Lionel Messi and Inter Miami made history in their FIFA Club World Cup victory against Portuguese side FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, becoming the first North American team to beat a European club in a FIFA tournament.

It’s a historic achievement for Inter Miami, a club in its fifth year since beginning play in 2020. And a landmark achievement for Major League Soccer, celebrating its 30th season in 2025.

It could also be a precursor to more history for Messi and Inter Miami.

Group A of the Club World Cup will conclude Monday night at 9 p.m. ET: Inter Miami faces Brazilian side Palmeiras at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, while Porto will meet Egyptian club Al Ahly at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

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Win, draw or lose: Inter Miami has a chance to advance to the knockout round in the FIFA Club World Cup after the final group-stage match. There are just some further implications if Inter Miami loses.

Let us explain.

Inter Miami would play in the Club World Cup round-of-16 in the following scenarios:

The easiest route: Inter Miami beats Palmeiras.

Inter Miami would win Group A with 7 points. Being a group winner in this Club World Cup would be another remarkable achievement.

Another easy route: Inter Miami and Palmeiras play to a draw.

Both clubs would advance to the knockout stage. They would both have five points in the group standings, clearing the other clubs.

In this scenario: Palmeiras would clinch the group, while Inter Miami would be group runner-up based on goal differential. Both clubs have scored two goals during the tournament but Inter Miami has surrendered one goal, while Palmeiras hasn’t surrendered any.

Too close for comfort: Inter Miami loses, FC Porto beats Al Ahly.

Inter Miami would advance because they beat Porto head-to-head last Thursday in Atlanta.

Edge of your seat: Inter Miami loses, Al Ahly wins 1-0

If Palmeiras and Al Ahly win with 1-0 scores, Inter Miami advances with a higher goal difference than Al Ahly (0 vs. -1).

If Palmeiras wins 2-0 and Al-Ahly wins 1-0, Inter Miami and Al-Ahly would be tied with -1 goal difference. The next tiebreaker is total goals scored — Inter Miami would finish with two goals and advance since Al Ahly would finish with just one goal.

Here are the worst-case scenarios for Inter Miami

Essentially, Inter Miami can’t afford to lose in a scoreless effort while Al Ahly scores two or more goals in a win.

If Inter Miami loses and fails to score a goal against Palmeiras, a 2-0 win by Al Ahly would eliminate them. Al Ahly would break even on goal difference, while Inter Miami would be -1 in this scenario.

If Inter Miami and Al Ahly are tied on goal difference, the next tiebreakers are: overall number of goals scored and fair play ranking, or number of yellow and red cards. Inter Miami and Al Ahly enter their final group stage matches with four yellow cards each.

All this to say: Inter Miami has a prime opportunity to advance into the next round of the Club World Cup win, draw or lose – if Al Ahly doesn’t go crazy with an onslaught of goals in a victory.

When would Inter Miami play in the Club World Cup knockout stage?

Here the scenarios for Inter Miami’s potential round-of-16 match in the Club World Cup:

If Inter Miami wins Group A, they would face Group B runner-up June 28 in Philadelphia.
If Inter Miami is Group A runner-up, they would face Group B winner on June 29 in Atlanta.

Which club would Inter Miami face in the Club World Cup knockout stage?

Group B will also be decided Monday, with all four clubs in action at 3 p.m. ET.

Brazilian side Botafogo stunned Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Thursday and will meet Atlético Madrid at the Rose Bowl. PSG will meet the Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field in the other matchup.

Botafogo leads Group B with six points. PSG and Atlético each have three points, but PSG beat Atlético 4-0 to open the group stage. Seattle has zero points after losing to Botafogo and Atlético.

Mommy and Daddy are fighting again. Or, at least, they’re not operating in lockstep.

Excellent.

College Sports Inc. isn’t your typical family unit, where it’s better if parents get along.

