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A bodyguard for Lionel Messi said he has been barred from protecting the Inter Miami star during MLS matches.
"They don't allow me to be on the field anymore," said Yassine Cheuko, who has been working with Messi since the Argentine forward joined the league in 2023, in a recent interview with the YouTube channel "House of Highlights."
Fans had grown accustomed to seeing Cheuko, a former Navy SEAL, patrolling the sidelines during Messi's games in order to help protect the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner from pitch invaders.
Cheuko confirmed that MLS and CONCACAF officials decided to take full control of their gameday security, which he suggested has not been sufficient.
"I was in Europe for seven years, working for Ligue 1 and the Champions League, and only six people invaded the pitch. I came to the USA and in just 20 months, 16 people have already done so.
"There's a huge problem here. I'm not the problem. Let me help Messi."
Cheuko said he will continue to work on Messi's personal security team outside of the stadiums.
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- Los Angeles FC's shrewd transfer moves could make it a contender for MLS trophies
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Report: Clubs scrambling for Tottenham sensation who has wowed Thomas Frank during pre-season
Alexander Isak Will Make Liverpool Premier League Champions Again
Alexander Isak has become one of Europe’s most feared center-forwards, and now, at 25, the Swedish striker could be the final piece in Liverpool’s Premier League title puzzle. After a sensational season in black and white where he scored 27 goals, bringing his total tally for Newcastle to 62 in just 109 appearances, Isak’s future suddenly hangs in the balance. Liverpool, sensing the perfect opportunity, is ready to pounce. Despite already securing Hugo Ekitike for a reported fee of £79 million earlier this summer, Liverpool does not seem satisfied. The club has its eyes firmly set on bigger ambitions, and sources close to the situation suggest that talks are underway for a big move to bring Isak to Anfield. The numbers floating around are a staggering £120–150 million, an offer that would smash British transfer records and signal Liverpool’s huge ambition, which they’ve never shown in the transfer market. The Response Thus Far On Tyneside, the reaction has been one of quiet anxiety. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has kept his cards close to his chest. Speaking recently, he confirmed that no new contract talks are taking place, and that Isak’s future, while private, is “not entirely in our hands.” It is the first public sign that the club is preparing for a possible exit. Howe’s tone was respectful, even admiring, and acknowledging how influential the Swedish man has been to the team, not just on the pitch but in the dressing room. Still, there was some tension, and perhaps for good reason. Reports say Isak has made it clear to the Newcastle board that he wants to keep his options open this summer. One of those options was a massive offer from Saudi Arabia, with Al Hilal reportedly putting forward an eye-watering wage package worth £700,000 per week, and stacked with bonuses. His answer was a firm no. His dream isn’t about money. It’s about legacy, and that legacy, in his eyes, belongs in European football. Specifically, in the red half of Merseyside. Why Isak Could Fire Liverpool Back To the Top If this deal goes through, Liverpool will be landing more than just another striker. Isak brings something different. He is built for the modern game with his 6’4” frame, deceptive pace, intelligent runs, and elite finishing. Not only does he score, but he also creates space, links play, and presses very high. He thrives in fluid, aggressive, and ambitious systems, which is everything Arne Slot wants from his front line. Liverpool’s summer spending has already crossed the £300 million mark, but adding Isak would be the jewel in their crown. Pairing him with Salah, Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, and possibly Luis Diaz would create one of Europe’s most dangerous attacking forces. This wouldn’t just be a signing for the headlines but a signing to retain the league title they won at Anfield. Isak wouldn’t just boost Liverpool’s title chances; he’d cement their chances of being champions for the 21st time. With such depth in attack and quality, one cannot deny that Liverpool Football Club would rule England for a while. Newcastle’s Impossible Choice From Newcastle’s point of view, this is brutal. Publicly, they are saying Isak is not for sale. Privately, though, there’s acceptance that they might not be able to hold onto him. The £150 million valuation placed on Isak isn’t just a negotiating tactic; it reflects how central he is to the club’s project. Talks over a new deal have stalled, with Isak reportedly rejecting a £200,000 per week offer and demanding closer to £300,000. That would smash Newcastle’s current wage ceiling. That tension has left the club vulnerable, especially with other striker targets slipping through their fingers. Liverpool snapped up Ekitike. João Pedro didn’t happen. Yoane Wissa’s name was mentioned, but that seems to be at a standstill, too. Newcastle may not want to sell, but if the player wants to leave and the right offer lands on the table, they might have no choice. Letting him go would allow them to reinvest, perhaps in someone like Benjamin Šeško or another long-term target. Still, it would also be a huge blow, especially after their Carabao Cup triumph over Liverpool earlier this year, a match in which Isak scored the winner. Also, do not forget the Champions League qualification. There are also whispers that Isak is training away from the first-team squad due to a minor thigh injury, though many suspect this might be the calm before the storm, a pause while the clubs negotiate behind the scenes. Final Thoughts As things stand, Liverpool is the only club in serious talks, and Isak seems to be all in. With contract frustrations, rejected Saudi millions, and Liverpool’s clear desire, imagining the Swedish striker still in black and white next season is becoming increasingly complex. Alexander Isak has the talent, mentality, and ambition to make them Premier League champions again, and he knows it.
