Sports
Toronto FC's rebuilding project collides with D.C. United's reboot
Oct 19, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; D.C. United forward Christian Benteke (20) battles for the ball against Charlotte FC defender Adilson Malanda (29) in the first half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images D.C. United haven’t made the MLS playoffs in five years. For Toronto FC, it’s been four years without an appearance in the postseason.
When the teams open a new season Saturday night in Washington, it will be a matchup of rebuilding squads looking to recapture past glory.
To that end, Toronto has turned to Robin Fraser as head coach. He served as an assistant from 2015-19, when the team appeared in three MLS Cup finals and captured their lone title in 2017.
Fraser has inherited a challenging task as Toronto ranks as the only team in MLS history to lose at least 18 matches in four straight seasons.
The year begins with a major distraction as Toronto has yet to solidify the status of disgruntled veteran Lorenzo Insigne, who will not join the Reds in Washington. There are whispers that Fraser has told Insigne his style doesn’t fit with this season’s group — while Insigne has balked at being transferred.
“It’s a situation for which we are seeking some resolution and certainty, that is the guidance of the group,” Fraser said Thursday.
Without the 33-year-old Insigne, who totaled 14 goals and 14 assists in three seasons with the Reds, they will depend heavily on dynamic Federico Bernardeschi, who delivered eight goals and eight assists last season.
The Reds also will search for a boost up top from newcomers Ola Brynhildsen and Theo Corbeanu. Brynhildsen is from the Danish Superliga and Corbeanu is a Canadian national team member.
Toronto, which was winless in four preseason matches, is loaded with returning veterans in the midfield and on its aging defense. The Reds also look for a rebound season from keeper Sean Johnson, who enters his third year with the club.
D.C. United, who finished in 10th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference — one notch ahead of Toronto — are led by Christian Benteke, who scored 23 goals to capture the league’s Golden Boot award last season.
The Black and Red are in transition as Benteke is one of just two players who were on the roster at the start of the 2023 season. In all, there are 13 newcomers.
The most promising transfers are midfielder Randall Leal, a Costa Rican who arrives from Nashville, and defender Kye Rowles, who played for the 2022 Australian World Cup team and most recently for Heart of Midlothian in Scotland.
D.C. United return additional firepower with Jared Stroud (three goals, 10 assists) and Gabriel Pirani (six goals), but the bigger issue is on defense. They surrendered 70 goals last season, the second-most in franchise history.
The Black and Red showed promise in the preseason, going 3-0-1.
“It’s in constant evolution and improvement,” second-year coach Troy Lesesne said. “If you watched us in the preseason, you could see, ‘OK, they’re trying to go for something a little bit different.'”
D.C. went 1-0-1 against Toronto last year and leads the all-time series 18-12-12 in regular season matches.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brewers DFA recently acquired Lance McCullers Jr.
Jul 20, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (50) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the New York Mets at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers designated Lance McCullers Jr. for assignment on Sunday morning, less than two weeks after they acquired the right-hander from the Houston Astros.
The move comes one day after McCullers allowed three runs on one hit and four walks in 1 2/3 innings in Milwaukee’s 8-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
McCullers has posted a 3.86 ERA in two relief appearances since he, left-hander Colton Gordon and cash were sent to the Brewers in exchange for minor league outfielder Jadyn Fielder on July 15.
A two-time World Series winner and former American League All-Star, McCullers has pitched only 44 innings this season, posting a 2-3 record with a 6.55 ERA in 10 appearances (eight starts).
McCullers, 32, is 53-40 with a 3.85 ERA in 156 career games (148 starts) with the Astros and Brewers. He was an All-Star in 2017 and won World Series titles in 2017 and 2022, but he missed three entire seasons (2019, 2023-24) due to injuries.
Also on Sunday, the Brewers recalled right-hander Garrett Stallings from Triple-A Nashville.
