Rivalry Week has come and gone and here we are to pick up the pieces.

We don't know about you, but we're gassed. Spent. Wasted. Ready for a week of recuperation. It turns out mutual enmity makes for some pretty intense soccer matches.

From Friday night's Cascadia Cup madness through to a wild El Trafico, Rivalry Week delivered.

A backheel winner. A four-goal blowout. Rivalry trophies lifted Portland by the visitors and Utah by the home team. Zlatan... Zlataning, then LAFC showing their quality in a comeback.

Time for a shower...

Right after we rank. Like, right after.

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

1. LAFC (19 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses)

Previous ranking: 1

Next MLS match: Sunday, Sept. 1 vs. Minnesota United, 10 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Tip of the Power Rankings cap (it's a bowler, in case you're wondering) to Bob Bradley, who made the tough decision to pull Carlos Vela off in a tied El Trafico match. LAFC didn't win, but saving the captain and MVP leader for the future was the smart thing to do.

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2. Atlanta United (15-3-9)

Previous ranking: 2

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The Five Stripes Express chugged into Orlando on Friday and departed with a boxcar full of points. The conductor, one Josef Martinez, scored in his 12th straight game. The last time Martinez didn't score for Atlanta United, trains were brand new technology. It feels true, doesn't it?

3. Philadelphia Union (14-6-8)

Previous ranking: 3

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Atlanta United, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Philly isn't going to give up first place without a fight. Okay, so technically Atlanta holds a tiebreaker on the Union, but it still sets up for a gargantuan match next weekend at Talen Energy Stadium when the Five Stripes steam into town with a free-and-clear first place on the line.

4. New York City FC (13-8-5)

Previous ranking: 6

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 at Vancouver Whitecaps, 10 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Red Bulls are red, New York is blue, Heber's goal belongs in the Lou...vre.

Eh, close enough.

5. Minnesota United (12-6-9)

Previous ranking: 4

Next MLS match: Sunday, Sept. 1 at LAFC, 10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The margins are so small in the battle for playoff seeding in the Western Conference that the Loons' loss to Sporting Kansas City on Friday night via late, late goal dropped them from second to fourth. Adrian Heath nearly got away with leaving Darwin Quintero on the bench in KC.

6. San Jose Earthquakes (12-5-10)

Previous ranking: 5

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Orlando City, 10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The Quakes bombarded the 'Caps net on Saturday, scoring three times and forcing 16 saves by Maxime Crepau. To say they needed that would be an understatement, following a three-game losing streak and the emotional experience against LAFC in midweek.

7. New England Revolution (9-8-9)

Previous ranking: 7

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Gustavo Bou, the hero of the New England Revolution's revolution used the greatest weapon of the revolution -- his left foot -- to fire the Revolution to three more points in the quest to revolutionize the playoffs hopes of the Bruce Arena-led revolutionary program for the Revolution.

8. Seattle Sounders (12-7-8)

Previous ranking: 9

Next MLS match: Sunday, Sept. 1 vs. LA Galaxy, 6:30 p.m. ET

When the emotional grind starts to effect form, it sometimes takes a big game to provide a lift and get things back on track. That might be what happens for the Sounders, the 2019 Cascadia Cup champions after Friday's Jordan Morris-led victory over the Timbers -- on Portland's pitch.

9. LA Galaxy (13-3-11)

Previous ranking: 11

Next MLS match: Sunday, Sept. 1 at Seattle Sounders, 6:30 p.m. ET

Zlatan Ibrahimovic showed up...for the first half. Christian Pavon scored his first MLS goal and showed why LA's acquisition of the Argentine was such a coup. The Galaxy have still never lost to LAFC, a fact they'll use to their psychological advantage if, and when, the two teams meet in the playoffs.

10. Real Salt Lake (13-4-10)

Previous ranking: 15

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 at Portland Timbers, 10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

There's no truth to the rumor that Joao Plata was showing up on the side of milk cartons in Utah before Saturday's Rocky Mountain Cup win over Colorado, but you'd be forgiven for believing it. Albert Rusnak handed the ball to Plata for the penalty kick winner, a move that might be a spark for RSL's stretch run.

11. Portland Timbers (11-4-11)

Previous ranking: 8

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Real Salt Lake, 10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Our recent polling suggests that Timbers fans would rather swear off organically grown, locally sourced, fair trade cold brew coffee and barrel-aged Imperial IPA with notes of cardamom and coriander than lose to the Seattle Sounders. It's that damn serious.

12. New York Red Bulls (11-5-10)

Previous ranking: 10

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Red Bulls are red, New York is blue, congrats to Josh Sims on his homegrown debut.

13. FC Dallas (11-7-10)

Previous ranking: 13

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. FC Cincinnati, 8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

It's been a long wait, but finally FC Dallas is getting lethal strikes from the man they call "The Cobra." We were beginning to think the nickname was completely unwarranted, like when people call the really big guys "Tiny". FCD also got lethal strikes from lots of other players, too.

