Brazil and Argentina had to settle for a scoreless draw in their first meeting since Sept. 5 when their match in Brazil had to be suspended seven minutes in due to alleged breaches of COVID-19 protocols.
While Lionel Messi made the starting lineup for Argentina, Neymar dropped out for Brazil after picking up an injury in training. Neymar was replaced by Vinicius Junior as World Cup qualification is secured for Brazil. The Seleção had the better chances but were unable to make them count. .
After an uninspired first half during which they should’ve been down to 10 men, Argentina made a double change at half seeing Lautaro Martinez and Leandro Paredes come off for Joaquin Correa and Lucas Martinez Quatra to switch things up. The biggest moment for Argentina in the half was a near red card for Nicolas Otamendi, who elbowed Raphinha in the mouth, but even after a review, no cards were given.
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Brazil should’ve gone ahead via Vinicius but his shot went wide as well. The second half saw Cristian Romero go off with a possible hamstring injury leading to more joy for Brazil in attack.
Argentina controlled most of the possession, but they weren’t dangerous with those chances. Alisson nearly gave them a chance with his feet trying to play out of the back. Fred also hit the post on a speculative shot but neither keeper was challenged as the teams seemed happy to play out a draw. Argentina now need just one point to book their ticket to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar while Brazil is in tinker mode having breezed through qualification.
Keenan Allen and Gerald Everett are the most likely cap casualties for the Chargers, considering that they contribute to almost $20 million in cap space.
Allen was the third leading receiver for the Chargers in 2022, and Everett was the fifth.
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If they are to get cut or traded, the team will need to replace two high-impact players, not only for the team as a whole but for Justin Herbert as well.
Herbert has continued to grow as a passer, and Allen and Everett’s reliability are some of the reasons for his continued success.
The team may have to go back to the drawing board, either looking to the draft for a receiver or targeting free agency for a few budget weapons.
2022 marked the first time that the Chargers have made the playoffs since 2018.
Even though they ended up losing that game, it was a step in the right direction.
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The worst thing for the Chargers would be to take another step back, which is likely what would happen if both Allen and Everett leave.
From a historical lens, teams have been creative when navigating their cap situation, which is something that the Chargers could explore if they want to retain at least one of these players.
What will the Chargers look like in 2023?
Will Herbert be able to win his first playoff game?
So far in the new year, the Thunder are first in offensive rating, first in net rating, first in points per game, first in three-point percentage, and have the sixth-best record since New Year’s Day.
Yes, they are currently the 12th team in their conference but they are just one game back from being qualified for the play-in tournament.
This last month has been spectacular for OKC.
They have beaten the likes of the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and others.
Their latest victory came on Saturday night when they decimated the Houston Rockets, 153-121.
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The importance and power of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cannot be stressed enough, he has been leading the team in multiple ways.
So far this season, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.
On Saturday night, he had yet another stunning game with his 42 points.
Of course, he has been getting a lot of serious help from Josh Giddey (16.2 points, 8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists), Lugentz Dort (14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), Jalen Williams, and others.
The Thunder have a packed week ahead, facing off against the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, and New Orleans Pelicans.
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Can their impressive January lead to an impressive February too?
From 2011 to 2019, the San Diego Padres had a losing record every single year, with no exception.
But around the end of last decade, you could already tell that the Padres, after their long rebuild in which they had no direction or purpose, were starting to do things the right way.
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They hired the right people to lead the baseball department, they dramatically improved their farm system, and they started spending like a team that wants to compete.
Since 2020, they have been very competitive.
They made the playoffs that year but fell in the first round.
They missed the postseason in 2021 but were in contention for much of the year, and made it again last year and reached the NL Championship Series.
They are getting closer and closer to the first World Series title in franchise history.
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As you probably can imagine, interest from fans just wasn’t there in the middle of last decade.
They had been losing for years, and they would lose for a few more.
Now, fans are very much involved and engaged in everything that has to do with the franchise.
We can see a notable difference in fanfest attendance.
Some people have criticized fans for being there during the good times.
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An MLB analyst, however, is downplaying that notion and pointing out to the logical fact that when there is interest by the ownership, there will be interest from fans because the on-field product will be attractive.
“Some folks will say bandwagon. I’m gonna go with, this is what happens when you have an owner who is all in. The past few years, there’s never been a question of whether or not the Padres have been all in on winning a championship,” Jared Carrabis tweeted.
Some folks will say bandwagon. I’m gonna go with, this is what happens when you have an owner who is all in. The past few years, there’s never been a question of whether or not the Padres have been all in on winning a championship. https://t.co/uCGcDMca5L
