CLEARWATER, Fla. — Next month will mark three years since Trea Turner made history with one swing at Miami’s LoanDepot Park.
During the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Turner became the first Team USA player in a decade to hit a grand slam in the tournament. It propelled his team to a come-from-behind win over then-undefeated Venezuela in the quarterfinals, and it was just one of many big moments for Turner that March.
He finished with five home runs to tie a WBC record, helping his team to a silver medal.
But this year, when Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brad Keller leave Phillies spring training to join Team USA for the 2026 iteration of the international tournament, Turner will not join them.
“The phone never rang,” Turner said. “I wish those guys the best. I think it’s so much fun. I gladly would have done it again. I said the last time, if they ever asked, I would say yes. They’ve got a great roster this year, stacked.”
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa included Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. and the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson as shortstops on his roster. Milwaukee’s Brice Turang is the second baseman for the American team, while Toronto’s Ernie Clement is listed as a utility infielder.
Turner won the National League batting title in 2025 with a .304 average and also had one of the best seasons of his career defensively. He posted +17 outs above average at shortstop, ranking in the 99th percentile at his position according to StatCast data.
“I think we’re in a good spot to win,” Turner said of Team USA. “I’ll definitely be watching it, and I wish Kyle and Bryce and all these guys, [Edmundo] Sosa, everyone playing, I hope they perform well for their countries, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Other WBC participants from the Phillies’ major league roster are Sosa (Panama); Cristopher Sánchez and Johan Rojas (Dominican Republic); Taijuan Walker (Mexico); José Alvarado (Venezuela); Garrett Stubbs and 21-year-old (Israel); and Aaron Nola (Italy).
Turner knows that Harper, in particular, is excited to play in the WBC. He had planned to join the team alongside Turner in 2023 but was unable to participate after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery the previous winter.
The Phillies jog during the first full-squad workout of spring training on Monday.
“You have to prepare a little bit differently in spring training for that,” Turner said. “You’ve got to kind of get out there earlier, and get your at-bats earlier. So it seems like he’s working harder. But at the same time, he’s just got to get ready, because he’s going to have live at-bats. But he’s competitive.”
Turner’s own offseason was about the same as usual for him, he said. His main priority this year is maintaining his health, which also happened to be the main theme of manager Rob Thomson’s speech to the team Monday morning ahead of the first official full-squad workout of the spring.
Turner, 32, missed time in each of the last two seasons with hamstring strains, and he is aiming to prevent that from happening again primarily through nutrition and hydration.
“Body feels good. Still feel young, although when I have to play with guys like this and Aidan and whatnot, makes me feel old,” Turner said, gesturing to the nearby lockers of 22-year-old Justin Crawford and 21-year-old Aidan Miller. “But I feel 25. I feel ready.”
Turner is looking forward to how Crawford and his speed could help lengthen the bottom half of the Phillies’ lineup. He said he hadn’t seen much of Miller before Monday, when they did infield work together.
“Glove looks good,” Turner said. “Got a chance to talk to him, just trying to get to know him a little bit more. Seems like a great kid, had a good season last year, and excited for him to be around much more and contribute. Because we need guys like that.
“We need to build depth. We need some younger guys. And I think that’s really important for a good organization.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Dolphins are releasing star receiving Tyreek Hill, ending the All-Pro’s four-year tenure in Miami, a person familiar with the move told the Associated Press on Monday.
Hill, who turns 32 on March 1, is recovering from a season-ending injury suffered in a game against the New York Jets on Sept. 29 that required surgery to repair significant damage to his left knee, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
It is one of several major roster cuts the Dolphins made on Monday morning, the person said, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not made any announcements. Miami also will release two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Bradley Chubb and cut offensive lineman James Daniels and receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, the person said.
The Dolphins acquired Hill in a trade with Kansas City ahead of the 2022 season and gave him a $120 million, four-year contract extension that made him the highest-paid player at his position at the time.
His contract, which runs through 2026, would have represented around $51 million against Miami’s cap.
MILAN — Aerin Frankel stopped 21 shots for her third shutout of the Olympic women’s hockey tournament and the favored United States advanced to the gold-medal game by defeating Sweden, 5-0, at the Milan Cortina Games on Monday.
Abbey Murphy, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Hayley Scamurra scored on consecutive shots over 2 minutes, 47 seconds late in the second period to blow the game open and put the Americans up 5-0. Cayla Barnes opened the scoring and Taylor Heise also scored.
