I Dig Sports
Power Rankings: Palou To The Top As Bell Drops To The Bottom
Its time for a new edition of SPEED SPORT Power Rankings. Who will be on top this week?
- Alex Palou
Three-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou won for the second time in two races to start the season Sunday afternoon at Californias Thermal Club. Last Week: 4
2. Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson won three races in four starts this week. Larson picked up a High Limit Racing sprint car win, won a Craftsman Truck Series race and ended the week by capturing his first NASCAR Cup Series triumph of the season Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Last Week: 10
3. David Gravel
Reigning World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion David Gravel swept a two-race weekend at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Texas. Gravel has won five features this season. Last Week: 7
4. Devin Moran
Devin Moran won the Indiana Icebreaker Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race for the second consecutive season. Moran earned $25,000 for what was his fourth series victory of the season. Last Week: 6
5. Lando Norris
After winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris finished second in Sundays Chinese Grand Prix. Last Week: 3
6. Shawn Langdon
Having been the runner-up at the season-opening Gatornationals, Shawn Langdon moved to the top of the ladder by winning Sundays Top Fuel title at Firebird Motorsports Park in Arizona. Last Week: Not Ranked
7. Ricky Thornton Jr.
Reigning Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion claimed his seventh win of the season Friday night at Ohios Atomic Speedway. Last Week: Not Ranked
8. No. 7 Penske Porsche Motorsports
Nick Tandy, Felipe Nasr and Laurens Vanthoor drove the No. 7 Penske Porsche Motorsports machine to victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring Intl Raceway. The team also won Januarys Rolex 24 At Daytona. Last Week: 5
9. William Byron-8
Daytona 500 winner William Byron finished 12th in Sundays NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He leads the Cup Series standings through six races. Last Week: 8
10. Christopher Bell
Christopher Bells three-race winning streak in the NASCAR Cup Series seems like it was a lifetime ago after a 29th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Last Week: 1
On The Move: Kyle Larson won three of the four races he ran and jumped to the top of the power rankings.
What To Watch For?: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for its first short-track race of the season.
Dropped Out: Antron Brown and Ron Capps dropped out of the rankings this week, while Christopher Bell fell from first to 10th.
At A Glance: Former Champions, Returning Stars Highlight Super DIRTcar Roster
CONCORD, N.C. When the Super DIRTcar Series kicks off its 2025 season at New Egypt Speedway during the Power in the Pines, March 29, 19 drivers will begin their chase for the championship.
The roster includes two former champions, a MD3 Rookie of the Year contender and several Series veterans some looking to add to their win count and others still looking for their first.
Theyll battle for the title at more than 30 races across six states and two Canadian provinces.
Heres a look at the 2025 roster:
RETURNERS
Mat Williamson/2x Series Champion/St. Catharines, Ont.
Mat Williamson scored his second Super DIRTcar Series championship in 2024, outdueling Matt Sheppard by 33 points to become the eighth multi-time champion in Series history. The championship run was highlighted by eight victories, including a win during the World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Williamson enters the 2025 season tied with Jack Johnson for ninth on the Series all-time wins list with 31 Feature wins.
Matt Sheppard/10x Series Champion/Waterloo, N.Y.
Matt Sheppard narrowly missed out on an 11th series title in 2024 after engine woes on the opening night of World Finals pushed Williamson ahead.
The Waterloo, NY driver scored three wins, including two at Volusia Speedway Park. His other came in the King of the North finale at Autodrome Drummond.
After a win to kick off 2025 during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, hes two wins away from joining Brett Hearn as the only two drivers to earn 100 Super DIRTcar Series victories.
Anthony Perrego/Montgomery, N.Y.
Anthony Perrego is one of many drivers who had their best Super DIRTcar Series points finish in 2024. The Montgomery, N.Y. driver finished third in the overall standings after capturing two victories (New Egypt Speedway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte) in the Vinny Salerno-owned No. 4 car.
He also scored top fives at Weedsport Speedway, Big Diamond Speedway, Land of Legends Raceway, Brockville Ontario Speedway, Can-Am Speedway, and Albany-Saratoga Speedway, reaching the podium on six occasions.
The Ant-Man will look to open the championship season with a win for the second straight year when the Series returns to New Jersey for the Power in the Pines on Saturday, March 29.
Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville, N.Y.
Jimmy Phelps enters his 20th full-time season with the Super DIRTcar Series in 2025 after returning to the win column in 2024.
