A new seven-team North American professional soccer league will begin next April after several clubs withdrew from the United Soccer Leagues first division to begin a club owner-operated circuit.

The Vancouver Whitecaps, set to join the premier-level Major League Soccer in 2011, will be part of the as-yet-unnamed league in 2010 along with teams in Miami, Atlanta, Carolina, Montreal, Minnesota and St. Louis.

We have united some of the best owners, teams and markets around a new vision for a professional soccer league in North America, Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo told the Miami Herald.

Saputo, set to chair the new league s board of governors, said in a statement released by his club that talks remained ongoing with United League officials but the new le…

Lionel Messi received the Ballon d Or trophy from 2018 winner Luka Modric on Monday, with the Real Madrid midfielder then congratulating Barcelona s forward on social media.

Modric ended Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo s 10-year duopoly on the prestigious prize last year having helped Croatia reach the World Cup final after winning a third successive Champions League with Real Madrid.

It was Messi s turn to win the award again this year, though, as he claimed a record sixth Ballon d Or having scored 41 goals in 44 club appearances so far across the calendar year.

Messi was LaLiga s top scorer in 2018-19 as Barcelona beat Real Madrid to the title, though that did not stop Modric praising a star on the other side of the Clasico divide.

Sports and football are…

The Detroit Lions are coming off their first win of the season and head to Empower Field at Mile High to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 14 of NFL action. Oddsmakers aren’t expecting them to make it two in a row, with NFL betting lines having the Broncos installed as 10-point home favorites with the Over/Under at 42.

Here are our best free Lions vs. Broncos NFL picks and predictions for Sunday, December 12, with kickoff at 4:05 p.m. ET. 

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Justin Fields and the Bears make it to prime-time for the second straight week as they take on the improved defense of the New England Patriots Monday night.

It’s looking like Mac Jones will be under center for the home side, but for what projects to be the slowest game in Week 7, should bettors’ offensive expectations be scaled back significantly?

Find out in my free NFL prop picks for Monday Night Football between the Bears and Patriots.

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Patrick Mahomes didn’t have the greatest Week 14, with the Kansas City Chiefs dropping their second straight game after a controversial Kadarius Toney penalty. They will try to correct their course in the Week 15 odds with a road game against the lowly New England Patriots, who are the subject of rumors suggesting that they will move on from Bill Belichick by season’s end.

Can Mahomes & Co. get things back on track in what should be a projected blowout? Or will it be another week of pedestrian performances for this worrying Chiefs offense?

Continue reading for analysis of the Patrick Mahomes odds in our free NFL picks and predictions for the Chiefs vs. Patriots Week 15 matchup on Sunday, December 17.

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The Washington Commanders had a disappointing start to their preseason, scoring early in the first quarter before falling 20-17 to the New York Jets.

Miami found a way past the Atlanta Falcons in their preseason opener and our Commanders vs Dolphins predictions expect more of the same from the Miami offense. 

Find out why we are backing the first half Over as part of our NFL picks for Saturday, August 17. 

Commanders vs Dolphins prediction

My best betOver 19.5 — first half (-115 at bet365)

My analysisThe reports out of joint practice this week between these two teams were incredibly kind to Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who threw for five touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins defen…

The United States women s team lost to Sweden in the quarter-finals of the Rio 2016 football tournament on Friday, marking the first time since the women s game was added to the Olympic programme that they have failed to make the final.

It took the first-ever penalty shoot-out in women s Olympic football history for the Swedes coached by Pia Sundhage, who led the US to gold in 2008 and 2012  to knock out the Americans after the match had ended level at 1-1 after extra time.

Sweden took the lead in the 61st minute, when Stina Blackstenius beat USA defender Julie Johnson on the counter-attack and slid a shot past goalkeeper Hope Solo.

The US equalised in the 77th minute, Alex Morgan taking advantage of a loose ball in Sweden s area that ricocheted off the …

Even before opening match protagonists Switzerland and the Czech Republic had kicked a ball in anger a growing clutch of the 16 participating nations were seeking a clean bill of health in vain on Saturday.

Poland, facing Germany in their opening game on Sunday, have been hardest hit with two of their squad already having had to pull out while Portugal goalkeeper Quim has succumbed to a hand fracture.

The Swiss also lost their talismanic captain and striker Alexander Frei after just 42 minutes against the Czechs as he had to go off after tangling with Czech defender Zdenek Grygera.

The Czechs themselves had to leave out Zdenek Pospech, the defender suffering from a fever and a virus.

They were dropping like flies on Saturday afternoon when Quim made …