When the SEC and Big Ten – the joint heads of college sports’ household – squabble, like they are now over the College Football Playoff’s future format, it offers a runway for a compromise solution to emerge. And compromise could result in a sensible playoff.

The SEC is the only conference powerful enough to check the Big Ten’s playoff-bending power, and vice versa.

Conference commissioners exited a Wednesday summit in North Carolina without aligning on a playoff format for 2026 and beyond. The Big Ten and SEC are not united behind the same format, with each exercising its checks-and-balance powers.

A few potential formats have surfaced, without consensus. That’s well enough, for now.

That we have no playoff format for 2026 yet means the two conference power brokers didn’t sync up and stampede their way to a rigged playoff that explicitly preassigns rewards to the “Super Two” conferences – though not for the Big Ten’s lack of trying.

The Big Ten favors a rigged 16-team playoff format that would preassign four automatic playoff bids to the Big Ten, four more to the SEC, two apiece to the ACC and Big 12, and one more auto bid remaining up for grabs for another conference champion, along with three at-large bids. This plan also could include play-in games to determine the automatic bids.

The ACC and Big 12 disavow this format that preemptively stacks the deck against them, but they carry water pistols. Only the SEC possesses the bazooka to fend off this format that would reward a conference’s preseason clout and prestige as much as in-season merit.

The SEC, at first, expressed openness to the Big Ten’s auto-bid idea, but support for the plan faded after the SEC’s coaches and athletic directors gathered in May for conference meetings, where they gained more information about formats under consideration.

By the time those SEC meetings ended, the mood within the conference seemed to shift in favor of a 5+11 playoff format that would more explicitly weight strength of schedule. This model would preserve auto bids for the top five conference champions and leave open 11 at-large bids.

The ACC and Big 12 also favor a 5+11 format.

So, what’s the issue?

Well, the Big Ten won’t submit to this plan – not just because it prefers a different postseason format, but because it reportedly would like the SEC to tweak its regular-season schedule.

The Big Ten and Big 12 play nine conference games. The SEC and ACC play eight.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey wants a ninth conference game, but his membership feels squeamish about adding another conference game that would guarantee another loss for half its members. The conference insists its teams already endure an unparalleled gauntlet, and yet no conference plays more cupcake opponents than the SEC.

To that end, Illinois coach Bret Bielema cried foul and conveyed the Big Ten’s mood when he spoke to reporters this week at an event in Chicago.

“I don’t think there’s any way we could do a 16-team playoff if (the SEC) is not at nine (conference) games,” Bielema said.

If the Big Ten and SEC don’t align behind a playoff expansion format, the playoff could remain at 12 teams in 2026 and beyond, CFP executive director Rich Clark told reporters Wednesday.

Would that be so bad? The four-team playoff lasted for 10 years. I wouldn’t mind getting a second look at the 12-team playoff before ramrodding through another format.

Anyway, we haven’t even seen the 12-team playoff yet since commissioners tweaked the seeding rules earlier this year.

If playoff expansion occurs, I retain hope the conference infighting and checks-and-balances underway between the SEC and Big Ten will uncork a compromise that expands the playoff without rigging it, and also incentivizes teams to play tougher regular-season schedules, with fewer cupcake opponents.

What could a compromise look like?

∎ The SEC stands its ground on a 5+11 format that more explicitly weights schedule strength when determining at-large bids. The Big Ten accepts this format, if …

∎ The SEC agrees to add a ninth conference game, or otherwise requires members to play a minimum of 10 games against Power Four opponents. Currently, most SEC teams play nine games against Power Four competition, while most teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC play at least 10 opponents from that tier.

A Dec. 1 deadline looms to determine a 2026 format. If the Big Ten and SEC remain entrenched in their preferences, compromise could be the only path forward to a 16-team playoff.