The Americans continued their roll through the tournament by improving to 6-0, outscoring their opponents by a combined 31-1. The U.S. has yet to trail or be tied after 0-0, and is in position to become the third women’s team to do so over the entire tournament, joining Canada in 2006 and 2010.
The U.S. also extended its shutout streak to 331:23, going back to Czechia’s Barbora Jurickova beating Frankel on a breakaway in the second period of a tournament-opening 5-1 win.
The win over Sweden sets up what could well be a seventh gold-medal showdown against Canada on Thursday. The defending Olympic champion Canadians play Switzerland in the day’s other semifinal game.
The U.S. already beat Canada, 5-0, in a preliminary round game last week. The Americans won Olympic gold in 1998 and 2018, with Canada winning the other five tournaments.
The United States’ Hayley Scamurra celebrates after scoring her team’s fifth goal against Sweden.
Sweden will play for bronze on Thursday in an effort to medal for the third time in team history, and first since winning silver at the 2006 Turin Games after upsetting the U.S. in the semifinals.
Ebba Svensson Traff stopped 19 of 23 shots before she was pulled after Schofield tipped in Laila Edwards’ shot from the blue line with 3:50 left in the second period.
Emma Soderberg took over in goal, and was beaten by Scamurra, who tapped in Britta Curl-Salemme’s centering pass 1:49 later. Soderberg finished with 10 saves.
Among those in attendance was former Eagles center Jason Kelce, who was shown on the scoreboard applauding the goal initially credited to Edwards. Kelce is from Edwards’ hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and he and his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, contributed to a GoFundMe drive to help pay for Edwards’ family to attend the Milan Cortina Games.
The U.S certainly didn’t resemble a team that didn’t want to play Sweden, as coach Ulf Lundberg suggested after the Swedes beat Czechia in the quarterfinals.
Though the Swedes kept the U.S. mostly to the perimeter in the opening period, they were still outshot 13-2.
Barnes scored with a snap shot from the top of the right circle and beat Svensson Traff high on the short side. Barnes’ goal was her first point of the tournament, leaving seventh defender Rory Guilday as the lone American skater to not yet register a point through six games.
Heise made it 2-0 at the 9:08 mark of the second period by one-timing in Hannah Bilka’s backhand pass through the middle. Svensson Traff got her glove on the shot, but the puck deflected across her body and into the net off the inside of her stick.
The 76ers are bringing guard Cam Payne back to Philly as a pickup off the buyout market, a source confirmed Monday. The deal was first reported by SteinLine’s Marc Stein.
Partizan Belgrade in Serbia announced Payne’s departure on social media, sharing a post that revealed his $1.75 million buyout. The Sixers can contribute only $875,000 to his release, Stein reports.
Payne played with the Sixers in 2024 and averaged 9.3 points and 3.1 assists in 31 games. Team president Daryl Morey traded Patrick Beverley to Milwaukee in exchange for Payne and a second-rounder before the 2024 trade deadline.
He served as a bench spark plug and offensive boost behind Tyrese Maxey. Payne, 31, should be expected to take on a similar role after the Sixers traded second-year guard Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder before the NBA trade deadline.
A 10-year NBA veteran, Payne also has played for the Thunder, Bulls, Cavaliers, Suns, Bucks, and Knicks.
The move strengthens a position the Sixers considered one of their strong points entering the season. With Maxey, McCain, VJ Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes in the backcourt to start the season, the Sixers expected their backcourt to carry them as stars Joel Embiid and Paul George rounded into form. Both players ended up being ahead of schedule as Embiid morphed back into All-Star form and George provided a steady hand as a key defender and ballhandler.
But with George suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy and McCain with the Thunder, the Sixers need reinforcements for the stretch run after All-Star break. Payne could provide that in short spurts.
WASHINGTON — Tre’ Johnson, the former standout Washington offensive lineman who went on to become a Maryland high school history teacher, died Sunday. He was 54.
“It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that my husband, Tre’ Johnson, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly … during a brief family trip,” she wrote. ”His four children, Chloe, EJ, EZ and Eden, extended family, friends, and I are devastated and in shock.”
After starring at Temple, Johnson was drafted by Washington 31st overall in 1994. He played for Washington through 2000, spent 2001 with Cleveland and returned to Washington for a final year in 2002. The 6-foot-2, 328-pound guard was a Pro Bowl selection in 1999.
After football, he became a history teacher at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland. His wife said recent health issues had forced him to take a leave of absence.
