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FaZe send Falcons to first loss in CDL Major 4 qualifying

The hands of an esport gamer clutching the controler at Encore Esports Gaming Lounge in New Rochelle on Thursday, December 20, 2018. 

E SportsThe hands of an esport gamer clutching the controler at Encore Esports Gaming Lounge in New Rochelle on Thursday, December 20, 2018.

E Sports

FaZe Vegas handed the Riyadh Falcons their first defeat in Call of Duty League Stage 4 Major qualifying, prevailing 3-0 on Friday as the third and final week of matches began.

In the day’s other action, the undefeated Los Angeles Thieves downed Cloud9 New York 3-1, and the Paris Gentle Mates topped the Boston Breach 3-1.

The 12 Call of Duty League teams are playing five qualifying matches apiece to determine seeding for the fourth major of the season to be held Thursday through June 28 at Nanterre, France. Each team receives 10 CDL points for each win.

On Friday, Vegas routed Riyadh 250-166 on Gridlock Hardpoint, 6-1 on Gridlock Search and Destroy and 7-0 on Gridlock Overload.

The United States’ Jovan “04” Rodriguez paced FaZe with 61 kills and a plus-40 K-D differential. Saudi Arabia’s Saud “Exnid” Al-Ati logged 45 kills and a minus-7 K-D differential for Riyadh.

The Thieves opened with a 250-158 triumph on Hacienda Hardpoint before Cloud9 equalized with a 6-2 win on Sake Search and Destroy. Los Angeles wrapped up the match by capturing Scar Overload 3-2 and Den Hardpoint 250-210.

France’s Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez carried the Thieves with 93 kills and a plus-7 K-D differential. The United States’ Jordan “Encourage” Byrd put up 95 kills and a plus-15 K-D differential for Cloud9.

After Paris took Gridlock Hardpoint 250-121, Boston claimed Fringe Search and Destroy 6-3. The Gentle Mates then prevailed 3-1 on Den Overload and 250-233 on Sake Hardpoint.

The remaining qualifying schedule:

Saturday

–Miami Heretics vs. Cloud9 New York

–Vancouver Surge vs. Los Angeles Thieves

–Toronto KOI vs. OpTic Texas

–Riyadh Falcons vs. G2 Minnesota

Sunday

–Vancouver Surge vs. Miami Heretics

–Toronto KOI vs. G2 Minnesota

–FaZe Vegas vs. Carolina Royal Ravens

Call of Duty League Stage 4 Major qualifying standings, with match record and map differential:

1. Los Angeles Thieves, 4-0, +5

2. Riyadh Falcons, 3-1, +2

3. Paris Gentle Mates, 3-2, +4

4. Boston Breach, 3-2, +2

5. G2 Minnesota, 2-1, +2

6. OpTic Texas, 2-2, +4

7. FaZe Vegas, 2-2, +1

8. Carolina Royal Ravens, 2-2, 0

9. Miami Heretics, 1-2, -2

10. Toronto KOI, 1-2, -4

11. Vancouver Surge, 0-3, -7

12. Cloud9 New York, 0-4, -7

–Field Level Media

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LIV Golf's top US Open contender T34 as seven miss cut

Bryson DeChambeau during the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills.Bryson DeChambeau during the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills.

LIV Golf has bigger issues to tackle in the near future, but it’s another troublesome sign for the fledgling league that a player who carded a septuple bogey could well be LIV’s top U.S. Open finisher come Sunday in Southampton, N.Y.

For those counting, a septuple bogey is carding a 7 over par on one hole, which Joaquin Niemann ended up with on the par-4 sixth hole at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday after being assessed a two-shot penalty for throwing his club.

To the young Chilean’s credit, he used the viral moment as motivation to card a 65 on Friday, tying the low round of the day with Collin Morikawa. It also propelled Niemann inside the cut line at 3-over 143 for the tournament.

He was one of only six of the 13 LIV players to qualify for the weekend. And half of those made the cut on the number when it moved to 4 over.

At 3 over, Niemann is equal to Dustin Johnson and one shot behind England’s Tyrrell Hatton. Hatton, who was LIV’s top finisher at the Masters and is coming off a win at Andalucia, enters the third round tied for 34th. After opening with a 74, Hatton rebounded with a 2-under 68 on Friday.

Niemann and Hatton were largely an anomaly for LIV on Friday.

Johnson, who was contending for the lead much of the first round, carded double and quadruple bogeys on his back nine on Friday to post a 7-over 77. He will play the weekend, which is more than fellow former U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm can say.

The Spaniard opened with a 68 and appeared poised to build on his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship last month. That was short-lived, however, as Rahm went 6 over across a five-hole stretch and missed the cut by two shots.