The Baldwinsville, NY driver found Victory Lane in the Natural 77 at Thunder Mountain Speedway, a race in honor of the late Dale Planck his first Series win since 2022.
Phelps has 22 career series victories, tying him with four-time Series champion Will Cagle for 15th all-time.
Tim Sears Jr./Hastings, N.Y.
Tim Sears Jr. returns to the Super DIRTcar Series for his fifth season in 2025 after finishing fifth in 2024s final standingsthe best season of his career. The Hastings, N.Y. driver earned nine top fives and 11 top 10s in 19 starts. Out of those nine top five finishes, five were on the podium.
While Timmer is still searching for his first Super DIRTcar Series victory, hes knocked on the door with top fives at Albany-Saratoga, Thunder Mountain, Weedsport, Drummond, Ransomville Speedway, Brockville and Can-Am.
Jack Lehner/Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Like Sears, Jack Lehner is coming off his best year with the Super DIRTcar Series. The Saratoga Springs, N.Y. competitor used a run of six top 10s in the last eight races to leap to sixth in the final standings.
Lehner ended 2024 with three top fives and eight top 10s, with his best finishes coming at Thunder Mountain Speedway (fourth) and Super DIRT Week (fifth).
Alex Payne/2024 Rookie of the Year/Hopewell, N.Y.
Alex Paynes Super DIRTcar Series career got off to a great start, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 and scoring his first career series victory at Brockville Ontario Speedway. That win, five top fives, and nine top 10s helped Payne finish seventh in the 2024 final standings.
The Hopewell, N.Y. driver has the chance to get off to a hot start for the second straight year after finishing sixth at New Egypt last season.
Darren Smith/Binghamton, N.Y.
Darren Smith continues his rise in the Super DIRTcar Series standings after finishing eighth in points in 2024. The Binghamton, N.Y. driver earned his best finish in the seasons opening race at New Egypt, leading 40 laps before being passed by Anthony Perrego for the win coming to the white flag.
Smith added six top 10s along with his runner-up finish, including a sixth at Super DIRT Week. His other five top 10s came at Weedsport, Drummond, Land of Legends, and Oswego Speedway during Super DIRT Week 53.
Felix Roy/Napierville, Q.C.
After a successful first season with the Super DIRTcar Series, Felix Roy was even better in 2024. Despite a slow start, Hollywood earned seven top 10s in the final 12 races to finish ninth in the final Series standings.
While he had a strong season in a Big Block, he also thrived in a 358 Modified last year, entering 2025 as the defending DIRTcar 358 Modified Series champion.
Mike Mahaney/Elizabethtown, N.Y.
Mike Mahaney finished in the top 10 in the Series standings for the second time in 2024. However, despite eight top 10s, Smooth Shoe went winless throughout the season. His best finishes were a pair of eighths at Weedsport Speedway and Oswego Speedway during Super DIRT Week.
The Elizabethtown, N.Y. driver currently has three career Super DIRTcar Series wins.
Larry Wight/Phoenix, N.Y.
Larry Wight returns for his 12th season of full-time Super DIRTcar Series competition after finishing 12th in the standings in 2024. The Phoenix, N.Y. driver hopes to rebound after only scoring six top 10s last season.
Wight is currently tied for 22nd on the series all-time wins list with Frank Cozze with 12 triumphs.
Peter Britten, Brisbane, QLD
After a hot start to 2024 and being unable to travel to Canada, Peter Britten dropped to 13th in the standings at the end of the year. The Batman kicked off the year with two podium finishes at New Egypt and Can-Am and added two more top fives Land of Legends and Albany-Saratoga, and nine top 10s.
Hes off to a fast start again in 2025, earning a victory at DIRTcar Nationals.
Mike Trautschold, Roscoe, N.Y.
Mike Trautschold returns to the Super DIRTcar Series for his second season in 2025. The Roscoe, N.Y. native finished 14th in the final standings last year, with his best finish coming at Autodrome Drummond (13th).
He aims for a better 2025 after starting 17 of the 19 races.
Daniel Johnson, Middlesex, N.Y.
Daniel Johnson enters his sophomore season with the Super DIRTcar Series, aiming to improve off a 15th-place finish in the standings. The Middlesex, N.Y. driver has made 20 career Series starts, with his best finish coming at Ransomville Speedway during the Ron Martin Summer Nationals (11th).
