MON SIX

It is a special World Cup for Mexico, with El Tri playing its group stage on home soil. Win the group? The next two games also would take place in Mexico.

Things have gone well for Mexico when it has hosted the World Cup. In both 1970 and 1986, the national team won a knockout match — something it thenfailed to do despite having a strong generation of players who excelled abroad. Manager Javier "Vasco" Aguirre is back for his third stint leading the national team, hoping that a home crowd once again helps push El Tri deep into the knockout stages.

Mexico has the added quirk of having some of the squad already together. Aguirre and Liga MX owners struck an agreement before the season that players called up for his World Cup squad would be released in the first week of May. Those players, we believe, are guaranteed to make the World Cup roster. Our projections reflect those call-ups.

Who will make Mexico's final list? We project the full 26-man squad here:

Mexico goalkeepers: Raul “Tala” Rangel, Carlos Acevedo, Guillermo Ochoa

Every since Américagoalkeeper Luis Angel Malagon suffered an Achilles injury, this looked to be the most likely trio of players. All three already are in camp and working with the national team, as is León prospect Oscar Garcia with an eye toward the future.

The real intrigue around the position group is not who is going, but if Ochoa will play. Chivas shot-stopper Rangel looked to have won the No. 1 job even before Malagon's injury, but is making a sixth World Cup roster enough for the 40-year-old or does he want to play in a fourth tournament? If Mexico isn't qualified going into the last group game, the coaching staff may have a tough decision to make.

Mexico defenders: Johan Vasquez, Cesar Montes, Jesus Gallardo, Israel Reyes, Jorge Sanchez, Julian Araujo

In the mix: Richy Ledezma, Everardo Lopez, Mateo Chavez, Jesus Angulo, Victor Guzman

With only six names on the list, this position group looks thin.

But there is more depth than initially meets the eye. Edson Alvarez could be listed as a defender on the final call-up, even if he's an option to play in the midfield as well. The same can be said of both Erik Lira and Luis Romo. That trio of players has played in the same style as current Mexico assistant Rafa Marquez, either in a line of three or as a central midfielder who slips between the center backs when the situation calls for it.

Still, there are depth concerns. Reyes, a converted central defender himself, is the likely starter at right back, and Araujo may not be fit in time for the tournament after missing the end of the season with Celtic.

This is the position group where Aguirre is most likely to break his own rule and bring in a player based in Liga MX but not in the training camp, be it Chivas fullback Richy Ledezma or Toluca center back Everardo Lopez.

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The good news is that if the starters stay healthy, the Vasquez-Montes pairing in the middle can be trusted, and you know what you'll get from Gallardo.

Mexico midfield: Gilberto Mora, Alvaro Fidalgo, Edson Alvarez, Erik Lira, Luis Romo, Orbelin Pineda, Luis Chavez, Brian Gutierrez, Roberto Alvarado, Obed Vargas

In the mix: Marcel Ruiz, Jordán Carrillo,Charly Rodriguez,Jordán Carrillo

Alvarez, Lira and Romo occupy the central positions, while rising star Mora, Spain-born Fidalgo and Alaska-born Vargas are among the options for two-way midfielders in the 4-3-3 system. Pineda, who reported to camp this week after helping AEK to a Greek title, is an old reliable who raises the floor if not the ceiling of the team.

Chivas teammates Gutierrez and Alvarado give plenty in attack, and Gutierrez's rise from Chicago Fire youngster to potential World Cup starter has been remarkable.

Chavez would make his Mexico return after tearing his ACL before the Gold Cup last summer. He's suited up several times for Dinamo Moscow, and his World Cup experience combined with the continued recovery could make him a good option.

Mexico forwards: Raul Jimenez, Hormiga Gonzalez, Memo Martinez, German Berterame, Alexis Vega, Julian Quiñones, Santi Gimenez

In the mix: Cesar Huerta

Alvarado, Mora, Gutierrez and Pineda in the last group give plenty going forward, and both Vega and Quiñones have been in superb form for the last year, Quiñones winning the top scorer award in Saudi Arabia over Ivan Toney and Cristiano Ronaldo, Vega keying Toluca to back-to-back Liga MX titles and helping the Diablos Rojos to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal. Vega can play as a playmaker, a winger who cuts inside or a second forward, while Quiñones has been a central forward at the club level but also has excelled out wide.

The rest of the players listed are center forwards, and it's a lot of central forwards to take. But Pumas forward Martinez's inclusion in the domestic-based camp seems to indicate Aguirre will load up on No. 9s (even if only one player is actually wearing that number), perhaps with rotation in mind. That is great news for Santi Gimenez, who is in poor form in Europe but may still sneak into the last roster spot.

