MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Former Penske Racing South President Don Miller and Dan Luginbuhl, one of the pioneers of motorsports marketing and public relations, have been inducted into the Team Penske Hall of Fame.

The duo were honored Monday morning in a special ceremony at the team’s Mooresville, N.C., facility.

Miller met team owner Roger Penske in the early 1970s during his time as a sales manager for National Engines and Parts, Co. in St. Louis. Miller joined Penske Racing in 1972, working on the team’s stock car and IndyCar programs. A former racer himself, Miller brought a wide range of experience to the team and he worked in many capacities on his way to becoming Vice President of Penske Products.

Miller was instrumental in bringing Penske Racing back into full-time NASCAR competition in 1991 with driver and fellow Team Penske Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace. Miller then became President of Penske Racing South, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the team’s stock car program. Under Miller’s leadership, Penske stock car teams produced a total of 69 victories in NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA competition until his retirement in 2007. The Chicago native was also an innovator in the sport, helping to design and develop several car safety advancements in NASCAR while leading the Penske team.

“When I first started at Team Penske there were 29 of us,” said Miller. “The population has grown significantly since then, but there is no place I’d rather be. I always tried to do the very best, not only for this team, but for Mr. Penske. When you are a member of this team, he will always have your back. I really appreciate this award. I am honored to be a part of this organization and the Team Penske Hall of Fame.”

When Luginbuhl joined Penske Racing in 1969, he helped chart the course for the team’s innovative and successful partnership model. He also helped pioneer modern motorsports public relations and marketing.  Early in his tenure with Penske Racing, Luginbuhl cultivated the relationship with key team sponsor Sunoco, before he helped foster partnerships with some of the other top brands in motorsports including Pennzoil, Marlboro, Miller, Goodyear, Mobil, Mercedes-Benz and many other Fortune 500 companies.

Under his guiding hand, Team Penske became the industry leader in American motorsports media relations, sponsorship and hospitality – a standard that continues today. During his 35-year career with Team Penske, Luginbuhl distinguished himself in numerous roles within the organization as he helped define and refine the Penske brand. He served as Vice President of Communications when he retired in 2002 and he continues to be a valued resource for Team Penske.

“I am very honored to receive this special honor. And I am humbled to be in the company of some amazing people,” said Luginbuhl. “It’s been my privilege to work with many a great people over the years.  We have come a long way since 1969 and our team of 10 working at the four-bay truck garage in Pennsylvania. But the mission today is still the same – work together, get the job done, keep building the Penske brand worldwide and of course, ‘effort equals results.’”

Inductions into the Team Penske Hall of Fame occur annually. Each year, two inductees are chosen from current and former drivers, employees and partners that have made a significant impact on the team and its history. The Hall of Fame class members are honored both at an event and within the walls of the Team Penske facility in Mooresville, N.C.

Miller and Luginbuhl join past Team Penske Hall of Fame inductees including: Roger Penske (2016), Mark Donohue (2016), Rick Mears (2017), Karl Kainhofer (2017), Rusty Wallace (2018) and Walter Czarnecki (2018).

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has signed a three-year, $15 million contract, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced Monday.

"Zach Werenski is one of the best young defensemen in the National Hockey League and we couldn't be happier that he will continue to be a foundational player for the Columbus Blue Jackets," Kekalainen said in a statement. "He is a gifted offensive player that has continued to improve in all facets of the game and will be an elite player for many years."

Werenski, 22, had 44 points in 82 games last season for Columbus, averaging a career high 22:54 per game. In three seasons, the Michigan native has blossomed into one of the NHL's best young defensemen, with 128 points in 237 games and solid underlying analytics.

He was part of a restricted-free-agent crop this summer that led to several negotiation stalemates around the league, as teams waited on other RFAs to sign their deals and set the market. Sources told ESPN last month that Werenski was waiting on Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov, both restricted free agents. Instead, he's the one who sets the market.

The $5 million AAV on this contract gives Werenski only the sixth-highest cap hit on the Blue Jackets and puts him at No. 51 overall for active NHL defensemen. It's a bridge contract, meant to bring Werenski closer to unrestricted free agency and the riches that it brings. But when it ends in 2022, Werenski will still have one more year of restricted-free-agent status. His salary in the final year of his deal rises to $7 million, establishing a new floor for his next contract.