Spurs Star De’Aaron Fox Makes Major Offseason Announcement
SAN ANTONIO — De'Aaron Fox was supposed to take a tour of Asia a la Victor Wembanyama this summer, only his came with company. On July 8, Curry Brand announced its 2025 Curry Brand World Tour, set to feature both the San Antonio Spurs star and Golden State Warriors frontman Steph Curry beginning in August. Stops along the way included San Francisco, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Chongqing, China. Announced by Fox Friday afternoon, Curry will be making the trip solo. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to travel to Asia next month," the point guard said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter. "This was a tough decision for me. I was really looking forward to traveling to ... meet all of you and show off the Curry 2s and experience the incredible basketball culture in Asia." Fox didn't provide a reason for his cancellation, and no official statement beyond the video has been made by Under Armour, Curry Brand, or the Spurs. "I'm truly sorry," he said. "Your love for the game and unmatched enthusiasm set you apart from any other fanbase in the world." The Spurs' point guard recently recovered from a pinkie surgery he underwent on March 17 to repair ligament damage sustained during training camp while still with the Sacramento Kings. Since then, he and the team have prioritized building chemistry ahead of next season. “We should be clear, me and Vic, ... around the same time," Fox said at the end of the regular season. "So, we’d be able to get together in the summer and be able to work with each other.”
Hurricanes take care of business, sign star winger to lucrative eight-year extension
The Hurricanes announced Thursday night that they’ve signed winger Jackson Blake to an eight-year, $45M extension that will kick in for the 2026-27. While that would normally mean an average annual value and cap hit of $5.625M, the actual cap hit of the contract will fall in the $5.1M range due to deferred compensation, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The contract buys out the extent of Blake’s RFA eligibility and will make him a UFA following the 2033-34 season. Blake’s stock has been on the rise since immediately after Carolina selected him in the fourth round in 2021. He was a USHL All-Star in his post-draft season with the Chicago Steel before making the jump to NCAA hockey with North Dakota, where he totaled 102 points in 79 games in two seasons — earning a Hobey Baker finalist nod in his sophomore year. He signed his entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in April 2024 and joined them for the brief remainder of the regular season. In his first full pro season, Blake hit the ground running. He made the Canes out of camp and had five points through his first nine games despite seeing less than 12 minutes of ice time per night. That offense didn’t quite hold up the rest of the way, though. While he ended up seeing significant deployment alongside Sebastian Aho at even strength, he ended up finishing the year with a 17-17–34 scoring line in 80 games, finishing ninth on the team in scoring and ninth in Calder Trophy voting as the league’s Rookie of the Year. That’s fine production, especially considering he averaged under 14 minutes per game on the year. He’ll need to build on it to justify that cap hit, though, especially with so much risk attached to a max-term deal. The good news is that Blake has another year left on his entry-level contract to continue his development before he’ll need to start justifying that cap hit. The son of former NHLer Jason Blake turns 22 next month, yet with this deal, he’s guaranteed to surpass his dad’s career earnings. The Hurricanes have historically opted to sign their young players for as long and as early as possible, a trend that continues here. Sometimes, it’s paid off — their eight-year, $59.4M commitment to Seth Jarvis last offseason looks like a steal after he put up a repeat 67-point performance in 2024-25. There’s also the glaring example of where that strategy has failed regarding center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, whose $4.82M cap hit looks more stomachable now with a rising ceiling but is still well above his market value four years into the deal. The jury is still out on newly acquired Logan Stankoven, who they inked to an eight-year, $48M extension at the beginning of the month. Blake’s deal will be one of the last of its kind. It contains two elements — deferred compensation and an eight-year term — that will be outlawed when the new CBA Memorandum of Understanding takes effect on Sep. 15, 2026. If he waited until reaching RFA status next summer to sign, a lengthy negotiation could have lost him that eighth year if the two sides didn’t come to terms until the beginning of training camp. With the salary cap’s upper limit projected to reach $104M in 2026-27, the Hurricanes have around $16M in projected space with Blake’s and Stankoven’s deals taken care of. While they’re projected to be Carolina’s 11th- and 12th-highest-paid forwards on their opening night roster this season, they’ll be their fifth- and sixth-highest-paid forwards in 2026-27.
