Latest news with #RivalryWeekend
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gotham FC out to improve playoff position vs. Spirit in Rival Weekend
Rivalry Weekend is here for the NWSL. Can up-and-down Gotham FC's Saturday afternoon clash with the visiting third-place Washington Spirit live up to that new capital-letter billing? 'The feeling of a rivalry is something that obviously takes time to grow, but certainly I do think we feel rivalry with them — because of their proximity to us and a number of other factors,' Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch West recently told The Post. 'We are really pumped up for the game. 'I think we're still not forgetting how we exited the playoffs last year.' Ah, yes, that heartbreaker. Gotham's hopes of repeating as NWSL champs were dashed in the nation's capital in the semifinals last November when the Spirit equalized on a last-ditch Hal Hershfelt header in stoppage time and ultimately prevailed on penalty kicks. 'There's definitely some history and good matchups,' Gotham star midfielder Rose Lavelle said Friday. 'I think it's a blooming rivalry. Any time you get to play the Spirit, they're a great team with a lot of talent, so it's always going to be a tough game that you have to show up for.' A big and boisterous crowd is expected for the noon kickoff (airing on ESPN) at Sports Illustrated Stadium, where the upper deck of seats will be open for a change. Here are three things to watch: 1. When is Gotham going to make a run? Gotham (5W-5L-4D) is plodding along in eighth place, barely on the right side of the playoff cut line, after last weekend's uninspiring draw in Chicago. Now they embark on a stretch of three straight regular-season home games, a chance to climb to a more comfortable perch in the standings. 'Looking to bounce back from maybe what we felt like wasn't our best performance last week,' Lavelle said, 'and get some more momentum coming into the second half of the season.' 2. Can Esther pick up where she left off? Gotham forward Esther González, who leads the NWSL's Golden Boot race with 10 goals (the team has just 19 total), missed last weekend's match after featuring for Spain during their run to the Euros final. A finalist for this year's Ballon d'Or award (given to the world's best player), González will be available Saturday, though on a minutes restriction of some kind, according to head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. 3. What will Trinity Rodman do for her next trick? The USWNT phenom missed nearly four months of action rehabbing a chronic back injury (and joining boyfriend Ben Shelton at his international tennis stops). When she returned to action last weekend for the Spirit as a substitute, she scored an emotional game-winner that left her in tears.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Gotham FC out to improve playoff position vs. Spirit in Rival Weekend
Rivalry Weekend is here for the NWSL. Can up-and-down Gotham FC's Saturday afternoon clash with the visiting third-place Washington Spirit live up to that new capital-letter billing? 'The feeling of a rivalry is something that obviously takes time to grow, but certainly I do think we feel rivalry with them — because of their proximity to us and a number of other factors,' Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch West recently told The Post. 'We are really pumped up for the game. 4 Crystal Dunn (left) plays the ball against Washington defender Casey Krueger during the second half of Gotham FC's home loss to the Spirit on June 23, 2024. Noah K. Murray-NY Post 'I think we're still not forgetting how we exited the playoffs last year.' Ah, yes, that heartbreaker. Gotham's hopes of repeating as NWSL champs were dashed in the nation's capital in the semifinals last November when the Spirit equalized on a last-ditch Hal Hershfelt header in stoppage time and ultimately prevailed on penalty kicks. 'There's definitely some history and good matchups,' Gotham star midfielder Rose Lavelle said Friday. 'I think it's a blooming rivalry. Any time you get to play the Spirit, they're a great team with a lot of talent, so it's always going to be a tough game that you have to show up for.' A big and boisterous crowd is expected for the noon kickoff (airing on ESPN) at Sports Illustrated Stadium, where the upper deck of seats will be open for a change. Here are three things to watch: 1. When is Gotham going to make a run? Gotham (5W-5L-4D) is plodding along in eighth place, barely on the right side of the playoff cut line, after last weekend's uninspiring draw in Chicago. Now they embark on a stretch of three straight regular-season home games, a chance to climb to a more comfortable perch in the standings. 4 Gotham FC forward Jéssica Silva reacts after missing a shot at goal during Gotham FC's home win over the Courage on April 13, 2025. Noah K. Murray-NY Post 'Looking to bounce back from maybe what we felt like wasn't our best performance last week,' Lavelle said, 'and get some more momentum coming into the second half of the season.' 2. Can Esther pick up where she left off? Gotham forward Esther González, who leads the NWSL's Golden Boot race with 10 goals (the team has just 19 total), missed last weekend's match after featuring for Spain during their run to the Euros final. 