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By around 8 years old, McKenna "Mak" Whitham knew she wanted to be a professional soccer player. What she probably didn't know is how soon that dream would become a reality.
Whitham, who turns 14 on Saturday, has signed a professional contract with NJ/NY Gotham FC, the reigning National Women's Soccer League champions, making her the youngest signing in NWSL history.
"I processed it, and it's still new to me," Whitham said about the achievement, in an exclusive interview with ESPN. "But, I mean, I'm not going to be cocky about it. I'm going to stay humble, and I'm still going to keep developing. My goal is to be a top player in the NWSL, and I know that Gotham will help me become that player."
Whitham's guaranteed contract runs through 2028 and will become effective on Jan. 1, 2025.
Whitham's pro debut, however, could come Sunday, one day after her 14th birthday. Gotham has signed her as a United States national team replacement player for Sunday's game against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
If she plays Sunday, she will also become the youngest player to ever feature in a first-division men's or women's soccer match in the United States. She would also be younger than any player who has appeared in the NBA, NHL, NFL, WNBA or Major League Baseball since at least 1970, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Earlier this month, 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan broke Freddy Adu's longstanding record as the youngest player to feature for an MLS side when he debuted for the Philadelphia Union. Whitham is about one year and 10 months younger than Sullivan. Second-division side Sacramento Republic signed a 13-year-old last year.
Whitham lives in Southern California but has been training with Gotham on and off throughout 2024. Gotham FC general manager Yael Averbuch West told ESPN the club has been measured in its approach to developing a 13-year-old alongside a professional team that features six players on the USWNT's Olympic roster, among other stars.
"The on-the-field is the easiest part of this, I think, and the quickest for us to kind of evaluate and know how to support her," Averbuch West told ESPN. "But we've undertaken a really robust process in terms of making sure that this is the right thing in her life, socially, mentally and every in every possible way."
Gotham heard about Whitham through its scouting network -- a combination of full-time scouts and industry contacts -- and invited her to join the team in Florida for preseason. Whitham immediately impressed and carried on with the team to Colombia for a preseason tournament in February.
There, as a non-roster invitee, Whitham scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Colombia's Deportivo Cali. Gotham advanced and won the tournament.
Whitham was already making a name for herself by that point. In February, she became the youngest athlete in any sport to sign a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with Nike.
The decision for Whitham to begin her guaranteed contract in January was part of a calculated process to not rush her, Averbuch West said. Whitham will have opportunities to get a taste of the professional environment during the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup, which pits teams from the U.S. and Mexico against each other.
"She's going to still be with us through this year and be able to train and continue to develop, and then kind of step up into the environment come preseason to fight for her opportunity on our roster," Averbuch West said. "We felt like that was the most appropriate progression."
Averbuch West describes Whitham as an athletic goal-scorer who covers a lot of ground on the field.
Whitham signed with Gotham through the NWSL's under-18 entry mechanism, which allows teams to sign up to four players under age 18 without having to go through the league's draft to acquire them.
Averbuch West said that the requirements for the U18 mechanism, which was introduced last year, have expanded to include additional provisions around pediatric medical evaluations, facilities and safety assessments (U18 players must have a separate locker room), and a long-term development plan as a player and a person.
U18 players are also required to live with a parent or guardian in the NWSL team's market.
That all means clubs must be ready for the responsibilities, too. The NWSL is less than two years removed from a pair of investigations that uncovered systemic abuse throughout the league. Deep reforms have followed, and rules on the entry of minors have simultaneously relaxed. There are now over a dozen teenagers playing the league, several of them in starting roles.
"We have spent a long time not just evaluating Mak as a player, but actually also evaluating our ability to support Mak and to create a safe and fulfilling environment for her," Averbuch West said.
"I mean, most important to any of this is that Mak continues to deepen her love of the game and her desire to get better. And so, we have done a lot of reflection. We've had a lot of conversations on our ability to support her in that and to create that environment for her at Gotham."
Whitham will move to the New York/New Jersey area with her mom, dad and 7-year-old sister soon. For now, she said, they will cherish what little they have left of beach time in California. She will continue homeschooling, as she has for several years.
Whitham's dad, Josh, was a member of the U.S. Olympic ski team in the late '90s and ranked as high as No. 40 in the world. He was an alternate at the 1998 Nagano Games as a high schooler.
"He understands it," Whitham said of her dad. "I mean, he's hard on me, but I appreciate it, because I would rather have that type of person to be hard on me than someone who just lets me, I don't know, go out, stay late, and I just think that he understands where I'm at, and I appreciate everything that he's done."
