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The second-ranked U.S. Women’s National Soccer team is back in action today at the World Cup. The U.S. has a critical game against fifth-ranked Sweden in Winnipeg, Canada. It’s perhaps the marquee match-up of the opening round.

Not only are both teams highly-ranked and expected to do well, there’s added intrigue and drama. Consider the intrigue:

• The Swedish coach is Pia Sundhage who coached the U.S. until 2012.
• She led the U.S. to Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, as well as a runner-up finish in the previous World Cup. In 107 games under Sundhage, the U.S. lost only six times.

The drama came in a bit of trash talk about some of Sundhage’s former players. In a New York Times profile, the beloved coach (by players and fans) criticized several key U.S. starters.

• On one of the team’s top midfielders: “Carli Lloyd was a challenge to coach.”
• She criticized star goalkeeper Hope Solo’s ongoing off-the-field legal skirmishes.
• On star forward Abby Wambach, Sundhage said, “I told her: ‘If I stayed, you would be a sub. The best sub ever. But a sub.’ There was no question about that in my mind.”

The comments became media fodder the next day during a U.S. Soccer news conference with current head coach Jill Ellis. As my colleague Shereen Marisol Meraji reported today on Morning Edition:

“Ellis says, yeah, she was briefed about Sundhage’s comments. ‘I think I’ve made it pretty clear that distractions don’t really creep into my mind when I’m trying to prepare my players and my team for the game.’ “

Defender Lori Chalupny brushed off the suggestion that Sundhage’s comments provide the U.S. added incentive to beat Sweden. “When you’re at a World Cup, there’s no extra motivation needed,” Chalupny said.

If the U.S. defeats Sweden, it would all but guarantee the U.S. would advance to the knockout stage. Sweden is looking for a win following its disappointing 3-3 tie with Nigeria on Monday.

Playing conditions at the six host cities across Canada have generally been delightful, with highs in the 60s and 70s. But down on the pitch, it’s like being at a different latitude. The artificial turf, made of rubber and plastic, radiates heat. In at least two games, the field temperatures reportedly soared above 120 degrees. The U.S. coaches have asked FIFA to water the turf to cool it down.

The television audience for this World Cup is booming. FIFA says the opening games have attracted more viewers than those in 2011. While that’s true, attendance at some stadiums has been lackluster. At a double-header in Montreal featuring Brazil and star player Marta, only 10,000 fans showed up. The games with the biggest attendance have involved host country Canada and the first U.S. game (which given its proximity is almost like a “home” game).

The U.S.-Sweden game begins at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox Sports 1 and NBC Universo.

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It took four games, but the Golden State Warriors’ shooters finally got on track Thursday night, while Cleveland Cavaliers guard and surprise hero Matthew Dellavedova finally came back to reality.

The result was a relatively easy 103-82 win on the road for the Warriors, and an NBA Finals tied 2-2 as it heads back to Oakland, Calif.

League MVP Stephen Curry retained the hot hand he had at the end of Game 3, hitting four of seven three-point shots en route to 22 points.

Meanwhile Andre Iguodala — making his first start of the season in the Warriors hunt for some kind of solution to the Cavaliers’ tactics — scored an efficient 22 points while applying his usual solid defense on Cleveland star LeBron James.

Center Andrew Bogut, whom Iguodala replaced in the starting lineup, logged just three minutes of playing time.

James got just 20 points for Cleveland after averaging more than 40 through the first three games, while center Timofey Mozgov piled up 28 points, including 10 from the free throw line.

Dellavedova, who had played played frantic but effective defense on Curry and averaged 14.5 points in the two games since point guard Kyrie Irving got hurt, scored 10 points on 3-14 shooting.

Game 5 will be 8 p.m. ET on Sunday in Oakland, Calif., Game 6 in Cleveland will be on Tuesday, and a Game 7 — if needed would be June 19. All will air on ABC.

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Update, 11 p.m. ET:

Chicago captain Jonathan Toews did in fact break out of his scoring drought and, with a second goal by left wing Brandon Saad that was assisted by Patrick Kane, propelled the Blackhawks to a 2-2 series tie Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tampa Bay center Alex Killorn scored for the Lightning, which had hoped to have Chicago on the brink of elimination when the Stanley Cup finals return to Florida on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET. It was his second goal of the series and eighth of the playoffs.

Original Story:

While the Chicago Blackhawks are down two games to one in their best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, they are far from out.