LOS ANGELES — While strolling through the NBA Crossover fan extravaganza inside the Los Angeles Convention Center on Friday afternoon, a young man wearing a Cooper Flagg Duke jersey suddenly realized the NBA player with whom he had randomly crossed paths.
“That’s Tyrese Maxey!” the fan excitedly told his companion.
That moment illustrated how Maxey’s popularity has ballooned beyond Philly, where he has long been beloved while rapidly ascending into a 76ers cornerstone and two-time All-Star. Before stepping inside Intuit Dome on Sunday afternoon, Maxey had already received the fourth-highest total of All-Star fan votes and was named an Eastern Conference starter for this weekend’s main event. And that status as one of league’s up-and-coming faces was showcased throughout the celebratory weekend, culminating with Maxey’s nine points and three steals for the “young and turnt” Team Stars’ victory over Team Stripes in the championship game of a surprisingly competitive round-robin tournament.
“I feel a lot less out of place,” Maxey said when asked about how this weekend felt different from his first All-Star appearance in 2024. “[Two years ago, I] was nervous. It’s your first time. You don’t know when to talk, when not to talk. Now I walk into the locker room of my team, I was the second-oldest [at 25].
“I played against those guys growing up as kids, and it was really fun to be in the locker room.”
Maxey’s widespread prominence is perhaps unsurprising, given his combination of statistical production, playing style and personality.
His numbers place him in the MVP conversation, coming out of the All-Star break ranking sixth in the NBA in scoring (28.9 points per game) while adding 6.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.0 steals. He plays an aesthetically pleasing brand of basketball for diehards and casuals alike, as a speedy guard who explodes to the basket, launches from three-point range, and has become a legitimate defensive disruptor. And he regularly flashes a grin even in the heat of competition.
Tyrese Maxey participated in the three-point contest and made his second All-Star Game appearance.
The “That’s Tyrese Maxey” whispers — or exclamations — continued as he moved through the convention center on Friday. One fan who recognized him was wearing a LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers shirt. Another was in Boston Celtics green. Others waited in line to meet Maxey inside an Xfinity pop-up digital experience — where his face was displayed all over the exterior — or as he signed blue Sixers jerseys inside a DoorDash booth.
Back at the Intuit Dome, Maxey was on a parking garage billboard also featuring San Antonio Spurs global superstar Victor Wembanyama. And during Saturday’s media day, Maxey was assigned to a formal news conference room — which are typically reserved for the most in-demand players — instead of the mixed-zone scrums.
As Maxey walked into the standing-room-only crowd, he uttered, “Wow.”
“I don’t want to trip and fall,” Maxey said, walking across the stage, “and embarrass myself with all these people here.”
Maxey first noticed his popularity had extended beyond Sixers supporters around his fourth NBA season, when he was so stunned to see his jersey in places besides Philly and his hometown of Dallas that he called his mother, Denyse. (His jersey sales this season ranked 10th in the NBA as of last month, the league announced.) And when informed last month that he had received more All-Star fan votes than any American player — yes, even topping all-time greats James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant — he was taken aback.
“Oh, thanks fellow Americans!” Maxey said, leaning back in his locker-room chair. “Appreciate y’all, man. That’s love.”
It is all quite the rise since Maxey trained in Los Angeles in preparation for the 2020 NBA draft, when the Sixers took him 21st overall.
Tyrese Maxey has come a long way from the surprising rookie who burst onto the scene in 2020.
He seized the opportunity when thrust into the starting point guard job during Ben Simmons’ 2021-22 holdout. He won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in 2023, then became a first-time All-Star the following season. He thrived as former MVP Joel Embiid’s two-man partner. He further boosted himself on a big stage with a masterful 46-point performance at Madison Square Garden in Game 5 of the Sixers’ 2024 first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks.
As an All-Star newbie in 2024, Maxey appreciated getting to know players from other teams in a laid-back environment. This year, he felt a sense of familiarity with Team Stars, which was also made up of All-Star MVP Anthony Edwards along with Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Johnson. He sat courtside as Sixers teammate VJ Edgecombe won Rising Stars MVP on Friday night, then participated in Saturday’s three-point contest for the first time.
When Holmgren, a first-time All-Star, asked Maxey for advice on what to expect Sunday, he compared it to the McDonald’s High School All American Game.
“You don’t want nobody to have bragging rights on you,” Maxey said. “That’s how I feel about it.”
