Brazil will host the Copa America for the first time in 30 years, with a tournament that is full of drama. Chile will look to defend back-to-back crowns, the Selecao will seek redemption on home soil, and Lionel Messi returns to Argentina for another chance at silverware with the senior national team.

ESPN FC's Tim Vickery spells out the biggest storylines of the tournament and assesses all 12 teams taking part in this summer's Copa America, with all matches streaming live in the U.S. on ESPN+.

Jump to: Key storylines | Key players | Must-see days and matches | Team-by-team guide

Key storyline: This year's Copa is wide-open

South American national teams have not been in competitive action since last year's World Cup. Those teams that failed to make it to Russia have had nothing but friendlies since October 2017, but the silly season comes to an end with a bang in Brazil. It's time to get serious.

This summer's Copa begins a new competitive cycle in South America, which will run all the way to Qatar at the end of 2022. Many new coaches are facing their first real challenges -- of the 10 South American nations, six will be playing for points for the first time under their current coaches -- and plenty of new players have been introduced. Whatever happens, when the story is written of the South American teams at the next World Cup, events in Brazil 2019 will form part of the narrative.

The traditional powerhouses also have plenty of questions. The hosts' being without Neymar has caused some anxiety, but frankly, they might perform better without him. Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Jesus, fresh off fine seasons for Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively, will get the chance to definitively lead the line.

Argentina have Messi back and fully engaged in the cause, but the squad around him -- 15 of the 23-man squad have fewer than 15 international caps -- is always a concern. He has often struggled when having to "do it all himself," but this raw squad lacks the muscle memory of back-to-back defeats in the Copa final, both times to Chile. It might breed a sense of fearlessness that spurs them forward. Plenty of scrutiny will fall on interim boss Lionel Scaloni in what amounts to his first full-time management role, having previously been a national team assistant under Jorge Sampaoli and at Sevilla.

Then there's the issue of timing. Usually, the road to the World Cup starts very soon after the Copa America, but because Qatar 2022 will be played at the end of the calendar year, the qualifiers have been pushed back, and as a result, some of the urgency has been removed from the Copa. Beyond Argentina and their caretaker at the helm, Bolivia, Colombia and Paraguay played their first games under new coaches as recently as March. Having so many "undercooked" teams will open plenty of room for surprises.

Making things most intriguing is the choice of invited teams. Japan and Qatar take part in 2019, and it will be fascinating to observe their progress. Japan are a vastly better team than the one that performed poorly on their previous Copa appearance 20 years ago, and Qatar have proven that they have some quality, having beaten Japan earlier this year in the final of the Asian Cup. Playing in that competition could make the guests more battle-hardened than some of their opponents, making it a tough competition to predict.

- Vickery: With Neymar out, time for Brazil to step up
- When is the Copa America?
- Full Copa America fixtures schedule

Layered across all the present-day intrigue is the history and emotion of the Copa America itself. It is football's oldest continental competition, a reflection of the extraordinary speed with which the game took hold in the south cone of South America in the first few decades of the 20th century. The tournament was contested for the first time in 1916, and in the early years, it was held as often as possible, often on an annual basis. This gave rise to an extraordinary improvement in standards and the development of a new style of play.

Both innovations became clear to a European audience when Uruguay caused a major upset by cruising to the gold medal in the 1924 Olympics, with a balletic game that astonished the crowds. Four years later in Amsterdam, they did it again, with Argentina winning silver. By then it was clear: There had to be a football competition open to all comers, amateurs and professionals alike, to find out who really was the best. And so the World Cup was born, staged in Uruguay in 1930, just 14 years after the little country organised the first Copa America. Uruguay won that competition too.

Jesus, James and Messi: Players to watch

Gabriel Jesus: Destined to be the solution to Brazil's puzzling centre-forward problem, Jesus drifted out of form at the wrong time. After he scored so freely in qualification, it all went wrong in Russia 2018. The young Man City forward suffers the stigma of being a Brazil No. 9 who failed to score a single goal in a World Cup, and coach Tite later regretted not dropping him.

Jesus was left out of Brazil's first post-World Cup squad and spent the rest of the season as a backup option to Roberto Firmino, but he seems to have turned it around at the right time. With five goals in the past three games, Jesus should begin the Copa as the starter up front, where the pressure will be on him to carry his form into the tournament.

James Rodriguez: The breakout star of the 2014 World Cup, James will surely enjoy returning to the scene of his greatest triumph. He has endured a frustrating five years. Unable to be the main star in Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid, he was loaned out to Bayern Munich, where he failed to shine, and now he faces an uncertain future. With the national team, though, there is no doubting his importance to the cause, something made obvious by the tameness of Colombia's performances when he was injured during Russia 2018.

James clearly relishes his status with the national team, and on the evidence of the FIFA dates in March, this has not been altered now that Carlos Queiroz has taken over. He will probably be given a free role in the Copa, able to wander across the attacking line, causing problems to the opposing defence and reminding everyone of the brilliance of his 2014 displays.

Lionel Messi: Football fans are starting to realise that every Messi performance takes us closer to the end. It's an added bonus, then, that some of those games will take place with Argentina.

Following the disaster of the 2018 World Cup, when Argentina lost in easy fashion to eventual winners France, it was not clear that Messi would play for his country again. He sat out international duty until March, but now it is clear that he's willing to enter one final cycle in a bid to win a senior title with the national team.

There is a Copa on home soil next year, but the book will surely close with the 2022 World Cup. With this in mind and with Argentina currently coached by a caretaker, it would have been understandable if Messi had decided to take the summer off. Instead, he's willing to put himself on the line once more, which adds an extra layer of interest to the competition.

Must-see days and matches

June 15, Argentina vs. Colombia, Group B: An excellent clash to light up the first Saturday of the Copa (live on ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET). Ever since Colombia's astonishing 5-0 win in Buenos Aires back in 1993, this has been one of South America's most entertaining matchups. Added spice comes from the fact that the pair will be co-hosting next year's Copa and are engaged in a tug-of-war to decide which country will have the biggest knockout games, including the final.

Argentina, of course, have won two World Cups, but of the South American nations that have never won the World Cup, Colombia are probably the most likely to do so. This, then, in Salvador's excellent Fonte Nova stadium, is a meeting of heavyweights.

June 17, Chile vs. Japan, Group C: Chile go into this game as reigning champions after finally getting their hands on the trophy in 2015 and winning again in New Jersey a year later. It is harsh on a team that is rebuilding, but the pressure is on them. The class of 2019 have a lot to live up to.

Equally, it will be intriguing to see how Japan perform (live on ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET). Back in 1999, in their previous Copa adventure, they were novices. They have since played the past six World Cups and should arrive in Brazil with no trace of an inferiority complex. Oh, and they'll have no lack of support, either; they begin their campaign in the city with the world's largest number of Japanese immigrants.

June 18, Brazil vs. Venezuela, Group A: Merely making up the numbers as recently as 20 years ago, Venezuela are now a serious force and underlined their progress with a convincing win over Argentina in Madrid. They have beaten Brazil in a friendly and held them to draws in competition, but at the senior level, they have never won a match against Brazil with points at stake. Convinced that the current side will take them to their first World Cup, they are now aiming high (live on ESPN+, 8:30 p.m. ET).

Brazil, meanwhile, will be under pressure. Can the Venezuelans take advantage? In one corner, the five-time world champions; in the other, the team with no tradition. It will be fascinating to see whether the outsiders have a shot.

Team-by-team Guide

Every game of the 2019 Copa America will be on ESPN+ in the U.S. this summer (all kickoff times ET).

