Mackenzie Arnold insists there is “much more to come” from the legacy Australia can leave as they aim for World Cup semi-final success against England.
The goalkeeper provided the heroics in the co-hosts’ quarter-final penalty shootout against France with her spot-kick saves to help them reach the last four.
Their performances throughout the tournament have sparked plenty of support from the Australian public, but Arnold knows there is still work to be done.
She told a press conference: “I think the legacy that we wanted to leave throughout this World Cup, to inspire the generation coming through, I think we’ve done more than that. I think we’ve done more than what we thought we would accomplish.
“Obviously we’re not done yet, but again, to see the reaction that we’ve received from the whole country has been absolutely unreal, and I think this is only the beginning, and I think there’s much more to come.”
Australia went the full distance with extra time and penalties during Saturday’s quarter-final, which ended goalless after regulation time.
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson made three substitutions during the match, but he is not concerned with any fitness worries for Wednesday’s semi-final.
“What we’ve done is we’ve focused on recovery, so each player will follow an individual plan between the games,” he said.
“Some have done more football than others. It’s all about being as fresh as possible for the game tomorrow.”
One fitness worry for Australia has been that of star striker Sam Kerr, who has had her game time throughout the tournament limited due to injury.
The Chelsea forward was substituted on in the 55th minute of the France game and Gustavsson confirmed that she is involved in plans for the England clash.
He added: “When it comes specifically to Sam (Kerr), she pushed through more minutes than we hoped for, to be honest.
“One of the reasons that we kept her on the bench was that we were uncertain how many minutes she had coming back from that calf injury, but also the limited training minutes she had.
“The way she pushed through was fantastic and impressive, both from a mental and physical aspect. She recovered well, she trained today so she’s available.
“There will be a meeting tomorrow to see, again, the best starting 11 and the best finishing 11, and whether we plan for 90 minutes or plan for extra time and those type of decisions.
“There will be some tough decisions tonight again but Sam is available for selection.”
Australia’s clash with England will see plenty of teammates pitted against each other, with several members of the Matildas squad representing Women’s Super League clubs.
Arnold plies her trade with West Ham, who finished eighth in the WSL, and praised the progression of the league.
“All of us that play over in that league can say it’s a different world coming from the W-League,” she said.
“The amount of professionalisation and the talent that they have over there, the time they put into their clubs and players, it really shows the progress both of them individually and the game as a whole.
“After seeing the Euros and them winning that and seeing how much it really took off and how much money was invested over there, it just really goes to show the progression they’ve had.”
Dual Breeders’ Cup winner Modern Games has been retired from racing.
Trained by Charlie Appleby for Godolphin, the son of Dubawi won four of his six two-year-old starts in 2021, culminating in Grade One success in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar
Pitched into Classic company first time out at three, Modern Games won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp before going on to add another Grade One verdict in the Woodbine Mile in Canada and land the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland.
He was out of luck on his return at that track when second in the Maker’s Mark Mile in April this year, but did go on to secure a fifth top-level success in the Lockinge at Newbury the following month.
Last seen when beaten into fourth in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, Modern Games will now embark on a stud career, with further plans to be announced.
Appleby told www.godolphin.com: “Modern Games was a brilliant horse to train and such a great advert for Godolphin. To win at two Breeders’ Cups, to be part of our trio of Guineas winners in 2022, and to land the Lockinge Stakes this season, shows his class, toughness and durability.
“He answered every call we asked of him, and we will miss him at Moulton Paddocks. I’m sure he will be a huge success in his next career as a stallion.”
Micky van de Ven has predicted Tottenham can achieve “beautiful things” under attack-minded Ange Postecoglou.
The Dutch defender was thrown into the deep end in Sunday’s Premier League opener at Brentford after only three training sessions with his new team-mates, but impressed in the 2-2 draw.
It had been a whirlwind week for Spurs with growing speculation over record goal-scorer Harry Kane eventually resulting in his departure for Bayern Munich on Saturday.
A degree of optimism remains rife amongst supporters following a busy summer of transfer activity and with a new bold, front-foot approach set to be adopted by Postecoglou.
