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Croatia's Luka Modric (facial fracture) aiming to be fit by World Cup

AC Milan's Luka Modric Suffers Facial FractureAC Milan’s Luka Modric leaves the pitch after sustaining an injury against Juventus in Milan on April 26, 2026.

Luka Modric’s season for AC Milan is over after he suffered a facial fracture against Juventus on Sunday, but the Croatian midfielder is aiming to be fit in time to play in the World Cup.

Modric collided with Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli while both were contesting a header in the 80th minute of what ended as a 0-0 draw. Modric was hit in the left side of the face and forced to leave the pitch.

Tests revealed a “complex, multi-fragment fracture of the left zygomatic bone,” according to a statement, with the club adding that Modric had already undergone “completely successful” surgery.

Modric, 40, will miss the final four games of AC Milan’s season as he is expected to be sidelined until late May. It is a setback for the club, with Milan third in the Serie A standings with 67 points, only three ahead of Juventus. Seven points over the final four games would ensure Milan’s spot in the Champions League.

Croatia’s opening World Cup match is against England on June 17, with their other Group L games against Panama and Ghana. However, it is uncertain whether Modric will be fit in time for friendlies against Belgium on June 2 and Slovenia five days later.

“I’ve been talking to Luka, and wished him a successful surgery and a quality and speedy recovery. I am convinced that he will do everything to be ready for the @FIFAWorldCup, and we’ll provide full support,” coach Zlatko Dalic said in a post by the Croatian federation on X. “I am confident that the recovery will go according to plan and that Luka, as team captain, will lead us at another major competition this summer.”

–Field Level Media

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Seven-time Olympic champion Allyson Felix chasing comeback at 40

Syndication: The Register GuardUSA’s Allyson Felix, center, takes the baton from teammate Talitha Diggs for the second leg of the women’s 4×400 meter relay on day nine of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon Saturday July 23, 2022.

Eug 072322 Worlds 12

Allyson Felix, the most decorated Olympic track athlete with 11 medals and seven golds, wants a ticket to the Games in her hometown of Los Angeles in 2028 and has no intention to buy it.

Felix, 40, said Monday she is launching a comeback four years after retirement to prove she remains worthy of representing the United States in the Summer Olympics and wants to do it as a mother of two children.

“Let’s go after the thing. Let’s be vulnerable,” she told Time magazine. “You know, at this age, I should probably be staying home and taking care of my kids, doing all that. And just, why not? Let’s flip it on its head.”

Felix said training is scheduled to begin in earnest in October with her longtime track coach, Bobby Kersee, and the intention would be to compete for a spot on the U.S. track team beginning in 2027.

Felix would be 42 by the time the Los Angeles Olympics begin in 2028.

Her 11 Olympic track medals are more than any woman and the count includes six gold medals in relay events and the 2012 gold in the 200 meters in London.

“I totally get the person who sticks around too long and you’re like, ‘What are they doing?'” Felix told Time. “I know, at 40, I am not at my peak. I have no illusions about that. I’m very clear in what it is and what I want to see. And so I hope it’s seen that way.”

–Field Level Media

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Report: Phoenix, Vegas potential options if Whitecaps relocate

MLS: Real Salt Lake at Vancouver Whitecaps FCMar 23, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; The Vancouver Whitecaps FC logo displayed before their match against Real Salt Lake at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images

Las Vegas and Phoenix are the top contenders to become an MLS city if the Vancouver Whitecaps were to relocate, The Athletic reported on Monday.

MLS declined to comment on the report.

Per the report, a special committee of MLS owners met earlier this month to conduct talks on the future of the Whitecaps, which could include relocation. Indianapolis and Sacramento are also among the markets who have expressed interest in joining the league.

MLS has met with a group interested in bringing a club to Las Vegas, per the report, and a separate group of Las Vegas investors called Starr Vegas unveiled a $10 billion development plan on the Vegas Strip. That plan would include a 50,000-seat soccer stadium, though the group has reportedly not engaged with MLS as of yet.

With their lease at BC Place set to expire at the end of 2026, the Whitecaps are working to find a new stadium in Vancouver.

“Since December 2024, ownership has prioritized finding a buyer committed to keeping the team in Vancouver, and to date, no solution has been found,” the Whitecaps said in a club statement provided to The Athletic.

MLS owners would have to approve any relocation, which would include a purchase price and relocation fee. San Diego FC, which joined MLS last season, paid a $500 million expansion fee, and per the report, the overall package for a group entering the league would exceed that $500 million price tag.

With the city of Vancouver, the Whitecaps entered an exclusive negotiation period last December that extends through 2026 to explore a new stadium and entertainment district at Hastings Park. However, there have been no updates since the club signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the city.

The Whitecaps date back to 1974, when they played their inaugural season in the NASL, and remained in the league until it folded in 1984. The Whitecaps began playing in the Canadian Soccer League in 1986 and were also in the American Professional Soccer League, the United Soccer League and the USSF Division 2 Pro League until joining MLS in 2011.

Winners of the last four Canadian Championships and coming off their first-ever MLS Cup final appearance (a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami CF), Vancouver is off to a strong start in 2026, sitting three points back of the Supporters’ Shield through nine matches, and is 7-1-0 at BC Place.

–Field Level Media

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Report: LIV Golf postpones New Orleans event in June

Golf: LIV Golf Dallas - Second RoundJun 28, 2025; Carrollton, Texas, USA; The LIV Golf logo near the first tee during the second round of the LIV Golf Dallas golf tournament at Maridoe Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

So much for “full throttle.”

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said earlier this month that LIV’s season would continue “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.” The Athletic and other outlets reported on Monday that the LIV Golf Louisiana event in June will be postponed.

Per the reports, O’Neil and Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development Susan Bourgeois spoke on Friday and agreed to postpone the June 25-28 tournament in the wake of news that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was preparing to pull funding from LIV.

The two sides hope to plan “a re-envisioned event in the fall,” per The Athletic. NOLA.com reported that LIV is exploring a “smaller, exposition-style tournament” in New Orleans in the fall. LIV Golf’s team championship in late August is the last event currently scheduled.

LIV Golf did not reply to The Athletic’s request for comment.

For the June event at New Orleans’ Bayou Oaks in City Park, Louisiana was to spend about $7 million, with $5 million to go to hosting fees and roughly $2 million to improve the course. The course improvements have gone as planned, but only about $3 million overall had been spent as of last week.

Per The Athletic, the parties agreed that LIV would return the $1.2 million it received from Louisiana, while the state would accept the $2 million spent on the course as an improvement to a state asset.

Meanwhile, O’Neil and LIV Golf are attempting to raise funds to help the league amid the possibility of losing PIF funding after 2026.

Part of the plan involves selling equity in the 13 LIV Golf teams, according to The Athletic. Partnering with national opens is also on the table as the league explores methods to improve the league.

As of Monday, the LIV Golf Virginia event at Trump National Golf Club is scheduled to begin May 7 outside Washington, D.C.

–Field Level Media

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