The U.S. men’s national soccer team has reached the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal and the 2024 Copa América — but they probably won’t be celebrating much on Monday night.

The USMNT fell 2-1 to Trinidad and Tobago in the quarterfinal second leg, as a boneheaded first-half red card by Sergiño Dest turned a straightforward evening into a nervy affair in Port of Spain.

“It is concerning because that’s not what we represent, that’s not who we are as a group,” Berhalter said after the game about Dest’s red card. “We pride ourselves in staying mentally disciplined, battling through any type of conditions. Whether they’re good decisions or bad decisions, we’re supposed to keep going and respond in an appropriate way, and that obviously wasn’t the right response from Sergiño. He apologized to the group. He said it’s not going to happen again. As a team, the players, the staff, we need to hold him accountable.

‘We were very firm with our words after the game. He put a number of guys in jeopardy, made a number of guys do a lot of extra work in this weather.”

But despite conceding twice after Dest’s red card, the 10-man visitors held on for a 4-2 aggregate win after Thursday night’s 3-0 victory in the first leg.

It seemed that it would be a pretty uneventful evening for the USMNT after Antonee Robinson’s 25th-minute header gave his side a four-goal lead on aggregate. But things turned rather quickly just over 10 minutes later when Dest quite simply melted down.

Triggered by a throw-in call that didn’t go his way, Dest got back-to-back yellow cards by first drop-kicking the ball into orbit and then, despite the pleas of his teammates, getting a second yellow after continuing to berate referee Walter López.

Down to 10 men, the USMNT was unable to regain control of the match, as the home side quickly found a goal through Reon Moore to level the game before halftime.

The U.S. was still all over the shop to begin the second half, and Alvin Jones seemed to give the home side a real shot at pulling off a miracle when his 57th-minute free kick from range went through the hands of Matt Turner to make it 2-1.

At that point, anything seemed possible despite T&T still needing three more goals. The U.S. had no control of the game and the home side was full of confidence, boosted by an increasingly boisterous crowd and a man advantage.

But the USMNT did eventually manage to regain a foothold, and saw out a relatively uneventful final 20 minutes to progress to the Nations League Finals.

Just like the last time the U.S. went to Trinidad and Tobago, the home side emerged with a 2-1 win. Despite a similarly dismal performance to the infamous 2017 game in Couva, this time the USMNT at least achieved its overall aim.

Angel Reese, the All-American double-double queen who led LSU to its first women’s basketball championship in March, has had a rough start to the 2023-24 season. 

After being benched just four games into the season, Reese missed the entirety of No. 5 LSU’s 73-50 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, Nov. 17. Questions were swirling about if Reese would play Monday night. Instead, Reese missed her second consecutive game.

‘Angel was not in uniform. She is a part of this basketball team,’ LSU coach Kim Mulkey said after the Tigers’ 106-47 win over Texas Southern on Monday night. ‘We hope she’s back with the team soon. I’m not going to answer any more than that.’

‘Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know. I’m going to protect my players,’ Mulkey added.

Here’s what we know about the situation. 

Why was Angel Reese benched? 

It started when LSU, the preseason No. 1 team in the country, got drilled by Colorado in its first game of the season on Nov. 6. The Tigers lost 92-78 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. Reese scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but shot just 6-of-15 from the field, missing lots of close looks. She was visibly frustrated throughout the game. 

Three games later, on Nov. 14, LSU coach Kim Mulkey benched Reese for the second half of the Tigers’ 109-79 win over Kent State. Reese played just 13 minutes that night, scoring 11 points. Mulkey offered little insight afterward, saying only that it was “coach’s decision” to not play Reese in the second half. 

Speculation about Reese’s absence ramped up three days later on Nov. 17, when Reese missed the 73-50 win over Southeastern Louisiana. She was not on the bench. Again, Mulkey refused to offer details on Reese. 

‘It’s very obvious Angel was not in uniform,” Mulkey said during her postgame press conference. “Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner rather than later … I’m not going to answer anymore. That’s it. That’s all y’all need to know, OK?”

It’s unclear what exactly is going on. Mulkey has not specified if Reese was merely benched or has been officially suspended, if she’s being disciplined for something or suffering from some sort of injury. 

