Borussia Dortmund's capitulation at the hands of Real Madrid in the Spanish capital on Tuesday somehow seems in keeping with the wildly out-of-balance nature of the Schwarzgelben in their current guise.

It was a reunion on multiple levels: a meeting with the team that defeated them in the UEFA Champions League final 143 days prior, a hello again to the man who guided them to that match at Wembley, Edin Terzic, who is doing TV punditry duty for Amazon Prime. Most strikingly, though, it was a reunion with the plain reminder that Dortmund are far from complete -- indeed fundamentally flawed.

Terzic's successor, Nuri Şahin, faced a string of uncomfortable interviews after the game during which he had to answer for his own culpability. The word of the night was Umstellung ("switch"), meaning the change of shape from the 4-2-3-1 that had seen BVB dominate the first half in every way -- more and better passing, winning more challenges and two lovely goals -- to the 5-4-1 that proved their undoing.

The image of centre-back Waldemar Anton replacing the dangerous Jamie Gittens on 55 minutes is the one that will live long in the memory of those watching in Germany. In retrospect, it was akin to waving the white flag and inviting a reinvigorated Madrid on to them.

Bringing on floundering club captain Emre Can and having him effectively go one-on-one against Vinícius Júnior also raised eyebrows.

Dortmund came apart at the seams, which can happen against a team of Real Madrid's quality, but in this case, Şahin's tactical choices contributed mightily to their downfall.

Under the new coach, BVB have been quite simply wretched on their travels, losing three in a row in all competitions away from the Signal Iduna Park while conceding 12. For any tactician, that is concerning, and the trip to FC Augsburg this weekend now takes on extra significance.

Dortmund's home form is perfect statistically, but anyone who has watched them regularly would say many of the performances have been suspect. On Friday, BVB were guilty of trying to sleepwalk their way to victory against St. Pauli and only succeeded thanks to an effective late co-production of Gittens and the excellent Serhou Guirassy.

Şahin, who served as a Terzic assistant in the second half of last season, has his hands full because (and this can't be laid at his door) the squad still has holes in it and a lack of balance with as many questions as answers. That is the territory of recently promoted managing director of sport Lars Ricken and sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

The signing policy has been less coherent than that seen with Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich or VfB Stuttgart. Gone seemingly are the days of identifying some of the best young players in Europe, polishing them successfully and eventually transferring on, rinse and repeat. Think Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.

Tuesday was an experience best forgotten, which ended in bizarre fashion due to an unusual, strident monologue on Prime by Matthias Sammer, former Bundesliga champion as a player and coach with BVB and these days, often seen gesticulating wildly in the stand on matchdays in his role as advisor to the club's senior management. He covered everything from having the right attitude to how proud he is to be German and therefore one should never accept defeat and then, maybe confusingly for younger viewers, the Wunder von Uerdingen (the miracle of Uerdingen), a famous Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal fightback by Bayer Uerdingen against his Dynamo Dresden side in 1986.

It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Dortmund will need a miracle comeback of their own to turn this season into a positive one.

Europe proving challenging for Bundesliga sides

There is no point in trying to fully sugarcoat what was a chastening Champions League midweek for the German clubs with the exception of Stuttgart, who fully deserved their 1-0 win away to Juventus in Turin.

That it ended a run of four competitive matches without a victory made the success by die Schwaben all the sweeter. I particularly enjoyed Angelo Stiller's performance as part of a twin midfield fulcrum alongside Atakan Karazor, but the introduction of goal scorer El Bilal Toure for the ineffective Ermedin Demirovic ended up being one of the keys for Sebastian Hoeness and his team. Enzo Millot and Jamie Leweling were both outstanding, and after cruel luck in their opening two games, it puts this likeable team potentially on their way.

Bayern, meanwhile, are reeling after having the power turned off in Barcelona seemingly at the "Flick" of a switch. Yes, their old coach Hansi Flick -- who was linked with a return to Munich last spring -- had new coach Vincent Kompany's number.

Kompany must ask himself whether Bayern can really get away with this free, high-pressing, leave-yourself-exposed approach against high-level or adept counterattacking opposition. In this constellation, Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae are being overburdened and Manuel Neuer -- for the second Champions League game in a row -- showed he's not quite the saviour of times past.

