| | | | | | | Presented By The Ascent | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·May 25, 2021 | | π Good morning! Know somebody who'd enjoy Axios Sports? Have them sign up using your referral link and get free swag: axios.com/referral. π¬ Quote du jour: "I've got three beautiful kids, we're not having any more, so what the hell." — Winnipeg's Blake Wheeler on blocking a shot with his groin. Today's word count: 1,999 words (8 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⚽️ USMNT gears up for huge stretch |  Photos: U.S. Soccer, Getty Images; Table: Axios Visuals The USMNT on Monday announced its 23-man roster for the CONCACAF Nations League Final Four, which kicks off next week (USA vs. Honduras; Mexico vs. Costa Rica). Why it matters: This is the most talented roster the U.S. has ever put together, with players plying their trade in Europe's top leagues featured across every position group. - The team is led by Chelsea's Christian Pulisic and Manchester City's Zack Steffen, both of whom will participate in Saturday's Champions League Final.
- The backline features long-time stalwart John Brooks and 20-year-old SergiΓ±o Dest, who made 41 appearances for Barcelona this year.
- Other exciting young stars include Juventus' Weston McKennie, Borussia Dortmund's Gio Reyna and Valencia's Yunus Musah, who chose to represent the U.S. over England, Ghana and Italy.
Yes, but ... The squad is extremely young (average age: ~24) and inexperienced (average caps: 17), with Tim Ream (33) the oldest player and DeAndre Yedlin the most experienced (62 caps). Chemistry will take time. The state of play: With the embarrassment of missing the 2018 World Cup still fresh on Americans' minds, the next few months represent one of the most important stretches in the history of U.S. men's soccer. - May/June: The USMNT will play a friendly this Sunday against Switzerland ahead of the Nations League Final Four. And on June 9, they'll play a friendly against Costa Rica in Salt Lake City.
- July/August: The CONCACAF Gold Cup starts on July 10, and the U.S. will be vying to win the event for the first time since 2017.
- September: The Nations League and Gold Cup are preludes to 2022 World Cup qualifying, which will feature an eight-team final round.
The last word, from USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, who has spent the last two years building this player pool: "Now is the time. When you go into a summer where you have two trophies ... World Cup qualifying and then the World Cup ... This group is going to define itself based on how we do in this year and a half." "I think this group is highly talented. I think this group has a ton of potential. But now it's about going out and showing it." Go deeper: The development academy generation (Axios) |     | | | | | | 2. π New paths emerge for teenage hoops stars |  | | | Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios | | | | Elite high school basketball players have more options than ever when it comes to choosing the path that's right for their career, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Driving the news: Six of the nation's best high school basketball programs are forming a new league called the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), which will begin play this fall. - The schools: Oak Hill Academy (Virginia), Montverde Academy (Florida), La Lumiere School (Indiana), Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas), Wasatch Academy (Utah) and IMG Academy (Florida). Two more teams, still TBA, will join for the inaugural season.
- How it works: They'll play a 10-game season, followed by a postseason tournament. Players will remain unpaid — and thus retain college eligibility — but should earn valuable exposure with so many high-profile matchups.
- The backdrop: The NIBC was technically formed last winter for a one-off tournament to allow these teams to compete during the pandemic. It was a success, so the idea evolved, and the league could potentially expand in the coming years.
The state of play: The NIBC is one of a handful of new options for budding teenage basketball stars. - The NBA's G League Ignite pays teens upwards of $500,000 to forego college and spend their pre-NBA-eligibility year in the G League. Five-star recruit Scoot Henderson just became the first high school junior to sign with them after graduating a year early.
- Overtime Elite (OTE) is essentially a European-style soccer academy, but for basketball. They're building a 103,000-square-foot facility in Atlanta for ~30 high schoolers who will train, compete and study there. Players will earn six figures, performance bonuses and equity.
The big picture: While G League Ignite and OTE were responses to a landscape that quashed youngsters' ability to earn money or enter the draft at 18, impending NIL legislation could make the traditional college path, highlighted by NIBC, attractive again. - The paychecks attached to Ignite and OTE mean those players start earning money immediately but they also lose their college eligibility.
