SALT LAKE CITY -- There are two versions of Ryan Smith. There's the public-facing 40-something billionaire tech mogul who answers questions in a way that can be direct, earnest and open to admitting he might not have the right answer ... or an answer at all.

That's the version most people see. But there's also another version of Smith that's unapologetically Utahn. That version comes out in the way he talks about Salt Lake City, the state of Utah and the preconceived beliefs many people have about a place that they've likely never visited.

While the first version of Smith is the reason the Utah Hockey Club exists, it's the second version that is hell-bent on ensuring that the franchise is going to thrive in the most Utah way possible.

"I put everything in Utah. They said we couldn't build tech here, and we'd have to move to the Bay Area," Smith said. "We couldn't get venture funding here. We couldn't IPO a company from here. We couldn't sell. We proved every single person wrong.

"Then I think that people started believing, 'Holy cow. What's going on in Utah?' That's incredibly gratifying when you're fighting for a bigger cause."

This is the mission facing the Utah Hockey Club when it comes to achieving success long term. While the UHC is a new venture, the team relocated from Arizona where they were the Coyotes. Before that, they were the original Winnipeg Jets, relocating to the desert in 1996.

The club is trying to prove that Salt Lake City and Utah as a whole can support the NHL. It's trying to prove that it can make hockey a staple, just like the Utah Jazz have been doing in the NBA for several decades.

Perhaps the most important point the Utah Hockey Club could make is that as Salt Lake City keeps growing, so could the city's professional sports landscape.

"Utahns especially want to show they are more than a flyover state," said Josh Furlong, a broadcaster and the sports director for KSL. "They recognize they are not going to be Los Angeles, Seattle or New York. They want to showcase what Utah has to offer. You have a rabid fan base that will support your team. I think you have a bunch of people who want to showcase that. I don't know if it is some type of FOMO situation where they feel like they're not being included. But they want to be in that mix among the best places.

"You want people to feel what you see. You have this beautiful landscape, friendly people and a great atmosphere for sports culture."

"Utah! Getting bigger and better. Utah! Always leading the way. New technology is here. Growing faster each year. This is the place!"

Those are lyrics from "Utah ... This Is The Place." Written in 1996, it later became the state song in 2003. At the time of the song's creation, Utah was on the verge of announcing itself to more of the world, using sports and entertainment as a mechanism.

The Jazz reached three straight Western Conference finals from 1996 through 1998, with two NBA Finals appearances. Salt Lake City received international exposure during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In 2005, the University of Utah was the first school to have the No. 1 picks in both the NBA and NFL drafts in the same year, with Andrew Bogut and Alex Smith. The state's fortune was also extended to film in 2004 when a few graduates of BYU's film school made the coming of age cult classic "Napoleon Dynamite."

Decades later, it appears Utah could once again be following a similar path, but with more to gain.

Utah Hockey Club president of hockey operations Chris Armstrong didn't quote the lyrics from the state song when asked about the future. But his words resemble a similar sentiment when he mentions Utah having the nation's No. 3 economy and the youngest state based on median age (30.7 years old).

"It's a unique moment in time where we're building something new from the ground up and we get to do it with everybody here," Armstrong said. "So that is why we see a successful and thriving future. It's only continuing to grow that outpaces most cities in North America, and we think that's a great opportunity for a new sports franchise."

The history of sports fandom in Utah began with major college programs BYU and the University of Utah establishing athletic programs. Smaller schools such as Southern Utah, Utah State, Utah Valley and Weber State have also built followings in various sports.

Professional sports came on the scene in 1979 when the Jazz relocated from New Orleans and eventually became one of the NBA's most successful franchises throughout the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.

MLS came to the area in 2004 with Real Salt Lake, which averages 20,291 fans per game, and extends to the Utah Royals of the NWSL, a team that was revived in 2024. The Royals' first game drew 20,370 fans which set a state record for the most fans at a women's sporting event.

Both RSL and the Royals are owned by Smith, a BYU graduate, along with Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils managing partner David Blitzer.

In 2034, Salt Lake City will join Athens, Beijing, London, Los Angeles and Paris as one of the few cities to host multiple Olympics when the Winter Games return.

"Utah is crazy for sports," said Eric Schulz, a senior lecturer in marketing and strategy at Utah State. "I think it will probably be the same pattern that Denver had. Denver just had the Nuggets and the Broncos for a long time. Then the Rockies came to town and then the Avalanche came to town. There's been a lot of growth in Utah over the last 20 years with people who have come from other parts of the country. Look at Las Vegas. Who thought a hockey team in Las Vegas would do so well?"