C.G. Morey, Rutland, Vt.
C.G. Morey is ready for his fourth full-time year with the Super DIRTcar Series after finishing 17th in 2024. The Rutland, Vt. driver made 12 starts last season, with his best finish coming at Thunder Mountain during the Natural 77 (16th).
Justin Stone, Middlebury, N.Y.
Justin Stone enters his second season with the Super DIRTcar Series, fresh off a rookie season in which he finished 16th in points. The Vermont campaigner had one top 10 finish in 2024, crossing the line at Land of Legends Raceway ninth last July.
Stone has already found success this season, reaching Victory Lane in a DIRTcar UMP Modified during DIRTcar Nationals in February.
Marcus Dinkins, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Marcus Dinkins returns to full-time competition with the Super DIRTcar Series for the sixth time in his career. The Watkins Glen, NY driver has made 58 career Series starts and aims to climb the standings in 2025.
Dinkins had his best run Brockville Ontario Speedway in September, where he crossed the line 19th.
NEWCOMERS:
Erick Rudolph/Ransomville, N.Y.
After a three-year break, Erick Rudolph returns to the Super DIRTcar Series in search of his first championship. The Ransomville, NY driver has come close to earning the prestigious title in the past, finishing second to Matt Sheppard in 2018.
Rudolph has already reached Victory Lane in 2025, grabbing his first Volusia Speedway Park victory during the finale of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals in February. He enters the championship season with 11 Series victories, tied with Dave Lape for 11th all-time.
Matt Stangle/Neshanic Station, N.J.
Matt Stangle has thrown his hat into the ring for MD3 Rookie of the Year honors in 2025. The Neshanic Station, N.J. driver has already been close to scoring a Super DIRTcar Series win, finishing second to Mat Williamson on the opening night of the 2023 championship season at Bridgeport Motorsports Park.
Stangle has a top five and two top 10s in three Super DIRTcar Series starts.
The Super DIRTcar Series kicks off its 2025 championship season on Saturday, March 29, for Power in the Pines at New Egypt Speedway in New Egypt, N.J.
Chisholm Rolls Into King Of America XIV With Big Momentum
WHEATLAND, Mo. Just a few days after earning a career-defining financial haul in the Dirt Modified world, Jim Chisholm knows its time to turn the page and focus on the King of America XIV at Lucas Oil Speedway.
The three-night United States Modified Touring Series show opens on Thursday with a $3,000-to-win feature and picks up momentum with a $5,000 prize to Fridays winner. Of course, all eyes will be on the $20,000-to-win prize in Saturdays grand finale.
For the 22-year-old Chisholm, who broke through in 2024 to win the USMTS National Championship, confidence is running high. The Osage, Iowa, native took command with a couple of laps remaining to capture $100,000 at last Saturdays XR Dominator at Salina Highbanks Speedway in Pryor, Okla.
Monetary-wise, the biggest for sure, Chisholm said of where the win ranks on his career list. Definitely one of the biggest races of my career going forward and might ever be. Just a really cool thing to have them put on shows like this and race for that kind of money.
The confidence is definitely there. Its a short turnaround, but we have short turnarounds a lot. You always come back to the shop and regroup. What happened last week is last week and you really cant take that into consideration this week. You just go at this next race like its another big one and try your best to win it.
Dan Ebert of Lake Shore, Minn., is reigning champion of the USMTS portion of the King of America with a win in 2023 as last years event was rained out at Humboldt Speedway. There have been 11 different winners over the years as the best of Modified racing gather for the early season showdown.
The event will include USRA Stock Cars paying $1,000-to-win Thursday, $2,000-to-win Friday and $3,000 to win Saturday. USRA B-Mods will be paying $1,000 to win Thursday, $2,000 to win Friday and $3,000 to win Saturday.
For Chisholm, the move of the King of America to Lucas Oil Speedway for the first time seems particularly timely. The south-central Missouri oval is a place that Chisholm never cared for until last summer when he swept USMTS features on back-to-back nights at Wheatland. The opener saw him prevail over veteran Terry Phillips in a back-and-forth duel over the last half of the race. That one was named Lucas Oil Speedways 2024 Race of the Year.
Chisholm said he doesnt have a good answer for why his fortunes suddenly took a positive turn at Wheatland, though a new dirt surface for the 2024 season could have played a factor.
