Mauricio Pochettino's United States side rode a barnstorming first half to a 4-2 win over Jamaica on Monday in St. Louis, earning a spot in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals next year.

First-half goals from Christian Pulisic and Ricardo Pepi put the two-legged series out of reach for Jamaica, already trailing 1-0 from the first leg, as the U.S. completed an impressive 5-2 aggregate win

Timothy Weah was back in the U.S. lineup for the first time since being sent off with a straight red card at the Copa America, and he made his presence felt early with a shot that rattled the post and almost gave the home side an early lead.

The up-tempo start to the game did lead to the opener soon after Weah's miss, though, when Pulisic got on the end of a perfect Weston McKennie cross and beat an onrushing Andre Blake with a delightful first-time shot.

Another free-flowing move led to the USMNT's second goal, again off the boot of Pulisic, as a curled effort from outside the area took a wicked deflection to double the Americans' lead before Pepi put them up 3-0 at halftime with a fine finish of his own.

The second goal put Pulisic on 51 career goal contributions for the U.S., tying Eric Wynalda for 4th in team history

Demarai Gray pulled a goal back early in the second half, but the U.S. answered through Weah, who restored his team's three-goal advantage with a stunning volley that went over Blake's head and dipped under the crossbar into the back of the net.

Gray scored one final consolation for Jamaica, but the result was in hand for the three-time Nations League-winning U.S., which advances to the semifinals of the competition at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in March.

The result also means the U.S. has qualified for next year's Concacaf Gold Cup, while Jamaica will have to play a qualifier.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- On an already lengthy injury list full of some of the biggest names on the team, the San Francisco 49ers had another significant addition Monday: quarterback Brock Purdy.

Coming out of Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Purdy is dealing with soreness in his right (throwing) shoulder, according to Niners coach Kyle Shanahan. At first blush, the shoulder issue does not appear to be long term, but Purdy will be watched closely when the Niners begin their practice week Wednesday.

"He's day-to-day," Shanahan said.

Shanahan wasn't sure if there was a specific play that directly affected Purdy's shoulder but said the soreness is likely the result of hits Purdy took during the game against Seattle. Shanahan added he didn't think the shoulder soreness affected Purdy during the game.

Purdy was 21-of-28 for 159 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Seahawks while being sacked twice. He also rushed five times for 40 yards and a touchdown where he took some additional hits.

Still, Sunday's game was a slog for a Niners offense that had its lowest total yardage output (277) since Week 6 of last season and couldn't muster any plays longer than a 22-yard completion to wideout Jauan Jennings.

"I think they just did a good job with taking away our opportunities to go deep," Purdy said. "They kept everything in front of them."

Purdy isn't the only key 49er the team will be monitoring for pain and soreness this week. Defensive end Nick Bosa's status appears as tenuous this week as it did last week after he injured his left hip and oblique against the Seahawks.

Bosa entered the Seattle game with a right hip and oblique issue, but when he sacked Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith with about nine minutes left in the third quarter Sunday, he felt a similar pain on the other side.

After the game, Bosa said he felt like he was "compensating" for the injury on the right side and indicated his status this week against the Green Bay Packers is up in the air.

Shanahan said Bosa still has a chance to play against the Packers and it's too early to decide. Like last week, Bosa isn't likely to do much in practice over the next few days.

"We'll see how it goes this week," Shanahan said. "[There's] just as good of a chance for him not to play as play. But unless it's an injury that you know has them knocked out ... you don't decide those things on Mondays."

The 49ers' defense was much better with Bosa on the field against Seattle than when he was off it. Seattle averaged 3.3 yards per play, scored no touchdowns and yielded three sacks with Bosa on the field, but those numbers moved to 6.1, two and one, respectively, with Bosa on the sideline.

"Brutal," Bosa said Sunday. "The most important time in the game for me to be out there, I wasn't able to be. I hate missing time. That's why I pushed through last week. Hopefully, it's not too long [to be out]."

The Niners will also be keeping an eye on tight end George Kittle (hamstring), left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and cornerback Charvarius Ward (who has been away for personal reasons) this week.