“It’s an amazing club,” Van de Ven reflected after his debut. “I had a good meeting with the trainer and it was a really good meeting.
“He’s a really good trainer. I love the club, I love the players and I think there is so much potential under this trainer so we will see where this season heads.
“He has a good view on football, that’s what I think. Attacking football is what I love, playing with a lot of space in the back doesn’t matter for me.
“Offensive football is what I like and I think if we play a lot of offensive football and we train, we train, we train then I think we can do some beautiful things.”
Spurs had chased Netherlands Under-21 captain Van de Ven all summer and eventually secured his services on August 8 for an initial £34.5million fee, which could rise to £43.1million in add-ons.
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Despite featuring for Wolfsburg during pre-season, the 22-year-old had not completed 90 minutes all summer, but Postecoglou’s decision to include him in the starting XI was vindicated.
Van de Ven admitted: “Everything is harder, it’s going quicker and it’s going up and down, up and down. There is no moment in the game where you feel you can rest a bit, you always have to be sharp and 100 per cent focused.
“It is my first game with the team, so of course at the beginning we have to watch a bit how everything is going and afterwards you feel more comfortable. The guys are talking positive to you so that is also helping.
“I trained three days with the team but they gave me some confidence and the trainer was talking to me and also gave me some confidence. I didn’t stress at all that I can’t do it.
“All the trainers were positive, all the players were positive saying ‘do your job, do what you can do and we will help you’ and I think it went well.”
Comparisons to Jan Vertonghen, another left-footed centre-back who started out in Eredivisie, occurred before Van de Ven had even signed his contract at Tottenham.
The ex-Volendam defender revealed he used to study Vertonghen before the Belgian moved to Spurs, where he went on to make 315 appearances and become a hugely popular figure with the club’s fanbase.
“I was always in the stadium when Jan Vertonghen was playing for Ajax so I always saw him play and always said he was a good left-footed, centre-back. I learned some from him as I watched videos of him,” Van de Ven added.
“I watched a lot of times Spurs because a lot of players from Ajax also went to Spurs and also players from Holland.
“Always when you see a player go to Spurs it is an amazing step if you went from Ajax, AZ, PSV to Spurs.
“Of course with the history they didn’t win a prize for a long time but you never know what is going to happen.”
Georgia Stanway has revealed she is leaning on the support of former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick to navigate the highs and lows of England’s World Cup campaign.
The Lionesses, who are bidding to reach the final of the competition for the first time, will take on tournament co-hosts Australia on Wednesday in Sydney for the right to face Spain – 2-1 victors over Sweden in Tuesday’s semi-final – in Sunday’s showpiece.
Bayern Munich midfielder Stanway was introduced to “mentor” Chadwick through her agency while she was still playing for Manchester City, and speaks to him at least once a week – even from 10,000-plus miles away in New South Wales.
Stanway said: “I’m not afraid to say it, I went through a time at City where it was a little bit up and down in terms of my mentality, my position, everything was changing.
“(Chadwick) was my go-to in terms of getting clarity on my position, clarity on what I wanted to achieve in that season.
“It’s just little things. You rely upon a good luck message before the game and he never fails. Always after the game he’s always the first to say something positive and then says, ‘Let me know when you want to talk’. It’s always on my terms, which is so understanding.
“He’s honestly one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and he cares for absolutely everybody. And I think the most important thing is that he removes himself from any equation, and he’s just so focused on making sure that he improves the individual and wants them to be the utmost successful individual as a player and as a person.
“I think it’s just (about) finding yourself. I’ve found what works for me, so I’m not going to change that.”
Chadwick, now 42, made his senior United debut just months after Red Devils won the treble in 1999, but the joy of seeing his lifelong dream fulfilled was soon overshadowed when the teenager found himself routinely ridiculed for his appearance on the popular BBC panel show They Think It’s All Over.
His mental health suffered severely. Chadwick became “obsessed” with what people might be thinking about him every time he left the house, later admitting in an interview on the club website that he “really did suffer in silence”.
Chadwick, who also played for England at youth level, was privately haunted by the experience for two decades before opening up in 2020, a revelation that resulted in an apology from presenter Nick Hancock.
