Inter Miami faces Mexican club Atlas in the team’s Leagues Cup opener.
Lionel Messi missed the club’s last game due to suspension.
Javier Mascherano said Messi’s ban had a ‘silver lining.’

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Lionel Messi is rested and refreshed before Inter Miami’s first match in the 2025 Leagues Cup tournament, according to coach Javier Mascherano.

Having the Argentine World Cup champion at full strength isn’t enough to dissipate any feelings about Messi’s one-game suspension for skipping the MLS All-Star Game for the first-year coach.

Mascherano couldn’t help himself but joke about Messi’s availability before the Leagues Cup opener against Liga MX side Atlas on Wednesday, July 30 at Chase Stadium,

“If they don’t suspend him, then yes. He’s going to be available unless there’s a suspension,” Mascherano said with a smile.

Messi will return to action after missing Inter Miami’s scoreless draw with FC Cincinnati on July 26. It was his first match off since April 27, in a stretch of 22 of 23 matches played during the MLS regular season, the Concacaf Champions Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Messi fueled Inter Miami’s first trophy in the first rendition of the Leagues Cup, shortly after his arrival to MLS in July 2023. A rested Messi could be a recipe for success if Inter Miami hopes to win the tournament again.

“Let’s hope he’s super motivated,” Mascherano said of Messi, adding the suspension had a “silver lining” of “mandatory rest after many consecutive games.”

“I think, in a way, the break was good for him. And well, to start this new marathon of games we’re going to have ahead of us with the Leagues Cup and then the MLS, it’s good for him to be a little fresher.”

Inter Miami’s draw with Cincinnati began a stretch of 10 matches in 34 days for the club, which introduced new signee Rodrigo De Paul last week.

DePaul is still awaiting clearances on his work visa he can join the club in practices and matches.

It’s unclear if those clearances will come for him to play against Atlas on Wednesday, but Mascherano expects De Paul to be available in Leagues Cup despite not being listed on a submitted team roster before the tournament.

“If he’s eligible, he’ll be called up – that’s for sure,” Mascherano said of De Paul, who won the World Cup alongside Messi and Argentina in 2022.

“He’s a player who can clearly give us different options. … He’s someone who understands and connects very well with Leo, who is our best player, and that’s also one of his advantages.”

Atlas began its Liga MX Apertura 2025-26 season with a win, draw and loss after finishing last season’s Clausura season in 14th place among 18 teams. And they might have an X-factor to help them against Inter Miami.

Atlas coach Gonzalo Pineda coached Atlanta United from Aug. 2021 to June 2024, and prepared to meet Messi and Inter Miami at least three times during his MLS tenure.

Messi scored two goals in 22 minutes during a 4-0 win in a Leagues Cup match on July 25, 2023. Messi didn’t play in a 5-2 win at Atlanta on Sept. 16, 2023. Messi scored a goal, but Atlanta beat Inter Miami 3-1 at Chase Stadium on May 29, 2024.

Pineda stressed the importance of maintaining possession and limiting space for Inter Miami’s stars like Messi, striker Luis Suarez, midfielder Sergio Busquets and left back Jordi Alba, who will also return from his All-Star Game suspension.

Still, he knows his players will have to get past the aura of playing against the former Barcelona stars.

“Maybe, I’ll tell them it’s Lionel, not Messi. Maybe, I’ll tell them it’s Luis, not Suarez. Maybe, Sergio, not Busquets … It’s about the mental game,” Pineda told USA TODAY Sports.

“I understand he’s really good, he’s one of the best. The whole time it will be special, but there’s nothing more special than competing and having the opportunity to win this game.”

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears will not become an offensive juggernaut overnight. 

Nor will it be a one-week process to master what first-year head coach Ben Johnson and his staff are trying to install. 

Judging by Monday morning’s practice, the first padded session of training camp, the growing pains aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. While the sky might seem like it’s falling for the Bears’ hopefuls craving competency, the calendar hasn’t flipped to August yet. 