Armstrong said the Utah Hockey Club received more than 30,000 season-ticket deposits. It's a similar figure to that of the Seattle Kraken when they garnered more than 32,000 deposits ahead of their first season.

Armstrong also said that the franchise "feels very confident" in that it could finish this season as both a top-20 revenue team and a top-20 ticketing team in the NHL despite playing in at a basketball-first venue that has around 5,000 obstructed view seats.

"I don't know too much about what the perception is, but I can tell you that on the ground that all you see is growth around you," Armstrong said. "I think the culture of hockey lends itself to the community of Greater Salt Lake and of Utah. Hard-working, honest, passion, camaraderie, pride in team, pride in state. ... I think that speaks to the response that we've received with season-ticket deposits."

THERE WILL BE challenges along the way.

Those Jazz teams with Karl Malone and John Stockton created a generational fandom that has played a role in why the Jazz still continue to be such a massive draw.

Harnessing that fandom became an instant priority for the Utah Hockey Club. Exactly a week after the Coyotes' last regular season game, the team was flown to Salt Lake City, where they were greeted by 12,000 fans at the Delta Center.

In the offseason, the club organized an online poll encouraging fans to vote on its future team name. In June, the SEG announced 520,000 fans had participated, before narrowing it down to six potential options.

Chris Barney, the Smith Entertainment Group's president of revenue and commercial strategy, said the club will market to everyone. But they're concentrating on attracting young people so that they can grow those generational fans.

Part of that plan is creating a youth hockey program. Many of the NHL's teams playing in nontraditional markets -- especially Western Conference teams -- have used these programs over the past 30 years. The short-term goal is to drive new, young fans to the sport. The long-term goal is to make the youth of today the season-ticket holders of tomorrow.

What makes the Utah Hockey Club's plan different is their connection to the Jazz. The Junior Jazz is the NBA's largest youth basketball program, with more than 60,000 members spread across Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Idaho.

Barney, who grew up playing in the Junior Jazz, said that the Jazz designate 1,800 tickets every home game for program participants.

"Our goal is to develop a youth hockey program in which there's an Auston Matthews playing somewhere in the NHL [in the future] that's a product of Salt Lake City with the infrastructure that we have built," Barney said. "That might be one of the most important things. It's not right in front of our face, but we have a five-year strategic plan. Developing and building it out is darn near the top."

Barney explained that there are county recreation departments that are incubators for youth who end up playing sports in the community. With SEG already having those relationships in place through the Junior Jazz, they hope to do the same with the Utah Hockey Club when it comes time to introduce ice hockey and street hockey throughout the community.

The most recent USA Hockey membership numbers show that Utah had a combined 4,869 players between males and females. Of those 4,869 registered players, there were 3,168 who were younger than 18, while 2,073 were under 14. In 2016-17 -- the final period before the Golden Knights arrived -- the state of Nevada had 1,699 combined registered players. In 2023-24, there were a combined 5,560 male and female players, with 2,861 of them being 18 and younger.

"We're all in," Barney said. "We're not going to dip our toe in. We're all in."

ANOTHER CHALLENGE IN building a fan base is that while Salt Lake City and Utah as a whole are growing, growth does not come cheap, which sets up a dichotomy that exists for many franchises in 2024.

"Utah has a ton of rising costs. Especially in real estate," Furlong said. "There is a real pain point here with things being overpriced, and the housing market being really tough. Utahns love to get things for free or for cheap. The cheaper you make it, the better it is going to be. That said, you have someone like Ryan Smith who is trying to appeal to other people in the tech world who have limitless amounts of cash.

"The general fan wants it to be as cheap as possible because there are other factors, but tech people want to showcase this as a premier destination."

Chris Hartweg is the publisher and CEO of the Team Marketing Report, which produces the Fan Cost Index, a model that calculates what the cost would be for a family of four to attend a sporting event.

Hartweg said recent history shows that new teams -- whether they be expansion or relocation -- were more expensive than the league average when they debuted. He said that the Nashville Predators (1998-99), Columbus Blue Jackets (2000-01) and Minnesota Wild (2000-01) were all within 3% above the league average ticket prices in their first season. Those are the outliers in recent NHL history.

The Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2000) were 34% above league average. The Vegas Golden Knights (2017-18) were 30% higher, while the Seattle Kraken (2021-22) were 58% higher.

"With dynamic pricing, (teams) know where all the price points are," Hartweg said. "They know they want to move this many more season tickets if they go to this level. They know going in what's the most that they could get before diminishing returns. That's business. It happened in Seattle."

Hartweg pointed out that the Kraken lowered their prices for the second season, but were able to charge a hefty premium for two main reasons that could also apply to the Utah Hockey Club: a new team, and a new venue.