For the Blue Jackets, the contract means that their top two defensemen have contracts that expire at the same time. Seth Jones, who has 228 points in 468 career games and has been Werenski's frequent partner on the blue line, is an unrestricted free agent in 2022. But getting Werenski to sign at this salary-cap hit, and with an arbitration-eligible year left before unrestricted free agency, is being seen as a coup around the NHL -- even if the agents for the league's remaining young RFA defensemen might be cringing at the team-friendly financials.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero said he is still attempting to sign center Pavel Zacha amid concerns the former first-round draft pick will play in the Kontinental Hockey League this season.

Peppering his comments with profanities, Shero told The Associated Press on Monday that he doesn't care if Zacha signs with the KHL or with Brampton, an ECHL team. Shero said the Devils still retain the restricted free agent's rights after issuing him a qualifying offer this summer, and he hopes to get a deal completed with training camp opening this week.

Shero said he's unaware if Zacha has signed with a KHL team, although he adds that possibility was raised by the player's agent during a recent conversation.

Shero said playing in the KHL is "not the advice I would give him," and added that "it's a long way back to the NHL" if Zacha goes that route.

Zacha's agent, Patrik Stefan, did not immediately respond to several messages from the AP seeking comment.

Shero called Zacha an "important player" entering a key year in his development. He spoke while watching the Devils' third and final game at the Sabres' prospects tournament in Buffalo.

The 22-year-old Zacha is from the Czech Republic and had a career-best 13 goals in 61 games last season. Overall, he has 29 goals and 47 assists for 76 points in 201 career NHL games.

NEW YORK -- Dani Rylan believes professional women's hockey should grow and thrive. She doesn't believe that her league needs to be sacrificed for that to happen.

"We're not going anywhere," said Rylan, the commissioner of the National Women's Hockey League, during an hour-long conversation with ESPN last week in Brooklyn. "It's definitely disappointing, to say the least, when the people that you built a business for, or a platform for, feel that destroying that business is the best way forward."

It's been a roller-coaster 18 months for women's hockey. In February 2018, the U.S. national team won Winter Olympic gold for the first time in 20 years, finally overcoming their arch rivals from Canada. In March 2019, the sport was stunned when the Canadian Women's Hockey League folded after 12 seasons, citing a funding gap and an unsound financial model.

That left North American stars like Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin without a team for the upcoming season, sparking speculation that Canadian and American national team players would flock to the NWHL, where some of them -- like U.S. forward Amanda Kessel -- played last year. Instead, 200 players announced en masse in May that they would not play in a women's professional league this season "until we get the resources that professional women's hockey demands and deserves."

Thus began the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, which is going on a multi-city exhibition tour this season. They said in a statement: "We cannot make a sustainable living playing in the current state of the professional game. Having no health insurance and making as low as two thousand dollars a season means players can't adequately train and prepare to play at the highest level."

It wasn't hard to connect the dots here. Not only did these players see the NWHL as inadequate, they saw it as an impediment. For years, many of these elite players had expressed a desire to create a single women's pro league that has the support of the National Hockey League, much like the NBA supports the WNBA.

To get that support? The NWHL has to die off like the CWHL did.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has indicated his league has no desire to get into the women's game if a viable pro league exists. "As long as elite women hockey players have professional opportunities, it is not an environment we are prepared to wade into in any formal way," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly reiterated to ESPN when the CWHL folded.

This signal from the NHL has led to this unprecedented moment in pro sports: a coalition of the game's biggest stars withholding their talents from a particular league in the hopes of suffocating it.

Rylan couldn't help but take it personally.

"Yes, I do. And I think there are some players where it hurts a little bit more that they made this decision. Not just hurts me personally, but also the other people in the league who invested in them, who have done a lot to help players grow their brands and grow as hockey players. Maybe that means players that made the national team who weren't in that conversation before," she said.

For Rylan, there's another side to this boycott that hasn't been given the same amount of attention as the desires of the national team stars. This is understandable: Every fight the players have taken up has been a virtuous one, like when they bit the hand of USA Hockey to get the equality they deserved. Our default setting is to side with the players here as well, and that's what many did -- without thinking about the players and fans who still see the NWHL as their hockey home.

