INDIANAPOLIS – Simon Pagenaud is now a member of one of the most exclusive clubs on Earth and the only members of that club are winners of the Indianapolis 500.

Pagenaud became the latest member of that exclusive group when he scored his first Indianapolis 500 win in an epic battle to the finish during the 103rd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Last night, Rick Mears was one of the first to text me, ‘Welcome to the club,’” Pagenaud said Monday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, referring to the last four-time winner of the Indy 500. “Helio (Castroneves) obviously. T.K. (Tony Kanaan) when I left for the parade lap in the convertible at the end. Takuma (Sato) – they all texted me saying, ‘Welcome to the club.’

“I didn’t really get it then.”

The messages kept coming.

“Gil de Ferran last night was in tears, calling, sending me messages, ‘Welcome to the club.’ Again, Will Power. Dario Franchitti this morning sent me a message.

“It’s amazing, all these guys I looked up to, ‘Welcome to the club.’

“When you accomplish your dream, it’s phenomenal. It will be great, when I have kids, I can say, ‘Hey, I did this.’ When they have kids, ‘Hey, grandpa did whatever.”

“It’s just great to be able to think that.”

Pagenaud’s entry into the exclusive Indianapolis 500 winner’s club came after a long, hard battle with the fiercely determined Alexander Rossi over the final 13 laps of Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. The two drivers relentlessly traded the lead with some spectacular passes.

Pagenaud made the race-winning pass when he zoomed past Rossi’s Honda with one-and-a-half laps to go entering turn three.

He took the checkered flag just .2086-of-a-second ahead of Rossi. It was a long journey for the Team Penske driver to get there.

“In 2007, I really questioned my career,” Pagenaud recalled. “Champ Car folded, so I wasn’t really known in the IRL (Indy Racing League) paddock. When IndyCar formed, it was very difficult for me to have connection. People didn’t know my worth. I decided to try the sports car route. There seemed to be more opportunities for me there at the time.

“That’s when in April of 2008, I thought I was going to pack up and go back to France and do something else. Gil de Ferran called, and Honda came to the rescue with the Acura program.

“It’s quite fitting that I’m driving for them in sports cars, as well, now with Team Penske and Acura. It was a very tough time on my career because there were a lot of doubts. It wasn’t about talent. It wasn’t about anything else than having an opportunity and showing it in the car.

“I went to sports cars, did really well there. Then with the help of Honda, I came back to IndyCar with Sam Schmidt who gave me a real break. That was my real first break in IndyCar. Obviously, I did three races, Dreyer & Reinbold, Dennis gave me the opportunity to know what I could do. That opened the doors for the Honda deal with Sam Schmidt.

“It’s funny how things just take their place. After a few races, I was already in touch with Roger (Penske). That was my dream. It’s always been my dream to go to Team Penske. Certainly, my career with Sam, Honda really was a steppingstone going up and going to Team Penske.”

That is one reason why his conversation with de Ferran was so gratifying and emotional.

“I saw him before the race and was already really proud for the pole,” Pagenaud said. “He said, ‘Man, I’ve been watching. You’re the best out there. Go get it.’

“I had a lot of support from him throughout the years. He’s been a very important part of my improvement, my development as a driver.

“Without him, I don’t think I would have unlocked so much potential. So, he has definitely a very special place in my heart.

“I sent a message. I said, ‘Thank you for everything, all your advice worked.’”

On Monday night, Pagenaud is expected to collect $2.5 million for his victory at the annual Indianapolis 500 Victory Awards Celebration at the JW Marriott.

“I’m looking forward to getting a Corvette,” Pagenaud said of the Pace Car, which is given annually to the Indianapolis 500 winner. “That’s pretty cool. I get a Corvette, wine color, burgundy. It was meant to be, I guess. I’m looking forward to that.

“I’m looking forward to celebrate with my peers tonight, see the car on stage. I think that’s going to be when I realize what’s happened. Look forward to going to New York tomorrow. We will see what we do there. I think there’s going to be quite a bit of attendance. I’m excited about that.

“My face on the trophy. Taking the trophy to France would be very special. That’s just because that’s where I was born. Obviously, it would be a special moment.”

Pagenaud hasn’t stopped celebrating since he stopped at the Yard of Bricks instead of victory Llne at the end of the Indianapolis 500. He wanted to share the moment with the fans, rather than go to victory lane first.

