The Portland Thorns acquired the No. 1 pick in next week's National Women's Soccer League college entry draft from the Orlando Pride, sparking new intrigue in what had been viewed as a potentially lackluster event.

The Thorns sent the Pride defender Emily Sonnett, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 2016 and a World Cup winner with the United States last summer, as well as the rights to Australian international Caitlin Foord and their own first- and second-round picks in the upcoming draft.

It was also a trade between the same teams that handed the No. 1 pick to Portland in 2016, in that case as part of a deal involving Alex Morgan going to Orlando. That was the only other instance in which the Thorns, playoff participants in six of the league's seven seasons, picked first. They traded out of the first round entirely in four of the past six drafts.

This year's draft had been thought to lack a marquee player, with several top prospects either already passing or expected to pass on the process. Stanford's two-time reigning Hermann Trophy winner Catarina Macario is not expected to bypass her final season of college eligibility to enter the draft. Florida State senior Deyna Castellanos signed recently with Atletico Madrid, while UCLA senior and Canadian World Cup and Olympic veteran Jessie Fleming is also expected to sign in Europe. Fleming was not on the initial list of draft entrants released by the NWSL, although players have until 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 15 to declare for the following day's selections.

If not any of those stars, speculation as to potential No. 1 picks has centered on underclassmen declaring early, specifically UCLA junior Ashley Sanchez and Stanford sophomore Sophia Smith. Both have extensive experience with U.S. youth national teams.

Smith, 19, was the only player with remaining college eligibility among 28 invitees to the ongoing senior national team January training camp in Florida, the first such training camp for new U.S. women's coach Vlatko Andonovski.

Smith totaled 17 goals and nine assists in 21 games for the Cardinal as a sophomore.

The Equalizer reported Wednesday that Smith intends to enter the draft. A Stanford spokesperson declined comment to espnW on the report.

The trade was the second major move of the week for the Pride, who announced Tuesday that NWSL president Amanda Duffy will leave that position to take over as Orlando's executive vice president beginning on Feb. 15. Despite a roster that includes the star power of Marta and Morgan, the Pride finished last a season ago with just four wins in 24 games.

The espnW college player of the year in 2015, Virginia product Sonnett was an Olympic alternate in 2016 and a reserve on last year's World Cup winning side. She has played both center-back and outside back at all levels, although Pride coach Marc Skinner described her as having the "potential to become one of the best center-backs in the world" in comments after the trade was announced. She joins U.S. teammate and fellow defender Ali Krieger in Orlando.

Still only 25, Foord is nonetheless an experienced player for both club and country. She originally signed with Sky Blue FC in the NWSL's first season and joined Portland in 2018. Versatile enough to play almost anywhere on the field, she was also the Asian Women's Footballer of the Year in 2016.

The draft picks acquired -- Nos. 7 and 14 overall -- mean the Pride now have four of the first 19 picks in next week's draft.

The Thorns weren't done trading players currently in camp with the national team. Later Wednesday, Portland sent versatile Margaret Purce and a first-round pick in the 2021 draft to Sky Blue FC in exchange for midfielder Raquel Rodriguez.

The No. 2 overall pick in the same draft that produced Sonnett, Rodriguez was named NWSL Rookie of the Year that season. The Costa Rica international, who won the Hermann Trophy as a senior at Penn State, had three goals and three assists in 22 starts for Sky Blue in 2019.

Purce, 24, earned her first cap for the United States this past November, capitalizing on a breakout season with the Thorns. She scored eight goals in the NWSL season and emerged as a consistent presence as a No. 9, after training throughout the offseason to play on the wing. She is currently in camp with the U.S., where her most likely fit is as an outside back.

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire faces a spell on the sidelines with a torn a muscle in his hip, sources have told ESPN.

Maguire picked up the injury during the goalless draw with Wolves on Saturday and he missed the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday.

Despite leaving Molineux in some discomfort, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was initially hopeful Maguire might be able to feature against City and the 26-year-old was included in the preliminary squad which met at the Lowry Hotel on the day of the game.

