Paris Saint-Germain's Thomas Meunier has said the Champions League round-of-16 exit to Manchester United earlier this year was the "biggest joke in the history of football."

PSG won 2-0 at Old Trafford in the first leg but fell to 3-1 home defeat in the return to crash out. The clinching goal was scored from a late penalty awarded by the video assistant referee for a handball by defender Presnel Kimpembe.

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And Meunier said this loss was worse than when they threw away a 4-0 first leg lead with a 6-1 defeat at Barcelona in 2017.

"It was the biggest joke in the history of football," the 27-year-old told Le Parisien. "I would have bet €1 million that we would not lose.

"They did not even have chances and they still scored three goals. It was even more shocking than Barcelona."

Meunier said PSG's open focus on European glory has started to create problems because of heightened expectations at the club.

"The Champions League is still the major problem," the Belgium international said. "Winning this competition and being part of the big ones like Real Madrid and Barca, which is what a lot of international communication has focused on, will take a long time. PSG is a club that is growing."

Sources have told ESPN FC that Arsenal and Manchester United are interested in signing Meunier this summer, with PSG open to a deal for around €30m.

Meunier is entering the final 12 months of his contract amid a strained relationship with the club's fans and a lack of playing time.

"I am neither hot nor cold about it [social media criticism from PSG fans]," he said. "Sometimes I have fun with it.

"I have values. When I talk about something, I try to do so as sincerely as possible. It is my world; I am my own person and I will stay this way. The majority of fans support me."

Meunier is with the Belgium national team for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Scotland.

Jurgen Klopp could take a year's sabbatical at the end of his Liverpool contract in 2022 and while the club's owners are hopeful he will commit to an extension, they are minded not to put pressure on him, sources have told ESPN FC.

The 51-year-old, who celebrated his first trophy as Liverpool manager with a 2-0 Champions League final victory over Tottenham last Saturday, has repeatedly stated his desire to take a break from the "very intense" demands of management when his contract expires.

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It is a matter he has considered with his family, and he has mentioned a 12-month rest period would be his preference in the past.

While owners Fenway Sports Group want Klopp to remain on Merseyside beyond the next three years of his contract, they would not want to put him in the position of turning down a new offer.

Improved terms would therefore only be drafted if the German requested it and he has not yet provided any indication as to whether he has changed his mind on having time out after 2022.

Given the strong relationship between Klopp and FSG president Mike Gordon, who stayed at the manager's house on Sunday evening after the team's victory parade, there would not be any formal discussions or a lengthy process if he did decide to extend his commitment.

This is evidenced by how Liverpool handled the six-year contract they gave the Reds boss in June 2016. During a conversation with Gordon, Klopp said he could imagine himself being at the club for the rest of his career. FSG's president then called principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner before a fresh deal was drawn up in a matter of hours. Klopp, who had been on holiday in Ibiza before ferrying to Formentera, signed it on June 16 -- his 49th birthday. The news was only officially announced by Liverpool at the start of preseason the following month.

Guiding the club to a sixth European Cup title in Madrid will not have acted as a spark for FSG to reward the German -- they would have offered Klopp a new contract after last year's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in Kiev if he had wanted it. The owners believe that the scale of his influence at Liverpool cannot solely be measured by trophies.

They will have optimism that the former Mainz and Borussia Dortmund coach, who spent seven years at both clubs, indicates he wants to surpass that time at Anfield, where he has been since October 2015.

FSG will, however, respect Klopp's decision if he wants to stick to his plan of taking a break when his contract runs out.

So: was Unai Emery's first season at Arsenal better than Arsene Wenger's last?

It should be an easy question to answer because sport usually provides clarity, but at Arsenal such is the pace of change that we tend to read runes, over many decades, rather than arrive at snap judgements. Arsenal fans are more like climate change scientists or evolutionary biologists than football fans; you are forced to compare almost microscopic shifts in pattern, temperature and genes in order to come up with tentative theories that may eventually be disproved in 10 seasons' time.

Is fifth better than sixth? Yes, but only in the way that 15th is better than 16th. Is losing 4-1 in the Europa League final better than losing 3-0 in the league cup, as we did last year? I would argue that it is -- we scored a goal, and it was 0-0 at half-time in the Europa League. I would, however, respect the view of anyone who argued that letting in four goals in 20-odd minutes is worse than letting in three over 90.

