Cantore has two goals in the Spirits' 402 victory over the Orlando Pride

Sofia Cantore scored two goals, Trinity Rodman added a goal and two assists, and the Washington Spirit won their fourth straight with a 4-2 victory over the Orlando Pride on Saturday.

In other National Women's Soccer League matches, the Utah Royals beat Angel City FC 1-0 on the road and the Kansas City Current edged the host North Carolina Courage 2-1.

After a 90-minute weather delay, Washington wasted no time. Rodman picked out Cantore who struck from outside the box in the second minute for a 1-0 lead.

In the seventh, Rodman passed to Cantore, who dribbled past Anna Moorhouse and slotted it home to double the lead.

The two goals (5:27) were the fastest ever in the league’s history with Cantore eclipsing the previous record set by Uchenna Kanu in 2024 by 13 seconds.

Golden boot leader Barbra Banda drew a foul in the box on defender Esme Morgan, but Spirit goalkeeper Sandy MacIver denied the penalty kick from Ally Lemos. On the ensuing corner kick, Banda scored for her sixth goal of the season to narrow the margin.

Banda completed a first-half brace with the equalizer and seventh goal in the 39th to tie it.

Paraguay international Claudia Martínez earned her first NWSL start and tallied her second goal of the season in the 55th minute, giving the Spirit (4-1-3) back the lead.

Rodman scored the game’s final goal in the 70th minute, marking her third consecutive game with a score.

Despite Banda’s second consecutive game with two goals, the Pride (2-3-2) have dropped both results.

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Royals win fourth straight

Captain Paige Cronin delivered a pinpoint cross onto Cloé Lacasse’s head for the game’s only goal in the 32nd minute, giving Utah (4-2-1) a fourth straight win.

In first half stoppage time, Maiara Niehues received a direct red card for violent conduct towards Lacasse. It was the first in club history for Angel City FC, who would also play down a player the entirety of the second half.

Royals Goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn started her first match of the 2026 season and earned the clean sheet with four saves.

After starting the season with three consecutive wins, Angel City FC (3-3-0) have now lost three straight.

Current hold on for road win

Croix Bethune and Michelle Cooper scored first-half goals for the Current (3-4-0), who hung on for the win on the road.

Bethune opened up the scoring with a volleyed goal in the eighth minute. In the 23rd, Cooper dribbled past goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and finished from a tight angle to make it 2-0.

Manaka Matsukubo trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the 85th for North Carolina (2-2-3) with a goal off a rebound.

Courage defender Felicitas Rauch was handed a straight red card in second half stoppage time for violent conduct on Haley Hopkins.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

May 03, 2026

Cantore has two goals in the Spirits' 402 victory over the Orlando Pride

Sofia Cantore scored two goals, Trinity Rodman added a goal and two assists, and the Washington Spirit won their fourth straight with a...

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All About Valentino and Mark Borthwick’s New Haute Couture Book

"Hearst Magazines and AOL may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Is there any better month for a style refresh than May? The season signals growth and fresh starts, and top fashion brands are doing more than following suit with a wave of new drops, collaborations, and store openings. To start the month, Valentino collaborates with Mark Borthwick on a limited-edition book and Adwoa Aboah joins forces with Cou Cou, the start of what’s set to be a standout series of launches in the coming weeks. Below, look through everything else to know about this May.

Valentino and Mark Borthwick to Release a New Book

Who:Valentino and Mark Borthwick

What:New haute couture book

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Where:In select Valentino boutiques starting May 11

Why:Alessandro Michele’s fantastical Valentino couture creations are getting the editorial treatment, courtesy of Mark Borthwick. The Italian maison has collaborated with the British photographer on a new haute couture book titledSpecula Mundi. Unveiled during an intimate cocktail event at the Marciano Art Foundation in Los Angeles, the tome reimagines Michele’s Valentino couture beyond the runway with immersive scenography inspired by the designer’s spring/summer 2026 show. Act quick: there are only 1,500 copies of the collector’s item.