But two straight losses have pointed to some areas that do need to change if the Hawks want to turn this series around. Not least is the performance of their two top players, team captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. They are arguably two of the best power forwards in hockey today, but so far in this series, they have produced exactly 1 point, an assist by the 27-year-old Toews. In Game 2, Kane didn’t even get a shot on net.

Before Game 3, Kane admitted to some frustration. “As an offensive guy, you want to be helping produce, especially at this time of year,” he said.

Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford also needs to up his performance. After a stellar Game 1, giving up only an early goal, he had a lackluster Game 2, giving up four, on just 24 shots. He bounced back for Game 3 but still wasn’t good enough to stop a Tampa attack that has been relentless throughout most of this series.

There are still plenty of upsides for Chicago, the most interesting one being the performance of 20-year-old rookie forward Teuvo Teravainen. In Chicago’s opening game victory in Tampa, the young Finn scored the game-tying goal and set up the winner. He also scored in Game 3, briefly giving the Hawks the lead. This season, he netted just four goals in his first 34 games. He’s scored three in the last five games of the playoffs alone.

“Every chance he’s getting, he’s making big plays,” Toews said. “He’s already doing it in the Stanley Cup Final, so it’s pretty amazing to watch.”

On defense, Chicago’s Duncan Keith continues to be a dominant force, averaging a staggering 31 minutes a game on the ice, with a playoff-leading 18 assists.

And the Blackhawks do have history on their side. Since coach Joel Quenneville took over behind the bench in 2008, Chicago has had a 30 and 30 win-loss record in Games 1 to 3 in the playoffs, but it has produced a dominant 40 and 14 record in Games 4 through 7. This is why the Hawks are in their third Stanley Cup Final in six years.

For its part, Tampa Bay isn’t taking its 2-1 Final lead against Chicago for granted.

“This is going to be a good test for this group,” Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos said. “Obviously they have the experience. But we’re going through it. You have to go through these situations to gain that experience. We seem to rise to the occasion every round.”

And incredibly, Tampa Bay has been rising to the occasion in this series without production from Stamkos, another highly skilled power forward. He has no points in this Final so far. If he starts to contribute more, Chicago could be in real trouble. But for now, Tampa’s second line, the so-called Triplets line of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov, has carried the load. Combined, they have 30 goals and 51 assists in the playoffs. Johnson is the playoff scoring leader. Kucherov is second.

Goalie Ben Bishop’s health is still a question mark. He was removed late in Game 3 for undisclosed reasons, possibly an injury. But he played Monday and only seemed to get stronger as the game progressed, and there has been no talk of him being benched tonight.

As long as Tampa’s players don’t make the mistake they made in Game 1, when they sat on a one-goal lead in the third period and were punished with two quick Chicago goals, the Lightning should be fine. Their solid, attacking style play of the last two games suggests they’ve learned their lesson.

Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final is Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EDT.

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Still reeling from a corruption scandal that has ensnared some of its top officials and led to the resignation of its president, FIFA said it was delaying the bidding process on the 2026 World Cup.

“Due to the situation, I think it’s nonsense to start any bidding process for the time being,” Jérôme Valcke, FIFA’s secretary general, said during a news conference on Wednesday.

In a separate statement, FIFA said the organization’s executive committee will discuss the process at a later date.

The BBC reports:

“The vote to decide who will host the 2026 World Cup is due to take place in Kuala Lumpur in May 2017.

“The United States are front-runners to stage the tournament, but Canada, Mexico and Colombia are also thought to be interested. Russia and Qatar were selected to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups by a secret ballot of Fifa’s 22 executive members in December 2010.

“But Swiss prosecutors are now investigating alleged financial irregularities surrounding the bidding process. Both Russia and Qatar have denied any wrongdoing.”

Bloomberg reports that during the news conference, Valcke was defensive. If you remember, Valcke was not named in the U.S. bribery investigation, but subsequent reporting linked him to a $10 million payment that was allegedly part of a bribe to help South Africa secure the right to host the 2010 World Cup.

Wednesday’s news conference was Valcke’s first since those reports surfaced, and he said he had done no wrong. Bloomberg adds:

“The money involved came from South African authorities and not FIFA, and the transfer was in line with FIFA regulations, Valcke said.

” ‘You have decided that after [Sepp] Blatter I am the head to be cut, fine, but don’t use this $10 million because I haven’t made any mistake with this,’ he said.”

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Chris Heston couldn’t recall ever throwing a no-hitter, not in youth baseball, not in the minor leagues and certainly not in the majors. Now he was three outs away.

“I definitely threw more in the backyard than I have in real life, that’s for sure,” he said.