Maxey finished Team Stars’ overtime victory over Team World with four points, three rebounds, and two assists — and a tone-setting hustle play when he saved a ball from going out of bounds by throwing it backward over his head. He added two points in his team’s loss in its first matchup against Team Stripes, which also came down to the last shot.
In the championship rematch, Maxey took Durant off the dribble for a layup, then stole the inbounds pass and buried a three-pointer. Later, he blew past James for another finish and collected a steal and a dish to Barnes for a breakaway dunk.
“I want to play it like a real game, anyway,” Maxey said. “It’s better for me.”
Tyrese Maxey is one of the game’s most popular young American stars.
Maxey arrived for his postgame media session carrying a fancy box holding his All-Star ring which, when opened, also played a video of his highlights. He was ready to get some rest during the next few days before the regular-season’s stretch run for a Sixers team in sixth place in the East standings.
But this weekend, he lived up to his status as a leader of the NBA’s “young and turnt” American stars — and one of the up-and-coming faces of the league as a whole.
“I definitely think that we are ready to try to step it forward,” Maxey said. “We had a lot of guys in that locker room that are ready to take the next step.”
Scenes from the Phillies first full spring training workout
// Timestamp 02/16/26 2:02pm
‘He’s getting there’: Zach Wheeler continues recovery from blood clot
Zack Wheeler threw out to 120 feet for the first time today. Rob Thomson said he doesn't know yet when Wheeler will get back on a mound, but "he's getting there."
The surprising things Phillies players brought with them to spring training
// Timestamp 02/16/26 12:17pm
Spring training photos: Phillies first full-squad workout
BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. ahead of the Phillies’ first full-squad workout. Bryce Harper works with new bench coach Don Mattingly. Kyle Schwarber takes some swings during batting practice. The Phillies’ first spring training game is Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter will be under no limitations this spring as he competes for a spot in the Phillies’ rotation. He is set to appear in Grapefruit League games for the first time since prior to his ulnar collateral ligament injury and subsequent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2023.
“I’m sure he’s excited. It’s really the first full year where he’s completely healthy, and where he’s got everything back,” Thomson said. “And when I’m talking about everything, I’m talking about stuff, combined with command and control. So I think he’s really excited. I would think so. I’m excited for him, because I’m thinking he’s really going to be a big piece for us.”
Mike Trout talks position change, being prevented from playing in World Baseball Classic
Mike Trout wants to move back to center field this season.
Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout plans to be back in center field this season, he told reporters Monday at the team’s spring training complex in Tempe, Ariz.
Trout moved to right field last season in an attempt to keep the 34-year-old South Jersey native healthy, but in April he was sidelined for a month by a bone bruise and finished out the year as a designated hitter.
Mike Trout says he is playing center field again. He said playing right wasn’t comfortable and he felt like it was more running.
Also said he feels good about where his swing is. He finished last season on a hot streak.
Trout played 130 games last season, the most since 2019. But Angles general manager Perry Minasian signaled back in December he’d be open to Trout returning to center field.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” Minasian said, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger. “We’ll see where the team looks like when we get to Spring Training and what’s in place and what gives us the best chance to win games. Might be playing center. One day might be playing left. One day might be DHing. I don’t know.”
Trout also told reporters he wanted to play in this year’s World Baseball Classic, but was prevented due to insurance issues related to his 12-year, $426.5 million contract with the Angels that runs through the 2030 season.
Essentially, Trout couldn’t find insurance coverage to cover the roughly $37 million he’s owed this season if he were to be injured during the global baseball tournament.
Mike Trout says he’ll move back to playing CF this year. He also wanted to play in the WBC but insurance prevented him from playing, calling it disappointing
They also sent lefty Matt Strahm to the Royals for Jonathan Bowlan in a reliever swap. And they added bullpen depth with Zach McCambley (Rule 5 draft), lefty Kyle Backhus (trade with Arizona), Yoniel Curet (trade with Tampa Bay), Chase Shugart (trade with Pittsburgh), and Zach Pop (free agent).
So which new Phillies is most intriguing for 2026?
Lauber: Does Justin Crawford count as “new?” Oh, OK, we’ll get to him later. In that case, García. In 2023, he hit 39 homers, got down-ballot MVP votes, and dominated the postseason for the World Series champion Rangers. The Phillies bet on bouncebacks last year from Max Kepler and Jordan Romano and went bust. Will their latest free-agent gamble work out better?