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Is our calamitous defence any better? Statistics should be able to clear that up. We conceded 51 goals this season, compared to... oh. We conceded 51 last season, too. Attack? 74 goals scored last season, 73 this. So the attack is worse, except... not really.

Last autumn, after the predictable defeats at home to Man City and away at Chelsea were out of the way, things felt very different indeed. I sit behind the Arsenal manager's technical area but Wenger didn't use it that much, especially in the past few years. Every now and again he would jump off the bench and stomp over to remonstrate with the fourth official, but if technical area action was your thing, then mostly you had to content yourself with watching the tumbleweed.

Emery, however, is a blur of motion, his hands constantly guiding the ball and the players. This felt reassuring in itself, but when it became clear that his number two, Juan Carlos Carcedo, was responsible for free-kicks and corners at both ends of the pitch -- he comes out and Emery drops back, as if the pair are connected mechanically -- Arsenal fans in my area of the ground could convince themselves that Emery was a combination of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, and we were being coached by a team of crack modern technicians. So much was happening between our seats and the touchline that we hardly had time to watch the game.

Before long, the atmosphere in the ground began to change. Wenger's teams were flat-track bullies which tended to curl up and die against better, stronger opponents, and the crowd responded appropriately, with purring appreciation or despairing silence. But in those opening months of the Emery era, Arsenal, often inspired by the warrior-like Lucas Torreira, got stuck in. We came from behind to beat Tottenham and to draw with Liverpool, and the sleepy, stupefied Emirates roared its appreciation.

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If you had asked any Arsenal fan on the night of April 1, after a 2-0 home win against Newcastle that lifted us to third in the league, whether Emery's first season had been a success, they would all have answered in the affirmative. "We're competitive again," we said that night. "We have a very good chance of finishing in the top four and there may be a Cup to come, too. That's all we wanted. To be in the running in April."

As it turned out, we wanted more than that and we'd been kidding ourselves. What we specifically didn't want was to collapse, in a wearyingly familiar fashion, when it mattered. Emery lost 10 games this year, three fewer defeats than in the season before, but four of the 10 came in April. If just one of them -- and I'm looking at you, Arsenal 2, Crystal Palace 3 -- had been converted into a win, we would have finished third. If the woeful 1-1 draw at home to Brighton had finished 2-1, we'd have come fourth. Fine margins, yes, but a Champions League place was presented to Emery on a plate and his team turned up its collective nose. Manchester United and Chelsea might not be so obliging next year, although both teams look to have at least as many problems as Arsenal as things stand.

In the end, it felt like the club suffers from some kind of hereditary disease, passed on from generation to generation. We used to blame Wenger and the kinds of players he liked, the technically gifted, physically unimposing attacking midfielders who seemed to occupy every position on the pitch. Torreira, Granit Xhaka and Sokratis Papastathopoulos are of a different build and complexion entirely but it doesn't make any difference, apparently. The post-Invincibles Arsenal team will always flake out on you when it matters, no matter who's playing or coaching.

Some of the more excitable members of the Arsenal community -- perhaps those with no interest in evolutionary biology -- want Emery out already. That seems premature to me. Only two of the starting 11 in the Europa final in May were Emery buys although a third, the goalkeeper Bernd Leno, was on the bench, apparently as a sentimental gesture to Petr Cech, and a fourth, Stephan Lichtsteiner, should, I respectfully suggest, never have been signed in the first place.

This summer, however, is critical. My sources inside the club tell me that the decision to release Aaron Ramsey was down to Emery and Emery alone, and that the player was ready to sign a new deal. Emery took one look at him and decided, clearly, that he wasn't worth the money being offered.

Even this seemed exciting at the time, reminiscent of Wenger deciding that Paul Merson wasn't good enough for Arsenal and shipping him out. "Paul Merson! We love Paul Merson! And he's not good enough? Bring it on!" And Wenger did. Unfortunately, Emery took a second look at Ramsey and apparently decided that he was, after all, an important part of his plans and indeed, the business-end of the collapse began with Ramsey's season-ending injury in Naples. Unless Ramsey's replacement is at least as good, fans will quickly resent the loss of someone who could be frustrating, but whose two Cup Final-winning goals, and a decade-long commitment to the club, have earned him Official Club Legend status.