"They weren't even mentioned at all," lamented Rylan.

"I think a lot of those players took this as a personal attack. You only have so many years to play professional sports or sports in general. So for there to be a commitment to take a gap year, that sacrifices opportunities for others. It's something that a lot of players in the NWHL thought about, and decided that what was best was to play here."

That includes some players who supported the boycott at first, but eventually decided to return to the league. As an example, Rylan points to Jillian Dempsey, the NWHL's leading career scorer, who returned to captain the Boston Pride.

"Quite a few have flipped. It's been hard for our general managers to leave room for the players that could end the boycott and return to the league. They have conversations with them about being torn, not knowing what to do," she said.

The NWHL attempted to make itself more appealing to players this offseason. For the first time in league history, there's a 50/50 split of league-wide sponsorship and media dollars, with 50 percent going to increasing the players' salary cap. A new stream that falls under that split: a three-year deal with Twitch, which will offer the entire NWHL season on its streaming platform. (Rylan would not disclose the terms of the deal.)

The five-team league will increase its regular-season schedule from 16 to 24 games. Rylan said that player salaries are up 26 percent over last season, and there was also an increase in per diem. Rylan wouldn't offer specifics, but last season the per diem rates increased from $10 to $20 for road games, which was much less than the recognized federal standard of $51.

As in the past, 15 percent of all player-specific merchandise that's sold goes back to that player as a bonus.

In theory, this would be a spot where not having star players like Kessel hurts the NWHL. But Rylan points out that Metropolitan Riveters forward Audra Richards, now with Minnesota, led the league in merch sales last season and was never a member of the national team. She also notes that despite the PWHPA "gap year" boycott, season ticket renewals were up over last season.

"Fans believe in the teams and in the league and in pro women's hockey," said Rylan.

But the boycott did have an effect on the league's sponsorship opportunities. "Some brands decided to put a hold on support altogether just based on the unknowns. Conversations changed during the summer," she said. "It wasn't the summer that we expected. We can say that for sure."

That cruel summer goes beyond the players' decision to sit out and the ramifications of that call. Plans for potential NWHL Canadian expansion were put on hold. The Buffalo Beauts and the Metropolitan Riveters both had to find new homes. In the case of the latter, the New Jersey Devils ended their partnership with the team and would no longer offer them ice time in their practice rink facility, where the Riveters played home games and the league held its Isobel Cup championship.

In the case of Buffalo, the NWHL took control of the team when the Pegula family -- owners of the Sabres and Bills -- relinquished control of the team to the NWHL.

"They decided that it didn't work for them, so we took the Beauts back," said Rylan, without elaboration.

The NWHL currently owns and operates its five teams, but is working with the Sports Advisory Group to find independent owners for each franchise. That group has worked with a variety of minor leagues to connect teams and ownership.

The financial speed bumps over the last five years created a sense of concern about the NWHL's future. Yes, it was the first women's pro hockey league to pay its players, but the lowest salary in the league last season was a paltry $2,500. While salaries were respectable in the early years, in 2016 the NWHL slashed salaries by 50 percent midseason in an effort to stay "financially viable." Throughout its existence, a lack of transparency in the league's finances was a sticking point for many players.

But Rylan said she believes in what the NHWL is building.

"We're going into our fifth season. To have the people that you're building it for take such a strong stance against it, it's tough. But we're only going to continue to build. We want to be the league that they're proud of. At the end of the day, we want what they want, too. We want a strong future for women's hockey. We want a strong, viable league with the best players participating," she said.

Getting those players to believe in Rylan's product again is another story, especially when they believe the only path to a thriving women's league is stepping over the NWHL's burial plot while moving toward a partnership with the NHL.

"We've certainly seen a lot of the NHL's statements that have mentioned they would be prepared to step in if there is no viable option for women's ice hockey in North America," 2018 Olympic gold medalist Meghan Duggan told ESPN earlier this year. "If that opportunity presents itself, I trust that they have a vision as well. If you look at what history tells us, it's that startup women's leagues are very successful when they're connected to an existing league. That's true throughout Europe, in women's soccer, the WNBA, and the NWSL with their support from U.S. Soccer. That's part of what we're looking for."

Rylan sees it differently.