March: Keller. The right-hander had been a starter for most of his career before his breakout season last year as a high-leverage reliever for the Cubs, and he has retained his starter’s arsenal of four-seam, sinker, slider, changeup, and sweeper. That, plus a jump of over 3 mph on his fastball in 2025, makes him an intriguing back-end option in the Phillies’ bullpen.
Which Phillies players to watch at spring training
All eyes will be on prospect Justin Crawford during spring training.
What’s the Phillies’ biggest roster decision?
Lauber: Although the decision to commit to Justin Crawford was made early in the offseason, it’s about to play out in real time. At 22, he would be the youngest outfielder to make a Phillies opening-day roster since Greg Luzinski and Mike Anderson in 1973. As the Phillies turn over the keys to center field, Crawford will be at the center of attention.
March: The Phillies stocked up on potential bullpen depth this winter, making a host of minor league deals, a few trades, and a Rule 5 selection of Zach McCambley. Six reliever spots are likely spoken for, barring injury: lefties José Alvarado and Tanner Banks, and righties Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller, Orion Kerkering, and Jonathan Bowlan. There will be some stiff competition for the final two spots.
Which prospect should fans look out for?
Lauber: As you watch Crawford and Andrew Painter, don’t take your eyes off Aidan Miller. The Phillies intend to expose the 22-year-old shortstop to third base in spring training, but it will be interesting to see how much third he actually plays — and how fast they push him if he starts hot in triple A and/or Alec Bohm falters again in April.
March: Gabriel Rincones Jr. made a big impression last spring with a couple of towering home runs. The outfielder was added to the Phillies’ 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft, and he could get a major league look at some point in 2026. Rincones, who will be 25 next month, struggles against left-handed pitching, so any opportunity would likely be in a strict platoon. But he has some big power potential against righties.
A clean-shaven Nick Castellanos, dressed in a brown Padres hoodie, made his first public comments Sunday after signing a one-year deal with San Diego.
The former Phillies outfielder, who was released by the organization on Thursday, met with the media at the Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz. He also spent time taking reps at first base. He is expected to see time there as the Padres already have an All-Star rightfielder in Fernando Tatis Jr.
Castellanos told reporters Sunday he “had a good idea” he would not be back with the Phillies following their exit in the National League Division Series. This winter, the Phillies repeatedly expressed interest in finding a change of scenery for Castellanos after he developed friction with manager Rob Thomson.
After his release, Castellanos posted a letter on Instagram thanking members of the organization and explaining the “Miami Incident.” During the eighth inning of a June 16 game in Miami, Castellanos said he brought a beer into the dugout after Thomson replaced him for defensive purposes. He was benched for the following game as punishment.
In his letter, Castellanos wrote that he “will learn from” the incident.
“I think [what] I said I will learn from this is I guess just letting my emotions get the best of me in a moment,” he said Sunday. “Possibly if I see things that frustrate me or I don’t believe are conducive to winning, to speak up instead of letting things just pile up over time and pile up over time and finally when I address it, it’s less emotional.”
Bryce Harper responds to Phillies exec ahead of Spring Training
Bryce Harper fist-bumps Phillies teammates Sunday ahead of the team’s workout in Clearwater, Fla.
Bryce Harper touched down in Phillies camp, pulled on a black T-shirt — no, not the black T-shirt that went viral over the holidays — and summarized one of the weirdest weeks in an offseason of his career.
“For Dave [Dombrowski] to come out and say those things,“ Harper said, ”it’s kind of wild to me still.”
Key word: Still. Because this was Sunday, 122 days after the Phillies’ highest-ranking baseball official gave a 90-second answer 34 minutes into a 54-minute news conference about whether Harper’s good-but-not-great 2025 season was a one-off or the start of a downward trend.
Pardon the rehashed sound bite, but well, here goes: “Of course he’s still a quality player,” Dombrowski said, “still an All-Star-caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite [again], or if he continues to be good.”
Cue the hysteria, fomented by sports-talk radio and social media. And a candid answer to a good question exploded into unfounded speculation that the Phillies would consider trading Harper. (For what it’s worth, John Middleton is clear about wanting Harper to go into the Hall of Fame with a “P” on his plaque.)
Harper is self-aware. He wasn’t satisfied with last season. There were factors, including an inflamed right wrist that caused him to miss 22 games. But he also swung at a career-high rate of pitches out of the zone, a problem given that Harper saw fewer strikes than any hitter in baseball. He also delivered fewer hits in the clutch than ever before.
“Obviously,” he said after digesting it for four months, “not the best year of my career.”
But the substance of Dombrowski’s comments didn’t bother Harper as much as the forum.