Hartweg said it's possible that UHC's fans could be in store for a pricey first season, with the possibility of an uptick in prices once the Delta Center renovation project is completed in 2027.

Then there's the role of the secondary market. Hartweg said the average family looking to go to a game might purchase tickets on the secondary market, and they might not know where to find the strongest deals.

Utah's upcoming three-game home stand against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals offers a wide range of price points for the cheapest available ticket.

A cursory glance across numerous secondary ticketing sites shows that the composite least expensive ticket at Delta Center for the Nov. 13 game versus the Hurricanes is $37, while the least expensive ticket for the Nov. 18 game against the Capitals is $58, should fans want to watch Alexander Ovechkin continue to chase Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record.

It's a contrast compared to the demand ahead of the Nov. 15 game against the Golden Knights, a perennial Stanley Cup contender that could become one of the UHC's chief geographic rivals. Those sites list the least expensive ticket for the game on Nov. 15 against Vegas as $119.67. The composite cheapest lower-bowl tickets with an unobstructed view is $248.

"When a new team comes in, it's Christmas Day," Schulz said. "They can come in and buy the best seats and put in orders for blocks of a hundred and resell them on the secondary market. If they can get their hands on them, they only have to resell a quarter of the season and they already have their money back. If a team goes to the playoffs, it's like 12 Christmases having those tickets."

Barney said the franchise has a "multiyear strategy" when it comes to how ticketing will work for fans from various economic backgrounds.

He said that adding 6,000 unobstructed seats once the Delta Center renovation is completed will help with making the UHC more accessible. Another step is to work with community partners to ensure they're getting UHC tickets in the hands of fans from underrepresented groups so they can also have access.

They'll also continue to sell those obstructed view seats that Barney also called the "partial ice" seats or "single-ice seats" -- in reference to the steep angles behind each goal -- that will start at $19 per game.

"We want to make sure we're being strategic about how the tickets are being distributed," said Barney, who grew up in nearby Kaysville. "I think the move to make sure that concessions are also more affordable for people was also really important."

Hartweg said it's common for teams to provide more cost-effective food and drink offerings to help offset the price of a game ticket. He said there are places that offer $5 beers, but it might come with the caveat that it's in the 700 section of the arena.

Delta Center has what's called a "Mountain Menu" which is a fan-friendly pricing option in which a bottle of water is $2 while hot dogs, ice cream, nachos and popcorn are $3. There were also other options such as Chick-fil-A, with 30 nuggets for $30, while a chicken sandwich and waffle fries cost $16.

"It's worth the price," said Christian Priskos, who grew up in Salt Lake City. "We have a Tier 1 NHL team that's in downtown Salt Lake City. It's not only boosting the local economy with local business, local bars and local restaurants and everything you want to do. But it's also boosting the social scene as well. People want to say 'Salt Lake is a sleepy town.' But, we're not. We're a Tier 1 city and the Utah Hockey Club is another step toward showing that."

WHILE THE FOOD and drink prices might be new to Utah Hockey Club fans, those are the prices that Jazz fans have grown accustomed to paying over the years. And the SEG can take components of its playbook from running the Jazz to serve Utah hockey fans.

On the ice, they are boosted by a strong collection of young talent -- and the ninth-best prospect pipeline. A playoff appearance in Year 1 is a real possibility.

From a fan engagement perspective, both Armstrong and Barney shared how going to the Delta Center for a Utah Hockey Club game could be a first for a number of people in the area. At present, the Jazz are in a rebuild yet have sold out for 296 consecutive games. Delta Center, which holds 18,306 fans for basketball, had more than 14,000 fans attend a preseason basketball game less than 24 hours before the first game in UHC history.

Armstrong said that element of demand coupled with how historically engaged fans across Salt Lake City and the state of Utah have been could also play a role in the Utah Hockey Club having long-term success.

"There's a lot of Utahns who haven't been able to experience a live sporting event in the building because the Jazz have sold out so many consecutive games," Armstrong said. "It gives people another opportunity to be part of this world-class venue in Salt Lake they have not been able to access with the Jazz. ... Now we've given them that new product that gives them that chance."

Chelsea duo Erin Cuthbert and Zecira Musovic praised new manager Sonia Bompastor following their unbeaten start to the season and the smooth transition to her leadership.

The Blues have won all five of their first Women's Super League (WSL) games as well as their opening two Champions League group stage games against Real Madrid and FC Twente.

It is the first time that Chelsea have had a five-game unbeaten streak to start the league season, and under the guidance of Bompastor, who took the helm of the club in the summer following Emma Hayes' departure to the United States women's national team, Cuthbert said there is more to come as the French manager continues to mould the side.