And then there is the perennial Mesut Ozil problem. Ozil is, of course, a genius. That goal he scores when he bounces the ball into the ground and deceives the keeper... who does that? Who can even think about doing that? But he is also absurdly, ruinously absent on big occasions -- compare and contrast with Eden Hazard's performance for Chelsea in the Europa League final -- and you must reluctantly conclude that no team with ambition can afford Ozil, financially or in any other sense. Yet a couple of times this season Emery attempted to play without either Ramsey or Ozil, as next season he surely must permanently, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

Arsenal fans are used to pretty sights and if the choice is between fifth place and no Champions League football, and sixth place with the occasional breath-taking moment of beauty, the Emirates crowd may decide that the grass was not, after all, greener.

Two of the best goals I have ever seen were scored this season, under Emery, within 10 days of each other. One was by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, against Leicester, an incredible team goal that involved a flick from Ozil, a dummy by Ozil and an extraordinary sliced pass by Ozil. The other was also an incredible team goal, away at Fulham. It involved a pass from Ramsey, a flick from Ramsey, a headed pass from Ramsey and a back-heel into the net from Ramsey.

I hope that this is the football that Emery wants to play. I hope, too, that he knows the players he wants to play it. Perhaps some of the youngsters -- Emile Smith Rowe, say, or Bukayo Saka, or Reiss Nelson -- may provide the missing Wenger-esque pieces of the Emery puzzle... in which case, we are back to the old club promise of jam tomorrow, and more reading of the runes.

As ever in London N5, the jury is out.

South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn has been ruled out of the World Cup with a shoulder injury, less than 24 hours before the team's clash against India on Wednesday. Left-arm quick Beuran Hendricks has been approved as his replacement by the ICC's Event Technical Committee of the World Cup.

Steyn had missed South Africa's first two games, against England and Bangladesh, after suffering a second shoulder injury which "has not responded to treatment and has ruled him out of bowling for the foreseeable future," according to a CSA release. The injury had also cut short his IPL campaign with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

"Unfortunately, it happened there in the IPL in those two games he played there. If he didn't get picked up to go to the IPL, who knows where Dale would have been right now"

Although South Africa were hopeful Steyn could be fit for Wednesday's game against India - even having him bowl briefly at training on Monday - a decision was made on Tuesday that his recovery was not going quickly enough. Steyn had warmed up and played football with the squad on Tuesday, but did not bowl at training.

"Dale has tried really hard - really hard - to try and get back into the team," South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said of Steyn's long streak of injuries. "It's been a tough two years, and we've got to be strong for him. He's going to need a bit of love. He tried unbelievably hard to get fit for this campaign, which would have been his last World Cup. We've got to be there for him now.

"Unfortunately, it happened there in the IPL in those two games that he played there. If he didn't get picked up to go to the IPL, who knows where Dale would have been right now."

Steyn had played two games in the IPL in April and bowled eight overs in all before he was ruled out of the T20 league with a right shoulder injury that has troubled him for long now.

The news is a serious blow to South Africa, whose campaign has also been hit by injuries to two other fast bowlers. Anrich Nortje, who had originally been part of the World Cup squad, was ruled out of the tournament with a fractured thumb in the week before South Africa departed to the UK. Lungi Ngidi has also since picked up a hamstring strain, which is likely to keep him out of the next few South Africa matches. Vernon Philander is unavailable due to injury as well.

The injury to Steyn has left the squad with only four functioning fast bowlers for the India match: Kagiso Rabada, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius and Chris Morris. Batsman Hashim Amla had also missed the previous game after being struck in the helmet in the tournament opener, but is now cleared to play on Wednesday.

The ICC generally does not allow teams to replace players who came into the tournament with injuries, as Steyn had. However, South Africa's doctor Mohammed Moosajee explained that the injury that has now ruled Steyn out is different from the shoulder injury he had had when he arrived in England.