Adwoa Aboah and Cou Cou Team Up for a Good Cause

Who:Adwoa Aboah and Cou Cou

What:Graphic tee

Where:Online atcoucou.com

Why:May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, and Adwoa Aboah is commemorating the occasion with a meaningful collaboration. The model and activist has joined forces with Cou Cou to create a graphic tee emblazoned with the phrase “Out of Order” in pink lettering. All proceeds will go to Aboah’s nonprofit,Gurls Talk. She is also set to lead a series of conversations on theCou Cou Talksplatform, along with an in-person event on May 16 at Dover Street Market London.

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byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

May 02, 2026

All About Valentino and Mark Borthwick’s New Haute Couture Book

"Hearst Magazines and AOL may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Is there any better month ...

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How 'scalpel' changes to F1 will change the racing at the Miami Grand Prix

Formula 1 is back, and the show has changed.

F1 Miami GP Regulations Explainer

This week's Miami Grand Prix is the first test of apackage of changesthat curb the influence of the electrical battery power which has redefined howF1drivers go racing in 2026.

Drawn up during theenforced month-long breakwhen races in the Middle East were called off, the changes follow a backlash from many drivers aggrieved at the regular need to go slow to charge the all-important battery. Max Verstappen ispublicly consideringwhether to leave F1 entirely.

The electrical power has produced some thrilling on-track action with plenty of overtaking, but fans and drivers are split over how much driver skill matters when many moves are hard to defend against. Champion Lando Norris has even reported making overtakes by mistake when the power kicked in unexpectedly.

Many senior F1 figures are playing down the changes or deny there was a problem in the first place. Toto Wolff, whose Mercedes team dominated the first three changes, wanted changes made with a scalpel, not a baseball bat. The rule makers seems to have listened.

Nikolas Tombazis, the top F1 regulations official at the FIA, the sport's governing body, sees his role as a doctor prescribing diet, exercise or vitamins.

“It was quite clear we need to take certain steps. I think it was quite clear that people also need to come out of their comfort zone for some of these discussions,” he said Monday.

Avoiding another huge crash

Drivers had been warning for months about big differences in speed, and the big crashes that could result.

It finally happened at the Japanese Grand Prix in March as Oliver Bearman hurtled toward a barrier at 190 mph (306 kph) while trying to avoid Franco Colapinto. Bearman was left limping but it could have been worse at a street circuit with barriers closer to the track.

There’s now a cap on the extra power from the overtake “boost” mode, and other limits to electrical power in certain areas.

Other safety-focused changes will speed up slow-moving cars at a race start or aim to make cars more controllable in wet weather — conditions the 2026 cars have yet to face.

Qualifying becomes a different challenge

Qualifying will feel faster but actually be slower now that drivers aren’t lifting off the gas as often to recharge batteries.

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That's because the batteries won't recharge quite as much, and they'll charge more quickly at high speed, too. That means the drivers will be “flat out” more often, even if less electrical power means the cars will be slower overall, Tombazis has said.

“We felt drivers had to do some slightly counterintuitive or unnatural things in order to extract the best performance out of qualifying,” he said.

That largely matchesrecommendationsby Mercedes’ George Russell, who’s started 2026 as a title contender and is influential in the paddock as a drivers' association director.

What hasn't changed

The changes don't give drivers much more control over how and when most of the electrical power is deployed.

Except for the optional boost button for overtaking, most of the time, complex algorithms release the power or cut it back in a way that isn't directly related to the driver's use of the gas pedal. That could mean drivers still get unexpected power spikes which can waste power or make the car tricky to control.

Some of the changes mean more automatic control of the power, lowering the limit in certain parts of the circuit for safety reasons.

Tombazis confirmed there was no measure specifically to stop unintentional overtaking, often caused by getting more power than expected at an unfavorable point on the track, but argued other safety-focused changes “go to some extent towards addressing this issue.”

What’s next

Tombazis said the FIA will keep reviewing how the regulations work at upcoming races and could make further changes. There isn't an obvious time to do so until the summer break in August, with eight races before then.

Teams will be hunting for any loopholes in the meantime. Tombazis says he has a regulations staff of around 15 at the FIA, compared to 3,000 engineers across the 11 teams.

