Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer says it's up to striker Josef Martinez whether he returns from a right leg injury on the final day of the regular season Sunday against the New England Revolution (stream live at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday on ESPN+).

Martinez resumed training with the team Wednesday, the first time he has taken the field with his teammates since his Sept. 21 injury.

It originally was feared the injury could keep Martinez out through the MLS playoffs after he sustained both knee and ankle issues when his leg folded underneath him following a collision with a teammate.

- Stream MLS games LIVE on ESPN+
- MLS Cup playoffs 2019: All you need to know

Atlanta United is trying to secure second place in the Eastern Conference and a home game in the playoffs heading into the key Decision Day matchup at home (follow all the Decision Day action on the ESPN+ live whiparound show starting at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday).

The defending MLS Cup champions have played the last two matches without injured leading scorer Martinez and it has showed, totaling two goals while taking one point from road matches versus New York City FC and Montreal.

"It's great to see [Martinez] out there," midfielder Emerson Hyndman said. "Obviously he's a big loss to the team with the amount of goals he's scored for us and just the impact that he brings to our team. It's great to see him back out."

Martinez has 26 goals this season, third in MLS behind LAFC's Carlos Vela (31) and the LA Galaxy's Zlatan Ibrahimovic (29). Martinez, the reigning league MVP, led MLS in goals last season when he scored a record 31, a mark since matched by Vela.

Meanwhile, New England (11-10-12) will enter the playoffs as either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed in the East, having successfully overcome a dreadful 2-8-2 start following the arrival of Bruce Arena.

The Revolution, who could face Atlanta again in the first round of the playoffs pending Sunday's results, need to win and have Toronto FC lose to Columbus to claim the sixth spot, but their current form offers optimism they do not need a specific matchup to make a postseason run.

They improved to 9-2-10 in their last 21 matches and are unbeaten in the last four (1-0-3) after defeating East-leading NYCFC 2-0 last Sunday to clinch a playoff spot. Teal Bunbury and Gustavo Bou scored second-half goals for New England while Matt Turner made six saves for his second consecutive shutout.

"I think it [was] a good way to sum things up at home," Revs defender Jalil Anibaba told the club's official website. "I think it does show the fruits of our efforts and hard work, but it's only put us in a position to do what we want to do, so we're obviously aware of what's at stake moving forward.

"That's going to be more important than anything we've done in the past so far."

New England's turnaround picked up steam when Bou was signed before the close of the summer transfer window, with the Argentine striker totaling nine goals and two assists in 13 matches. He formed a quick partnership with fellow Designated Player Carles Gil, one of just four MLS players this season to reach double figures in goals (10) and assists (14).

Atlanta has never lost to New England since entering MLS in 2017, winning three matches and drawing the other two. The Revs have been outscored 9-1 in their two losses at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and dropped the reverse encounter this season 2-0 on April 13 as Ezequiel Barco had a brace on either side of half-time.

Information from Reuters and the Associated Press was used in this story.

The junior middleweight title fight between Ivana Habazin and Claressa Shields on Saturday has been called off after James Basher Ali, the veteran trainer for Habazin, was struck by an unidentified person and knocked unconscious at a weigh-in Friday.

The assailant fled the scene, which took place at the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, Michigan.

The fight between Habazin (20-3-0, 7 KOs) and Shields (9-0-0, 2 KOs) was supposed to take place Saturday night. It was one of three fights on the eight-fight card that were to be broadcast on Showtime (9 p.m. ET Saturday), which instead said it would televise just two.

The rest of the event will proceed as scheduled.

Video from Friday's weigh-in showed Ali earlier involved in a verbal confrontation with an unidentified person during the weigh-in. It is unknown if the person involved is the same person who later attacked Ali.

Ali was knocked unconscious for approximately 20 minutes, witnesses told ESPN, before being taken out on a stretcher and brought to McLaren Medical Center. He was bleeding from his head after hitting the concrete floor.

Habazin went to the hospital with Ali, who for years worked at the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit and was in the camp of longtime heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Neither Shields nor Habazin took part in the weigh-in when it resumed Friday. Fighters on the undercard attended the delayed weigh-in, which was open to the public.

Dmitry Salita, who promotes Shields, and Mark Taffet, Shields' manager, went to the hospital to see Ali and Habazin.

The fights that will be broadcast by Showtime on Saturday night include a welterweight bout between Philadelphia's Jaron Ennis and Argentina's Demian Daniel Fernandez, and Jermaine Franklin taking on Pavel Sour in a heavyweight bout.

ESPN's Steve Kim and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green admits that after a summer full of transition and roster turnover, the first week of training camp has been "different," as the organization tries to find a new rhythm without key pieces such as Kevin Durant and veterans Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.

"A lot different," Green said after Friday's practice at Chase Center. "But it's fun, though."

The Warriors come into the new season looking very different from the team that lost to the Toronto Raptors in last season's NBA Finals. Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets, Iguodala was shipped off to the Memphis Grizzlies to clear cap space and Livingston retired. In their place came D'Angelo Russell and a slew of unproven young players. As camp rolls along, Green acknowledges just how much all the changes have manifested on the floor.