"It's unfamiliar territory for us. We've not really been in that position," Cuthbert told ESPN on Tuesday. "I think it's our best-ever start to a WSL season, which is amazing. But again, it's only a start, so I'm very much going to be the pessimist in this and say we're five games in, and so much can happen yet from a 22-game season."

Chelsea have won three points in all five of their WSL games thus far, but still have a game in hand against Manchester United to be played on Nov. 23.

Their goal difference is already vastly ahead of their title rivals, with Chelsea scoring 20 goals from 13 different players so far. Cuthbert praised the "unpredictability" in Bompastor's style, which has allowed the forwards to flourish.

"When you have a manager for so long and then someone new comes in, you don't know how long the teething process is going to be," Cuthbert said. "But I think everyone's embraced it.

"There has been a lot of change, staff and players at the club, so there's been so much going on behind the scenes that maybe the fans don't see. They can only see in the 90 minutes that we play. And I still think we've got another level to us.

"I still think the more time Sonia has under us, the more time she's going to develop exactly how she wants to play. But I think we've probably got the best squad we've ever had, and Sonia's certainly setting the stall out early."

Cuthbert also lauded Bompastor's high standards in training which have ensured that players are performing to the best of their ability on the pitch.

"She's very demanding," Cuthbert continued. "That's something I really like from a manager. She knows what she wants. She doesn't settle, she doesn't like sloppiness in training. She doesn't let you sort of sit back and chill for 10 minutes.

"There's no let up from her and I really enjoy that. She knows exactly what she wants. She demands a lot of technical execution from everyone, and I think she will never settle on what she wants to achieve, which for sure, certainly demanding training at a high intensity."

The Scotland international joined Chelsea in 2017 from Wolfsburg and spent eight seasons under former manager Hayes.

Having now spent four months under Bompastor, Cuthbert has recognised the similarities and differences between the two Chelsea coaches.

"I think that there's a lot of similarities, like strong female powerful women and women in these positions always have a really good sense of man management," she said.

"They always know how to handle the players and how to handle a big squad that everyone has an expectation to play so I think that is difficult for a manager. They all have such a special ability to be able to handle that. I think her and Emma do.

"I think the differences are maybe slightly more focused on training and how she manages players, how she manages them on the pitch, what she demands. I think Emma demanded things, but she demanded different things. I think Sonia demands a lot of technical execution. There's a greater focus on building up from the back."

Teammate Musovic echoed Cuthbert's praise of her manager, insisting that Bompastor's philosophy is living up to the "Chelsea way."

"It's new management; things have been running really smoothly and in a really good way," the goalkeeper, who joined Chelsea in 2021, told ESPN.

"I really like to work with Sonia and the new management. I think she's really ambitious. She's intense in a good way. She knows what she wants from us, from herself and that's a type of coach that I really like, someone who's demanding.

"[She is a] really good coach, a good person, something that we value in Chelsea as well, you have to be a good person because that's when we can find each other and work together."

Musovic echoed Cuthbert's sentiments around Bompastor's levels of intensity and winning drive.

"I think both are big winners, which I really admire and love about both of them. Emma, we know that Emma is one of the biggest winners of them all," she continued.

"And then you have Sonia who's also a big winner and she demands a lot from us in training. Everything starts there in the daily habits. What are we doing on a daily basis that we can then bring with us into the game? So yeah, similarities for sure, but also differences that make them unique in their way."

Rúben Amorim has warned Manchester United supporters not to expect his new team to play as Sporting CP do when he takes over.

Expectations at Old Trafford are high after Amorim, who will take over as Man United's new manager on Nov. 11, led Sporting to a 4-1 home win over Manchester City on Tuesday.

It was City's first loss in the Champions League this season.

"It doesn't mean anything," Amorim said. "I've said it before. We can't transfer one reality to another. Manchester United can't play that defensively. It doesn't mean anything, it's going to be different team and world, no time to train. I would say it was a fluke, we were lucky in the game and I will make other assessments later."

The impressive victory was Amorim's last home game in charge of Sporting.

"I couldn't ask for anything better," he said. "But we had luck -- this was a one off."

Amorim, who has won two Portuguese league titles with Sporting since joining in 2020, including their first in 19 years, was given a standing ovation at the Alvalade stadium.

"It was a very important moment for all," he said. "They [Sporting fans] know what I did for them and they know what they did for me. It's a moment that I will cherish for life. We all deserved to have a moment like this. It wasn't the best moment in Alvalade, that was when we lost to Manchester City 5-0 [in February 2022] and everyone applauded at the end.

