FOOTBALL
Mexico game moved
The NFL moved the Rams' Monday night showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs from Mexico City to Los Angeles on Tuesday due to the poor condition of the field at Azteca Stadium. The league announced the decision six days before one of the most-anticipated regular-season games of the year. In a news release, the league said it determined that the recently re-sodded field at Mexico City's historic stadium "does not meet NFL standards for playability and consistency, and will not meet those standards by next Monday." The Rams (9-1) will host the Chiefs (9-1) at the Coliseum instead. The decision creates a morass of logistical concerns for the teams and for fans traveling to Mexico, and it disappoints thousands of fans eager to see a marquee matchup. But the league consulted with the players association and local officials before deciding it couldn't risk the players' health on a damaged field. Azteca officials changed the playing surface from natural grass to a hybrid in May, but the turf hasn't been ideal for several months. Concern about the field grew in recent days when aerial photos of the stadium showed serious damage to the grass, particularly on the end of the stadium recently used for a major concert.
SOCCER
U.S. caps unbeaten year
Alex Morgan scored late in the first half, and the U.S. national team wrapped up the year with a 1-0 victory Tuesday over Scotland in Glasgow. The U.S. team is undefeated this year with 19 wins and two ties. The Americans have an unbeaten streak of 28 games (25 wins, three ties) dating to a 1-0 loss to Australia in the Tournament of Nations last year. It was also the team's 12th shutout of the year. The U.S. team is the defending World Cup champion, and it qualified for next year's tournament in France at the CONCACAF women's championship last month. The United States is the top-ranked team in the world, while Scotland is No. 19 and has qualified for its first World Cup. Morgan scored her 98th career goal in international play in the 39th minute off a cross from Mallory Pugh. Morgan has 25 goals in her past 26 matches.
MLS names top coach
Gerardo Martino was voted coach of the year in Major League Soccer on Tuesday in his last season with Atlanta United. Martino guided Atlanta through another record-breaking season. Atlanta United won a playoff series for the first time by beating New York City FC in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Atlanta will play the New York Red Bulls in the first leg of the conference final Nov. 25. Martino, the former Barcelona and Argentina national coach, is leaving Atlanta after the playoffs. He reportedly is headed to Mexico's national team.
BASKETBALL
Good news for LeVert
Caris LeVert's injury wasn't as bad as it looked. The Brooklyn Nets said Tuesday their leading scorer suffered only a dislocation of his right foot and no fractures, and he could return this season. That's far better than what was feared when LeVert's leg appeared to bend in a gruesome manner after he leaped to block a shot in the final seconds of the first half of Monday night's game in Minnesota. "While the optics of this injury may have appeared to be more severe, surgery will not be required," team orthopedist Dr. Martin O'Malley said in a statement. O'Malley examined LeVert on Tuesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery, and the third-year swingman was diagnosed with a subtalar dislocation of the right foot. LeVert, who battled foot injuries in college at Michigan before emerging as a first-round pick, had been the Nets' best player. He is averaging 18.4 points.
Green suspended 1 game
Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green was suspended one game without pay by Golden State on Tuesday for conduct detrimental to the team. The Warriors made the announcement about four hours before they were set to host Atlanta, and said Green would serve the suspension against the Hawks on Tuesday. In the closing seconds of regulation during Monday's 121-116 overtime loss on the road to the Clippers, Green secured a rebound and, with Kevin Durant calling for the ball, instead dribbled the length of the court into traffic and lost control as the Warriors failed to get a shot off. Back on the bench waiting for the extra period to begin, the two traded words and gestured with Klay Thompson seated between them and Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins and others trying to calm the situation. Green has been off to a strong start this season for the two-time defending NBA champions, averaging 7.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
BASEBALL
Japan downs MLB
Ryosuke Kikuchi drove in the go-ahead run on a squeeze bunt in a four-run ninth inning as Japan beat the MLB All-Stars 5-3 on Tuesday to take a 3-1 lead in their six-game exhibition series. MLB led 3-1 when Kirby Yates walked leadoff batter Kazuki Tanaka, who stole second and scored on Seiji Uebayashi's single just past the glove of diving shortstop Amed Rosario. Kosuke Tanaka hit a tying single, John Brebbia relieved and Kikuchi bunted up the line toward first baseman Carlos Santana for a sacrifice as Tanaka crossed the plate with a head-first slide. Rhys Hoskins hit an opposite-field solo home run to right in the second and Ronald Acuna Jr. made it 2-0 in the seventh when he scored on a double by Juan Soto.
TENNIS
Federer back on track
After canceling his training session a day earlier, Roger Federer produced a much-improved performance to get his campaign for a seventh ATP Finals title back on track with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Dominic Thiem on Tuesday. Having lost his opening round-robin match to Kei Nishikori, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was still some way from his fluent best but dropped just six points on serve and took advantage of a wayward display from Thiem to break twice in both sets. With a 1-1 record in round-robin play, Federer will likely need to defeat Kevin Anderson on Thursday to improve his 14-1 record of reaching the semifinals at the season-ending tournament. Anderson thrashed Nishikori 6-0, 6-1 earlier Tuesday to move to 2-0, with the lopsided scoreline all but assuring the South African's place in the last four.
SOCCER
Premier League hires female CEO
LONDON -- The English Premier League hired broadcasting executive Susanna Dinnage as chief executive Tuesday, making her the most powerful female executive in global sports.
Dinnage will leave her role as global president of Discovery's Animal Planet brand early next year to succeed Richard Scudamore running the world's richest soccer competition.
Scudamore was CEO from 1999 to 2014 when he was promoted to executive chairman. The new structure will see the league have a separate CEO and non-executive chairman again, but the latter position has yet to be filled
"It represents the pinnacle of professional sport and the opportunity to lead such a dynamic and inspirational organization is a great privilege," Dinnage said. "With the support of clubs and the team, I look forward to extending the success of the league for many years to come."
The appointment of Dinnage highlights the league's focus on broadcasting, as most of its revenue comes from selling TV rights. She started her career at MTV Networks and spent the past decade at Discovery.
Scudamore has overseen the value of the Premier League's broadcasting rights soaring 12-fold to more than $10 billion, with Comcast-owned British pay-TV operator Sky the league's biggest TV partner.
While running Discovery's British operation last year, Dinnage threatened to remove their portfolio of channels from the Sky platform in a row over costs.
Dinnage will not have to negotiate a rights deal with Sky for a couple of years. Sky, which has aired the Premier League since its inception in 1992, signed a new deal in February to show 128 games per season from 2019 to 2022.
Sports on 11/14/2018