But scans have revealed the England international has suffered a muscle tear and he has already been ruled out of Norwich's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday and the FA Cup replay with Wolves on Wednesday.

It is a further blow to Solskjaer, who is already without midfielders Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay.

Maguire's absence also leaves the Norwegian short in the centre of defence. Marcos Rojo and Axel Tuanzebe are also injured and Eric Bailly has only just returned to training following more than five months out with a knee injury.

The U.S. Soccer Federation is in the process of finalizing a friendly between the U.S. men's national team and Wales to be held on March 30 at Cardiff City Stadium, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

The Washington Post reported last month that the two federations were in talks. Numerous overseas outlets reported on Tuesday that the match will take place, though one source stated that the final contract has not yet been signed.

The match will mark the second fixture the U.S. will play during the March international window. The USSF has officially announced that it will face the Netherlands in Eindhoven on March 26.

The U.S. and Wales have squared off just once previously, with the U.S. claiming a 2-0 win at San Jose's Spartan Stadium in May of 2003 with goals from Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis.

Wales, managed by former Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs and led by Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, have made considerable progress since then, having reached the semifinals of Euro 2016. The Welsh are now making preparations for this summer's Euro 2020, having qualified by finishing second to Croatia in Group E.

The U.S. is looking ahead to the semifinals of the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League, in which it will face Honduras in June. The Americans are also slated to begin World Cup qualifying in September.

San Diego State coach Rocky Long is stepping down after nine seasons, a source told ESPN.

Aztecs defensive line coach Brady Hoke is expected to replace Long, the source added. Hoke was San Diego State's head coach in 2009 and 2010 before leaving to become Michigan's head coach. Long, who had served as San Diego State's defensive coordinator under Hoke, replaced Hoke with the Aztecs.

The Athletic first reported the coaching change.

San Diego State scheduled a 2 p.m. PT news conference to make a major announcement about the football program. Yahoo reported earlier this week that Long spoke to Syracuse about its defensive coordinator vacancy. A source close to Long told ESPN that the coach, who turns 70 later this month, expects to keep working, likely as a defensive coordinator.

Long went 81-38 at San Diego State, with three Mountain West Conference championships and four 10-win seasons since 2015. He served as New Mexico's coach from 1998 to 2008 and has an overall record of 146-107.

Hoke, 61, went 13-12 in his first stint at San Diego State. He has an overall record of 78-72 as coach at Ball State, San Diego State, Michigan and Tennessee, where he served as interim coach for the final two games of 2017.

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm, who has guided the Bulldogs to three consecutive SEC East titles, will bypass his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

Fromm made the announcement on social media on Wednesday.

Go Dawgs and God Bless pic.twitter.com/hz0qxJLumE

— JakefromStateFromm (@FrommJake) January 8, 2020

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Fromm as the fifth-best quarterback eligible for the 2020 draft, behind LSU's Joe Burrow, Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon's Justin Herbert and Washington's Jacob Eason.

Fromm, a junior from Warner Robins, Georgia, was 35-6 as a starter, including a 13-5 record against Top 25 foes. His 41 career starts were the most among FBS quarterbacks who played this past season.

As a true freshman in 2017, Fromm helped lead the Bulldogs to their first SEC title in 12 years -- after he was thrust into the starting job when Eason was injured in the opener. Fromm threw for 2,615 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions that season, helping the Bulldogs reach the College Football Playoff National Championship, losing to Alabama 26-23 in overtime. Eason transferred to Washington after the season.

Fromm completed better than 60% of his passes in each of his three seasons. His numbers dipped in 2019, after Georgia lost its top five pass-catchers from 2018. He still completed 60.8% for 2,860 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Fromm had one of his best games of the season in the Bulldogs' 26-14 victory over Baylor in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, completing 20 of 30 attempts for 250 yards with two touchdowns.

The Bulldogs had already lost three top juniors to the NFL: offensive tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson and tailback D'Andre Swift.

Without Fromm, Georgia is left without an experienced quarterback for the 2020 season. Backup Stetson Bennett completed 20 of 27 passes for 260 yards with two touchdowns as Fromm's backup in 2019. D'Wan Mathis, a 2019 signee, had emergency brain surgery in May. His status for next season isn't known.