"I take this to the Premier League, but when I get there it will be a different world. When I'm at the next club, the approach will have to be different.

"It's going to be fun and I'm ready for the challenge."

Amorim signed a contract at Old Trafford until 2027 with the option of an additional year held by the club.

In ending City's record 26-game unbeaten run in the Champions League, Sporting also consigned the Premier League champions to a third straight loss in all competitions -- something that hasn't happened since April 2018.

Amorim is not getting carried away and said he has great respect for Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola.

"He's so much better than me at the moment," Amorim said. "But I believe a lot in my new club. We will start from a low level, and we will improve the team, the club."

Amorim's last game with Sporting will be Sunday's league game at Braga.

Sporting have won all 10 of their league games this season and lead the standings, three points clear of FC Porto.

Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy on Wednesday won the majority of his case against the Premier League club for over 11 million ($14.2 million) in unpaid wages.

The France international filed a claim against Manchester City last year, seeking unpaid wages from when the club stopped paying him in September 2021, shortly after he was charged with sexual offences, until the end of his contract in June 2023.

Mendy was acquitted of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in January 2023, following a trial at Chester Crown Court. He was found not guilty of one count of rape and one of attempted rape after a retrial.

The 30-year-old argued City unlawfully deducted wages that he was due under his contract, saying in a witness statement that he had been promised he would be paid after he was cleared.

City's lawyers, however, said Mendy was not paid because he was not able to perform his duties as he was held in custody before his trial for breaching his bail conditions.

"Mr Mendy is entitled to recover some, but not all, of the sums claimed," Judge Joanne Dunlop said in a written ruling on Wednesday.

Manchester City did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dunlop said in her ruling that Mendy spent two periods in custody, covering about five months of the 22-month period of his claim and during which City was entitled to withhold his pay.

When Mendy was not in custody, Dunlop found, he was "ready and willing to work" and prevented from doing so by his suspension by the Football Association and bail conditions "which were unavoidable or involuntary on his part."

"Having had to wait for 3 years for my wages, I am delighted with the decision and sincerely hope that the Club will now do the honourable thing and pay the outstanding amounts, as well as the other amounts promised to me under the contract, without further delay, so I can finally put this difficult part of my life behind me," Mendy said in a statement after the judgement.

Mendy joined City from AS Monaco in 2017 for a fee of around 52m, on an annual salary of 6m.

He signed for French club Lorient, currently in Ligue 2, shortly after his retrial.

Just like the top four teams in the NWSL were vastly superior to the rest of the pack this season, there are (in this humble writer's opinion) a few obvious choices for individual awards.

That has been the story of this campaign: Last year's historic parity was replaced by a landscape in which the best teams just kept winning and the bad teams couldn't keep up. Top individual performers were also clearly superior to their peers in several cases.

With the regular season complete and the playoffs just days away, here are ESPN's picks of the best players in the NWSL for 2024.

Most Valuable Player

Temwa Chawinga, Kansas City Current

I am one of the first people to argue that the Golden Boot winner should not automatically win the MVP award, and I've previously cast my votes with care to recognize players who consistently deliver in midfield and defense. This is not the year for that: Chawinga is the league MVP, and there is no argument.

Chawinga scored 20 goals in her first season in the league, breaking Sam Kerr's previous mark of 18. The Malawi star proved to be an electric forward from her debut in March, adapting quickly to read defenses and time her runs accordingly. Her speed is as unmatched as her work ethic, and she uses both skills to get behind defenses and to track back when the Current get caught in transition.

Chawinga also showed off her range of technical abilities with the type of goals she has scored this season, from line-drive shots and tap-ins, to the recent game-winning chip in the Summer Cup. (Yes, the latter does not technically count toward this MVP award, but it's illustrative of her skill.)

The MVP race looked like a neck-and-neck battle between two newcomers, Chawinga and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, but Banda only scored once following the Olympic break in July and early August. Since the league's return, however, Chawinga has delivered with incredible consistency, scoring eight goals in the nine games she played -- with one tally each in all eight of those matches.

It's scary to think that the best single-season goal scorer in league history is an unfinished product, but the 26-year-old has plenty of room to grow. She should be tormenting NWSL defenses for years to come.

Honorable mentions

Barbra Banda, Orlando Pride: Thirteen goals could have won her a Golden Boot in some previous seasons. She is the proven goal scorer the Pride has needed, and a big reason Orlando set records en route to the NWSL Shield.

Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit: Eight goals and six assists only tells part of the story for a player who looks largely unstoppable when she gets the ball on the wing. Her confidence is through the roof, and the world is taking notice.