It definitely drove like it was new dirt and reminded a lot of what we run at home, Chisholm said. Its stuff you cant push your stuff that hard. If you push, you go slower. It kind of fits into my driving style. Just finding the limit of the car you can run it at and not overstepping that boundary.
It raced super good last year. We were luckily able to start up front some of those shows and have good runs. Thats kind of the goal were setting for ourselves this time as well. Im super-excited to come back there.
Chisholm returns as the defending USMTS champion after edging out Jake Timm for his first championship. The title meant a ton for a youngster who grew up watching the USMTS stars visit nearby Deer Creek Speedway in family outings to the track.
It was one of those deals you watch them do the four-wide salute and youre like one of these days I want to be able to do that. To be able to go out and win a couple of shows and be a contender in the points was huge, but to win the championship Im still pretty speechless about that, Chisholm said.
There are a bunch of guys that are super fast and really tough to beat week in and week out. Its always a lot of fun to run with a group of guys who run so well together. You kind of know what to expect from them. They run you really hard and you run them really hard. At the end of the day, you go over and talk to them and go on to the next win.
Which is exactly what he will try to do, putting that six-figure pay day behind him.
As marquee events go this King of America kind of ranks with the Fall Jamboree, Chisholm said. Its the two original big Modified races. Its one of our biggest races of the year with the USMTS Series. Were gonna come out trying to win it, just like everyone else.
With only three events in the books so far on the USMTS schedule, Chisholm is a mere nine points behind five-time series champ Rodney Sanders. Not only is it way too early to talk points, Chisholm said he despises points racing any time of the year. Winning is the sole focus in his mind.
To be honest, I think points racing is dumb and to act like youre racing for points will only end up hurting you, Chisholm said. Every time youre at the race track your goal is to win. If you keep that in mind, the other stuff just kind of works out. Our goal every time is to try and win the race. If we come up short, we come up short and well try again next week.
Alex Bowman has been the most consistent driver through six NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
No driver has more top-10 finishes than Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team as he sits solidly third in the standings, behind teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson.
Consistency often leads to victories and that almost came to fruition during Sundays Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
After starting on the pole, Bowman led 43 laps and was in prime position to secure a playoff berth after taking the lead away from Bubba Wallace with 33 circuits remaining.
However, Larson quickly closed in on Bowmans No. 48 Chevrolet.
A mistake by Bowman with seven laps to go opened the door for Larson to pounce as he skated away to a win at the 1.5-mile oval.
Bowman was forced to settle for second in a race he feels he gave away.
The No. 5 (Kyle Larson) was way better than us on the long runs all day and he showed up there at the end, Bowman said. I just tried to push a little too hard and kind of hung it in the fence there, so thats on me.
I just didnt do a good enough job, but congratulations to Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team on getting the win.
While as disappointed as Bowman may have been, it was a major positive for a driver whos had his fair share of struggles at the track.
Over the last handful of years, Bowmans name has been brought up significantly in silly season headlines on whether hell remain with Hendrick Motorsports or if hell he replaced.
After all, he hasnt had a better points finish than ninth (last year) since 2020. However, a concussion (2022) and back injury (2023) in consecutive years hides within those tough seasons.
Following Sundays race, Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon fully backed Bowman and the No. 48 team, which is led by crew chief Blake Harris.
Listen, I think this performance all weekend, to have that solid of a weekend pole, pit stops were great. They were basically in the top five all day long, led a bunch of laps, Gordon said.
To be leading at the end, contending, that does a lot for a race team. I think we saw the momentum building with that team last year, at the end of last year. You just hope that they can build on that and carry that into the season, and I think they have. Youve got to get the results.
So I think today was an important day for them, and I think youll see that create quite a spark to hopefully get them on a run.
Through two races of the NTT IndyCar Series season and Meyer Shank Racing has sneakily had a massive uptick in performance compared to last season.
Last year, anchor driver Felix Rosenqvist kicked off the year strong with four straight top-10 finishes, however, fell to 12th in the standings by seasons end.
Now with a new teammate in 2023 rookie of the year Marcus Armstrong and the duo have racked up a solid amount of points through two races.
Both drivers reached the Firestone Fast Six at the season-opening event in St. Petersburg, Fla. as well as last weeks race at Californias Thermal Club, which is a sign of consistent speed.
Armstrong, in his first year with MSR after competing with Chip Ganassi Racing the last two seasons, endured issues and finished 24th in St. Pete but was able to rebound with a solid seventh-place effort at Thermal, his best with MSR to date.