“We’re not frustrated at all,’ Johnson told reporters over the weekend. ‘We’re right where we need to be. In fact, I told the unit last (week) to see where they came from in the springtime to where we’ve been.’

With an emphasis on the pre-snap operation, quarterback Caleb Williams rarely fired downfield during his limited passing attempts in 11-on-11 team drills, which mostly focused on the second-year signal-caller operating under center. 

“There is a line of, you’re in the season and it doesn’t go the way you want, you’re feeling a little different,” offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. “This is the first time we’re out there seeing what we’re seeing with the new install for training camp. I think the biggest thing is that we come in and we get it corrected.”

As of the weekend, the team had installed only one third of the playbook, according to Johnson. The former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator — highly coveted in each of the last two seasons on the head-coaching circuit for the success he had there with quarterback Jared Goff — finds comfort in not needing to coach the basics, from how to line up to the standard that is expected. 

What can’t be excused are procedural penalties and sloppy center-quarterback exchanges, both of which presented themselves again Monday. 

“That’s that ‘High School Harry’ stuff that we have to get out of,” Johnson had said Saturday. 

Second-year wideout Rome Odunze said he feels comfortable with what has been installed thus far. 

“I know Ben’s offense isn’t just something that you’re going to completely and totally be encompassed in or have a full understanding of in year one,” Odunze said. “It’s something that takes a little bit of evolving to get there.”

Practicing learning helps in NFL (really)

Bears center Drew Dalman, part of the revamped offensive line charged with protecting Williams after last season’s unit came up woefully short in that department, was with the Atlanta Falcons last season during the first year of a new regime led by head coach Raheem Morris. 

Now experiencing the same thing with Chicago, Dalman said last year taught him how to learn more efficiently — and he’s putting that into practice as he picks up another new playbook and builds a rapport with another new quarterback. 

As the left tackle battle continues (with Braxton Jones and Ozzy Trapilo fighting for the spot), the rest of the line is mostly set with Joe Thuney at left guard, Dalman at center, Jonah Jackson at right guard and right tackle Darnell Wright. 

Like Dalman, Thuney and Jackson were offseason additions. When it comes to the front five being on the same page, Dalman said, there is no set timetable for it all clicking. 

“There’s a meshing of communication and vision where everyone’s seeing the same things and alerting each other and giving each other information seamlessly, and that’s something that is better than it was when we started,” Dalman told USA TODAY Sports. “And I think it’s more of a continuum of it just gets better and better rather than it crosses some threshold and it’s like ‘Now you have a cohesive unit.’ You can always improve.” 

Lethargic in Lake Forest? 

Even if hitting at game speed is not permitted, the first day of full pads is a chance for teams to dial up the intensity during training camp. The Bears’ two-hour practice Monday didn’t deliver on that front. 

On top of the early-morning call time (practice started at 8:15 a.m.), the humidity helped keep the energy low and not much work was done at full speed. 

Other observations and notes

It’s easy to see why the Bears took Colston Loveland 10th overall in the draft this year. Even from afar, he is every bit of 6-foot-4. He’ll be a massive target for Williams in the middle of the field. Loveland leapt for a pass down the right seam and came down with the ball for one of the offense’s better reps of the day. 
Fourth-year defensive lineman Chris Williams flashed during linemen drills with some aggression against the run and a nifty pass-rush win. 
Rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III, the team’s second-round pick, practiced for the first time (in a limited capacity) since injuring his hamstring during rookie minicamp in May.  

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‘There’s a little bit more to life than just football.’

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was one of many members of the NFL world reacting to the mass shooting that occurred in New York City Monday night.

The shooter killed four people and injured at least five others who were present in the Manhattan skyscraper that hosts the NFL league office. According to multiple reports, the gunman was attempting to target the NFL office when he entered the building but took the wrong elevator.

One NFL employee was among those wounded in the shooting.

A note found on the shooter’s body mentioned chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head injuries such as concussions.

Here’s how those around the NFL community reacted to Monday night’s tragedy:

NFL world reacts to Manhattan shooting

The aforementioned Johnson spoke about the shooting – and former Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg’s death, which also happened Monday night – putting things in perspective.