He plunked Anthony Recker on the left shoulder with his first pitch in the ninth inning. Then the 27-year-old rookie right-hander, filling a gap this year on the San Francisco Giants’ pitching staff, settled down again, working the strike zone in and out, up and down, just as he had with catcher Buster Posey all night long.

Making the 13th start of his big league career, Heston threw called third strikes past pinch-hitter Danny Muno, Curtis Granderson and Ruben Tejada, completing a 5-0 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night and the major leagues’ first no-hitter since Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann on the final day of the 2014 regular season.

Heston didn’t jump, didn’t raise his arms in triumph.

He walked calmly off the mound toward home plate and was hugged by catcher Buster Posey.

“I wasn’t too sure where to go after that last out,” Heston said in an aw-shucks manner, looking boyish despite a day or two of stubble.

Heston allowed three baserunners – all on hit batters. He also had a two-run single for his first big league RBIs and finished with two hits more than the injury-depleted Mets.

He took the ball from the final out with him, but didn’t have any designated place to display it. He doesn’t have a trophy case.

“I don’t have enough stuff for one,” he said.

The pitching-rich World Series champions have thrown a no-hitter in four straight seasons, with Heston following Matt Cain’s perfect game against Houston in 2012 and hitless gems by Tim Lincecum in 2013 and ’14. The only other team to accomplish that feat was the Los Angeles Dodgers – all by Sandy Koufax – from 1962-65.

And in an era of radar gun worship, Heston didn’t throw a pitch faster than 91 mph.

“It’s not always how hard you throw,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s your command. It’s your ability to mix up your pitches, keep them off balance, hit your spots, pitch to your defense. Sure, it’s nice to have that 95-99 (mph), but if you’re off a little bit, hitters are going to catch up with that, trust me.”

Heston (6-4) struck out 11 – six looking – and allowed just two balls into the outfield, flyouts by Wilmer Flores in the second inning and Michael Cuddyer in the seventh. The last pitch was a 91 mph sinker that froze Tejada.

As the Citi Field crowd of 23,155 gave Heston a standing ovation, Giants teammates came out of the dugout and bullpen to mob him.

Heston had been extra nervous going into the ninth.

“Attack the zone. Don’t let the nerves get to me. Just throw quality strikes,” he recalled. “Taking a little more deep breaths out there.”

Brandon Crawford made a backhand stop deep at shortstop and threw to first to retire Eric Campbell for the final out of the eighth.

“It took kind of an in-between hop. It wasn’t an easy one, for sure,” Crawford said. “That was about the toughest play of the game. Usually, there’s a really good play that saves a hit, or maybe some hard line drives right at somebody. But there really weren’t a lot of balls squared up.”

Heston hit Tejada just below the left shoulder with one out in the fourth, then grazed Lucas Duda’s uniform near his right thigh. Despite leading the NL East, the Mets are 25th among the 30 teams in runs, a dearth partly due to injuries to David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud.

“Obviously, those guys would have helped tonight, there’s no question of that. But you don’t want to take anything away,” Cuddyer said. “He had a really good sinker and he kept everybody off balance with a couple of different kinds of breaking balls, curveballs, one obviously slower and one a little quicker, good slider.”

Heston threw 72 of 110 pitches for strikes in the 35th complete-game no-hitter by a rookie in major league history, according to STATS, the first since Boston’s Clay Buchholz in 2007.

Heston hit a two-run single in the fourth off Noah Syndergaard (2-4) and added another single in the eighth.

Angel Pagan hit an RBI groundout in the first, Matt Duffy homered in the sixth and Joe Panik hit a leadoff homer in the seventh off Dillon Gee, making his first relief appearance since 2011.

Heston had a long and slow path to the majors. A graduate of Bayside High School in Palm Bay, Florida, he went to Seminole Community College and East Carolina University, declining to sign when Minnesota selected him on the 47th round in 2007 and Washington on the 29th round the following year. San Francisco got him on the 12th round in 2009.

He was 1-5 that year for the Arizona Rookie League Giants and didn’t advance past Class A until 2012. He made his big league debut last Sept. 13 against the Los Angeles Dodgers but was sent to the minors on March 20.

“The numbers really got him more than anything,” Bochy said.

But when Cain started the season on the disabled list, Heston was brought up April 7. Before Tuesday, his only complete game was a two-hitter against Houston on May 12. Heston was knocked out in fourth inning against Pittsburgh in previous start.