- For college stars, NIL-based compensation could soon surpass six figures, while they also get the benefit of a college experience.
| | | | | | | | 3. π NHL playoffs: Two more multi-OT games |  | | | Photo: David Lipnowski/Getty Images | | | | With division rivals facing off all season, the first round of the NHL playoffs was poised to be ultra-competitive. It has delivered in spades. By the numbers: There have already been five multi-overtime games during this year's first round, which joins the 2003 conference quarterfinals (six) as the only rounds to ever feature five or more. We had two last night... - Jets 4, Oilers 3, 3OT (WPG wins 4-0): The longest game in Winnipeg history happened in an empty arena. Kyle Connor scored the game-winner in triple-OT as the Jets swept Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
- Islanders 3, Penguins 2, 2OT (NYI leads 3-2): New York can close out the East champions tomorrow in Long Island, a prospect that would have been impossible if not for rookie goalie Ilya Sorokin's brilliance (48 saves) and Tristan Jarry's costly mistake.
Other scores: π Tonight ... Maple Leafs at Canadiens, 7:30pm ET (Tied 1-1); Predators at Hurricanes (Tied 2-2) | | | | | | | | A message from The Ascent | | The high cash back card that smart spenders dream about | | |  | | | One of the highest cash back cards available now has 0% APR into 2022. Cardholders also enjoy: - No annual fee and up to 5% cash back on everyday purchases.
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See why The Ascent says this is their "number one pick for a one card wallet." | | | | | | 4. π NFL OTAs begin amid union drama | | Colts rookie Kwity Paye participating in on-field drills. Photo: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The NFL's nine-week offseason workout program began its third and final phase on Monday with the return of OTAs (organized team activities), Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. - Phase 1 (April 19–May 14) included virtual meetings plus strength and conditioning work and was followed by four days of rookie minicamp, which is akin to freshman orientation.
- Phase 2 (May 17–21), which was shortened from three weeks to one week, included on-field drills and walkthroughs.
- Phase 3, which began Monday, allows for 10 days of OTAs, including in-person meetings, classroom instruction and non-contact drills.
Trevor Lawrence during rookie minicamp. Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images Driving the news: The NFLPA urged players to boycott these voluntary workouts for health and safety reasons, including both COVID and injury prevention. But depending on the player, that's easier said than done. - Tom Brady, who isn't exactly in danger of losing his job, has been a vocal proponent of the boycott, and Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are also sitting out.
- But most players can't so easily give up a chance to impress their coaches. "To tell [rookies] not to show up, I don't understand it," agent Harold Lewis told NYT. "And for an undrafted player, it's suicidal."
The backdrop: The offseason program was scrapped last year for obvious reasons, and while some feared the lack of preparation would have deleterious effects, the opposite was true. - By the numbers: In 2020, injuries that led to missed time were down 23% and concussions were down 30%.
- What they're saying: Union president J.C. Tretter hopes this data can help lead the charge in his endeavor to make 2020's fully virtual offseason schedule the norm going forward.
Ja'Wuan James. Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Of note: The boycott backfired horribly for former Broncos offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James, who tore his Achilles earlier this month while working out away from the team facility. - Despite it being a football-related injury, the Broncos were able to release him and void his $10 million salary because it occurred away from the team facility.
- Now he's locked in a fight with his own union after their advice led to this massive loss of income.
π₯ Best thing we saw ... Carson Wentz and former VCU basketball star Mo Alie-Cox had an epic "Knockout" showdown at Colts camp. | | | | | | | | 5. π NBA playoffs: Bucks, Nuggets cruise | Source: @bonnie_lacey (Twitter) Monday night's slate was pretty brutal. No way around it. The Heat stunk up the joint, and the Nuggets handily beat the Trail Blazers. - Bucks 132, Heat 98 (MIL leads 2-0): Milwaukee made a franchise playoff-record 22 threes to hand Miami its second-worst playoff loss ever. This game was horrendous. 46-20 after the first quarter. Remember when the Heat were in the Finals?
- Nuggets 128, Trail Blazers 109 (Tied 1-1): The MVP candidates showed up to play in a chippy Game 2, with Nikola JokiΔ scoring 38 points (15-20 FG) and Damian Lillard pouring in 42 (11-24 FG, 9-16 3PT). The key to Denver's win? Aaron Gordon stifling Lillard in the second half.