ARGENTINA, Group B

Group games: vs. Colombia (6 p.m. ET, June 15), vs. Paraguay (8:30 p.m. ET, June 19), vs. Qatar (3 p.m. ET, June 23)

FIFA rank: 11
SPI chances of winning: 13.96 percent

Why they'll go far: The good news, signalled by his return to the national team in March, is that Messi is back in a bid to win a senior title with his country. The Barcelona genius, plus the likes of Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria, still has plenty to offer, and over the past few months, there has been some pleasing development from midfielders Giovani Lo Celso and Leandro Paredes.

Argentina, then, can call on some dazzling individual talent -- enough to give them a puncher's chance. The 2018 tournament was such a shambles that expectations have fallen, which might prove to benefit Scaloni's side.

Why they won't: Going into a major tournament under the command of a caretaker coach is frankly bizarre. It has to do with the facts that Scaloni is cheap -- the local FA had to dig deep to pay off Sampaoli -- and that World Cup qualification doesn't get underway until next March. In fact, it would almost be a problem if Argentina were to win the Copa: How could they get rid of Scaloni after landing the first senior title since 1993?

Uncertainty over the future, then, is clearly a problem. Although a more pragmatic side have been defending better since the World Cup, the headaches remain. There will surely not be a repeat of the ill-advised three-centre-back formation that collapsed against Venezuela in March. For all the wealth of attacking riches, there is a dearth of top talent at the other end of the field. In his first eight games in charge, Scaloni had a look at seven goalkeepers, which is surely excessive, and Argentina's wait for a centre-back of undisputed quality shows no sign of coming to an end.

Player to watch: Lionel Messi

Best XI (4-3-2-1): Esteban Andrada; Renzo Saravia, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico; Giovani Lo Celso, Leandro Paredes, Roberto Pereyra; Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria; Sergio Aguero

BOLIVIA, Group A

Group games: vs. Brazil (8:30 p.m. ET, June 14), vs. Venezuela (8:30 p.m. ET, June 18), vs. Peru (3 p.m. ET, June 22)

FIFA rank: 63
SPI chances of winning: 0.6 percent

Why they'll go far: The last time Bolivia made any impact on the Copa was in 1997, when they reached the final -- on home ground. Away from the extreme altitude of La Paz, it is hard to find too many strong points. Perhaps the main one is precisely the lack of expectations.

Bolivia are traditionally seen as sacrificial, but on a number of recent occasions, they've surprised complacent opponents. There is some evidence that coach Eduardo Villegas can field a dependable defensive unit, and the longer their matches stay goalless, the more chance that their opponents might overreach and leave themselves open to the counterattack.

Why they won't: Bolivian football has yet to replace the fine generation of talented players who got them to the 1994 World Cup, and to the absence of genuine quality, they can add an absence of preparation time. The chaotic Bolivian FA keep chewing up and spitting out coach after coach, and the latest man in charge, Eduardo Villegas, was appointed in February. Bolivia could find themselves outgunned both technically and physically.

Player to watch: Marcelo Martins

Best XI (4-2-3-1): Carlos Lampe; Marvin Bejerano, Luis Haquin, Adrian Jusino, Diego Bejerano; Raul Castro, Leonel Justiniano; Alejandro Chumacero, Samuel Galindo, Leonardo Vaca; Marcelo Martins

BRAZIL, Group A

Group games: vs. Bolivia (8:30 p.m. ET, June 14), vs. Venezuela (8:30 p.m. ET, June 18), vs. Peru (3 p.m. ET, June 22)

FIFA rank: 3
SPI chances of winning: 65.78 percent

Why they'll go far: As tournament hosts, there is no chance of Brazil using the 2019 Copa to experiment. They have to win the trophy, as they did on all four previous occasions they staged the event. Coach Tite, then, is not holding back. He is going with the best of what is available to him.

There will be plenty of experience; midfielder Fernandinho and right-back Dani Alves have been recalled, as much for their dressing room wisdom as for their many virtues on the pitch. Willian has been called in to replace the injured Neymar, and there is no room for the likes of Lucas Moura or Vinicius Junior. The emergence since the World Cup of Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta gives the side extra options in the final third.

Why they won't: The survivors of the 2014 World Cup campaign need no reminding that home advantage can turn into a handicap. Playing in front of their own expectant and volatile fans brings plenty of pressure.

This team is still finding their way. Tite confessed that selecting this squad was harder than naming his World Cup 23. A year ago, Brazil cruised through qualifying to Russia, but now, there are a few uncertainties. Post-World Cup performances have been disappointing, with Tite aware that he has yet to find the right blend. This is especially true in the centre-forward position. Since the World Cup, Firmino has been first-choice, but Brazil have so far been unable to knit his attributes into a team pattern, and much needed training time has been hit by Liverpool's winning run to the final of the Champions League.

Player to watch: Gabriel Jesus

Best XI (4-1-4-1): Alisson; Dani Alves, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Filipe Luis; Casemiro; Richarlison, Arthur, Fernandinho, Coutinho; Gabriel Jesus

CHILE, Group C

Group games: vs. Japan (7 p.m. ET, June 17), vs. Ecuador (7 p.m. ET, June 21), vs. Uruguay (7 p.m. ET, June 24)

FIFA rank: 15
SPI chances of winning: 2.97 percent

Why they'll go far: After 99 years of waiting, Chile finally won the Copa on home ground in 2015. A year later another triumph, this time without home advantage, probably rates as the greatest moment in the history of the national team. All of this means that the class of 2019 will be highly motivated; they go into the tournament as defending champions and will fight hard to retain their crown.

Colombian coach Reinaldo Rueda has pedigree -- in the Copa Libertadores, in the World Cup and in youth development -- making him a qualified name to oversee this next stage in the team's development. In little more than a year in charge, his results have been mixed, but he has been working hard to find a blend and might have hit on something in March, when he tried a back-three formation in a friendly against the U.S.

Why they won't: Almost all of Chile's golden generation came through the 2007 Under-20 side. They have all aged together and ran out of collective steam in the tail end of the Russia 2018 qualifiers. The big question -- a problem for all of the lesser South American nations through the years -- is how to replace them. There is a lack of top-quality talent coming through, and Chilean clubs are performing poorly in continental competitions.

Player to watch: Alexis Sanchez

Best XI (3-5-2): Gabriel Arias; Gary Medel, Gonzalo Jara, Guillermo Maripan; Mauricio Isla, Arturo Vidal, Esteban Pavez, Charles Aranguiz, Oscar Opazo; Alexis Sanchez, Nicolas Castillo

COLOMBIA, Group B

Group games: vs. Argentina (6 p.m. ET, June 15), vs. Qatar (8:30 p.m. ET, June 19), vs. Paraguay (3 p.m. ET, June 23)

FIFA rank: 12
SPI chances of winning: 6.56 percent

Why they'll go far: With a sizable population and a football-crazy fanbase, Colombia are a long-term bet to one day add their name to the list of World Cup winners. Having qualified for and occasionally lit up the past two tournaments, they can claim to be moving in the right direction, and with Portugal's Carlos Queiroz, they have a coach with global pedigree and massive experience. He has already proven his capacity to adapt his methods to the players at his disposal.

It will be fascinating indeed to see what he makes of the current Colombian squad, filled as it is with players of technical and physical prowess. It is also a squad that, after two World Cups, has lost any inferiority complex. They should enjoy the support of Colombia's traveling army, such a feature of international tournaments since the 2011 Copa in Argentina.

Why they won't: For all his experience, Queiroz has never worked in South America before. There is an obvious danger, then, that he will still be finding his feet in the Copa and that the tournament will come a little too early for his team to be anywhere near their best.

There is also a worrying dependence on a number of key individuals. The disappointing nature of last year's World Cup elimination highlighted the importance of James Rodriguez, and there is a lack of top-class cover for keeper David Ospina, himself not always the most reliable last line of defence. Playmaker Juan Fernando Quintero, so impishly brilliant in Russia, will miss out through injury.

