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Raphael Wicky — a former ‘water carrier’ with a ‘California vibe’ — is tasked with getting the Chicago Fire back to the playoffs. But despite a 1st season filled with struggles, he’s optimistic entering 2021.
When the Chicago Fire unveiled Raphael Wicky as their new coach ahead of the 2020 season, he cautioned that rebuilding the team and establishing a new culture would take time. “Building a team is really exciting, but building a team also takes time,” he said. “It’s not going to be done overnight.” What no one could have predicted was how much patience would be required during a season defined by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fire played two games in March, then stopped as Major League Soccer halted its season. Fast forward to July and the Fire played three matches in the MLS Is Back Tournament be...
Chicago Tribune
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William Byron wins NASCAR race at Homestead
Charlotte native William Byron claimed his second win in his Cup Series career Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He led a race-high 102 laps of the 267-lap race and won the second stage of NASCAR’s Dixie Vodka 400. Tyler Reddick finished second, and Martin Truex Jr. finished third. “Get used to winning, boys, get used to it,” Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet crew chief Rudy Fugle said on the team’s radio after the win. The pairing is a new crew chief and driver combination this year. Fugle, new to the Cup Series, and Byron worked together for one year in 2016 for Kyle Busch Motorsports competing in ...
The Charlotte Observer
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Tiger Woods breaks silence 5 days after crash, thanks fellow golfers for ‘touching’ show of support
Tiger Woods broke his silence Sunday to say he’s going through a “tough time” after his near-fatal car crash but was deeply moved by fellow pro golfers and fans wearing his trademark red. “It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the tv and saw all the red shirts,” he said in a Twitter post Sunday evening, the first post on his account in his own voice since the rollover crash. “To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time,” he tweeted. Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Champ were among the many players and fans ...
New York Daily News
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San Diego State makes it 10 consecutive wins with sweep of Boise State
SAN DIEGO — When the Mountain West agreed to a new television contract with CBS and Fox Sports, it allowed them to schedule games six days a week on one condition: Teams wouldn’t have to play twice within 48 hours except in the conference tournament. That went out the window with the global pandemic, and the result Saturday was an ugly game with a 1 p.m. tip following a taxing Thursday night overtime affair. No problem. San Diego State can win ugly, too. The No. 22 Aztecs held off Boise State, 62-58, at Viejas Arena for their 10th straight victory, putting them one win — Wednesday night at UNL...
The San Diego Union-Tribune
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Officer shot to death while intervening in altercation at New Orleans school basketball game
A New Orleans high school basketball game turned into a nightmare Friday after a man shot and killed a police officer near the gymnasium, authorities said. The suspect, who was taken into custody immediately after the shooting, had gotten into an altercation with a staff member who refused to let him into the game at George Washington Carver High School, according to police. An officer who was working security at the school intervened and tried to escort the suspect out of the building — only to be killed in the line of duty. The assailant pulled out a gun and shot the officer in the chest, po...
New York Daily News
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Rainer Sabin: Michigan's whiff on Florida coach forced Jim Harbaugh to tear up coaching plan
From the unfulfilling conclusion of last season all the way up until the first practice of the new year Monday, Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh spent the 10 weeks in between tearing apart his staff, building it back up and reconfiguring it. “We’re now set,” he said cheerfully Thursday. Like a marathoner crossing the finish line, he seemed ready to exhale a deep breath of relief. It has been a process to get to this stage and even he acknowledged the final arrangement didn’t align with the initial plan — assuming there was one in the first place. For evidence of that, look no further than ...
Detroit Free Press
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NBA to investigate Jeremy Lin’s claim that he was called ‘coronavirus’ on the court
The NBA G League is opening an investigation into guard Jeremy Lin’s claim that he has been called “coronavirus” on the court, according to the Athletic. As the number of violent attacks against Asian Americans escalates across the country, Lin, an Asian American currently playing for the Warriors’ G League affiliate, detailed in a Facebook post Thursday the racism he has experienced over the course of his basketball career. “Being a 9 year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ on the court,” said Lin, the former New York Knicks star who spent last season playing in Ch...
The Mercury News
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Paul Sullivan: No shortage of candidates for baseball’s biggest dope of 2021
CHICAGO — Baseball got through many a major doping scandal in the early part of the 21st century. Now it hopes to get through its latest self-made crisis: a proliferation of dopes in positions of power. One of the brainiacs already is gone — Seattle Mariners President/CEO Kevin Mather resigned in disgrace after bragging to a Breakfast Rotary Club about screwing players out of their service time, along with several other ignorant comments made on a stunning Zoom call. Another MENSA reject, Los Angeles Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway, was suspended during an investigation of alleged harass...
Chicago Tribune
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Claude Giroux sparks Flyers’ 4-3 win over Rangers after he returns from COVID-19 absence
PHILADELPHIA — Since their schedule has been so spread out because of four coronavirus-caused postponements, the Flyers’ recent stretch of poor play has not been magnified. But they entered Wednesday having quietly lost four of their last five games, and needing a win to climb back into an East Division playoff spot. They went out and, sparked by the return of captain Claude Giroux, made that happen at the Wells Fargo Center. Playing his first game after a 14-day quarantine because he contracted the coronavirus, Giroux had three assists for the 23rd time in his career, steering the Flyers to a...
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Alex Morgan scores as USWNT routs Argentina, wins SheBelieves Cup
ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Pride star Alex Morgan scored her first international goal since the birth of her daughter to help the U.S. women’s national team to a 6-0 rout of Argentina on Wednesday at Exploria Stadium. The victory clinched the Americans’ second consecutive SheBelieves Cup title after wins over Canada and Brazil. The U.S. extended its win streak to 30 matches spanning more than two years. Midfielder Rose Lavelle earned Most Valuable Player of the tournament honors after assisting the opening goal of the night against Argentina. The Americans poured on immediate pressure, forcing th...
Orlando Sentinel
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