It was his way of entering the Indianapolis 500 winner’s club.

“This place is mythical,” Pagenaud said of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “When you win, you’re part of the history. I just feel super honored. It doesn’t feel real because I don’t hold myself up high like that, I don’t believe in myself as somebody special. It doesn’t feel right to say it even.

“Quite frankly, I’m not quite done with my career. I just turned 35. I have more than a decade ahead of me. So, I’ll be here for a while.”

St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn will not play Monday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final because of an upper-body injury.

Blues coach Craig Berube also announced that rookie forward Robert Thomas, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury, will play Monday night against the Bruins.

This will be Dunn's fourth straight game missed with the injury after he took a puck to the face in Game 3 of the Western Conference final.

Berube said Dunn is still considered day-to-day but that he is close to a return. Dunn practiced Monday for the third consecutive day and shed the full face shield he skated with over the weekend in favor of a regular visor.

Asked if Dunn was talking better, captain Alex Pietrangelo joked, "Yeah, his teeth are coming in.''

Dunn had 12 goals and 23 assists this season with a plus/minus of 14. He has two goals and five assists this postseason with a plus/minus of minus-3.

Thomas, 19, had nine goals and 24 assists during the regular season and has a goal and five assists in the postseason.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Aston Villa returned to the Premier League as goals from Anwar El Ghazi and John McGinn earned a 2-1 victory over Frank Lampard's Derby side in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium.

El Ghazi made the breakthrough when he diverted in a cross just before the break, and McGinn capitalised on hesitation from keeper Kelle Roos to seal the win for Villa, who held on after Jack Marriott had pulled one back late on.

Villa created the first chance after five minutes when, from a Jack Grealish cross, Axel Tuanzebe scuffed his attempt when the ball fell to him inside the area.

Soon afterward, Grealish, with space to run into after a loose clearance from keeper Roos caused problems, blasted over.

Derby's Jayden Bogle fired in a dangerous low cross that created confusion, but back came Villa, and El Ghazi's run took him into the area before Richard Keogh ended the threat.

McGinn thumped wide after an El Ghazi cross had caused confusion, and El Ghazi was booked for fouling Bogle only for Derby to waste the free kick.

Villa's on-loan Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, who had struggled for chances in the opening stages, worked space but shot over after 33 minutes.

Mason Mount, on loan at Derby from Chelsea, had the first effort on target after 37 minutes when his drive was held by Jed Steer.

But Villa made the breakthrough close to half-time, Albert Adomah's cross from the right diverted in by El Ghazi.

Mount went into the book in the early stages of the second half for a foul on Abraham, Villa annoyed that advantage was not played with a swift counter-attack developing.

Conor Hourihane's free kick forced Roos to punch clear as Tyrone Mings closed in, but Villa doubled their lead after 59 minutes when the Derby keeper wanted too much time to claim El-Ghazi's deflected shot and McGinn jumped to head in.

Lampard responded, taking off Tom Huddlestone and replacing him with Marriott, but it was Villa who threatened again when Grealish shot wide.

Another forward, Martyn Waghorn, came on for Derby as the game headed toward its final 20 minutes, Mount making way, but Lampard's side were showing few signs of finding a way back.

Bogle fired into the side netting from an angle with teammates well placed in the middle, and then Mount miscued after neat buildup play on the edge of the Villa area.

Derby and Lampard had new hope after 81 minutes when Marriott finished from close range following a spell of pressure. But despite seven minutes of stoppage time being added, they could not find an equaliser.

United States international Matthew Olosunde is set to leave Manchester United this summer, sources have told ESPN FC.

The 21-year-old, who arrived at Old Trafford from New York Red Bulls in January 2016, is looking for a new club after United decided against renewing his contract.

- When are the Premier League fixtures published?
- When does the transfer window close?

Olosunde is keen to continue his career in Europe -- preferably in England -- rather than return to the US.

The defender, who made his senior international debut against Bolivia in May 2018, has played for United's Under-23s and was part of the first team squad for games against Arsenal and Tottenham under former boss Jose Mourinho in 2017, although he never made a senior appearance.

Striker James Wilson is also set to leave the club this summer when his contract expires on June 30. The 23-year-old, who made 20 first team appearances, spent last season on loan at Aberdeen, scoring three goals in 23 games.

