Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh headline a stellar 2020 class of potential inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Those four -- who combined for 13 NBA championships, three Most Valuable Player awards, six NBA Finals MVP awards, 59 All-Star appearances and 40 All-NBA selections -- are the leading names on the list of 50 people nominated by the North American Committee for enshrinement next year.

The finalists will be announced during All-Star Weekend in Chicago in February, with the inductees being unveiled during the Final Four in Atlanta in April.

In addition to Bryant, Duncan, Garnett and Bosh, other players nominated for the first time this year include Shawn Marion, Michael Finley, Mark Eaton and Buck Williams. Meanwhile, Chauncey Billups, Mark Jackson, Tim Hardaway, Richard Hamilton, Chris Webber, Ben Wallace and Marcus Camby are among those on the ballot who have been nominated multiple times.

The class, though, will be led by the four stars at the top of it.

Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, partnering first with Shaquille O'Neal and then Pau Gasol to claim five titles and reach seven NBA Finals, all while becoming one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history.

Duncan also spent his entire career with a single franchise, playing 19 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs under coach Gregg Popovich and alongside David Robinson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard.

Garnett, meanwhile, helped usher in the current era of the NBA by agreeing in the summer of 2007 to join Ray Allen and Paul Pierce with the Boston Celtics after spending the first 12 years of his career playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Celtics would go on to win the NBA title in 2008 and reach the NBA Finals in 2010, where they lost in seven games to Bryant and the Lakers. Their dominance over the Eastern Conference then helped spur Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to play together with the Miami Heat starting in 2010.

After winning two titles and reaching the NBA Finals each of the next four seasons with the Heat, Bosh saw his career derailed by recurring issues with blood clots, forcing him to retire in 2016 while still at the peak of his game.

There are plenty of other starry names on the list too. Coaches nominated include Rick Adelman, George Karl, Dick Motta and Rudy Tomjanovich from the professional ranks, and Gene Keady, Rollie Massimino, Bob McKillop, Eddie Sutton, Bo Ryan and Jay Wright on the college side.

Women's nominations include first-timers Swin Cash and Tamika Catchings, along with current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon and Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who is nominated as a coach and as a player.

Former Chicago Bulls star Toni Kukoc heads the list of international honorees.

Free-agent pitcher Julio Teheran and the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a one-year, $9 million contract, a source familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Thursday.

Teheran, the first pitcher to make six consecutive Opening Day starts for the Atlanta Braves, became a free agent after the Braves declined a $12 million club option for 2020.

The 28-year-old Teheran joins Dylan Bundy as right-handers who have joined the Angels' staff this winter. Teheran, Bundy, Andrew Heaney, Shohei Ohtani and Griffin Canning are the likeliest five to be in an Opening Day rotation at present, though the Angels still could add pitchers.

Atlanta's move to decline Teheran's option was not unexpected on the heels of him being left off the postseason roster after going 10-11 with a 3.81 ERA, though he was added back to the squad as an injury replacement when Chris Martin went down in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Teheran wound up taking the loss coming out of the bullpen in Game 4. That forced a deciding game, in which the Braves gave up a record 10 runs in the first inning and ended the season with a 13-1 loss.

The 28-year-old right-hander has had higher walk rates and no longer has the huge velocity that led to him getting a six-year, $32.4 million deal in 2013. Teheran is one of the only true sinkerballers among MLB starters, which has improved his ground-ball rate after hitters have caught up with his four-seamer.

Teheran had an eight-start stretch in May and June, covering 44 innings, when he didn't allow a home run and posted a 0.81 ERA.

He had been a member of the Braves rotation since 2013, twice winning 14 games and making a pair of All-Star teams. He has a 77-73 career record, with five complete games, three shutouts, 1,184 strikeouts and a 3.67 ERA in 229 major league games, including 226 starts.

ESPN's Keith Law contributed to this report.

Third baseman Maikel Franco and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a one-year, $3 million deal, sources confirmed to ESPN.

Franco, who became a free agent when he was non-tendered by the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this offseason, is expected to be the Royals' everyday third baseman.

Hunter Dozier (.279, 26 homers, 84 RBIs) primarily manned third base (91 starts) for the Royals last season, but Kansas City will take advantage of his versatility and move him around the field in 2020. Dozier also had starts at first base and in the outfield last season.

Franco, 27, hit .234 with 17 home runs and 56 RBIs in 123 games last season for Philadelphia.