He has since used his experience of facing adversity as fuel to help players like Stanway reach their full potential, a holistic approach that includes everything from pre-game goal-setting on the eve of matches to ensuring her Munich flat was fitted out with everything she needed.
Though still just 24, Stanway has evolved into one of the leaders on Sarina Wiegman’s 23-woman squad, one of seven England players in this tournament who also featured four years ago in France, when the Lionesses were knocked out 2-1 by eventual champions the United States in their semi-final.
Her maturing process has resulted in a new appreciation for facts over sometimes-misleading feelings when it comes to evaluating her own performances.
Stanway said: “I am big on numbers. I could come away from the game feeling on top of the world and then my mentor could bring me back down to Earth, and say, ‘Oh, no, your passing was shocking today’.
“So it’s vice-versa and it’s just kind of (about) staying level and staying consistent and being consistent in the way that I am as a person and the way that I am on the field.”
England have been embraced by locals since they arrived in Australia nearly six weeks ago, but Stanway appreciates the semi-final match-up might have cooled down the warm welcome.
She added: “Everyone we speak to, they always say, ‘Good luck until you play Australia’, so we’re kind of feeling that a little bit now.”
Australia opener David Warner has taken a cheeky dig at England ahead of the Women’s World Cup semi-final.
The Lionesses face Australia in Sydney in the last four on Wednesday morning.
The Australia cricket team were unhappy when the ball was changed mid-innings during England’s victory in the fifth Ashes Test last month.
It is something Warner clearly has not forgotten as he wished Australia good luck ahead of the semi-final clash.
He wrote on Twitter: “An early good luck to the The Matildas. Just keep an eye out in case the Poms ask to change the ball.”
Fellow batter Usman Khawaja also chipped in, tweeting: “They going to go with the 2010 ‘Jubulani’ ball.”
The winners of Wednesday’s showdown will face Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday.
Captain Millie Bright expects the hostile environment England will encounter against Australia in their World Cup semi-final to feel like well-trodden territory for the European champions.
Wednesday’s game is a sell out at the 75,000-plus capacity Stadium Australia in Sydney, with the vast majority issued to home supporters, who have backed their side in rapidly-rising, record-smashing fashion.
While the Lionesses – who are hoping to advance to a first-ever final – have so far been warmly embraced Down Under, Bright is acutely aware that millions of new friends will soon view them as foes.
She said: “We’re always preparing for that, no matter the opponent. Their fans are always going to want the opposition to lose, that’s football. We know that we’re going to have fans there, yes they’re going to have more, but we’ve been in these moments before and as players we’ve embraced these moments.
“It’s all about us sticking to task, executing the game plan and embracing the moment. It’s the semi-final of a World Cup, you want that environment, you want it to be tense, you want it to be noisy.
“It’s a proud moment in the women’s game when people turn on the TV back home and they see what an incredible atmosphere we’ve created. Credit to Australia for selling out the stadium and creating that atmosphere because like we always know, the women’s game is still on a journey, but what a place to be.”
The target on England’s back, at least publicly, has grown since Bright and her team-mates – 16 of whom are in this World Cup squad – lifted the Euro 2022 trophy at Wembley last summer and firmly entrenched themselves amongst the favourites to win the global showpiece.
Inside the Lionesses’ camp, said Bright, the reality has always been different.
She added: “Honestly, I think for us there’s always been pressure, whether it’s looked like that from the outside or not. I think for us, that’s what pushes us forward.
“That’s what gives us our determination to always challenge ourselves, to be better, to grow. The journey has been long and tough, but without those experiences you don’t develop, you don’t learn, and you don’t go to higher levels.
“I think we have an ultra-competitive group of players and staff where the competitiveness has always been there. It’s part of who we are. It’s our DNA to fight and be competitive and to want to win.”
England’s first appearance in a semi-final came eight years ago in Canada, when Laura Bassett’s own goal in second-half stoppage time abruptly halted their dreams of reaching the final.
The Lionesses won their third-place play-off for a best-ever World Cup finish to date, four years later coming fourth in France, where now-England boss Sarina Wiegman led the Netherlands to the final but ultimately lost to defending champions the United States.