14. Orlando City (9-7-11)

Previous ranking: 12

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 at San Jose Earthquakes, 10:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Eight games, no wins for the Lions against Atlanta. After losing in game in which they outshot United and created more chances, it's starting to feel like a curse. Worse, the loss means Orlando falls three points behind Toronto for the final playoff spot in the East.

15. Sporting Kansas City (8-7-11)

Previous ranking: 17

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Houston Dynamo, 8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

If Sporting somehow manages to put together an incredible late-season run and claim a playoff spot, Erik Hurtado's ferocious winner against Minnesota might be the goal we'll point back to as the spark. Must-win games need match-winners.

16. Toronto FC (10-7-10)

Previous ranking: 20

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

As far as massive wins go, TFC's victory over Montreal on Saturday was massively massive. The Reds are now in seventh place with a game-in-hand on Orlando and Montreal. A trip to New England next weekend looms and it might end up being the defining game of the season.

17. Chicago Fire (8-9-11)

Previous ranking: 14

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

So that's the reason the Embers... er, Fire... have just six points on the road in 2019. The already slim chance that Chicago could sneak into the playoffs this season took a massive hit because of a bad turnover and a Gustavo Bou goal at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

18. D.C. United (10-9-10)

Previous ranking: 16

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 at Montreal Impact, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Wayne Rooney-less United crashed and burned against the Union in Chester and are in real danger of slipping out of the playoff placed completely. Word on the street is that Rooney could get another game for last week's red card, only adding to the dread surrounding the club.

19. Columbus Crew (8-6-15)

Previous ranking: 19

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Hell. Unleashed. Three goals in the fist half, two of them by Gyasi Zardes, won the day for the Crew on the road in Cincinnati. Columbus planted a stake at Nippert Stadium in the first win for either side in the MLS history of "Hell Is Real."

20. Colorado Rapids (7-6-14)

Previous ranking: 18

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 at New York Red Bulls, 7 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The Rocky Mountain Cup was just about all the Rapids had left to play for this season. Losing to RSL like they did has to hurt, but there's always tomorrow -- a tomorrow that brings a new head coach and, they hope, a new era for a club still thrashing in turbulent waters for a winning approach.

21. Montreal Impact (10-4-14)

Previous ranking: 21

Next MLS match: Wednesday, Aug. 28 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

A debut goal for Bojan Krkic in Wilmer Cabrera's debut as coach wasn't enough for Montreal on the road in Toronto. If the Impact are counting on a new manager bump to push them across the playoff line, they'll have to get cracking against Vancouver on Wednesday night.

22. Vancouver Whitecaps (6-9-13)

Previous ranking: 22

Next MLS match: Wednesday, Aug. 28 at Montreal Impact, 8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Vancouver Whitecaps FC is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia that competes in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS).

23. Houston Dynamo (9-4-14)

Previous ranking: 23

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 vs. Sporting Kansas City, 8:30 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

The Dynamo not only didn't get up for a rivalry match in an otherwise lost season, they got stomped by FC Dallas. It sure looks like Davy Arnaud is going to struggle to keep his team interested in competing in the final month and a half of the campaign.

24. FC Cincinnati (5-3-19)

Previous ranking: 24

Next MLS match: Saturday, Aug. 31 at FC Dallas, 8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+

Hell Is Real take two brought hell to Cincinnati in the form of a 3-1 Columbus win. FCC showed some fight (literally) planting the seeds for an intense round of games in 2020. The rebuild happening with both clubs means Hell Is Real success will be a major part of whatever comes next season.

India Red 285 (Kalsi 106, Nair 99, Pathania 4-55) and 297 for 6 decl (Nair 166*, Kalsi 64, Jalaj 4-105) drew with India Blue 255 (Bawne 121, Anmolpreet 56, Avesh 4-58) Points: Red 3, Blue 1

A nearly two-year wait ended on Monday as Karun Nair scored a cathartic first-class century to lead India Red into the Duleep Trophy final. The batsman had not been able to breach the three-figure mark since December 2017 but produced a second-innings 166 not out to follow a 99 in the first and save the game.

With three points in the bag, India Red will know that only one of the other teams - Blue and Green - have any chance of going past them ahead of the day-night final at M Chinnaswamy stadium.

Himachal Pradesh's Ankit Kalsi, a 25-year old fighting to become a regular for his domestic side, assisted Nair in both innings. Having earned his place on the back of three Ranji Trophy centuries in five matches last season, the left-hander exhibited poise and composure to make scores of 106 and 64. Kalsi and Nair put on two century stands in the game to keep India Blue at bay.

ALSO READ - Kalsi and Pathania, a tale of two unknowns

Playing with a bowler short - Basil Thampi pulled up with a back injury after sending down 11 overs in the first innings - a bulk of the team's workload fell on Diwesh Pathania, the Services fast bowler, and the two spinners Jalaj Saxena and Saurabh Kumar.

During the course of the match, Jalaj, who finished with match haul of 7 for 162, went past the double of 6000 runs and 300 wickets in first-class cricket, an elite list that features the likes of S Abid Ali, Lala Amarnath, Sanjay Bangar, Sairaj Bahutule and S Venkataraghavan to name a few.