Georgia signed Carson Beck of Jacksonville, Florida, who was ranked the No. 16 pocket passer by ESPN Recruiting.

The Bulldogs are expected to explore the graduate transfer market. Stanford's K.J. Costello and Wake Forest's Jamie Newman recently entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has set a date for his return from a ruptured right quadriceps tendon, telling Stadium that he plans to make his season debut Jan. 29 against the Chicago Bulls.

"That could change. That might not change. Who knows?" Oladipo told Stadium in a video published Wednesday. "It's definitely good to have something to look forward to, especially after 12 months of wondering."

Oladipo's planned return in three weeks comes after the Pacers complete a five-game road trip. He has not played since suffering the injury Jan. 23 last season.

"I'm way stronger now than I was before, especially mentally," Oladipo told Stadium. "I just feel like nothing can faze me; I've been through the worst. My better days lie ahead."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski previously reported that Oladipo hoped to return to play in late January or early February.

The Pacers will complete the first half of the season without their All-Star guard, but they enter Wednesday in sixth place in the Eastern Conference at 23-14.

Once again, the Milwaukee Bucks are dominating the regular season. They have the MVP front-runner in Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league's best record and the best statistical markers in the NBA by a mile.

Still, after last season's disappointing collapse in the Eastern Conference finals, many remain skeptical. Remember, the Bucks dominated the 2018-19 regular season too.

So, what's different about this team as it gets ready to face the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN)? What makes it a more serious threat to come out of the East and win it all?

There are four major differences to consider. Let's start with the best player in basketball.

MORE: NBA trade deadline lists, targets, draft capital, big questions

1. Giannis' new 3-point shot

Defining stat
In 72 games last season, Antetokounmpo made 52 3s. Through 35 games this season, he already has drained 59.

Over the past few seasons, Antetokounmpo has become the league's most dominant interior scorer since Shaquille O'Neal was in his prime. But this season he has become much better from downtown.

He has gone from a terrible 3-point shooter to a mediocre one. Though that might sound snarky, it's not. The progress is real, and if it continues, it will launch Antetokounmpo's offensive game into the stratosphere.

The road from bad to good has to pass through mediocre. That's exactly what's happening with Giannis' 3-point shot:

He's shooting 32.6% on 5.2 3-point attempts per game. Those numbers would be low for most NBA superstars these days, but they're monumental for Giannis and the Bucks, who have spent endless hours developing Antetokounmpo's range. He's already among the most unguardable scorers on the planet -- racking up 30 points on 20 shots per game -- but if he becomes a legitimate threat from 3-point range, it will make him and the Bucks nearly impossible to defend in the future.

Together with assistant coach Ben Sullivan, Antetokounmpo has been hyperfocused on developing his 3-ball. That focus was on full display Monday in San Antonio, as the pair worked through their highly structured 20-minute pregame vitamin that focused largely on shots from beyond the arc. Even Tim Duncan was captivated.

After the workout, Sullivan identified two elements driving Giannis' improvement from deep:

• The player: "All the credit goes to [Antetokounmpo]. He's worked so hard and his attention to detail is at the highest level. He wants to know precisely which foot goes where, and where does the hand go, and what's the footwork leading into the shot."

• The environment: "It starts with [head coach Mike Budenholzer] and the environment he's created around player development, and fostering that culture that we live in as a team."

That might sound cliché, but it's important in this context: Jason Kidd, who coached Giannis during his early years in the NBA, told the young star to stop shooting 3s after his rookie season.

That stunning directive stunted his growth at a key time in his developmental window. According to Sullivan, Giannis now has the green light to shoot 3s whenever he wants. Antetokounmpo only gets sassed when his coaches think he passes up a clean look from downtown.

If Giannis brings even a league-average 3-point shot to the 2020 playoffs, that burdens opponents with one extra thing to defend.

2. Depth

Unlike some of the other NBA title contenders, the Bucks are very good whether or not their superstar is on the court.