Averbuch West, who is a former player in the NWSL and was the founding executive director of the NWSL Players Association, stressed that Gotham is focused on Whitham's long-term future.
Sunday's Gotham game against the Washington Spirit, a top NWSL opponent, could be the next step in Whitham's development. The match, which could mark her official pro debut, will be played at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, the home of the Philadelphia Union and the site of Sullivan's record-setting MLS appearance earlier this month.
Whenever the moment comes, Whitham will be living the professional dream she started planning for only a few years ago.
"I'd seen myself as a really good player, but also, there's a lot to improve on, and I knew that I could accomplish it," Whitham said. "And I think that it's a lot of hard work, self-belief."
Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker said new information from Soccer Canada showed suspended women's coach Bev Priestman was likely aware of the drone use that has caused a scandal at the Paris Olympics.
The COC removed Priestman on Thursday after her suspension by Canada Soccer. The decision followed complaints from New Zealand that Canada flew drones over two of their training sessions before the two sides met in their opening Olympic fixture, which Canada won 2-1.
Assistant Andy Spence will coach Canada for the remainder of the Games.
Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue said he would not consider removing the Canadian team from the tournament.
"I feel frustrated about the distraction it has created but I have not considered withdrawal of the team," he said during a Friday news conference. "Primarily because we feel like we have addressed the situation swiftly and significantly. ... The players have not themselves engaged in unethical behaviour."
Shoemaker also said he was comfortable with Canada's team remaining in Paris to defend their Olympic gold medal amid rumblings the team should be disqualified over the scandal that has thrust them into an unsavoury spotlight.
Blue confirmed that the men's team "attempted drone usage" to gather information during the recently concluded Copa América in the United States, and added that coach Jesse Marsch subsequently denounced the practice to his staff.
He said it was his understanding that it did not have an impact on the competitive integrity of the match but would not offer details.
Blue said Marsch was "aware of it after the fact at a minimum."
After media reports of previous drone use by Canada's women's team, including at the last Olympics, he added that the thought that the issue could impact the team's gold from Tokyo made him feel ill.
"One of the key pieces of information was the conclusion from Canada Soccer that [Priestman] needed to be suspended based on their accumulation of facts," Shoemaker said during Canada's opening news conference on Friday.
"I've seen some of the information they have, and we gathered some additional information ourselves that made me conclude that she was highly likely to have been aware of the incidents here."
The scandal has led to angry calls for the Canadian team to be sent home as well.
"I'm comfortable with the team competing as it is," Shoemaker said. "We've made decisions as it relates to the ultimate sanction we have, participation on Team Canada here in Paris at the Olympic Games, that we get to nominate athletes and coaches to Team Canada and we get to remove them.
"If more facts and circumstances emerge, we can continue to contemplate further action as necessary. It's important to me that Canadians' questions are answered, and so we're going to continue to do our best to answer those questions."
Canadian sports network TSN reported that drone use predates the 2024 Olympics, with two sources with first-hand knowledge telling TSN the team had filmed other opponents' closed-door training sessions, including during the Tokyo Olympic tournament.
Canada Soccer CEO Blue said Thursday night after the match new information came to light.
"They gave me reasons to think further about the potential that this behavior was systemic," Blue said.
"There now appears to be information that could tarnish that Olympic performance in Tokyo, makes me sick to my stomach to think that there could be something that calls into question one of my favourite Olympic moments in history -- that women's team winning that gold medal against all odds, in those COVID restrictions," Shoemaker said.
"We encourage and I know Canada Soccer will investigate all of this fully, including Tokyo, [and] we'll not only cooperate fully but more collaborate to make sure they get to the bottom of it."
Canada beat Sweden in a penalty shootout to claim Olympic gold in Tokyo.
"There is no protest planned, and otherwise we are taking a pass on the opportunity to make any statement on the matter," Swedish FA spokesperson Fredrik Madenstam said.
Canadian officials said the issue was an opportunity to reinforce their message of fair play.
"While I don't like any tarnish that surely has resulted already, we must do what's right," Shoemaker said. "We've been speaking for years now about the importance of winning well, and when we've been given a limited opportunity as it relates to the soccer team to send that message, that winning well is the only way, we've got to send that message."
FIFA and the International Olympic Committee were investigating the incident. Canada Soccer said it would perform an internal review.