Player to watch: James Rodriguez

Best XI (4-4-2): David Ospina; Santiago Arias, Yerry Mina, Davinson Sanchez, Cristian Borja; Wilmar Barrios, Mateus Uribe, Juan Cuadrado, James Rodriguez; Duvan Zapata, Radamel Falcao

ECUADOR, Group C

Group games: vs. Uruguay (6 p.m. ET June 16), vs. Chile (7 p.m. ET June 21), vs. Japan (7 p.m. ET June 24)

FIFA rank: 59
SPI chances of winning: 1.1 percent

Why they'll go far: Hernan Dario Gomez was not a universally popular choice to take over as national team coach, but the man has undoubted pedigree. From Colombia in 1990 to Panama last year, he is dripping with World Cup experience, which includes taking Ecuador to their tournament debut some 17 years ago. He returns to an Ecuador side that has developed some of the characteristics that he encouraged: They are an athletic, physically imposing side that will seek to close the game down through the middle and launch quick and powerful breaks down the flanks.

When it works -- as it did in November's 2-0 win away to Peru -- Ecuador can be an impressive sight. Gomez seems to have made some progress in tightening up a defensive unit that fell to pieces in the closing stages of the Russia 2018 qualifiers.

Why they won't: In his previous spell in charge, Gomez confessed that he did not take the Copas of 2001 and 2004 particularly seriously -- he has continually played down the importance of this year's tournament. No one, he says in his defence, stops him in the street to ask about the Copa America. Qatar 2022 is the big subject. And so he makes no secret of his priority -- World Cup qualification -- or the fact that he believes his team will not be fully prepared until next year.

Moreover, there is a lack of outstanding quality, with some of the players from the 2014 World Cup now aging and in decline. There is a worrying dependence on Enner Valencia for goals. Gomez will have half an eye on the Under-20 World Cup, in which Ecuador are thriving as reigning South American champions, in the hope that such potential can soon break through.

Player to watch: Enner Valencia

Best XI (4-5-1): Alexander Dominguez; Pedro Pablo Velasco, Gabriel Achilier, Robert Arboleda, Beder Caicedo; Carlos Gruezo, Antonio Valencia, Jefferson Orejuela, Jhegson Mendez, Ayrton Preciado; Enner Valencia

JAPAN, Group C

Group games: vs. Chile (7 p.m. ET, June 17), vs. Uruguay (7 p.m. ET, June 21), vs. Ecuador (7 p.m. ET, June 24)

FIFA rank: 26
SPI chances of winning: 0.82 percent

Why they'll go far: They're fundamentally tough to break down. The backline might be young but looks solid without the ball and confident with it. This tournament also comes at a perfect time. Just as Qatar want to toughen up ahead of 2022, Japan are looking toward the Tokyo Olympics next summer. It's no surprise, then, that 18 out of the 23 are 22 years of age or under. Nobody at home expects or demands success in the Copa; it's an important staging post in a long-term preparation plan, which should give the players the freedom to express themselves.

There is some experience in the shape of goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima in goal, Gaku Shibasaki in the middle and Shinji Okazaki in attack, but the focus will not be on these French, Spanish and English-based stars, as there is talent elsewhere. Takefusa Kubo has just turned 18 and is eligible to return to Barcelona, but Real Madrid and PSG are interested in the midfielder's silky skills. He has the confidence to shine in South America, and then there is Shoya Nakajima. All in Japan know that the 24-year-old can make the team tick going forward -- he was signed by a Qatari club for €35 million in February -- but now is the time to show on a wider stage.

Why they won't: There is a worry about where the goals will come from. Okazaki has a fine international goalscoring record, but if he struggles in South America, it's asking a lot for the likes of Daizen Maeda and Ayase Ueda (the latter still a university student) to make the step up.

Take out the sprinkling of veterans, and there's zero senior international tournament experience in the squad, which means they're heading into the unknown. Finally, Japan have a poor record against South American opposition in competitive games, losing all four World Cup meetings before last June, when an early sending off and penalty against Colombia led to that long-awaited win.

Player to watch: Gaku Shibasaki

Best XI (4-2-3-1): Eji Kawashima; Tomoki Iwata, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Yuta Nakayama, Daiki Sugioka; Ko Itakura, Gaku Shibasaki; Takefusa Kubo, Shoya Nakashima, Tatsuya Ito; Shinji Okazaki

PARAGUAY, Group B

Group games: vs. Qatar (3 p.m. ET, June 16), vs. Argentina (8:30 p.m. ET, June 19), vs. Colombia (3 p.m. ET, June 23)

FIFA rank: 36
SPI chances of winning: 0.86 percent

Why they'll go far: In this year's Copa Libertadores, all three Paraguayan clubs topped their groups, often finishing ahead of rivals with far greater financial resources. There is a clear lesson here: Never underestimate the Paraguayans. Their teams have an innate ability to dig deep, to add up to more than the sum of their parts.

Replacing the generation that reached the 2010 World Cup quarterfinal has not proven easy, but on paper, at least, the current group has the potential to form the strongest team since then. They will come to Brazil in the hope of setting out on the right foot on the road to Qatar 2022.

Why they won't: After Colombia's Juan Carlos Osorio lasted just one game in charge, former Argentina centre-back Eduardo Berizzo has come in to coach the side. He comes well qualified, but there are two problems. The first is he has only just taken over. The other potential problem is Berizzo's idea of play. He wants his team to defend high up the field and take the initiative in the game. This is alien to the traditional Paraguayan style of heroic deep defence. The difficulties of implanting a new style and mentality were apparent in March, when both times the team was poor and half-hearted in the first half. It's also still not apparent where his side's goal threat will come from.

Player to watch: Miguel Almiron

Best XI (4-2-3-1): Junior Fernandez; Bruno Valdez, Fabian Balbuena, Gustavo Gomez, Santiago Arzamendia; Richard Ortiz, Matias Rojas; Derlis Gonzalez, Juan Rodrigo Rojas, Miguel Almiron; Federico Santander

PERU, Group A

Group games: vs. Venezuela (3 p.m. ET, June 15), vs. Bolivia (5:30 p.m. ET, June 18), vs. Brazil (3 p.m. ET, June 22)

FIFA rank: 21
SPI odds of winning: 1.14 percent

Why they'll go far: Peru are essentially taking to Brazil the same squad that went to Russia last year, ending a 36-year World Cup drought. This should certainly be a positive. With few exceptions, the squad is a young one, full of players who have yet to hit their peaks. It was fascinating to watch them grow together, picking up confidence under the calming influence of Argentine coach Ricardo Gareca. They made massive strides toward the end of the 2018 qualifiers, and despite group-phase elimination in Russia, they gave eventual champions France a tough game and could fly home with heads held high -- plus the knowledge of being able to write more chapters together.

Now, then, they enter the era of consolidation, the time when they show that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years. Centre-forward Paolo Guerrero is back and reinvigorated after his harsh drugs ban, and Peru should be in a much better state of preparation than some of their opponents and so are entitled to aim high in Brazil.

Why they won't: Coach Gareca might well be disappointed by the lack of renewal in his squad. It's good that he can keep his players together, but a little more competition for places would be no bad thing. Domestic Peruvian football, though, is not throwing up a glut of quality. There is always the danger of complacency setting in.

Results since the World Cup also raise a question. It is always unwise to read too much into friendlies, but their lack of consistency, though, is striking. Are his men mentally strong enough to achieve good results on a regular basis? Has their 4-2-3-1 formation become too predictable?

Player to watch: Yoshimar Yotun

Best XI (4-2-3-1): Pedro Gallese; Luis Advincula, Miguel Araujo, Anderson Santamaria, Miguel Trauco; Renato Tapia, Yoshimar Yotun; Andre Carrillo, Christian Cueva, Edison Flores; Paolo Guerrero

QATAR, Group B

Group games: vs. Paraguay (3 p.m. ET, June 16), vs. Colombia (5:30 p.m. ET, June 19), vs. Argentina (3 p.m. ET, June 23)

FIFA rank: 55
SPI chances of winning: 0.12 percent

Why they'll go far: Qatar are on a roll, are full of confidence and have nothing to lose. Wins over Switzerland and Ecuador (and a draw with Iceland) in 2018 suggested that there was something happening, but then the Maroons took the Asian Cup by storm in January, lifting the trophy by scoring 19 goals and conceding once. Such form means that the opener against Paraguay is winnable and then anything can happen. This is a national team that feels like a club, and this could be Qatar's biggest strength, coupled with the possibility that they will be underestimated.

They also play an appealing style. Their counterattack was too good for the likes of South Korea and Japan earlier this year, and they displayed a ruthlessness in front of goal that has been all too rare in Asian football over the years. Almoez Ali scored a tournament record of nine goals, a tally that was supported in some style by the relentless assists from Akram Afif. These youngsters, two of 10 in the squad who are 22 or under, will relish this chance to show how good they really are.

Why they won't: It is one thing to win the Asian tournament in Abu Dhabi, a 45-minute flight from Doha, but competing in Brazil is completely different. Qatar could not have moved further out of their comfort zone if they had tried, even if that is the point of participating for a team that craves tournament football. Qatar have not traditionally travelled that well and have little experience playing teams from South America and even less actually playing there.

The entire squad is based in the Qatar league, one of the better tournaments in the Middle East but one that lacks intensity and pressure. South America could be a real shock to the system. Equally, it remains to be seen how that system functions against the likes of Messi. In the UAE, Korea and Japan were frustrated by a team they expected to beat and lacked a plan B when the first was not working. The likes of Argentina and Colombia are likely to be a little more savvy. Qatari hands will be full with the conditions, the physical challenge and the skills of the opposition.

Player to watch: Almoez Ali

Best XI (5-3-2): Saad Al Sheeb; Ro-Ro, Bassam Al-Rawi, Tarek Salman, Assim Madibo, Abdelkarim Hassan; Hassan Al-Haydos, Boualem Khouki, Abdulaziz Hatem; Almoez Ali, Akram Afif

URUGUAY, Group C

Group games: vs. Ecuador (6 p.m. ET, June 16), vs. Japan (7 p.m. ET, June 20), vs. Chile (7 p.m. ET, June 24)

FIFA rank: 6
SPI chances of winning: 5.92 percent

Why they'll go far: Statistically the best South American side in last year's World Cup, Uruguay progress with a serenity and a promise that have enthused coach Oscar Washington Tabarez, even at the age of 72, to extend a spell in charge that stretches back to the start of 2006. At the heart of the Tabarez project has been the use of the youth sides, and especially the Under-20s, to prepare the next generation.

In the run-up to Russia, Uruguay freshened up their lineup with a new crop of talented midfielders who changed the characteristics of the team. Instead of relying on a combination of resilience and quick breaks, the newcomers added the possibility of controlling possession and dictating the tempo of the game. A year on, the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Torreira and Federico Valverde are older, wiser and presumably better, and this offers real hope that Uruguay will be contending for titles.

Why they won't: Tabarez has been able to count on a handful of stalwarts, and some genuinely world-class players have put in more than a decade of service. But on the evidence of the past club season, time could be catching up with them. Luis Suarez appears to have lost some of his pace, his strike partner Edinson Cavani has run into injuries, and captain and centre-back Diego Godin is looking vulnerable.

Youngsters are also coming through, but the process of transition -- substituting some of the best players in the history of the Uruguayan national team -- will be a delicate affair.

Player to watch: Luis Suarez

Best XI (4-4-2): Fernando Muslera; Martin Caceres, Jose Maria Gimenez, Diego Godin, Diego Laxalt; Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Torreira, Matias Vecino, Nicolas Lodeiro; Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez

VENEZUELA, Group A

Group games: vs. Peru (3 p.m. ET, June 15), vs. Brazil (8:30 p.m. ET, June 18), vs. Bolivia (3 p.m. ET, June 22)

FIFA rank: 29
SPI chances of winning: 0.71 percent

Why they'll go far: The only South American side never to have played in a World Cup, Venezuela are confident that the road to making their debut in Qatar will start in Brazil this summer. They have certainly been moving in the right direction, as highlighted by the comprehensive 3-1 win over Argentina in March.

Coach Rafael Dudamel now has a fascinating blend; some of the youngsters who reached the final of the 2017 Under-20 World Cup have come through well, such as excellent goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez, and are forming a team with more established stars such as midfield stalwart Tomas Rincon and fearsome centre-forward Salomon Rondon. They attack with pace down the flanks, and Dudamel has tried to make a point of tightening up the defence -- the weak part of the side in the last qualification campaign -- with the addition of more pace at the back.

Why they won't: Venezuela are moving into uncharted waters. How will they cope with the heightened expectations brought about by their progress? They had a brief flirtation with such a situation toward the start of the decade; a win over Argentina in the early stages of Brazil 2014 qualifiers set off hopes that Venezuela might be on the verge of the breakthrough, which would soon be dashed, as the team were unable to score enough goals to keep them in the hunt.

They should be much better prepared now, though Dudamel is concerned by his side's over-dependence on the counterattack. Against opponents less open to the counter, can Venezuela dictate the tempo of the game with controlled possession in midfield?

Player to watch: Salomon Rondon

Best XI (4-3-3): Wuilker Farinez; Roberto Rosales, Yordan Osorio, Mikel Villanueva, Luis Mago; Tomas Rincon; Jhon Murillo, Yangel Herrera, Junior Moreno, Darwin Machis; Salomon Rondon

Sussex 351 for 8 dec (Beer 97, Wiese 67) drew with Gloucestershire 444 for 6 dec (Roderick 158, Higgins 119*)

Chris Jordan runs in from the Castle End and bowls to Benny Howell. The good-length ball is on off stump and Howell plays it safely to cover where Harry Finch trots in to field. Gentle applause comes from the supporters gathered on the bank by the sightscreen. This game against Gloucestershire will be drawn but the start of every day at Arundel deserves its own gentle accolade. Two swallows harry each other above the sycamores and elms.

Forty-one miles away at the Rose Bowl, the fall of West Indian wickets is greeted with roars of acclaim but roaring has never been Arundel's style. On the second Friday in June England accommodates both the heaving stadia of the World Cup and the pastoral glory of West Sussex.

There is a sudden shower at ten to twelve and for a few moments this peerless ground is gauzed by rain. Before midday, though, sunlight is sweeping back over the outfield and the players have returned. At half-past twelve Howell is leg before to what looked like Will Beer's top-spinner and on the stroke of lunch Ollie Robinson scatters Jack Taylor's off and middle stumps with the new ball. These are not negligible successes. Sussex and Gloucestershire are both pressing for bonus points in a Second Division the shape of which few predicted in April.

For example, it does not matter only to Swansea's Balconeers when play gets under way 211 miles away in the match between Glamorgan and Derbyshire at St Helen's. And from the top of that hill-top pavilion spectators see Benny Godleman eventually fall lbw to Lukas Carey for 227. But fourth-placed Derbyshire bat on in the hope of embarrassing second-placed Glamorgan

At the Rose Bowl, Jofra Archer is on a hat-trick. At Arundel, Archer's county colleagues try to prevent Gareth Roderick reaching his first century of the season but the Gloucestershire batsman drives Abi Sakande sweetly through mid-off and gives a little skip of delight. It is his first hundred since he made 102 against Essex at Cheltenham in 2016. He receives a warm round of applause from spectators who have spent their winters waiting for afternoons like this. The ground relaxes into the fresh sunlight of watercolour; it is the best weather of this cloud-benighted week.

In Swansea, Derbyshire call a halt on 598 for 5 but Glamorgan's batsmen stand firm.

Their Gloucestershire counterparts are more ambitious and score 162 runs in the afternoon session on a very flat pitch. "Too benign" the Sussex coach, Jason Gillespie, will call Arundel's wicket and there is great justice in his remark. Roderick makes 158 before he does well to reach one from Robinson and is caught behind by Ben Brown. At the other end Ryan Higgins clumps Beer and Luke Wells over midwicket for sixes. All these strokes are duly applauded and some Gloucestershire supporters wonder if their side might be one of the three to win promotion this year. Leaders Lancashire are probably stronger favourites to win the title than they were a couple of months ago but when this day's play began the next eight sides were covered by 23 points.

The cricket after tea is played for duty and in a light-hearted atmosphere rarely possible in the English season. Spectators remain in faithful attendance on the bank. They care that England are beating West Indies but this is the cricket they prefer to watch. Gloucestershire's 400 comes up and Higgins reaches his second century of the season with a cover drive off Laurie Evans. By the end of the game he will have made a career-best 119 not out. Robinson bowls off-spin and Wells bowls seam up. With all possible points decided and the result of the game certain, the players gently mock each other's efforts. Danny Briggs keeps to the very occasional slow left-arm of Brown. No one mentions spin.

At Swansea Glamorgan lose only a couple of wickets and Derbyshire use eight bowlers, two fewer than Sussex employ at Arundel. England complete victory over West Indies but people say some of the gloss may have been taken off the win by a couple of injuries. Sussex and Gloucestershire's players shake hands at 4.50pm, which is the earliest time the draw can be agreed. All but one of the Championship matches this week have ended in rain-wrecked draws and there is therefore some irony in the bright sunlight which blesses this Friday evening at Arundel. Some spectators are reluctant to leave and sit near the famous gap in the trees, taking in the Arun valley or the Cathedral. The Norfolk flag flutters in the brisk wind.

The West Indies' first two was in the 17th over of the innings.

Some of that is down to the fact that Chris Gayle is ancient, and they have replaced his hamstrings with biscuits. They are stiff, but they also crumble. But it's also about the way the West Indies play. Since Javed Miandad hit the ball over short cover's head and Dean Jones turned ODI batting into a 10,000-metre race, teams have used the two as a safe option to score quickly. But the West Indies' newer style of batting is not as much about twos, or even running at all; it's about the power. By the time their first two came today, they'd already scored several boundaries and a six.

And it's not that their style isn't right - batsmen take a risk with twos for a low return. They're playing an attacking shot, if not checked, and then hustling for a run that may not always be entirely there. If you are going to take a risk, you might as well take it when there is four or six runs on offer. It just wasn't the right style for today.

Watch on Hotstar (India only) - West Indies lose 5 for 24

Since the last World Cup, West Indies score a two every 20.39 balls, third slowest. England leads the world with a two every 16.69 balls.

But it isn't just twos that the West Indies don't bother with, they also score off fewer balls than most teams. Since April 2015, the West Indies have a dot ball percentage of 57. Only Afghanistan faces more dots. England is down at 49%, which means that on average the West Indies face 24 more dot balls than England each game.

Not all of this matters if your players are waiting for the ball to be in their zones and hitting it out of the stadium. But today the pitch was not that conducive to swing through the line, and this is the biggest ground in the tournament. The smallest boundary here is 76 metres, the largest boundary at Taunton is 68 metres. It's not that you can't hit sixes here, but you can't hit them consistently.

Eoin Morgan had talked about this before the game. "The parameters of the ground here are a lot bigger than the West Indies." He also mentioned the pitch may not be ideal for swinging through the line. That seemed like a warning to the West Indies players before the game, but they didn't seem to listen. Gayle and Andre Russell both were caught on the boundary with hits that would have been sixes anywhere else in the tournament, and in most places in the world.

If there is any pitch in England to bat in the more traditional ODI way, it's the Rose Bowl. In the first ten overs they scored 41 runs, and had 41 dots. In the following ten, with the field out, they still managed 33 dots. Gayle hurts in that, but they don't have many great strike rotaters. And in truth, they don't have many traditional batsmen at all. They are not set up for this ground.

Shai Hope is their only frontline batsman who has a well-rounded game suited to ODI cricket, and even he struggles with strike rotation. Of the 36 batsmen from the teams in this World Cup who've faced at least 1000 balls in the last couple of years, Shai Hope has the ninth worst dot ball percentage with 55%. There's no reason for a player like Hope not to rotate the ball more; he's the fourth worst boundary hitter in this World Cup. He's physically fit and talented. He should be able to score regularly with no risk.

On Friday, he batted at three and was followed by Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer. Both are incredible talents and ball strikers, but neither are strike rotaters. Pooran played a very mature innings, his best for the West Indies in his short career. At the other end, Hetmyer was scoring his boundaries by moving his front leg and heaving the ball even in the middle overs. They scored some twos, but they always appeared to be mis-hit boundaries rather than special placement.

They didn't look like they were playing the same ODI cricket as other teams in this tournament. And maybe that's because they don't play as much of it. India has four top-order batsmen with over 60 ODIs in the last four years. Jason Holder is West Indies' only top seven player with over 60 matches, Shai Hope is at 58, and then Evin Lewis has played 37. Gayle has been largely unavailable. Hetmyer is still relatively new. And Pooran only made his debut earlier this year. And it's not like these players have a lot of one day domestic cricket either.

Obviously it's not like ODI cricket is a foreign concept; they're not like aliens trying to learn a new game. And a lot of their T20 strengths are now part of ODI cricket. But twice in this tournament, not changing the way they have batted for the conditions, or state of the game, has cost them. Against Australia they turned a near run-a-ball chase into a solid loss by over-attacking. And here they made a weak total on a pitch where Chris Woakes batted at three and made 40. They didn't even get much of a bat against Pakistan; so the two times they have batted this tournament, they've failed.

At six today was Andre Russell. Expecting him to look for twos when he's borrowed his gran's knees seems like a stretch. But also hoping for him to become a batsman when he has spent his entire life being a hitter is asking a lot. Not that he is in this side for plucky rearguard innings when the top order have failed either. He is made for T20 and death hitting.

And in reality, this team is the same.The talent is there, but while they have the team to score 400, they might also not be for all conditions. If you look at their results, one win, one draw and two losses, you'd have to wonder if they are the right team for this tournament.

Holder said, "There's still a lot of cricket left to be played in this tournament". But if they keep playing like today, it'll be over sooner than they want.

(Stats inputs from Shiva Jayaraman)

Old Trafford wore a soggy look at 10am on Friday. Overhead, it was grey. It wasn't cold, but there was a light shower on.

Fifteen minutes later, it was pouring. The pitch had been secured by the hover cover, while the rest of the square was covered by sheets. More sheets covered the outfield in front of the B and D stands. In one corner, in front of the B stand, there was also a mobile lighting rig, generally used to help grow and maintain a good grass cover when natural light is in short supply, typically for winter sports.

These were ominous portents 48 hours before the contest that is being promoted as one that one that will bring India and Pakistan to a standstill. It might just too.

Already, both teams have endured the frustration of missing out on a full game - and full points - because of the weather. For Pakistan, Sunday's match will be their fifth. For India, it's the fourth. Very middle of the tournament. Another washout can't help.

ALSO READ: World Cup - your guide to the soggy scenario

As the shower in Manchester picked up in intensity, members of the groundstaff would likely have grown anxious, too. They had already walked up a few times to an area on the ground where the tournament sponsors' logos need to embossed on the turf. This part, to the side of the pitch, outside the square, was exposed to the rain. The logo-painting can only happen once the turf dries.

But by 10.45am, the rain had receded. With every ticking minute, it became brighter. The Pakistan squad, which had arrived by then, went to the indoor training centre to practice. The Indians hadn't left Nottingham yet. The groundstaff rolled their sleeves up and got to work.

Incidentally, Old Trafford has not hosted a match since May 22, when Lancashire beat Worcestershire in a County Championship Division Two match. More recently, for the past week, it has rained every day, forcing the pitch to stay under covers for the most part. The sighter of the pitch showed no grass, although historical trend suggests swing bowlers could be in business.

On to Sunday then, and the forecast is quite positive, at least till late afternoon when light showers are expected. Everyone, including the ICC and their outgoing chief executive David Richardson, who was at the ground, will have their fingers crossed on that.

The World's Greatest Cricket Celebration - that's the legend emblazoned atop the Brian Statham End. With an unprecedented four washouts in the tournament so far, and travelling fans stressed about future games and refunds, the tournament organisers are likely to be a worried lot. The ICC has blamed the "extremely unseasonal weather" for their woes. They now desperately need Sunday to be dry enough to host a match, arguably the biggest of the competition.

Derbyshire 598 for 5 dec (Godleman 227, Lace 143, Hosein 91*) drew with Glamorgan 394 (Wagg 100, Carey 62*) and 184 for 2 (Labuschagne 83, Selman 73*)

On a St. Helen's pitch which produced 1176 runs for the loss of 17 wickets, there was little prospect of a positive outcome in the Specsavers County Championship game between Glamorgan and Derbyshire at Swansea. With Glamorgan 184 for 2 in their second innings, and Nick Selman 73 not out, the captains shook hands.

After Derbyshire had declared their first innings on 598 for 5, their fifth-highest total in first-class cricket, Glamorgan were left 58 overs to clear their first innings deficit of 204. Despite losing opener Charlie Hemphrey to the last ball of the sixth over - the batsman left an inswinger from Ravi Rampaul - Selman and Marnus Labuschagne shared a rapid partnership of 142 in 29 overs for the second wicket to ensure Glamorgan would remain unbeaten and in contention near the top of Division Two.

There was nothing in the St. Helen's pitch for the bowlers, with both Selman and Labuschagne reaching their half-centuries in quick time. Selman took 56 balls to reach his fifty, with Labuschagne reaching the landmark from five balls fewer.

Labuschagne, who played five Tests for Australia last year, is the leading run-scorer in Division Two with 653 runs including three centuries, and if he continues his current form he could be in contention for a place in the Ashes squad this summer. He made 83 from 90 balls, before he was stumped down the leg-side from Alex Hughes' gentle medium pace.

Earlier Derbyshire had batted for 16 overs when play resumed at 12.55 after 20 overs had been lost to rain The visitors added a further 94 runs, with their captain Billy Godleman adding 16 runs to his overnight score before he was leg before to Lukas Carey for a career best 227. He was at the crease for eight and a quarter hours, faced 327 balls and struck 25 boundaries.

He put on 135 with Harvey Hosein who scored an unbeaten 91 and was unlucky not to reach his second first-class century when Godleman called a halt. Derbyshire were 104 runs in front before play restarted and were never going to lose the game. Perhaps they might have been better advised to have declared earlier and attempt to put more pressure on the opposition.

England 213 for 2 (Root 100*, Bairstow 45) beat West Indies 212 (Pooran 63, Wood 3-18, Archer 3-30) by eight wickets
As it happened

This was supposed to be a 350 meets 350 match. At least 300 versus 300. And, for those who dared hope, 400 from both teams. In the end, the combined total of both teams just about crossed 400, with England clinically dismantling West Indies at the Hampshire Bowl on Friday.

After three no-result matches in the last four days, it was a bit of a relief to have cricket interrupt the rain. Dark clouds did hover, but metaphorical ones, over the fitness of two key England players. England turned up with their A game, befitting their favourite status. But West Indies were reading from the T20 playbook. They could muster only 212, a total that England romped to in 33.1 overs, riding on Joe Root's third World Cup century.

WATCH (India only): Highlights of England's eight-wicket win over West Indies

England did it without two of their top four - opener Jason Roy and captain Eoin Morgan had limped off the field when West Indies were batting - making it an even more impressive display, though they will be sweating on the fitness of the two batsmen before their next game, against Afghanistan on June 18. Roy left in the eighth over with a tweaked hamstring while Morgan walked off in the 40th over with what he confirmed after the game was a back spasm.

That meant Root was opening the innings in ODIs for the first time, but if you hadn't been told that, or looked it up, you would have never known it. Root made gleeful use of the gaps in the field during the Powerplay, and on the West Indies bowlers' waywardness, matching Jonny Bairstow shot for shot in an opening stand that wiped out all hope for the visitors. He was particularly good square of the pitch, in front and behind. When West Indies tried the short-ball strategy, he swivelled back and found runs on the leg side. On the off side, his driving through cover was equally sublime.

Root started briskly, and stayed brisk. Bairstow, who might consider an innings of less than a run a ball slow, was also chugging along until he upper cut Shannon Gabriel straight to third man to end a stand of 95. Chris Woakes earned a somewhat surprising promotion to No. 3 - again forced by injuries and by England's desire to let Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler stick to their usual middle-order positions. Woakes showed the faith wasn't misplaced, constructing 40 like a top-order batsman, before a rush of blood meant he pulled Gabriel to deep square with victory only 14 runs away.

Root wasn't to be denied though, making his second century of the World Cup, emulating Kevin Pietersen as the only other England batsman to score two in an edition. Root's third century across World Cups topped the list for England batsmen. It capped a day on which he also took two wickets.

Root's strikes were important, but it was England's fast bowlers who set the match up. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood were quick and hostile, and Woakes' lines were even tighter. In the first 15 overs, England's bowlers bowled only three balls that weren't length or back of a length. Of those three, one was a yorker that left Evin Lewis splayed with his stumps disturbed.

The Hampshire Bowl is among England's bigger grounds, which meant merely standing and biffing was never going to be enough. That is where West Indies erred. Their T20-style approach has yielded dividends on flatter tracks and smaller grounds. With some juice in the pitch early and the square boundaries being much longer, that approach backfired.

West Indies needed to work the field and get singles and doubles, but they couldn't do that, and, as a result, despite finding the boundary semi-regularly, the run rate never galloped. Chris Gayle began in usual fashion - sedate at the start and then muscling the ball away powerfully - but both he and Andre Russell were caught at deep square leg trying to pull short balls. Coincidentally, both batsmen - the two most dangerous hitters in the West Indies line-up - had been dropped in that area, but neither could go on to make a big one. Their mis-hits would have cleared the fence elsewhere, but here, they resulted in catches.

Nicholas Pooran alone was impressive, deftly working the ball into the gaps and picking up runs in the manner that was most efficient on this ground. Shimron Hetmyer allied with Pooran in what looked like a promising stand after the top three had fallen, until he played a loose shot to give Root his first wicket. An seam-up delivery - a knuckle ball almost - accounted for Jason Holder to give Root his second wicket, to joyous celebrations.

It wasn't the only time England, or Root, celebrated on Friday.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One day after trading third-year tight end Michael Roberts to the New England Patriots in exchange for a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick, the Detroit Lions announced Friday that the deal was rescinded because conditions weren't met. The Lions then waived Roberts, per the club.

Roberts didn't pass his physical with the Patriots, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Patriots are transitioning without retired tight end Rob Gronkowski, and have a thin tight-end- depth chart headlined by four-year veteran Matt LaCosse, 38-year-old Benjamin Watson and younger players Stephen Anderson and Ryan Izzo. Watson will miss the first four games of the season due to an NFL suspension.

So the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Roberts, who entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft choice of the Lions in 2017 out of Toledo, was projected to compete for a roster spot in New England. He had played in 23 regular-season games over the past two years, totaling 13 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns, but faced longer odds to make the Lions' roster this year at a crowded spot.

"Obviously with the tight end position, we have good competition in the room right now," Lions head coach Matt Patricia said on Thursday. "We had an opportunity to move on from Mike and hopefully, potentially, get something for it. So it was a good opportunity for us as a team to do that and build our team long term."

The NBA Finals had a wild impact on next year's championship odds, leaving the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorites at some sportsbooks and the injury-riddled Golden State Warriors as second-tier contenders.

The Lakers, at +400, are -- despite their absence from the 2018-19 playoffs -- the favorites to win the 2019-20 NBA championship at Caesars sportsbook, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers, who are each at +600. The Toronto Raptors, who took down the Warriors in Game 6 on Thursday to clinch the NBA Finals, are +800.

The SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas also has the Lakers as the favorites to win next year's title, but New Jersey sportsbooks DraftKings and FanDuel each had the Bucks listed as the favorites on Friday afternoon.

Every book had the Warriors as the favorites entering the NBA Finals, but Golden State lost stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to serious injuries and saw its odds lengthen to as long as 14-1 to win next year's title. On Friday, the SuperBook took a $10,000 bet on the Warriors to win next year's title at 14-1 odds, according to executive director John Murray.

Durant suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the Finals, and Thompson tore his ACL late in the third quarter of Game 6. Durant and Thompson, two of several big names that potentially could be on the move this offseason, each face a long recovery.

"[Golden State] is now [Stephen] Curry and Draymond [Green] without much else," Caesars head of risk Jeff Davis told ESPN on Friday morning. "There has been almost zero interest in them in the future market so far, so we made the decision to raise them and lower others."

Durant's and Thompson's injuries throw a wrench into an offseason capable of shaking up the balance of power in the NBA. The champion Raptors head into the summer hoping the franchise's first championship will be enough to persuade star Kawhi Leonard, a free agent, to stay in Toronto. The Boston Celtics and Lakers are reportedly in the mix to trade for New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis. The Celtics were listed at +1,200 at Caesars on Friday.

Caesars sportsbook senior oddsmaker Alan Berg said Thursday that he had already taken bets "big enough to make me respect them" on the Clippers and Lakers.

"We are treating all these bets as sharp on the basis that it's a very speculative market, with all the powerful free agents who can turn these teams into championship contenders," Berg added.

At the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas, more money has been bet on the Lakers to win next year's title than on any other team. Three of the four largest bets the SuperBook had taken on next year's championship were on the Lakers, including a $4,000 bet placed in early June at 18-1.

Caesars sportsbook also took a "big bet" on the Lakers for next year, according to Berg, who says the real challenge for bookmakers begins now.

"We're playing this game where hopefully we're on top of the information before everyone else is," Berg said. "But that's usually not the case."

The Houston Rockets are plus-1,000, the Denver Nuggets plus-1,500, the Brooklyn Nets plus-2,000 and the New York Knicks plus-2,200 at Caesars.

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is investigating Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri for suspicion of misdemeanor battery on a police officer, it confirmed Friday morning.

The alleged incident occurred Thursday night on the floor at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, after the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA title and Ujiri tried to join the team on the floor. He was stopped by a deputy.

"Mr. Ujiri was unknown to the deputy at that time. He [the deputy] asked him for a credential," said Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the sheriff's office. "He shoved the deputy out of the way and walked toward the court. The deputy pushed back. The president came forward more with a more significant push and ended up striking the deputy in the face."

NBC Bay Area posted video of the aftermath of the incident late Thursday night, but it does not show what happened first.

The sheriff's office is gathering information on what occurred, talking to witnesses and members of the security teams as well as gathering available video, Kelly said Friday.

Ujiri watched the end of the game on television outside the Raptors' locker room with other team officials. He then came down the tunnel to the floor to join the on-court celebration.

The NBA requires extra credentials to gain access to the floor when the series is clinched, including a gold armband. Kelly said the NBA had asked law enforcement officials to be extra vigilant on requiring the credentials. Kelly said Masai either didn't have the credentials or didn't show them.

"The incident is being looked at, and we are cooperating with authorities," the Raptors said in statement Friday afternoon. "We look forward to resolving the situation."

Kelly said the sheriff's office has spoken with the NBA and that the league is aware of the investigation. As of Friday morning, the sheriff's office had not yet spoken to the Raptors or Ujiri.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the league was in contact with the Raptors and local authorities and is "in the process of gathering more information."

The investigation should be wrapped up by next week, Kelly said.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst contributed to this report.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Three years ago, as the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated the franchise's first NBA championship on the Golden State Warriors' home court, Draymond Green sat at his locker and sent a text message to Kevin Durant.

Green wanted to let Durant know that -- even at his lowest moment, just an hour after losing a Game 7 of the Finals -- he was thinking about Durant. That the Warriors needed Durant. And that he'd be welcome on a team that had previously won a title and 73 regular-season games.

Back then, they knew each other only as competitors. But Green's instincts were dead on -- the outreach did its job. A few weeks later, Durant joined the Warriors as a free agent, forever altering the NBA landscape.

Three years later, as the Warriors again absorbed the ignominy of watching a team -- this time the Toronto Raptors -- celebrating its first title at Oracle Arena, Durant was the one reaching out.

Klay Thompson was in the Warriors' locker room, his left knee wrapped in ice, hoping that the injury he'd just suffered wasn't as bad as the doctors suspected.

Thompson had come into this game believing the Warriors had a little magic left in them. That they'd win this last game in Oracle Arena for Durant, who'd suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5. "We all know this is a minor setback for a major comeback," Thompson had written in an Instagram post with the hashtags #doitforK and #onelastdance.

But this injury, already described by doctors as a likely ACL tear, wasn't something Thompson could will himself through. This was the end of the road. For this season, and perhaps for the Warriors' dynasty.

Then his phone rang.

Durant was on the line, FaceTiming him from New York, where he's recovering from surgery on his torn Achilles.

"I heard them talking," Klay's father, Mychal, said of the conversation. "But I don't think they'd want me to divulge it."

Durant was probably the only person in the world who could relate to exactly what Thompson was feeling in that moment. His dad knew to give them space.

"They were encouraging each other to come back strong," Mychal Thompson said. "They got unfinished business."

THIS SEASON HAS been a war of attrition and attention for the Warriors. At times, the team seemed to be dragging itself along -- too talented and proud to surrender, but too tired and injured to mount the kind of fight it has become known for.

Five straight years of breathing the same air with the same group of human beings can wear on the most gentle soul. Five years of doing that under the spotlight that accompanies being the best team in the NBA is when pipes start bursting.

But the way things finally ended, with Durant and Thompson going down with catastrophic injuries that will keep each of them out a significant portion of next year, makes every other issue around the Warriors feel less important.

Before Game 5 in Toronto on Monday, general manager Bob Myers spent a half hour talking to Durant's agent, Rich Kleiman, on the court. Cameras dissected their every move, knowing the immense pressure Durant and the Warriors had been under the past few weeks to clear him medically.

"How are you?" Myers was asked.

"Tired," he said.

That was before Durant reinjured himself and ruptured his Achilles in Game 5. And before Thompson crashed to the ground in the next game, the guard clutching his left knee after landing awkwardly following a dunk attempt.