Steyn will now return to South Africa and work with a rehab team before any decision is made on the future of his career. He had said in February that he had no plans to retire from Test cricket, despite the injuries to his right shoulder - in addition to other serious ailments - having frustrated Steyn's career all the way back since 2015. He had first broken his shoulder at home, ahead of a New Year Test in Cape Town, before suffering a much more serious break in the same shoulder towards the end of 2016. A serious heel injury followed, before hamstring strains ailed him as well.

Hendricks has played only two ODIs, the most recent of which came in January. He has only taken one wicket across those two games, but has had more success in 10 T20 internationals, in which he has claimed 18 wickets.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina said Mack Brown has had his right knee replaced by a surgeon who once played for the football coach.

Team spokesman Jeremy Sharpe said Tuesday that the 67-year-old coach underwent the procedure Monday that was performed by one of Brown's former players.

Dr. Michael Bolognesi -- who played defensive back for Brown from 1989 to 1993 -- said the surgery won't affect the coach's summer schedule. He was discharged later Monday afternoon.

"First off, how cool is it that one of our former players replaced my knee yesterday," Brown said in a statement. "We talk about building young men so they can be productive husbands, fathers and citizens. Carolina produces a lot of special people and I'm happy we were able to play a small part in Mike's development because we counted on him and he, along with the rest of the surgical and anesthetic team, did a tremendous job."

Brown said he had planned to have surgery in February but delayed it after he was hired to coach the Tar Heels again. He coached at UNC from 1988 to 1997 and was hired this past November to replace the fired Larry Fedora.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Two of the Detroit Lions' best defensive players, cornerback Darius Slay and defensive tackle Damon Harrison, are skipping this week's mandatory minicamp, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

Neither player has shown up for offseason workouts this spring, and both have made it known they would like adjustments to their current contracts. By skipping minicamp, they could end up being fined up to $88,650 by the Lions.

Slay has been a constant in the secondary for the Lions since earning a full-time starting role in 2014, his second season in the league. He has made two Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2017. With Glover Quin being cut by Detroit, Slay is also one of the senior players in the secondary.

He has two years left on the four-year extension he signed in 2016 and is scheduled to make $12.55 million in base salary this season and $10 million next season. By skipping offseason workouts, he has already forfeited much of the $250,000 bonus that was worked into his deal.

Slay has also been vocal about wanting a new deal on social media -- often retweeting messages that suggest he should be paid more and about how contracts are handled.

They don't keep their words when they cut us while we in our contracts ... https://t.co/EqsDXgAJ93

— Darius Slay (@_bigplayslay23) May 22, 2019

Harrison was traded to the Lions from the New York Giants last season and, like Slay, has two years left on his current contract. He's scheduled to make $6.75 million in base salary this season and $9 million next season. Like Slay, Harrison has forfeited almost all of his $250,000 workout bonus by skipping the voluntary offseason workouts earlier this spring.

When the Lions traded for Harrison, it shored up the club's run defense, and he has now become an anchor on the club's revamped defensive line, along with free-agent signee Trey Flowers.

During his time as Detroit's general manager, Bob Quinn has never extended a player or given him a new contract with two years remaining on his deal. Slay will be 30 years old when his current deal expires and Harrison will be 32.

Both Slay and Harrison are represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus.

PARIS -- Johanna Konta has reached the French Open semifinals for the first time after beating last year's runner-up, Sloane Stephens, 6-1, 6-4.

It was the 26th-seeded Briton's third win in three meetings against the 2017 US Open champion, all of them this year.

Konta is the first British woman to reach the semifinals at the French Open since 1983, when Jo Durie got there.

This is the first major match in which Stephens failed to break serve since the 2015 US Open, when she lost in the first round to fellow American CoCo Vandeweghe.

Konta has now reached the semifinals at three of the four major tournaments, but she has yet to reach a final.

She will next play either unseeded teen Marketa Vondrousova or No. 31 Petra Martic.

Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Stats & Information was used in this report.

LET'S FORGET FOR a minute that Drake is a brand ambassador for the Raptors who is paid to cheer and do whatever he can -- outside of neck rubs on the sideline -- to provoke opposing teams. Or that he and Draymond Green went to dinner just the night before the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors to even up the NBA Finals at 1-1.

None of that mattered in the closing seconds of Sunday night's second quarter, when referee Tony Brothers whistled Green for a foul on Pascal Siakam -- the man Green had publicly sworn to stop after his spicy 32-point Game 1 -- and Drake started to gloat.