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Illness a concern for Sri Lanka as they flag off new era alongside India
Big picture: New beginnings
While it is a new beginning for both teams, their starting points could not have been more different. India recently ended their long-awaited ICC trophy drought by winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, a tournament where Sri Lanka were knocked out in the first round.
Sri Lanka WLLWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
India WWWWL
In the spotlight: Matheesha Pathirana and Shubman Gill
Team news: India to play three spinners?
Kusal Perera had an excellent LPL as an opener. But with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis being the first choice for that role, Perera will have to fight it out with Avishka Fernando for a No. 3 role.
Sri Lanka 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Avishka Fernando/Kusal Perera, 4 Kamindu Mendis, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Asitha Fernando, 10 Dilshan Madushanka, 11 Matheesha Pathirana
Given the conditions, India are likely to pick Ravi Bishnoi as a third spinner over Khaleel Ahmed. Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag will compete for one middle-order spot.
India 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Rishabh Pant (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Ravi Bishnoi/Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Mohammed Siraj
Pitch and conditions: Spin over seam
There is a forecast for rain during the daytime but not in the evening. So the match should be largely unaffected.
Stats and trivia: India's dominance
"I don't want to change a lot. I want to try to get the best out of my players, and build an environment where they can be free and do their best."
Charith Asalanka on being the captain
"Hardik [Pandya] has had the same role throughout and that's not going to change. He's a very important player for the team and we want him to continue the things he did in the World Cup."
Suryakumar Yadav on Hardik Pandya's role in the side
Suryakumar Yadav: 'The same train will continue, only the engine has changed'
In the cliche, the new leader of any organisation comes in, shakes things up for the sake of stamping their identity on the outfit, springs new ideas, and puts themselves at the centre of all things. It happens often in TV comedies. Perhaps even more so in real life.
"The same train will continue," Suryakumar said. "Only the engine has changed. The bogies (carriages) are the same."
If this sounds jovial, it's because India's new captain has cause to be. His opposite, Charith Asalanka, is inheriting a team that is struggling to qualify for major global tournaments.
India, meanwhile, do not just have a World Cup-winning team, they also have an IPL-winning coach in Gautam Gambhir. He and Suryakumar have worked together before at Kolkata Knight Riders. Suryakumar described their connection in glowing terms.
"It's now been 10 years since we've been working together, even though I went into a different franchise in 2018 and he also went to another. We used to keep in touch, talk about the game, even if we were in different teams. There have been learnings in the last six years too when I was not with him.
"Our bond is special, we have spoken about the upcoming three T20s, not in great detail but we know each other fairly well, we can read each other's body language. There are some things he understands even if I don't say them in words. There's a special bond between a captain and coach. I'm very excited for this journey."
Gambhir is not the only one who has sowed into the Suryakumar journey, however. Rohit has been his captain, both in the India side and in previous seasons of the IPL. Rohit has taught him plenty, Suryakumar said.
"What I've learned from Rohit is that he is always a leader on and off the field, not just as a captain, there's a big difference in the two. A leader stands with his players and guides them about how to play T20s, how to win games, and that's what I've learnt from him."
On his own, explosive batting style, Suryakumar does not expect the captaincy to be any impediment.
"I don't think my batting style will change, as such. There will be pressure, but pressure is always there, otherwise there's no fun in playing. I'm going to play the way I've been playing so far. Nothing will change. It's better for me, in fact, because I can tell the team openly what brand of cricket we have to play in T20s going forward. I'll enjoy it more and can probably pass on the pressure on to others (laughs) and enjoy my game."
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf
Asalanka: 'If you perform in the LPL, you should get a chance in the national team'
Kusal Mendis is in outstanding form, Pathum Nissanka has had fantastic outings, Avishka Fernando has been spectacular, and Kusal Perera has made a strong comeback. On top of which, Kamindu Mendis seems in good touch too.
The LPL concluded only on Sunday, with Asalanka's Jaffna Kings side taking home the trophy. Top order batters flourished in that competition. Asalanka has suggested that Kamindu - who also bowled with both arms during the LPL - has sewn up the No. 4 spot, having hit 287 runs at a strike rate of 157 through the tournament.
But then there are still four batters vying for the top three spots. As Asalanka said: "There are four openers in the squad, and the way I'm thinking three of them will make up the top three. One of them will have to miss out."
Those four:
These are stats worth thinking on before the two back-to-back matches on Saturday and Sunday, because Sri Lanka's new captain is keen on using the LPL as a marker of T20 ability.