A compromise that would expand and improve the postseason, while bolstering the regular-season schedule, would be well worth this offseason bickering between Mom and Pop.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

ATLANTA — On paper, Jerrod Johnson certainly fits the profile of a coach that could be on the brink of getting the keys to drive an NFL offense. The young Houston Texans quarterbacks coach, with his fourth NFL team, has steadily built his resume. His fingerprints are all over the development of C.J. Stroud, one of the NFL’s emerging stars.

And shoot, after previously working on Kevin O’Connell’s staff with the Minnesota Vikings, Johnson has two degrees of separation from Sean McVay.

In a meeting room, Johnson’s charismatic presence comes to life. That’s not on paper. I saw it for myself this week at the latest iteration of the Quarterback Coaching Summit. Johnson, 36, demonstrated an impressive command of the room as he spoke for nearly an hour in a session titled ‘Coaching & Development of the Starting and Backup QB.’

The engaging delivery was only part of the pop. Johnson scored points as he broke down evaluation metrics, approaches for training the mind, feet and trigger, as he put it, and then some. A former quarterback, he even explained why it is critical to conduct one-on-one tutoring each Tuesday morning during the season with the practice squad quarterback.

Maybe Johnson is indeed a rising star in the NFL coaching universe.

For the second year in a row, the NFL won’t have a single Black offensive coordinator in the league. Before this drought, you’d have to go back 30 years for that distinction.

‘It’s very disheartening,’ retired NFL coach Jimmy Raye told USA TODAY Sports. ‘As you’ve witnessed since you’ve been here, there are guys with impressive knowledge, deserving of an opportunity.’

Raye, one of the organizers of the NFL-supported event that is hosted by the Black College Football Hall of Fame and held in conjunction with the Ozzie Newsome GM Forum, became the NFL’s first Black offensive coordinator in 1983 with the Los Angeles Rams. He served in that capacity with several teams over 13 seasons.

He hardly imagined when he broke a barrier in 1983 that the league would be back in this spot when considering Black OCs.

‘I would have thought it would be like the quarterback position, something that you don’t even think about because it was something that was done,’ Raye said. ‘They don’t talk about the Black quarterback anymore because half the league has Black quarterbacks.

‘I would think offensive coordinators would be the same, that it would have evolved the same way, with the technology, the ability to gain information, internships and the Bill Walsh Fellowships, all the things that have been put in place for diversity, but it just hasn’t happened.’

Jerome Bettis is a Hall of Famer. His son is following in Papa Bus’ footsteps

Johnson, who interviewed for OC jobs with the Texans and the Las Vegas Raiders this year and in 2024 with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, did not point to his race as an impediment in his career journey. And he is obviously just one example as part of a larger picture. Yet he acknowledges the pattern of recent hiring cycles for hiring minority candidates as coordinators.

‘I’m a man of faith,’ Johnson told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I think God has a plan. At some point, ideally, things will line up and I’ll be in the right situation, and I’ll get an opportunity. The past couple of years, it hasn’t really been the fit for me. I think we’ve just got to keep plugging away, just being as good as we can in becoming better coaches, putting our best foot forward. At the end of the day, all we can control is getting better in our current situations and whatever happens, happens.’

For the coordinator jobs this year that Johnson interviewed for, the Raiders hired long-established Chip Kelly to join Pete Carroll’s staff, while the Texans brought in Nick Caley, who spent the past three years on McVay’s staff with the Los Angeles Rams, including last season as passing game coordinator, to run their offense.

Yet other hires for coordinator jobs that Johnson wasn’t in the mix for fueled questions. The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Grant Udinski to coordinate the offense under first-year coach Liam Coen. Udinski has never been a position coach in the NFL, having served as assistant quarterbacks coach and assistant coordinator on O’Connell’s staff.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meanwhile, replaced Coen with first-time coordinator Josh Grizzard, promoted after one year as passing game coordinator.

Who gets such opportunities and at what stages of their careers is what raises suspicions, especially with some of the so-called ‘OG’s,’ such as Doug Williams, another of the organizers of the events held this week, which included more than a dozen presentations by minority coaches and front office personnel.