The Matildas are the only side who can boast they have beaten England since Wiegman – otherwise undefeated in 36 matches – took over in September 2021, with a 2-0 victory at Brentford in April.
While she, too, has found herself impressed by the growth she has observed in the ninth edition of the World Cup, expanded to 32 teams for the first time and guaranteed a new champion, that elusive trophy remains at the forefront of her mind.
Wiegman said: “I’m aware that this is very, very special and that what happens in the growth of the women’s game the level has really grown so worldwide people see what’s going on.
“I hope that helps women in football but women in general too.
“But to be honest I’m very focused, so when it’s the game it’s the game, and you just try to block everything out because you have to do a job.”
Australia boss Tony Gustavsson believes his side are fully prepared to rise to the monumental occasion.
He said: “We actually don’t look at it as pressure. We look at it as a privilege that so many people believe in this team, and we feel the support.
“We look at it more as fuel, as energy, than pressure. We don’t look at it as heavy. We look at it as we get carried from underneath and built up, and I feel the belief in us.”
Olga Carmona’s stunning late winner fired Spain into the World Cup final with a 2-1 win against Sweden.
In a cagey contest with few chances for either side, the game suddenly sprung into life in the final stages with three goals in the final 10 minutes of normal time.
Barcelona winger Salma Paralluelo, 19, gave Spain the lead in the 81st minute, but her goal was soon cancelled out by Rebecka Blomqvist.
But Carmona responded in emphatic fashion just one minute later, sealing a final clash against either Australia or England on Sunday.
Spain kept possession well in the opening stages and had a chance when a looping cross found Alba Redondo at the back post, but her header was cleared by Sweden.
They struck again minutes later with some good build-up around the box allowing Carmona to shoot from the edge of the area, but it just whistled past the bottom corner.
Sweden then had a half-chance at the other end when Johanna Rytting Kaneryd headed wide before Aitana Bonmati looped a cross in for Jennifer Hermoso but goalkeeper Zecira Musovic comfortably collected.
Another attack came from a Spanish free-kick which went as far as Alexia Putellas, who whipped the ball into the box and Magdalena Eriksson did well to quickly head the ball away.
Sweden had a great opportunity to take the lead just before half-time when Nathalie Bjorn picked out Fridolina Rolfo at the back post, but her half-volley was pushed away by Cata Coll.
A slow start to the second half saw Stina Blackstenius try her luck from the right-hand side of the box, but her attempt was easily saved by Coll, who then made an excellent dive to palm Rytting Kaneryd’s cross away.
Spain had some tidy build-up play around the box and had a great opportunity when Hermoso found Redondo in the box, but she was unable to cleanly strike it.
The match looked destined for extra time with neither side having any real clear-cut chances, but it suddenly burst into life in the final 10 minutes with three goals in eight minutes.
After dominating possession, Spain finally found the breakthrough in the 81st minute when Hermoso’s cross was cleared into the path of Paralluelo and the substitute tucked the ball into the bottom corner.
Their lead was short-lived though as Sweden hit back in the 88th minute when Lina Hurtig headed down a cross for Blomqvist to smash the ball first time across the goalkeeper and into the top corner.
Spain snatched the winner just one minute later when a short corner was played out to Carmona on the edge of the area and she smashed the ball from the outside of the box above Musovic’s head, with the goalkeeper unable to get a strong enough hand to keep it out.
Richard Hannon expects Chindit to thrive for dropping back to seven furlongs in Saturday’s BetVictor Hungerford Stakes at Newbury.
The five-year-old has had three starts over a mile so far this term, winning the Paradise Stakes at Ascot before pushing Modern Games close when second in the Group One Lockinge Stakes at the Berkshire venue in May.
A subsequent spin in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot ended in disappointment and Hannon took him out of the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on account of the testing conditions earlier this month.
The handler is anticipating better ground at Newbury though, and is backing the son of Wootton Bassett to put last year’s eighth place in the race well behind him.
Hannon said: “He’s only had three races this year, this will be the first for his new owner (Villoo Poonawalla Greenfield Farms).
“I’m delighted with the form he is in – he loves Newbury, he’s won the Greenham and finished second in the Lockinge. It looks like coming back to seven furlongs will be ideal for him and hopefully he has an excellent chance.