What has Angel Reese said about being benched?

Reese has not spoken to the media throughout this ordeal. On Sunday, she posted a cryptic message on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, writing simply, “please don’t believe everything you read.” 

On Instagram, Reese hasn’t posted to her grid since Oct. 24. But late Sunday evening, she posted a video on her Instagram stories of Colorado coach Deion Sanders. In the video, Sanders says, “Look at me. What about me would make you think that I care about your opinion of me? Your opinion of me is not the opinion that I have of myself. You ain’t make me, so you can’t break me. You didn’t build me, so you can’t kill me. 

“You know what, God established me, so ain’t nothing you can do to me. I been him, I been a difference maker, a game changer, I’ve been that guy. So what would change? Not a darn thing. I’m not even playing the game, and you’ve got an opinion of me. I love it, but I don’t care. And I wish the world thought like that, the youngsters, if you’re out there right now, do not give a darn what opinion people have of you, As long as that opinion isn’t consistent with that of yourself, you be you. I’m not playing to make you feel good about me. I already feel good about me. I’m good. Message for the youngsters out there and the old school, not the old fools.’

Angel Reese, social media and mom drama

As speculation has swirled about Reese’s status going forward, some have pointed to an apparent rift on social media between her mom, also named Angel Reese, and parents of other LSU players. Numerous social media comments have already been deleted, but the LSU student TV station detailed some of the drama in a recent video. 

Who is Angel Reese?

At 6-foot-3 with with obvious athleticism, Reese is one of the best players in women’s college basketball. After playing two seasons at Maryland, Reese transferred to LSU before the 2022-23 season. She led the Tigers to the 2023 national championship, averaging a double-double (23 ppg, 15.4 rpg) throughout the season and earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. She is outgoing and unabashedly confident, a known and (sometimes) celebrated trash talker.  

Nicknamed “The Bayou Barbie,” a nod to her love of all things pink and girly, Reese is an NIL superstar. She posed in Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue, signed a deal with Reebok — home of former LSU basketball star Shaquille O’Neal — and has numerous other endorsements. 

Basketball runs in her blood: Her mom played at UMBC, and her brother Julian plays at Maryland. 

What’s next for LSU? 

LSU travels to the Cayman Islands over Thanksgiving. The Tigers’ first game is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 24, against Niagara. They play Virginia, one of the only Power Five schools on their schedule, on Saturday, Nov. 25. 

LSU’s biggest non-conference game will come Thursday, Nov. 30, against No. 9 Virginia Tech, another 2023 Final Four participant. 

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Follow Lindsay Schnell on social media: @Lindsay_Schnell

The U.S. women’s national team’s first roster of the Emma Hayes era likely had all but the most diehard of fans heading for Google.

Korbin Albert, a midfielder with Paris Saint-Germain, received her first call-up to the senior national team. And her name immediately spiked in Google search as a result. She and NWSL Rookie of the Year Jenna Nighswonger are the only players on the 26-woman roster who’ve never been in camp with the USWNT.

Interim manager Twila Kilgore said the coaching staff has had its eye on Albert for ‘a good amount of time now,’ and decided this was the right time to bring her in for a closer look. Hayes and Kilgore are using this camp to evaluate younger players, both for the Paris Olympics team and beyond.

‘Her role has been increasing with her club. Obviously, she’s getting good Champions League games,’ Kilgore said Monday.

Here’s what to know about Albert:

Where does Korbin Albert play?

The 20-year-old midfielder is at Paris Saint-Germain.

Albert left Notre Dame in January, after two seasons with the Fighting Irish, to sign with the French team. After playing in eight games last season, starting three of the last four, Albert has become a regular in PSG’s starting lineup this year.

She’s started in PSG’s three Champions League games — a draw and a win against Manchester United followed by a loss last week to Ajax — and played all 90 minutes. She’s also started three regular-season games, also going all 90.

PSG uses Albert all over the midfield, and Kilgore said her versatility is appealing to the USWNT staff.

‘(She’s) playing a little bit lower or higher at times, depending on what the team’s needs are,’ Kilgore said.

