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Following the most successful season in Minnesota United FC's brief MLS history, there's hope that 2020 can be even better. United starts down that journey on Sunday against the Portland Timbers in the raucous environment of Providence Park. In its third season of 2019, Minnesota set MLS-club records with 15 victories and 53 points to finish fourth in the Western Conference and make the franchise's first playoff appearance. A major reason for that success was the fact it conceded just 43 goals after giving up 141 in the first two seasons. Practically all of Minnesota's key defensive options are back, highlighted by MLS Defender of the Year Ike Opara and veteran defensive midfielder Osvaldo Alonso. Tyler Miller comes over from Los Angeles FC to man the net in place of Vito Mannone. Up front, newcomer Luis Amarilla was an offensive force in Paraguay, and is brought in with the intent to mesh with Ethan Finlay and Mason Toye, who combined for 13 league goals in 2019.

After raising their latest MLS championship banner, it's time for the Seattle Sounders to move on. And, they might have the means to motivate them toward another title run in 2020. It should be an even more spirited atmosphere than usual at CenturyLink Field on Sunday when the Sounder open the season against new-look Chicago Fire FC. The Sounders and their supporters have waited plenty long to celebrate their second league title in four seasons one last time. Seattle won their final six games, including the playoffs, capped with a 3-1 victory over Toronto FC in the MLS Cup final. The club is essentially the same from last season with the likes of Raul Ruidiaz (15 goals over all 2019 competitions), Jordan Morris (13 goals), midfielder Cristian Roldan and Kelvin Leerdam on the back-end leading the way. Colombian defender Yeimar Gomez Andrade also is a nice addition to a club that could very well start slow, but once again rise to the occasion when it counts. Being stunningly kno

Will this be the year Orlando City finally makes the playoffs? The club brought in MLS veteran boss Oscar Pareja to make sure it happens. Pareja and Orlando begin that quest Saturday against a visiting Real Salt Lake squad looking to build on last season's strong effort. After five seasons in MLS, Orlando is still without a playoff appearance, and perhaps more concerning, seems to have regressed from its early years of finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Eastern Conference over the first two seasons. Since, City has finished no better than 10th, and 11th each of the last two years. After recording just 28 points in 2018, Orlando improved by nine points last year, but struggled to consistently score while posting 44 goals. Enter Pareja, who guided FC Dallas to a Supporters' Shield and U.S. Open Cup title in 2016. "We're excited to get going," midfielder Chris Mueller, who had five assists last season, told Orlando's official website. "W

Following the most successful regular season in club history, the Philadelphia Union are poised to be even better in 2020. With expectations high, the Union are likely in store for a stiff opening test on Saturday against host FC Dallas, which looks to do more than squeak into the playoffs this season. In its celebratory 10th MLS season, Philadelphia set a club record with 16 wins and 55 points. The Union finished third in the Eastern Conference, but actually led the East for a good portion of the campaign. They also won their first playoff game before falling to Atlanta United FC. All that is still worthy of praise, but it also raised the bar for what the Union are potentially capable of accomplishing going forward. "We have to rely on each other and we believe in the cohesiveness of the group, and that our 11 together can beat any group of superstars, or whatever you like to call them," coach Jim Curtain told the Union's official website."We are a true team in

Out to regroup from a disheartening loss, Chelsea attempt to strengthen their top-four position Saturday when they face relegation-threatened Bournemouth at Dean Court. The scope of the rebuild under first-year coach Frank Lampard took on a different perspective Tuesday at home in the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie versus German powerhouse Bayern Munich. Outclassed and outfoxed by Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski, it all went pear-shaped for the Pensioners (13-5-9) in a 25-minute span of the second half in a 3-0 defeat. Lewandowski set up a pair of goals by Serge Gnabry shortly after the restart and then provided the gloss on the scoreline with his 39th goal in all competitions in the 76th minute. While Lewandowski is expected to miss the second leg in Munich on March 18 due to injury, Chelsea will play that match without defender Marcos Alonso, who was sent off late, and midfielder Jorginho, whose yellow card for dissent ruled him out of that contest. "I

Burnley's most productive run of the season has them residing within the top-half of the Premier League table. The visiting Clarets look to remain there, and possibly move up the table, when they try to do the double over offensively-challenged Newcastle United on Saturday. From Dec. 26-Jan. 11, Burnley (11-4-12) scored one goal whilst conceding eight during a four-game Premier League losing streak. Since then within the league, they've outscored their opponents 9-2 during a 4-1-0 stretch. Their most resounding result of that span came with last weekend's 3-0 home win over Bournemouth. With star Chris Wood nursing an injury, Matej Vydra scored in his second straight contest and Dwight McNeil added a goal with an assist as the Clarets won their second consecutive match to sit 10th in the table. "The main job for us is to stay in the Premier League, and then you never know what could happen," McNeil told Burnley's official website. The good times kept comi

