EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Chelsea FC coach Enzo Maresca is certainly happy about leading his side to the FIFA Club World Cup final against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Captain Reece James – the only player remaining from Chelsea’s Champions League title in 2020-21, playing in this Club World Cup – isn’t satisfied with just making it this far.

Even as Chelsea enters as a steep underdog in the matchup with PSG on Sunday, July 13, at MetLife Stadium.

“They are one of the hottest teams in the world at the moment. But this is a final, a one-off game. Everyone has them down as strong favorites,” James said during a prematch press conference at the stadium on Friday, July 11.

“I don’t really care, to be honest. Everyone is bigging up our opposition. We’re preparing right, and we’re going to win.”

Well, everyone is “bigging up” Paris Saint-Germain for good reason. They’re not just considered the European champions. They’re considered the best club in the world.

PSG has won the French league, the French Cup, the French Super Cup and won their first Champions League title with a 5-0 victory against Inter Milan on May 31.

They’ve dominated through the Club World Cup, too – outside of a hiccup in the group stage, a 1-0 loss to Brazilian side Botafogo that didn’t do much but give them a brief wake-up call en route to the final.

PSG topped Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 4-0 in the Round of 16, beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the quarterfinals, and thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in the semifinal to reach Sunday’s match. Chelsea’s path saw a 4-1 win against Benfica (Portugal) in the Round of 16, a 2-1 quarterfinal win against Palmeiras (Brazil), and a 2-0 win against Fluminense (Brazil) in the semifinals.

Chelsea was a +450 underdog on Wednesday, July 8, when the final was set. Just two days before it, Chelsea is +400 to win, while PSG is the convincing favorite (-165), according to BETMGM.

“Stats and data. And favorite, not favorite. It doesn’t mean anything to me. It doesn’t mean anything to our team. It makes other people happy,” James said. “It’s two great, young sides, playing against each other on the biggest stage. I believe we’re going to go toe to toe.”

Added Maresca: “PSG is best team in world … We are here to do our best and try to win the final.”

Win or lose, Chelsea still has plenty to celebrate this season.

Chelsea qualified for next year’s Champions League, ending a three-year absence from tournament, after a fourth-place finish in the Premier League in Maresca’s first year with the club.

Maresca was hired in June 2024 to take over for Mauricio Pochettino (now, the U.S. men’s national team coach), who led Chelsea to a sixth-place finish in the EPL last season.

Maresca said his players feel “proud” and ‘happy” to reach the Club World Cup final in the first edition of this tournament that featured 32 of the best soccer teams globally. He also feels the same way, as his first year as Chelsea coach will end with a chance to win a title.

“I think it’s been a great season. For me, the biggest achievement for this season is exactly one year ago, no one was talking about Chelsea,” Maresca said.

“Now, everyone is talking about Chelsea, the way we play, and the way we win games. This is personally the biggest achievement of the season.”

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber is hopeful Lionel Messi and Inter Miami can agree to a contract extension to keep the Argentine World Cup champion in the league before next year’s World Cup.

Messi is under contract with Inter Miami – co-owned by brothers Jorge and Jose Mas, and David Beckham – through the end of the 2025 MLS season.

“Messi has been such an incredible part of the MLS story the last couple of years and playing so well. It’s just been a gift to have the best player in the world in Major League Soccer,’ Garber told USA TODAY Sports during an interview on Friday, July 11, two days before the FIFA Club World Cup final.

“We certainly look forward to him continuing his career in Miami. I know Jorge Mas and his partners are going to work hard to see if they’re able to re-sign him and have him play here – hopefully prior to him playing for Argentina next summer.

“And not anything more I can add on that, but I’m hopeful that we’re able to re-sign him,” Garber added.

USA TODAY Sports reported earlier this week that Messi and Inter Miami are in continued negotiations on a new deal. One part of the process is whether Messi would extend through 2026 or 2027, a person familiar with the talks said on the condition of anonymity due to the ongoing nature of negotiations.

Messi and Inter Miami will host Nashville SC in their next match on Saturday, July 12.

Messi became the first player in the league’s 30-year history to score multiple goals in four consecutive league matches in his last match. He scored twice on the road in a 2-1 win against the New England Revolution on July 9.

Messi also helped Inter Miami and MLS make history in the Club World Cup, where his free-kick goal against Portuguese side FC Porto delivered the first win for a North American team against a European club in a major international competition.