Defining stat
With Giannis off the floor, the Bucks are posting a net rating of plus-6.8 points per 100 possessions, which would rank fifth in the NBA overall. Their defensive efficiency of 103.3 when Antetokounmpo sits would be No. 1 in the league overall.

The fact that Milwaukee thrives when Giannis is resting means Milwaukee can seek out more opportunities to save his legs. It also gives the Bucks a rare edge across the league.

Check this out:

The Bucks play well for all 48 minutes, especially on defense. Their defensive concepts are working both with Giannis in and out of the game largely because their roster is stacked with talented and willing defensive players.

The addition of Robin Lopez has enabled the second unit to mimic the interior prowess of the starting group. Meanwhile, perimeter bench players Donte DiVincenzo and Sterling Brown are actually posting better defensive ratings than Antetokounmpo. The 2018-19 Bucks were good without Giannis on the floor, but these Bucks are even better.

3. Interior defense

The Bucks protect the basket better than any other team in the league, and it's not even close.

Defining stat
Milwaukee holds teams to a pitiful 51.7% shooting at the rim, by far the best such defensive mark in the NBA. Toronto has the next-best mark at 56.3%.

How do they do it? Look no further than Giannis and the Lopez brothers.

Here's the most absurd stat of them all: So far this season, 66 players have defended at least 100 shots at the rim, per Second Spectrum tracking data. Of that group, Antetokounmpo ranks first, Robin Lopez ranks second and Brook Lopez ranks third in opponent FG% allowed.

Remember when the Warriors trotted out three of the best shooters in the world? Well, this season's Bucks squad trots out three of the planet's best rim protectors. The Bucks' staggering defensive numbers are the result of a perfect blend of system and personnel. They pack the paint by design, and the folks they pack it with are world-class deterrents.

Even if the Bucks' offense has an off night, the defense will keep them in games. But the offense doesn't have many bad nights. Milwaukee is on pace to become just the third team since 2000 to rank in the top three in both offensive and defensive rating.

The other two? The 2014-15 and 2016-17 Warriors. Both of those squads won it all.

4. Experience

Defining stat
Giannis is 25 years old.

Those 2014-15 Warriors offer an interesting precedent. After losing in the first round to the LA Clippers in the 2014 playoffs, the Warriors ran the table the next season, then proceeded to win the West every year until this rapid collapse in 2019-20.

In fact, almost every NBA dynasty has begun with at least one playoff disappointment. Michael Jordan didn't get to the NBA Finals until he was 28. Stephen Curry didn't get there until he was 27. LeBron James didn't win a title until he was 28.

Antetokounmpo was 24 and Budenholzer was in his first year in Milwaukee when they lost in the conference finals. Considering this franchise failed to make it out of the first round every year between 2001 and 2018, that's a triumph. But NBA discourse isn't always dominated by rational observers, and with Antetokounmpo's free agency just 18 months away, patience is not on the menu.

Milwaukee will need these four trends to continue into the postseason to get past the other Eastern Conference challengers and give Antetokounmpo every reason to re-sign in July.

INDIANAPOLIS — Of all the characters who have colored the racing landscape over the past half-century, none were as complex and unique as Randy Sweet.

Sweet, a championship driver and the founder and owner of Sweet Manufacturing, died peacefully in his sleep on Nov. 8 at age 72. It was a quiet ending to a loud and raucous life.

From the beginning, Sweet was a broke-the-mold character. He danced to a tune that was beyond the pitch of normal human hearing and saw things nobody else could see. He was equal parts brilliant, erratic, mystifying and colorful. The ride was perpetually bumpy but in the end, he will be remembered as one of the most important technical contributors in racing history.

Sweet began racing in the early 1960s and quickly emerged as a frequent late model winner in his native Michigan, a local hero at tracks such as Berlin Raceway and Kalamazoo Speedway. He also raced extensively with ASA and scored numerous track championships.

During the 1980s, the flamboyant Sweet applied large Plexiglas panels to his “rocket car” late model and barnstormed throughout the Midwest, shattering speed records everywhere he appeared. Arriving at the track in a limousine and living like a rock star, Sweet raised the bar in terms of promotion and presentation.