"Don't get me wrong: We love the NHL. We love the support that we get from them," she said, in reference to the $100,000 the league is expected to invest in the NWHL this season. "But we don't believe that women's hockey needs the NHL, or men's teams, to prove that women's professional hockey is viable."

But she isn't slamming the door.

"If the NHL really wants to start a league, we can talk about what that looks like," she said. "We think there's an opportunity to all work together and make a better league."

Rylan said she's spoken to the NHL about a women's league in the last few months. "Everything that Gary has said to the media, he's said to us: He has no intention of starting a league," she said.

"I think there's a chance to get all of the stakeholders around a table and figure out how to do this together."

The problem, according to Rylan, is that it's near impossible to do that when one of the stakeholders isn't interested in a seat at that table.

"We've gone to [the boycotting players] many times to sit down and have conversations. They've refused to communicate with us at all. There have been no demands -- only what we've read through the media. They've not come to us and said that they want anything," she said.

It could be that they don't want anything from the NWHL, which is why they're skipping this season instead of playing in Rylan's league. The messaging on the NWHL from stars like Kendall Coyne Schofield, who played for the Minnesota Whitecaps last season, would indicate that: "At the end of the day, the product we were receiving wasn't the best product in the world," she said.

But Rylan sees their decision to pull back instead of working with the NWHL to better that product as counterproductive. "We could argue that the growth of the game has slowed because of this," she said.

"I think the question for the players taking the gap year is what happens next year. Because, like I said, we're not going anywhere."

European clubs are looking at new options for the future of the Champions League after a proposal that would have given captive places to 24 teams ran into strong opposition, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Monday.

The chairman of the European Club Association (ECA) Andrea Agnelli also appeared indicate that the contentious plan had hit the rocks, acknowledging in a speech on Monday that its members had different views on the matter.

- Champions League group stage: All you need to know

UEFA has been working with ECA, which represents 232 clubs, on reform of the European club competition system from 2024 onwards.

The initial proposal envisaged a three-tier pan European league with promotion and relegation between the divisions.

The top tier would be the new version of the Champions League but 24 of the 32 teams would keep their places for the following season, breaking the tradition that qualification is achieved through performance in domestic competition.

It also suggested four groups of eight in the group stage, meaning a large increase in the number of European matches.

However, the proposal was strongly opposed by Europe's domestic leagues that say the battle for Champions League places is a key aspect of their competitions. A number of ECA members then broke ranks after a meeting in Malta in June and also criticised the plan.

Sources close the to clubs said on Monday that other proposals were now on the table.

These included one which suggested groups of six for the Champions League and another proposed by FC Copenhagen which would change the criteria which decides the allocation of places.

At present, slots are allocated to clubs depending on where they finish in their respective domestic leagues, with the top four teams from England, Spain, Italy and Germany earning direct qualification for the Champions League group stage.

However, FC Copenhagen proposed that historical records of the clubs should also be taken into account -- which would favour big clubs from middle-ranking leagues over smaller clubs from top-ranked leagues.

"The feeling before Malta was that everything was written in stone. You've all seen it's not like this," Agnelli told the ECA general assembly, without directly mentioning the proposal.

"It's been great seeing the participation of many clubs in sharing consultation in the past couple of months. This was the start of a genuine, open and transparent process."

"We have different views on formats and the stability principles. We have issues on the calendar. I understand that -- but there is an overall acceptance that reform must happen in 2024-25."

He also struck a conciliatory note towards the needs of the leagues. "We strongly believe that whatever the future holds ... we must maintain a strong symbiosis with domestic leagues."

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced that CEO and Secretary General Dan Flynn will officially leave his post on Monday, Sept. 16, and that the search for his replacement is ongoing.

Brian Remedi, the USSF's Chief Stakeholders Officer and a 13-year veteran of the Federation, has been given the added title of Chief Administrative Officer to ease with the transition, and will take over some of Flynn's duties until a permanent replacement can be found.

"The honor of serving U.S. Soccer has been a privilege and experience of a lifetime, and none of what we've been able to accomplish over my time here would be possible if not for the people within our organization -- past and present -- who shared my belief and love for what the sport of soccer means and can do here in the United States," said Flynn. "I retire with immense appreciation and respect for everyone who played a role in my journey and now look forward to welcoming new leadership that will continue to advance the mission of U.S. Soccer at all levels of our game."