Vikings training camp recap, Day 4: J.J. McCarthy puts on a show for fans
For the first time this year, Vikings fans filled the bleachers at TCO Performance Center on Saturday afternoon. Those who braved the heat and came out to watch their favorite team practice were treated to a show by the 22-year-old quarterback who holds so much of the franchise's future on his shoulders. On the fourth day of training camp (and the third full-speed practice), J.J. McCarthy had easily his best day of work thus far. The highlight was a deep ball to Jordan Addison late in the practice, which drew cheers from the crowd and a celebration from McCarthy. He got the look he wanted and let it rip, hitting Addison in stride over the top of the second-team defense for a 60-yard touchdown. McCarthy had previously cut it loose on a deep ball, with the first one coming when he got the defense to jump offside and had a free play to work with. That one was also placed well roughly 55 yards downfield, but Byron Murphy Jr. was running stride for stride with Jalen Nailor and made a great play to knock the ball down. After the first one wasn't completed, it had to feel good for McCarthy to connect with Addison on that second deep attempt. Earlier, in a 7-on-7 red zone period, McCarthy went 3 for 5 with a trio of touchdowns. To start, he hit Aaron Jones for a score in the flat. After getting into the end zone, Jones clapped his hands over his head to lead the fans in a SKOL chant. McCarthy led Jalen Nailor a bit too far on his second attempt, but the third was a touchdown to Nailor towards the same left sideline. The fourth was a somewhat catchable ball that a leaping Nailor couldn't come down with over the middle. And to cap off the period, McCarthy rifled one to T.J. Hockenson for a score. Another thing we saw from McCarthy, which is important, was the ability to layer the ball over the first level of the defense with touch. There's no question about his ability to throw a fastball, but the offspeed pitch, so to speak, is something he's been focusing on this offseason. He connected with Nailor on a layered throw to the sideline early in the session. McCarthy also hit Hockenson on a nice layered, anticipatory throw over the middle at one point. To be clear, it wasn't a perfect day for the Vikings' young quarterback. He missed a few throws here and there and had a couple plays where he would've been sacked before getting to the read he wanted. Still, I think anyone who was in attendance would tell you it was an encouraging performance on a very hot late-July day. He commanded the huddle, showed off his arm talent, and didn't throw a single interception. Now he'll look to build off that momentum when pads come on for the first time on Monday. Here are some other things I saw at practice on Saturday. Jonathan Greenard is a monster. After making the Pro Bowl last year with 12 sacks, 80 pressures, 18 TFLs, and 4 forced fumbles, Greenard looks to be in line for another big season. I counted at least two would-be sacks and two TFLs against the run over the course of this practice. There was one sequence where he set the edge for a run stop and then burst into the backfield for a sack on consecutive plays. He did it both against the second-team offense and the starters (who are admittedly without Christian Darrisaw). The additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in the middle should only help Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel continue to dominate. With no Justin Jefferson, the Vikings are using a variety of different receivers as the WR3 alongside Addison and Nailor with the first-team offense. Today, the guy who got the majority of those looks was Lucky Jackson, a practice squad guy now in his third year in Minnesota. Jackson caught a couple balls from McCarthy in a move-the-ball period late in the practice, including a 20-yard chunk gain. He could be a sleeper to make the roster as a depth option. Three members of the Vikings' starting secondary didn't appear to be participating in team periods. Josh Metellus, whose contract extension was announced earlier on Saturday, is dealing with a minor ankle injury and is expected to be back out there on Monday. I didn't see Harrison Smith or Isaiah Rodgers in action, either. That meant the starting safeties were Theo Jackson and Jay Ward, while Mekhi Blackmon joined Jeff Okudah and Murphy at corner on the first-team defense. Backup quarterback Sam Howell has had a fairly shaky start to camp, but he did look a little better today. After his first attempt of the day was swatted by Van Ginkel on a rollout, Howell put together a handful of solid throws. He connected with Jeshaun Jones and Tim Jones for touchdowns in the red zone 7-on-7 period. Jeshaun Jones was Howell's favorite target on the day. He also had a quality completion to rookie Tai Felton later on against the starting defense, then got sacked by Allen and Van Ginkel on the ensuing play. The Vikings will want to see progress from Howell, but he doesn't appear to be in jeopardy of losing his QB2 role to Brett Rypien or Max Brosmer. Speaking of Brosmer, the rookie QB got some good opportunities in this practice, which was the longest of camp so far. He connected with Ben Yurosek in red zone 7s and had a few completions in 11s to end the day, including a nice throw to Dontae Fleming on the final play from scrimmage of the practice. Saturday's session wrapped up with the first kicking work we've seen in camp. Will Reichard, the lone kicker on the roster, went 5 for 6 on a day where there was a bit of wind. He hit from 33, 40, 45, 50, and 54 yards out. His lone miss went narrowly wide left from 48. Reichard's leg power remains something to behold. After an off day Sunday, we'll be back in Eagan on Monday for the first padded practice of camp. Vikings news, rumors, analysis
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