The pipeline, Williams stressed, is not the problem.

‘There’s no doubt in my mind that you have people that can do the job – in personnel, as head coaches, offensive coordinators, quarterback coaches,’ Williams, a personnel executive with the Washington Commanders, told USA TODAY Sports. ‘It’s about giving them the opportunity.’

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One presentation that really moved me: Jackie Davidson’s session on the ABC’s of the NFL salary cap. Davidson, vice president of football research for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is a rising front office star who might be on the short list of candidates to become the first female GM in the NFL in decades. Williams agrees.

‘Jackie blew ’em away. That’s what people don’t know,’ said Williams, whose footprint on history was cast in 1988 when he became the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl. ‘When you sit there and hear her, it’s like, ‘Damn…give her an opportunity.’ This is a perfect platform to realize that.’

Williams and James ‘Shack” Harris, former Grambling quarterbacks who founded the Black College Football Hall of Fame, have conducted the coaching/GM symposiums for eight years. The first one was a roundtable at Morehouse College attended by a handful of coaches. Maybe the next one will include an expanded list of attendees that goes beyond the few dozen coaches and front office types from the pro and college ranks that were on hand.

‘This is where the NFL owners should be,’ Williams said.

The NFL paused its accelerator program this year, which brought together coaching and front office personnel to engage with team owners while participating in sessions designed to promote upward mobility.

‘They meet guys at the accelerator program and an hour later they don’t remember who they met,’ Williams maintained. ‘They don’t get to see people make presentations. Here, you can listen to a guy and say, ‘You know what? That guy is really sharp.”

You’d get no argument from Johnson. After all, more exposure surely won’t hurt someone positioned for career advancement.

‘That being said, I’m in a great situation in Houston,’ Johnson said. ‘I’ve learned so much from DeMeco (Ryans), and we have a great staff. At the end of the day, I have aspirations, but I’ve got to wake up every day and be the best quarterback coach I can be.’

Which just might open the door for more.

Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: @JarrettBell

Only two teams remain in the 2025 College World Series.

The field is down to No. 6 LSU and No. 13 Coastal Carolina, the latter of which enters the national championship on a 26-game win streak. It’s the second time Tigers coach Jay Johnson has faced the Chanticleers in the national championship, as he fell to Coastal Carolina in 2016 as the head coach at Arizona.

LSU snuck past Arkansas in the semifinals, coming back from a 5-3 deficit in the bottom of the ninth to win 6-5 on a walk-off single from Jared Jones. Coastal Carolina, meanwhile, coasted to an 11-3 win over Louisville to reach the CWS finals.

With six teams eliminated, and only two teams still in contention for a national title, here’s a look back at how the bracket shaped up in 2025, along with the remaining schedule at the College World Series:

College World Series bracket, schedule 2025

All times Eastern

Friday, June 13

Game 1: (13) Coastal Carolina 7, Arizona 4
Game 2: (8) Oregon State 4, Louisville 3

Saturday, June 14

Game 3: (15) UCLA 6, Murray State 4
Game 4: (6) LSU 4, (3) Arkansas 1

Sunday, June 15

Game 5: Louisville 8, Arizona 3 (Arizona eliminated)
Game 6: (13) Coastal Carolina 6, Oregon State 2

Monday, June 16

Game 7: (3) Arkansas 3, Murray State 0 (Murray State eliminated)
Game 8: (6) LSU 9, (15) UCLA 5

Tuesday, June 17

Game 9: Louisville 7, (8) Oregon State 6 (Oregon State eliminated)
Game 10: (3) Arkansas 7, (15) UCLA 3 (UCLA eliminated)

Wednesday, June 18

Game 11 (Semifinals): (13) Coastal Carolina 11, vs. Louisville 3 (Louisville eliminated)
Game 12 (Semifinals): (6) LSU 6, (3) Arkansas 5 (Arkansas eliminated)

CWS finals

Game 1 (June 21): (13) Coastal Carolina vs. (6) LSU | 7 p.m. | ESPN (ESPN+)
Game 2 (June 22): (13) Coastal Carolina vs. (6) LSU | 2:30 p.m. | ABC (ESPN+)
Game 3 (June 23) (If necessary): (13) Coastal Carolina vs. (6) LSU | 7 p.m. | ESPN (ESPN+)

When is the College World Series national championship?

