Sports
Charlotte looks to keep rolling, add to Fire's recent woes
Jul 25, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Chicago Fire FC offense Robert Lewandowski (9) goes for the ball against the New York City Football Club during the second half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images The Chicago Fire will search for their first win since the World Cup break when they host Charlotte FC on Saturday.
Chicago (8-6-2, 26 points) dropped consecutive road games to Inter Miami and New York City FC despite the arrival of legendary forward Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski, replacing league-leading goal scorer Hugo Cuypers (13 goals), has yet to score in his first two appearances for Chicago.
“Candidly, we’re still figuring it out,” head coach Gregg Berhalter told the media on Thursday. “That’s the reality. But we’re doing it, and the guys have been working hard and getting into it. So it’s almost fun to work through this and solve this puzzle.
“Hopefully, on Saturday, we’ll start to see that come to fruition.”
The Fire will be without star defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi for an extended period after the South African center back suffered a serious thigh injury in training.
Charlotte (7-6-4, 25 points) travels to Soldier Field on a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1). After hosting an All-Star Game that saw star Pep Biel and head coach Dean Smith participate, the club will play five games in only two weeks. With the inclusion of the Leagues Cup in the schedule, Smith plans to to balance rest with competitiveness.
“It’s back to our bread and butter now,” Smith said on Thursday after the All-Star Game. “We’ve known we have these games coming up anyway, so we’re ready and prepared.”
Charlotte will miss key attacker Kerwin Vargas, who finalized a transfer to Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense on Friday. Vargas’ departure means the club will go through the rest of the season without its two starting wingers after Wilfried Zaha became a free agent at the end of June. Charlotte will likely look to forwards Biel (15 goal contributions), Liel Abada (three assists), and Idan Toklomati (five goals) for attacking firepower.
Although new arrival Allan Saint-Maximin secured his visa, the star winger won’t make his club debut as he is scheduled to leave France on Sunday. Smith noted that Saint-Maximin, who will be a Designated Player, could debut during the Leagues Cup.
“Speaking to him, he’s been working hard to keep up his fitness,” Smith said. “Obviously, he’s not played a match since the French Cup final (May 22), but he might have to get match fit during games. That’s one option that we’ll look at… but we’ll assess him when he gets here.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
CBS puts Tony Romo on indefinite leave after arrest
Feb 6, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; CBS Sports play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz (left), analyst Tony Romo (center) and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson at press conference at the Super Bowl 58 Media Center at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images CBS Sports has placed No. 1 football analyst Tony Romo on indefinite leave following his arrest on suspicion of operating while intoxicated.
The news was announced Friday in a terse statement from the network.
“Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice,” read the statement.
ESPN reported that JJ Watt, former NFL defensive player of the year, will replace Romo and partner with play-by-player caller Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on CBS’ top broadcast team while Romo is on leave.
Romo, 46, was pulled over July 23 at around 6:15 p.m. while traveling southbound on Interstate 43 in Milwaukee. He had been in Wisconsin to play in a golf tournament.
Romo has been the lead analyst at CBS since 2017. The former quarterback took the job following his final season with the Dallas Cowboys.
He is working on a 10-year, $180 million contract that runs through the 2030 season.
Romo, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, was arrested after he “performed poorly” on standardized field sobriety tests, per the police report, and released at approximately 11 p.m.
A citation issued by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office noted an “open bottle of an alcoholic beverage” was found in the passenger side during an inventory of Romo’s vehicle.
According to the citation, Romo faces a $267 fine for the alleged offense. He has a court date scheduled for Sept. 21 on the charge of operating a vehicle while under the influence.
A first-offense OWI generally is a civil offense, not a criminal charge, in Wisconsin. The police report indicated a fine of $1,066 for this charge, as well as a $235 fine for “unsafe passing on the right.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Packers activate TE Tucker Kraft (knee) from PUP list
Sep 11, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) looks on after the game against the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images The Green Bay Packers activated tight end Tucker Kraft from the physically unable to perform list on Friday.
Kraft, 25, had surgery last November to repair a torn right ACL and is expected to be eased back into practice.
“No team (drills),” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said before Friday’s session at training camp. “So, we’re just going to kind of get him back ingrained into the process and into individual. What’s great is when they do come off PUP, then now he can partake in some of the walk-through periods, especially that we do in the evenings, just to get him back hearing the call, lining up and then just going through that.”
Kraft currently is about 8 1/2 months removed from surgery, just short of the nine-month mark the Packers typically wait for before allowing a player returning from a torn ACL to do 11-on-11 drills.
“The way he looks, you’d think he’s ready to go … but there’s a lot of science behind the nine-month mark, and so we’ll be very cautious as we head into it,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said.
Kraft had 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games before the injury last season.
The 2023 second-round draft pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is looking for a long-term deal.
“I think it would be best if we got it done as soon as possible,” Kraft said on Wednesday, per ESPN.
Kraft has 113 receptions for 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns in 42 career games (33 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Giants' Harrison Bader crashed scooter into fire truck
May 22, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Harrison Bader (9) gestures after he hit a single against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images The San Francisco Giants are shutting down outfielder Harrison Bader for the season after he reportedly crashed his scooter into the back of a fire truck.
The Giants confirmed earlier this week that Bader was in an accident last weekend that aggravated a left foot injury that has kept him sidelined since May 29.
Bader, 32, met with a foot and ankle specialist Monday in Indianapolis to check the progress of his initial injury, left plantar fasciitis. However, the impact of the scooter-related injury “changed the nature of his evaluation,” the team said in a statement.
Bader was scheduled to undergo an MRI to “better understand the severity of the injuries sustained from the scooter accident,” per the Giants.
TMZ Sports reported Friday that the scooter crash occurred in San Francisco at about 1:50 a.m. local time Sunday morning. A witness said Bader collided with the rear of a San Francisco Fire Department truck, causing the scooter wheel to roll over his foot.
The fire department confirmed that a patient was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Bader batted .170 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 30 games this season, his first with the Giants. He signed a two-year deal worth $20.5 million in January. He also missed time earlier this season with a hamstring injury.
Bader is a career .244 hitter with 93 home runs and 336 RBIs in 954 games over 10 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (2017-22), New York Yankees (2022-23), Cincinnati Reds (2023), New York Mets (2024), Minnesota Twins (2025), Philadelphia Phillies (2025) and Giants.
–Field Level Media
CBS puts Tony Romo on indefinite leave after arrest
Packers activate TE Tucker Kraft (knee) from PUP list