Sporting Kansas City is hoping its massively disappointing 2019 season was nothing more than a fluke. Aiming for a serious bounce-back in 2020, visiting Kansas City opens play on Saturday night against the overhauled Vancouver Whitecaps. In 2018, Sporting Kansas City finished atop the Western Conference with 62 points and reached the semifinals. However, a rash of injuries and an overwhelming amount of frustration led to SKC finishing second-to-last in the West with just 38 points to see its eight-year playoff run come to an end. "The pride was wounded a little bit," coach Peter Vermes told Sports Radio 810 about last season. "The question is how do you react to that? So far, the reaction has been very good." That remains to be seen if things stay that way on the pitch. Vermes, though, thinks new additions like Mexican striker Alan Pulido - a former Liga MX Golden Boot winner - and returning veterans such as Felipe Gutierrez (12 goals in 2019) and Johnny Russel

As the 25th MLS season kicks off, D.C. United hopes those still with the team will make their supporters forget about who are not. United looks to get off to a strong start Saturday, when they host a confident Colorado Rapids side looking to avoid the same disastrous beginning they endured last season. As D.C. United prepares to start a new season, it has said goodbye to former stalwarts Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta. United, fortunately, must also deal with a knee injury to Paul Arriola that could see the talented midfielder miss the entire season. The good news for United, which finished a disappointing fifth in the Eastern Conference last season after entering 2019 as one of the title favorites, is that those new to fold have the potential to make an immediate impact. Julian Gressel scored a career-high eight goals for Atlanta United FC in 2019 and midfielder Edison Flores was paid handsomely to come over from Liga MX. "We're looking forward to it," coach Ben Ol

Nashville SC may be a newcomer, but it does not lack for regional rivals. Music City make their MLS debut Saturday night versus Atlanta United. Saturday night marks the end of a process that formally began in January 2017 when the city supported bringing Major League Soccer to Nashville. Two months later John Ingram bought a majority stake in DMD Soccer, which is the ownership group of Nashville SC. The Wilfs, who own the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL but had their bid to own an MLS team rebuffed as Minnesota United came into existence, joined the ownership group that summer. The group was awarded an expansion franchise in December 2017, named Mike Jacobs general manager in October 2018, and announced it would go by Nashville SC - which was in use by the USL club. Music City will play their first two seasons at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans, before moving into a soccer-specific stadium at the Nashville Fairgrounds in 2022 after reaching an agreement with the city to fu

After coming up just short in a bid to reach the playoffs last year, the San Jose Earthquakes are gambling that a largely unchanged side will get the job done this time as they open the season Saturday at home versus Toronto FC. The Earthquakes (13-16-5) finished four points out of the final postseason spot in the Western Conference in 2019 as they came completely undone down the stretch with a season-ending six-match losing streak in which they were outscored 12-4 and failed to score more than one goal in any defeat. General manager Jesse Fioranelli, though, has opted to stay the course with manager Matias Almeyda, who was rumored to be considered for the Monterrey job during that late stretch. The returning players comprise 90 percent of the minutes played last year for San Jose, the highest percentage in the league. "The most challenging goal, which is to be competitive," Almeyda said when asked about his team's goals in his second season. "By being a competit

Whilst frustration might be at an all-time high for West Ham United this season, they are doing their best to remain positive with the belief times will get better before it's really too late. Sitting atop the Premier League relegation zone and winless since New Year's Day, West Ham again try to taste victory and do the double over Southampton, one of the few teams they've actually beat this term, on Saturday at London Stadium. One of the most storied teams in all of English football, West Ham (6-6-15) have been living with the reality of relegation for some time now. They've conceded 16 goals during an 0-2-5 rut since beating Bournemouth 4-0 on Jan. 1. The Hammers gave a spirited effort and led 2-1 at Anfield over runaway leaders Liverpool well over the hour mark before the Reds' big guns of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane scored to pull out a 3-2 victory for the hosts. Whilst the result moved Liverpool further toward their first Premier League title, it left West Ham