But promotion, hype and outrageous living didn’t define Sweet, not by a long shot. A gifted thinker, he created steering and suspension equipment that revolutionized the sport. Sweet developed an early rack-and-pinion setup and then set about building a company that could effectively manufacture and market his products. His iconic red decal — Sweet Mfg. — would ultimately be found on thousands of race cars through the years.

Most of those things — the outrageous Plexiglas panels and the revolutionary steering gears — people already know about Randy Sweet. Beyond that, Sweet’s background — and the factors that he overcame on his path to success — are unknown to most.

A child of difficult circumstances, Sweet had very little formal education. He found himself living on the mean streets of Grand Rapids as a pre-teen, peddling ice cream to survive. In his pocket was an ice pick for self-defense, and on many occasions he bluffed and blustered his way out of a life-threatening jam.

It was an upbringing most of us could never understand or fully appreciate. Sweet had his share of demons; there are no secrets about that. But if you consider his background, you tend to cut him some slack in terms of passing judgment.

Throughout his early life one element helped him survive: a brilliant mind. A bona fide genius, Sweet had the ability to comprehend and decipher the complex physics of a race car. Many people think they fully understand the dynamics of making a race car turn; few really do.

Sweet understood. And from the moment he fell in love with racing and race cars, the technical things we do to make a race car turn were never the same again.

A conversation with Sweet could be raw and unvarnished. His personality was strong and forceful. He told you what was on his mind and he didn’t bother to take the edge off his words. But along the way he came to be admired and respected for his passion, his knowledge and his drive.

In his later years Sweet found a unique kinship with a fellow eccentric, Scott Bloomquist. It was Doc Brown and Voodoo Child, their brilliant minds working as one as they applied a century of knowledge and experience to their race car.

They were more than friends, more than partners; they were brothers. They would fuss and argue all the way, but if they carried a trophy back to the hauler at the end of the night there was pure, unabashed joy.

Sweet lived a hard life. If you made a list of all the bad things that can happen to a person, Sweet checked many of them off the list. He faced some very difficult times and was shaped several times by personal tragedy. But through it all he kept reaching, kept pushing, kept seeking. No amount of success could satisfy his enormous appetite for competition. No amount of adversity could defeat him.

Whatever it was that drove him, fueled him, inspired him, and haunted him, I hope he found what he was looking for. I know this much: racing will never forget him.

Rest in peace, Randy. Because of you, these ole race cars will keep on turning.

ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. – Pennsylvania car owner John Trone has tabbed Cale Thomas as the new driver of the Trone Outdoor Motorsports No. 39 Maxim, with a focus on premier races in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Thomas and Trone are planning a schedule of more than 60 races this season, including many World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions races in the area, while filling in the remainder of their calendar at many local Central Pennsylvania facilities.

For Thomas, who will race regularly outside of his family-owned No. 91 for the first time in his career, linking up with Trone for a full season of action is something he feels will push him to the next level.

“This is a huge step in my racing career,” Thomas said. “The first big moment, I think, was getting in the (Ron Gorby-owned) No. G1, but this is my first full-time team away from my family. Moving (to Pennsylvania) will be all new for me, and being with a whole new organization and crew chief and all that entails is a big challenge, but certainly one that I’m excited to take on.

“Beyond that, being able to race in Pennsylvania for the first time is an even bigger deal, because the local competition is so tough,” he added. “The amount of races I can get in by racing in Pennsylvania will help me a ton. I’m going from 25 races or 30 races to 60-plus races now. Doubling my usual season will definitely make me a better race car driver, just from the consistency of staying in the seat.”

Trone is looking forward to the energy and qualifying prowess that Thomas brings to the table, hopeful of building on the foundation that he’s laid in recent years with Cory Haas at the wheel.

“If you look at our schedule last year, about 60 percent of our races were time trial shows, and we just couldn’t time well. We were always a little bit off, whether we just missed the front row or just missed the invert,” said Trone. “But watching Cale in the Outlaw races he ran, making the dash in six or seven races, was quite impressive.