Coach of the Year

Seb Hines, Orlando Pride

Let's rattle off a few stats: 23 games unbeaten to start the season, 60 points, 18 wins, an eight-game winning streak. All of those set new league records. All of those were achieved by an Orlando team that any careful observer knew was much improved, but that even the most partisan fan could not have imagined would put together arguably the best season in league history.

Credit to the players, yes, and credit to Hines, whose rise from an assistant coach under three different regimes to an interim coach who earned himself the job -- and became the first full-time Black head coach in NWSL history -- is a remarkable story.

Even with Banda and Marta as headline names, Orlando's roster on paper doesn't match the firepower of the rest of the top four in the league. Orlando, however, has gotten career-year performances from almost every player, including less-heralded names like the versatile Kerry Abello, Kylie Strom, and Summer Yates.

Hines has also nailed the tactics, including in heavyweight showdowns against Kansas City, with every player fully buying into their role. As Marta said after Orlando won the Shield (the franchise's first trophy), we might never see another season like this. Hines was the conductor of this magnificent orchestra.

Honorable mentions

Juan Carlos Amoros, NJ/NY Gotham FC: After winning a championship last year, Gotham attracted a quartet of USWNT stars. Like Hines in Orlando, however, Amoros has gotten the most out of every player, reaching deep into his roster to earn results -- including a late-season victory over the Pride.

Jonatan Giráldez and Adrián González, Washington Spirit: Giráldez arrived from Barcelona midseason after González guided the ship as interim, and together they combined to lead the Spirit to a second-place finish and 18 wins, tying Orlando's new league record.

Vlatko Andonovski, Kansas City Current: Offseason signings like Chawinga and Bia Zaneratto paid off in a big way as Kansas City contended for the Shield most of the season, one year after finishing second-from-bottom. Andonovski's decision to overhaul his goalkeeper and center-back combination in the summer also stabilized the team defensively.

Rookie of the Year

Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit

Bethune tallied five goals and 10 assists in only 17 games while earning herself a place on the USWNT's Olympic roster (and, ultimately, a gold medal) despite being uncapped at the time the roster was named. Her 10 assists tied Tobin Heath's record from 2016.

Imagine what Bethune could have done if she hadn't missed the final nine matches due to a torn meniscus that she suffered while throwing out a celebratory first pitch at a baseball game?

Bethune's composure on the ball is that of a veteran, and her vision made her one of the best attacking midfielders in the NWSL this year, regardless of any qualifiers about age or experience. She was a rookie playing at MVP-worthy levels, much like defender Naomi Girma did for the San Diego Wave in 2022.

Bethune was under pressure entering the season as the No. 10 expected to replace Ashley Sanchez after two huge draft-day trades. While Sanchez has excelled with the North Carolina Courage, Bethune filled the role brilliantly, allowing Rodman and striker Ouleye Sarr to thrive around her.

Despite her injury, Bethune still ended the season tied with Banda for the most goal-creating actions (18), per FBRef.

Honorable mentions

Hal Hershfelt, Washington Spirit: Bethune was the No. 3 pick in the draft and Hershfelt was the No. 5 pick. They both became immediate starters in Washington and made the trip to France for the Olympics with the USWNT. Hershfelt is a more understated workhorse who patrols the deeper areas of the midfield.

Claire Hutton, Kansas City Current: Earlier this year, an executive at another NWSL team told ESPN that the 18-year-old Hutton is "the real deal," while Andonovski said she could play at the 2027 World Cup. Hutton owned the holding mid role typically reserved for veterans, only missing time for the Under-20 World Cup.

Emma Sears, Racing Louisville FC: A recent call-up to the USWNT -- and historic one goal, one assist debut -- confirmed Sears is a winger with special talent, even if she wasn't a focal point of Louisville's attack.

Ally Sentnor, Utah Royals: The stats (three goals, four assists) won't wow anyone, but Sentnor's talent is clear even amid Utah's early-season struggles. A USWNT look at the January futures camp should follow.

Midfielder of the Year

Vanessa DiBernardo, Kansas City Current

This is a newly created award and thus the voting could go in any direction. And what is the point of creating this award if not to honor those whose work goes beyond goals and assists? And how many great midfielders of yesteryear won nothing at all because they weren't the flashy, scoring types?

Bethune would be a justified winner of this award, too, but this season has featured numerous vintage performances by NWSL veterans who turned back the clock. It might be the hardest decision of all the awards, and my vote is going to the do-everything midfielder who is the common denominator in so much of Kansas City's success.

DiBernardo is Kansas City's engine. Sure, it helps to have Chawinga, Zaneratto, Debinha, and Michelle Cooper to find with a final pass, and DiBernardo has done that too with six assists. She has also scored some spectacular goals -- five total this season, including from open play, free kicks, and the historic first goal in CPKC Stadium history.