It was a long race, so I really struggled on used alternates, Armstrong said of his race at Themral. I wasnt happy with the balance of the car, but we slowly made adjustments through the race and then put some new reds on at the end and we were pretty rapid.
Its a shame that the used tire runs were so tricky, but Im glad that we made up some ground at the end and finished where we started.
Rosenqvist continued his hot streak with a fifth-place finish at Thermal after what he described as a weird one after 65 laps around the lengthy circuit.
We really struggled on the blacks in the first stint, Rosenqvist said. Luckily we got off them pretty quick cause we struggled and then we just did the whole race on reds. We were the opposite on reds, we were really good, one of the strongest cars I think. We capitalized on that and picked up a few cars in the end and ended P5. I would say thats a pretty good day from P9.
It was a game of patience, kind of just going a little bit slower than you want to, to be quick at the end. It was a game of chess.
For a team thats been searching for consistency in recent years since its breakthrough victory at the Indianapolis 500 in 2021 with Helio Castroneves, the first two weeks of action may be a solid indication of whats to come.
The Washington Capitals have signed Jakob Chychrun to an eight-year extension worth $72 million, committing long-term to the defenseman they acquired last offseason.
Chychrun, who turns 27 next week, was in the last year of a six-year deal he signed in 2018 with the Arizona Coyotes and was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The $9 million average annual value of his contract makes him the highest-paid Capitals defenseman. It's also second behind Alex Ovechkin ($9.5 million) on the team next season.
The Capitals acquired Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators last summer for a 2026 third-round draft pick and defenseman Nick Jensen. The offensive defenseman is having his best NHL season, establishing a career high in points (43) in 65 games and tying his career best in goals (18).
"Jakob is a proven, dynamic defenseman in the prime of his career who has established himself as one of the premier blueliners in the NHL," GM Chris Patrick said in a statement Tuesday. "His work ethic, skill set, and ability to excel in all situations at both ends of the ice make him a valuable asset to our team. He is a perfect fit with our culture and vision for the future, and we couldn't be more thrilled that he will continue to be part of our organization for the next eight years."
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Chychrun ranks third in the NHL in power-play goals (22) and tied for third in goals (66) among defensemen. Only Colorado's Cale Makar (100 goals, 36 power-play goals) and Nashville's Roman Josi (81 goals, 31 power-play goals) have more goals and power-play goals than Chychrun in that span.
The signing of Chychrun gives the Capitals three defensemen locked in through at least 2029, along with Matt Roy and Rasmus Sandin. It also gives the Capitals a potential successor to John Carlson, the 16-year veteran who turns 36 next season, the last year of his 8-year contract.
Acquiring Chychrun was one of several moves made by the Capitals to remain a playoff contender while Ovechkin chases down Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal-scoring record. Those moves paid off: The Capitals are first in the NHL with 102 points and were the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season.
Chychrun's contract carries the same average annual value as Josi, Makar and Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils, but the economic landscape in the NHL is about to dramatically change. In January, the NHL and NHLPA confirmed the salary cap will jump over the next three seasons. The salary cap for 2025-26 will rise to $95.5 million from $88 million this season; by 2026-27, it's projected to increase to $113.5 million.
Inter Miami signed Ecuador international forward Allen Obando from Barcelona Sporting Club on loan through the end of the 2025 Major League Soccer season, with an option to make the transfer permanent in December.
In exchange for Obando's discovery rights, Inter Miami traded $100,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and $50,000 in 2026 GAM to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the club announced Tuesday.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to continue my career with a new challenge at a great club like Inter Miami," Obando said in the club's statement. "I'm ready to get to work to continue growing as a player and help my teammates and the Club fight for our objectives this season."
The 18-year-old joins the club pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa.
Obando kicked off his career with Barcelona de Guayaquil in Ecuador, making his debut in August 2022 at 16 years old. He went on to contribute four goals and three assists in two seasons before departing.
At the international level, Obando represented the Ecuadorian national team at different levels including the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament and the 2025 South American U20 Championship. Overall, he's recorded four goals and one assist in 10 appearances while boasting the Ecuadorian national team jersey.
He made his senior national team debut in Match 2024 and has won two caps.
Obando joins Gonzalo Luján, Maximiliano Falcón, Tadeo Allende, Telasco Segovia, Baltasar Rodríguez and Fafà Picault as Miami's signings in 2025.
