World Cup:
Team USA's opponent in Sunday's Women's World Cup Championship will be Japan. The defending tournament champions beat England 2-1 on an own goal by England's Laura Bassett Wednesday night and now head to Vancouver for a return match of the title match four years ago won by Japan on penalty kicks.
MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, Toronto topped Boston 11-2, the Yankees beat the Angels 3-1, Baltimore doubled up Texas 4-2, Cleveland bested Tampa Bay 8-1, and it was Houston over Kansas City 6-5.
In the National League, the Cubs blanked the Mets 2-0 in 11 innings, Milwaukee bested Philadelphia 9-5, Miami won against San Francisco, the Dodgers edged Arizona 4-3, and it was Atlanta over Washington 4-1.
In interleague play, Pittsburgh tripled up Detroit 9-3, Seattle shut out San Diego 7-0, Oakland won against Colorado 4-1, Cincinnati edged Minnesota 2-1, and it was the White Sox over St. Louis 7-1.
NBA:
A person with knowledge of the details tells The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the Boston Celtics have landed Amir Johnson with a two-year deal worth $24 million. The veteran power forward agreed to leave Toronto and stay within the Atlantic Division yesterday. Johnson averaged 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Atlantic champions last season, his sixth in Toronto.
On the first day of NBA free agency, All-Star forward Kevin Love has announced he's returning to Cleveland next season. A person with knowledge of the agreement tells The Associated Press that Love will get a five-year max contract worth more than $110 million.
Free agent forward Thaddeus Young says he's staying in Brooklyn with the Nets. Young tweeted yesterday morning that he's "extremely happy" to continue his career with the Nets. A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the two sides have agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth $50 million.
Anthony Davis is reportedly staying with the New Orleans Pelicans. A person with knowledge of the details confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The agreement is reportedly for five-years and is said to be worth more than $140 million.
NHL:
Glen Sather is stepping down as the general manager of the New York Rangers, and being replaced by longtime assistant Jeff Gorton. Sather has been in charge of the Rangers since 2000. The team has made the Eastern Conference finals in three of the past four seasons, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014, where they lost to the Kings in five games. Sather says he will remain as the Rangers president.
The New York Rangers have signed defenseman Raphael Diaz and forwards Jayson Megna and Matt Lindblad as free agents. Diaz is returning for a second stint with the Rangers. He played 56 games with the Calgary Flames this past season, finishing with two goals and two assists.
The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman John Moore to a three-year contract as a free agent and forward Blake Coleman to a two-year entry level contract. General manager Ray Shero says Moore will earn an average salary of $1.66 million. Moore will enter his fifth NHL season and sixth year as a professional. He split the 2014-15 season between the Rangers and Arizona.
Boston Bruins rookie general manager Don Sweeney went into the first day of NHL free agency intent on improving his team's feeble offense, which ranked 22nd in the league. Sweeney added two wingers Wednesday he thinks will be a major part of the solution next season: Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes.
The Bruins signed left winger Beleskey, one of the more coveted available forwards, to a five-year contract with a charge against the NHL salary cap of $3.8 million per season. They also acquired right wing Jimmy Hayes in a trade with the Florida Panthers for forward Reilly Smith and the contract of center Marc Savard, who has not played since 2011 because of post-concussion syndrome.
Both Beleskey and Hayes had breakout seasons in 2014-15 and might provide enough offense for the Bruins to get back into the playoffs after they missed out for the first time in eight seasons.
Tennis:
Men's top-seed Novak Djokovic has advanced to the third round at Wimbledon with a straight sets win over Jarkko Nieminen. The two-time Wimbledon champ is now 6-1 lifetime against the Fin.
Women's No. 1 Serena Williams won her second round match with a straight sets win. The 20-time major champion has already won the Australian Open and the French Open this year. If she can win the last two majors, she would become the first player to win a true Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.
WWE:
World Wrestling Entertainment is asking a federal judge to block lawsuits by former wrestlers who claim they have suffered long-term health problems from concussions they received in the ring. The Stamford-based company argues in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Connecticut on Monday that the wrestlers' claims are fraudulent and barred because of a three-year statute of limitations on such claims in the state.
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