Before 2019, Franco had hit at least 22 home runs for three consecutive seasons for the Phillies, the only team he has played for in six major league seasons.

He is a .249 hitter with 102 home runs and 343 RBIs in 656 career games.

MLB.com was first to report to Franco's agreement with the Royals.

ESPN's Jeff Passan contributed to this report.

Sally Bolton has been appointed the All England Lawn Tennis Club's (AELTC) first female chief executive.

The club's current strategic planning and operations director will replace Richard Lewis following next year's Wimbledon championships.

"We have some fascinating challenges and opportunities ahead of us," the 45-year-old said.

"I look forward to working with Richard to achieve a successful transition before he steps down."

Bolton helped deliver the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and was the managing director of the organising committee for the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

She added: "I am thrilled to be appointed as the next chief executive of the AELTC.

"In my four years working here to date I have learned what a special place the All England Club is and to be asked to lead such a fantastic organisation through the next period of its history is a tremendous honour and privilege."

The early 2010s were the salad days for Team Kawasaki in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross ranks.

A big reason for that was Ryan Villopoto.

“R.V.” stormed to four consecutive Supercross championships beginning in 2011. But after earning the 2014 title, Villopoto was gone.

He raced off to Europe to compete in the FIM Motocross World Championship, and with him seemed to go Kawasaki’s magic touch in Supercross.

Coming into the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series, it has been six years since a Kawasaki rider lifted the No. 1 plate at the conclusion of the stadium championship.

That’s the longest span of time Kawasaki has gone without winning the title since Team Green claimed the championship with Ricky Carmichael in 2001 and was shut out until James Stewart wore the crown in 2007.

But fans of Team Green are confident. They’re happy knowing the factory Monster Energy Kawasaki squad looks to be in a great position to win back the Supercross trophy with riders Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo.

This will be Tomac’s seventh season in the premier 450cc class, and he is considered by many to be the best rider to never have won the Supercross championship.

Tomac has scored a jaw-dropping 27 Supercross victories. That ties him with Bob Hannah for eighth on the list of all-time wins. Tomac’s victory total puts him ahead of Supercross luminaries such as Jeff Ward (20 wins), Jeff Stanton (17 wins) and Broc Glover (10 wins).

An eye-opening fact is Tomac is the only rider on the list of top-10 Supercross winners who hasn’t won the Supercross title.

To get a better idea of how good Tomac has been in Supercross in recent years, yet still has somehow not scored the title, here’s a look at his year-end finishing position in the series.

He’s finished in the top five in each of the last five seasons, including being Supercross runner-up three of the last five years.

To say Tomac is overdue is an understatement.

And it’s not like the Colorado rider doesn’t know how to win championships. He’s won plenty of them, five to be exact — four in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, including the last three in a row.

Tomac also won the AMA 250 West Regional Supercross title in 2012.

It’s obviously a point of frustration for Tomac. It’s easy to see a bit of a pained look every time he’s asked the question, what’s it going to take for him to finally win the Supercross title?

Last year, Tomac put himself in a bind in the points chase after a crash during the Dallas Supercross caused him to finish 12th. His biggest rival, Cooper Webb of Red Bull KTM, had an off race too, but his worst finish was 10th.

Tomac also suffered sub-par performances at the events in Minneapolis and Atlanta, finishing sixth in both of those rounds. He mounted a charge late in the year, winning three out of the last four races, but in the end, Webb was slightly more consistent over the course of the 17-race series and won the championship by 18 points.

After the season finale in Las Vegas last year, Tomac was asked for the umpteenth time about it and replied matter-of-factly.

“Well, it’s putting the whole season together,” he said, reflecting on the reason he hasn’t yet won the coveted title. “I’ve just got to fill the gaps and we just haven’t done that yet. I felt like at the beginning I was playing catch-up, but I feel like at the end we hit our stride. That is the positive outlook on the season, but that’s about it. There was too much playing catch-up in the middle of the season.”

Whether or not Tomac can make 2020 his breakthrough year in Supercross remains to be seen.

To continue reading, advance to the next page.

PLAINFIELD, Ill. – Alex Palou, a past Super Formula race winner and rookie of the year, will compete full-time in the NTT IndyCar Series next year for Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh.

Palou will vie for IndyCar Series rookie-of-the-year honors as he takes on the 17-race schedule. The driver from Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain, is hot off an impressive season in the Japanese Super Formula Series with TCS Nakajima Racing.