Green thought he was playing tough defense on Siakam as he dribbled near half court. He very nearly came away with a steal as the young Raptor turned to his left, leaving the ball exposed. But Brothers blew his whistle. And Green was angry. He yelled at the top of his lungs, then swung his fist and twirled in protest.

Drake was right there in his face, mimicking his reactions. For those who have watched Green for years, it looked like a recipe for disaster. Things were going to escalate. You could almost feel the technical foul coming. Historically, all it has taken is a little spark for him to ignite and burn everything down, including himself.

Green turned toward Drake. Then back toward Brothers. Then he turned away and took a breath. Warriors coach Steve Kerr came out to protest for him (to no avail). Siakam stepped to the free throw line and hit one of two. On the next possession, Siakam fouled Stephen Curry with four seconds left. Curry hit both in the final seconds of the quarter, sending the Warriors to the locker room having cut a 12-point deficit to five.

Green's foul was one play, which led to, at most, a three-point swing. But to those who have followed Green along his highly flammable path from unheralded second-round pick to three-time NBA champion, it was monumental.

In a big moment, with the Warriors needing a big play to get back into the game -- and the Finals -- with Drake in his face and the guy he'd called out in his sights, Draymond Green did not combust.

"It's all about, 'Is [the fire] working for me or is it working against me?'" Green says. "When I'm channeling it to work for me, I think I'm one of the baddest motherf---ers on the planet. When it gets the best of me, I'm not so good."

EVIDENCE OF THIS type of self-control has been happening with greater frequency for the past couple of months, if not yet in the crucible of the Finals. Green hasn't picked up a technical foul since April 30, in Game 2 of the Warriors series against Houston. It was later rescinded by the league.

He's also dropped more than 25 pounds after a midseason intervention from Golden State general manager Bob Myers.

"Bob said, 'If we're going to win a championship, you have to get in shape,'" Green says. "I was like, 'Oh, I know. I'm fat as hell right now. Give me two weeks. It will probably take 10 days, but give me two weeks for sure and I'll be good.

"'My birthday is March 4, so I want to enjoy my birthday, but right after, on March 10, my diet starts.'"

Green cut out all his vices. Chips, red wine, fast food. All gone. He ate exactly what his chef told him to. He lived in the training room, lifting weights and doing extra cardio. And then when he got the weight off, he decided to stick with the diet.

"When I went on this diet, it's like a sense of control, and it's confidence because you feel like you're conquering something," Green says. "You're defeating something every day.

"Having that control, it carries over to other areas in your life. We all love to eat. We all enjoy the things that we enjoy. If I can conquer that and not do that, why can't I conquer my emotions, too? Well, maybe I can f---ing conquer my emotions! Maybe I can conquer anything else! And so I think honestly that has really helped put me in a different state."

It has showed through the playoffs. Green has had arguably his best stretch as a Warrior, putting up six triple-doubles across the team's 18 playoff games -- coming just one assist shy on Sunday of recording a fourth in a row.

And it's gone even deeper than that: For Green, real control is understanding why he so often lost his composure and went past the edge.

It's been a constant challenge for him and anyone who has coached or played with him over the years. He's had countless blowups with Golden State coach Steve Kerr in their five years together. Last fall he famously blew up at Kevin Durant over his impending free agency during a game against the Clippers -- a tirade so intense, the Warriors even had to suspend Green.

At the time, Green tried to explain it away, saying he gets in all his friends' faces from time to time. But out of the spotlight, Durant wasn't buying it. He told Green he's seen him argue with friends and it never rose to that level.

Green now says he realized Durant had a point. He had been out of control.

"Absolutely," he says. "I thought about it, and it goes back to, 'Is this [losing control] working for me or against me?'"

For Myers, this is where the real change in Green is evident. "It shows a lot for him to be able to acknowledge and say, 'Yeah, Kevin's right in that comment,'" Myers says.

At Michigan State, the staff used to call Green's mom, Mary Babers-Green, when he'd get argumentative and difficult.