4 Esther González shoots a shot during Gotham FC's win over the Courage on April 13, 2025. Noah K. Murray / New York Post A finalist for this year's Ballon d'Or award (given to the world's best player), González will be available Saturday, though on a minutes restriction of some kind, according to head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. 3. What will Trinity Rodman do for her next trick? The USWNT phenom missed nearly four months of action rehabbing a chronic back injury (and joining boyfriend Ben Shelton at his international tennis stops). 4 Washington forward Trinity Rodman (2) celebrates after scoring a goal past goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold (not pictured) during the second half of the Spirit's win over the Thorns on Aug. 3, 2025. Amber Searls-Imagn Images When she returned to action last weekend for the Spirit as a substitute, she scored an emotional game-winner that left her in tears.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How to Watch Jac Caglianone's MLB Debut vs Cardinals
How to Watch Jac Caglianone's MLB Debut vs Cardinals originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The St. Louis Cardinals remain seven games above .500 after what was an extremely productive month of May, but still trail the Chicago Cubs by four games in the National League Central race. Advertisement Next up, the Cardinals (33-26) travel home to host their neighbors and rivals, the Kansas City Royals (31-29). St. Louis comes into the contest coming off a road series loss to the Texas Rangers. The Royals enter having lost three-straight series against the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins. With the team falling down the standings, manager Matt Quatraro decided it was time to call up No.1 prospect Jac Caglianone. Tuesday, June 3, 6:45 p.m. CT How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM, Royals Radio Network Probable starters: Cardinals: Andre Pallante (4-3, 4.23 ERA) Advertisement Royals: Michael Lorenzen (3-6, 4.33 ERA) Wednesday, June 4, 6:45 p.m. CT How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM, Royals Radio Network Probable starters: Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (4-2, 3.90 ERA) Royals: Noah Cameron (2-1, 1.05 ERA) Thursday, June 5, 6:45 p.m. CT How to watch/listen: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM, Royals Radio Network Probable starters: Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore (3-4, 3.08 ERA) Royals: TBD Gators first baseman Jac Caglianone (14) singles in the Texas A&M Aggies during the eighth inning© Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images Storylines to watch for: 1. Royals' Jac Caglianone expected to make MLB Debut The Royals called up Jac Caglianone on Monday morning after selecting him with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 Draft. Caglianone is the No. 10 overall prospect in baseball and he has been dominating the Double-A and Triple-A scene. Will the Cardinals starters be able to keep the young power-hitter at bay? Advertisement 2. Rivalry Weekend Rematch After facing off during MLB's first ever 'Rivalry Weekend' last month, both teams are hungry to stay in the playoff hunt. The Cardinals took the three-game series in Kansas City 2-1, and after a series victory over the Giants, the Royals have struggled to find their footing. No matter what, these teams are going to put up a strong fight against each other, but will the Cardinals stay hot? Or will the Royals break their losing ways? 3. Battle of the 'Best-Kept Secret' Pitchers This matchup features two of Bleacher Report's 'Best-Kept Secrets for 2025 Season': Cardinals reliever Kyle Leahy and Royals rookie starter Noah Cameron. Advertisement Leahy has posted a 2.32 ERA over 31 innings as a reliable late-inning option, while Cameron owns a 1.05 ERA through four starts since his April call-up. Neither entered 2025 with fanfare, but both are now key arms on two of the league's most surprising teams. Related: Cardinals Labeled 'Pleasant Surprise of 2025' by MLB Writer This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
North Penn's Jones hits grand slam in seventh inning of district title game win
What to expect from MLB's inaugural Rivalry Weekend | Baseball Bar-B-Cast Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst Jake Mintz and senior MLB analyst Jordan Shusterman give their perspective on MLB's inaugural Rivalry Weekend. Hear the full conversation on the 'Baseball Bar-B-Cast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 2:29 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Why the NFL is starving for must-see rivalries
MLB created 'Rivalry Weekend' to boost fan excitement. If the NFL ever did the same and fell back on tradition, the opposite might happen. In other words, some of the NFL's biggest time-tested rivalries have become so lopsided that a whole generation of fans might not view the games as must-see. Players might not share the bad blood that truly fuels rivalry. Advertisement Credit to MLB for using Rivalry Weekend to generate its best weekend total and per-game average attendance prior to Memorial Day since 2012.