Bryson DeChambeau has missed the cut in each of the first three majors of 2026. He carded consecutive double bogeys while stumbling to a 75 on Friday — missing the cut by a lone shot.

On a positive note, 22-year-old Caleb Surratt survived closing with consecutive bogeys to make the cut on the number in his first career major.

LIV GOLF U.S. OPEN SCORES THROUGH 36 HOLES

Tyrrell Hatton, T34 (+2)

Dustin Johnson, T46 (+3)

Joaquin Niemann, T46 (+3)

Laurie Canter, T60 (+4)

Caleb Surratt, T60 (+4)

Peter Uihlein, T60 (+4)

MISSED CUT

Bryson DeChambeau (+5)

Carlos Ortiz (+6)

Jon Rahm (+6)

Cameron Smith (+6)

Lucas Herbert (+6)

David Puig (+9)

Graeme McDowell (+12)

–Derek Harper, Field Level Media

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Layne Riggs wins wild NASCAR Truck debut race at Naval Base Coronado

NASCAR Truck Series driver Layne Riggs (34) races during the Allegiance 200 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Friday, May 29, 2026.NASCAR Truck Series driver Layne Riggs (34) races during the Allegiance 200 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Friday, May 29, 2026.

CORONADO, Calif.– Short on fuel and long on perseverance and good fortune, Layne Riggs won Friday’s inaugural Navy 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Naval Base Coronado on the Qualcomm Circuit.

It wasn’t until the final two corners of overtime that Riggs was able to claim his fourth victory of the season and the ninth of his career. The driver of the No. 34 Front Row Racing Ford was running second behind Tyler Reif entering the chicane that precedes the final corner at the 3.4-mile, 16-turn street circuit.

Under pressure from Riggs, Reif blew the chicane, steered to the inside of the tire barriers defining the racing line and came to a stop after exiting. Riggs grabbed the lead and reached the finish line 1.332 seconds ahead of runner-up Daniel Hemric, who ran the final circuit with a tire losing air.

“Layne van Risberger came to play today, man,” Riggs chortled after climbing from his car — a facetious reference to road course superstar Shane van Gisbergen in the NASCAR Cup Series. “We’re undefeated in street course races — much respect, Shane. I hope I can be as good as you one day, man. I’m going to take all my glory here in the truck series.

“I don’t even know what happened at the end — sparks flying, people wrecking, staying in the throttle. I was running out of fuel the entire last lap. It was like St. Pete all over again (an earlier Riggs victory this season in an inaugural street race).”

Entering the chicane on the final lap, Riggs was trying to force Reif into a mistake — and succeeded.

“I faked left to scare him, and he missed the corner,” Riggs said. “I really wasn’t going to dive it in there, and it worked for me … An amazing, historic win.”

Reif was trying to win in only his seventh start in the series. He finished 19th after being assessed a 30-second penalty for short-cutting the course on the final lap.

“I hear (Riggs was) one (car-length) back from me, and I didn’t want to give him a chance to get to me,” Reif said. “It was my mistake. It’s very unfortunate that I did that. I don’t know how many more chances I’ll have like this, but I’m sure there’ll be more, and I’m going to make sure not to make that mistake again.”

The final two laps featured a surfeit of twists and turns. Superior strategy put Chandler Smith at the front of the field for the overtime restart on Lap 52, with fresher tires and more fuel than Riggs, his teammate.

Smith led the field to green with Kaden Honeycutt beside him, but Honeycutt brushed the wall on the downhill run toward Turn 2, and Smith crashed trying to avoid him. As cars bounced off each other behind them, Henric took the lead briefly, only to be challenged and passed by Reif, who blocked Hemric’s Chevrolet into the wall approaching the chicane on the white-flag lap.

Reif held the lead from that point on until his mistake in the tight, freshly-paved chicane. In the overtime melee, Kaz Grala finished third, followed by Landen Lewis (a career best) and Ty Majeski.

Smith and Honeycutt ran 22nd and 23rd, respectively. Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson led two laps but finished 30th after spinning twice and losing power in the final stage. Johnson was making his second start in the series, 18 years removed from his first.

The race featured 16 lead changes among six drivers, with Riggs leading a race-high 21 circuits and Smith 13. There were seven cautions for 13 laps.

Riggs, who won the first stage, increased his series lead to 65 points over Honeycutt, with Smith trailing by 128 points in third place with five events left in the Truck Series regular season. Parker Kligerman won Stage 2 before finishing 18th.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race — Navy 250

San Diego Street Course

San Diego, California

Friday, June 19, 2026

1. (2) Layne Riggs, Ford, 53.

2. (32) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 53.

3. (16) Kaz Grala, Toyota, 53.

4. (9) Landen Lewis, Chevrolet, 53.

5. (8) Ty Majeski, Ford, 53.