The India A regulars had a forgettable game. Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran, both of whom are in frame to be the third opener for the Test team, managed 42 runs between them in four innings, while Shubman Gill was out for 9, playing across the line to a full inswinging delivery from Jaydev Unadkat, in his only innings.

India Blue were in the frame for a first-innings lead during the course of a 129-run stand between centurion Ankit Bawne and Anmolpreet Singh, but they lost 5 for 15 in the aftermath to concede the advantage. They will now have to wait for the final league game - between Red and Green - to see if there is a passage for them to the final.

Misbah-ul-Haq's interest in taking over as head coach of the Pakistan national side was made official today after he resigned from the PCB cricket committee, following it up by formally applying for the role of head coach. Misbah, who is already working as camp commander and leading a 20-man training camp ahead of the start of Pakistan's domestic season, called it "everyone's dream" to become coach of the Pakistan team.

"It has been interesting to see my name being mentioned as a future head coach of the Pakistan cricket team, but the fact is I only made the decision today," said Misbah after resigning from the cricket committee. "I am applying for the head coach's role fully aware that the competition will be tough. I envisage there will be a few more very competent and highly qualified people applying for one of the most challenging jobs in the game."

Misbah decided to step down from the PCB cricket committee in the wake of reports that he was being considered for the position of head coach. Initially wary of formally expressing his interest, Misbah had said any application for the role would be preceded by his resignation from the cricket committee, and that he was deliberating on whether to apply.

The PCB had been seeking applications to rebuild their coaching staff after having brought to an end the tenure of Mickey Arthur and his staff earlier this month. The deadline for submitting applications concluded today, with the PCB seeking someone someone who was at least a Level 2 coach "with relevant experience for at least three years" with elite cricketers. It is notable Misbah does not have three years of coaching experience - indeed, he retired less than three years ago - but with him being the only one to formally make his interest public, he is the undisputed favourite to win the role.

Ironically, one of Misbah's biggest contributions while part of the cricket committee was leading the calls to bring down the curtain on Mickey Arthur's time as head coach. With the contracts of Arthur, batting coach Grant Flower, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood and fitness and trainer Grant Luden all having been scheduled to end on August 15, the PCB considered whether to award them extensions. Arthur and Flower, at least, had expressed an eagerness to continue. Arthur was given a chance to present his report following the World Cup, which was widely seen as a chance for him to defend his record and make a case for an extension.

However, the decision not to extend contracts was arrived at following a five-hour PCB cricket committee meeting. ESPNcricinfo understands Arthur wanted two more years on the job, but the recommendations of the cricket committee, on which Misbah was an influential voice, advised against a renewal. Now, mere weeks on, Misbah appears the frontrunner to succeed the man he played under as captain for a year.

South African cricket is in "a transition phase", according to former batsman Ashwell Prince. Prince, who coaches Cape Cobras in South African franchise cricket, and had been in India as a batting consultant supervising a spin camp that included both South Africa A and senior team regulars ahead of tours to India by the 'A' side as well as the senior men's and women's teams.

"It's a transition phase for South African cricket," Prince told the Deccan Chronicle. "I work in the first-class system and we have first-hand experience of the young guys that are coming through. Of course, you don't become [Hashim] Amla and [Dale] Steyn overnight."

Steyn announced his retirement from Test cricket and a renewed focus on limited-overs cricket at the beginning of the month, while Hashim Amla retired from all international cricket soon afterwards. South Africa will feel the absence of both players keenly - Amla averaged 62.73 in ten Tests in India, while Steyn took 26 Test wickets at 21.38 across three tours to India - but Prince, along with spin-bowling consultant Paul Adams and high-performance manager Vincent Barnes, have been working with the next generation to try and fill the breach.

Among the players in the camp were Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma and Theunis de Bruyn, as well as promising young batsmen Zubayr Hamza, Janneman Malan, Sinethemba Qeshile, Pieter Malan, Eddie Moore and Matthew Breetzke.

"We are looking at both [physical and mental] aspects to playing spin," Prince, who played 66 Tests and 52 ODIs for South Africa - captaining the Test team twice - said. "It's about being able to understand that a good spinner on a surface providing spin will go past the outside edge and beat your bat."

Offspinner Dane Piedt and spin-bowling allrounder Senuran Muthusamy, who have been named in South Africa's Test squad, and left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin, who is part of the T20 squad, were also in the spin camp, as were Tsepo Ndwandwa, Thomas Kaber, Dyllan Matthews and George Linde.

"We obviously have come here for young players to experience some of the conditions," Prince said. "What we try to do is to pass on our learnings, but we have some local coaches helping us here. Even the spin coach has years of experience to associate the idea of local conditions. It's basically to feed the young guys as much information as possible."

Rahul Dravid, who was recently appointed head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru by the BCCI, has been asked to appear before the board's ethics officer Justice (retired) DK Jain over allegations of conflict of interest. According to PTI, Dravid will be meeting Justice Jain in person in Mumbai on September 26.