In addition to finishing as the top rookie, Palou scored a victory, three pole positions (the most of any competitor that season) and placed third in the Japanese Super Formula championship.

Palou also drove for Team Goh in a McLaren 720S GT3 this past season, capturing the pole position during the final round of the Super GT series at Twin Ring Motegi by setting a new GT300 class record.

“I’m very excited about coming to America to race Indy cars,” said the 22-year-old driver. “I’m grateful for all that have helped me get to this point of my career, and especially Dale Coyne and Mr. Kazumichi Goh for giving me this opportunity.”

“We’re very pleased to partner with our friend of many years, Kazumichi Goh, in this collaborative effort for 2020,” said team co-owner Dale Coyne. “We tested Alex at Mid-Ohio earlier this year and he impressed everyone. His rise in performance over the past three years shows great promise for the future.”

Team Goh has a storied history in racing. The squad won the 1996 Japanese Grand Touring Championship and became one of the few privateer teams to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2004 with Seiji Ara, Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello.

“Alex shows great promise and we all are excited to continue our relationship with Alex and to see him progress his career towards the IndyCar series,” said team co-owner Kazumichi Goh. “It will be an honor to be part of the Indianapolis 500, the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and we hope to have the same success we achieved at Le Mans with our overall win thanks to great team collaboration between Alex and Dale Coyne Racing.”

Prior to his season in the highly competitive Super Formula championship, Palou raced in the Japan Formula 3 Championship, finishing third in the year-end standings on the strength of three wins and five pole positions.

Before his time in Japan, Palou became the first Spanish racing driver to win a GP3 race when he took the win in the final round of his debut season in 2015 with Campos Racing.

Palou made the jump from racing karts to cars in 2014 and placed third in the Euroformula Open Championship and second in the Spanish Formula 3 Championship before his move to GP3, where he spent the next two seasons.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing announced Thursday that James Small has been promoted from lead engineer to crew chief of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Small is no stranger to teaming with Martin Truex Jr. as the pair have worked together in some capacity for the past three seasons dating back to their time at Furniture Row Racing.

Last season, Small served as the lead engineer for the No. 19 team that won a series-best seven races and claimed 15 top-five finishes and 24 top-10s on the way to a runner-up result in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.

“This is an incredible opportunity,” Small said. “Having the confidence of Coach, Martin and everyone at JGR means a lot to me. I moved to the United States six years ago to work in NASCAR and I wanted to work my way up to become a crew chief. I’m ready for this and I am excited about working with Martin and the foundation we have in place on the 19 team with the group of guys we have.”

While this will be the 36-year-old Australian’s first full-time crew chief tenure, he has experience atop the pit box when he filled in for two races working with Erik Jones in 2017 with Furniture Row Racing.

In those two races, Small guided the then-rookie Jones to a 10th-place finish at Watkins Glen Int’l and a third-place result at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

“I know James well and feel very comfortable with him,” Truex said. “I feel like we approach racing very similar. He and Cole (Pearn) have a lot of similarities. It’s a natural fit and I’m really excited about it. I think he’ll do a great job.”

Before transitioning to Joe Gibbs Racing at the start of the 2019 season, Small spent the previous two years at Furniture Row Racing where he was the No. 77 team’s lead engineer in 2017 and eventually shifted to Truex’s team in 2018.

Prior to that, Small spent eight years working in Australia in the Virgin Australian Supercars Championship before moving to the United States and an engineering role at Richard Childress Racing from 2014-2016.

Additionally, Jeff Curtis has joined Joe Gibbs Racing as lead engineer for the No. 19 team.

Curtis previously worked with Truex at Furniture Row Racing, including the team’s 2017 championship season.

Car chief Blake Harris will return to the No. 19 team in the same capacity for 2020.

As MLS looks ahead to its 25th season, the regular-season schedule is venturing into new territory. In previous years, every team played every other team at least once. But with expansion stretching the league to 26 teams -- as well as four more sides coming on board in the next two years -- tradeoffs had to be made.

That doesn't mean there will be a lack of matchups to keep an eye on, even beyond the set-tos that take place during the much-hyped Rivalry Week. Here are 10 fixtures to watch as the next MLS campaign looms ever larger on the horizon, and don't forget to watch all season on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

Nashville SC vs. Atlanta United | Feb. 29, 8 p.m. ET

Given the relative proximity of the two cities, this will no doubt be hyped as a rivalry. We'll see how Charlotte's entry in 2021 impacts things, but for now this contest will go down in history as Nashville's inaugural match. One can only hope that Nashville's modestly assembled roster (at least so far) can compete with the talent-laden outfit that is the Five Stripes. Granted, Nashville does have an MLS Cup-winning manager in Gary Smith. Frank de Boer must be jealous.