“The big thing for me was, when we first met with this organization [in 2019] it was, ‘Hey, we’re always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same thing,’” Harper said. “So, when that didn’t happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit. I don’t know.
“It’s kind of a wild situation, that even happening.”
Pitcher Taijuan Walker looks on while wearing his hat backward Sunday. Pitcher Cristopher Sanchez on the mound as palm trees swerve in the background. Brandon Marsh shares a laugh during spring training workouts Thursday. Pitcher Zack Wheeler warms up last week. Phillies manager Rob Thomson looks on during spring training workouts.
Tom McCarthy is entering his 19th season as the TV voice of the Phillies.
NBC Sports Philadelphia will once again broadcast 12 Phillies spring training games in 2026 — 10 on the main channel and two on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.
The network’s TV schedule kicks off Sunday with the Phillies’ afternoon matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla., where the team has played spring ball for 78 years.
The Phillies March 4 exhibition game against Canada ahead of the World Basball classic will also air on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
In addition, a handful of spring training games will stream live on the Phillies’ website.
Here are all the Phillies spring training games airing on NBC Sports Philadelphia:
Sunday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
Feb. 25 vs Detroit Tigers, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
Feb. 27 vs. Florida Marlins (split squad), 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 1 vs. New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 4 vs. Canada, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 5 vs. Boston Red Sox, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP+)
March 8 at Minnesota Twins, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 10 vs. New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
March 13 vs. Baltimore Orioles, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP+)
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Sometimes, you don’t have to hear Andre Blake speak to know what’s on his mind.
You can tell from looking at eyes that have seen more Union games than any other player. From hands that have stopped more shots than any goalkeeper should have to, and let more by than any goalkeeper would want to. From feet that have stood by nets across the United States, the continent, and beyond.
You also don’t have to be a Union fan or a Jamaica fan to share the question that resonates so deeply with the 35-year-old, as he begins his 13thseason with the only professional team of his career.
Why has Blake been denied, time and again, the privilege of reaching the twin peaks he so deeply craves: winning an MLS Cup with his club and qualifying for the World Cup with his country?
Andre Blake suffered an injury during last year’s playoff loss to New York City FC.
The soccer gods can be cruel, and they have forced Blake to suffer. Yes, he has won two Supporters’ Shield titles, but all of his playoff runs — and his U.S. Open Cup runs, Leagues Cup runs, and Concacaf Champions Cup runs — have ended in defeat, often heartbreak, and most often out of his control.
With Jamaica, the pain cuts especially deep right now. If the failures of past World Cup qualifying campaigns, Gold Cups, and Concacaf Nations Leagues weren’t hard enough, this moment seems almost unfair.
The Reggae Boyz entered the last night of qualifying needing a win at home over Curaçao. But they were held to a scoreless tie, with Blake stuck at the other end of the field from his misfiring teammates. Curaçao took the berth and sent Jamaica to next month’s intercontinental playoffs.
Up the hill and knocked back down, again and again.
Curaçao players celebrating in Jamaica’s stadium after qualifying for the World Cup at the Reggae Boyz’ expense.
‘We need silverware’
“I felt like we were so close again,” Blake said of the Union falling short last year. “We had it — had it where we wanted it to be. But that’s just soccer. Single-elimination games can go either way.”
“I really thought that last year would have been it, knowing that MLS Cup would have been in Philly, but it didn’t happen,” Blake said. “But we just use that as motivation, as experience for us to know that we were that close. And just use that to give us confidence to know that hopefully this year we can go one or two steps closer and win the whole thing.”
Will the stars finally align this year? That’s not how this works, in either Chester or Kingston, and Blake knows as well as anyone. But he’s ready to go once more.
Andre Blake has won two Supporters’ Shields with the Union, but nothing more so far.
“Pretty simple for me: My personal goal is to be better than I was last year,” he said. “That’s always my challenge, to be a better version of myself. And for the team, it’s always the same as well: We need silverware. And the ultimate one is the MLS Cup, so that’s got to be the goal.”
The present moment proves it again. With Jakob Glesnes, Kai Wagner, Mikael Uhre, and Tai Baribo gone, this Union team feels like the start of a new era. As captain, Blake must help set the tone as newcomers blend in with returnees.
“It feels new,” Blake said. “That’s the obvious [part]. But I’ve learned to control what I can control, which is my performance. And whoever is here, the goal is to get the best out of everybody.”
Andre Blake (left) working out at the start of the Union’s preseason.