USSF president Carlos Cordeiro added, "I'd like to thank Dan for his incredible commitment to U.S. Soccer for the past 20 years. His steadfast leadership has been invaluable and drove the sport to new heights."

Flynn, 64, had announced at the USSF's Annual General Meeting back in February that he would be stepping down. He underwent a heart transplant in 2016 which required a five-month recovery, thus giving the Federation some experience in handling his duties on an interim basis.

But the USSF has been unable to find a replacement as of yet. Several lawsuits, including a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by players from the U.S. Women's national team have occupied the Federation. There was also a scathing series of reviews on the website Glassdoor.com about the work environment at the USSF led Cordeiro to say that an employee survey would be formulated to obtain feedback from USSF staff. That survey has not yet been delivered to the USSF employees.

The USSF hopes that the process to replace Flynn will be completed by the end of 2019, though it could run into January of 2020. At present there are internal and external candidates, though there is no set list of finalists. Among those considered in the running is U.S. Soccer executive Jay Berhalter, who is brother of U.S. men's team coach Gregg Berhalter.

Flynn's 19-year career at U.S. Soccer coincided with a period of dramatic growth. According to financial statements posted by the USSF, revenues grew from $36.3 million in the 2005 fiscal year to over $290 million in 2018. During this time Flynn overhauled the USSF's business practices which provided a substantial reserve for future endeavors.

He also oversaw the construction of several soccer facilities including the National Training Center in Carson, Calif., in 2003, and the National Development Center in Kansas City, Kan., which opened at the end of 2017. In partnership with Clark and Dan Hunt, owners of MLS side FC Dallas, Flynn helped lead the effort to open the new National Soccer Hall of Fame Experience in Frisco, Texas, in October of 2018.

Flynn also put his business background to work in preparing the framework to help the Local Organizing Committee successfully stage the 2003 Women's World Cup on an expedited timeline after original hosts China were unable to hold the event due to the SARS outbreak.

In 2012, along with former U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati, Flynn also helped create the structure for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Remedi will begin his additional position as Chief Administrative Officer on September 16.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to work with U.S. Soccer staff, our Membership and the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors to continue pushing the game forward," said Remedi.

Major League Soccer doesn't do international breaks. Not fully, anyway. Like the workaholic half of a committed couple, MLS can never seem to pull itself away when a great opportunity for a little rest and relaxation is presented.

Always checking email poolside. Put the Blackberry down. It's supposed to be a vacation!

This week's limited schedule means there's not a lot of movement in the Power Rankings, but we did get a chance to reset, reboot and reassess the playoff situation just ahead of the final four or five games for most of the contenders.

It's a little like that moment of weightlessness at the top of the roller coaster, before gravity kicks in and everyone goes bonkers while the car rushes down at 250 mph ... AHHHHHHHHHHHH THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA WHY DID I DO THIS LET'S GET TO THE RANKINGSSSSSS!!!

Previous rankings: Week 26 | Week 25 | Week 24 | Week 23 | Week 22 | Week 21 | Week 20 | Week 19 | Week 18 | Week 17 | Week 16 | Week 15 | Week 14 | Week 13 | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1

1. LAFC (19 wins, 6 draws, 4 losses)

Previous ranking: 1

Next MLS match: Saturday at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The fair take is that LAFC was lucky to escape Florida with a point, especially down five starters including Carlos Vela. Leaving Vela out, which coach Bob Bradley may do next week against Philadelphia, is probably prudent but risks the chase for all of the regular-season records.

2. New York City FC (15-8-5)

Previous ranking: 3

Next MLS match:Wednesday vs. Toronto, 7 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

You know you forgot about Jesus Medina. We all forgot about Jesus Medina. Luckily for NYCFC, who was without the injured Heber against the Revs, Dome Torrent didn't forget about Jesus Medina. NYCFC's ascension into first in the East is complete and feels permanent.

3. Philadelphia Union (15-6-8)

Previous ranking: 2

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. LAFC, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

LAFC comes to Chester next week. According to the red-hot Kacper Przybylko, the Union are ready. "LAFC, I wish you a lot of luck," Przybylko said last week after beating Atlanta. "This is our house. This is our stadium. We're waiting for you guys."