Kittle did not play against the Seahawks despite practicing on a limited basis Thursday and Friday.

"He should practice on Wednesday," Shanahan said. "I know it was close yesterday, so I think he should be good for practice on Wednesday."

Williams, meanwhile, did not practice at all last week but still played 57 snaps and posted a perfect pass block win rate of 100% on 30 pass-blocking snaps.

"I know he is sore today," Shanahan said. "I know he battled to play in that game and really appreciated him getting through it and out there, and we'll see how he recovers here going into Wednesday."

Ward has been away from the team since the Week 9 bye because of the death of his 1-year-old daughter. He attended Sunday's game against Seattle and took part in Monday's team meeting, according to Shanahan.

"He did some workouts here over the weekend with Dustin Perry, our strength and conditioning coach, and we'll see how this week goes with him," Shanahan said.

Elsewhere on the injury front, 49ers punt returner Jacob Cowing is in the concussion protocol and linebacker Tatum Bethune is expected to miss an extended period with a sprained MCL in his knee.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys had planned to open the AT&T Stadium roof for Monday night's game against the Houston Texans, but the plan was scrapped because a piece of metal fell to the field as the roof was opening more than two hours before kickoff.

"We can confirm a piece of metal came loose and fell to the field [with some additional small debris] while the roof was in the process of opening," the Cowboys said in a statement. "There were no injuries. It is being reviewed further, and a decision regarding the ability to re-open the roof safely will be made when possible."

The Cowboys attributed high winds during the day Monday to contributing to the piece of metal falling and that the roof would remain closed for Monday night's game.

The roof has not been open for a Cowboys game in the past two years. In last week's home game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the team intended to have the doors open for the game, but they would not open completely.

AT&T Stadium opened in 2009. The Cowboys are 2-5 all time with the roof open and doors closed.

The last time the Cowboys opened the roof was Oct. 30, 2022, against the Chicago Bears, a 49-29 win.

The roof and doors were open that day.

Entering Monday, the Cowboys have lost their first four home games this season and five in a row overall when including last season's wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys have not lost five straight home games since 2015 and have not lost the first five home games of a season since 1989 when they finished 1-15 in Jerry Jones' first year as owner and general manager.

In the wake of losing all three of their centers to injuries, the Indiana Pacers are signing 7-foot-2 big man Moses Brown to a deal, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Pacers center Myles Turner sat out Monday's 130-119 loss to the Toronto Raptors because of a calf injury, and Indiana lost James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson for the season to torn Achilles tendons.

Brown, 25, enters his sixth NBA season after averaging 18.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in G League games for the New York Knicks' affiliate in Westchester.

Brown played for the Portland Trail Blazers last season, averaging 3.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 9.1 minutes over 22 games.

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he had to defend his player as he reacted to the $25,000 fine he received from the NBA on Sunday for criticizing a crucial officiating call in a 115-114 loss at Charlotte a day earlier.

Rivers offered an interesting metaphor to describe the situation.

The Bucks' coach had argued that Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't commit a foul with Milwaukee trailing by one with 7.3 seconds left, saying Charlotte's LaMelo Ball simply slipped and fell. A foul was called on Antetokounmpo, and Ball made two free throws to give Charlotte the lead for good.

Crew chief Curtis Blair told a pool reporter that a postgame review determined there actually wasn't any illegal contact on the play. Blair said the call would have been overturned on replay, but the Bucks didn't have any challenges left.

"You're put in a tough spot," Rivers said before Monday night's 101-100 victory over the Houston Rockets. "I was laughing with someone that it's [like] that rare case when your girlfriend comes down with a bad outfit and she asks you, 'What do you think?' And if you answer correctly, you're going to get in a lot of trouble. That's how I felt with the fine. Everybody understands what I'm saying, right?"

After the game, Rivers said, "I thought the final play was the ref blowing the call." Rivers added that "this is back-to-back games now where on the final play there has been an incorrect call made."

In the Bucks' 127-120 overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, Antetokounmpo was called for a foul with a second left in regulation, though replays indicated nothing should have been called. That call became irrelevant once Detroit's Ronald Holland II missed both free throws.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

SACRAMENTO -- The Kings could be getting reinforcements soon after playing several games without three of their most important players.

