PHOENIX — Phoenix Rising continues its USL Jägermeister Cup competition, facing off against New Mexico United on May 31.
Rising Preview
Rising lost its first match in the tournament against San Antonio FC on April 26, 1-0. Phoenix ranks sixth in Group Two and hopes to change that around against New Mexico.
Phoenix has won three matches in a row in regular-season competition, with its third win coming off the Las Vegas Lights FC on May 28, 1-0. One of those three wins was against New Mexico on May 10, 2-1.
New Mexico Preview
New Mexico won its first match in the Jägermeister Cup, defeating Union Omaha on April 27, 2-0. It ranks first in Group Two with three points.
After its defeat against Rising, New Mexico has won back-to-back games without allowing the other team to score in both. It defeated Orange County FC on May 17, 3-0, and the Oakland Roots FC on May 24, 3-0.
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#TodosRojos | #USLJägermeisterCup pic.twitter.com/XtsCP3oTyl
— Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) April 27, 2025
Phoenix and New Mexico go head-to-head again on May 31 at 7:30 p.m.
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Chelsea’s new ownership have focused on buying young players, and the figures from this summer show just how strong that commitment remains. According to TransferMarkt, 4 of the top 20 most valuable under 21 transfers of the summer were to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s young Brazilian ready to take the league by storm Top of the list at €60m is Estevao Willian. The Brazilian sensation signed over a year ago, and we’ve been waiting patiently to see him in action. It’s been a while since we were so excited to see an attacking player debut at Chelsea – you might have to go back all the way to Eden Hazard in 2012. Estevao is due to report for training at Cobham tomorrow. Amusingly, joint top with Estevao is Dean Huijsen. He was actually the first target Chelsea chased this summer, making serious moves to bring in the Bournemouth centre back before Real Madrid swooped in to pay his release clause and leave us in the dust. The rest of the Blues’ impressive imports Next comes Jamie Gittens at €50m, another thrilling one on one winger who we can’t wait to see taking on Premier League defenders after coming in from Dortmund. Further down the list we have Dario Essugo, who looks a smart pickup at €20m from Sporting. The tenacious ball winner will be supporting Moises Caicedo as a much needed defensive-minded body in midfield. He is being overshadowed a little by more glamorous attacking names, but don’t sleep on the Portugal international. Finally, also at €20m we have Mamadou Sarr. The defender has signed for the Blues from their sister club Strasbourg and then been loaned back. We won’t see him in action for us for a year at least, but we’re excited to see him continue his development.
Giving Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro an opportunity to lead the Miami Heat appears the most likely outcome for the 2025-2026 season. However, the right opportunity arising at February's trade deadline could always shift an organization's plans. The Los Angeles Clippers have the league's oldest roster, led by Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, and more, so there's no telling how much next year will play out for them. It's possible all of the veteran stars thrive together, or the Clippers could fall completely out of title contention due to injuries and inconsistency. If the latter takes place, PFSN predicts the Heat could swoop in and acquire Leonard in a win-now blockbuster trade. The six-time All-Star has two seasons remaining on his three-year, $153 million contract, which is ideal for Miami's front office. It would give the Heat a few seasons to contend with a trio of Herro, Adebayo, and Leonard before money comes off the books for what is projected to be a loaded 2027 free agency class. Los Angeles trading Leonard would signal a rebuild is on the horizon, so the likes of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, and draft capital could play a part in this scenario. One obstacle to this deal occurring is the Heat are often stubborn about how many assets are given up, so it's much more likely Leonard finishes out his rollercoaster career in L.A. or elsewhere. Miami Heat Moderately Rated In ESPN's Latest Free Agency Power Rankings Miami Heat Star Viewed As Biggest Building Block For Future
It's been a lucrative weekend for some of the NFL's defensive tackles. Just one day after the Denver Broncos locked in Zach Allen on a long-term deal, the Miami Dolphins did the same with another Zach — Zach Sieler — and signed him to a three-year, $67 million extension that will now make him the highest-paid defensive player on the Dolphins roster. The Dolphins defense took a big step forward in 2024 and climbed to the top 10 in points allowed and the top four in yards allowed. They still struggled against some of the NFL's better teams, but it was a better unit overall and Sieler was a big part of that. He's been a full-time starter the past three seasons and is coming off back-to-back 10-sack campaigns for the Dolphins. He is going to turn 30 just after Week 1 of the season, but his game should age well throughout the contract extension. It was a quiet free agent signing period for the Dolphins defense, mainly focusing on depth additions, but they did make one blockbuster trade by sending Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Minkah Fitzpatrick. They also addressed the defensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft in a big way by selecting defensive lineman with two of their first three picks. That included first-round pick Kenneth Grant out of Michigan and fifth-round pick Jordan Phillips out of Maryland.
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