Inter Miami remains unbeaten in the 2025 campaign, sitting in third place on the MLS Eastern Conference table with 10 points in four games and reaching the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals, where it will face LAFC.
Iran qualified for the 2026 World Cup after Mehdi Taremi scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
The Inter Milan striker scored his second goal in the 83rd minute in Tehran, giving Iran the point it needed to qualify to a fourth straight appearance at the World Cup and a seventh overall.
The 48-team tournament will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Uzbekistan, three points behind Iran in Group A, would have qualified for the first time with a victory and twice took the lead at the Azadi Stadium.
Khojimat Erkinov struck after 16 minutes but Taremi put Iran back on level terms seven minutes into the second half by firing an unstoppable volley into the roof of the net from the edge of the area.
Immediately, Abbosbek Fayzullaev restored Uzbekistan's lead but, Taremi responded, this time from close range, to send Iran to the World Cup where it will attempt to progress past the group stages for the first time.
Earlier, Australia took a big step toward securing a spot at tournament with a 2-0 win over China in Hangzhou on Tuesday that also ended the hosts' hopes of automatic qualification.
First-half goals from Jackson Irvine and Nishan Velupillay were enough for the Socceroos. With two games in Group C remaining in the third round, Australia is three points clear of third-placed Saudi Arabia, which drew 0-0 at already-qualified Japan.
The top two from each of the three groups of six in Asia are guaranteed a place, while the teams that finish third and fourth will advance to a further stage to compete for two more places.
Irvine, who scored twice in the 5-1 win over Indonesia on Thursday, needed just 16 minutes to make room inside a crowded area to curl home a shot into the corner.
To make matters worse for China, 13 minutes later goalkeeper Wang Dalei spilled a tame shot from Velupillay which then rolled over the line.
China has yet to return to the World Cup since its 2002 debut and remains bottom of the group.
Saudi Arabia is still in the hunt for a seventh appearance after a battling goalless draw in Japan. The hosts dominated at Saitama Stadium but were unable to get the breakthrough.
South Korea drops points again In Group B, South Korea stayed top but dropped two points for the second time inside a week, drawing 1-1 at home to Jordán.
South Korea needed just six minutes to take the lead when Lee Jae-sung arrived late to divert Son Heung-min's corner into the net from close range.
A win would have put the Koreans on the brink of an 11th successive appearance but Jordan was level on the half hour. Mahmoud Al-Mardi pounced on the loose ball to shoot home, though the shot was deflected off a Korean defender.
South Korea has 16 points, three more than Jordan. Iraq, in action against the Palestinian team later, is in third with 12 points.
Real Madrid star Arda Güler called Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai "a joke" on Monday after the pair clashed in the UEFA Nations League game between Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey beat Hungary 3-0 in Budapest -- Güler scored the second goal -- to claim a comfortable 6-1 aggregate win over two legs.
During the match at the Puskas arena, Güler was seen putting his finger to his lips in a "shhh" gesture aimed at Szoboszlai.
The Liverpool playmaker later commented "1088" on an Instagram post showing the incident from the Hungarian website nso.hu, a reference to the number of minutes Güler has played for Madrid this season.
Güler responded on Instragam on Monday, writing: "This guy is a joke. Isn't six goals enough to shut you up?"
The caption was accompanied by a photo of Güler's "shhh" gesture, and the 3-0 scoreline from the game, with the words "Szoboszlai, one Instagram comment" shown alongside the names of the three Turkish goalscorers.
Güler has made 31 appearances for Madrid in all competitions this season, but 21 of them have come as a substitute, often for just a few minutes each.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, published on Tuesday, Güler insisted that he is not considering departing Madrid this summer, after the LaLiga giants beat competition from a string of top clubs to sign him in July 2023.
"Real Madrid gave me a plan, and I still believe in it," Güler said. "I'm sure I'll succeed at Madrid, I've even bought a house in Madrid. I work hard and I'm always ready to play.
"I came to Real Madrid to play and be an important part of the team. And I won't stop until I achieve that."
Madrid still have a chance of winning three major trophies this season -- they are second in LaLiga, in the Copa del Rey semifinals, and play Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals next month -- having already lifted the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Forward Trinity Rodman will return to the United States women's national team for the first time since its Olympic gold medal victory in August.