π Tonight ... Celtics at Nets, 7:30pm ET (BKN leads 1-0); Lakers at Suns, 10pm (PHX leads 1-0); Mavericks at Clippers, 10:30pm (DAL leads 1-0) | | | | | | | | 6. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Brett "Airplane Mode" Phillips. Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images | | | | ⚾️ Going streaking: The Rays (11 straight wins), Dodgers (7) and Yankees (6) are on a roll ... The Diamondbacks (8 straight losses), Orioles (7) and Blue Jays (6) are not. MLB standings. π Rodgers speaks: Appearing on Kenny Mayne's final episode of SportsCenter, Aaron Rodgers said his issues with the Packers are less about the Jordan Love pick and more about "a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go." π―π΅ "Do Not Travel": The U.S. State Department has issued a "Do Not Travel" warning for Japan due to "very high" levels of COVID-19. The Olympics are supposed to start in 59 days. π Congrats, Clarkson: Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was named Sixth Man of the Year on Monday after averaging a career-high 18.4 ppg. π· Axios/Ipsos poll: Americans are taking off their masks and re-engaging publicly — and it's happening despite significant distrust over strangers' honesty about their vaccination status.  Data: Axios/Ipsos Poll (±3.2% margin of error). Chart: Axios Visuals | | | | | | | | 7. π Good read: Sneaker color psychology |  | | | Illustration: AΓ―da Amer/Axios | | | | "You think they randomly choose those glaring shades of Nike, Adidas and New Balance? Think again," writes NYT's Mark C. O'Flaherty. "The links between color and emotion have been studied for centuries, from Carl Jung's color coding of personality traits to focus groups evaluating the ways in which candy colors can affect perceptions of flavor. "Drug companies color their pills "cool" or "hot" according to desired effect (hypnotics are often blue or green, antidepressants yellow), and we use SAD lamps in winter to replicate the energizing qualities of a sunny day. "Little wonder that sneaker brands have departments dedicated to manipulating minuscule shifts in shades ... It's their mission to create feelings and accelerate business." Keep reading. | | | | | | | | 8. π May 25, 1935: 45 minutes of greatness |  | | | Jesse Ownes during the famous Ann Arbor track meet. Photo: Bettmann Archives/Getty Images | | | | 86 years ago today, 21-year-old Ohio State sophomore Jesse Owens tied or set four world records in the span of 45 minutes at the Big Ten track championships in Ann Arbor. - 3:15pm (100-yard dash): 9.4 seconds tied the world record, though he might have actually beaten it — many of the timers clocked him at 9.3, but rules stated the slowest time counted.
- 3:25pm (long jump): 26 feet, 8 1/4 inches broke the world record by more than half a foot and stood as the top mark for 25 years.
- 3:34pm (220-yard dash): 20.3 seconds broke the previous record of 20.6.
- 4pm (220-yard low hurdles): 22.6 seconds was the first sub-23-second time ever run.
Owens in 1933. Photo: Bettmann Archives/Getty Images The backdrop: As if accomplishing all of this wasn't enough on its own, Owens did it with a bum back. - Five days earlier, he'd fallen down the stairs and hurt his back while roughhousing with his Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers (college, amirite?).
- The day of the meet, he couldn't even get in and out of the car without help, but his coach allowed him to compete as long as he checked in after each event.
The big picture: The following year, for an encore, Owens went a perfect four-for-four at the Berlin Olympics. - After the Games, he opted out of a small track meet in Sweden, choosing instead to return home to his family and pursue endorsement opportunities.
- U.S. Olympic officials, infuriated by the snub, revoked Owens' amateur status, effectively ending his career.
Go deeper: Greatest 45 minutes ever in sports (SI) | | | | | | | | 9. π NFL trivia |  | | | Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images | | | | Julio Jones, who wants out of Atlanta, has averaged 95.5 receiving yards per game in his career — the most in NFL history (min. 100 games). - Question: Who ranks second, with 86.1 per game?
- Hint: Drafted four years before Julio.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. π₯ Monday's top plays |  | | | Photo: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images | | | - π Unreal stick save
- ⚾️ James "Gold Glove" McCann
- π McDavid, the magician
- ⚽️ Another day, another bicycle
- π Nutmeg pass
Watch all 5. | | | | | | | | A message from The Ascent | | The high cash back card that smart spenders dream about | | |  | | | One of the highest cash back cards available now has 0% APR into 2022. Cardholders also enjoy: - No annual fee and up to 5% cash back on everyday purchases.
- An opportunity to secure $1,148 of value from the card.
See why The Ascent says this is their "number one pick for a one card wallet." | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Caption this" Baker Trivia answer: Calvin Johnson | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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