Soccer

Portland’s professional soccer teams now have a new chief executive officer, the Timbers announced Wednesday. Heather Davis has been appointed after a roughly three-month search.

Forward Sophia Smith has been named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year after leading the national team with 11 goals and starting in a team-high 17 matches.

The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. He had been hospitalized for the last month with multiple ailments.

Argentina beat defending-champion France in the final. It's the third World Cup title for Argentina but the first for Messi - the only trophy he hadn't won in his storied and remarkable career.

France defeated England 2-1. The road for the defending World Cup champions won't get any easier. France will take on Morocco in a semifinal match on Wednesday.

Portugal was favored to win but Morocco's Cinderella tournament continues after their sensational 1-0 win over Portugal. Morocco is the first African nation to reach the semifinals of a World Cup.

Grant Wahl was influential in the soccer world. He was able to break down the most intricate of plays and relate to hardcore and casual fans alike.

Lionel Messi led Argentina to a quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands in a penalty kick shootout. Messi had a goal, an assist and scored in the shootout. Argentina will take on Croatia next.

Memphis Depay and Daley Blind scored in the first half and Denzil Dumfries added a late goal as the Netherlands eliminated the United States from the World Cup with a 3-1 victory that advanced the Dutch to the quarterfinals.

Portland Thorns head coach Rhian Wilkinson announced her resignation Friday after self-reporting she and a player had "a friendship that turned into more complex emotions."