Inter Miami CF vs. LA Galaxy | March 14, 2:30 p.m. ET

It doesn't quite rank up there with Jesus feeding the multitude, but Inter Miami finally kicking a ball in anger more than six years after the initial news conference announcing a team in South Florida, counts as an MLS miracle. Of course, the fact that the game will take place in Fort Lauderdale on the site of the old Lockhart Stadium instead of in Miami proper amounts to a considerable imperfection, but the sight of David Beckham's old team squaring off against the team he now co-owns will make for quite the spectacle.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. D.C. United | April 11, 5 p.m. ET

You can see it in your mind's eye. The San Jose Clash's Eric Wynalda nutmegs D.C. United defender Jeff Agoos and then curls a right-footed shot inside the far post to give the Clash a dramatic 1-0 victory in MLS' inaugural match. The two sides will meet again to help the league celebrate its 25th season. Plenty has changed since, and not just San Jose's nickname -- they're now known as the Earthquakes. The league now has more than double the teams that began the 1996 campaign. This day will be an opportunity to soak in all the milestones MLS has achieved, survival not the least.

LAFC vs. LA Galaxy | May 16, 3 p.m. ET

Yes, this rivalry has been manufactured, but it has also managed to live up to the considerable hype. The Galaxy dominated the early encounters, but LAFC's playoff triumph finally tipped the scales in its direction. The presence of one Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped the intensity-meter go well past the red line, but with the rivalry's primary antagonist having now departed, "El Trafico" faces a challenge of sorts: finding a new villain. This may take a while, but fortunately, the passion of the respective sets of fans should keep the energy -- an enmity -- flowing.

New York Red Bulls vs. Montreal Impact | June 27, 7:30 p.m. ET

Thierry Henry will make his return to the venue where he played for five seasons, this time as the Impact's manager. The Frenchman won't find too many familiar faces. Both Luis Robles and Bradley Wright-Phillips have departed, leaving goalkeeper Ryan Meara as the lone holdover from Henry's final season with the Red Bulls in 2014. With the possible exception of noted hecklers Vince and Vance Moss, Henry will no doubt receive a warm welcome from the Red Bulls faithful. But once the whistle sounds, the former Red Bulls forward will be looking to prove his worth as a manager.

Portland Timbers vs. Columbus Crew | July 1, 10:30 p.m. ET

Timbers fans will get a glimpse of their past when the Crew come to town. Caleb Porter and Darlington Nagbe were instrumental in leading Portland to the 2015 MLS Cup. Both departed following the 2017 campaign, and while Nagbe returned last season -- and in 2018 helped orchestrate Atlanta United's MLS Cup victory over the Timbers -- Porter will make his first trip back to Providence Park. It figures to be an emotional return for the man who is now the Crew's manager, given that Portland was where he entered the professional managerial ranks.

FC Dallas vs. Orlando City | July 17, 8:30 p.m. ET

The master has returned to MLS to take on his onetime apprentice. Oscar Pareja, who had three different stints in the Dallas organization, including five years as manager, heads back to the Lone Star State for the first time since he left for Club Tijuana after the 2018 season. On the other side will be current FCD head coach Luchi Gonzalez, who ran Dallas' academy for six years, the last five of which were under Pareja. Gonzalez led a youthful FCD side to a playoff berth last season, while Pareja -- who won two trophies in Dallas -- will be attempting to help Orlando reach the postseason for the first time in its history.

Toronto FC vs. Seattle Sounders | July 18, 7 p.m. ET

Toronto and Seattle have had a knack for meeting up with an MLS Cup on the line. The two sides have met in three of the past four finals, with the Sounders prevailing twice, including the 3-1 triumph at CenturyLink Field last month. Some faces will no doubt be different -- MLS Cup MVP Victor Rodriguez has already departed -- but with TFC's Michael Bradley having been re-signed, and the likes of Nicolas Lodeiro and Stefan Frei still in the Seattle fold, it won't take much for old memories to be rekindled.