“He worked very well on the grass on Sunday. The forecast is looking dry leading into the weekend so we are hopeful it will be quick ground.”
Charlie Fellowes is also keeping an eye on the weather as he seeks decent ground for his challenger Marbaan.
The three-year-old bounced back to from when coming home third in the Lennox Stakes over this seven-furlong trip at Goodwood, with Fellowes giving him extra credit as the good to soft ground did not play to the colt’s strengths.
He said: “He ran a cracker at Goodwood in a strong race, the first two horses are clearly Group One horses. We decided to ride him with a bit of patience and he finished well on ground that was probably softer than ideal.
“I think the seven furlongs at Newbury will suit him, we are on weather watch though, I wouldn’t want the ground to be getting too soft. He is definitely better on better ground.
“He looks a picture and is in really good order, his Goodwood run has done him the world of good and I would think he would be very competitive if conditions are in his favour.”
Ben Stokes will end his one-day international retirement to feature for England at this year’s 50-over World Cup, according to reports.
Stokes called time on the longest white-ball format last summer, citing an “unsustainable” schedule following his appointment as captain of the Test team and amid the growing rise of franchise cricket.
England’s talismanic all-rounder continued to play Twenty20s and inspired World Cup success in Australia last November and is now apparently set to perform a U-turn ahead the World Cup in India during October and November.
When Stokes walked away from ODIs last July, it was viewed with the long-term in mind and to give him the best possible chance to lead the red-ball team for as long as possible.
An unbeaten half-century in November helped England beat Pakistan to be crowned IT20 world champions in Australia with white-ball head coach Matthew Mott admitting at the time he would try tempt Stokes out of 50-over retirement.
It seemed an unrealistic aim with Stokes managing a long-standing left knee issue to get through all five Ashes Tests this summer, but honest enough to admit “serious conversations” were required over a potential operation.
With England not due to play red-ball cricket now until January, Stokes was predicted to go under the knife during the coming months, but could now reverse his ODI retirement.
England selectors will meet on Tuesday and name a squad on Wednesday for September’s ODIs against New Zealand and Ireland, which act as warm-up series for the World Cup in India before the tournament begins in October.
A provisional 18-man squad for the World Cup will also be confirmed on Wednesday, with Stokes expected to be included in a huge boost to white-ball captain Jos Buttler.
It was Buttler and Stokes who played a central role in England becoming world champions on home turf four years ago, with Stokes’ 84 not out inspiring a tied match with New Zealand in the final at Lord’s that forced a Super Over.
Further hitting from Stokes would help England set the Black Caps 16 for victory and Buttler’s run-out sealed a maiden 50-over victory for the nation.
He concluded his ODI career with 105 matches, 2,924 runs and 74 wickets.
The PA news agency has contacted Stokes’ representative and the England and Wales Cricket Board for comment.
Ornellaia is set to have her sights raised after opening her account in impressive fashion at Goodwood.
Trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis, the daughter of Night Of Thunder gave a respectable account when third behind subsequent Princess Margaret Stakes winner Sacred Angel in a hot Newmarket maiden on debut.
She then confirmed the promise of that encouraging first appearance and gave a real glimpse of her class when upped to seven furlongs on the Sussex Downs, striking clinically by two lengths.
The Amo Racing-owned youngster is now on course to make the step up to Group company at Deauville on August 19, while she also holds entries for a plethora of top two-year-old contests later in the campaign.
“We went to Newmarket on debut knowing she would benefit from the experience and we were encouraged when the winner went on to win the Princess Margaret,” said Tom Pennington, racing and operations manager for the owners.
“I was a bit disappointed to see the Godolphin filly that finished second (Dubai Treasure) get beat at Yarmouth, but we knew our filly had a good deal of ability and we went to Goodwood pretty confident she would get the job done at seven furlongs being by Night Of Thunder and with there being some cut in the ground. She went and did it nicely.
“She’s in the Prix du Calvados at Deauville and that is on the radar at the minute, but she’s also in a lot of nice races. She’s in the Moyglare (Curragh, September 10), she could go to the Prestige at Goodwood (August 26) at the end of the month and she’s potentially a very nice filly who we think is probably Group class.”