Wilson scored twice on his full United debut in a 3-1 win over Hull City in 2014.

Sebastian Soto scored twice as the United States picked up a crucial 2-0 win against Nigeria in its second match at the 2019 Under-20 World Cup on Monday.

The Americans came into the match needing a result after a disappointing 2-1 loss to Ukraine in its opening match of group play and Tab Ramos' team started the game brightly, controlling most of the possession and staying on the front foot from the opening whistle.

That strong start yielded a goal in the 18th minute when Soto lost his defender and smashed a header past Nigeria keeper Olawale Oremade from a corner kick to make it 1-0.

- Carlisle: Patience pays as Soto ready to star at World Cup

Soto looked to have doubled the U.S. lead minutes later with a close-range shot following a scramble in front of goal, but the flag was up for offside in the buildup and the goal was waved off.

Nigeria began to find its footing as the first half wore on, with substitute Aniekeme Okon's sweet volley forcing a save from U.S. keeper Brady Scott and Maxwell Effiom rattling the crossbar from long range.

The U.S. got the start it wanted to the second half, scoring just after the restart when Soto collected a pass from Hannover teammate Chris Gloster and finished with a neat outside-of-the-foot chip over Oremade.

Nigeria responded well to the U.S. goal again, but were unable to score and saw a penalty waved off after video review because for offside on the pass into the area.

The U.S. got a minor scare as full-time approached when Soto had to be helped from the field after a violent collision with Oremade as he chased a whipped in cross in search of his hat trick. Soto returned to the field and was able to finish off the match.

The win puts the U.S. level on three points with Nigeria, who play leaders Ukraine in its final group match on May 30, while the Americans face Qatar on the same day.

LONDON -- Aston Villa are back in the big time. Three seasons after being relegated from the Premier League, one of English football's aristocrats are back where many believe they belong after defeating Derby County in the EFL Championship playoff final, 2-1, to reclaim their place among the elite.

Of course, the reality is that no club has a divine right to play and succeed at any level of the game, but some clubs really should be too big to fail and Villa -- seven times champions of England and European champions in 1982 -- certainly fit that category. Only five English clubs (Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham) have won more major trophies than Villa, who will play their 106th season of top-flight football when they return to Premier League action in August. Only Everton (117) can top Villa on that score.

- When are the Premier League fixtures published?
- When does the new Premier League season start?

They were also cheered on at Wembley by Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and future king of England, and are co-owned by Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, the latter a joint-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. Edens saw the Bucks lose their NBA Eastern Conference finals series against the Toronto Raptors at the weekend, so Villa's success will certainly soften the blow of that basketball disappointment.

On a financial level, at least, nothing comes close to winning a Championship playoff, with Villa's finances guaranteed to be boosted by at least £170 million ($215 million) by winning this game and securing a passport back to the Premier League. But despite everything that is weighted in their favour -- history, a huge fan base and wealthy owners -- the hard work really does start here for Aston Villa.

Yes, Birmingham's biggest club are back among their fellow giants in the Premier League, but since being relegated at the end of the 2015-16 season, Villa have had it tough. They have been bought and sold twice, players have come and gone and, due to the terms of the sale of the club from former Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner to Chinese businessman Dr Tony Xia in June 2016, current owners Sawiris and Edens face a £30m payment to Lerner following promotion to the Premier League and a further £10m if they remain in the top flight for the next two seasons.

Having just been assured of at least £170m by winning promotion to the most lucrative league in world sport, the money owed to Lerner may sound like loose change, but when you are competing in the Premier League, every pound counts. Villa will need to back manager Dean Smith with substantial funds if they are to survive their first season back among the big boys. Of the last five Championship playoff winners, only Huddersfield Town have been able to avoid relegation in their first season in the Premier League. But even the Terriers couldn't survive Year 2, with the club finishing bottom of the table this season.

Queens Park Rangers and Fulham both reacted to promotion by making wholesale changes to their squads, but relegation followed regardless. Huddersfield, Hull City and Norwich all attempted a more prudent approach, but it only worked for Huddersfield and they paid the price this season anyway.