"If you look at the LPL, it's the No. 1 tournament we have to make decisions like this," Asalanka said. "More than domestic T20s, the LPL is at a much higher level. As a captain, I think if you perform at the LPL you should get a good chance at playing in the national team."
Asalanka has been a captain since age-group level, whether for his school Richmond College, or Sri Lanka Under 19, and most recently the winning LPL franchise. He suggested his style of leadership is based around man-management.
"From under 15 level I've captained teams, and there' s been a lot of change since then. That's what I tell my team members too - we can't be at the same place we've always been at. From day to day you have to improve and that's how you become a good player or a good captain. I've played under many captains, and I've tried to absorb as many of their good traits into my captaincy and into my life as possible.
"What I really want is to get 100% out of my players, and to create a positive environment for them. We have a lot of talented cricketers, but what's important is to get the most out of them and have them win matches. I've told them to play freely and when we've given them plans, to go out there and execute them without fear. That's what you can expect from me as a captain."
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf
Ben Slater, Haseeb Hameed centuries pound Sussex in eight-wicket win
Nottinghamshire 217 for 2 (Slater 107*, Hameed 101*) beat Sussex 216 (Hudson-Prentice 90, Fletcher 3-35, Pettman 3-44) by eight wickets
Opener Slater, who averages more than 53 in the List A format, again demonstrated his penchant for 50-over cricket by scoring 107 with Outlaws skipper Hameed making 101 not out as they shared a county List A third-wicket record partnership of 209 to inflict a heavy opening-match defeat on their Group B opponents, who managed only one win in the competition last season.
The Outlaws stuttered at the start of their chase, finding themselves eight for two after losing Freddie McCann for two and Jack Haynes without scoring, but Sussex were unable to make any further inroads as their opponents cruised home with 50 balls to spare.
The 19-year-old McCann, in his second List A appearance following his debut at Leicester on Wednesday, spooned a catch to mid-on off Ari Karvelas, while Haynes registered his second consecutive duck with a loose shot that had him caught behind, after which Slater was fortunate with a top-edge off Karvelas that flashed just out of the wicketkeeper's reach.
But with a required rate of only 4.34 runs per over and a quick outfield, Slater and Hameed did not need to take risks and were able to comfortably pace their innings once the newness of the balls had worn off, moving the total to 48 for two from 10 overs, 93 for two from 20, and 140 for two from 30.
Slater found the gaps regularly enough to pass fifty for the 18th time in this format from 54 balls with eight boundaries, Hameed reaching his from 69 balls with his third four, a return to form he will have enjoyed after enduring a lean time in 2023, if not the shot that took him there, a streaky edge off the leg-spin of Archie Lenham.
The left-handed Slater was seldom troubled, reaching his seventh List A hundred when he pulled Karvelas for his 13th boundary as the Outlaws closed in on their target, Hameed hitting the same bowler for six, four, four and one to complete his.
Sussex found the going tough from the outset after opting to bat first. The pitch seemed to lack pace and, in the face of excellent, tight bowling at both ends from Hutton and Fletcher, they lost both openers for 33 by the second ball of the 11th over.
Tom Clark nibbled at one outside off stump off Hutton before Tom Haines edged his drive against Fletcher, Tom Moores doing the rest behind the stumps.
Joined by Hudson-Prentice, Oli Carter sought to rebuild but the arrival of Pettman in the attack made scoring no easier.
The 26-year-old seamer, who has had limited opportunities in his four years with Nottinghamshire, was making his first senior appearance since last August but made it count with two wickets in two balls as a frustrated Carter found the fielder at mid-on and Sussex captain John Simpson was leg before.
Simpson's dismissal exposed Sussex's inexperienced middle-order and Hudson-Prentice soon lost two more partners as 19-year-old Daniel Ibraham was caught at slip and 18-year-old Henry Rogers, on debut, skied to long-on as Patterson-White found immediate turn.
Hudson-Prentice and 20-year old off-spinner Bertie Foreman added 64 before some smart relay fielding involving extra cover Ben Slater, bowler Lyndon James and 'keeper Tom Moores ran out the younger player.
Fletcher returned to dismiss Lenham caught behind and Karvelas via a miscued pull, in between which Hudson-Prentice cracked consecutive boundaries off Pettman before he was caught at mid-off, as Sussex were all out with almost three overs wasted.
Ed Barnard sets up rout, as Will Rhodes and Hamza Shaikh seal it for Warwickshire
Warwickshire 89 for 2 (48*, Shaikh 34*) beat Leicestershire 88 (Barnard 4-21 Miles 3-16) by eight wickets
Warwickshire made it two wins out of two in the Metrobank One Day Cup with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground, Grace Road.