Malik Monk, who has missed the past four games because of a moderate right ankle sprain, has been cleared for individual on-court workouts and will be reevaluated again in the coming days, the team announced Monday.

Monk suffered the injury in the second quarter of the Kings' game against the Phoenix Suns on Nov 10. The runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year last season, Monk is averaging 12.6 points in 25 minutes as part of a second unit that has largely struggled to produce so far this year, scoring 24.8 points -- the fourth worst in the league.

DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis, who both have missed one game because of lower back tightness, have also been cleared to resume individual on-court work. They will be considered day to day.

DeRozan is averaging 22.9 points in 36.5 minutes per game so far this season, while Sabonis is scoring 20.2 points in 36.5 minutes.

"Obviously, we want our guys to be healthy," Kings coach Mike Brown said ahead of Monday's game against the Atlanta Hawks. "Our medical team is going to keep doing what they are doing, and our guys are going to keep doing what they need to do to get back and when they come back it'll be great. But otherwise, it's the next man up."

CHICAGO -- Former Chicago Bulls forward Bob Love, a three-time All-Star who spent 11 years in the NBA, died Monday. He was 81.

The Bulls said Love died after a long battle with cancer.

Love averaged 21.3 points and 6.8 rebounds during his nine seasons with the team.

"With his No. 10 jersey hanging in the United Center rafters, his on-court achievements are forever etched in history, but Bob's impact transcended basketball," the Bulls said in a statement. "He became an inspirational figure and a passionate community ambassador for the Bulls, dedicating himself to charitable causes and uplifting countless lives with his motivational speeches.

"We are profoundly grateful for his enduring contributions and legacy both on and off the court in Chicago."

Growing up in northern Louisiana, Love was one of 14 children. He was nicknamed "Butterbean" because he liked lima beans.

The 6-foot-8 Love starred at Southern University in Baton Rouge before he was selected by Cincinnati in the fourth round of the 1965 NBA draft. He played for the Royals for two seasons before he was picked by Milwaukee in the expansion draft in 1968.

Love and Bob Weiss were traded to Chicago in November 1968 for Flynn Robinson. With the Bulls, Love developed into one of the NBA's best forwards.

Love was an All-Star for three straight seasons in 1970-73. He averaged a team-high and career-best 25.8 points during the 1971-72 season.

Love retired after the 1976-77 season. He averaged 17.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 789 career games, also playing for the Nets and Seattle SuperSonics.

In January 1994, Love became the second player in franchise history to have his number retired by the Bulls, joining Jerry Sloan. Love was part of the team's inaugural Ring of Honor class this year in January.

MIAMI -- After spending the past several seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton McCullough has seen what it takes to win.

McCullough, hired this month by the Miami Marlins as the 17th manager in club history, needed only a few conversations with Marlins executives before he felt he could help lead the organization in that same direction.

"As I got a chance to talk with Peter (Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix) about his vision for what was going to be going on here," McCullough said, "the importance of culture, the importance of people -- certainly, winning -- it felt right."

The Marlins formally introduced McCullough, the first-base coach for the Dodgers since 2021, as their new manager Monday. They are hoping he will become one of the centerpieces of their latest rebuilding project.

Miami went 62-100 this past season, dropping at least 100 games for the second time in six years.

With an eye toward the future, the Marlins traded away most of their best players in exchange for less-expensive prospects. And they mutually agreed to part ways with the 2023 NL Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker at the end of the season.

"I don't want an 18th manager," said Marlins owner Bruce Sherman, who is on his third managerial hire since 2022. "I want a 17th manager to stay for many, many years."

McCullough spoke with Bendix and other team executives on several video calls over the past month. He met with them in person at his home in Jupiter, Florida, shortly after the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in the World Series, and he also made a trip to Miami for dinner with everyone.

"As I went through it, my comfort level with everyone and everything just raised," McCullough said. "And I left that night after dinner driving back to Jupiter going, 'I hope this is something that I can get through the finish line and will happen.'"