Mexico World Cup roster projection

Goalkeepers (3):Raul “Tala” Rangel, Carlos Acevedo, Guillermo Ochoa

Defenders (6):Johan Vasquez, Cesar Montes, Jesus Gallardo, Israel Reyes, Jorge Sanchez, Julian Araujo

Midfielders (10):Gilberto Mora, Alvaro Fidalgo, Edson Alvarez, Erik Lira, Luis Romo, Orbelin Pineda, Luis Chavez, Brian Gutierrez, Roberto Alvarado, Obed Vargas

Forwards (7):Raul Jimenez, Hormiga Gonzalez, Memo Martinez, German Berterame, Alexis Vega, Julian Quinones, Santi Gimenez

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Mexico national team 2026 World Cup roster prediction

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Colorado Democrats voted overwhelmingly to censure one of their own, Gov. Jared Polis, forcommuting the prison sentenceof Tina Peters, the election conspiracy theorist who amplified President Donald Trump's baseless claims that mass fraud caused his 2020 election loss.

About 90% of the state party's roughly 700 Central Committee members voted Wednesday for censure. It means that Polis, who is term-limited and serving his final year in office, will be barred from being an honored guest, featured speaker, or officially recognized party representative at party-sponsored events.

Peters, 70, is a former county clerk who was sentenced to nine years behind barsafter being convictedin 2024 for a scheme to make a copy of her county’s electioncomputer system.

She is set for release June 1 after Polis commuted her sentence Friday.

Trump has championed Peters' cause. Reducing her sentence set a “dangerous and disappointing” precedent when democracy and voting rights are under attack nationwide, the Colorado Democratic Party said in a statement.

“It sends a message to future bad actors that election tampering has consequences, unless you’re friends with the president,” the statement said.

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About 700 state party members, including current and former elected officials, petitioned for the party to condemn Polis. The subsequent censure vote was taken in a regularly scheduled party Central Committee virtual meeting.

In April, a Colorado appeals court upheld Peters' conviction but ordered her to be resentenced, saying the judge wrongly punished her for speaking out about election fraud.

In commuting her sentence, Polis told Peters in a letter she deserved prison time but had been given an “extremely unusual and lengthy” sentence for a first-time, nonviolent offender.

He defended the commutation after the censure vote.

“The governor made this decision based on the facts of the case and what he believed was the right thing to do. Sometimes the right thing isn’t the popular thing with everybody. Democracy is strongest when disagreement is met with debate and dialogue, not censorship," Polis spokesperson Eric Maruyama said in an emailed statement Thursday.

Peters thanked Polis and apologized for her crime in a statement after her sentence commutation.

Peters sneaked an outside computer expert, an associate ofMyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, to make a copy of her county’s Dominion Voting Systems election computer server during a system upgrade in 2021. She then joined Lindell onstage at a “cybersymposium” that promised to reveal proof of election rigging, and photos of the upgrade, including passwords, were posted online.

Georgia president Jere Morehead doesn't think expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams is a good idea.

In fact, he said this to The Athletic: "A 24-team playoff is a mistake."

With the Southeastern Conference meetings set for next week in Destin, Fla., Morehead doesn't feel the Big Ten has thought out the long-term implications of going from a 12-game playoff to 24.

"It's going to devalue big games during the regular season," Morehead, the Georgia president since July 2013, said on Thursday. "I think it (would) devalue Georgia-Alabama or Georgia-Oklahoma (this) year. So I don't think that's a good idea.

"I was OK with going to 16. I thought that was a good number. But 24 scares me, particularly jumping from 12 to 24. If we went to 16 and tried that for a few years, see how it goes, and then we can evaluate whether we should go to 24. And from my standpoint, I would just stay at 12 then, if we can't get an agreement on 16."

Morehead said the opinion of SEC commissioner Greg Sankey matters the most to him.

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Whatever Sankey suggests, Morehead will likely be on board.

"As long as commissioner Sankey is at 16, I think we'll be at 16," said Morehead, "because I think there's great respect for his position on any issue."

Currently, the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 are in favor of the Big Ten's 24-team playoff plan. Independent program Notre Dame also is on board.

One of the big problems in Morehead's eyes is how a large playoff might impact the regular season.