“Honestly, I think it’s just a matter of him just kind of trying to find his way right now,” Posey said. “He’s still early in his career in establishing what type of pitcher he’s going to be. And it’s something that we all go through when we first get here.”

Bochy, who won his 700th game as Giants manager, had an easy night in the dugout through eight innings. Then Heston plunked Recker.

“I said, ‘Well, what’s going to happen if he hits the first three? Do I get him with a no-hitter?'” Bochy remembered.

No way. Old-school Bochy was going to let him keep on going.

“I think you know about my pitch count,” the manager said. “I watched Timmy throw close to 150, so he probably could have thrown 50 the last inning.”

When Heston returned to the Giants’ clubhouse, he was met by one last ovation, this time from all his teammates.

“It was awesome, to walk in and having the whole team sitting there, congratulating me,” he said. “Definitely a special moment. I’ll remember that forever.”

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When Fatima Haidari got her first bike at age 9, she rode it all the time. But when she became an teenager, the rules changed.

“I used to bike outside because I was a kid, and nobody cared,” Haidari says. “But when I got older, it got kind of weird so I stopped.”

By “weird,” she means people aren’t used to seeing a young woman outside, by herself, on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. It’s even more uncommon to see women out on the streets on wheels. Haidari says she would have attracted unwanted attention from passersby — disapproving stares and even taunts.

In the 1990s, the Taliban imposed many restrictions on women’s rights. They couldn’t go to school, walk on the streets alone or speak publicly.

Since the militant group was ousted from parts of the country in 2001, the Afghan government has been working with advocacy groups to improve women’s rights. But progress has been slow. And some people still believe that women belong inside the house.

Haidari, now 18, decided to challenge that thinking.

While studying in the U.S. last spring, she met representatives from Girl Up, a campaign from the U.N. Foundation that funds clubs for girls around the world. Haidari noticed that Afghanistan didn’t have one.

So she thought, why not?

With funding from Girl Up, Haidari returned to Kabul and created a bike-riding club just for girls. She and her friends met weekly, sometimes to watch and discuss movies starring women, like Gravity. Every Friday, they went biking around the city.

The club got an extra boost after the girls impressed Shannon Galpin, the first woman known to mountain bike in Afghanistan. Her nonprofit Moutain 2 Mountain, which advocates for women in conflict zones, donated 10 bikes to club members. For each of the girls, it was her first bike. Before then, they had to borrow from a male friend or relative.

“It’s really new for our society to see women outside their house because we usually think women are supposed to be home to raise the children or take care of the husband,” Haidari says. “We’re trying to push women to have equal presence in society, and biking is just part of it.”

This spring Haidari has been studying at St. Timothy’s School, a boarding school for girls in Baltimore, Md. And she has put the club in the hands of a good friend while she’s away. The club is still going strong, she says. It started out with just five girls. Now, more than 20 get together each week to go cycling.

After a brief introduction from Girl Up, we caught up with Haidari as she was preparing for her finals. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why did you focus on bike riding?

It’s kind of cliche, but it’s really important for a woman to be able to get somewhere without a male’s help.

There are so many girls in Afghanistan who can’t afford to drive to school so they walk for hours. But they can use a bicycle. First, it’s not that expensive, and second it’s a kind of sport. There aren’t many opportunities for women to exercise. So biking serves multiple purposes. I don’t know who said this, but I think women on wheels is the start of women’s independence.

What were some obstacles in starting the club?

There were so many girls who wanted to come riding with us. They would be super passionate, but their families wouldn’t let them come. I understand where they’re coming from — they were scared for their daughter’s security. So we started with five girls. When the other girls saw that nothing [bad] really happened, and that it was successful, I think that convinced the other girls’ families.

Were you nervous about the first bike ride?

We never felt that our lives were in danger, but we weren’t sure what the reaction was going to be. One of my friends said that we should call a cop to watch over us, but we wanted to send a message that girls have the freedom to go outside and bike. And having that cop next to us would have totally ruined that message.

Did anyone try to get in the way?

There was an instance when this guy tried to stop one of my friends and made her fall from her bike.

It was right in front of the Ministry of Education, where there were guards. And they didn’t do anything!

The Ministry of Education is supposed to inform people about human rights and that women should use their freedom. But the guards were just staring. It was really ironic that there was nobody to protect us — or at least to call the person out.

When things like that happen, what inspires you to keep going?

I had a friend who didn’t know anything about biking. She had never rode a bike, and she wanted to join. I told her the bike ride is tomorrow, and she was like, “Well I’m going to learn tonight.” So she learned it overnight, and she came and joined us the next day. It was really inspiring to see that much dedication.