4. Minnesota United (13-6-9)

Previous ranking: 4

Next MLS match: Wednesday at Houston Dynamo, 8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The Loons migrate south to Houston in midweek with a chance to bag three points against a team with zero energy left. If it's going to be #LoonSeason come October, Adrian Heath's team needs to avoid any potential bird traps and claim what should be an easy win.

5. Atlanta United (15-3-10)

Previous ranking: 5

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. Columbus Crew, 7 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The champs restart the defense of their title against the Crew. In the meantime, they can celebrate Josef Martinez winning Goal of the Week for his clever take against the Union. It came in a losing cause, but still.

6. San Jose Earthquakes (13-5-10)

Previous ranking: 6

Next MLS match: Wednesday at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

We don't know about you, but we have the distinct feeling that Matias Almeyda spent his suspension breaking cinder blocks in half with his bare hands and plotting the trail of destruction the Quakes intend to blaze through the Western Conference on their way to the playoffs. Watch out, Bob.

7. Portland Timbers (13-4-11)

Previous ranking: 8

Next MLS match: Sunday vs. D.C. United

Brian Fernandez's flu game pushed the Timbers to a massive, massive home win over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. The Timbers would still have the inside track on a playoff spot even with a draw, but the win greatly improves their chances of claiming a home game when they get there.

8. Seattle Sounders (13-7-9)

Previous ranking: 7

Next MLS match: Sunday vs. New York Red Bulls, 6 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN

Sometimes knockoff versions of name-brand products have weird spellings that make them look like the high-quality stuff even when they're not. In other news, the Seattle Zounders lost to the Colorado Rapids in Commerce City on Saturday.

9. New England Revolution (10-9-10)

Previous ranking: 9

Next MLS match: Saturday at Orlando, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The Bruce-a-lution has stalled at a bad time, as one win in six has the club's playoff chances approaching coin-flip territory. Bad for the Revs, but good for neutrals when New England head to Orlando next week to play a desperate Lions team with any shot at the postseason on the line.

10. LA Galaxy (13-3-12)

Previous ranking: 10

Next MLS match: Wednesday at Colorado Rapids, 9 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

As if the loss to the Sounders last week weren't bad enough, the Timbers' win on Saturday pushed the Galaxy out of the playoffs spots in the Western Conference. A Wednesday night trip to Colorado gives LA the chance to pull themselves back into the top seven.

11. Real Salt Lake (13-4-11)

Previous ranking: 11

Next MLS match: Wednesday vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 9:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

What comes next for RSL is a brutal two-game week that starts Wednesday against all-action San Jose at home (minus nine international call-ups) and finishes Sunday with a trip to Allianz Field to play Minnesota United. "It all comes down to this" feels both overly dramatic and right on the button.

12. FC Dallas (12-7-10)

Previous ranking: 12

Next MLS match: Saturday at Chicago Fire, 3:30 p.m. ET

Seventh-place FC Dallas finishes a trio of games against lesser MLS lights with a trip to Chicago on Saturday. The first two (against Houston and Cincinnati) were resounding wins. Luchi Gonzalez must get three points, in whatever fashion, to keep pace for the playoffs.

13. Toronto FC (11-8-10)

Previous ranking: 14

Next MLS match: Wednesday at NYCFC, 7 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The Reds won a must-win game in confidence-building fashion on the road. From that perspective, the weekend couldn't have gone better for Greg Vanney's team. It gets a little tougher midweek, when the quest for the playoffs takes TFC to Yankee Stadium.

14. D.C. United (11-9-10)

Previous ranking: 15

Next MLS match: Sunday at Portland Timbers, 3:30 p.m. ET

United used a Wednesday night friendly against Puebla to get Wayne Rooney reintegrated into the team following his two-match suspension. Whether Rooney is sharp and completely committed may determine if the Black and Red get a chance to play for a championship before he leaves for home in the offseason.

15. Colorado Rapids (9-6-14)

Previous ranking: 16

Next MLS match: Wednesday vs. LA Galaxy, 9 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

BREAK UP RAPIDS. OK, so the Sounders (whoops, Zounders) were so short-handed that they only brought 16 players, two of them emergency call-ups from the Tacoma Defiance, and Colorado still doesn't have any chance at the postseason, but Robin Fraser has two wins in two games. That's worth a tip of the Power Rankings cap (it's a fedora).