"When we thought he was going to have one of those moments where he needed to be reeled back in," Spartans assistant coach Dwayne Stephens says, "she'd drive up [from Saginaw, Michigan, to East Lansing]. We'd sit out in the conference room and she'd say, 'Listen, this is what they need you to do. Stop acting like a so-and-so.' He'd always come out of it. By the time she left, everybody was on the same page."

Historically, the real challenge has been to reel him back in without losing the specialness that makes Green an All-Pro. To meet his fire with fire and somehow do no collateral damage.

"He just plays with that edge and that chip on his shoulder because it seems like he's always been doubted," Stephens says. "And I think he felt like he had to play that way in order to be successful.

"Tom Izzo allows guys to go back at him and challenge him as long as they bring the goods. Draymond needs to be heard and wants to be heard, so in that sense, I think Coach Izzo was a great coach for him."

His high school coach, Bruce Simmons, tried to teach him to channel his emotions into competition.

"His freshman year at Michigan State, he got one minute against Ohio State," Simmons says. "He called and said, 'Coach Bruce, I'm going to transfer. F--- this s---.' And I said, 'Noooo. We don't do that. This is what you're going to do. You're going to go into practice. Marquise Gray, who was a senior, is getting your minutes. Bust his ass. Talk s--- to him. And then when you're doing that, look at Izzo, because Izzo is putting this [guy] on the court instead of you.'"

Not long after, Green started playing well enough to force Izzo's hand.

Simmons still corresponds with Green frequently and tries to counsel him. "The older I've gotten, I've learned to deal logically with situations instead of with emotions," Simmons says. "So I tell him, 'Kid, you made it. You ain't that second-round kid trying to make a team. You made it. You're a big reason why Golden State is winning. So you gotta take that right path when you express yourself."

THIS SPRING, GREEN'S fiancée, Hazel Renee, and mother Babers-Green double-teamed him on a variety of issues: his treatment of teammates, coaches, referees, even his own health.

"They kind of sat him down like, 'Listen, you gotta chill out,'" Stephens says. "He was watching his son [Draymond Jr.] shoot on the hoop and he's flopping and he's like, 'Oh man. Is that what I look like? I had no idea how much energy I was wasting arguing calls and doing all of that crazy stuff.'

"Now he's just playing, he's not complaining and arguing as much. He's being a leader and a voice for his team and watching defensively, knowing what the other team's going to run, calling yourself out, telling people where to go. You see him do that stuff now, this kind of reeling himself back in.

"That talk he had with his mom and fiancée really got him refocused."

Like any diet, this type of self-control is hard to stick to long-term. Green says he likes the way he feels now and wants to stay healthy and in shape as long as he can. Frankly, his future depends on it.

If he became the type of player who brought his team only tantrums and infighting, Golden State might not have returned to the NBA Finals again, let alone having a chance to win. If his November feud with Durant was a preview -- if that was how he was going to age -- why would the Warriors be inclined to extend him this summer?

"I mean, I think all those things come into your mind," Green says. "You always have those thoughts. And if you don't have those thoughts, you read it, you know?"

Just as important as the mental conditioning that Green's diet brought to his game has been Renee, to whom he proposed in January.

"She's a lot like my mom," Green says. "When I'm making decisions now, somewhere in my mind is like, 'Will she approve of it?'"

"That definitely makes a difference, having that peace in life all around. So many times, we forget that everything matters. Everything. It's not just about the game of basketball. Everything in a person's life matters -- whether you're a CEO of a Fortune 500 company or an NBA player. When you find that person who does that for you, it matters. And I feel like I'm at peace in life, right now. So I'm at peace in the game of basketball."

LOS ANGELES -- Gregg Strumpf couldn't help himself. It didn't matter that it was the middle of a playoff game or that the half-inning was in progress or that his son, UCLA second baseman Chase Strumpf, was still celebrating. Gregg had life-changing news to share, so he made his way into the dugout to deliver it.

The Chicago Cubs had drafted Chase in the second round, right around the time he hit the home run that lifted his team to the next round.

"Shout-out to my dad for kinda ruining a moment with my team," Chase said behind a smile, "but it was exciting."

Strumpf's three-run, fourth-inning home run was the difference in UCLA's 6-3 victory over Loyola Marymount on Monday, a win that set up a best-of-three series against Michigan in the Super Regionals next weekend. Seconds before turning on an elevated changeup and sending it over the left-center-field fence at Jackie Robinson Stadium, Strumpf, a junior, was made the 64th overall pick in the MLB draft by the Cubs.

