CONCORD, N.C. — Early this year, we were fortunate to visit a pair of race tracks we’d never been to.

The two tracks are drastically different. One is a massive facility, so big you’d never be able to cover it on foot in a single day. The other is a small, more personal track that carries with it a certain charm larger venues lack.

In early February, we traveled down the East Coast to Daytona Beach, Fla., to visit Daytona Int’l Speedway. Despite having been a member of the motorsports press for roughly 10 years, our schedule had never allowed for a trip to Daytona until this year.

Our first view of the track came from the airplane as it landed in Daytona Beach. We knew the track was huge — it is a 2.5-mile superspeedway after all — but seeing it in person put it in a different perspective.

Once we finally got inside, the scope of the facility was immediately clear. There was not a single position from the infield where we could see the entire track. In fact, in most instances we could only see a small portion of the track.

The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms with Todd McLellan on a multiyear contract to be the team's new coach, it was announced Tuesday.

He replaces Willie Desjardins, who served as the interim coach last season and was not retained.

McLellan will receive a five-year contract worth around $5 million annually, the Athletic reported.

McLellan was fired as coach of the Edmonton Oilers in November. He had been behind the bench in Edmonton since the 2015-16 season after spending seven seasons as the San Jose Sharks' coach.

He has a career record of 434-282-90 in 806 regular-season games and has reached the playoffs in seven of his 10 full seasons as an NHL head coach.

Desjardins, 62, was named the Kings' interim coach in November after John Stevens was fired following the team's 4-8-1 start. The Kings went 27-34-8 the rest of the season with Desjardins as coach and finished last in the Western Conference.

Lionel Messi scored twice and David De Gea was left with egg on his face as Barcelona cruised past Manchester United with a 3-0 win at Camp Nou.

It meant a 4-0 aggregate win for the La Liga side, who barely needed to break sweat to reach the Champions League semifinals.

United started the game in excellent fashion as Marcus Rashford clipped the top of the bar after little more than 30 seconds. The England international was played in by Paul Pogba and while his toe-poked effort beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen it was lifted just too high.

All United's hard work looked set to be undone in the 11th minute when referee Felix Brych awarded Barca a penalty following a foul by Fred on Ivan Rakitic -- only for the official to reverse his decision after advice from the video assistant referee.

But Barca did find the opening goal five minutes later when poor defending by first Ashley Young and then Fred gave Messi far too much space outside the area, and the Argentine superbly curled an effort past De Gea from the edge of the box.

Moments later, Barca doubled their advantage and it was down to yet more errors. Fred again was caught in possession and the ball fell to Messi, who could only produce a weak effort -- but it was enough to squirm under the body of an embarrassed De Gea.

That ended the game as a contest and allowed Barca to play in second gear.

Messi then saw a snap shot fly over the bar, before Rakitic was left unmarked on a free kick but this time De Gea held onto his header.

Luis Suarez almost got hisgot first Champions League goal of the season on the stroke of half-time, but somehow smashed his shot into the face of De Gea from close range after Rakitic had picked the striker out with a ball across the six-yard box.

Just after the hour, former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho got in on the act, beautifully beating De Gea from distance after being set up by Jordi Alba.

Shortly afterwards Messi almost completed his hat trick with an audacious overhead kick.

Jesse Lingard produced a rare attacking moment for the visitors as he fired well over with 11 minutes left on the clock, and in stoppage time Ter Stegen made a superb stop from substitute Alexis Sanchez, but there was to be no consolation for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Lionel Messi scored twice in four first-half minutes as Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-0 at Camp Nou to make the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday. Philippe Coutinho added a stunning third in the second half as Barca eased past the Premier League side 4-0 on aggregate to keep their treble dream alive.

United started well, hitting the bar inside a minute through Marcus Rashford, but they were soon put to the sword by Messi. The Argentine scored a brilliant opener form the edge of the box in the 16th minute and added his second four minutes later thanks to a huge mistake by David de Gea.

A fine De Gea save kept out Sergi Roberto in first-half stoppage time before former Liverpool playmaker Coutinho wrapped up the scoring after the break when he found the top corner from 25 yards.

Positives

For the first time since they won the competition in 2015, Barcelona are back in the final four. They've been knocked out in the quarterfinals in each of the last three seasons and there was a fear that they would tumble at this stage again. With Messi on their side, though, that was not likely to happen. The question now is a simple one: can Messi push them over the line in the Champions League and help Ernesto Valverde's side win a third treble in what will surely be remembered as "The Messi era?"