"I think there's a lot of concern about what 24 is going to do to the regular season," Morehead said. "You know, we depend on these sellout home games, the high ratings that we get for our football games during the season. If those become devalued and if those ratings drop because people see it like the NBA, that these games don't matter anymore, then that affects our situation, in terms of being able to negotiate the next television contract. That's concerning to me.

"And I'm not sure that the Big Ten has really thought through the long-term implications of what this is going to do to the regular season."

--Field Level Media

The NFC West is shaping up to be a powerhouse once again in 2026 after the division sent three teams to the playoffs last season and had both theLos Angeles RamsandSeattle Seahawksin the conference title game.The Rams reloaded, the Seahawks are still stacked on both sides of the ball and the 49ers will try to stay healthy enough to contend come January.

Given how difficult the Rams’ schedule is outside the West, winning the division won’t be easy. But on paper, they’re the NFL’s best team, according to The Ringer.

Diante Lee of The Ringerreleased his latest power rankings on Thursday and he put the Rams ahead of Seattle for the No. 1 spot in the poll. It’s a ranking of how confident he is that each team can win the Super Bowl, which illustrates how high their ceiling is.

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Los Angeles has all the necessary pieces to finish the job in 2026. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is the reigning MVP, and as long as he stays healthy, I’m confident he’ll play at an elite level again. Head coach Sean McVay is still the league’s best play caller and is continuing to build his Hall of Fame résumé. The Rams offense couldcontrolgames on the ground and had a surgically efficient passing game last season, and most of its players are returning for this campaign. The team’s biggest issue last year was its cornerback group, but Los Angeles addressed that by acquiring Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.

Lee did cite some potential concerns for the Rams. Puka Nacua’s shaky offseason is one, as is the apparent drama and fallout from their decision to draft Ty Simpson over an instant-impact rookie in the first round.

It’s unlikely that either of those “obstacles” will affect the Rams this season, which is why they’re so highly viewed by experts right now. Sure, their schedule is tough, but they have the reigning MVP, two star receivers and a defense that just added two outstanding cornerbacks in Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie.

Theoretically, they should be even better than last season’s team, which lost five gut-wrenching games in the regular season and a heartbreaker in the playoffs.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire:NFL power rankings: Rams overtake Seahawks for No. 1 spot in 2026

South Korea and LAFC attacker Son Heung-min is focused on the present, but he's still keeping an eye on his former team. He has not, however, liked what he's seen.

After snapping a decades-long major trophy drought by helping Tottenham Hotspur to the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League title, Son departed for the U.S., where he found instant success in Major League Soccer.

Spurs, however, have gone in the opposite direction,heading into the last match of the Premier League season needing a result to avoid a first relegation since 1977.

“Watching Spurs is really painful because last year was such an amazing achievement,” he told USA TODAY Sports. “Then, I left the club, and I’m still watching the games. Obviously, with the time difference I couldn’t watch every single game, but I’m trying to watch every highlight and give my biggest support.

"Watching result by result, having a tough time, it just feels like I’m still there. But the good news is we are looking good, having some good results the last couple of weeks. That made me really positive. Of course, it’s not done yet, but I want to give my biggest support to my old team.

“This team is still in my heart, and probably (where) I learned most and grew up most. I just want to give the biggest support from the other side of the world.”

Many of those lessons came from Mauricio Pochettino, the manager when Spurs brought Son to London. The Argentine led the club to the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2018-19. Now the coach of the U.S. men’s national team, Pochettino said Son was like a son to him ahead of a friendly game between the U.S. and Korea in September 2025.

When the two saw each other before the match in Harrison, New Jersey, Pochettino wrapped Son in a hug that transported the Korean superstar, now 33, back to the moment when he first arrived in the Premier League.

“It kind of felt I was 23 years old,” Son said. “When I was 23, he brought me to Spurs. I think he taught me a lot of things, and I grew up as a man. Spending time with Mauricio was probably, I’d say, when I learned most as a human being but also as a footballer.

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“We still have an amazing relationship. I don’t want to play against Mauricio, but I just want to wish him all the best that he deserves and want to say I love him and am so grateful he was my coach and taught me some amazing stuff.”

Despite the personal tie, Son didn’t take things easy on the U.S. in that contest, scoring the opening goal of a 2-0 victory, but both Spurs icons now have their attention fixed on the World Cup. Son will take on a different North American power, with Korea drawn in Mexico’s group and also playing Czechia and South Africa in Group A.

Despite the good result against the U.S. and in other fall friendly matches, there is concern in Korea after March’s friendly games ended in a pair of defeats against other World Cup-bound squads, 4-0 to Ivory Coast and 1-0 to Austria.