Dravid's possible conflict of interest had been put in the spotlight by Sanjeev Gupta, a life member of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. Gupta said taking charge of the NCA will put Dravid in a conflict of interest situation since he is also employed by India Cements, which is owned by the former BCCI president N Srinivasan. Justice Jain will now adjudicate on the matter, even though the CoA is of the view that Dravid is not in conflict since he has frozen his employment with India Cements.

Also read: Conflict-of-interest rule has to be 'practical', says Sourav Ganguly

The conflict of interest issue has been in focus of late, with a number of high-profile former cricketers being called into question. Sourav Ganguly, Dravid's former India team-mate, who was found to be in conflict of interest recently, said last week that the BCCI had to make the conflict rule more "practical" and allow people to perform multiple roles. VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar are among the other big names in Indian cricket to find themselves in similar situations of late.

"I wouldn't say an exception be made to the rule [for celebrated former players but] the rule has to be practical," Ganguly said at an event in Mumbai. "And what is conflict of interest? Today Rahul Dravid is appointed NCA head and there are issues about his conflict of interest of his job with India Cements. So you've got to be practical on that. You never know whether you will become NCA head or not, three years later you may not remain NCA head, but these [other] jobs are permanent and these jobs remain with you. So it has got to be practically solved - even when you do commentary or coaching, I don't see it as a conflict of interest."

Ganguly's roles came into question as he is president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, as well as on the coaching staff of the IPL team Delhi Capitals, and has also been doing media work as a commentator and columnist.

Cricket South Africa has extended its commercial deal with Global Sports Commerce for the Mzansi Super League for another four years.

GSC, which is headquartered in Singapore but has an affiliate office in Johannesburg, was the official commercial and broadcast partner for the inaugural MSL in 2018. The new agreement which runs from 2019 to 2023 grants GSC all commercial rights to the MSL, excluding the teams, and makes GSC the official broadcast and digital rights holder outside South Africa.

GSC has various partnerships with global and Indian brands, and also had a hand in broadcasting the last edition of the Pakistan Super League.

Closer to home, however, CSA have confirmed that local broadcast rights for the second season of the MSL will remain with SABC, South Africa's public broadcaster. The embattled broadcaster last month secured a R 3.2 billion (approx $210 million) bailout from the government but will provide little to no commercial value to CSA locally - making overseas partnerships all the more important.

"It gives us great pleasure to extend our partnership with GSC," CSA Chief Executive Thabang Moroe said. "They are a significant global brand that has put its faith in our administration, our governance and our players for a considerable period of time.

"As their name indicates, GSC have a global sporting presence as a major player in the organization of sporting events around the world and already have considerable experience of South African sport through their investment in Megapro and Megaview," Moroe said. "They made a significant contribution to getting the MSL off to a winning start last year and will again play a major role as we build on those advances in MSL 2.0."

"GSC is delighted to be associated with the MSL," GSC's chief executive MS Muralidharan said. "We see this as a milestone sports asset for Africa as the sole and exclusive International Commercial Partner across Television, Digital, and Event Sponsorship.

"The GSC family, including its South Africa-based affiliates, Megapro and Megaview, will bring to the event its global technology expertise with cutting edge technologies in Television/Content Production, Event Presentation and Immersive fan experience."

Carli Lloyd thinks it's "insane" that video of her making a 55-yard field goal during a visit with the Philadelphia Eagles went viral last week, but she's confident a woman could be successful as a kicker in the NFL.

"I'm laughing about it, but the more I think about it, this has the chance to be sort of a pioneering moment for women," the U.S. women's soccer star told NBCSports.com, adding that "I know that I could probably do it."

Lloyd, a die-hard Eagles fan, visited the team's camp Tuesday, where Philadelphia was holding a joint practice with the Ravens, and kicked 40-yard field goals flawlessly and hit the 55-yarder that drew widespread attention. Lloyd told NBCSports.com that she tried from as far away as 57 yards "but it was wide; distance was good." She said she would have kept trying, "but I felt like I was holding them up" at practice.

Lloyd told Sports Illustrated's "Planet Futbol TV" last week that she had received some inquiries from NFL teams after her performance but didn't provide specifics.

"The mindset I have, I think with practice, I know I have to work on my steps and my technique, but I think I could do it and do it well. It could be a huge pivotal moment. There is no reason why a woman could not do this," she told NBCSports.com.

Lloyd noted to NBCSports.com that she has "one of the most accurate shots" in women's soccer.

"Big thing would be getting used to the big boys out there. But nothing scares me. You hold yourself back if you're afraid. What's the worst that can happen? I don't make the team? Let's just say I did try. Maybe I change the landscape a lot," she said.

The 37-year-old Lloyd, from nearby Delran, New Jersey, scored three goals in the 2019 World Cup and has 113 in her career, seventh all time in women's soccer history. She's a two-time FIFA Player of the Year and a two-time World Cup champion.

Former Pro Bowl fullback Le'Ron McClain complained of head issues related to football and asked the league for help in a series of tweets since Saturday.

"I have to get my head checked. Playing fullback since high school. Its takes too f---ing much to do anything. My brain is f---ing tired," he tweeted from @LeRon_McClain33. "@NFL i need some help with this s---. Dark times and its showing. F---ing help me please!! They dont care I had to get lawyers man!"