It was also an encouraging night for Coutinho. He will hope his goal will be a turning point for his Barca career. It certainly brought some frustration to the surface as he celebrated in front of the home fans -- who have been critical this season -- by cupping his hand to his ear.

Negatives

If Liverpool get over the line against Porto on Wednesday, they will take encouragement from United's quick start at Camp Nou. After 15 minutes, the scoreboard inside the ground revealed that the visitors had managed four attempts on target -- Barça had had none. Rashford hit the woodwork and then forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a save. United didn't take chances but they exploited Barca's weaknesses. Liverpool would hope for more efficiency from Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino should they advance and face Barca in the semifinals.

Manager rating out of 10

7 -- Valverde deserves huge credit for how he managed this tie. Barca progressed without really having to step into second gear and without conceding a goal. If he leads the Catalans to a treble, maybe he will finally get some credit.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 6 -- The German didn't have much to do on his 50th Champions League appearance after United's early pressure. Made a couple of routine saves from speculative efforts from Rashford and Paul Pogba and a fine late parry to deny Alexis Sanchez' near-post header.

DF Sergi Roberto, 6 -- Replaced Nelson Semedo in the only change to the side that won at Old Trafford last week. Should have scored, but fired at De Gea from point-blank range in first-half stoppage time.

DF Gerard Pique, 7 -- Looked like he could struggle against Rashford's pace early on but looked in complete control once Barca took the lead.

DF Clement Lenglet, 7 -- Another assured performance against United, whom he knocked out last season with Sevilla. It's looking tough for Samuel Umtiti to win his place back in the side.

DF Jordi Alba, 7 -- Always a threat on the left after a below-par performance in the first leg. Messi regularly found his runs to create problems for stand-in right-back, Victor Lindelof.

MF Sergio Busquets, 6 -- Overrun in the first 10 minutes but never really under much pressure defensively once Messi had weaved his magic.

MF Ivan Rakitic, 8 -- Another brilliant performance from the underrated midfielder. Won a penalty early on, only to have it overturned by VAR, before hunting down Ashley Young to help set up the opening goal.

MF Arthur Melo, 7 -- Key in possession as Barca took the sting out of United's quick start by keeping the ball and slowing things down. More adventurous with his passes, too, than in recent weeks.

FW Lionel Messi, 9 -- What more can be said? Once again, the difference on the night. He now has four goals in six against United and 45 in all competitions this season. Was mesmeric on all night on the ball. Phil Jones, in particular, was twisted, turned and nutmegged into a daze.

FW Luis Suarez, 6 -- Worked hard and was Barca's reference point in attack. Wasn't able to execute everything he tried, although he did almost add a late fourth with a lofted effort.

FW Philippe Coutinho, 8 -- Even before his goal, there were signs he was playing with confidence. A little flick here and an in-and-out run there had Camp Nou chanting his name in the second half. His goal was fantastic, too.

Substitutes

DF Nelson Semedo, 6 -- Came on for Sergi Roberto for the final 20 minutes.

MF Arturo Vidal, NR -- Introduced for Arthur late on to add some fresh legs in the middle as Barca saw the game out.

FW Ousmane Dembele, NR -- There was a debate about whether he would start or not before the match. In the end he was only needed for the final minutes as he continues his comeback from a hamstring injury.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Manchester United were dumped out of the Champions League by Barcelona after a David De Gea howler contributed to a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou. Lionel Messi scored twice -- the second after De Gea let a tame shot trickle into the net -- before Philippe Coutinho bagged a third to send the Spanish giants in the semifinals 4-0 on aggregate.

It might have been different had Marcus Rashford converted a good chance after 24 seconds instead of hitting the bar, but after Messi scored twice in the space of four minutes midway through the first half, the tie was all but over. It stretches United's wait for a Champions League semifinal to eight years as their attention switches to vital games against Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team look to book a place in the next season's competition.

Positives

United had their chances. Rashford hit the crossbar inside the first minute and moments later Scott McTominay was played in but let the opportunity slip away. The stunning round-of-16 win in Paris was made possible by an early goal, and United should have had one here. In the end, Barcelona survived and ended the tie with two goals in the opening 20 minutes.

Negatives

De Gea made a horrible error to continue a patchy run of form. His distribution contributed to goals in the league defeat at Wolves and against West Ham on Saturday, although he atoned for that mistake with a wonderful save with the score at 1-1. Solskjaer has dismissed suggestions that ongoing contract talks are affecting his concentration, but it is a worry that so many mistakes are creeping in.