Both sides came into the match having won their opening fixture, Leicestershire against Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire against Essex. While Leicestershire were unchanged, however, Warwickshire gave starts to Kai Smith, the teenage wicketkeeper fit again after six weeks out with a broken hand, and another 18-year-old in spinner Taz Ali. On a fine day Leicestershire's supporters turned out in good number in anticipation of the second appearance of Rahane, whose 71 off 60 balls against Notts had left many searching for superlatives.
Warwickshire supporters made the journey from the West Midlands in the hope of seeing for a third consecutive century from Barnard, who had followed his 143 in the warm-up match against Staffordshire with an unbeaten 173 against Essex. In that respect they were to be disappointed, but it was the only disappointment they were to suffer on what became a near perfect afternoon for their side.
Barnard chose to bowl first after winning the toss, but can hardly have anticipated what would follow, on the same pitch on which Leicestershire had scored 369 for 6 against Notts. The first five overs were relatively uneventful, albeit Foxes opener Harry Swindells played and missed at several outswingers, but fellow opener Sol Budinger appeared untroubled, hitting three crisp boundaries. There was movement off the seam though, particularly for Barnard, and soon after bringing one back to bowl the struggling Swindells, found the edge of Budinger's bat with a fine delivery which left the left-hander.
Opposite number Hill was his third victim, edging a lifting delivery to the wicket-keeper, but his fourth wicket, the key one of Rahane, had an element of fortune about it, coming off a low leg side full toss which the batsman tried to help down to long leg only to turn the bat too soon. The ball struck the back of the bat and looped gently back to the grateful if slightly startled bowler.
Leicestershire's second overseas batsman, Peter Handscomb, also went caught and bowled, in his case chipping a full straight delivery straight back to Rhodes for a duck. The procession continued, Liam Trevaskis edging a delivery pushed across him from Hannon-Dalby low to Rhodes at slip, before a stand of 34 between Ben Cox and Ben Mike gave Leicestershire's disbelieving supporters faint hope of posting some sort of score.
The hopes were quickly and decisively extinguished as Cox chipped a simple catch to midwicket, Mike top-edged an ambitious pull for Ali, running back from mid-on, to take a good catch, a catch made to look ordinary when Rhodes took a really fine diving catch at slip off Jake Lintott to see the back of Scriven.
Wright was last to go, bowled off the inside edge, but the seamer at least enjoyed some measure of revenge, trimming Barnard's bails with a beauty and then winning a leg before decision against Theo Wylie to reduce the Bears to 7 for 2. Thereafter however Rhodes and Shaikh played with increasing comfort to see their side over the line in double-quick time.
Source: Lions K Badgley suffers torn hamstring
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit Lions kicker Michael Badgley will miss the rest of the season after suffering a "significant injury" during Thursday's practice.
Badgley suffered a torn hamstring, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The team will place Badgley on injured reserve and he is expected to have surgery, according to Lions coach Dan Campbell.
"We feel awful for Badge," Campbell said. "He worked his tail off to get ready for this season. He was having a good spring and was ready for camp. It's tough."
Badgley converted all seven of his field goal attempts in the 2023 regular season and postseason and was re-signed by Detroit in February. He is 56-of-58 (96.6%) on field goal attempts inside of 40 yards throughout his career and was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 13 of the 2022 season.
The Lions will now look to rely on Jake Bates, the former UFL kicker who was signed to a two-year contract in the offseason. Detroit has already hosted a workout to take a look at other kickers for training camp, but Campbell said the team isn't in a hurry to add anyone else with Bates on the roster.
"If we find the right guy that helps us for competition for camp, then we'll do that," Campbell said.
Ex-Chief given hard labor in animal cruelty case
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs has been convicted on two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.
Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik sentenced Buggs on July 19 to a year of hard labor, ordering him to serve 60 days. The rest would be suspended for two years "pending the behavior of the defendant."
Buggs, 27, also is not allowed to have or be around firearms or to own dogs or cats.
The Chiefs released Buggs on June 24, eight days after his second recent arrest in Alabama. He was arrested on a charge of domestic violence/burglary and released on a $5,000 bail, according to records from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office.
The run-stuffing tackle out of Alabama played three seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers before spending the past two with the Detroit Lions. He has started 23 games and appeared in 56 in his career, with 89 tackles and two sacks. He had signed a $1,292,500 contract with Kansas City for the coming season.
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