McCullough is coming from an organization that has used extensive resources to bring in marquee players and build a title-winning roster. The Marlins have a vastly different approach on spending, with one of the lowest payrolls in MLB. They'll spend about $31.5 million in payroll next season.

"There's a lot of different ways to win," McCullough said. "There's no guarantee that just because you have a higher payroll that it's guaranteed you're going to win. Successful teams are all very much committed to the attention to detail. They are committed to their preparation. They are committed to each and every day taking one step forward."

McCullough also wasn't deterred by a rebuilding franchise.

"At my core I have always loved player development," he said. "For me, at the major league level, this is less about inexperienced or younger players or veteran players. I've found that major league players want to be coached. They want to get better. I think that is somewhat independent of experience level."

An Oxford, North Carolina, native, McCullough got into baseball by watching his father, Howard, coach at the University of North Carolina and work as a scout for several major league teams.

Clayton McCullough spent one season at Vanderbilt before transferring to East Carolina University. He was drafted by Cleveland in the 22nd round in 2002 and played in its minor league system from 2002 to 2005.

McCullough was a manager in the Blue Jays' minor league system for seven seasons. The 44-year-old was hired by the Dodgers in 2015 as their minor league field coordinator before becoming their first-base coach. He pointed to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and former longtime Blue Jays coach Luis Rivera as mentors.

As for what made McCullough the ideal fit, Bendix noted his "patience, consistency and genuine care for people around him, not just as players, but as people."

Sherman added that this search was a "complicated process" that involved several other candidates. The Marlins also considered former Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz and Will Venable, a former associate manager for Texas.

"This just fits," Sherman said. "And when I saw that fit, then I knew it was right."

On the penultimate day of the regular season, the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates met on a cloudy afternoon at Yankee Stadium for a game of little consequence. The Yankees had already clinched the American League East title. The last-place Pirates were 24 hours from another long offseason.

But the game featured an intriguing matchup within the matchup: two starting pitchers with vastly different backgrounds and histories who happened to be leading contenders for the Rookie of the Year Award in their respective leagues to the mound opposite each other.

For the Pirates: Paul Skenes, the hyped generational talent 14 months removed from college. For the Yankees: Luis Gil, a 26-year-old revelation two-plus years removed from Tommy John surgery.

Nearly two months after that meeting, the two right-handers were recognized Monday as the best rookies in their leagues. Skenes was voted the National League's Rookie of the Year, beating out a loaded field headlined by outfielders Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio after posting one of the best rookie seasons for a pitcher in major league history. Gil edged out teammate and catcher Austin Wells and Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser to win the award in the American League in a tight race.

Skenes, who debuted less than a year after being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, surpassed expectations in his first taste of the big leagues to become the second Rookie of the Year award winner in Pirates history (Jason Bay, 2004) with 23 of the 30 first-place votes. With the honor, he earned a full year of service time despite not being called up to the majors until May, making him eligible for free agency after the 2029 season.

"Our goal, first and foremost, was to make all my starts," said Skenes, a former two-way star at Air Force who became a full-time pitcher his junior season at LSU in 2023. "And then, beyond that, it was basically to see the best version of me that I can be out there. So I felt very good about that this year. Stayed healthy and felt really good the entire year. And then the results, I think, speak for themselves."

Skenes, 22, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts across 133 innings. His 1.96 ERA was the lowest for any rookie with at least 20 starts in the live ball era, dating to 1920, and the lowest in baseball in 2024 among pitchers with at least 130 innings pitched. His 0.95 WHIP was tied for best in the National League. His 170 strikeouts were a franchise rookie record. His 4.3 fWAR ranked 10th among major league pitchers. With the performance, he was selected one of the three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award along with veterans Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler. That winner will be announced Wednesday.

On Monday, Merrill finished second with the other seven first-place votes and Chourio in third. Merrill, a shortstop in the minors through last season, was the San Diego Padres' starting center fielder on Opening Day at just 20 years old. He excelled in all facets, finishing the season with a .292/.326/.500 slash line, 24 home runs, 90 RBIs and 16 steals in 156 games while playing above-average defense. His 5.3 fWAR led all rookies.