16. Sporting Kansas City (10-7-12)

Previous ranking: 13

Next MLS match: Sunday at LA Galaxy, 10 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

A poor clearance + Diego Valeri magic + poor marking at the back post = sad baby blue trombones for Sporting in Portland. Will those trombones also play a dirge for the club's season? Or maybe a New Orleans-style jazz funeral song? That sounds like more fun.

17. Orlando City (9-8-13)

Previous ranking: 18

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. New England, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Thus, Orlando City: "I can't describe it," James O'Connor said after the 2-2 draw with LAFC. "It's so far past disappointment, I can't even begin to tell you. I thought our performance was excellent. When you look at how good LAFC are, you look at how we managed the game and you look at the problems we caused them, on another night we would have won the game."

18. New York Red Bulls (12-5-12)

Previous ranking: 18

Next MLS match: Sunday at Seattle, 6 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN

It's never good when your fan base spends a week arguing if your head coach should be in danger of losing his job, just ahead of a stretch run that includes four out of five games against teams currently in the playoff positions. Never good at all.

19. Chicago Fire (8-10-12)

Previous ranking: 19

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. FC Dallas, 3:30 p.m. ET

A fire is made up of oxygen, fuel and heat. The Chicago Fire are missing at least two of those.

20. Columbus Crew (8-7-15)

Previous ranking: 20

Next MLS match: Saturday at Atlanta United, 7 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The Crew are solely in spoiler mode the rest of the way, with an eye on 2020. On Saturday they have a chance to stun the champs in Atlanta, potentially dealing a blow to United's quest for a high seed and home playoff games.

21. Montreal Impact (11-4-15)

Previous ranking: 21

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The Impact's playoff chances have dwindled dramatically despite the fact that they sit just two points back of seventh-place New England. Playing at home against FC Cincinnati on Saturday might just be the "get healthy" game that jump-starts the push for the postseason.

22. Vancouver Whitecaps (6-9-15)

Previous ranking: 22

Next MLS match: Saturday vs. Houston Dynamo, 10 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

There's currently more interest in Vancouver in playing a game called "Who's fault is it?" than anything happening on the field. Four games left until winter comes to British Columbia.

23. Houston Dynamo (9-4-15)

Previous ranking: 23

Next MLS match: Wednesday vs. Minnesota United, 8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Orange is a nice color. We really like orange. It's a great color for autumn.

24. FC Cincinnati (5-3-21)

Previous ranking: 24

Next MLS match: Saturday at Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

... Orange is a nice color? We really like orange? It's a great color for autumn?

Veteran seam bowler Mitch Claydon will leave Kent for Sussex at the end of this season.

Sussex head coach Jason Gillespie said the 36-year-old Claydon would bring a wealth of experience to his squad. "We have been looking to secure an experienced seamer for the short term to add depth to our bowling stocks and Mitch fits the bill perfectly. His experience and knowledge will be valuable in our dressing room.

"He is an important part of our plan for our seam bowling department. We are also seeking a younger, more long-term signing to complement our current bowling stocks."

Originally from Sydney, Claydon used his British passport to join Yorkshire, where he played alongside Gillespie in 2006. Claydon moved to Durham, where he was part of the Championship-winning sides of 2008, 2009 and 2013. A successful loan stint at Kent in 2013 led to a seven-year association with the club, where he was reunited with Gillespie in 2017 when the latter became an interim assistant coach.

Having helped Kent win promotion to the Championship's top division in 2018 and reach the final of the Royal London One-Day Cup the same year, Claydon was not offered a contract extension beyond this season.

Claydon said: "After playing with Dizzy in my first year in England and spending time with him when he was with Kent, I'm really excited to be playing under him again. I still feel as though I have plenty to offer and look forward to hopefully putting in some match-winning performances for Sussex.

"I'd like to give a huge thank you to all my coaches and team-mates over the past seven years at Kent. I've made memories and friends for life in the Garden of England."

Kent Head Coach Matt Walker said Claydon had been "an outstanding servant" to the club. "He's also produced some great performances for us, whether that be in red-ball cricket or at the death in limited-overs formats. He's been a real match winner for Kent on the field and a true champion off it. He'll be hugely missed."