For now, he continued, his aim is to “just focus on the positives, and positives are whoever is in this room. That’s what we have, and that’s what we have to work with and make the most of.”
‘Everybody starts at zero’
Considering Blake’s history of criticizing the Union for a lack of ambition, what he said next might please the highest-ups — especially as he goes into the last guaranteed year of his contract.
“It’s a new season, everybody starts at zero,” he said. “So I think it’s only fair to judge the season after the season, and not before the season. We have what we have right now, we’re going to do our best, and at the end of the year, we’ll evaluate and see how it was.”
This team doesn’t seem to have the firepower to beat MLS’s best — Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, Son Heung-Min’s Los Angeles FC, and Thomas Müller’s Vancouver Whitecaps — in the games that matter most. But it has made substantive moves to replace the players it cast off, signing center backs Japhet Sery Larsen and Geiner Martínez and forwards Ezekiel Alladoh and Agustín Anello.
The Union broke their transfer fee record to sign Ezekiel Alladoh.
Sery Larsen could be especially impactful for Blake because of his track record of leadership at past clubs.
“The most important thing coming into a new team is just the willingness to learn and to adapt, and to listen,” Blake said. “I think he came in with an open mind. He wants to learn, he’s willing to do the work.”
The new group must build chemistry fast. The MLS season starts at D.C. United on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV), and the overall campaign starts Wednesday in the Concacaf Champions Cup at Defence Force FC in Trinidad.
“The Champions Cup is always a different challenge,” Blake said. “Obviously, it’s a reward to be playing in that tournament. And yeah, the first game against Defence Force — for me, these days, there’s no easy game in soccer. You have to be ready to play, mentally and physically.”
If the Union win the two-game series against Defence Force as they should, the climb will get steep fast. Not only will they face Mexican superpower Club América next, but they’ll face playing nine games from Feb. 18-March 21.
The Union could face Club América in the Concacaf Champions Cup for the first time since the 2021 semifinals.
“Not looking past that game, but after that it gets pretty tough,” Blake said. “We’ll prepare accordingly, and we’ll approach every game in a professional manner.”
‘Very angry’ about Jamaica’s struggles
Now to the subject Blake rarely enjoys discussing, but he knows he must.
The intercontinental playoffs are five weeks from now. Jamaica will play New Caledonia in the semifinal, then the winner will play the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Both games will be at Guadalajara’s Estadio Akron, a World Cup venue this summer.
That task is not fully on Blake’s mind yet with so much to do before then. But it is still a presence, along with emotions from last fall that still simmer.
“It’s been very tough for me these last couple months,” Blake said. “When you kind of invest so much into something and it doesn’t go the way you want it to go, it can get you, and that’s just kind of the phase I’m in right now as it relates to the national team.”
The words came mixed with stretches of silence that were equally piercing.
“It’s just trying to still process what really happened,” Blake said. “But when the time is right, I’ll do whatever I have to do, and I’ll be ready to go again.”
He will play for the seventh manager of his national team tenure, Rudolph Speid, as famed veteran Steve McClaren resigned after the Curaçao game. The players have not changed, though, including big names like Leon Bailey and Michail Antonio.
It’s on them to deliver.
Jamaica has one last chance to qualify for this year’s World Cup, through FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs in March. Hockey great Wayne Gretzky was at the World Cup draw.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone [since] after we left camp, so I don’t know what the vibe [is],” Blake said. “I know I’m very angry. I can only speak for myself, because I feel like we had an opportunity — a big, big opportunity — and we let ourselves down as players, And yeah, that’s just how I feel. I feel like it should have never gone that way.”
He ran through a series of questions he asks himself about preparation, execution, effort, and controlling the controllable. They brought him back to a repeated answer.
“I just feel like as players we let ourselves down,” he said, “and that’s what made me so angry.”
The Reggae Boyz haven’t made a World Cup since 1998, and ending the drought in North America would be even sweeter. It cheers him up to know how many people are rooting for him in Philadelphia, across MLS, and worldwide.
Jamaica is looking for its first berth in the FIFA World Cup since the 1998 edition in France.
“I believe so,” he said. “At the end of the day I can still hold my head high. You can lose a game, you can not accomplish something, but it’s just how, if you give it your all — you did all you could, you left no stones unturned — and then you lose a game, then you can accept that, you know?”
It’s a message he takes home to a family that enjoys calling Philadelphia home, and that four months ago welcomed a third child — a first daughter.