Chourio, who doesn't turn 21 until March, signed an $82 million extension last offseason before making his major league debut and, after a slow start, lived up to the investment. Chourio went on a tear after carrying a .201 batting average and .575 OPS through June 1, batting .305 with 16 home runs and an .888 OPS over his final 97 games.

In the American League, Gil tallied 15 of the 30 first-place votes, narrowly topping Cowser, who finished with 13 first-place votes and five points behind Gil. Oakland A's closer Mason Miller and Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith each earned one first-place vote. The five-point differential marks the second-closest election in an AL Rookie of the Year race since the three-player ballot was introduced in 2003.

"I was focused on having a good year, on helping the team win as much as I could and being focused on my career," Gil said.

Gil entered spring training an afterthought in the Yankees' plan, slated to start the season in the minors after being sent to minor league camp in early March. The Yankees had their starting rotation set. Gil had electric stuff but command was a concern and he logged only four innings in A-ball in 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022. Then Gerrit Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, was shut down because of an elbow injury shortly thereafter, opening a spot for Gil. He did not relinquish it.

Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts. He led all AL rookies in wins, innings pitched (151) and strikeouts (171). His 1.82 ERA through 12 starts helped the Yankees navigate the club's 2 months without Cole to start the season and solidified his place in the rotation for the remainder of the season. He gave up one or fewer hits in five outings, tied for the most by a rookie since the mound was moved to 60 feet, six inches in 1893, according to ESPN Research. He didn't giver up an earned run in six of his starts, the most by a Yankees rookie since 1913.

Signed by the Minnesota Twins out of the Dominican Republic in 2015 and traded to the Yankees three years later, Gil is the 10th Yankees player to win the honor. He is the first Yankee to win it since Aaron Judge in 2017 and the first Yankees pitcher since Dave Righetti in 1981. He is the fifth Dominican-born player to win the award.

"He worked so hard to put himself in a strong position heading into spring training after coming back from Tommy John surgery," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a statement. "Without a guarantee of a major-league spot, he absolutely kicked in the door this spring and went on to have a phenomenal rookie season. Luis continued to mature and develop all year and was one of the pillars of our rotation."

Unlike Gil, there was little doubt Skenes was a major league-caliber pitcher out of spring training, but the Pirates chose to not include him on their Opening Day roster. The rationale was simple: Skenes logged just 6 innings as a pro in 2023 after he accumulated 122 innings for LSU. So Skenes was sent to Triple-A for more seasoning and dominated on a limited workload. In seven starts, Skenes posted a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts across 27 innings.

Finally, on May 11, Skenes made his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs. He gave up three runs with seven strikeouts over four innings. He would give up three or more earned runs only twice more over his final 22 starts.

His first 11 outings were so dominant (1.90 ERA, 89 strikeouts to 13 walks in 66 innings and seven no-hit innings in his final start of the first half against the Milwaukee Brewers) that he was named the starting pitcher for the NL All-Star team, setting the stage for an electric first inning in Arlington, Texas, against four of the sport's best hitters. Skenes, the fifth rookie to ever start the exhibition, threw 16 pitches to Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. He walked Soto in an otherwise clean inning. He touched 100 mph and showcased his splinker -- a splitter-sinker hybrid. The sequence, like every one of his starts, was must-watch television.

He pitched into the ninth inning for the first time as a pro in his first start after the All-Star Game, taking a hard-luck 2-1 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals after giving up a run in the ninth. But Pittsburgh, despite adding players at the trade deadline, fell out of the wild-card race down the stretch.

The Pirates, cautious to not overwork Skenes, had him pitch on extra rest -- either five or six days -- in all of his starts. But he logged at least six innings in 16 of his 23 starts. He threw at least 100 pitches in nine of them. He closed his season strong, giving up only two runs in five September starts. His final outing was brief but spectacular: Two perfect innings at Yankee Stadium, one of the sport's grandest stages, opposite one of his most talented peers.

The goal next year? To pitch deeper into games more often from Opening Day.

"I think just being able to stay out there for seven or eight innings rather than five or six innings every outing, that's going to be the biggest thing," Skenes said. "We're starting with the end in mind. We're going to figure out how to do that."