Did Korbin Albert go to college?

Yes. Albert played two years at Notre Dame, where she became the first Irish player since 2010 to be a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, given to the country’s best soccer player. Albert finished her final season with 16 goals, most in the country by a midfielder, and was named the ACC’s top midfielder.

Her 12 goals as a freshman were second-most on the team and second-most in the country by a freshman.

Has she played for the United States before?

Albert was in the youth program with the Under-20, U-17 and U-15 teams. She was part of the Under-20 World Cup last year, where she played alongside Alyssa Thompson, Jaedyn Shaw and Olivia Moultrie.

Thompson made her USWNT debut in the spring and played at the World Cup, while Shaw and Moultrie got their first call-ups at camps earlier this fall.

Where is Korbin Albert from?

Albert grew up in Grayslake, Illinois, a far northwestern suburb of Chicago, and comes from an athletic family. Her mom, Janet, was an All-American in track and field at Iowa. Two of her four brothers played soccer in college, DJ at the University of Cincinnati and Keaton at Indiana Wesleyan, while sister Teagan plays soccer and is a diver at Olivet Nazarene.

Korbin Albert and Nike

The announcement Albert was getting her first call-up to the USWNT comes a day after she announced she had signed with Nike.

Albert made the announcement on Instagram, saying she was ‘excited to become part of the Nike legacy.’

‘Time to raise the Tiempo, Nike in the house!,’ she wrote.

The NFL suspended Kareem Jackson again on Monday.

The league said the Denver Broncos’ safety has to sit out four games without pay after he hit Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs in their Sunday matchup in which the Broncos won their fourth straight game.

On third-and-1 during the Vikings’ first drive of the game, Minnesota ran a trick play where tight end T.J. Hockenson took the snap and then tossed it to Dobbs. Broncos linebacker Baron Browning started to tackle Dobbs from behind and Jackson ran up, lowered his helmet and hit the quarterback under his chin. Dobbs fumbled the ball on the play and his head twisted and bounced back from the impact. Jackson, a 14-year veteran, was not flagged for a penalty.

When a player lowers his helmet for a tackle, it is a violation of Rule 12, Section 2, Article 10 (a). In sharing the news of Jackson’s suspension, the league emphasized that the punishment is based on the safety’s decision-making in the moment.

‘Illegal acts that are flagrant and jeopardize the safety of players will not be tolerated,’ NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan said in a statement directed to Jackson. ‘The League will continue to stress enforcement of the rules that prohibit using your helmet to make forcible contact with your opponent. … You had time and space to avoid such contact. You could have made contact with your opponent within the rules, yet you chose not to.’

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Jackson will be eligible to return to the Broncos’ active roster after the Week 15 game against the Detroit Lions.

Jackson’s fellow Denver defensive back Justin Simmons responded to the suspension on social media where he defended his teammate and said the league uses an unfair standard in handing out punishments.

‘This is unbelievable. … On a 3rd and 1, where you’re fighting for every yard, how are we supposed to stop a runner from falling forward?’ he posted on X, formerly Twitter. ‘I had a hit similar to this last season vs. the Baltimore Ravens. No flag and no fine. There is no consistency in these calls and there is clearly motive and an agenda with certain players. Bunch of dirty players in our league. Kareem is not one of them.’

Houston Texans linebacker Denzel Perryman is currently serving a three-game suspension after leading with his helmet while tackling Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase in a Week 10 win.

This is the second time this season that the NFL suspended Jackson for violating its safety rules. After a Week 7 win against the Green Bay Packers, the league handed him a four-game suspension that was later reduced to two games after an appeal. The former Crimson Tide standout was also ejected from the Broncos’ Week 2 loss against the Washington Commanders and fined for an illegal hit.

He has been fined $89,670 for four illegal hits and said during practice ahead of the Vikings game that he was going to try to adjust his tackling technique. Jackson is third on the Denver defense with 51 combined tackles and has two interceptions so far this season.

“I’m unsure as to how I play the game going forward,’ he said. ‘Because like I said, I’m still going to be in those situations two-to-three times every week. So, for me, just try to lower my target and don’t end up in the same situation.”