But the intangibles run deep for the 32-year-old DiBernardo, and she is very much the glue to this team. DiBernardo has done everything for Kansas City: from playing as an attacking midfielder tasked with linking up play, to more defensive roles, like when Kansas City sat in conservatively for a scoreless draw in Orlando.

Honorable mentions

Marta, Orlando Pride: Marta is having her best NWSL season to date at 38 years old. She finished the regular season with nine goals, capped off by Saturday's incredible game-winner. She's playing with joy and freedom we haven't seen in years, and she is doing it in a free No. 10 role. Marta ranks 16th in the league in chances created, per TruMedia.

Ashley Sanchez, North Carolina Courage: The best possession team in the league runs through Sanchez, who is playing with more freedom than she ever had in Washington. Her form earned her a USWNT recall this fall.

Taylor Flint, Racing Louisville FC: Flint was the best defensive midfielder in the league this year in several statistical categories, including tackles and interceptions. She likely didn't get as much attention for her work because it is an unglamorous position, and Louisville was too inconsistent as a team.

Defender of the Year

Emily Sams, Orlando Pride

USWNT head coach Emma Hayes said in June that Sams was arguably the best player of the NWSL season at that point. Hayes had just named Sams as an Olympic alternate following injury to Catarina Macario, and Sams would go on to earn the rare feat of winning an Olympic gold medal (by making a gameday roster) while remaining uncapped.

Sams took time to grow into her role as a rookie in 2023, adapting to the NWSL for a Pride team that was undergoing its own wider transformation. This year, she was the central anchor to a defense that earned 13 shutouts. Her one-on-one defending is spectacular, and she is exceptional at recovering in the rare moments she or her team get caught out of position.

Orlando's defending has truly been a team effort that starts with smart pressure from the forward line, but Sams is the standout among many high performers for the Pride.

At 25, Sams has a shot at becoming a long-term answer at center-back for the USWNT alongside Girma (who is arguably the best defender in the world, but had few opportunities to shine in league play this year due to San Diego's wretched season).

Honorable mentions

Kaleigh Kurtz, North Carolina Courage: Kurtz has played every single minute at center-back for the Courage for three straight seasons. Her game isn't flashy (central partner Malia Berkely is the big-pass distributor), but she is consistent. Per TruMedia Kurtz ranked second in the league in blocked shots and expected goals prevented by blocked shots.

Tara McKeown, Washington Spirit: McKeown earned her first ironwoman award this season, an incredible feat considering she spent last season learning the center-back position as a converted forward. She ranked third in the league in tackles, per TruMedia.

Goalkeeper of the Year

Ann-Katrin Berger, NJ/NY Gotham FC

We've saved the most difficult award for last. Several goalkeepers have strong cases to win this award, but Berger gets this writer's vote for a few reasons.

For one, Berger has dealt with rotation in front of her in a way that Orlando's Anna Moorhouse has not. That continuity goes a long way in establishing a defensive unit. Gotham has been strong defensively despite rotation in front of her thanks in large part to Berger's shot-stopping ability.

Berger ranked first in the league in post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed, a measurement of shot-stopping ability per FBRef. She frequently makes outrageous, difficult saves.

Berger is also a savvy player capable of sparking Gotham's attack from a quick throw or an accurate punt upfield. There are goalkeepers whose teams hope to play through and then there are goalkeepers who can serve as an extra playmaker. Berger is the latter.

Honorable mentions

Anna Moorhouse, Orlando Pride: A league record 13 shutouts in a season, and a first call-up to England, made for a career year for Moorhouse. She might rightfully feel slighted if she doesn't win this award, but Berger has the individual statistical edge in shot-stopping categories as well as with her feet.

Mandy Haught, Utah Royals FC: Yes, she conceded 34 goals, but Utah was awful for the first half of the season. Haught still ranked second in the league in post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed. Like when Alyssa Naeher won this award in 2014 while playing for a bad Boston Breakers team, Haught was spectacular individually and when considering the circumstances.

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy posted an apology Tuesday night for comments he made during his weekly Monday news conference, where he suggested fans being negative about the 3-6 Cowboys "can't pay their own bills."

"I apologize to those who my comments during Monday's media call offended," Gundy wrote in a post on X. "My intent was not to offend any of our fans who have supported us and this program through the years."

pic.twitter.com/54gbKIaTF9

Mike Gundy (@CoachGundy) November 6, 2024

Gundy, mired in a six-game losing streak for the first time in his 20-year tenure as head coach, urged fans to continue to trust him during his Monday video conference with reporters.