The Warriors had spent the better part of two weeks managing the narrative around Durant's recovery from a calf injury. But when Durant remained out longer than expected, they'd started to lose control of it. Myers said that the Warriors' internal target had always been Game 5 of the Finals, with a very small chance at Game 4. But the Warriors never said that explicitly, and it led to a constant sense in the early part of the Finals that Durant's return was just around the corner.

There were daily questions and reports on his progress. Players read and reacted to those reports. Then they saw Durant go through individual workouts at the team's practice facility, and thought he looked good. So after Game 4, when Thompson fought his way back from a hamstring injury and Kevon Looney returned to play with fractured cartilage near his collarbone, the narrative and the optics of Durant's absence got janky, to steal Stephen Curry's word.

"It's that time of year when you get scrutinized," Myers said before Durant's return in Game 5. "For us, if we made it to Game 5 ... that was always going to be Kevin's shot at returning. But I can't control what you guys write and all the narratives out there.

"But the nice thing about being part of a team, is that you know what's going on within the team."

If only that were the case. According to multiple team sources, several players expressed frustration over the prolonged uncertainty of Durant's situation.

That's different than being frustrated with him or questioning his desire to play. But as one source put it, "It's like you're swimming in the ocean and someone says, 'We're getting you a life jacket soon.' Well, until you get that life jacket, you're waiting for it. And I think that created tremendous anxiety."

That anxiety was heightened by what all this could mean for Durant's free agency this summer. All season, the uncertainty over Durant's future with the team has been a fascinating, frustrating wrinkle. Most people learned to compartmentalize it. To accept whatever comes. Even to make peace with it.

But the specter of Durant's departure was always there. It was hard for some inside the organization not to take personally, not to wonder what Durant could want beyond what the Warriors had given him these past few years.

But when Durant was hurt in Game 5, everything changed. All that anxiety went out the window and turned to genuine concern.

Veteran public relations VP Raymond Ridder said he knew right away how serious the injury was, without even having to ask.

"There was a lot of raw emotion back there," Ridder said of the scene in the locker room as Durant was examined. "Bob Myers had his head in his hands. It was very quiet."

A few hours after the Game 5 win, Warriors players, owners and staffers went to a team dinner at The Chase restaurant in Toronto. It had been planned, win or lose.

"We won the game, but I was very, very depressed at dinner," Warriors owner Joe Lacob said after Game 6. "That was a devastating injury. I'm not as depressed tonight because I don't know how much more depressed I can get. We've just gotta just move forward now."

KLAY THOMPSON FOLLOWED the final quarter of Thursday's Game 6 on the NBA app. He had left the arena on crutches during the fourth quarter to get an MRI, still with the slight hope the injury wasn't as bad as the doctors feared. "He told me he didn't feel it pop," Mychal Thompson said. "So I was hoping maybe he just twisted it."

Klay had had the same hope -- after being helped off the court by his teammates, he came sprinting back to take two free throws, and made them both. He tried to coax his way back into the game by running down to the other end of the court on defense before the Warriors committed an intentional foul to get him out of the game. As he reluctantly left the court, he told Warriors coach Steve Kerr he'd be back in a few minutes.

But within minutes of going back to the locker room, Thompson knew something was very wrong. Everything in his knee stiffened and swelled up. The pain became intense. He tried to stretch and walk it off. But the Warriors' medical staff told him that his knee was unstable and they suspected it was an ACL tear.

"I was so hurt for him," Mychal said. "He wanted to be out there with his teammates. If he was going to lose, he was going to go down with his teammates."

"I was back there when they told him he was out the rest of Thursday," Ridder said. "And all he said was, 'Do you think I can play Sunday [in Game 7]?'"

Thompson's brother, Mychel, drove him to an imaging center in Berkeley. His parents followed in a separate car. The Warriors were keeping it close deep into the fourth quarter.

With just a few minutes remaining in the game, Thompson was wheeled into the MRI machine. The game ended while he was in there.

"What happened?" Thompson asked as soon as he finished. "Did we win?"

It wasn't until he learned that the Warriors had lost that he began to consider what this injury might mean to his career.

"Do you think this could affect my free agency?" he asked.

BACK AT ORACLE Arena, in a small room adjacent to the Warriors' locker room, Myers and Lacob began talking about the questions that lay ahead as the franchise begins one of its most important offseasons ever. Thompson and Durant can both become unrestricted free agents. Should they choose to go elsewhere, there is no way to replace either of them, in talent or with what few financial options the Warriors will have at their disposal. But keeping both of them could balloon the team's salary cap and luxury tax payments to a staggering $375 million.

"It's very complicated," Lacob said. "Once I get through being depressed about the injuries, I'm actually excited about the challenge. How do we stay competitive? What's our plan? Frankly, I've already formulated one. I've been talking with Bob and [assistant GM] Kirk [Lacob], and we've got a couple ideas."

Myers had come into the room to collect a half-dozen dress shirts and blazers he'd left during the season. There was no need for them here now or, ever again. The season, and the Warriors' run in Oakland, is over. He found Lacob there, escaping the crowd that came to drown its sorrows at the bar inside the Bridge Club, his exclusive suite near the Warriors' family room.

"I don't drink," Lacob said. "Or rather, I'm not gonna drink right now. I have too much work to do."

They have the draft next Thursday. They have to figure out how to handle Durant's and Thompson's free agencies. They have to decide how the devastating injuries each player suffered in the Finals affects next season and beyond.

Lacob couldn't talk about his thinking regarding potential free agents because of NBA tampering rules. He could, however, praise a player for his performance and effort during the series.

"We win that game, in my opinion, if he stays healthy," Lacob said of Thompson. "He's fantastic. Unbelievable. I love him."

AS LACOB TALKED about the Warriors' uncertain future and got to work on processing how this season came crashing to such a terrible ending, Dell Curry came bounding down the hallway with a giant bag of popcorn.

Normally, his son Stephen is the popcorn guy. He eats it after every game. But a small bag -- nothing so garish as this giant plastic bag full of buttery goodness that his dad was munching on.

"To do it for five years, with the circumstances that we had, and still be in it, I can't believe it," Dell Curry said. "We've celebrated more tonight, during a loss, than ever. Because we knew how hard it is. We lost, but it's still a win."

His son would've been favored to win Finals MVP if the Warriors had come back to win the series. In Game 6, he missed an open shot that would have put the Warriors up with less than 10 seconds remaining.

"I'll live with that," Stephen Curry said in the locker room after the game. "We always talk about that -- myself and Klay -- in terms of shots we take. You live with it. And I'd shoot that shot every day of the week."

But by the time he left Oracle Arena for the last time, such things seemed to be the furthest thoughts from Curry's mind.

Curry spent extra time packing up his locker before leaving. Then he stopped to say goodbye to every security guard, usher and custodian who worked there. Many of them won't be working in the new arena in San Francisco next year. The choice was given to all employees, but the new commute has proved prohibitive to many.

When Curry finally drove away from the arena he had helped make NBA history in, he went home and hung out with a dozen or so members of his family. They ordered In-N-Out burgers and played video golf deep into the night.

He has always been the bellwether for these Warriors. They went as he did. They fed off his energy and his emotions. So as this season wrapped up in such abrupt fashion, the organization followed his lead once again.

"There's a lot of different emotions," Curry said. "No regrets at all about how this series ended.

"We had a lot of great memories in this building. I think it's iconic, in the sense of our entire history of this organization and how we got to this point. Whenever I drive by it, I'll have great memories of what we have been able to accomplish.

"As we move across the bridge, we want to be able to continue that and create new memories. So hopefully every fan that was in this building appreciates the journey and the ride."