CWS finals: June 21-22/23

The College World Series finals take place on June 21 and 22, with an if-necessary game on June 23, if LSU and Coastal Carolina are tied after two games of the series.

How to watch College World Series national championship

TV channel: ESPN | ABC
Streaming: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)

The College World Series national championship series will air live on ESPN or ABC. Both TV channels are available for streaming on the ESPN app, as well as ESPN+, which requires a subscription, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

Two teams came to play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Just one met the moment. Indiana defeated Oklahoma City 108-91 in Game 6 Thursday, June 19.

And with that, the Indiana Pacers are still alive, the Thunder were denied an NBA championship, and the NBA Finals heads to a Game 7 with history on the line.

The Pacers have never won an NBA championship, and the Thunder are trying to win their first since relocating to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008.

This back-and-forth series is defined by turnovers, 3-point shooting, stars stepping up and a lack of momentum carrying over from one game to the next.

Here are the winners and losers from Game 6 between the Thunder and Pacers.

Thunder-Pacers Game 6 winners

Pacers swarm and smother on defense

Indiana, on defense, looked almost like the Thunder. Oklahoma City posted the NBA’s top-ranked defense in the regular season and built its brand on using active hands to deflect passes and force turnovers, rotating quickly and decisively to prevent open looks and staying aggressive along the perimeter.

The Pacers forced the Thunder into 21 turnovers, leading to ample transition opportunities. Indiana swiped 16 steals — compared to only four by Oklahoma City. The Pacers, in fact, generated more steals than the Thunder had assists (14). Indiana actually dialed back its full-court pressure, which it had relied upon earlier in the series, instead opting to smother OKC with intent in the half court.

T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin and the Pacers bench shine again

One of the telling stats of this NBA Finals for the Pacers has been bench points. Indiana’s bench has now outscored Oklahoma City’s in five of the six games thus far. And Thursday night’s 48-37 advantage wasn’t even indicative of the entire picture, given that the Thunder pulled their starters at the start of the fourth quarter.

T.J. McConnell has been exceptional, a consistent spark and source of positive plays. He’s the most efficient Pacer in half-court sets and his effort is infectious. He posted 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals, marking the first time a bench player has recorded those figures in an NBA Finals game, since starters and bench player stats were first tracked in 1970-71. Forward Obi Toppin, who has developed a steady, knockdown jumper, added 20 points and six rebounds. When the Pacers bench is playing like this, they are tough to beat.

Indiana spreads the wealth

The Pacers, as they have all series, have spread the ball and have been a team where the whole is greater than the parts. They had six players reach double figures in scoring. Indiana has now become the first team in NBA postseason history to have eight players with at least 200 points in a single playoffs: Pascal Siakam (456), Tyrese Haliburton (390), Myles Turner (311), Aaron Nesmith (288), Andrew Nembhard (272), Bennedict Mathurin (219), Obi Toppin (216) and T.J. McConnell (202).

Thunder-Pacers Game 6 losers

Thunder turnovers

The Thunder had 21 turnovers, leading to 19 Pacers points. Can’t happen and it happened for the second time in the series – the Thunder had 25 turnovers in their Game 1 loss. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander committed a career-high eight turnovers.

He had more turnovers than made field goals (seven).

“They didn’t pressure full court like they have been, which led to more turnovers. I didn’t expect that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But whatever it is, they did it right. … They were definitely lower on the pickups. I’m not sure. Some of them I think was carelessness, not being as focused, not being engaged.”