“The fact we had a break meant that we could concentrate on these discussions while we didn’t have to go racing every other weekend. It doesn’t mean that these discussions cannot continue,” he said Monday.

There's also the looming question of what comes next for F1 when these regulations run their course, by 2030 at the latest.

AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

May 02, 2026

How 'scalpel' changes to F1 will change the racing at the Miami Grand Prix

Formula 1 is back, and the show has changed. F1 Miami GP Regulations Explainer This week's Miami Grand Prix is the first te...

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Jaden McDaniels and the feisty Timberwolves oust the Nuggets and move on to meet the Spurs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — TheMinnesota Timberwolveshad plenty of lulls during the regular season, seemingly coasting at times while struggling to recapture the form that fueled them to consecutive Western Conference finals appearances over the last two years.

APTOPIX Nuggets Timberwolves Basketball

The postseason switch sure got flipped against the rival Denver Nuggets, as the players promised all along. The energy and urgency was never greater than in the series-clinchingGame 6 victoryon Thursday, when the determined Timberwolves shook off the absence of their three best guards and beat the Nuggets 110-98.

“Still part of our growth,” coach Chris Finch said. “We’ve been really good with the high moments. Our consistency sometimes throughout the season isn’t always there, which we don’t really like about ourselves, but we know we have it in ourselves to meet these moments.”

Jaden McDaniels clearly does.

Nobody on the Timberwolves embodies the mercurial nature of this close-knit but often-moody team than McDaniels, the sixth-year forward who made a name for himself in this series.

Tirelessly chasing All-Star guard Jamal Murray around screens and everywhere he tried to go along the perimeter, limiting him to 4-for-17 shooting in Game 6, McDaniels did even more on the offensive end.

With a big chunk of the team's shot creation missing due to injuries to Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu, McDaniels went 13 for 25 from the floor for 32 points with 10 rebounds.

“What I was the most proud about him was just his emotional control, being able to stay poised, not overreact to adversity, calls or missed shots, or mistakes,” teammate Rudy Gobert said. "He stayed present, and he stepped up big time when we needed him the most, so I’m really, really proud of him.”

McDaniels tossed even more spice into thiswell-developed rivalryearly in the series with his blanket “bad defenders” jab at the opponent, and he made no secret of the motivation he gets from seeing “Denver” or “Nuggets” sewed on the other team's jersey.

“The only thing I said to him, after he had made his comments, was, ‘Now it’s time to back it up,’” Finch said. “And talking doesn’t matter. You've got to go do it. I knew he was going to put the effort in, so he was ready for it, and he owned it, and he responded.”

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McDaniels later irked Nuggets star Nikola Jokic by taking an uncontested layup in the closing seconds of Minnesota's blowout win in Game 4, sparking a brief shoving match.

McDaniels had his worst game of the series in the loss in Game 5 on Monday, when he was booed often by the Denver crowd, but he responded on his home court with one of the best games of his career.

With the Timberwolves trying to put away the game, McDaniels delivered the dagger shot — swishing his signature mid-range pull-up to give them a seven-point lead with 1:06 to play. Then he intercepted a harried pass by Jokic to get the ball back and start a parade to the line.

Jokic gave McDaniels a hug after the final horn, a sign of respect from the three-time NBA MVP despite the irritation he caused all series long.

“I’m just happy it’s over, happy we were able to come out on top,” McDaniels said. “Stuff was said. I’m just happy we were all able to prove our point, get the win and move on to the next round.”

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs have been waiting. They'll host Game 1 on Monday.

“I figured the real winner of this series was going to be San Antonio, because both these teams were going to take a lot of pieces out of each other, and did,” Finch said. “So I’m not sure what we have left standing there before we go down there.”

Even if they're short-handed and overmatched, the Timberwolves are a good bet to put up a strong fight.

“You have to believe that you can win, no matter what,” Gobert said. "Obviously we’re missing some pretty important players, right? But no matter who’s out there, we believe in our defense. We believe in trusting one another. Anything’s possible.”

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

May 01, 2026

Jaden McDaniels and the feisty Timberwolves oust the Nuggets and move on to meet the Spurs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — TheMinnesota Timberwolveshad plenty of lulls during the regular season, seemingly coasting at times while struggling...