"Just the lack of familiarity," Green said. "You get used to a certain thing for so long, and then it's not that. The normal reads that you would make, just kind of second nature, you got to make sure they're there. It's just a lot more making sure everyone's on the same page, or getting there. Everybody's not on the same page, which is to be expected, so just getting everybody there is the difference."

With All-Star swingman Klay Thompson out until at least the All-Star break in February, Green and superstar guard Stephen Curry have had to carry even more of a leadership role than normal. Green is confident the new-look team will find its chemistry sooner than later.

"It's time," Green said. "It's reps. Just kind of getting those reps. Figuring guys out, getting to know each other. That's a huge part of basketball, too, getting to know each other. ... That will come with time. It's no tough love right now. You figure that stuff out as time goes on. But none of us really know each other, except a few. So you can't give a guy you don't know tough love, that's fake as hell. If you're going to give somebody tough love, you don't even know if you love that person or not yet. So you can't give somebody tough love at this point, you just got to teach 'em."

Green said there's been even more teaching in practice than usual -- both from the coaches and the veteran players like himself.

"A lot more teaching," Green said. "For us guys who have been here for a while, it's a little difficult some of these practices. But that's the reality of [the situation], you kind of knew that coming in. So we're kind of playing the players' role but also coaching a little bit as well, too. The coaches, they're definitely approaching this a little differently, which is to be expected.

"You can teach some things about basketball, but you can't really teach IQ. You can teach people what to do -- however, this seems to be a pretty smart team. There's not really any idiots. Some teams you've got some idiots. It's not really any idiots [here], so that's good. Everybody seems to be able to think a little bit, so that's great."

The Warriors' first test regarding those new lessons comes Saturday night in their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers. The game also marks the first game held in Chase Center, the Warriors' sparkling-new billion dollar arena. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he's looking forward to seeing how loud the new arena is compared to Oracle Arena, the organization's home for the last 47 years in Oakland.

"I think mainly the noise," Kerr said. "It's hard to judge on a preseason game, but it feels like they did a really good job keeping the seats as close to the floor as possible. Some of the new arenas feel so vacuous, and this feels pretty intimate. I think we're going to have a really loud atmosphere in here, but we'll see."

Both Kerr and Green discussed how challenging the move from Oakland to San Francisco has been for everybody in the organization. Kerr said he spent part of Thursday with his wife, Margot, looking for a new veterinarian in San Francisco for the family dog.

"Figuring out your routine," Green said of what to expect in the team's new home. "All that stuff. But at the end of the day it's a basketball gym, it's an arena. We've played in a million arenas. I'm not going to be like, 'Oh my God, a new arena.' It's all the other stuff that y'all don't see and figuring that out. As opposed to getting out here [to the floor]. That's the easy part of it. ... I feel like a rookie all over again. Just trying to figure my life out. You know, moving, where to go, or how to beat traffic. I feel like a rookie all over again. This training camp has been interesting from that perspective for me. I haven't felt like a rookie in a while. I feel like a rookie."

As far as the game itself, Kerr noted starters like Green and Curry wouldn't play regular minutes against the Lakers.

"Not much more than 20," Kerr said. "If that."

HOUSTON -- Astros ace Justin Verlander continued to move up the all-time postseason charts during a dominant seven-inning outing Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of their American League Division Series matchup.

Verlander blanked the Rays over seven innings, allowing just one hit and three walks while striking out eight. Houston won 6-2, grabbing the quick series lead over the underdog Rays.

For Verlander, it was just another in a long line of postseason gems and with each outing, he climbs the all-time postseason leaderboards.

"I never get complacent about what I've been able to do in the playoffs," Verlander said. "Each and every game is a new opportunity to go out and re-prove myself."

With his seventh strikeout -- a whiff of Tampa Bay's Yandy Diaz in the seventh inning, -- Verlander passed Roger Clemens for the third-most K's in postseason history. He's now at 175, eight behind Andy Pettitte and 24 behind the record-holder, John Smoltz. If the Astros enjoy a deep playoff run as expected, Verlander would likely pass Smoltz this October.

The win was Verlander's 14th in the postseason, which moves him into a third-place tie with Hall of Famer Tom Glavine. He's one behind Smoltz, while Pettitte tops the list with 19.

Even if the Astros are eliminated by the Rays, Verlander, 36, will likely get more chances to add to his historic numbers: He continues to insist that he plans on playing until age 45.

"I guess I kind of pegged this like 45 number," Verlander said in advance of his outing. "Whether that's realistic or not, I don't know. I know I'm not going to sell myself short."

Verlander walked Rays leadoff hitter Austin Meadows to start the game after uncharacteristically struggling to find command of his fastball. He went to his secondary pitches to coax two double-play grounders during a sterling effort from the Houston defense. Verlander, typically a flyball pitcher when opposing hitters manage to put the ball in play against him, seemed as proud of that as any of the records.

"I don't know if that's the first game all year I've gotten two double plays," Verlander said. "These guys always give me a hard time because I don't get them enough ground balls. I was able to get them a few in the game today."