Stallings posted a 3-3 record with a 4.11 ERA in 18 appearances (13 starts) with the Sounds. He also pitched three scoreless innings in two appearances earlier this season with Milwaukee.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WTA roundup: Tamara Korpatsch wins Hamburg, first German champ in 34 years
Jun 29, 2026; London, United Kingdom; Coco Gauff of the United States at the net with Tamara Korpatsch of Germany after their match on day one at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images Tamara Korpatsch broke the German curse at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open by claiming the title in a 6-3, 6-3 win over Hungary’s Anna Bondar on Sunday in Germany.
Korpatsch, born in Hamburg, is the first German since Steffi Graf in 1992 to win the Hamburg Open. Since Graf’s last title, Germans were 0-4 in the final at Hamburg. Korpatsch claimed her second career singles title in one hour and 28 minutes to improve to 5-0 in her career against Bondar.
Korpatsch came out hot in the first set with two aces and won 18 of her 25 first serve points (72%). She won 10 of the first 15 points to jump ahead to a 3-0 lead and wrapped it up by getting a break back to all but clinch the set.
Korpatsch continued to push in the second set and broke Bondar two more times, including to clinch the match.
Prague Open
Austria’s Lilli Tagger won her first ever WTA singles title with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over Daria Snigur of the Ukraine.
Tagger came out firing with nine aces, including five in the first set. She found herself down 5-2 in the first set, but won five of the next six games to steal the set. She was able to get a break off Snigur when she was serving for the match.
Tagger won five of the final six games to clinch the title, breaking Snigur two separate times while never facing a break point herself. Four more aces along with converting 10 of 12 first serve points (82 %) was enough to ice the match.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lando Norris captures first race as F1 champion
May 24, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; McLaren driver Lando Norris (1) during the Lenovo Grand Prix Du Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Defending 2025 Formula One champion Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, finally capturing his first victory of 2026.
Norris was the pole sitter in Mogyorod, Hungary, but quickly lost the top spot when his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, capitalized on a chance to overtake him at Turn 2 of the opening lap.
Norris and Piastri accounted for much of the race drama, with Norris unsuccessfully asking McLaren to call off Piastri. Norris had his first chance at clear sailing when McLaren pulled Piastri in for his second pitstop.
The owner of seven victories in 2025, Norris was forced to watch from behind until Piastri emerged from the pitstop and collided with the car of Williams driver Carlos Sainz Jr. The short delay was enough for Norris to overtake Piastri.
Norris took his first race as the champion ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull and points leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes.
“I don’t know what happened, to be honest,” Norris said of the faulty Turn 2. “I just kept losing the rear. I had like three or four big snaps. It felt horrible and of course Oscar did a good job to get the cutback and get back past, so I think I was just a bit wide in the dirt — game over for the first lap.
“But man, I was pushing like hell to try and force him into a mistake or something. My pace today was probably some of the best pace I’ve ever had. The car was beautiful to drive and I felt very confident, so a great race.”
“I’m just happy to be back and see the number one again,” the 26-year-old Brit added.
Piastri had completed 55 of the 70 laps when he was forced to end his day because of a problem with his gearbox.
Technical problems in shifting to the 2026 car specifications allowed Ferrari and Mercedes to pull ahead of McLaren this season after its dominant 2025.
Norris has complained plenty about his car this season but had compliments Sunday.
“The team has put so much work in to making a car that can finally win again. It’s nice to be able to do it for them,” Norris said.
“If we want to come back, we need a lot more of these and we need to continue putting pressure on our competition. This weekend was a perfect weekend for us but it’s going to be tough, so we’ll keep pushing and keep working hard.
“I owe the team a lot. They’ve done an amazing job to even get back to winning races at this point, so I’m proud.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Hamilton fell to fifth place following a penalty for speeding during pitstops. A seven-time season champion, Hamilton is second to Antonelli in the driver standings, trailing by 50 points.
Mercedes leads the team standings with Ferrari second. McLaren is a distant third.
Formula One is now on its summer break until it resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 23.
–Field Level Media
Brewers DFA recently acquired Lance McCullers Jr.
WTA roundup: Tamara Korpatsch wins Hamburg, first German champ in 34 years