“In Pennsylvania, any of the money races, if you can’t qualify well, you might as well stay home. So I didn’t really think anyone locally set the world on fire time trialing, but Cale did,” Trone added. “After his interview (on Open Red) when he said he wanted to come to Pennsylvania, I thought, ‘well, here’s my chance,’ and we got the deal done.”

In a sport where the relationship between a driver and car owner is critical to success, Thomas said he “felt comfortable right away” when it came to his early interactions with Trone.

“As soon as John and I started talking, we found that we agreed on a lot of things, whether it was about racing or just about life in general,” Thomas noted. “I feel like we both took a liking to each other pretty quickly for not knowing much about each other, and team chemistry is so important in racing, so I was glad that we found so much common ground. One of his older crew chiefs, Kevin Fry, he was really the one who pushed John to pursue me. Kevin always said really good things about me, and that’s something that I really appreciate.

“I think with the way the sport is starting to change nowadays, John wanted someone a bit younger, because he’s always had more veteran drivers,” Thomas added. “Obviously I fit that billing and I hope that I can do him and all of our team partners proud this season. We’re really hoping for a strong year.”

While Trone and Thomas haven’t outlined an exact schedule yet, both owner and driver know that they want to succeed on the biggest stages possible as often as they can.

“We both agreed that we wanted to run pretty much every weekend. So Pennsylvania wise, pretty much anytime the Outlaws or All Stars come through, we’re planning to be there with them,” Thomas noted. “Loosely, we’ve talked about running even outside of Pennsylvania, if we have some momentum and one of the major tours go to New York or somewhere relatively nearby … we’ll follow them if we feel like we’re doing well and can make some noise.”

As he enters his new journey with Trone Outdoor Motorsports, Thomas will have the support of longtime partners Engler Machine & Tool, Bell Helmets, Simpson Race Products, Sharp Advantage Safety Products, Factory Kahne and Rapha Int’l, as well as backing from Trone Outdoor Advertising, Eagle Evergreens, Bricker’s, DMI, Bulldog Rear Ends, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, KSE, Wings Unlimited, Creekside Auto Sales, Pace Motorsports, SFE Services, Ohio Heating and Indy Race Parts.

But just because he’ll have new scenery for much of the year, don’t expect Thomas to lose touch with his Midwest roots – or his family team, for that matter.

“When you look at Pennsylvania (Sprint) Speedweek, it intertwines pretty well with Ohio Speedweek (with the All Star Circuit of Champions),” pointed out Thomas. “I think I’ll run my stuff for Ohio Speedweek, my family car, and then get back into John’s car for Pennsylvania Speedweek.

“That’s going to be such a fun stretch; it’s around 17 or 18 shows in about a three-week span, which will be huge for me,” he added. “I’ve never had the chance to be behind the wheel as much as we’re about to be this year and I can’t wait to get started. Thanks again to John for believing in me and trusting me with the reins for the No. 39. We’re going to have a lot of fun together; I really believe that.”

With the NHL's All-Star Game hosted by the St. Louis Blues, its jerseys have been uniquely inspired by the blues.

On Tuesday, the league and adidas revealed the uniforms for the 2020 All-Star Weekend, scheduled for Jan. 24-25 in St. Louis. As usual, the jerseys have features tailored to the host city. The striping on the front and sleeves of the sweaters are meant to evoke the staff of five horizontal bars one would find on sheet music.

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The 2020 @Honda #NHLAllStar Game jerseys by @adidashockey are here! pic.twitter.com/wy43BEQKXj

— NHL (@NHL) January 8, 2020

The silver color of the stitching was inspired by the city's iconic Gateway Arch. There's also a St. Louis Blues trumpet logo floating above a graphic of the Arch hidden inside the neckline of the jerseys.

As for the logos, last season's game saw the NHL go with all-black team symbols on the jerseys. This season's sweater has "colorway" logos that accentuate one of the primary colors of each team.

Once again, the NHL All-Star Game will feature a 3-on-3 mini-tournament, giving each divisional team a chance to wear the dark and white sweaters during the event. This could be the last season for that format, as the NHL is exploring whether to revise the event to something that spotlights international competition instead of a battle of conferences for next season's game.