackson Jr. took themselves off the potential 2026 free-agent market by signing max extensions with their respective teams. So, why did the Spurs hand Fox a max extension while the Hawks aren't willing to do so the same with Young, even though Young has been more prolific than Fox both from a scoring and playmaking standpoint? Each team's long-term financial situation may provide some clues. The Hawks' Long-Term Financial Uncertainty The Spurs project to have plenty of financial flexibility over the next few seasons even after signing Fox to a max deal. Victor Wembanyama won't become extension-eligible until next summer, so his inevitable max contract won't kick in until 2027-28. Stephon Castle will follow suit one year later, while No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper is just heading into the first year of his four-year rookie-scale contract. At some point, the Spurs will have to decide which of Fox, Castle and Harper are long-term keepers alongside Wembanyama. They could have as many as three years before they're forced into making those choices, though. The Hawks don't necessarily have that luxury. They already have significant long-term financial commitments to Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu trough the 2027-28 campaign. If they pick up their team options on 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, they'll have $73.4 million committed to that quartet alone in 2025-26, $74.3 million in 2026-27 and $79.5 million in 2027-28. If Young was the Hawks' only major financial variable remaining, they'd be able to squeeze in a max contract for him and still stay far away from any luxury-tax or apron issues. However, they also have to contend with Kristaps Porziņģis and Dyson Daniels, both of whom are likewise heading into contract years. Daniels is fresh off a breakout campaign in which he averaged a league-high 3.0 steals per game en route to the Most Improved Player award and a second-place finish in the Defensive Player of the Year race. The Australian combo guard still isn't much of a three-point shooter, but his game-wrecking potential on defense should still earn him a hefty payday, whether from the Hawks or another free-agent suitor in 2026. Porziņģis is more of a wild card, particularly after a mysterious illness limited him for the final few months of this past season. The 30-year-old was a major X-factor for the Boston Celtics during their march to the 2023-24 championship, but his lengthy injury history could scare teams off from offering him a massive fully guaranteed contract. Both Porziņģis and Daniels are also eligible to sign extensions with the Hawks, although the rules are different for both players. If Daniels doesn't come to terms with the Hawks by the start of the regular season, he'll no longer be eligible to sign an extension. Instead, he'll become a restricted free agent next offseason. Although eight teams are currently projected to have salary-cap space in 2026, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks, plenty can change between now and then. The ongoing, drawn-out sagas of Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes and Cam Thomas this offseason could make Daniels think twice about testing restricted free agency next summer, even though the cap-space outlook appears to be more friendly. Since Porziņģis is on the final year of a non-rookie-scale contract, he'll remain extension-eligible through June 30. However, the Hawks can only tack on three more years to his deal until Jan. 7, at which point he'd become eligible for a four-year extension. His new deal can start at only 120% of what he's set to earn this season until that January date as well. After that, his new extension could begin at 140% of what he's earning this year. If the Hawks re-sign all three of Young, Daniels and Porziņģis, that could push the notoriously tax-averse franchise well abve the luxury-tax line. With that in mind, the Hawks might prefer to wait and see how new offseason acquisitions such as Porziņģis, Alexander-Walker, sharpshooter Luke Kennard and rookie forward Asa Newell fit together before making that sort of a long-term financial commitment. Does Trae Young Fit Into The Hawks' Puzzle? Young has earned an All-Star nod in four of the past six seasons, has averaged at least 24 points per game in each of those years and is fresh off leading the league with a career-high 11.6 assists per game this past season. However, he also shot a career-worst 41.1% from the floor, averaged a horrific 4.7 turnovers per game and has long been one of the worst defenders in the NBA. Having Alexander-Walker, Daniels, Johnson, Porziņģis and Okongwu alongside Young could help insulate the Hawks from his defensive miscues. But given his diminutive stature (6'1" and 164 points), he's always going to have a bullseye on his back defensively as soon as the playoffs roll around. The Hawks' surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 was fueled in part by the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers lacking the personnel to relentlessly hunt Young on defense. Since the Hawks don't have the luxury of being able to negotiate with Daniels in-season, he figures to be their primary focus for the time being. If they're able to come to terms with him, they'd have a better sense of exactly how much he'll cost over the coming years and how much financial flexibility they'll have for Young and/or Porziņģis. Once the season begins and the Hawks see how their new offseason pieces fit together, they'll have a better sense of whether this exact core is worth building around moving forward. If they can't take advantage of the wide-open Eastern Conference as Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton recover from Achilles injuries, that may be a glaring red flag. With Young at the helm, the Hawks have boasted a top-12 offense in four of the past five seasons. However, they've been 19th or worse in points per possession allowed over the past four years. Young's offensive acumen can help fuel an elite offense, but how much does that matter if they're giving up just as many points on the other end of the floor because of him? Those are the types of questions that the Hawks might want to see their new-look core answer before they make another long-term commitment to Young. Unless otherwise noted, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Follow Bryan on Bluesky.