McClain played for the Ravens, Chiefs and Chargers in a seven-year NFL career. He made the Pro Bowl in 2008 and '09 while with Baltimore. Also playing running back in 2008, he rushed for a career-high 902 yards with 10 touchdowns.

McClain, 34, was a fourth-round draft pick of the Ravens in 2007 out of Alabama.

On Saturday, he also tweeted: "Need to tell my story of how my head is crazy and how football did it.... Please someone help me get this out the @NFL puts paperwork in out faces and thats it. Yes its programs f--- all that I need help now I need a plan..... F--- Man. They dont f---ing get it man."

McClain's complaints come after a federal judge overseeing the $1 billion NFL concussion settlement terminated three of four lawyers serving as class counsel in May.

The order came just weeks after a hearing to air complaints about new rules that limit the doctors who can evaluate retired players for dementia and other brain injuries. Senior U.S. District Judge Anita Brody said she imposed the 150-miles-from-home rule to thwart doctor shopping and potential fraud alleged by the NFL as the more than $1 billion settlement fund is disbursed.

She named New York lawyer Christopher Seeger as the only attorney left who can handle issues on behalf of the 20,000-member class.

Outgoing class counsel Gene Locks told The Associated Press the order "extinguishes any remaining hope'' that clients will be protected as they move through the contentious medical testing and award process. He told Brody at a hearing this month that there aren't enough qualified neurologists, neuropsychologists and subspecialists taking part in the program to meet the close-to-home rule.

Seeger, in a statement, vowed to "continue to fight on behalf of former players and their families to ensure that they receive every benefit they deserve under the settlement.''

The players' lawsuits had alleged the NFL long hid what it knew about the neurological risks of playing after concussions. The fund is meant to last for 65 years. The awards in the first two years of payouts alone reached $500 million this month, while another $160 million in awards has been approved but not yet paid.

The plan offers retired players baseline testing and compensation of up to $5 million for the most serious illnesses linked to football concussions, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and deaths involving chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Of the 872 awards paid to date, the average payout is just under $575,000, according to a claims administrator's report this month.

McClain argued that his position was also holding him back from getting help.

"Watch how fast they come to aid if I was som3 QB or anything but no I was f---ing fullback that did it all," he tweeted Saturday. "@NFL I need help and i need the process to speed the f--- up Im about to crash out and its paperwork I dont wanna hear it. F--- man im done.... Im out."

A number of high-profile cases have brought attention to NFL head injuries and CTE. Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau died by a self-inflicted gunshot, as did former Bears great Dave Duerson. After being convicted of murder and hanging himself in prison, former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found to have CTE in a postmortem exam.

After people reached out on Twitter expressing concern for McClain, he tweeted: "Man had a moment but just know Imma fight this thing and block it like im blocking 60 Pwr on the goaline. We gonna score!!!! I got this. Its just LiFE. #AlphaMental.... Thank you to my biscuit lol. Control what I control."

But then Monday morning he expressed discomfort again: "Nights like this are the worst..... I cannot sleep... My anxiety is up... real talk im a f---ing mess. Like whats wrong with me man. Come on bro!!!! Smh...... Please just Pray for me! GodWinz GodWinz!!!!!!!"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Lincoln Riley's voice drips with contempt. The 35-year-old Oklahoma Sooners coach is describing a failed play -- from 1999. It's not surprising that he can remember the details. His high school coach swears that Riley has a photographic memory, says he could watch film once and predict what the opposing team was going to do, on offense and on defense.

But this play? Heck, it didn't even count. It was a slant pass late in a scrimmage, intended only to set up an easy TD for a senior wide receiver who didn't play much. And though the ball was on the money, a perfect spiral, it sailed right through the receiver's hands. "That's why the guy didn't play," Riley says, squinting at the memory. Even worse: The deflection floated straight to an opposing linebacker, who picked it off and sprinted back upfield. Now the QB was really pissed off. Here we go, he thought, throwing an interception because we're trying to get this kid a touchdown.

That quarterback was Riley himself, at the time a sophomore at Muleshoe High School. The Mules were playing Palo Duro at Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo, Texas. And even though it was a scrimmage, and the play meaningless, none of that mattered in the moment to the 15-year-old QB with a competitive streak. Riley, who also played defensive end, chased the linebacker down the sideline until he caught him, then tackled him.

"I cleaned him up pretty good," Riley says. They both went down hard. But when Riley tried to get up, he couldn't feel his right arm. It was dislocated. "All busted up."

Surgery didn't heal the shoulder completely. And though Riley managed the Mules' offense well enough throwing sidearm to lead Muleshoe to the state semifinals as a senior, "I was never the same thrower after that," he says.

Twenty years later, Riley recalls this story from a leather couch framed by three giant Gothic arches in the middle of an ornate office the size of a hotel lobby. At either end of the couch, on wood tables, rest the two most recent Heisman Trophies, awarded to Riley's past two quarterbacks. Kyler Murray's is on his right, Baker Mayfield's to his left.

