Team Liquid beat Tundra Esports 2-1 on Thursday to advance to the upper-bracket semifinals at the PGL Wallachia Season 4 event in Bucharest, Romania.
Liquid opened the double-elimination playoffs by sandwiching a 37-minute win on red and a 42-minute victory on green around Tundra's 58-minute win on red.
Liquid moved on to face Team Spirit, who swept NAVI Junior with a 39-minute win on red and a 31-minute victory on green.
PARIVISION and Aurora Gaming both swept their way into the other semifinal. PARIVISION had 41- and 26-minute wins on green against Team Tidebound, while Aurora capped the day with a 58-minute win on red and a 32-minute victory on green against BetBoom Team.
Sixteen teams started the $1 million Dota 2 tournament, with the top eight qualifying for the playoffs. All remaining matches are best-of-three until Sunday's best-of-five grand final, where the winners will take home $300,000.
Friday's playoff schedule:
--Tundra Esports vs. NAVI Junior (lower bracket Round 1)
--Team Tidebound vs. BetBoom Team (lower bracket Round 1)
--Team Liquid vs. Team Spirit (upper-bracket semifinal)
--PARIVISION vs. Aurora Gaming (upper-bracket semifinal)
Dota PGL Wallachia Season 4 prize pool
1. $300,000
2. $175,000
3. $120,000
4. $80,000
5-6. $60,000
7-8. $40,000
9-11. $20,000 -- Team Falcons, Xtreme Gaming, HEROIC
12-14. $15,000 -- Shopify Rebellion, Edge, Nigma Galaxy
15-16. $10,000 -- AVULUS, Talon Esports
More must-reads:
More than a month ago, the nation's No. 2 EDGE Richard Wesley announced his commitment to the Texas Longhorns after decomitting from Oregon in May. Now, according to Inside Texas, Wesley has officially shut down his recruitment. “Recruitment is done. I know where I’m going. Go Longhorns," Wesley said, according to On3's Hayes Fawcett. A Timeline of Wesleys Commitment to Texas Oregon had pursued Wesley for a long time, offering the five-star prospect back in May 2024. Texas' offer came months later when the Longhorns extended its invitation for Wesley to play on the Forty Acres in January 2025. Nearly a year after the Ducks offered, Wesley would commit to Oregon, making his official commitment day on May 10, 2025. The success of claiming a top prospect was short-lived for Oregon, as Wesley announced his decommitment from the team a few weeks later, on May 27. Fast forward another month, and Wesley would take a visit to the Longhorns in Austin, his first official and second visit overall. Wesley must've liked what he had seen in the Forty Acres, because a few days later, he announced his commitment to Texas. Now it seems Wesley is content with his decision, officially closing his recruitment. Measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Wesley should be a difference maker for Texas on the defensive end once he enrolls at Texas. A MaxPreps sophomore All-American, Wesley recorded 44 total tackles, nine sacks, eight QB hurries and three forced fumbles in his junior season at Sierra Canyon in California. The five-star EDGE ranks in at No. 2 at his position and the No. 1 overall player in California, according to 247Sports. With his commitment, Wesley was the first of a string of five-stars to commit to Texas this summer. Other five-star recruits for the Longhorns committing in the past month include running back Derrek Cooper, linebacker Tyler Atkinson and defensive lineman James "JJ" Johnson. Texas will also be the destination of five-star quarterback Dia Bell, who announced his commitment to Texas in June 2024. Thanks to commitments such as Wesley's and the other aforementioned five-stars, Texas now sits at No. 6 in 247Sports' team recruiting rankings for the class of 2026. Currently, there are 21 commits overall for the 2026 class. If Texas recruiting maintains the pace it has set over the past month, then there is no reason to not believe that the teams ranking will continue to climb.