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana believes referee Simon Hooper and VAR were right not to award Wolves a last-gasp penalty in Monday night’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford.
United opened their league account for the season in unconvincing fashion as Raphael Varane’s header 14 minutes from time was enough to earn a 1-0 victory that was barely deserved.
Indeed, it looked like Wolves might get the chance to equalise from the penalty spot at the death when debutant Onana appeared to clatter into Sasa Kalajdzic, but the goalkeeper got away with it.
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil said Onana tried “to take the centre-forward’s head off” and claimed Premier League referees’ boss Jon Moss apologised to him for the decision after the match.
But asked if it was a penalty, Onana said: “No, goalkeepers make decisions, sometimes you are right, sometimes you are not.
“I made a decision and I am responsible for everything. For me it was contact between two big guys and nothing happened. But for us, the most important thing was to win and I am happy for the victory.
“Of course I was confident (it would not be given).”
Onana made his Premier League debut following his summer move from Inter Milan.
The Cameroon international, who worked with Erik Ten Hag at Ajax, has big boots to fill following on from David De Gea, and his style differs greatly from the Spaniard as he likes the ball at his feet.
But he insists it is a case of him adapting to his new surroundings rather than the United defence changing their game.
“Listen, I think I’m playing with some of the best defenders in the world because playing for Manchester United is not something easy,” he said.
“I think I’m the one who has to adapt because United is a very big club and I’m proud to be able to perform here and proud to play alongside these defenders and if something has to change, I think we will do it.
“At the moment everything is going right and we just have to continue working like this and I think it will be OK by the end of the season.”
Few will have seen a performance like this coming from Wolves, whose plans for the season were thrown into disarray last week when boss Julen Lopetegui left, just five days before their opener, with O’Neil coming in.
O’Neil, who was sacked at Bournemouth after keeping them in the English top flight last season, will have been thrilled at what he saw as his new side put in a slick counter-attacking display that had United on the run for the majority of the game.
But old failings returned as they could not score with any of the 23 shots they had, which will have brought back memories from last season, where they registered just 31 times.
“I think we keep doing more like today,” O’Neil said. “My initial thoughts around them not scoring enough goals last year was, we need to arrive in good areas, with good numbers more.
“We have enough talent in the group so if we arrive in good numbers, the boys will score goals, no doubt.
“I don’t think today was a reoccurrence of the pattern you saw last year. I think if the lads play that game 100 times, they score in 99 of them.
“Keep arriving in those areas, keep working with the players to improve understanding and how many times we arrive and the lads will score some goals.”
Max Scherzer struck out a season-high 11 batters in seven dominant innings, Adolis Garcia hit his 30th home run of the season and the Texas Rangers routed the Los Angeles Angels 12-0 Monday for their 11th win in their last 13 games.
Scherzer allowed only one hit – an infield single in the second inning to Mike Moustakas – and walked one batter in his best outing of the year. Two of Scherzer’s 11 strikeouts came against Shohei Ohtani in the first ever matchup between the two superstars.
At 39 years old, Scherzer improved to 12-4 this season and 3-0 since being acquired by the Rangers at the trade deadline.
Garcia’s two-run home run in the seventh inning gave him 30 this season and upped his AL-leading RBI total to 91. Marcus Semien hit a two-run homer and had five RBIs.
With the win and the Houston Astros’ loss to the Miami Marlins, the Rangers (71-48) expanded their lead in the AL West to 3 ½ games.
The Angels (59-61) continued their slide down the AL wild card standings and have been outscored by a combined 35-8 over their last four games.
Rays’ Glasnow sharp in victorious return
Tyler Glasnow returned from a two-week absence due to back spasms to throw six strong innings and lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 10-2 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Glasnow allowed three hits and one run while striking out seven in his first start since July 31. The 6-foot-8 right-hander reached 98 mph on the radar gun and improved to 4-1 with a 1.63 ERA over his last six starts.
The Rays’ offence did its job by piling up a season-high 18 hits, including Christian Bethancourt’s first home run since May 20.