Manager rating out of 10

6 -- Solskjaer picked Victor Lindelof at right-back and chose Fred in midfield despite Nemanja Matic's return to the squad. In the buildup he said he wanted a good start and he got one, but the early goal that would have sent panic through Camp Nou never came. The result means United are heading into crucial league fixtures against Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea on the back of five defeats in their past seven games.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK David De Gea, 4 -- The Spaniard made an awful mistake to let Messi's shot slide under his body and concede the goal that effectively ended the tie. Did well to keep out Sergi Roberto on the stoke of half-time.

DF Victor Lindelof, 5 -- Asked to fill in at right-back. Didn't get forward but had kept Coutinho relatively quiet until the Brazilian's brilliant goal.

DF Ashley Young, 5 -- Started at left-back in the absence of Luke Shaw. Gave the ball away in the buildup to Messi's first goal and United never recovered.

DF Phil Jones, 5 -- Good header to deny Luis Suarez an easy chanceeasy at the back post. Given a rough night by Messi, who decided to turn it on after a quiet game in the first leg.

DF Chris Smalling, 5 -- Made a couple of well-timed interceptions but should have got out more quickly to stop Coutinho curling in Barcelona's third from 25 yards.

MF Fred, 6 -- Preferred to Matic in midfield. Thought he had conceded a penalty after his challenge on Ivan Rakitic but the decision was overturned by VAR.

MF Scott McTominay, 6 -- Presented with a golden chance after just two minutes but mis-controlled Rashford's pass.

MF Paul Pogba, 6 -- One of the architects of United's quick start, but after an encouraging 10 minutes, Barcelona's midfield took over. Showed his frustration with an angry kick at Arthur.

FW Jesse Lingard, 6 -- Gave Barcelona an early headache with his position in the hole behind Rashford and Anthony Martial. Didn't see enough of the ball after half-time.

FW Anthony Martial, 5 -- Looked bright in the first 10 minutes but had drifted out of the game by the time he was replaced by Diogo Dalot after 65 minutes65.

FW Marcus Rashford, 5 -- Hit the crossbar after just 24 seconds. It was a big chance that could have changed the direction of the game.

Substitutes

FW Diogo Dalot, 6 -- Introduced in place of Martial when Solskjaer switched to a back five.

FW Romelu Lukaku, N/R -- Replaced Rashford on 73 minutes but couldn't change United's fortunes.

FW Alexis Sanchez, N/R -- Received a polite round of applause upon returning to his former club with 11 minutes remaining.

Ajax followed up their elimination of Real Madrid by producing a spell-binding display of inventive, passing football to win 2-1 away to Juventus on Tuesday and end the Serie A side's dreams of winning the Champions League.

Ajax's 19-year-old captain Matthijs de Ligt headed the winner from the corner in the 67th minute of the quarterfinal second leg as the Dutch side came from behind to clinch a 3-2 aggregate win and reach the last four for the first time since 1996-97.

Cristiano Ronaldo, aiming for a fourth successive Champions League title after winning the last three with Real Madrid, put Juventus ahead in the 28th minute with a typically emphatic header, his sixth goal of the competition.

But Donny van de Beek levelled six minutes later before the visitors swept Juventus aside in the second half with wave after wave of attacks as they earned a semifinal against either Manchester City or Tottenham.

Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana gave his team an early scare when his clearance was charged down by Emre Can but the rebound flew wide.

Ajax settled well after that but, despite not playing well, Juventus went ahead when Ronaldo got away from the defenders to score the 126th Champions League goal of his career.

There was a long delay for the VAR review, the referee eventually going to the pitchside monitor with the ball back on the centre circle ready for the re-start, before the goal was confirmed.

Ajax kept their cool and took six minutes to level, helped by a somewhat lucky break.

Hakim Ziyech's long-range shot hit a defender and fell perfectly for Van de Beek who, unmarked and onside, slotted the ball calmly past Wojciech Szczesny, and then had to wait for another long VAR check before the goal was confirmed.

Ajax took complete control in the second half and their geometric passing repeatedly opened up the Juventus defence, which sorely missed injured veteran Giorgio Chiellini.

Szczesny made one-handed save from Ziyech after Juventus were opened up again and then turned Van de Beek's curling shot over for a corner.

Juventus were rocking but, ironically, Ajax's winner came from an old-fashioned header as De Ligt outjumped two defenders to score.

Ajax had chances for further goals and Ronaldo's frustration boiled over in stoppage time when he was booked for a lunging tackle from behind near the centre circle.

HOUSTON -- J.J. Watt was prepared for his May 11 commencement address at the University of Wisconsin. Or at least he thought he was.

Then he was asked to send a copy of his speech when he was done writing it.

"I said, 'What do you mean?'" Watt said. "'I don't write speeches. I'm just going to go up there and talk.'

"That was my full plan. I did not know you that had to write it all out. I'm dead serious. I didn't know. He was like, 'They have a teleprompter for you. What do you want on it?'

"I said, 'Nothing. Just give me a black screen and tell me when to stop talking.' That was literally my plan. But I found out you have to write some stuff down. So I have about a month to figure it out."

The Houston Texans defensive end started his college career at Central Michigan but transferred to Wisconsin as a walk-on in 2008. He played for the Badgers for two seasons, and although Watt did not graduate from Wisconsin because he declared early for the NFL draft in 2011, he said he knows what everyone actually wants from a commencement speaker.

"I mean, I have some messages I want to say," Watt said. "I have some things I want to get across. But let's be honest: They just want to go drink beer afterwards. They're excited. I know how commencements go. They just want the person to give a cool message for about five minutes, and then get off the stage."

Watt said he isn't nervous about speaking in front of the crowd, saying he's "really excited about that."

"I get to go back to Wisconsin [and] Camp Randall [Stadium]," Watt said. "I never graduated, so I get to see what graduation looks like. It's an honor. It's such a true honor.

"I grew up 45 minutes from Camp Randall, so being invited to go back [and] have the opportunity to go back to a school and a team that I watched growing up and idolized, walked on and eventually got a scholarship from [and] now to be able to speak at their commencement, it's an unbelievable honor. I take it very seriously. Even though I said I wasn't going to write a speech, I take it very seriously. I'm humbled."

The New England Patriots have signed Demaryius Thomas with hopes his addition can bolster an otherwise thin receiving group.

The team announced the moved Tuesday, less than a week after it had hosted Thomas on a free-agent visit.

Thomas, 31, was acquired by the Texans from the Denver Broncos just before last season's trade deadline. He suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in December and was released by Houston in February.

He caught 23 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns in seven games after his trade to the Texans. Between the two teams, Thomas finished 2018 with 59 catches for 677 yards and five touchdowns.

The Patriots lost out on one of their top free-agent targets, Adam Humphries, who signed with the Tennessee Titans. They return top option Julian Edelman, 32, who earned Most Valuable Player honors in Super Bowl LIII, and re-signed Phillip Dorsett to a one-year deal that could be worth up to $2.6 million.

Former Washington Redskins receiver Maurice Harris and slot receiver Bruce Ellington were signed to modest one-year deals to help fill out a depth chart that also includes practice-squad player Damoun Patterson and 2018 sixth-round pick Braxton Berrios, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve.

The club could have brought back Chris Hogan, who was an unrestricted free agent, but wasn't aggressive in doing so. Hogan signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers last week that could be worth up to $2 million.

Thomas, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, was due $14 million in 2019, none of which was guaranteed. He said just prior to his Texans release that he wasn't thinking about retiring.

"I can still play, man," he said.

Thomas was arrested Feb. 27 and charged with vehicular assault (a felony), reckless driving and driving without proof of insurance in connection with an accident that occurred Feb. 16 in downtown Denver. He and two passengers were injured and taken to the hospital after his SUV went off the road and flipped end-over-end after hitting a median at more than 70 mph -- more than twice the speed limit.

Thomas pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of careless driving on March 27, and the felony charge was dismissed. He was fined $300, ordered to complete 50 hours of community service and received one year of supervised probation.

A former first-round pick, Thomas spent his first eight-plus NFL seasons with the Broncos, including a stint under former Denver head coach and current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Thomas has the second-most receiving yards (9,055) and touchdown catches (60) in Broncos history, trailing Rod Smith in both categories.

Thomas will be the fifth receiver in the Tom Brady era (since 2000) to sign with the Patriots after amassing five or more 1,000-yard seasons elsewhere. The list includes Reggie Wayne (8), Randy Moss (7), Chad Ochocinco (7), Joey Galloway (6).

ESPN's Mike Reiss and Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky guard Tyler Herro says he plans to remain in the NBA draft after initially leaving open the possibility of returning to school.

The 6-foot-5 freshman announced his decision in a news release Tuesday. Last week, he said he would enter the draft and hire an NCAA-certified agent but didn't commit to leaving Kentucky. Now he says he's "ready to jump into that next stage."

Herro was the Wildcats' No. 2 scorer, averaging 14 points per game. He joins teammate PJ Washington in leaving school early for the draft.

Herro thanked Kentucky fans and said his lone season with the Wildcats was everything he had hoped for. Coach John Calipari said Herro was "wired and driven like few other players" he has coached.