Mind you, Riley's not pulling an Uncle Rico, ruing what might have been if he could only fling that ol' pigskin around like he used to. He's marveling at how there's no way he'd be on this couch, in this office, between these Heismans, if he hadn't been "lucky" enough to destroy his shoulder, give up on his dreams and start chasing a different one.

And, so far, it is like a dream. Those end-table Heismans stand as twin monuments to his first two seasons as the Sooners' coach, among the most successful debuts in college football history: two years, two Big 12 titles, two College Football Playoff appearances, two Heismans, two quarterbacks picked first in the NFL draft in Mayfield and Murray.

Ever since Riley arrived in Norman, Oklahoma, everything has seemingly broken his way. He took over a storied program from Bob Stoops, the school's winningest coach, and inherited a roster of blue-chip recruits.

He has lived a charmed football life. He's been lucky and he's been good. But now, as his Sooners prepare for a season of great expectations, there's one question that looms largest: How long can his good fortune last?

IN 2002, LINCOLN RILEY still desperately wanted to be a college quarterback -- but that old busted-up arm limited his options. He could try to chase a starting job at a smaller school like West Texas A&M and hope a college staff could help him regain his throwing form. He could blaze a trail from Muleshoe (population: 5,000) to the Ivy League, where he had offers. Or he could try to walk on at Texas Tech, the big-time program 65 miles down U.S. 84 from home.

Two years earlier, Mike Leach had brought a high-scoring spread offense to Lubbock and renounced three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust football. His teams immediately began averaging upward of 50 pass attempts per game, leading the nation.

Leach's offense -- the Air Raid, which he'd learned as an assistant under Hal Mumme at Iowa Wesleyan -- was a deceptively simple, high-scoring scheme built on repetition. Leach didn't much care who the opponent was or what type of defense it ran. He called the same plays regardless and asked his QBs to air it out and get the ball to the right player. Forget the Ivies. This was the kind of enlightenment Riley sought.

Riley walked on at Tech -- and made the team. Aiding Riley's cause: Leach values smarts in his QBs as much as he does physical attributes. "Riley had a brain that wouldn't stop. He sees things once and remembers it," says David Wood, his high school coach. "I thought he might end up working at NASA."

Still, the quarterback room that year was crowded: Kliff Kingsbury, who threw for more than 5,000 yards as a senior in 2002 and set seven NCAA records in his three years as a starter at Tech, was the test pilot of the Air Raid in Lubbock, proving it could fly. Also in that room: B.J. Symons, who would set the NCAA passing record with 5,833 yards in 2003, and Sonny Cumbie and Cody Hodges, who would each pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season as Red Raiders starters.

One other problem for Riley: "He was awful," says Houston coach Dana Holgorsen, Tech's inside receivers coach in 2002. "It was so bad that me and [outside receivers coach] Sonny Dykes called an intervention with Leach. We said, 'What are you doing? Team morale is low because you're giving this kid reps. Our receivers are running routes knowing there's zero chance the ball is gonna get to them.'"

Leach argued that while Riley didn't have the arm the other QBs did, he had a high football IQ. "As a player, he asked questions all the time," Dykes, now the SMU coach, says of Riley. "He probably wasn't a good enough player to ask all those questions, but it never bothered anybody because he was so eager."

And so it was that Leach asked Riley to hang up his pads and become a student assistant, his right-hand man. Riley recoiled at first. He could have kept rehabbing, stuck around and become the third-string quarterback his sophomore year.

But after he mulled it over for a day or two, Riley saw the opportunity for what it was. He accepted it, became an ex-player -- and, at 19, joined an FBS staff. He would spend the next seven years on the Red Raiders' sideline, graduating to graduate assistant in 2006 before becoming the youngest full-time assistant in the country, according to Leach, when he was named receivers coach in 2007, earning a rep along the way as an innovator.

"A lot of assistants are just conveyor-belt guys, and whatever you tell them, they'll keep punching out license plates," Leach says. "But [Riley] could figure out how to get the license plates out quicker and more efficiently."

By 2006, that staff (and roster) had been filled with future coaching stars: Kingsbury, Holgorsen, Dykes, North Texas head coach Seth Littrell, USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, TCU offensive coordinator Cumbie. There was just one more problem: No one was getting jobs elsewhere. Leach was unconventional on and off the field, with game-plan meetings that started at midnight, quarterbacks throwing the ball all over the place. Rival athletic directors weren't sure his success could be replicated -- or didn't have the guts to try.

Then, in the wake of another bit of misfortune, came Riley's second lucky break. Leach was fired in December 2009 -- a week before the Alamo Bowl -- after being accused of mistreating receiver Adam James after a concussion.

Defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill was named interim coach for the bowl game. McNeill says it took "about 30 seconds, if that long" to name Riley his offensive coordinator. And in the most watched bowl game in ESPN history at the time (Leach's firing drawing an audience of rubberneckers), Tech beat Michigan State 41-31, with Riley calling all the offensive plays for the Red Raiders. Afterward, when the entire staff was fired, East Carolina hired McNeill as head coach. He brought Riley and entrusted him with full control of his offense.