So what about Villa? Four of Smith's starting line-up at Wembley were players currently on loan to the club while a fifth, Kortney Hause, was introduced from the substitutes' bench late in the game. Of the five loanees, Axel Tuanzebe (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Bournemouth), Tammy Abraham (Chelsea) and Anwar El Ghazi (Lille) have been key figures in the promotion campaign; if they are to play a part for the club next season, Villa must spend to either buy them or loan them once again merely to keep the current squad intact.

Spending money to stand still is not an ideal recipe for playing in the Premier League, especially when the former owner is due £30m of the promotion windfall, but if those players are recalled by their parent clubs, Villa will have to replace them. Yet manager Smith, a boyhood Villa supporter who arrived from Brentford last October, is confident that Sawiris and Edens will back the club with substantial funds this summer.

"We've got two owners who have got a lot of money and are in it for the long haul," Smith said. "The potential now is massive."

On the evidence of their 2-1 win against Derby, secured with goals from El Ghazi and John McGinn -- the latter a £3m bargain buy from Scottish club Hibernian last summer -- Villa will need to strengthen in every department to ensure they stay up next season. McGinn has been outstanding for Villa this season -- check out his EFL Goal of the Season stunner against Sheffield Wednesday last September -- but Premier League survival will not be achieved by making smart recruits from Scottish football. Villa will have to aim higher and spend more.

It's not all gloom, of course. By winning promotion, they can at least rest a little easier about the future of captain Jack Grealish, who has arguably been the most consistent player outside the top flight this season. With a £60m escape clause in his contract, the 23-year-old midfielder was almost certain to leave Villa Park this summer if the club failed to win promotion. But now that they are back in the Premier League, Grealish can be the foundation on which all the other bricks are laid by a club with a big history and big ambition.

It won't be easy, and survival will be the priority next season, but Villa have a better chance of staying up than most playoff winners. That said, they know better than most, and from bitter past experiences, that even Aston Villa are not too big to fail.

Worcestershire 64 for 3 (Ferguson 37, Helm 2-14) trail Middlesex 221 (Malan 45) by 157 runs

Middlesex struck back with the ball after being dismissed for 221 on the opening day of their County Championship match against Worcestershire at Blackfinch New Road.

The visitors were bowled out in 66.2 overs after being put into bat with Charlie Morris and Josh Tongue continuing their impressive start to the season. Morris, the leading wicket-taker in Division Two, picked up three more scalps to take his tally to 23 and Tongue also added a further trio of wickets to lift his total to 15.

Only Middlesex skipper Dawid Malan, who had recovered from a groin injury suffered on England duty earlier in the month, and keeper John Simpson batted with much authority, scoring 45 and 35 respectively.

Tom Helm bowled a fine new-ball spell for Middlesex, which brought him two wickets, and then Callum Ferguson fell just before the close for an aggressive 37, meaning Worcestershire will restart tomorrow on 64 three 3.

Batting was a challenge for the bulk of the day in the first meeting between the two counties since 2015 with the ball nibbling around sufficiently to keep the bowlers interested and occasionally keeping low.

It is the start of successive home games for Worcestershire against three of the pre-season favourites for promotion along with themselves in Middlesex, Lancashire and Sussex.

They were without all-rounder Wayne Parnell (hamstring) but welcomed back Tongue after a one-game injury absence while fit again Malan and Tim Murtagh - available after international commitments with Ireland - returned for Middlesex.

Morris broke through in his first over of the day as Max Holden played half forward and nicked through to Ben Cox for no score.

Sam Robson was lbw to a Tongue delivery which kept low and Nick Gubbins was bowled by Ross Whiteley.

Malan, who suffered his injury blow in the ODI against Ireland, and Steve Eskinazi, looked to be repairing the pre-lunch damage during a partnership of 62. But Whiteley enjoyed a second success when Eskinazi was leg before for 27 and then Malan departed in the same fashion to Morris after striking six fours in his 91-ball knock.

James Harris became another lbw victim in the next over from Ed Barnard. Simpson and Toby Roland-Jones added 31 before the latter went for a cut against Joe Leach and fell to a sharp first slip catch by Riki Wessels.

Tongue accounted for Helm (1) and Nathan Sowter - the fifth player of the innings to fall lbw.

Simpson was largely responsible for taking Middlesex past the 200 mark until he ballooned a simple catch to Whiteley on the off side against Morris, who finished with figures of 15.2-2-53-3. Tongue took 3 for 49, with Whiteley, Leach and Barnard the other wicket-takers.

