Sports
Despite injuries, Toronto FC forces draw with Quakes
May 2, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; San Jose Earthquakes forward Benjamin Kikanovic (28) heads a ball against Toronto FC forward Daniel Salloi (20) during the second half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images Injury-plagued Toronto FC saw their depth tested but managed to hand the visiting San Jose Earthquakes their first draw of the season with a 1-1 scoreline on a chilly Saturday afternoon.
Preston Judd equaled his career-high seven goals when he tied the match for the league-leading Earthquakes (9-1-1, 28 points) in the early going. The draw comes a week after Toronto (3-3-5, 14 points) had a nine-match unbeaten run snapped with a loss to Atlanta United.
Daniel Salloi opened the scoring in the 2nd minute. A well-timed overlapping run from Raheem Edwards drew defender Benji Kikanovic away from the streaking Salloi, allowing the Hungarian international to curl it into the corner.
An outstretched Judd scored the equalizer in the 13th minute off a perfectly placed Niko Tsakiris set piece, the result of an Alonso Coello foul just outside the home team’s box. Judd was unmarked as he poked it past a helpless Luka Gavran.
An Emilio Aristizabal attempt in the 55th minute was deflected and cleared away by a sprawling Daniel. A late offside flag chalked off what looked to be a brace for Judd ten minutes later.
On his back, San Jose center-back Reid Roberts cleared a ball off the line after Salloi chipped the goalkeeper in the 86th minute. Officials took a lengthy look at the replay to ensure the ball had not crossed the line.
Toronto’s miserable injury luck continued, with center-back Lazar Stefanovic being forced off at the half with an apparent lower-body injury. A flood of academy players were forced to fill gaping injury holes on their bench, including defender Micah Chisholm, who made his league debut in Stefanovic’s place.
For the visitors, April MLS Player of the Month Timo Werner was absent after subbing off with a hamstring injury in their Tuesday U.S. Open Cup fixture. Tsakiris came off in the second half with an apparent quad injury.
The match marked the first meeting between the two teams in more than three years. Three of their last four encounters have ended in draws.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Rays to activate LHP Garrett Cleavinger from IL
Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger (60) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The Tampa Rays activated left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger from the injured list Saturday, while right-hander Yoendrys Gomez was designated for assignment, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Cleavinger, 32, has not pitched since March 30 because of right calf tightness. He was 1-1 with a 7.71 ERA in three relief outings this season and pitched a scoreless inning for Team USA in this spring’s World Baseball Classic.
Over seven major league seasons, including the last five with the Rays, Cleavinger is 14-17 with a 3.25 ERA in 193 appearances (one start).
Gomez, 26, had a 6.23 ERA in nine relief appearances for Tampa Bay this season. He is 3-3 with a 5.11 ERA in four major league seasons with four different clubs, including parts of his first three seasons (2023-25) with the New York Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Austin FC set for upgrade on offense vs. St. Louis City
Apr 18, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Austin FC forward Myrto Uzuni (10) shoots against Toronto FC during the first half at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images Austin FC hopes a bolstered roster and a huge win against a Texas rival builds momentum as they host struggling St. Louis City SC on Sunday evening in a Western Conference match.
Austin FC (2-4-4, 10 points) remain home after a 2-0 win over the rival Houston Dynamo on last Saturday. Myrto Uzuni scored a goal and assisted on a tally by Jayden Nelson in the Copa Tejas series victory.
Austin snapped a seven-match MLS winless swoon dating back to a 1-0 home victory over D.C. United on March 1.
Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver stopped five shots to record his third clean sheet of the year just three days after he allowed five goals on 16 shots in a loss at San Jose.
The Verde is set for an offensive jolt with midfielder Owen Wolff set to return, even if it’s in a reserve role. Wolff, who led Austin FC last season with seven goals and eight assists, has missed the team’s first 10 games while recovering from a sports hernia but is available to return against St. Louis.
“Now that we can have probably the full roster, for the first time in the year, in the next weeks, I think everyone gets excited and everyone says, ‘Now is the moment,'” Austin coach Nico Estevez said. “I want to give a lot of credit to the players. It’s been a really tough time for everyone.”
St. Louis City (1-5-3, 6 points) travels to Austin after 3-2 loss at home against league-leading San Jose on April 25. The club went winless in league play in April, losing twice with a pair of draws, both on the road.
St. Louis City heads to Texas after a 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Chicago Fire in U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 play on Wednesday. St. Louis coach Yoann Damet believes the victory will provide benefits in upcoming MLS play.
“Honestly, I like the grit and the spirit they’re showing. I’ve been speaking a lot about it, and we haven’t been rewarded enough, in my sense,” Damet said. “I think it speaks for the work the guys are putting in every day. Everybody worked really hard together, they made plays. It’s a collective effort, it’s a team, it’s a full group, and that’s what makes me happy.”
St. Louis’s nine goals through nine MLS matches is tied for second fewest in league while its minus-seven goal differential is second worst in the West. Marcel Hartel leads the club with three goals and an assist.
St. Louis City has dominated the all-time series with the Austin FC, with four wins and a draw in six meetings during MLS play.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Big Ten distributes $1.37 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2024-25
Sep 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Dragon seats with the Big Ten conference logo on the Wisconsin Badgers team benches are seen before a game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images After recent expansion and success in the College Football Playoffs following the 2024 season, the Big Ten Conference announced a record $1.37 billion distribution to its 18 league members for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The Big Ten became the second conference to reach the $1 billion plateau. The Southeastern Conference announced that it had divided up $1 billion to its 16 member institutions in February. That figure represented an increase of $200 million from the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The Big Ten’s $1.37 billion largess represents an increase of $487 million from the 2023-24 fiscal year. The two primary factors were the additions of UCLA, Southern California, Oregon and Washington in August of 2024 and the participation of Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State in the 12-team College Football Playoffs in December and January.
Ohio State defeated Notre Dame, 34-23 to win the 2024 national championship in a game played in Atlanta on Jan. 20, 2025. The Buckeyes’ program earned a league-high $91.57 million, while Penn State, a national semifinalist in football, received $88.29 million.
All full-time members received between $76.01 million and $79.87 million, while new members Oregon and Washington took in $48.4 million and $46.7 million respectively. UCLA and USC are considered fully-vested members and earned the higher payout amounts.
–Field Level Media
Report: Rays to activate LHP Garrett Cleavinger from IL
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