“For me, whenever I go out there, I always try to make, my family, my fans, myself proud by leaving it all on the field,” he said. “So even if you don’t really accomplish what you want, it’s not going to feel good, but you can still be proud.”
At that point, two more questions remained. Will this finally be his year? And if not now, will it ever?
U.S. women’s hockey highlights Day 10 of the Milan Cortina Olympics, with dominant Team USA facing Sweden in the semifinals.
How dominant? In five games, the U.S. women’s team is undefeated, has outscored its opponents 26-1, and blanked Italy, 6-0, in the quarterfinals. Hilary Knight could also set a new Team USA points record on Monday — she’s tied with former teammate Jenny Potter with 32 career Olympic points (11 goals, 21 assists).
U.S. vs. Sweden is scheduled to begin at 10:40 a.m. Philadelphia time, live on NBC. It will be followed by Canada vs. Switzerland in the second semifinal, which is scheduled to get underway at 3:10 p.m.
The two winners will face off in the gold medal game on Thursday at 1:10 p.m., while the two losers will play for bronze Thursday at 8:40 a.m.
The U.S. and Canada have faced off in the women’s ice hockey gold medal game in six of the seven Olympics featuring the sport. Team USA has won twice — 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Sweden sneaked in and won silver in 2006 in Turin, Italy.
In other Olympics action Monday:
Three U.S. bobsledders — Elana Meyers Taylor, Kaysha Love, and defending gold medalist Kaillie Humphries — could be racing for gold in the women’s monobob. The third run begins at 1 p.m., while the final run will start at 3:30 p.m., both set to air live on NBC.
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu, a San Francisco native who competes for China (her mother’s native country) will defend her 2022 gold medal in the women’s big air live at 1:30 p.m. on NBC. She won the silver medal in the slopestyle competition.
U.S. speedskater Kristen Santos-Griswold will challenge two-time Olympic medalist Courtney Sarault of Canada in the women’s short track 1,000 meters, live at 5 a.m. on USA Network and running again at 10 a.m. on NBC.
Monday’s Olympic TV schedule
As a general rule, our schedules include all live broadcasts on TV, but not tape-delayed broadcasts on cable channels. We’ll let you know what’s on NBC’s broadcasts, whether they’re live or not.
NBC
10 a.m.: Speedskating — Women’s short track 1,000-meter final (tape-delayed)
10:40 a.m.: Women’s ice hockey — U.S. vs. Sweden, semifinal
1 p.m.: Bobsled — Women’s monobob third run
1:30 p.m.: Freestyle skiing — Women’s big air final
2:45 p.m.: Alpine skiing — Men’s slalom, first and final runs
3:30 p.m.: Bobsled — Women’s monobob final run
4 p.m.: Figure skating — Pairs free skate
8 p.m.: Prime-time highlights including freestyle skiing, figure skating, and more.
11:35 p.m.: Late night highlights including Alpine skiing, bobsled, and more.
USA Network
5 a.m.: Speedskating — Women’s short track 1,000-meter preliminaries and final, men’s short track relay semifinal, and men’s 500-meter short track qualifying
7:30 a.m.: Alpine skiing — Men’s slalom final
8:45 a.m.: Bobsled — Two-man, second run
2 p.m.: Figure skating — Pairs free skate
3:10 p.m.: Women’s ice hockey — Canada vs. Switzerland, semifinal
How to watch the Olympics on TV and stream online
NBC’s TV coverage will have live events from noon to 5 p.m. Philadelphia time on weekdays and starting in the mornings on the weekends. There’s a six-hour time difference between Italy and here. The traditional prime-time coverage will have highlights of the day and storytelling features.
As far as the TV channels, the Olympics are airing on NBC, USA, CNBC, and NBCSN. Spanish coverage can be found on Telemundo and Universo.
NBCSN is carrying the Gold Zone whip-around show that was so popular during the Summer Olympics in 2024, with hosts including Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone. It used to be just on Peacock, NBC’s online streaming service, but now is on TV, too.
Every event is available to stream live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You’ll have to log in with your pay-TV provider, whether cable, satellite, or streaming platforms including YouTube TV, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
On Peacock, the events are on the platform’s premium subscription tier, which starts at $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
J.T. Realmuto just started his eighth spring training with the Phillies. But for a week in January, he wasn’t sure he’d be back. Realmuto sits down with Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss his roller-coaster offseason contract talks, the release of Nick Castellanos, his outlook for the 2026 starting rotation, and more. Watch here:
