LOS ANGELES -- MLS intends to expand to 30 teams, with teams 28 and 29 requiring an expansion fee of $200 million, commissioner Don Garber announced Thursday following a Board of Governors meeting.

Garber said the board had authorized his office to advance into exclusive discussions with St. Louis and Sacramento with an eye toward those two cities being the 28th and 29th teams.

MLS currently has 24 teams and has already confirmed expansion teams in Austin, Miami, and Nashville to join in the coming years.

"In the last 10 years we've been experiencing unprecedented growth for a major league in North America," Garber said. "Expansion has been a key driver of that growth and it really is a great measure of the enormous enthusiasm and the commitment that our fans have in markets both new and old to support our league and our players and to see the sport grow."

Garber said the ownership groups from both cities will make formal presentations to the league's expansion committee in the coming weeks. Part of the process will involve getting to know the respective ownership groups, both of which have investors who are relatively new to the process. Garber hopes a final decision on both cities would be made before this summer's All-Star Game in Orlando in late July.

"We'll be asking them for their formal and final plans for a commitment of corporate support, the final composition of their ownership group, and detailed economics on their funding of both their team operations and their stadium plans," said Garber.

While the league has said at times that it would stop expanding at 28 teams, the announcement was not a surprise. Garber said the strength of the Sacramento and St. Louis bids was part of what drove the Board to decide to expand to 30 teams.

Sacramento's hopes of landing a team were boosted in January when billionaire Ron Burkle became the new lead investor in the Sacramento Republic soccer team. The team currently plays in the second-tier United Soccer League.

Burkle is a co-owner of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins with a net worth estimated at $2 billion by Forbes magazine.

The St. Louis group includes World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh and the Taylor family, owners of the rental car company Enterprise Holdings.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Sacramento Republic said: "Today is a monumental step in the process and we are closer than ever to reaching our goal of bringing Major League Soccer to Sacramento. There isn't a better fit for MLS than our city and today's announcement is a testament to the strength of Sacramento's bid, and most importantly, to the faith and devotion of Republic FC fans. We will continue our ongoing communication with the Commissioner and with MLS and look forward to finalizing all next steps to deliver MLS to Sacramento."

In terms of what number of teams the league will stop expanding, Garber didn't commit to a definitive number.

"I don't know that we have a firm handle yet on what the final number of teams in the league ought to be," said Garber. "We have a lot of work to do to determine what the future state of MLS is in 10 years and in 20 years. We continue to believe that there are many, many cities across the country that could support an MLS team, with a great stadium and a great fanbase and great local ownership that will invest in the sport in their community."

Garber added that MLS will "take our time" on team 30, though it remains in discussions with the likes of Phoenix, Las Vegas, Detroit and Charlotte.

"We don't want to be unbalanced, but at the same time I think we do need to take a bit of a deep breath and on-board the teams that are going to be coming in over the next number of years."

Garber lauded the bids of Sacramento and St. Louis but also stressed that both ownership group still had work to do. Garber said that Sacramento needed to finalize their corporate sponsorship as well as some elements of the stadium plan. St. Louis needs to finalize its stadium plan as well, but Garber's expectation is that both cities will get their respective bids over the line.

"I've got confidence in both markets," said Garber. "We wouldn't be here today without the confidence of our ownership group to try to put all the elements in place to give them the opportunity to finalize the deal."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Former Arkansas coach Mike Anderson is in negotiations to become the next head coach for St. John's, sources confirmed to ESPN.

Anderson, 59, emerged as the favorite on Thursday night, according to sources. Yale's James Jones and former George Mason and Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt were among the other coaches in consideration.

Newsday was first to report that Anderson would be headed to St. John's.

The job has proven difficult to fill after Chris Mullin stepped down as coach earlier in the month. The school's first choice to replace Mullin, Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley, decided to stay in Tempe and signed a contract extension. St. John's then pursued Loyola Chicago's Porter Moser, but Moser turned down the Red Storm after visiting the Queens campus and having an interview. Iona's Tim Cluess withdrew his name from consideration on Thursday morning.

Anderson was fired by Arkansas last month after eight seasons as head coach of the Razorbacks. During his time in Fayetteville, Anderson led Arkansas to the NCAA tournament three times. Prior to taking over at Arkansas, Anderson spent five seasons at Missouri, with which he went to three NCAA tournaments -- including an Elite Eight run in 2009. Anderson also was the head coach at UAB for four seasons, winning at least 20 games in all four seasons and advancing to the NCAA tournament three times.

The Birmingham, Alabama, native began his coaching career as an assistant coach under Nolan Richardson, first at Tulsa, his alma mater, for three seasons, and then at Arkansas for 17 seasons.

Anderson would replace Mullin, who stepped down from his position earlier this month. Mullin, the greatest player in program history, was in charge of the Red Storm for four seasons. He led St. John's to an NCAA tournament appearance this season, his first since taking over as head coach, but the Red Storm lost in the First Four to Arizona State.

Following the season, Mullin had multiple contentious meetings with athletic director Mike Cragg, leading to speculation on his job status. Mullin announced his resignation the day after the national championship game.

Sylvia Hatchell has resigned as head coach of North Carolina's women's basketball program amid an investigation into allegations she made racially offensive remarks.

The university announced Hatchell's resignation Thursday night.

"The University commissioned a review of our women's basketball program, which found issues that led us to conclude that the program needed to be taken in a new direction," athletics director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. "It is in the best interests of our University and student-athletes for us to do so. Coach Hatchell agrees, and she offered her resignation today. I accepted it.

"We appreciate her 33 years of service to Carolina and to the community, and we wish her the best. Our focus now is on conducting a search for a new head coach who will build on our great Carolina traditions and promote a culture of excellence."

North Carolina had placed Hatchell and her three assistants on paid administrative leave earlier this month and was reviewing the program, saying that the review was "due to issues raised by student-athletes and others."

Hatchell, a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, is the winningest women's basketball coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history. She has a career record of 1,023-405 and is 751-325 in 33 years at UNC with a national title in 1994.

NEW YORK -- Philadelphia center Joel Embiid sat out Game 3 of the 76ers' first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday because of left knee soreness.

Greg Monroe started in Embiid's place and had nine points and 13 rebounds. The Sixers won 131-115 to take a 2-1 series lead.

Embiid, who missed 14 of the Sixers' final 24 games after the All-Star break because of left knee tendinitis, was listed as questionable coming into Thursday. He was limited to 45 minutes total in the first two games of the series, which Philadelphia split 1-1 on its home floor.

"It's tough," Embiid said before Thursday's game when asked about his health. "That's what tendinitis is all about. And some days you got your days, and some other days is different. So, even in the games that I play, I just try to go out there and try to play for these guys, I try to help us win the series and eliminate them. So, whatever, whatever I can do. But it's hard. I just got to keep pushing it and see how it goes."

Embiid arrived in street clothes to the visitors locker room at Barclays Center about 65 minutes before tipoff and went through a light, 15-minute workout on the court before being ruled out.

"It is becoming better slowly but surely," Embiid said before he went out to the court for his warm-up. "We just have to be smart about how we handle it every single day. But I'm sure these guys won't let me get on the court if there's a chance of something bad happening. So I just got to trust the process."

Before the game, Embiid also reiterated his apology to Nets center Jarrett Allen, whom he struck in the face with his elbow in Game 2, drawing a flagrant foul 1 after an officials review. When he initially apologized after Game 2, he and Ben Simmons both stifled laughter while they conducted a joint postgame news conference.

"I was trying to be genuine, and I was actually sorry about what I did, and I actually apologized to Jarett during the game," Embiid said, adding that he texted an apology to the Nets' Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to pass on to Allen. "I kept asking him if he was OK. That was not my intent. I don't do that type of stuff. And I just wanted to make sure that he was OK. So, I did apologize to him, and unfortunately at the podium, my teammate made me laugh, and it kind of took a wrong turn.

"But I was apologizing. I wasn't laughing because of not being sorry, which I am, obviously. I'm extremely sorry. That's not what I meant to do. I was just trying to be aggressive and make a basketball play, and sometimes you got to use your elbows to create separation, especially into the chest. But it was -- I probably should have been ejected. I saw the play. That was a bad play.

"Like I said, that's not the type of person I am. I did apologize. It's unfortunate that I laughed. ... I guess it was surprising for [Simmons] for me to be kind of humble. Which I am humble, but when it comes to basketball, I like letting people know that I cannot be stopped and that I'm the most unstoppable player in the league."

San Antonio has created separation with a 19-5 run to take a 112-94 lead with under five minutes left. Nuggets having trouble stopping the Spurs while Derrick White has dominated the matchup at point guard against Jamal Murray. Murray isn't moving great on defense after that spill he took but it doesn't matter on this night. White has torched Denver for 36 points, five assists and four rebounds on an efficient 15-for-20 shooting. Reminder, this is just White's third playoff game as a starter.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with irritation in his surgically repaired left knee.

Pedroia came out of Wednesday night's loss to the Yankees after 1½ innings and was examined in New York rather than traveling with the team to Tampa Bay.

Pedroia, 35, missed all but three games last season while rehabbing the knee after having cartilage restoration surgery following the 2017 season.

"He felt a pop, I think he said, yesterday," Dave Dombrowski, the team's president of baseball operations, said on WEEI radio Thursday. "As we know, the knee is never going to be 100 percent. It's amazing that any player can play with what he's gone through."

Pedroia began the season on the injured list with left knee inflammation. He was activated April 9 for the Red Sox's first homestand and is 2-for-20 at the plate.

The Red Sox called up right-handed pitcher Marcus Walden from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Pedroia's place on the roster.

The reeling Red Sox, 6-13 after a two-game sweep by the Yankees, open a three-game series against the East-leading Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday.

NEW YORK -- The Yankees have suspended the use of Kate Smith's recording of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch while they investigate an allegation of racism against the late singer.