Garber also cherished Messi and Inter Miami having a chance to compete against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16, before they were ultimately eliminated from the tournament following a 4-0 loss on June 29 in Atlanta.

“The beauty of the Club World Cup is our teams had an opportunity to stand and go toe-to-toe with the top teams in the world,” Garber said of Inter Miami, the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles FC representing MLS in the tournament.

“Miami had a good run and got out of the group [stage]. PSG is the best team in the world right now, and certainly is playing at the highest level. And while they lost that game, I think there was less talk about how Miami wasn’t good enough, and more about how great PSG is.

“But you got to get into the arena, and you got to fight the fight. And the Club World Cup gave our teams the opportunity to do that.”

The Indiana Fever are back in the win column and leveled the season series against the Atlanta Dream 2-2.

The Fever defeated the Dream 99-82 on Friday, July 11 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, scoring the team’s second-highest point total of the season. With the win, the Fever move to 10-10 on the season, while the Dream drop to 12-8.

Caitlin Clark was one of four Fever players to hit double-digits, recording 12 points, nine assists and four rebounds in her second game back from an injury. Clark’s shooting slump, however, continued as she works her way back from a left groin injury that sidelined her for five-games. Clark shot 5-of-17 from the field and 1-of-7 from three. She’s gone 4-of-35 from three in her last five games.

Kelsey Mitchell had a team-high 25 points, while Aliyah Boston added 19 points, a career-high 8 assists and six rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Sophie Cunningham added a season-high 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, marking her second career double-double.

‘It’s about dang time,’ Cunningham said following the win. ‘It finally felt good.’

Jordin Canada paced the Dream with a game-high 30 points, shooting 50% from the field and connecting on 6 of 11 3-pointers. She also tallied eight assists and three rebounds. Rhyne Howard added 14 points, and Brittney Griner chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.

Here’s a recap of the Fever’s matchup against the Dream Friday:

Dream vs. Fever highlights

End of 3Q: Fever 69, Dream 65

The Fever outscored the Dream 29-20 in the third quarter to take a four-point lead into the final period. Kelsey Mitchell leads the Fever with 22 points, while Aliyah Boston is closing in on a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds. Caitlin Clark has nine points and five assists, shooting 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-6 from three. Jordin Canada still leads the Dream with 28 points and six assists, although her scoring has slowed significantly. She scored 26 of her 28 points in the first half.

Rhyne Howard returns after being carried off court

Rhyne Howard is back on the court. She returned to start the third quarter with a large brace on her left leg after appearing to hyperextend her knee in the second quarter. Howard got some shots up during halftime and determined she was good to go. 

Halftime: Dream 45, Fever 40

Jordin Canada is red-hot for the Dream. Canada set a new career-high with 26 points in the first half, with most of her points coming from a career-high six 3-pointers. Canada was shooting 6-of-29 from 3 entering Friday’s matchup, but she’s already tied her season total from beyond the arc in the first half alone.

How? “Just being confident in myself and knowing that when the ball comes to me, I got to put it in the hoop,” Canada said at halftime, adding that the Dream need to “keep being aggressive’ against the Fever.

Despite Canada’s lights-out shooting, the Fever only trail by five points at halftime. Kelsey Mitchell leads the Fever with 14 points.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark’s shooting woes have continued. She has four points and five assists, shooting 2-of-7 from the field and 0-of-4 from 3. 

Rhyne Howard carried back to locker room with leg injury

The Dream’s Rhyne Howard was shaken up after getting tangled up with the Fever’s Lexie Hull on a rebound attempt. With the Fever leading 24-23 with 7:29 remaining in the second quarter, Howard appeared to hyperextend her left knee while chasing a rebound and the All-Star immediately went down clutching her knee. She was carried back to the locker room. She has five points on the night.

End of Q1: Dream 23, Fever 21

The Atlanta Dream have a two-point lead heading into the second quarter, thanks to a 10-point performance from Jordin Canada, who knocked down a pair of threes in the first quarter.

The Fever, who had the second-best field-goal percentage in the league heading into Friday’s contest (45.7%), were held to 36.4% from the field and only 2-of-10 from three, compared to the Dream’s 50% from the field and beyond the arc.

Natasha Howard has a team-high five points. Clark is up to four points (2-of-5 FG, 0-of-2 3PT).