When Worcestershire batted, Daryl Mitchell and George Rhodes were both caught behind off Helm during a fine opening spell.

Ferguson reeled off a succession of boundaries, including three in an over from Harris. He dominated a partnership of 53 with Tom Fell but after making 37 was lbw to Roland-Jones to leave the game evenly poised. Fell remained defiant and was unbeaten on 18 from 86 balls by the close.

It was probably fitting that victory should be achieved with a six. So overwhelming was this performance that England, having completed victory with 195 balls to spare, took to the nets to ensure they gained the workout they required from the day. It was efficient, ruthless and encouraging. As their captain, Eoin Morgan, put it afterwards: "We're ready; we've been ready for a week."

You have to take performances in these warm-up games with a pinch of salt, of course. This close to the tournament, the primary aim of both sides is pretty much to get through without incurring injury. England had some fortune with the toss, too, which enabled their new-ball bowlers to gain assistance from the surface. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's captain, Gulbadin Naib, was the first to admit his side "made mistakes" and "didn't take responsibility" with the bat. South Africa will, undoubtedly, offer far sterner opposition for England.

But it is, perhaps, worth contrasting England's state of mind now with their state of mind going into the 2015 World Cup. Hoping they might, somehow, stumble over a winning formula at the last minute, England changed their captain, their opening attack and their batting order on the eve of the event. They held meeting after meeting in an attempt to find an answer despite the fact it had become increasingly plain that they were wedded to a method - and selections - that had become outdated. Within days of the start, they had been beaten by New Zealand with an eye-watering 226 balls unused.

Now? England go into the tournament as the favourites. They have, with the bat in particular, pushed the boundaries of what any of us thought was possible and they have a settled, confident team. They don't need meetings to find a formula; they just need to deliver.

"In 2015, we had just come out of the tri-series where Australia beat us up and down Australia," Morgan said. "We beat India once, which got us through to the final, but we were beaten again there. We were constantly trying to find a formula that might work in the group stages. We were having a lot of meetings and chats.

"Tomorrow I'm playing a lot of golf. Then we'll practise on Wednesday and play on Thursday. It's a huge compliment to be considered favourites this time. I would much rather that than not even be considered as contenders."

ALSO READ: Scans clear Mark Wood of serious injury

More important than the result was the latest health bulletin from the England dressing room. As thing stand, it seems England should go into the tournament with all 15 players available for selection. The scans on Mark Wood's foot showed nothing of concern - he bowled on the outfield here before play - while Morgan's finger injury had improved to the extent that, while he did not field, he was scheduled to bat at No. 4. Adil Rashid also returned and, while he conceded he would require "lots of stretching and painkillers" to get through the tournament, he insisted he was fine to bowl all his variations at full intensity.

It might prove relevant that England's spinners out-bowled Afghanistan's here. These two sides meet again in about three weeks on what we now know will be a used Old Trafford surface. Bearing in mind that Afghanistan's main weapon is the leg-spin of Rashid Khan - he was brought on for the fourth over here - that is not ideal from an England perspective. But the manner in which they played him here - taking three fours and a six off his five overs - underlined their substantial improvement against spin in recent times and suggested there should be no great fears.

England's spinners, by contrast, claimed four for 89 in 21 overs with Joe Root, enjoying a relatively rare bowl, suggesting he could prove a valuable addition to the attack with his all-sorts of leg-breaks, off-spin and variations in pace and angle. Mohammad Nabi's off-spin - thrashed for 34 in three overs - fared much worse, with Jason Roy in devastating form.

"It does a huge amount for confidence when Jason is hitting it as well as that," Morgan said. "It imposes our game on the opposition and feeds right through the changing room. The aggressive authoritative way he plays builds a lot of confidence. And Jonny Bairstow is the same. When you play as convincingly as that it builds confidence in the hard work you've done, both in training and in the game. And it gives us the afternoon and evening to switch off."

Thursday's game - against a strong South Africa side - is far from straightforward. But most of the England side - the top six and the two spinners - picks itself, while it seems Chris Woakes, Wood and Archer will form the basis of the specialist seam attack. They are settled, confident and as ready as they could reasonably hope to be. It is hard to imagine any England team has gone into a World Cup in better shape.