6. (17) Justin Haley, RAM, 53.

7. (34) Brenden Queen #, RAM, 53.

8. (13) Ben Rhodes, Ford, 53.

9. (30) Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 53.

10. (6) Giovanni Ruggiero, Toyota, 53.

11. (23) Mini Tyrrell #, RAM, 53.

12. (35) Tanner Gray, Toyota, 53.

13. (24) Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 53.

14. (33) Adam Andretti, Toyota, 53.

15. (25) Cole Butcher #, Ford, 53.

16. (28) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 53.

17. (29) Austin Varco, Ford, 53.

18. (10) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 53.

19. (14) Tyler Reif, Chevrolet, 53.

20. (27) Frankie Muniz, Ford, 53.

21. (7) Andres Perez De Lara, Chevrolet, 53.

22. (3) Chandler Smith, Ford, 53.

23. (1) Kaden Honeycutt, Toyota, Accident, 52.

24. (11) Connor Mosack, Chevrolet, 52.

25. (31) Justin Marks, Chevrolet, 51.

26. (18) Dawson Sutton, Chevrolet, 51.

27. (26) Jackson Lee, Ford, 50.

28. (20) Nathan Nicholson, Chevrolet, Accident, 48.

29. (5) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 48.

30. (4) Jimmie Johnson(i), Toyota, Electrical, 47.

31. (12) Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, Accident, 46.

32. (19) Jake Garcia, Ford, Transmission, 40.

33. (22) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, Power Steering, 29.

34. (21) Jamie McMurray, RAM, Accident, 22.

35. (15) Corey LaJoie, RAM, Accident, 14.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 64.274 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 48 Mins, 13 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.332 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 13 laps.

Lead Changes: 16 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: K. Honeycutt 1-2;L. Riggs 3-5;K. Honeycutt 6;L. Riggs 7-12;K. Honeycutt 13-16;J. Johnson(i) 17-18;C. Smith 19;P. Kligerman 20;L. Riggs 21;P. Kligerman 22-26;C. Smith 27;K. Honeycutt 28-30;C. Smith 31-33;L. Riggs 34-43;C. Smith 44-51;T. Reif 52;L. Riggs 53.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Layne Riggs 5 times for 21 laps; Chandler Smith 4 times for 13 laps; Kaden Honeycutt 4 times for 10 laps; Parker Kligerman 2 times for 6 laps; Jimmie Johnson(i) 1 time for 2 laps; Tyler Reif 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 34,11,1,38,9,18,99,44,45,42

Stage #2 Top Ten: 75,88,9,18,44,42,38,11,1,91

–By Spencer Reid, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media

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Brazil coach: Neymar will be available to play vs. Scotland

June 17, 2026; Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.; Brazil's Neymar Jr. during training.  Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images June 17, 2026; Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.; Brazil’s Neymar Jr. during training. Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA — After Brazil defeated Haiti 3-0 in their second World Cup match on Friday night, Selecao coach Carlo Ancelotti said he expects Neymar to be available for the Group C finale.

Neymar, 34, has been rehabbing a right calf ailment. He last played for Santos in Brazil’s top flight on May 17.

The Selecao will oppose Scotland on Wednesday in Miami Gardens, Fla., needing only a win or a draw to advance to the round of 32.

“Neymar will be training tomorrow individually, and on Monday, he’s going to be training with the rest of the team,” Ancelotti said in the post-match press conference via an interpreter. “He will be available for the match against Scotland.”

Injuries limited Neymar during Brazil’s 2026 qualifying campaign. However, he was influential when he played, scoring twice and contributing three assists in four appearances.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti did not commit to continuing with Matheus Cunha at center forward despite the Manchester United player’s first-half brace against Haiti. Cunha started in place of Igor Thiago after coming on in the 61st minute of Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Morocco in their tournament opener.

“He may,” Ancelotti said when asked if Cunha would remain in the center forward role.

“I think that Matheus’ position was a good position for creating problems to the defense,” Ancelotti said. “And he filtered his passes very well, and his position was a good position to be effective at the front.

“It can be an option. We discussed this yesterday. I don’t want a clear identity. Maybe we will change this on the next match.”

Brazil, on four points, currently lead Morocco on goal-difference in Group C after the Atlas Lions defeated Scotland 1-0 earlier Friday.

The Scots could be playing for their tournament lives on Wednesday, but Ancelotti insisted he is focusing on the bigger picture.

“We don’t think about knocking out. We think about playing well and improving, and we analyze the match,” Ancelotti said. “If we can reach the first position of the group, that would be important for the future. So we want to prepare well for that match.

“Scotland has its features. It can create a problem. It created problems to Morocco today. And so we have to focus on the match and be calm and be tranquil and keep on working to improve.”

–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media

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