What time is Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream?

The Indiana Fever host the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ION.

How to watch Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream: TV, stream

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
• TV: ION
• Live stream: Fubo (free trial)

Indiana Fever starting lineup

Is Caitlin Clark playing today?

Yes. Clark was not listed on the Fever’s injury report and is ready to go Friday. She previously missed five games with a quad injury and five games due to a left groin injury.

Atlanta Dream starting lineup

Caitlin Clark: Tyrese Haliburton ‘certainly loves the Fever’

Caitlin Clark and Tyrese Haliburton are each other’s best friends.

Haliburton has been a mainstay at Fever games, most recently at the Fever’s loss against Golden State on July 9. Clark has returned the favor. Clark attended Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder alongside several of her teammates.

‘He loves basketball,’ Clark said on Friday. ‘He certainly loves the Fever and he loves this state.’

Stream Fever vs. Dream on Fubo

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Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler will not pitch in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game next week.

Wheeler plans to step away to prioritize rest and prepare for the second half of the season with the Phillies.

“He came in the other day and said he wanted to make sure his body was good coming out of the break and carry on through the rest of the year,” Phillies manager Robert Thomson told reporters regarding Wheeler’s decision. “He wants to do what’s right by the club. I think he’s being smart.”

The starting pitcher has compiled a 9-3 record in 18 games this season. In 116 innings pitched, he’s recorded 148 strikeouts, tied for the second most in the majors this season. He leads the majors in batting average against at .177, his 0.84 WHIP ranks second, and his 2.17 ERA is the third-best this season.

Wheeler is scheduled to start for the Phillies on Saturday, July 12 against Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres (7:35 p.m. ET, Fox).

MLB announced on its official X account that San Diego Padres pitcher Adrian Morejon has been added as a reserve pitcher for the National League, replacing Wheeler on the roster.

The MLB All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 15. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

There’s a new era of Chicago Bears football beginning this fall.

Year two with quarterback Caleb Williams has all the signs of improvement from a 5-12 campaign in 2024 thanks to the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach and a number of key roster moves.

Those moves include trading for upgrades on the offensive line as well as drafting more reinforcements on offense, specifically at tackle and tight end.

Johnson was hired on a five-year deal that keeps him on the books with the Bears through the 2029 season. The franchise made a move today to ensure he’ll be in place with the team’s current general manager Ryan Poles.

USA TODAY Sports confirmed Chicago signed Poles to an extension to keep him with the team through the 2029 season as well. His contract had two more years left before this extension but now he’ll be on the same timeline as Johnson.

Poles started as general manager with the team in the 2022 NFL season. He oversaw a trade with the Carolina Panthers during the 2023 offseason that ultimately secured the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team used that to select Williams, one of the top-rated quarterback prospects of the last decade.

That trade also netted the team wide receiver DJ Moore as well as picks that became right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, punter Tory Taylor and wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Williams’ rookie season in 2024 didn’t live up to expectations and the Bears made a mid-season coaching firing for the first time in decades. Chicago lost 10 of its final 11 games and finished the year as the worst offense in the league by yards and 28th by points scored.

Johnson orchestrated the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL in 2024 with Detroit and brings an experienced staff with him to make changes. Longtime New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen is in as the team’s defensive coordinator and former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will coach running backs.

Chicago dealt for two-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney this offseason and signed top free agent center Drew Dalman to upgrade the interior offensive line, a weak point in 2024. The Bears also dealt for former Lions guard Jonah Jackson to provide Johnson a familiar player on the interior offensive line as well.

Ryan Poles record

Poles has been the Bears’ general manager for the last three seasons. In that time, the team has gone 15-36:

• 2022: 3-14
• 2023: 7-10
• 2024: 5-12

Ryan Poles history

Poles played offensive line at Boston College and went undrafted in the 2008 NFL Draft. Chicago signed him as an undrafted free agent that offseason but he ultimately did not make the team.

He returned to Boston College in 2008 as a graduate assistant and moved to the Chiefs a year later, initially as a scouting assistant. He worked his way up in the coming decade to the following positions:

• 2010-15: College scouting coordinator
• 2016-18: Director of college scouting
• 2019-20: Assistant director of player personnel
• 2021: Executive director of player personnel

He replaced Ryan Pace as the Bears’ general manager in January 2022.