The defensive support aside, it was an unusually sterling effort even by Verlander's standards. He became just the 13th pitcher in postseason history to hold an opponent to one or fewer hits over at least seven innings. The last pitcher to do it was Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo in 2012.

"He's an unbelievable competitor," third baseman Alex Bregman said. "He prepares more than anybody. I love how much pride he takes in every start that he makes."

None of this was any surprise to Bregman and his, teammates who have seen Verlander dominate the majority of his outings since he joined the Astros late in the 2017 season. Still, they can't help but marvel at Verlander's continued excellence.

"When you can execute at your best in the biggest moments," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "I mean, there's nothing -- there's not a higher league. Like there's nowhere for him to go to be tested any further. So the test is really being able to do it start after start and then postseason after postseason.

"I don't know how to define it. I don't know what it's called. Whatever that 'it' factor is, he's got it."

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies?

Toshikazu Yamanishi gives Japan more race walks success with world 20km win in Doha while Bosworth is superb seventh in the heat

Toshikazu Yamanishi won Japan’s first ever 20km walk medal and completed the men’s walk double for his nation with a dominating performance.

He was 13th amongst the pack in 22:28 at 5km with Australia’s Commonwealth champion Dane Bird-Smith the official leader in 22:26.

Yamanishi made his move over the next 5km to such an extent that his 21:48 split gave him a 17-second lead over a pack of six in 44:16.

At this stage world junior champion Callum Wilkinson, who briefly led the race, was ninth in 44:29 while Tom Bosworth moving through after a steady start to 14th in 44:34.

The Japanese was still out on his own at 15km in 65:28 (a much faster 21:12) but Sweden’s Perseus Karlstrom was moving even quicker and was now 15 seconds back and he had a 12-second gap on a group of three – Turkey’s Salih Korkmaz, Vasiliy Mizinov and Koki Ikeda who appeared to be battling for the bronze.

Chasing them was Bosworth (66:09) after a 21:40 split and he had overtaken Wilkinson who was seventh (66:14) although the latter was shortly given a third red card and had to first sit in the two-minute penalty zone before another card meant disqualification.

Yamanishi found the last few kilometres hard but was keen to go to next year’s Olympics as world champion and a 21:06 split gave him gold in 1:26:34, almost nine minutes outside his PB set in March.

The former world youth champion was competing in his biggest event as a senior and 15 seconds back came another emerging athlete, the Russian Mizinov, who last year won European bronze and this year took the European under-23 title.

His last 5km was a very swift 20:53 and he caught a fading Karlstrom in the last few kilometres, who nevertheless held on to win Sweden’s first ever medal.

Christopher Linke, who was not shown in the original result and was not evident on the result at 15km, was awarded fourth place while Bosworth held on for a magnificent seventh in 1:29:34 – the first top eight finish by a British race walker at the IAAF World Championships.

Although he slowed to a 23:25 last 5km split, it made up for his London disappointment when he was disqualified while vying for the title and it comes after an injury-hit summer for the Leeds-based athlete.

“I am over the moon,” he said. “No Brit has ever finished in the top eight so for me that was the second target, the first being a medal. I’ve now got top eight Olympics, Europeans, Commonwealths and now worlds – I have got the set – and after the year I have had, it is everything.”

The Briton added: “It hasn’t really sunk in but it has taken a lot of hard work and I know everyone talks about medals but, for me, this is massive. It is the equivalent of being a world finalist. It really does make every single day and all those commitments, which we choose to do, worth it.”

Altogether 40 of the 52 starters finished with five disqualified and a further seven dropping out.

Naomi Osaka fought back from a set down to defeat Bianca Andreescu at the China Open on Friday - ending the US Open champion's 17-match winning streak.

Former world number one Osaka advanced to the semi-finals with a 5-7 6-3 6-4 victory in just over two hours in Beijing.

Japan's Osaka, 21, will face defending champion Caroline Wozniacki in the last four.

Top seed Ashleigh Barty will take on Kiki Bertens in the other semi-final.

Teenager Andreescu charged into a 5-1 lead in the first set, but Osaka fought back to draw level on 5-5.

The 19-year-old Canadian then broke Osaka's serve to clinch the first set.

World number six Andreescu went up 3-1 in the second set before Osaka won five consecutive games to level the match and the Australian Open champion proved too strong in the third set of what was the first meeting between the pair.

"I forgot how it felt and honestly it sucks, I didn't miss it," Andreescu said after her first loss since the Miami Open in March in a run that included her stunning victory over Serena Williams in the US Open final last month.

Osaka became the fifth player to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China after Barty, Karolina Pliskova, Wimbledon champion Simona Halep and Andreescu.

Australia's world number one Barty also battled from a set down to beat Czech Republic's seventh seed Petra Kvitova 4-6 6-4 6-3 on Friday to set up her meeting with eighth seed Bertens, who upset third seed Elina Svitolina 7-6 (8-6) 6-2.

Dane Wozniacki beat Russia's Daria Kasatkina 6-3 7-6 (7-5).