The preseason No. 18-ranked Cowboys entered the year with Big 12 title expectations but are 0-6 in conference play and one loss away from clinching their first losing season since 2005.

"Kind of the synopsis of all of this is that this place has had tremendous success for 18 years or 19 -- I can't do the math real good," Gundy said at the news conference. "Unfortunately, in life, most people are weak and as soon as things start to not go as good as what they thought, they fall apart and they panic.

"And then they want to point the finger and blame other people. You see it happen in everyday life. People do it all the time. That's why I refuse to watch the TV and watch the news because I get tired of people complaining and bitching about this and that versus just doing something about it and trying to figure out a way to make it better."

Gundy, the winningest coach in program history, went 4-7 in his debut year in 2005 and has led Oklahoma State to bowl games in every season since. The Cowboys played for a Big 12 championship in 2023 and finished No. 16 in the AP poll with a 10-4 record.

"[I]n most cases, the people that are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can't pay their own bills," Gundy said. "They're not taking care of themselves. They're not taking care of their own family. They're not taking care of their own job. But they have an obligation to speak out and complain about others because it makes them feel better.

"But then, in the end, when they go to bed at night, they're the same failure that they were before they said anything negative about anybody else."

Oklahoma State will go on the road to face TCU (5-4, 3-3) in Fort Worth on Saturday and then has an idle week before closing out its regular season against Texas Tech and Colorado.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Rory McIlroy can finish the season as the European tour's top player for the sixth time with a win at the Abu Dhabi Championship this week.

He will attempt to do so with a new swing.

The No. 3-ranked McIlroy said he has been hunkered down in a studio -- first in Florida, then in New York -- for three weeks, just hitting balls at a screen with a modified swing and not even looking at the flight of his shots.

He hasn't liked the shape of his swing for a while, he said Wednesday, and wanted a more robust one that could hold up in the most pressure-filled moments following a number of missed chances this season. The most notable was at the U.S. Open in June, where he missed two putts in the 3-foot range in the final three holes Sunday to pave the way for Bryson DeChambeau's victory and extend McIlroy's decade without a major title.

"The only way I was going to make a change, or at least move in the right direction, with my swing was to lock myself in a studio and not see the ball flight for a bit and just focus entirely on the movement," McIlroy said.

"It's something," he added, "just to make my golf swing more efficient, and then if it is more efficient, then it means it's not going to break down as much under pressure. If I look at my year, the one thing that I would criticize myself on is the fact that I've had these chances to win."

McIlroy has won twice this year, at the Dubai Desert Classic and the Wells Fargo Championship, and has had four second-place finishes, including recently at the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship on the European tour.

That has left the Northern Irishman frustrated but well clear in the Race to Dubai rankings that determine the best player of the year on the European tour. A win in Abu Dhabi can seal the title and remove some suspense, at least for McIlroy, from the final event of the season, the World Tour Championship in nearby Dubai next week.

"If I go out and win this week, obviously you know, it makes it a bit boring next week," the four-time major champion said. "But I won't find it boring. It will be lovely."

A sixth Race to Dubai title -- it used to be called the Order of Merit -- would put McIlroy level with the late Seve Ballesteros on the all-time list and only two behind Colin Montgomerie, who has a record eight.

"I'm a European player," McIlroy said. "I would like to go down as the most successful European of all time. Obviously Race to Dubai wins would count to that but also major championships and hopefully I've got a few more Ryder Cups ahead of me as well.

"So that's something that I would like to [do]. I think [it] is a goal that's quite attainable over the next 10 years."

With England hosting next year's rugby union World Cup, her latest code change created immediate intrigue.

She only added to it by scoring a try in her first game back for Loughborough, with England attack coach Lou Meadows telling the Rugbypass website, external that she would be on the Red Roses selection radar.

Goldthrop says playing in the rugby league World Cup in 2022 - where England reached the semi-final - was the "biggest thing" she has done in her career so far, and says going on to do something similar in the 15-player game would feel the same.

But she insists "it is no driving force" behind why she returned to rugby union.

"You always chase those moments, they are the games that you want to play in, they are the experiences that you will probably look back on in your career," she said.

"If that happens, it happens. I've been brought up as a very grounded person and if those opportunities come about, then you take it and relish the experience.

"I just want to try and be the best athlete I can be. I dont think I have reached my potential yet. I still have lot of learning and growing to do.

"I just want to play consistent rugby at a high level and see where that takes me."

With rugby league's next World Cup taking place in the southern hemisphere in 2026, Goldthorp has plenty to play for across both codes on both sides of the globe.