Kyle Brandt reacts to NYC shooting

NFL Network’s ‘Good Morning Football’ show also reacted to the New York shooting that wounded one of the show hosts’ NFL colleagues at the Manhattan league office.

Kyle Brandt is one of the daily hosts of ‘Good Morning Football,’ and he works out of the Manhattan studio.

Here’s what he had to say on Tuesday morning:

‘Heartbreaking news. Last evening, I started getting texts from people around the country asking me if I was OK, not understanding exactly where I work. I do not work in that building; I work significantly downtown, but I am devastated for everyone who does work in that building.

‘I also just want to say I think this is particularly heartbreaking news because at this company and in that building, this is a time of great excitement and joy, and this week represents hope and rebirth, and some of that was taken yesterday. It’s horrible news, terribly sad to hear it, and we at ‘Good Morning Football’ deeply share our support for the victims’ loved ones.’

The gunman who police say shot and killed four people in a New York City office building was carrying a letter claiming he suffered from CTE when police found his body after he turned the gun on himself, according to multiple media reports.

Shane Devon Tamura had what police told the New York Times was a three-page letter in his wallet containing references to the NFL, which has its corporate headquarters in the Park Avenue building where the shooting took place on Monday, June 28.

‘He appeared to have blamed the NFL for his injury,’ New York City Mayor Eric Adams told ‘CBS Mornings’ on Tuesday.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain condition that happens after repeated head injuries. It is commonly associated with athletes who have endured repeated head trauma in sports such as football, which Tamura reportedly played in high school.

What was in Shane Tamura’s note?

The New York Times reported police said the note mentioned former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Terry Long, who was diagnosed with CTE.

The note also referenced drinking ‘a gallon of antifreeze,’ which is what Long did in taking his own life in 2005.

“Please study brain for CTE. I’m sorry,’ the Times reported the note said, according to excerpts released by police.

Police say Tamura shot himself in the chest, not in the head.

The USTA confirmed 14 of the 16 teams Tuesday for the new U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament that has been reimagined with the goal of enticing top singles players to participate. 

Leading the entry list, at least in star power, will be No. 1 Jannik Sinner paired with American Emma Navarro and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz playing alongside 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Venus Williams, who came back to the tennis tour last week at age 45, received a wild-card entry to play with her longtime friend Reilly Opelka, the 6-foot-11 serve specialist currently ranked No. 74 in the world. 

The USTA announced its mixed doubles overhaul in June, hoping to bring eyeballs and pizzaz to an event that had fallen off the public’s radar as tennis further stratified into singles and doubles specialists. Long gone are the days when top players like Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe would regularly play at least one doubles event at the Grand Slams. 

But with players now preferring to focus all their energy on singles, the USTA completely overhauled the format. Not only will mixed doubles now take place during qualifying week – the week before the main draw begins – the USTA also pumped up the prize money with $1 million going to the winning team. The first three rounds of the tournament will be played in a short format with sets to four instead of the normal six, no-ad scoring and a tiebreaker in lieu of a full third set. The final will be played with sets to six and a 10-point tiebreaker if there’s a third set. 

Making the format friendly for players as they prepared for the main draw was enough to attract most of the top-10 on both the men’s and women’s tour to enter initially. The USTA awarded eight direct entries into the 16-team field based on the team’s combined singles ranking and reserved eight wild cards to use at the tournament’s discretion. 

Novak Djokovic, the all-time leader with 24 men’s Grand Slam singles titles, received a wild card because he chose Olga Danilovic, a 24-year old Serbian ranked No. 40, as his partner. 

The last two wild cards will be announced closer to the tournament. There is also a possibility at least one team will be forced to withdraw, potentially opening up more spots in the field. 