The New York Daily News reported Thursday there are conflicting claims about Smith's 1939 song "That's Why Darkies Were Born." The song originated in the 1931 Broadway revue "George White's Scandals" and was considered satire, but includes racist language. It was recorded by Smith and also by Paul Robeson, who was black.

The team said in a statement: "The Yankees have been made aware of a recording that had been previously unknown to us and decided to immediately and carefully review this new information. The Yankees take social, racial and cultural insensitivities very seriously. And while no final conclusions have been made, we are erring on the side of sensitivity."

Smith died in 1986. The Yankees have used her recording of "God Bless America" and sometimes live singers during the seventh inning since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They used an organ version of the song on Wednesday and Thursday.

To protect their privacy, pro athletes have long been known to use bogus names when checking into hotels. But bogus jobs? Yep, that's a thing, too. As much as Americans love talking about work, the guys who play the American pastime for a living would rather not talk about it. Like, ever.

In the spirit of true journalism (and nosiness), we canvassed MLB clubhouses to find some of the game's go-to counterfeit careers.

Kevin Gausman, Atlanta Braves: I'm a blimp folder. I just fly around with the pilot and make sure to type in the right things. Sometimes we'll have football games, and you have to type in "Go Patriots" or "There's free Bud Light after the game," and then we land, and we deflate the blimp, and I start folding. It takes a long time. Usually a couple of hours, but I try to get it done pretty quick. People always assume that someone's telling the truth, especially when they first meet you and ask what you do. They don't think that you're lying. So a lot of people just go with it. They don't think of the fact that there's no way a blimp ever gets folded. I guess people just aren't that smart.

Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals: When I was with the Diamondbacks, a good one was an air-conditioning company called Air-izona. We were in business selling air conditioners. T.J. McFarland does a good job with that. We would just let him take off with it and see what happens. Once, we went to the hotel in Pittsburgh, and we all had our jumpsuits on, and he said we were a professional cornhole team. That was pretty strange because there were about 60 of us walking in, and only two people can play cornhole at a time. But the lady didn't pick up on it. She didn't believe there was professional cornhole, but we convinced her there was. It has been on ESPN before, so I'm guessing that's professional.

"There can't be that much to know about manufacturing football pylons, right?"

Yankees reliever Zack Britton

Khris Davis, Oakland A's: I tell them I work at Foot Locker. I wouldn't pick a profession that I don't know anything about. I know a little something about shoes. Usually if I use that story, I'm on vacation or somewhere I don't want to be known. Nobody really cares about a shoe salesman, so the conversation doesn't last long.

J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies: The latest one I used was after I got a scratch on my nose sliding into home plate. Nice little wound. A couple of days later, somebody asked me what I do for a living. I said I was an amateur boxer. Nothing big, just kind of a small-name guy. He bought it, but I didn't have to go too far into detail because once I said I was a small-time amateur, he didn't really care. If people really are fans of baseball, you can tell the ones you don't want to have that conversation with. And this guy was one of the people I didn't feel like talking to for three hours about baseball. If they're not a fan, they'll just say, "Cool. You play baseball -- big deal." But if it's a huge baseball fan, they'll start asking all types of questions.

Corey Dickerson, Pittsburgh Pirates: Where I'm from, in Mississippi, a lot of guys are in the oil field. So I tell them I'm an E-line operator that runs explosives. That's what my brother does. He started at a young age and worked his way up from deckhand to supervisor to E-line operator, out on the water in the Gulf. When they close down a drill, they run explosives down the pipe and basically blow it up. I guess you don't want a standing drill pipe. Instead of it being stuck in the ground and you can't get the rest of it out, they blow it up and disconnect it.

Justin Upton, Los Angeles Angels: Financial guy. My firm is based out of Los Angeles. We work with athletes and actors and actresses. I start spitballing from there. I've never been caught. Nobody ever recognizes me. They're like, "You look familiar." And I'm like, "I get that all the time." Usually it ends right there. They've gone as far as saying, "You look like Justin Upton." And I go, "Yeah, I get that all the time. I do look like him."

Mike Zunino, Tampa Bay Rays: I tell people I work in construction. My father-in-law is a contractor, so I've learned stuff through him, and it's a good alias. We've done flooring together. We've done some woodworking. Once we bought our home and started doing stuff like that, I leaned on him to teach me so that we weren't always bringing over a handyman to do it. I built and mounted some floating shelves for my son's room. You see something come from nothing, and it's pretty cool. The biggest fear is that you run into somebody else that does the same thing, and now you're like, "Oh crap, now I've really got to answer some questions here." If that happens, you fake a phone call and hope you never see that person again.

Zack Britton, New York Yankees: I was out with my cousin one time and got to talking to some people, and inevitably someone asked what we do. We just didn't feel like bringing up the whole baseball thing, so my cousin told him that we were football pylon manufacturers. First, he was like, "What's that?" There happened to be a football game on, so we're like, "See the thing at the goal line? Those are pylons." He was like, "What? That's a business?" There can't be that much to know about manufacturing football pylons, right? We kind of just rolled with it, and the guy lost interest immediately. It's not a conversation starter -- it's a conversation ender. And that's kind of the whole point.