Atlanta United vs. LAFC | Aug. 16, 3 p.m. ET

It was the MLS Cup final that neutrals wanted last year but didn't get, especially after the regular-season tilt ended 4-3 in favor of the black and gold. Given the respective talent levels, this encounter figures to be just as captivating, especially with the last two MVP award winners -- LAFC's Carlos Vela and Atlanta's Josef Martinez -- set to take the field. Atlanta will be hoping that hosting this edition will help it reverse last year's result.

Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers | Aug. 22, 4 p.m. ET

Rivalries have become increasingly disposable in MLS. The must-watch games of the past (D.C. United vs. New York Red Bulls and LA Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes, to name two) have receded in favor of more-manufactured matchups. But the Sounders and Timbers has stood the test of time over many years and several leagues. There's always a bit of juice added when one of them is defending a title, which has taken place three of the past five years. In this case the Sounders are the kings of MLS, and Portland will love nothing better than to inflict some regular-season pain.

Our XI

Tom Banton, Chris Lynn, Max Bryant, Ben Dunk, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Cutting, Sandeep Lamichhane, Adam Zampa, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Brown

NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates

Captain: Marcus Stoinis

Stars' most important player, who dazzled as opener last season, is probably the best pick against a Heat bowling unit that looked bleak after a good start in the first game. He was Stars' leading run-getter last season and just behind Dwayne Bravo, their leading wicket-taker, so points could be on offer everywhere.

Vice-captain: Tom Banton

We are still on the Banton hype train, and with his 150+ strike rate and his potential to score big, he could be Stars' worst nightmare. Without Liam Plunkett and Bravo, Banton would be facing less experienced bowlers and he should relish that.

Hot picks

Ben Dunk

One of the first names in Stars' team sheet is coming into the season as the top-scoring batsman of the Mzansi Super League. A left-hander opener is a fantasy delight, anyways. He has a strong bond with Stoinis at the top of the order and with a Heat bowling line-up short of confidence, Dunk could be among the runs.

Nathan Coulter-Nile

No Plunkett, no Bravo and in comes Nathan Coulter-Nile to bolster the attack for the Stars. With 17 wickets for Western Australia in seven games, Coulter-Nile is hot and will be raring to go in his first full BBL season in a long time.

Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell could be a better pick over Chris Lynn mainly because Lynn has a poor record against spinners and Stars have Zampa and Lamichhane in their ranks. Maxwell's break could work against him but we are giving him the nod based on his experience and T20 prowess.

Value picks

Ben Cutting

A new look batting unit for the Heat will need Cutting's experience in the middle order and with his ability to get among the wickets, he could be among the top point getters for this game. Your second allrounder after Stoinis.

Sandeep Lamichhane

The Heat have the big-hitters, and that's exactly the challenge 19-year old Lamichhane will be looking forward to. Coming into the season with wickets in the Abu Dhabi T10 and with Nepal, Lamichhane will look at the collapse Heat had in their first game with plenty of hope.

Point to note

• It's a new look-but fairly strong bowling unit of Stars versus the new-look batting-heavy unit of Heat. It's a fascinating contest and the points could fly either way. Difficult to pick sides.

As MLS looks ahead to its 25th season, the regular-season schedule is venturing into new territory. In previous years, every team played every other team at least once. But with expansion stretching the league to 26 teams -- as well as four more sides coming on board in the next two years -- tradeoffs had to be made.

That doesn't mean there will be a lack of matchups to keep an eye on, even beyond the set-tos that take place during the much-hyped Rivalry Week. Here are 10 fixtures to watch as the next MLS campaign looms ever larger on the horizon, and don't forget to watch all season on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.

Nashville SC vs. Atlanta United | Feb. 29, 8 p.m. ET

Given the relative proximity of the two cities, this will no doubt be hyped as a rivalry. We'll see how Charlotte's entry in 2021 impacts things, but for now this contest will go down in history as Nashville's inaugural match. One can only hope that Nashville's modestly assembled roster (at least so far) can compete with the talent-laden outfit that is the Five Stripes. Granted, Nashville does have an MLS Cup-winning manager in Gary Smith. Frank de Boer must be jealous.