Teams for the US Open mixed doubles tournament

No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 11 Emma Navarro

No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 33 Emma Raducanu

No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 20 Belinda Bencic 

No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 12 Elena Rybakina 

No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 10 Paula Badosa

No. 6 Novak Djokovic and No. 40 Olga Danilovic 

No. 7 Ben Shelton and Taylor Townsend (No. 1 in doubles)

No. 9 Holger Rune and No. 7 Amanda Anisimova 

No. 12 Francis Tiafoe and No. 8 Madison Keys 

No. 13 Casper Ruud and No. 3 Iga Swiatek 

No. 14 Daniil Medvedev and No. 5 Mirra Andreeva 

No. 15 Tommy Paul and No. 4 Jessica Pegula 

Reilly Opelka and Venus Williams 

Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani (defending US Open champions)

The gunman who killed four people in a mass shooting in a Manhattan skyscraper on Monday night mentioned chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a note found on his body, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

‘He talked about CTE. He was not an NFL player,’ Adams told MSNBC. ‘We have reason to believe that he was focused on the NFL agency that was located in the building, and we will continue to investigate with our federal partners to ensure that we can find a reason.’

According to Adams, the shooter had been trying to get into the NFL offices located in the same building where the shooting occurred, but he took the wrong elevator.

CTE is a degenerative brain disease that ’causes the death of nerve cells in the brain,’ according to the Mayo Clinic. It has been tied to repeated head injuries that often happen in contact sports. The disease cannot be formally diagnosed until an autopsy of a potential victim of CTE.

Malik Nabers is a player the New York Giants can’t afford to lose and Tuesday’s practice was enough to give the team a scare.

The star receiver is coming off a dominant rookie season that saw him post 107 catches, 1,204 yards, and seven touchdowns in just 15 games despite spotty quarterback play. The 22-year-old is looking to build off that season with an improved roster in 2025, but now has to worry about the injury bug.

On Tuesday, Nabers went down with an apparent shoulder injury, adding to an ongoing toe ailment that hasn’t gotten better over time.

Here is the latest on Nabers and his status going forward.

Malik Nabers injury update

Nabers was injured on a run play during Tuesday’s practice, according to reports.

The receiver grabbed at his shoulder following a run block. He remained on the ground momentarily and then walked off the field under his own power before meeting with the team’s trainer, Ronnie Barnes.

Head coach Brian Daboll received an update from Barnes and Nabers didn’t return to practice.

The second-year star is already dealing with a toe injury that he said dates back to his days in college at LSU. It’s an issue that kept Nabers out of organized team activities (OTAs) earlier in the offseason.

‘It’s like a mosquito that don’t want to go away,’ Nabers said told Kay Adams on the ‘Up & Adams’ show on Monday. ‘I’m trying to shoo it away. But I’ve been doing a great job with Russell (Wilson), trainers, you know, I’ve been using his physical therapist guys. I’ve been doing an excellent job of just staying on track of it and having his people, having my people, all together, trying to work on keeping me as healthy as possible. We’re moving in the right direction. We’re just staying on top of it so it don’t give me any problems later on down the line.’

Now it appears he can add a shoulder ailment to the list.

An NFL employee was seriously injured during the mass shooting at the Manhattan office tower that houses the league’s headquarters and was in stable condition at a New York hospital on Monday night, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told staff in a memo.

‘We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared,’ Goodell wrote in the memo, obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

The gunman fatally shot four people, including New York city police officer Didarul Islam, and injured several others before killing himself with a self-inflicted gunshot.

Goodell, in the memo, called it ‘an unspeakable act of violence.’

The NFL did not reveal the identity of its injured employee.

‘NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting the family,’ Goodell wrote.

The incident began around 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the skyscraper that is also headquarters to Blackstone and other prominent financial firms. NFL employees were immediately directed to shelter-in-place, according to authorities.

CNN was told by a law enforcement official that the shooter was carrying papers indicating he had grievances with the NFL and its handling of CTE, or Chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Officials say they are still investigating what motivated the attack.

The league has offices on the fifth through eighth floors of the 44-floor tower. It is unknown how many NFL employees were on location during the shooting.

‘We are deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers who responded to this threat quickly and decisively and to Officer Islam, who gave his life to protect others,’ Goodell wrote.