"I'm honored to be picked by them," he said, "but we have more priorities here, still have a job to do here."

Strumpf was one of three UCLA players taken in the first two rounds, along with first baseman Michael Toglia (23rd overall by the Colorado Rockies) and starting pitcher Ryan Garcia (50th by the Texas Rangers).

The Bruins finished the regular season as the No. 1 team in the nation, a ranking they held for 11 consecutive weeks. They owned the highest winning percentage and the lowest ERA in the nation, won every weekend series for the first time in school history and rode a 10-game winning streak into Regionals.

But UCLA lost to LMU on Saturday and was thrust into the loser's bracket and forced to win three straight games in two days. The Bruins accumulated seven home runs during Sunday's doubleheader, then distanced themselves on Strumpf's homer the following night, advancing to Super Regionals for the first time since 2013, the year of the only championship in program history.

Strumpf said he will "remember the game itself" more than what took place while he helped win it.

"Looking back at freshman year, sophomore year and this year, we struggled to get out of Regionals," he said. "Winning this game is huge."

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Sometimes all it takes is a couple of good days to turn a season’s worth of bad luck around.

That’s what happened for four-time ARCA Midwest Tour champion Ty Majeski. After a disappointing 2018 season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Majeski is now looking for his third consecutive ARCA Menards Series win in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series VizCom 200 at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

Majeski is coming off his first career series victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway and followed it with his second consecutive win in the series’ most recent race at Pocono.

Majeski’s 2018 season could only be called a disaster. With high expectations, he joined former ARCA champion Chase Briscoe and former ARCA winner Austin Cindric in a car fielded by Roush Fenway Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The trio struggled throughout the year, and Majeski’s average finish was a dismal 24th as he scored just two top-10 finishes in 12 starts. Not only was it a season to forget, it was a season that could have brought his career to an early end.

But the Seymour, Wis., native was determined to keep himself in the seat. Following in Briscoe’s footsteps, he latched on to Chad Bryant Racing. Like Briscoe did before him, he worked in the shop while hoping for an opportunity to race. That opportunity came at Talladega, where he qualified second and finished fourth. That opened the door for added races, and he won the second time out in Charlotte. He followed it with his second straight series win at Pocono.

Those two good days, Majeski hopes, have turned momentum back in his favor.

“It’s been a good couple of weeks that’s for sure. It just goes to show the effort from these Chad Bryant Racing guys,” Majeski said. “They work their tails off in the shop into the early morning hours and back by 7 a.m. to get after it again. Their hard work is paying off and I’m just the lucky guy behind the wheel. We’ll keep riding this momentum as long as we can and look for another opportunity to get into Victory Lane at Michigan.”

Majeski will be making his second appearance with the ARCA Menards Series in the Irish Hills of Michigan in the VizCom 200. He started sixth and finished sixth in 2017 driving cars prepared by his team owner Chad Bryant.

“It’s been almost two years since I’ve been to Michigan, but I’m looking forward to going back,” he said. “It’s a fast place with a lot of speed and finesse. It’s a big place, so there’s ample opportunity to pass. I finished sixth there in 2017 driving for Cunningham Motorsports and think we can do better than that on Friday.”

With only a limited number of starts planned, Majeski knows he has to maximize every opportunity behind the wheel.

“Sure, it’s important to maximize every opportunity,” he said. “In my three races so far with Chad Bryant Racing, I think we’ve done that. Three top-fives and two wins is pretty good. It doesn’t happen though without the hard work of Paul (Andrews) and the No. 22 guys. Right now, I only have three races left, Michigan, Chicago and Kansas and I certainly want to make best of those opportunities. No doubt Chad (Bryant, team owner) is giving me the chance to do that.”

Majeski’s crew chief Paul Andrews is a former Michigan winner, going to victory lane with Geoff Bodine in 1994. A former NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief with Alan Kulwicki in 1992, Andrews will be going for his third consecutive win as a crew chief for the first time in his career. Majeski is no stranger to racking up multiple wins in a row; he won five consecutive ARCA Midwest Tour races in 2017 on his way to his fourth consecutive series championship.