After back-to-back defeats against Aston Villa and Barca, the alarm bells are ringing for a team intent on being part of a Champions League final on their own patch.

Leverkusen had an off night by their standards in a 1-1 draw of few chances in Guingamp against Brest. Xabi Alonso's decision to make eight changes made it slightly reminiscent of their DFB-Pokal win in Jena in August. Still, with seven points from three games, die Werkself remain well positioned.

Not so Leipzig, who have yet to pick up a Champions League point. Their 1-0 defeat at home against a more mature Liverpool was no disgrace, but it leaves Leipzig in a difficult position if they have designs on progressing.

Despite this, I don't see Marco Rose's team, currently level on points with Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga, falling away domestically any time soon thanks to a parsimonious rearguard organised by Willi Orbán. Only two goals conceded so far is a receipt for their ability to blunt the opposition.

SC Freiburg, who would overtake their hosts with a Saturday win at the Red Bull Arena, should provide a stern test. There's no doubt the men from Breisgau will feel their prospects have improved with the news that Xavi Simons could miss the rest of 2024 with a bad ankle ligament injury.

Bochum putting 'unrelegatable' tag to the test

When a club dispenses with the services of both the sporting director and coach after seven games, you know something is awry, and that certainly applies to bottom-of-the-table VfL Bochum, who have just one point to their name. With Peter Zeidler and Marc Lettau out, Markus Feldhoff and Murat Ural will step up from their roles as assistant coaches on a temporary basis.

First priority for the Reverklub, though, will be to get a new sporting chief installed considering they had already lost former sporting CEO Patrick Fabian immediately after their dramatic escape from relegation through the May playoff.

Bochum, due to history, are often thought of as die Unabsteigbaren (the unrelegatables), but this season's task is already looking a steep one with Bayern, Leverkusen and Stuttgart their next three adversaries.

The Los Angeles Rams activated wide receiver Puka Nacua from injured reserve ahead of Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Rams placed linebacker Troy Reeder (hamstring) on injured reserve in a corresponding move. Reeder, a starting inside linebacker, will be sidelined for at least four games.

Nacua, who sprained his PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) in Week 1, has missed the Rams' previous five games. The injury was an aggravation of a training camp knee injury.

The Rams have been without their top two receivers since Week 2, but Cooper Kupp also is set to return Thursday night from a sprained ankle.

Last season, Nacua set records for the most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) by a rookie in NFL history. Nacua had four catches for 35 yards in the Rams' season opener before his injury.

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves hired Tim Hyers as hitting coach Thursday after a shake-up of manager Brian Snitker's staff.

Hyers, 53, joins the Braves after spending the last three seasons in the same capacity with the Texas Rangers, where he was part of the World Series victory in 2023.

Hyers replaces Kevin Seitzer, who was among three coaches dumped by Atlanta shortly after an injury-plagued season ended with a two-game sweep by the San Diego Padres in the NL wild-card series.

Seitzer served as hitting coach for 10 years. Assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes and catching coach Sal Fasano also were fired by the Braves.

Hyers previously served as hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2018 through 2021, preceded by a two-year stint as assistant hitting coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has worked with a dozen Silver Slugger winners in his career.

An Atlanta native, Hyers was a first baseman and outfielder who played a total of 133 games over four big league seasons with San Diego, Detroit and the Marlins.

LOS ANGELES -- Mark Carlson will be the World Series umpire crew chief, and Andy Fletcher, Mark Ripperger and Carlos Torres will make their Fall Classic debuts.

Torres, 46, who began his big league career in 2015, will work the plate for the opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium, Major League Baseball said Thursday.

Carlson, 55, made his major league debut in 1999 and will be umpiring in the Series for the third time, having done so previously in 2015 and 2020. He will be at first base for Game 1 on Friday night, joined by Doug Eddings at second, Ripperger at third, Chad Fairchild in left and Todd Tichenor in right. Fletcher will be the reserve umpire.