What’s next?

I don’t know how to drive, but I want to learn this summer. On the streets in Afghanistan, you see mostly men behind the wheel. When I came to the U.S., it was the first culture shock I got: There were so many women behind the wheel. They all knew how to drive! I was like, “That is absolutely something I should know. I should know how to get somewhere by myself.”

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Victor Hedman had two assists for Tampa Bay while playing stout defense on Chicago’s top forwards and the Lightning beat the Blackhawks 3-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.

Ryan Callahan, Ondrej Palat and Cedric Paquette scored as Tampa Bay used its second straight win to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Ben Bishop made 36 saves in a gutsy performance after he was questionable coming into the game. Game 4 is Wednesday night.

Brad Richards and Brandon Saad scored for Chicago, and Corey Crawford finished with 29 stops.

The third consecutive one-goal game in the final was tied at 1 after two periods, and then tied again after the teams exchanged goals in a 13-second burst in the third. But Hedman helped the Lightning take the lead for good when he skated into the corner and made a perfect pass to Paquette in the middle for his third goal of the playoffs with 3:11 remaining, silencing the United Center crowd.

Bishop and company held up down the stretch as the Lightning improved to 8-3 on the road in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay wasted a chance to go in front in the second after Saad was whistled for goaltender’s interference, creating a 5-on-3 opportunity. Bishop, who was a game-time decision with some sort of issue left over from Game 2, was shaken up on the collision, but stayed in the net. Crawford then made a couple of big saves to help the Blackhawks kill off the power-play time, leading to roars of approval from the crowd of 22,336.

Marian Hossa made a slick pass to set up Saad’s seventh goal at 4:14 of the third, giving the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead. But the Lightning came right down and scored when Palat stuffed in a rebound for his eighth of the playoffs.

After nearly two days’ worth of speculation, Bishop led the Lightning out of the tunnel for warmups and got the start in goal. He participated in the morning skate, but there was no definitive word on his status until he was announced as the starter right before the game.

The 6-foot-7 Bishop left two different times during the third period of Tampa Bay’s 4-3 victory in Game 2 on Saturday night. The team has not provided a reason for his twin departures, but he appeared to be dealing with some sort of groin or leg injury as he struggled to get up and down for much of the night.

The Lightning got the first goal for the fourth straight time when Hedman made a terrific stretch pass to an open Callahan for a big drive over Crawford’s left shoulder at 5:09 of the first. Hedman has four assists in the series while hounding Chicago’s talented group of scorers, establishing himself as an elite defenseman on the NHL’s biggest stage.

The Blackhawks dominated the rest of the period. Hossa wasted a prime opportunity when his shot on an open net was wide left as he tumbled to the ice. Teuvo Teravainen also shot it wide on a good look while Bishop struggled to move around the goal.

Tampa Bay defenseman Braydon Coburn was sent off for hooking with 7:18 left, and the Blackhawks capitalized on their first power-play opportunity. With Andrew Shaw lurking in front of the goal, Richards’ big slap shot went off the top of Bishop’s glove and into the net for his third goal of the playoffs.

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Instead of turning in a $2 ticket that would pay $3.80 for American Pharoah winning the Belmont Stakes, most people who bought the tickets are hanging on to them as keepsakes — or even investments.

American Pharoah became the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the venerable Triple Crown. The three-year-old colt entered Saturday’s race as a heavy favorite — and it seems that thousands of people who bet on him to win were doing so in the hopes of getting a souvenir.

“Of the 94,128 $2 win wagers placed on American Pharoah from Friday until Saturday’s Belmont, 90,237 (nearly 96 percent) remain live — uncashed — according to figures released Monday by AmTote International,” the AP says.

Even before his historic win, betting tickets that backed American Pharoah were drawing a premium. CNN Money reported on Friday:

“A winning ticket might pay just a few bucks at the window, but it could soon be worth as much as $100 as a collectors item, according to Stephen Costello, executive vice president of Steiner Sports, a sports memorabilia seller.

“Tickets were already trading on eBay… for more than their face value before American Pharoah took the Triple Crown. One winning ticket that paid $2 has been bid up to $21.50. And those prices are likely to keep climbing.”

American Pharoah has returned to Kentucky, where he’ll be celebrated for breaking the Triple Crown drought. The horse will continue to train and race, his owners say.

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NPR’s Robert Siegel talks to Emma Span, a senior editor for Sports Illustrated, about ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte who made his MLB debut this weekend.

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