Goodell advised staff based in New York to work remotely on Tuesday, adding that it is understandable if they preferred to take the day off. He emphasized that there are significant resources available for employees, including grief counselors.

He also maintained that there will be increased security presence at the building in the days and weeks to come.

‘Every one of you is a valued member of the NFL family,’ Goodell wrote in closing. ‘We will get through this together.’

(This story was updated to change a video, add new information and change a photo.)

Before we dive into why Deion Sanders would continue coaching, let’s fully comprehend the life battle ahead.

Sanders said Monday he had his cancerous bladder removed and reconstructed from a piece of his small intestine, and simple internet search shows no pleasant post-operative options to eliminate urine. His life will never be the same.

The best way to explain the unimaginable: there will be a porta-potty at Colorado practices this fall, and on the sidelines during games.

Let’s pause here and soak in that unthinkable.

“It was never in my spirit to not be coaching again,” Sanders said during an emotional press conference to begin his third season as Buffaloes coach.

That’s the takeaway of this somber yet inspiring story. Sanders isn’t stepping down, he’s stepping up.

No matter what you think of the bombastic bravado of all things Coach Prime, Sanders just publicly gave two middle fingers to the big C — and isn’t ashamed in the least about the potentially embarrassing fight ahead. 

A porta-potty on the sidelines, ladies and gentlemen.

“I got eight toes, man,” Sanders defiantly said.

TIMELINE: A look at the recent health issues of Deion Sanders

SUPPORT SYSTEM: Randy Moss called Deion Sanders every other day

Translation: he’s here for a purpose, and believes it has nothing to do with football. 

So when he nearly lost his foot because of circulation problems but also lost two toes in the process, that was the initial whisper. When he nearly lost his life because of cancer – when the enormity of making a will before surgery in May became crushing reality – that was the final, primal scream from above. 

It’s more than football. He’s here, he says, to make sure men see their physicians regularly.

Because if it can happen to Prime, you damn sure better believe it can happen to anyone. 

So Sanders has decided to continue coaching, to do what he does best and lead another fight in the process. He knows the college football world follows his every move, knows the ratings he and his team gain no matter the network, no matter the time.

Colorado’s double-overtime loss to Stanford in 2023, a typically sleepy Friday night game for all of college football, went well into Saturday morning and still drew 3.29 million viewers. Colorado and Sanders have become must-see TV.

In 2024, Colorado had 11 of the top 100 watched games. Only national champion Ohio State (12) had more.

You don’t really think he’s walking away from that bully pulpit, do you?

At one point Monday afternoon, after beginning the press conference with his trademark sunglasses on, Sanders took off the shades and sat exposed for all to see — his eyes the window to a clearly shook soul. This battle is far from over. 

It’s a strange, new world of pain management and wound care and other potential complications. To say nothing of the emotional and psychological challenges ahead.

He sat surrounded by his medical staff, and wore a white long sleeve t-shirt, blue denim overalls and a white cowboy hat. He came to work, everyone.   

This wasn’t your typical Primetime press conference, complete with outlandish proclamations and ridiculous statements. No first person “Coach Prime” promoting, no me against the world mantra. 

It’s the collective us against the big C.

He was evangelizing and energizing, which if we’ve learned anything from Sanders, is right in his wheelhouse. You want to put a face to this fight? 

Why not the guy with the million dollar smile, the former elite athlete and transcending coach, and one of the rare people in sports who isn’t afraid to speak his mind? No matter how many love or hate him, no matter the consequences.

They’ll all hear the message. 

One of faith and hope and pain and perseverance, of unvarnished truth that men, without regular visits to physicians, could be lugging around urine bags, too. 

Without regular visits, you, too could sit at the kitchen table one evening when you least expect it, filling out a will and wondering how in the world this could’ve happened?

A day before Monday’s press conference, Sanders released a video on Instagram where he spoke about that unsettling moment — and dealing with the torturous reality of mortality.

Hear the message, everyone. Doesn’t matter if you like the messenger, or his love of God and wonderment that somehow, a higher power has saved him for this very time and place. 

He’s got eight toes, man.

And one purpose.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.