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Integrity for thee, casinos for me: The NCAA’s gambling lie | Opinion

Before we get into dissecting the latest round of self-inflicted stupidity from theNCAA, there has to be a red line somewhere.

IfTexas Techquarterback Brendan Sorsbywagered on his teamwhile at Indiana in 2022 — whether he played or not, and no matter how much he won — it’s going to be be extremely difficult for the NCAA to ignoresome form of punishment.

A suspended percentage of the season, or a complete loss of eligibility, something must happen. You can’t have players gambling on their own teams, no matter the amount of money.

ARMOUR:Brendan Sorsby's gambling addiction a symptom of our broader illness

The integrity of the game, and future of the sport depends on it.

With that out of the way, it’s here where we introduce the remarkably ironic and brazen embrace of gambling by an NCAA member institution: the University of Arizona’s football stadium is named after a casino.

That’s right, Casino Del Sol paid Arizona$60 million over 20 yearsfor naming rights to Arizona Stadium. The Tucson casino and resort has a sports book, five betting windows and 15 self-service kiosks.

But we’re not done yet with this wildly inappropriate dalliance of the NCAA and gambling, not by a long shot.

Three years ago, theBig Tenbegan announcing weekly injury reports of its football teams. A stunning move from the conference that holds itself higher than all others. Legends and Leaders, no less.

A year later, theSECfollowed, and a year after that, the Big 12 and ACC joined the club — and college football had officially let the wolf through the door.

I ask you, why do the conferences release injury reports? Why does the NFL, the largest money-maker in professional sports history, have injury reports?

And if the train is barreling down the tracks, why stop it? The NCAA has all but locked up its longterm dream of expanding the annual men’s basketball tournamentto 76 teams, and as much as hoop purists want to believe, it’s not about more teams, more access. It's about gambling.

Embrace it when you need to, decry it when you have to.

The Big Ten last July held its annual Media Days ― a four-day celebration of the ascending football Power conference ―at the monstrous Cosmopolitan resort and casino in Las Vegas. And if all that doesn’t do it for you, here comes the hammer.

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The College Football Playoff national championship game will be played this season in — wait for it — Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It takes some stones to be that ridiculously two-faced.

Meanwhile ― and I know this will shock you (sarcasm font) ― the 2028 Final Four will be played in Allegiant Stadium, too.

Hey kids, don’t gamble, but you're going to play the most important games of NCAA sports competition in the gambling capital of the world!

At the very least, the NCAA has dialed back the zero tolerance narrative of gambling to avoid the obvious 12,000-pound gorilla in the room. What used to be a mortal sin — Rick Neuheisel was once fired by Washington after participating in an NCAA tournament pool — is now just an oddly structured agreement between the NCAA and gambling.

You scratch my back with millions, and I won’t say you’re the devil. And I’ll throw in a couple of championship events, you know, for the effort.

The hypocrisy is enough to make you puke.

Soone member institution of the NCAA knew of Sorsby’s gambling problems, and another found out months after he transferred there. But only after someone — just some random someone, I’m sure ― informed the NCAA police of the problem.

Gee, I wonder how that happened?

The Southwest Conference has come full circle, everyone. From the renegade conference that ate itself alive in the late 1980s by siccing the NCAA on each other for recruiting violations, to the revamped, rebranded Big 12 that began by adding a handful of former Big Eight teams, and eventually survived by adding from the Group of Five.

And now all the way back to the Southwest Conference.

When the NCAA used the dreaded death penalty on a football program for the first and only time, SMU was forced to cancel the 1987 season (and couldn’t play a home game in 1988) — and the resulting carnage was the beginning of the end of the SWC.

The only person who loses this time around is Sorsby. Depending on the severity of the penalty.

Because, you know, integrity.

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

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NCAA hates gambling. Except when it cashes the checks

byCUSTOS CAELORUM

in

April 30, 2026

Integrity for thee, casinos for me: The NCAA’s gambling lie | Opinion

Before we get into dissecting the latest round of self-inflicted stupidity from theNCAA, there has to be a red line somewhere. If...

Read More