This will be the second World Series each for Eddings, 56, who umpired the Fall Classic in 2019, Fairchild, 53, who did so in 2018 and Tichenor, 47, who served in 2020. Eddings made his big league debut in 1998, Fairchild in 2004 and Tichenor in 2007.

Fletcher will call balls and strikes for Game 2, followed by Carlson, Eddings, Ripperger, Fairchild and Tichenor in Game 7.

Tichenor will be the crew chief for the second game, when Carlson is a reserve.

Fletcher, 57, debuted in 1999 and Ripperger, 44, in 2010.

Ripperger had a 94.8% accuracy rate behind the plate during the season, according to UmpScorecards.com. Tichenor was at 94.4%, Torres 94.2%, Fairchild 93.8%, Carlson 93.6%, Eddings 93.4% and Fletcher 93.1%.

Cory Blaser and James Hoye will be the video review umpires at the replay operations center at the commissioner's office in New York.

All nine umpires worked in the Division Series.

New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair will be sidelined four-to-six weeks due to a lower-body injury, the team announced Thursday.

Duclair sustained the injury in the third period of the Islanders' 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Duclair, 29, has two goals and one assist through five games this season.

Signed to a four-year, $14 million contract on July 1, Duclair has totaled 306 points (148 goals, 158 assists) in 568 career games with nine different teams.

Duclair was selected by the New York Rangers in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft.

DETROIT -- Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce are expected to return from injury and make their season debuts for the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in Detroit.

Hughes, 21, hurt his shoulder training in the offseason. Pesce broke a leg in the playoffs last season with the Carolina Hurricanes and has been rehabbing. New Jersey is 5-3-1 without the defensemen, but the Devils gave up 14 goals in losing the past two games.

Hughes had nine goals and 38 assists in 82 games last season. He was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL's top rookie.

Pesce, 29, was signed as a free agent in the offseason, receiving a six-year $33 million deal. He had 39 goals and 159 assists in 627 games with the Hurricanes, who drafted him in 2013.

Major League Soccer named Lionel Messi a finalist for the 2024 MLS MVP award, joining his Inter Miami CF teammate Luis Suárez, as well as Cucho Hernández, Evander and Christian Benteke on the list.

Each player met the new qualifying regulations that require a minimum of 1,000 minutes played in the regular season campaign.

Messi earned his second nomination for the award since joining MLS in July 2023. Though the forward failed to win the award last season, he's being considered the leading candidate in 2024 after contributing 20 goals and 16 assists in just 19 games.

Despite concerns over his lack of participation throughout the 34-match campaign, playing only 55% of games, teammate Jordi Alba has insisted that Messi must win MVP.

"Regarding Leo, I repeat myself, every time you ask me, I think he deserves all the awards they can give him, I think he is the best player in the world, with a lot of intensity compared to the rest and until he retires," he said on Friday.

"I'm sure he'll win the MVP and if he doesn't win it, well, it's no longer anyone's decision, it's the people who vote but hey, for me he's the best."

Messi's contributions in 2024 propelled Inter Miami to lift the Supporters' Shield and set the new league record for most points recorded in a single season.

Suárez, on the other hand, has recorded 20 goals and nine assists in 27 games in his first MLS season after joining Inter Miami in December 2023. He also stands as a finalist for Newcomer of the Year.

The forward adjusted quickly, tying for second place on the Golden Boot rankings with Messi and Dénis Bouanga. Together, Messi and Suárez account for 40 of the team's 79 goals this season.

Benteke won the Golden Boot with 23 goals this season, but his D.C. United team failed to make the MLS Playoffs, while Evander impressed in the Western Conference with15 goals and 19 assists before the Portland Timbers fell 5-0 to the Vancouver Whitecaps in Wednesday's wild-card match.

Hernández, reigning MLS Cup MVP, propelled the Columbus Crew to second place on the Eastern Conference table with 19 goals and 14 assists.

Other award finalists include: Chris Armas (Colorado Rapids), Gerardo "Tata" Martino (Inter Miami CF) and Wilfried Nancy (Columbus Crew) for Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year.

Luca Orellano (FC Cincinnati), Gabriel Pec (LA Galaxy) and Suárez (Inter Miami CF) were announced for MLS Newcomer of the Year, and Jordi Alba (Inter Miami CF), Steven Moreira (Columbus Crew) and Jackson Ragen (Seattle Sounders FC) for Defender of the Year.

Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team continue to lead the way as the average MLS salary rose 9.7%, according to the latest MLS player salary data released by the MLS Players Association (MLSPA) Thursday.

Messi, who is under contract through the end of 2025, has an annual guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million, factoring in only the Argentina forward's salary. Previously, Miami co-owner Jorge Mas has said that Messi's total compensation, which includes a cut from the league's Apple TV deal, was in the $50 million to $60 million range.

Messi's total compensation was more than the entire payrolls of 22 other MLS teams.

Miami won the Supporters' Shield for the first time this year and set an MLS record for most points in the regular season with 74 after Messi's 11-minute hat trick inspired the team to a 6-2 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday.

The team's point total was aided in part by a record spend of $41.7 million. That is more than double the amount spent by 23 of the league's 29 teams.

The average outlay per team was $18.41 million, with the median settling in at $16.68 million. Spending big was by no means a guarantee of success, however. Of the 10 highest-spending teams, four missed the MLS Cup playoffs.

The top five salary-earners were rounded out by Toronto FC's Lorenzo Insigne at $15.4 million, Miami's Sergio Busquets at $8.77 million, Austin FC's Sebastián Driussi at $6.7 million and Toronto's Federico Bernardeschi at $6.3 million.

French World Cup winner Olivier Giroud has $3.7 million annualized total compensation under the contract he signed to join LAFC in July.

All data is as of Sept. 13, 2024. The salary data was annualized for players who arrived during the summer transfer window.

The average guaranteed base compensation for the entire MLS player pool -- which included pool players, retired players still owed money and a pair from next year's expansion side, San Diego FC -- continues to climb on an annual basis, rising to $596,226 up 9.7% from the September 2023 mark of $543,207.

The salaries of players at the bottom of the wage scale continue to improve, as the league's median guaranteed base compensation was $308,375, up 9.3% from last year's figure of $282,125.

MLS and the MLSPA are in the fourth year of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was agreed upon in February 2021. The CBA runs through the end of the 2027 season.

In terms of team payroll based on guaranteed base compensation, Toronto FC ranked second behind Miami at $31.81 million, followed by LAFC (22.08 million), LA Galaxy ($21.96 million) and Nashville SC ($21.86 million).

CF Montreal had the lowest payroll at $11.43 million, followed by the Philadelphia Union ($13.81 million), the Colorado Rapids ($13.44 million), the San Jose Earthquakes ($14.63 million) and Minnesota United (14.77 million).

Other notable players who joined MLS during the summer transfer window included Houston forward Ezequiel Ponce ($2.8 million total compensation), St. Louis midfielder Marcel Hartel ($2.2 million), Atlanta midfielder Alexey Miranchuk ($3.7 million), Salt Lake midfielder Diogo Gonçalves ($1.8 million), LA Galaxy midfielder Marco Reus ($1.2 million), Minnesota forward Kelvin Yeboah ($1.2 million), New York Red Bulls midfielder Felipe Carballo Ares ($1.2 million), Cincinnati defender Chidozie Awaziem ($1.2 million) and Austin winger Osman Bukari ($1 million).

Total spend per team:

1. Inter Miami - $41.7 million

2. Toronto FC - $31.81 million

3. LAFC - $22.08 million

4. LA Galaxy - $21.96 million

5. Nashville SC - $21.86 million

6. FC Cincinnati - $20.95 million

7. Houston Dynamo - $20.52 million

8. New England Revolution - $18.88 million

9. New York Red Bulls - $18.08 million

10. Austin FC - $17.60 million

11. Orlando City - $17.49 million

12. Vancouver Whitecaps - $17.41 million

13. Chicago Fire - $17.22 million

14. FC Dallas - $17.19 million

15. Seattle Sounders - $16.68 million

16. Columbus Crew - $16.57 million

17. DC United - $16.49 million

18. Sporting Kansas City - $16.31 million

19. New York City FC - $16.24 million

20. Real Salt Lake - $16.07 million

21. St. Louis City SC - $15.48 million

22. Charlotte FC - $15.47 million

23. Portland Timbers - $15.41 million

24. Atlanta United - $15.23 million

25. Minnesota United - $14.77 million

26. San Jose Earthquakes - $14.63 million

27. Colorado Rapids - $14.44 million

28. Philadelphia Union - $13.81 million

29. CF Montreal - $11.43 million

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- DeAndre Hopkins has three first-team All-Pro selections and seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He has played on some good teams but never one that ventured deep in the playoffs.