Many fans are putting huge expectations directly on Son’s shoulders as the team’s biggest star and, even after his move to LAFC, the team’s best player. Yet, the Chuncheon native, who sits four goals away from becoming Korea's all-time leading scorer, insists that the rest of the squad will come through for him and vice versa this summer.

“I’m the captain, but this is a team sport. I don’t really care about all the stats, all the history. If we go further, I will be happier than anyone else,” Son said. “As a captain, you always have a lot of responsibility, a lot of weight on your shoulders, but I try to share with my teammates. I have amazing teammates who help share in these moments, this weight. Going to the World Cup is going to be a big challenge, but that’s why we love football.”

Son spoke to USA TODAY Sports as part of his role as a global brand ambassador for Hyundai, which is launching its Next Starts Now campaign aimed at inspiring innovation on soccer fields in the U.S. and in the auto factory.

It’s personal for Son, who parallel with his own rise to stardom not only has seen Korean automakers become a global fixture, but also Korean culture become in vogue withK-Pop group BTS scheduled to take part in the World Cup final halftime show,and movies like Parasite and TV programs like Squid Game becoming sensations in the U.S. and beyond.

“Seeing Korean brands on the biggest stage, Koreans on the biggest stage, as a Korean it’s a very proud” feeling, he said. “Being part of this as brand ambassador makes me so, so proud. Going into the biggest competition with that feeling makes me so happy.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Son Heung-min keeps up with Tottenham Hotspur in LA but says watching struggles has been "painful"

Did you notice how TEs flew off the board in day two of the NFL Draft? We sure did. Nate Tice joins Matt Harmon to discuss the rise of heavier personnel packages (multiple TEs on the field) and why more teams are leaning into them after the Rams found so much success with them in 2025.

Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Forecast

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Tice and Harmon look at the trend and which teams are committing to it in 2026 and how it could impact each of their offensive player's fantasy value this season. The guys also dive into the latest Rashee Rice news and how it could impact his fantasy value in 2026 and beyond.

(4:00) - Fantasy Fallout: Rashee Rice has knee surgery and violates probation

(19:30) - TE Takeover: Why teams are using more heavy personnels in today's NFL

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(38:00) - Teams leading the charge on TE heavy formations: Rams, Bears and Seahawks

(47:00) - Teams that could lean into TE heavy formations in 2026

(1:09:00) - 5 WRs that will benefit most in fantasy from heavier TE packages in 2026

🖥️Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out all episodes of theYahoo Fantasy Forecastand the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family athttps://apple.co/3zEuTQjor atyahoosports.tv

Soccer player Piero Hincapié is going viral for a recent wardrobe malfunction on the field

NEED TO KNOW

• As he and Arsenal played against Burnley in London on May 18, he suffered an NSFW mishap

• Hincapié's accident was also joked about by his teammate Declan Rice

You can say this soccer player was stuck in a cheeky situation.

Ecuadorian professional athlete Piero Hincapié, who plays for the U.K.'s Arsenal F.C. and is 24 years old, encountered an NSFW wardrobe malfunction during the team's match against Burnley at London's Emirates Stadium on May 18.

During the game, Hincapié clashed with competing player Axel Tuanzebe. The blunder ended with Hincapié falling to the ground with Tuanzebe following suit, which is how the former's shorts ended up getting pulled nearly all the way down and exposing his bare butt cheeks.

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Hincapié has gone viral for putting the "arse" in the league's name, but he has not mentioned the blunder. In fact, one day ago, he posted onInstagramwith shots from the game but failed to mention the mishap — so much so that his teammate Declan Rice commented, "Where is the other pic….. 👀🤣."

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Soccer isn't the only sport in the playing field when it comes tointernet-worthy fashion gaffes.

In April, pro wrestler Jacy Jayne suffered an accident during a triple-threat match between Kendal Grey and Lola Vice. While the video broadcast glitched every few seconds before cutting back to a blank screen, fans at home got a glimpse of Jayne's top as it appeared to slide down, exposing her chest mid-ankle lock.

It's not just athletes who are finding themselves in sticky situations, either.

That same month, an MLB fan accidentallygave viewers a showduring an attempt to catch a foul ball at the Tampa Bay Rays game against the Chicago Cubs at Tropicana Field on April 7.

In addition to being shown on the broadcast, the moment, which saw the fan's pants completely fall down and bare their bum, was seemingly blasted on the JumboTron inside the stadium based on the crowd's unanimous gasp in reaction to the full moon display from the fan.

Read the original article onPeople