The Cleveland Guardians got some bad news on top prospect Chase DeLauter Wednesday, as he is set to miss much of the rest of the season with injury. Per Zack Meisel of 'The Athletic:' Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter underwent surgery today for a fractured hamate bone in his right hand/wrist. He’s expected to miss 6-8 weeks. DeLauter, 23, was a first-round pick of the Guardians in 2022 out of James Madison. He had been expected to make his debut this season, but it's unclear if that's possible now. He's hitting .264 this season in 42 games, having already dealt with an injury prior. He has seven total home runs and 24 RBIs. An outfielder, he is the No. 31 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. The following comes from a portion of his prospect profile: Few players in the Minors can match DeLauter's combination of size (6-foot-3, 235 pounds), athleticism, ability to hit for both average and power, and plate discipline. He rarely strays from the strike zone and makes repeated hard contact against all types of pitches. He has an unorthodox left-handed swing that can get long and he'll get caught on his front foot at times, but his bat speed and strength allow him to pull pitches for power and drive them the other way with authority. The Guardians enter play on Wednesday at 50-50 through 100 games. After winning the American League Central last season, they are 2.5 games back of the third and final wild card spot in the AL. They'll take on the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. Related MLB Stories DOMINANT OUTING: Cristopher Sanchez threw a complete-game against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, making rare history among Phillies lefties. CLICK HERE: 20/30 ONCE AGAIN: Jose Ramirez just keeps doing things that no player in Cleveland history has ever done. CLICK HERE: TURNING DOWN AN OFFER: According to reports, D-backs star Corbin Carroll will not play for Taiwan at the World Baseball Classic. CLICK HERE:
The Green Bay Packers started training camp Wednesday, and on at least one rep, the kickoff went to an unexpected returner: tight end Tucker Kraft. Whether or not they plan to seriously evaluate him as an option, it’s a development that caught the eye of reporter Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. Green Bay Packers shake it up to kick off camp with Kraft, Melton updates Earlier this afternoon, Scheidman shared his observation to the bewilderment of fans on social media. Until further notice, it seems safest to assume that the guys are just having fun. Kraft lacks a kick returner’s build and sprint speed, but at 6-foot-5 and 259 pounds, he’s been dubbed a “human monster truck” for his ability to absorb contact and break tackles after the catch. Most likely, that’s not a skilll that would translate from Kraft’s capacity as a passcatcher to a receiver of kicks. There’s a reason teams rarely plug tight ends in that role. One notable exception is New Orleans’ do-everything weapon Taysom Hill, who also plays quarterback and frequently runs the ball. He’s also returned 20 kickoffs in his career, but only six since his rookie year in 2018. Last season, the Packers relied on cornerback Keisean Nixon for most kickoff opportunities. Wide receiver Jayden Reed was the main man on punts, returning 14 times for 110 yards. Nixon amassed 576 yards between both return types. Schneidman’s Kraft news comes alongside Bo Melton’s more surprising, now-official position switch from receiver to cornerback. Fans aren’t sure what to think. Most aren’t taking Kraft’s rumble too seriously. At South Dakota State, Kraft returned two kickoffs for 34 yards. He has not run back an NFL kick. The former third-round pick enjoyed a highly successful second season: 50 catches, 707 yards, and seven touchdowns. Seeing Kraft tuck it and truck should be a common sight in 2025, just not, most likely, as a returner.
On Tuesday, the Chicago Bears announced they were signing veteran cornerback Tre Flowers ahead of their first day of practice for training camp. On Wednesday, the Bears announced they were parting ways with a veteran cornerback following Wednesday’s practice at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois. Per a post on X by the Bears, the team released cornerback Tarvarius Moore. Chicago extended Moore’s contract in March. He’s appeared in 72 games and started in 13 games. The San Francisco 49ers selected the Southern Miss standout in the third round of the 2018 draft. He played with the 49ers through 2022 before spending time with the Green Bay Packers in 2023. Tarvarius Moore played 11 games for the Chicago Bears Moore appeared in 11 games for the Bears in 2024. He was used primarily as a special teams player for Chicago and made seven tackles for the unit last season. Moore, 28, has recorded 115 tackles, one tackle for loss, six passes defensed, and two forced fumbles in his career. He had a notable moment in Super Bowl LIV when he picked off Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Following the release of Moore, the Bears have eight cornerbacks on the 91-man roster: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Zah Frazier, Josh Blackwell, Nahshon Wright, Nick McCloud, Shaun Wade, and Flowers.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!