Team Falcons won both matches Thursday to seize sole possession of first place in the group stage of the BLAST Slam VII at Copenhagen, Denmark.

Falcons improved to 7-1 by defeating Team Spirit in 44 minutes on green and Tundra Esports in 27 minutes on red. Falcons will wrap up the group stage Friday with matches against Team Liquid, BetBoom Team and PARIVISION.

PARIVISION won two of three matches on Thursday to climb into solo second place at 6-2. Team Yandex dropped two of three to slip into third place at 6-3.

The $1 million event began Tuesday with 12 teams in a group stage that runs through Friday. Group play is a round-robin, best-of-one format. The top two teams will advance to the upper-bracket semifinals of the playoffs, while the third- and fourth-place teams will start in the upper-bracket quarters.

The fifth- and sixth-place teams will proceed to Round 2 of the last-chance qualifier, while teams 7-10 in the standings will begin in Round 1 of that stage. The bottom two teams will be eliminated.

BetBoom Team vaulted into a tie for fourth place thanks to a 3-0 day on Thursday, posting wins against OG, Xtreme Gaming and Team Yandex.

BLAST Slam VII standings

1. Team Falcons, 7-1

2. PARIVISION, 6-2

3. Team Yandex, 6-3

T4. LGD Gaming, 5-3

T4. BetBoom Team, 5-3

6. Team Liquid, 4-4

7. Aurora Gaming, 4-5

8. OG, 3-5

T9. Xtreme Gaming, 3-6

T9. Team Spirit, 3-6

T11. GLYPH, 2-6

T11. Tundra Esports, 2-6

BLAST Slam VII payouts (prize money, team earnings)

1. $300,000, $100,000

2. $150,000, $45,000

3. $70,000, $23,000

4. $50,000, $17,000

5-6. $40,000, $15,000

7-8. $25,000, $10,000

9-10. $15,000, $5,000

11-12. $10,000, $2,500

–Field Level Media

It has been a busy time for U.S. men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is not only preparing his side for a World Cup on home soil but also meeting with Italy’s AC Milan about their vacant coaching position, ESPN reported Thursday.

Pochettino has been front and center this week after the USMNT named its 26-man World Cup roster at a ceremony in New York on Tuesday.

The squad is set to play in friendlies against Senegal at Charlotte on Sunday and against Germany at Chicago on June 6 in advance of its World Cup opener June 12 against Paraguay in the Los Angeles area.

Pochettino, 54, is under contract with the USMNT through the end of the team’s World Cup run.

Pochettino has been a head coach at some top clubs around the world, including Espanyol in Spain, Tottenham, Southampton and Chelsea in England, and Pairs Saint-Germain in France. He became USMNT head coach in September of 2024.

Pochettino has reportedly declined multiple overtures since moving to the United States, including interest from Brentford and a potential return to Tottenham.

A move to AC Milan potentially would keep Pochettino with USMNT star forward Christian Pulisic, who has been with the club since 2023 and has scored 31 goals in 100 appearances. Pulisic is under contract there through June of 2027, although AC Milan is currently undergoing massive changes after firing head coach Massimiliano Allegri, sporting director Igli Tare and CEO Giorgio Furlani.

Pochettino, a native of Argentina, played in his home country and Europe from 1989-2006, with Newell’s Old Boys (Argentina), Espanyol (Spain), Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux (France). A center-back, he played in 20 games with Argentina’s national team from 1999-2002.

–Field Level Media

The surprising Washington Nationals return home on Friday night to open a three-game series against the slumping San Diego Padres.

The Nationals moved above .500 for the first time since the opening week of the season during a 4-2 road trip when they earned series wins against the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians. They are 10-6 since May 12.

After improving their road record to 19-12, the Nats now look to continue that success at home where they are 10-16.

The Padres have dropped four consecutive games after getting swept at home by the Philadelphia Phillies. After this three-game set in D.C., San Diego will seek some revenge when it plays three next week at Philadelphia.

Washington has been consistent offensively, led by James Wood. At the start of MLB play Thursday, the Nationals led the majors in runs (306) and doubles (110) while ranking among the top six in home runs (72), slugging percentage (.420), and OPS (.743).

“These guys just keep believing; they’re starting to figure out we have some good guys on the team,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “When you can go out and play the way we’ve played … you have to feel good about it.”

Wood shared second in the National League in home runs (15) and led the way in runs (50), walks (47), on-base percentage (.414) and OPS (.967).

Washington’s pitching has been part of the team’s surge as well. The Nationals had a 5.67 ERA through April 23. Since then, their ERA is 3.82 over the past 31 games, according to NatsJournal.com.

Offense has been hard to come by of late for the Padres, who have scored seven runs over their past five games while suffering a pair of 3-0 losses to the Phillies.

The Padres managed seven hits against Philadelphia pitching Wednesday and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

“Just not taking advantage of some of the opportunities we did have,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “There’s a little credit to their pitching, but also we’ve got to figure out a way to be better in those situations, runners in scoring position.”

Friday will be a homecoming of sorts for Stammen, who was drafted by the Nationals in 2005 and spent seven seasons pitching for the team.

Another former Nationals pitcher starts for the Padres as right-hander Lucas Giolito (2-0, 2.70 ERA) opposes Washington left-hander Andrew Alvarez.

Signed as a free agent on April 22, the 31-year-old Giolito has won both of his starts. He tossed five shutout innings against the A’s on Saturday on four hits and five walks with two strikeouts.

“I signed here to help the rotation and help this team win games, and I know how to win,” Giolito said. “No matter how I’m feeling, I know how to grind through an outing.”

Giolito was Washington’s first-round draft pick in 2012 and pitched a handful of games for the team before being traded to the Chicago White Sox. He has faced the Nationals once, earning a win over 7 2/3 innings last season while pitching for the Boston Red Sox.

Alvarez, who has been pitching in long relief, takes the rotation spot left vacant when Jake Irvin (shoulder) went on the Injured list. Alvarez has a 2.84 ERA over his four relief appearances.

–Field Level Media