Inter Miami CF vs. LA Galaxy | March 14, 2:30 p.m. ET

It doesn't quite rank up there with Jesus feeding the multitude, but Inter Miami finally kicking a ball in anger more than six years after the initial news conference announcing a team in South Florida, counts as an MLS miracle. Of course, the fact that the game will take place in Fort Lauderdale on the site of the old Lockhart Stadium instead of in Miami proper amounts to a considerable imperfection, but the sight of David Beckham's old team squaring off against the team he now co-owns will make for quite the spectacle.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. D.C. United | April 11, 5 p.m. ET

You can see it in your mind's eye. The San Jose Clash's Eric Wynalda nutmegs D.C. United defender Jeff Agoos and then curls a right-footed shot inside the far post to give the Clash a dramatic 1-0 victory in MLS' inaugural match. The two sides will meet again to help the league celebrate its 25th season. Plenty has changed since, and not just San Jose's nickname -- they're now known as the Earthquakes. The league now has more than double the teams that began the 1996 campaign. This day will be an opportunity to soak in all the milestones MLS has achieved, survival not the least.

LAFC vs. LA Galaxy | May 16, 3 p.m. ET

Yes, this rivalry has been manufactured, but it has also managed to live up to the considerable hype. The Galaxy dominated the early encounters, but LAFC's playoff triumph finally tipped the scales in its direction. The presence of one Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped the intensity-meter go well past the red line, but with the rivalry's primary antagonist having now departed, "El Trafico" faces a challenge of sorts: finding a new villain. This may take a while, but fortunately, the passion of the respective sets of fans should keep the energy -- an enmity -- flowing.

New York Red Bulls vs. Montreal Impact | June 27, 7:30 p.m. ET

Thierry Henry will make his return to the venue where he played for five seasons, this time as the Impact's manager. The Frenchman won't find too many familiar faces. Both Luis Robles and Bradley Wright-Phillips have departed, leaving goalkeeper Ryan Meara as the lone holdover from Henry's final season with the Red Bulls in 2014. With the possible exception of noted hecklers Vince and Vance Moss, Henry will no doubt receive a warm welcome from the Red Bulls faithful. But once the whistle sounds, the former Red Bulls forward will be looking to prove his worth as a manager.

Portland Timbers vs. Columbus Crew | July 1, 10:30 p.m. ET

Timbers fans will get a glimpse of their past when the Crew come to town. Caleb Porter and Darlington Nagbe were instrumental in leading Portland to the 2015 MLS Cup. Both departed following the 2017 campaign, and while Nagbe returned last season -- and in 2018 helped orchestrate Atlanta United's MLS Cup victory over the Timbers -- Porter will make his first trip back to Providence Park. It figures to be an emotional return for the man who is now the Crew's manager, given that Portland was where he entered the professional managerial ranks.

FC Dallas vs. Orlando City | July 17, 8:30 p.m. ET

The master has returned to MLS to take on his onetime apprentice. Oscar Pareja, who had three different stints in the Dallas organization, including five years as manager, heads back to the Lone Star State for the first time since he left for Club Tijuana after the 2018 season. On the other side will be current FCD head coach Luchi Gonzalez, who ran Dallas' academy for six years, the last five of which were under Pareja. Gonzalez led a youthful FCD side to a playoff berth last season, while Pareja -- who won two trophies in Dallas -- will be attempting to help Orlando reach the postseason for the first time in its history.

Toronto FC vs. Seattle Sounders | July 18, 7 p.m. ET

Toronto and Seattle have had a knack for meeting up with an MLS Cup on the line. The two sides have met in three of the past four finals, with the Sounders prevailing twice, including the 3-1 triumph at CenturyLink Field last month. Some faces will no doubt be different -- MLS Cup MVP Victor Rodriguez has already departed -- but with TFC's Michael Bradley having been re-signed, and the likes of Nicolas Lodeiro and Stefan Frei still in the Seattle fold, it won't take much for old memories to be rekindled.

Atlanta United vs. LAFC | Aug. 16, 3 p.m. ET

It was the MLS Cup final that neutrals wanted last year but didn't get, especially after the regular-season tilt ended 4-3 in favor of the black and gold. Given the respective talent levels, this encounter figures to be just as captivating, especially with the last two MVP award winners -- LAFC's Carlos Vela and Atlanta's Josef Martinez -- set to take the field. Atlanta will be hoping that hosting this edition will help it reverse last year's result.

Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers | Aug. 22, 4 p.m. ET

Rivalries have become increasingly disposable in MLS. The must-watch games of the past (D.C. United vs. New York Red Bulls and LA Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes, to name two) have receded in favor of more-manufactured matchups. But the Sounders and Timbers has stood the test of time over many years and several leagues. There's always a bit of juice added when one of them is defending a title, which has taken place three of the past five years. In this case the Sounders are the kings of MLS, and Portland will love nothing better than to inflict some regular-season pain.