So Hopkins says he is looking forward to playing for a Super Bowl contender after his trade to the Kansas City Chiefs was made official Thursday.

"I've done a lot, all the accolades that I can accomplish as far as personal [goals]," Hopkins said before he joined the Chiefs at practice for the first time. "So I think just playing meaningful football in January is what's left on the list."

Hopkins thanked Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon and his staff for sending him to a contender, saying, "Those guys could have traded me anywhere."

"It means a lot," Hopkins said. "[Playing for a contender] takes your game to a different level. It [raises] your focus, your drive, knowing that you're playing for something."

Coach Andy Reid indicated that the Chiefs planned for Hopkins to play Sunday against the Raiders in Las Vegas, saying 'Why wait?" when asked about the possibility.

Hopkins said he would be ready if asked to play.

"I've been in the NFL for 12 years, so I know football," Hopkins said. "Hopefully I can go out there and make some plays wherever I fit, wherever I'm needed."

The Chiefs have lost two of their top wide receivers, Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown, for lengthy periods if not the season. JuJu Smith-Schuster won't play against the Raiders because of a sore hamstring, and Skyy Moore was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

"He's a good, veteran player and has seen just about everything over 12 years, and he's a good space player so he has a very good understanding how to work in space at the same time," Reid said of Hopkins. "He's a tough matchup because of his size, arm length, big body that knows how to play that in low post area very well."

Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said Hopkins has a large catch radius, something that will help quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

"He has really, really good hands." Nagy said. "He's got some of the least amount of drops in the history of the NFL."

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The NFL officially announced Thursday that Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams is suspended for two games without pay for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Williams will be eligible for reinstatement on Nov. 4 following the Lions' Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers, the league said.

The news came after Williams announced that he won't appeal the league's decision and has accepted the punishment. In a statement released through his agent Rocky Arceneaux, Williams said that "the news came as a complete surprise that I am still trying to understand."

pic.twitter.com/n82Ip0KDDl

Rocky Arceneaux (@Alliance_Sports) October 24, 2024

"I don't take supplements or vitamins and I am overly cautious about even taking over-the-counter medicine," Williams said. "At no time have I ever taken something in an attempt to cheat or look for an unfair advantage. I understand that I am responsible for everything that goes into my body and I have to take accountability in this instance."

Williams has attended Lions practices for the past two days and said that the league notified him of the violation this week. He was also suspended for four games for violating the NFL's gambling policy in 2023 for mobile betting on non-NFL games from a club facility. He also missed the first 11 games of his rookie season because of an ACL injury suffered in college

Williams, the No. 12 pick out of Alabama in the 2022 draft, is second on the Lions in both receiving yards (361) and touchdowns (3).

"I have nothing but love and respect for this game, my teammates, coaches, the Lions organization and the city of Detroit," Williams said. "It is disappointing to accept this suspension, and it will hurt me to be away from the team as they prepare this week. So out of respect to my teammates, this will be the last time I address this matter."

Although Williams' career has gotten off to a bumpy start, Lions head coach Dan Campbell says he still has faith that Williams can grow from this incident. The team will rely on its other receiving weapons such as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Allen Robinson, Kalif Raymond, Tim Patrick and tight end Sam LaPorta to help pick up the slack.

"I trust this kid. I trust him. And unfortunately, you've got to pay for your sins," Campbell said Wednesday. "If something happens and this comes down, so be it. But I know this, we dangled the rope down on the way up. We can't wait for anybody.

"And over a year ago, he started climbing his way up and he got to us. And maybe he lost his grip, but he'll climb back up again. That rope's still there. It's tied to us, and he'll be just fine, but he's part of this team and I trust him."