Just like that, at 27 years old, Riley was an offensive coordinator. And a few years later, when Stoops decided his Oklahoma offense needed a jolt, he fired up his computer, looked up the top offenses in the country and alighted upon East Carolina. "I started researching him," Stoops says, "and realized just how far down the road Lincoln was with Mike."

And if his team hadn't been among the top 15 offenses that week ... well, who knows?

"It's crazy," Riley says now. "If any one out of a hundred things had been different, then it probably changes the course of the whole thing."

When Stoops hired Riley in January 2015, his red-dirt Air Raid education proved the football equivalent of a musical prodigy going to Juilliard. Muleshoe to Norman is a flat five-hour drive by car but an even bigger leap on the coaching ladder. Riley was an instant success as offensive coordinator at OU, so much so that one day in June 2017 Stoops decided to hand over the whole dang thing to Riley and abruptly step aside. Riley's introductory news conference as head coach was so hastily announced that his parents didn't have time to make the trip from Muleshoe to Norman.

Stoops, mind you, didn't hang it up to get out of Dodge. He says he simply believed in Riley and thought the kid who grew up a Longhorns fan should become the coach at Oklahoma before someone else got to him first.

And now, two years later, Riley -- fresh off the record-setting seasons by Mayfield and Murray -- has become the most coveted coach in football.

Since Riley's arrival in 2015, Oklahoma is 33-3 in the Big 12 (with four conference titles) and 46-8 overall, trailing only Alabama (55-4), Clemson (55-4) and Ohio State (48-6) in that span. He has routinely batted away questions about interest from the NFL, specifically the Dallas Cowboys, and landed a five-year contract extension in January, bumping his annual salary at OU to $6 million.

It's good to be Lincoln Riley. At least it has been so far.

Only now Riley faces arguably his greatest challenge: trying to mold a national championship team around his most-unlikely-next-great-QB.

THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP game in 2018 was not the best day for Jalen Hurts. After Georgia held him to 21 yards passing and zero points in the first half of that game, Hurts lost his starting QB job at Alabama to Tua Tagovailoa. Eleven months later, though, Riley made a point of praising Hurts before OU's College Football Playoff matchup against the Crimson Tide, saying he "could not be more impressed" with how Hurts handled his benching and subsequent season as a backup, calling himself "a big fan of the kid" from afar.

It was hardly a random compliment -- perhaps even akin to tipping his hand.

A few weeks later, when Hurts announced that he intended to transfer, Riley began recruiting him in earnest. The courtship was frantic -- Hurts also visited Maryland and Miami and drew interest from Auburn, Ohio State and Florida State -- and was consummated during a furtive eight-hour visit to Norman, coupled with "a lot of phone time," Riley says. "There were a lot of long conversations, trying to get to know each other."

The courting of a college transfer is football's version of speed dating. And in running that gauntlet, Riley at the very least will have to prove he can build a championship offense around a QB demoted by the Crimson Tide.

They'll have their arguments: For one, Hurts lacks the deep-ball touch Mayfield and Murray had; in 28 games as Alabama's starter, he completed just 33 percent of throws of 20 or more yards, despite a surrounding cast of NFL talent. And according to ESPN's new PlayStation Player Impact Rating, which evaluates a player against an average replacement, Murray was worth 22 points per game last season and Hurts was worth just six, presuming the same playing time. (Oklahoma won five games by 10 or fewer points in 2018.)

While Riley's two previous QBs both came to Norman as transfers -- Mayfield and Murray each spent three seasons with Riley -- Hurts will also have had all of 7½ months to learn Riley's offense before the Sooners' Sept. 1 season opener. And in running that gauntlet, Riley at the very least has invited a season full of second-guessing from critics who'll question whether he can build a championship offense around a QB demoted by the Crimson Tide.

On the other hand -- well, there are many fingers on the other hand.

Start with Riley's offense, which might not be as ill-suited to Hurts as it first seems. Riley's version of the Air Raid layers in run schemes to use the wealth of talent the Sooners attract on the offensive line and at running back. "Now he has a quarterback who's built like a running back," Kingsbury says. "I could see them calling more runs, schematic things, play-action. Riley will find a way to let [Hurts] make plays with his feet."

As for Hurts' perceived failures at Alabama? Let's just say that Riley and Hurts' former coach, 67-year-old Nick Saban, have strikingly different styles. (Hurts shares stories about Saban "every now and then," Riley says. "We've had some funny conversations.") Says Kingsbury: "Lincoln has a way of seeing it from the quarterback's perspective. He gives his quarterbacks free rein, goal line to goal line. There aren't many coaches who are willing to do that."

Meanwhile, Hurts arrives in Norman more accomplished than any other QB Riley has coached. Mayfield began as a walk-on. Murray threw just five TDs and seven interceptions in a tumultuous freshman season at Texas A&M before transferring. Hurts has a 14-2 record against ranked teams and was SEC Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman.

"It's not like starting with a blank slate," Riley says of Hurts. "This guy's played a lot of football. He's got the qualities to do everything we want to do in our offense."

GRANTED, SOME BELIEVE the same could be said of Austin Kendall, who, after signing with Oklahoma in 2015 and riding the bench behind Mayfield and Murray, was the Sooners' presumptive next man up at QB until Hurts arrived. Kendall, in turn, transferred to West Virginia and was granted a waiver by OU for immediate eligibility. He's been named the Mountaineers' starting quarterback and could start when West Virginia visits the Sooners on Oct. 19.

But no matter who's calling the signals, the standard Riley will have to better is the one he set for himself, coaching two Heisman winners and No. 1 draft picks -- even though his teams have come up short in the games that matter most. Under Riley, OU has been good enough to win just about every game except the ones against Alabama and Georgia. Losing in the playoff again would be a plateau. Missing the playoff altogether would be a major step back.

Rest assured, that is not in Riley's plans. At the Big 12 media day in July, a reporter asked him: "You lost [Murray] and four NFL offensive linemen. I assume your offense is going to dip. ... Can the defense pick up the slack?" Riley leveled his gaze: "We don't plan on the offense dipping. And we definitely expect our defense to be better."

Later in a media scrum, someone else pressed Riley on the Heisman question: Can he win -- and finally beat Alabama and Georgia -- without the country's best quarterback?

Again, here came that squint, and a hint of contempt. That 15-year-old QB with a competitive streak? He has merely been replaced by a 35-year-old coach with the same. And once again, Lincoln Riley had the last word.

"We've lost the Heisman Trophy winner and done it before," Riley said, leveling his gaze again. "I think we have a pretty good handle on it."

SYDNEY -- Order restored. After losing for the first time in nearly 13 years two days earlier, the United States rebounded to outclass Canada 84-68 in a pre-World Cup exhibition basketball game Monday.

At the same arena where the Americans won Olympic gold at the Sydney 2000 Games the U.S. never trailed, leading 20-9 after the first quarter and 46-31 at halftime.

On Saturday, Australia stunned the U.S. 98-94 before a crowd of more than 52,000 in Melbourne, a result that ended the Americans' 78-game winning streak.

The U.S. is missing top NBA players such as LeBron James, James Harden, Paul George and Stephen Curry. It was a dour scoring game after the exciting Saturday result in Melbourne, with both teams committing numerous turnovers Monday.

Jaylen Brown had 19 points to lead the Americans, who out-rebounded Canada 55-37. Donovan Mitchell added 12 points and four assists; Kemba Walker scored 12 points and Myles Turner finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

"We have to speed up that learning curve," Brown said of the Americans with less than a week to go before the World Cup starts. "We have a lot of room for growth. It's going to be good when it comes together, the sky is the limit for this group."

Kyle Wiltjer had 21 points for Canada, while Orlando Magic forward Khem Birch -- Canada's lone NBA player in the game -- had 13 points and six rebounds.

"We've got a lot of work to do, but we've enjoyed our time here," Wiltjer said. "Let's not forget these are practice games."

Overall, the Canadians shot just 35% from the field and 6-for-23 (26%) from three-point range.

Andrew Nembhard, who injured his knee last week, and Kaza Kajami-Keane (ankle) both returned for Canada, while Brady Heslip, a late arrival for the Canadians, played his first game in Australia.

The last time the Americans lost a game -- counting major international tournaments and exhibitions with NBA players on the floor -- was the semifinals of the 2006 world championships. The American team has won gold in every competition since, including three straight in the Olympics and two consecutive World Cup titles.

Canada has also been hit hard by missing NBA players, with Miami Heat's Kelly Olynyk the latest big-name player to pull out after sustaining a knee injury.

TIP-INS

Canada: It was the third head-to-head meeting between Canada coach Nick Nurse and U.S. coach Gregg Popovich. They went 1-1 against each other in NBA play last season, Nurse's Toronto Raptors losing in San Antonio on Jan. 3 but beating Popovich's Spurs in Canada on Feb. 22. Canada finished 4-3 in its pre-World Cup exhibitions, starting with a split of a two-game series with Nigeria before five games in Australia.

USA: The Americans finished their four-game World Cup warm-up tour 3-1 after beating Spain and splitting two games with Australia. The U.S. is planning to stay in Sydney until mid-week, then arrive in Shanghai early Thursday.

NURSE TOUR

Nurse is getting the full tour of the other side of the world this year. The Canadians have been in Australia for a week or so, and now head to China for the World Cup. Then, Nurse will be in Japan when the world champion Raptors (albeit now without NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard) play preseason games against Houston on Oct. 8 and Oct. 10.

KUZMA DEPARTURE

Popovich was disappointed that Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma's left ankle injury meant he wouldn't be able to compete in the World Cup. The Americans sent Kuzma home Saturday with the injury, a move that finalized the 12-man U.S. roster. They were in Australia with 13 finalists for 12 World Cup spots. "It's a huge disappointment, because he was a young, energetic guy who was really learning and could play a lot of positions for us," Popovich said. "Hopefully he'll heal quickly."

UP NEXT

Canada: Opens World Cup play Sept. 1 vs. Australia in Dongguan, China.

USA: Opens World Cup play Sept. 1 vs. Czech Republic in Shanghai.