Rodman is among the 24 players whom USWNT coach Emma Hayes has called in for games against Brazil on April 5 and April 8, U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday.
The matches, which will take place just outside Los Angeles and San Jose, California, respectively, serve as a rematch of last year's Olympic final, which the Americans won 1-0.
Rodman returned to the field for the Washington Spirit on Saturday in her first competitive match since the NWSL Championship on Nov. 25.
She had played through back pains that ailed her throughout the fall and kept her out of the past four USWNT training camps.
Rodman entered Saturday's game in the 57th minute of the Spirit's 2-0 loss to the Kansas City Current.
She appeared to score an equalizer one minute later, but the potential goal was scrapped after video review.
She scored three goals at the Olympics as part of the self-proclaimed "Triple Espresso" forward line alongside Sophia Wilson (formerly Smith) and Mallory Swanson, both of whom have also been away from the USWNT since the Olympics.
Wilson recently announced she is pregnant and is on maternity leave. Swanson has been on personal leave from club and country since January.
"I have not had the chance to work with the Triple Espresso, Rose [Lavelle], Naomi [Girma] together since the Olympics, so it's a long time, but to get one of them [Rodman] back is really exciting," Hayes said.
"Of course, [I] have to urge a little bit of caution [with Rodman], because she's had an ongoing back complaint. I think she's on the right road to that, but it can be quite easy to sort of trigger it. You can go from a position of a managed return to play, to too much. So, I have to try and find the sweet spot in camp to reintegrate her back in the team, but also to manage her, because she has a long season ahead."
Hayes continues to experiment with "less experienced players continuing to try to prove themselves," as she said in a statement, in the early buildup to the 2027 World Cup.
Eleven players on the roster have 10 caps or fewer, with an average age of 25.3 years old.
"All of the players know they have to earn every roster spot, every starting spot and every minute they get as a finisher off the bench," Hayes said. "Working with players who are striving for consistency in elite performance, so they can keep getting call-ups and keep exceling at this level, is an exciting process and one that continues with these two games."
The young faces include 17-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes, who will return after impressing at the SheBelieves Cup despite the Americans' loss to Japan to concede the tournament title.
Midfielder Claire Hutton, 19, is the other teenager on the roster. Houston Dash full-back Avery Patterson has also received her first senior call-up.
Hayes has also recalled several players who have been absent from the USWNT since she took over as coach last year.
Center-back Alana Cook and forward Ashley Hatch return to the USWNT in a training camp with games for the first time under Hayes (Hatch trained with the team in January). Each player's last appearance for the team was in late 2023.
Forward Mia Fishel will also join the USWNT as a training player in camp, along with goalkeeper Angelina Anderson. Fishel tore an ACL in USWNT camp in February 2024 and just returned to the field for Chelsea FC's senior team on Sunday. Anderson will train alongside the three rostered goalkeepers: Jane Campbell, Mandy McGlynn and Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
Hayes has said that she will use 2025 to evaluate who could be the next starting goalkeeper following the retirement of longtime starter Alyssa Naeher.
"If you think about this, prior to when even Alyssa [Naeher] made the No. 1 her own, it takes a period of time to be able to solidify that," Hayes said. "And I think it's fair to say we've got a lot of really good quality goalkeepers. Who will emerge from that as the No. 1? I don't know, but they have to take their chances when they get them.
"This is a performance-related business, and each and every opportunity they get, they have to make the most of it, because, of course, that will impact my decision making as we progress. This camp, there will be changes in goal again."
U.S. women's national team roster by position (Club; Caps/Goals) - April matches vs. Brazil
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jane Campbell (Houston Dash; 10), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals; 2), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United, ENG; 0)
DEFENDERS (8): Alana Cook (Kansas City Current; 29/1), Tierna Davidson (Gotham FC; 67/3), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 157/25), Emily Fox (Arsenal FC, ENG; 65/1), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit; 3/0), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash; 0/0), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride; 3/0), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC; 105/2)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain, FRA; 25/1), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns FC; 31/1), Lindsey Heaps (Olympique Lyon, FRA; 163/36), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current; 1/0), Jaedyn Shaw (North Carolina Courage; 24/8), Lily Yohannes (Ajax, NED; 4/1)
FORWARDS (7): Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current; 2/1), Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 22/5), Catarina Macario (Chelsea FC, ENG; 21/9), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 46/10), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash; 7/0), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals; 5/2), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City FC; 15/1)
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