Thunder offense

The Thunder’s turnovers led to a discombobulated offense that never found a rhythm. Oklahoma City shot 41.9% from the field, 26.7% on 3-pointers and had just 14 assists on 31 made field goals. Ball movement wasn’t there, shooting wasn’t there, and it was just the second time in 22 playoff games the Thunder scored fewer than 100 points.

Thunder starters were 1-for-13 on 3-pointers, Chet Holmgren scored just four points on 2-for-9 shooting and Alex Caruso didn’t score.

Thunder bench

Oklahoma City’s third unit of Isaiah Joe, Jaylin Williams, Ajay Mitchell, Dillon Jones and Ousmane Dieng played well in mop-up time, helping make the final score not as brutal as it could’ve been.

However, Oklahoma City’s scoring from the second unit was limited. Caruso, Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace and Kenrich Williams combined for 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting. Indiana’s main reserves scored 41 points.

Sports fans who aren’t watching

This is a fantastic series with compelling swings from game to game. Both teams have stars, depth, play hard and are well coached. That was true at the start of the playoffs and remains true through six games of the Finals. It has all the elements of basketball that a fan should want. Including a Game 7.

Three-time Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Toews is returning to the NHL after a two-year health-related absence.

He agreed to terms with the Winnipeg Jets on a one-year contract, which Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports is worth $2 million and loaded with incentives. Toews played youth hockey in Winnipeg is joining a team that won the Presidents’ Trophy as the top regular-season team.

“I’m grateful to be making my return to the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets,” Toews, 37, said in a statement. “It’s very special to come home and play in front of my family and friends in Manitoba. The Jets have been on the rise over the last few seasons and I’m eager to join the group and help however I can.”

He has 372 goals, 511 assists and 883 points in 1,067 career-regular season games, all with the Chicago Blackhawks.

He was the Blackhawks’ captain when that team won Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

He won the 2010 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after leading all postseason scorers with 29 points as the Blackhawks ended a 49-year championship drought.

Toews won the Selke Trophy as top defensive forward during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. The Blackhawks opened that season with a 24-game point streak and captured the Stanley Cup. He had 21 points in 23 games during the 2015 Cup run.

He also won Olympic gold medals with Canada in 2010 and 2014.

In recent years, he had dealt with health issues.

Toews missed the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season because of chronic immune response syndrome. He also sat out for two months in 2021-22 because of the effects of that and of long COVID. After playing in 2022-23, he skipped the last two seasons in order to get healthy.

“We are excited to add a proven winner like Jonathan Toews to the Winnipeg Jets,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “It will be a unique opportunity for Jonathan to play for his hometown team. His talent, drive, and experience will be a great complement to our club.’

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier are the lead vote getters in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game after the first returns of fan voting, the league announced.

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will be played on July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. WNBA players and media will join fans in selecting the All-Star starters, with fans accounting for 50 percent of the vote, and all current players and a media panel will account for 25 percent each. The league’s coaches select the reserves after voting for the starters has been tallied.

The two players with the most fan votes will be the captains and will draft from the remaining pool of eight players as starters and 12 reserves.

Clark, the reigning Rookie of the Year, is averaging 19.9 points, 8.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds, despite missing five games with a leg injury. Collier, the Defensive Player of the Year, leads the WNBA in scoring with a 24.4 points per game average.

Top 10 after first fan voting update

Caitlin Clark, Guard (IND) 515,993
Napheesa Collier, Frontcourt (MIN) 484,758
Aliyah Boston, Frontcourt (IND) 446,961
A’ja Wilson, Frontcourt (LVA) 394,600
Breanna Stewart, Frontcourt (NYL) 367,819
Paige Bueckers, Guard (DAL) 312,920
Kelsey Mitchell, Guard (IND) 277,664
Sabrina Ionescu, Guard (NYL) 234,684
Lexie Hull, Guard (IND), 217,438
Kiki Iriafen, Frontcourt (WAS) 213,500