After arguably the biggest threat to their unbeaten Premier League season, Liverpool look to right themselves and continue chasing history Saturday when they face relegation-threatened Watford at Vicarage Road in search of a record-setting 19th consecutive victory. Perhaps it was the hangover from their midweek Champions League loss at Atletico Madrid, perhaps the pressure from trying to join Arsenal and Preston North End as the only unbeaten top-flight sides in English football history, but Monday's match against West Ham was one of the few times this season Liverpool (26-1-0) were involved in a slog. The Merseysiders rallied for a 3-2 victory on second-half goals by Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, with right back Trent Alexander-Arnold playing a key role in the fightback with assists on Giorginio Wijnaldum's first-half goal and Mane's match-winner on 80 minutes. The 21-year-old has 12 assists - second only to Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne in the Premier League -

Whilst Crystal Palace managed to end their lengthy Premier League winless spell last week, Brighton & Hove Albion are still stuck in one of their own. Palace can win consecutive league games for the first time in almost three months by extending the Seagulls' top-flight winless stretch to eight matches on Saturday at the Amex. There was a much-needed sigh of relief when time went full on Crystal Palace's 1-0 home victory over Newcastle United last Saturday. Patrick van Aanholt's goal at the end of the first half was enough for the Eagles (8-9-10) to snap a three-game losing streak and end their 0-4-3 league rut. The result left Palace with a club-record 33 points through 27 Premier League matches, and 13th in the table. The triumph should also give them some momentum to look ahead confidently whilst trying to win back-to-back top-flight matches for the first time since Nov. 30 and Dec. 3. "Look at what's in front of you and look at what you can get to,&quo

The New Orleans Pelicans' playoff push is off to a good start. The Pelicans won two of three on a road trip to start their post-All-Star break schedule and moved closer to the eighth playoff position in the Western Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers aren't going to the playoffs, but they have been playing well of late, too. They have won four of five as they prepare to visit New Orleans on Friday. The Pelicans have won five of their past seven games overall. They beat Portland and Golden State before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 118-109 in the final game of their road trip on Tuesday. Rookie Zion Williamson had 29 points and six rebounds, his ninth consecutive game with at least 20 points. All-Star forward Brandon Ingram had 34 points. It was the first time Ingram and Williamson, who has played just 13 games, both had at least 25 points in the same game. "I think it was only a matter of time," Williamson said. "Eleven, 12, 13 games in, the chemistry wa

The image was displayed during the club's home leg of the Concacaf Champions League. LAFC fans paid tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant on Thursday by unveiling a tifo with both of their faces on it. The image was displayed during the club's home leg, and second leg overall, against Club Léon in the last-16 of the Concacaf Champions League. Since Kobe, Gianna and seven others died in a tragic helicopter crash on Jan. 26 , tributes have come in all different forms from those within the sports world. Buy SI's Special Kobe Bryant Tribute Issue Among other recent gestures include a  special one-race-only No. 24 Chevrolet car featuring a purple-and-gold paint scheme  that is running this Sunday in the Auto Club 400 in Southern California. On Monday, Staples Center hosted a public memorial for the Bryants.  Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Sabrina Ionescu and Diana Taurasi were just some of the people who spoke about what both Kobe and Gianna meant to them. LAFC

Just one win could be the difference in restoring Cory Schneider's confidence for the New Jersey Devils. It isn't worth a red cent when looking at the Devils' chances at making the playoffs, but it's a boost for the 33-year-old goaltender nonetheless. The Devils continue their five-game road trip with a Thursday game against the San Jose Sharks. Schneider made 27 saves in the Devils' 4-1 road win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday after spending most of the NHL season with the club's AHL affiliate in Binghamton, N.Y. Schneider, a one-time All-Star, was recalled last week, and with Louis Domingue traded to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, he could start to see increased playing time. "It's a sense of relief a little bit," Schneider said of his first win of the season Tuesday after his 0-6-1 start. "It's just one game, so obviously I'd like to have had a lot more here." Schneider still figures to back up goalie Mackenzie B

Nebraska's downward spiral has reached an historic low, but the Cornhuskers can restore some dignity if they can pull off the Big Ten Conference upset of visiting No. 23 Ohio State on Thursday. A 71-59 defeat at Illinois on Monday not only extended Nebraska's losing streak to 12 games but marked the first time in the 123-year history of the program that the Huskers have lost 20 games in a season (7-20, 2-14 Big Ten). It came with four regular-season games left to play. "I'm proud of the guys for continuing to come out every time we step on the floor and battle," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. "When you go on a streak like we're on right now, the easy thing to do is shut down. But our guys continue to come in and work and try to get things corrected. "That's what it's all about, to try and create some habits and hopefully get a little momentum going into next year with the way that we're playing with effort." The Buckeyes (18-

The Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators are in similar situations. They're battling for wild-card playoff berths in the Western Conference and incorporating different players into their lineup -- both old and new. That's paying off for both teams entering Thursday night's matchup in Nashville. As for the new, the Flames welcomed defensemen Erik Gustafsson and Derek Forbort, acquired at Monday's trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings, respectively. Gustafsson had an assist Tuesday in a 5-2 victory at the Boston Bruins. "I liked them. It takes a little while obviously for them to get used to not only each other but to their new teammates, systems and stuff," Flames coach Geoff Ward said. "But I thought they played well. I like the fact that they got better as the game went on. I think both guys played to their strengths." Mikael Backlund had two goals and an assist, Sean Monahan scored twice, and goaltender David Ritt

The St. Louis Blues will try to build on their five-game winning streak when they play host to the New York Islanders Thursday night. After allowing just two goals in their previous four victories, the Blues had to rally from 3-1 and 5-4 deficits to defeat the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 6-5 at home Tuesday night. "You've got to win games a lot of different ways throughout the season and this is one of them," Blues coach Craig Berube said afterward. "Crazy game," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "Obviously not our style of play. We have to tighten it up a little bit but happy we got the two points. A lot of run-and-gun, a lot of transition chances, and it's not our game, but we're happy we got the two points." The Islanders have hit a rough patch, going 2-4-1 in their last seven games. Since winning 4-3 in overtime Jan. 7 at New Jersey, they are just 8-8-4. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello explored multiple trades before the deadl

Punter Michael Turk's combine bench press totals were better than multiple offense linemen at the NFL 2020 combine. Former Arizona State punter Michael Turk might only weigh 226 pounds, but he was able to set a modern punter record with 25 reps during the NFL combine's 225-pound bench press.  Turk's performance on Thursday was the most by a punter since 2003, per NFL Research.  It was also better than more than a dozen offensive linemen at the 2020 combine and better than all but one tight end who took part in the event on Thursday. Historically, Turk's total is also greater than what Jadeveon Clowney, Frank Clark and DeMarcus Lawrence recorded during their recent combine appearances. The Sun Devils punter joined ASU after transferring from Lafayette. Last season he averaged 46.0 yards per punt on 59 punts, which ranked 11th in the FBS and led the Pac-12. Turk's uncle, Matt, was an NFL punter for 17 seasons with the Texans, Redskins, Dolphins, Jaguars, Jets an

Thaddeus Moss, the son of Randy Moss, will need surgery after discovering a broken bone in his foot. Former LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss's medical exam at the 2020 NFL combine revealed the tight end had a fracture in his right foot that will require surgery,  according to ESPN's Jeff Legwold.  Moss, son of legendary NFL WR Randy Moss, went through the NFL combine's medical examination on Tuesday where doctors discovered he had a fracture to his fifth metatarsal bone. The recovery time for the expected procedure usually lasts between six to eight weeks, meaning Moss should be ready for the start of his rookie season. The former Tiger is the No. 7 overall TE on Sports Illustrated 's Kevin Hanson's latest Big Board . Moss started his NCAA career at NC State where he had just six receptions for 49 yards as a freshman in 2016. He then sat out 2017 due to transfer rules and missed the 2018 season due after needing multiples surgeries to repair a fracture in his lef

The Indiana Pacers answered their worst loss in 33 years with their largest margin of victory of the season. Now the Pacers aim to record their fourth win in five outings and snap a five-game losing skid in the series with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday when the clubs meet in Indianapolis. All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis helped Indiana recover following a 127-81 shellacking at Toronto on Sunday, recording 21 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists two nights later in a 119-80 romp over Charlotte. "From the first possession, we just made them feel us (defensively)," Sabonis said via FOX Sports Indiana. "We were on every catch pursuing them and that kind of set the tone for everybody else then the second unit followed. It just went smoothly." Sabonis, whose father Arvydas played for the Trail Blazers, registered his second career triple-double with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in the Pacers' 139-129 setback in Portland on Jan. 26. The younger

The Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to bolster their position in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. The Sacramento Kings have been doing their best to get back into the playoff mix. On Thursday night, the two meet in Oklahoma City trying to continue their upward trajectories. The Thunder have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the last month-plus, winning 13 of their last 16 games. Oklahoma City comes into Thursday's game having won four consecutive, including all three after the All-Star break. Sacramento comes in on a hot streak of its own, having won three consecutive games and six of its last eight. The Kings have started their four-game road trip - in a span where they'll play six of seven away from Sacramento - with back-to-back wins. Oklahoma City hasn't made it easy on themselves but keeps figuring out ways to win, including in Tuesday night's victory in Chicago. The Thunder led that game by as many as 24 points, but that lead w

Some of the top competitors at the Olympics Marathon trials are not yet concerned about a possible Summer Games cancellation due to the coronavirus. ATLANTA – Nothing is guaranteed with the marathon. You can train for months to be dealt with bad weather or an injury on race day. Although Saturday’s U.S. Olympic marathon trials determine the six Olympians to compete in Tokyo this summer, what if that next race never happens? The coronavirus has ravaged China and spread to at least 47 countries to infect more than 80,000 people globally and killed over 2,700. The Olympics, which hosts more than 10,000 athletes and thousands of spectators and media members, are set to begin on July 24. Tokyo organizers and members of the International Olympic Committee remain confident that the show will go on “as planned.” Senior IOC member Dick Pound cast doubt on postponing, cancelling or moving the Olympics when he told the Associated Press that the fate of the Olympics should be determined by M

Entering a stretch in which they play five of seven games away from Xcel Energy Center, the Minnesota Wild know they'll need to improve on the road to continue their playoff push. A visit to the league's worst team should help that cause. Minnesota, which has the 11th-best record in the Western Conference, has won three of its last four games. The Wild play the first contest of a back-to-back at Detroit on Thursday before visiting Columbus the following night. The Wild have won 12 road games, tied for second-fewest in the conference. Team captain Mikko Koivu notched his first two-goal performance in three years on Tuesday as the Wild skated to a 5-4 victory over the Blue Jackets. "It's rewarding if we make the playoffs. If we don't, I don't think anyone will remember if I had two goals or not," Koivu told reporters. "With one game, if you can help the team to get the win, for sure, it's a good feeling. That's about it, then I'd move

The Boston Bruins look to snap out of their first regulation losing streak in over two months when they host the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. The Bruins dropped their second straight regulation setback on Tuesday with a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. The defeat snapped a seven-game home winning streak and gave Boston its first run of regulation losses since Dec. 7-12. The Stars have won seven of their last nine (7-1-1) and six of their last eight road games (6-0-2). Dallas kicked off a three-game trip with a 4-1 victory at the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Thursday's meeting marks the conclusion of the regular-season series for the Bruins and Stars. The clubs opened the season against each other on Oct. 3 in Dallas, with Boston eking out a 2-1 victory behind 28 saves from goaltender Tuukka Rask. The Stars have come a long way since then, putting a 1-7-1 start behind them to trail only the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference standings. Dallas elected to stand pat a

After opening a four-game trip on a positive note, the Vancouver Canucks look to continue their recent run of overall success. The Canucks aim for a third consecutive victory while trying to hand the host Ottawa Senators a fifth straight loss on Thursday night. In the mix for the Pacific Division title, Vancouver is playing like a squad poised to end a four-year playoff drought. The Canucks showed their mettle by overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to win 4-3 in overtime at Montreal on Tuesday. Tyler Toffoli scored his third goal in three games with the Canucks at 1:35 into overtime against the Canadiens to end a three-game road skid and get a key eastern stretch off on the right foot. Vancouver also scored twice on the power-play to increase its total to 53 such goals on the season -- among the most in the league. "We pulled together as a group and just kind of chipped away," Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko, who made 37 saves Tuesday, told NHL.com. "A good way to start

Scott Drew took over Baylor after the darkest scandal in college basketball history. Here's how Drew turned the Bears into one of the year's best teams. WACO, Texas — Scott Drew doesn’t want to be doing this. He’d rather not have a sitdown interview in his office right now, less than an hour after his Baylor basketball team’s first loss in 105 days , in the biggest home game in program history. The timing is all wrong. On the table in front of him is the box score from Kansas 64, Baylor 61. There are a few handwritten notes on the paper, the feedback from a quick postgame meeting with his staff. Drew is still wearing his gray suit from the game, tie still cinched tight around his neck, missed free throws and Jayhawks lob dunks still crowding his brain. He hasn’t let go, and he won’t let go until he’s watched the video at least once, at home, alone, examining the errors that left No. 1 Baylor three points in arrears of No. 3 Kansas. That’s what he’d rather be doing right now