Every Tampa Bay starter had at least one hit, and six different players had multiple hits.
The Rays were without shortstop Wander Franco, who was placed on the restricted list while he is being investigated for allegedly having an improper relationship with a minor.
Lopez, Fried lift Braves over scuffling Yankees
Nicky Lopez starred in his role as a fill-in, Max Fried collected a win in his first home start in over three months and the Atlanta Braves handled the New York Yankees 11-3.
Lopez tallied three hits and three RBIs while starting in place of second baseman Ozzie Albies, who is expected to land on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain.
Fried went six innings in his Truist Park return, allowing eight hits and two runs.
Fried was activated from the 60-day injured list on Aug. 4 for a pair of road starts before returning home. His last start in Atlanta had come on May 5.
The NL-leading Braves (76-42) remained hot, winners in six of their last eight games.
The Yankees (60-59) had 11 hits but grounded into three double-plays, and the loss dropped them 5 ½ back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the final AL wild card spot.
Dalvin Cook is teaming up with former NFC North rival Aaron Rodgers on the New York Jets on a one-year contract, multiple media outlets reported Monday.
The former Minnesota Vikings running back can earn up to $8.6million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Vikings cut Cook in June for salary cap space, making him an unrestricted free agent.
While Cook, a former star at Florida State, had previously discussed signing with the Miami Dolphins, he visited a Jets practice on July 30 and later told NFL Network that New York was “right at the top of the list” of prospective teams.
“It’s a unique situation because I think [the Jets] are building something special over there,” Cook told NFL Network. “When you look at it, you always want to be around a great QB, you always want to be around somebody you can pick his brain and just learn from. A-Rod is a four-time MVP. So, just being around a guy like that you can learn a lot more and just develop as a player.
“That’s what I’m looking to do.”
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Cook joins a backfield that also includes Michael Carter and talented second-year man Breece Hall.
Hall led the Jets in rushing last season despite suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in Week 7. He remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list and has not resumed practising.
Cook, 28, has rushed for at least 1,100 yards in each of the last four seasons, peaking in the 2020 campaign, when he produced 1,918 yards from scrimmage and 17 total touchdowns.
Over the last four seasons, Cook’s 6,423 scrimmage yards are second only to Derrick Henry’s 6,914.
Ezekiel Elliott has found a new home.
The 28-year-old running back is expected to sign with the New England Patriots on a one-year deal worth up to $6million, according to a report from NFL Media on Monday.
The 2023 NFL regular season is less than a month away, and Elliott has been a free agent since the Dallas Cowboys released him in March.
Drafted fourth overall by the Cowboys in 2016, Elliott was a two-time rushing champion in Dallas, including in his rookie year when he tallied a career-best 1,631 yards over the ground.
He also won a rushing title in 2018 and is a three-time Pro Bowl selection, but hasn't earned that honour since 2019.
After averaging 96.52 rushing yards per game and 4.62 yards per attempt in his first four seasons, he's averaged 60.79 yards per game and 4.01 yards per carry in the last three years.
He still has a nose for the end zone, tallying 12 rushing touchdowns in 2022 - only four players had more - but wasn't a threat to break off a long run, averaging a career-low 3.79 yards per carry.
Of the 31 players with at least 175 carries last season, Elliott's rushing average beat out only Leonard Fournette's mark of 3.53.
He struggled mightily to move the ball in Dallas' two playoff games last season, rushing for a mere 53 yards on 23 attempts.
In March, he became expendable when the Cowboys designated Tony Pollard as a franchise player for the 2023 season.
Pollard emerged as the Cowboys’ best running back and earned his first Pro Bowl nod with an outstanding 2022 campaign in which he rushed for 1,007 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. His 5.22 yards per rush attempt ranked second in the NFL among players with at least 175 carries.
Elliott now joins a Patriots backfield led by Rhamondre Stevenson, who rushed for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns in 2022 with an average of 4.95 yards per rush - fifth highest among qualifiers.
Elliott's first regular-season game with New England will come against a familiar foe, as the Patriots open the season September 10 against the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, a divisional rival of the Cowboys.
In Week 4, Elliott will get to face his former team with New England visiting Dallas on October 1.
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