INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- U.S. men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino said that Sunday's third-place game in the Concacaf Nations League against Canada is a match where "we need to show character."

The U.S. is still smarting from Thursday's 1-0 defeat to Panama in which Cecilio Waterman's strike in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time saw the U.S. prevented from winning a fourth straight Nations League title.

Afterward, Pochettino lamented his team's lack of aggression and intensity, especially in the first half. His hope is for not only a better result, but an improved performance against Canada.

"I think what we want to see is the same focus and concentration and mental level in every single game, official [competition] or no official competition," he said in his pregame news conference Saturday.

"And for me, [Sunday] is going to be a game, an important game to see how we react. We need to show character ... It's not only about the result but it's also about to improve our performance."

That includes AC Milan attacker Christian Pulisic who didn't have much impact in Thursday's game.

"A player like him is under pressure in the last few months, high pressure," Pochettino said, "For sure that is not the Christian that we wanted to see because I think he can do much better."

Pochettino added that he felt his team's discipline was there, and that his players followed the game plan. What was missing was the chemistry between players as well as the confidence to take risks in attack.

"They need to trust in that they can make a mistake, and the mistake is not to try again," he said. "For me that is the most important."

He added: "People that take risks is what we want, what we love and you cannot play football without risk. If you want to play safe, you are not going to affect the game. That is the important thing that also we were talking yesterday -- to take risks, is to be brave."

Pochettino's assessment is such that it raised questions about how much of the team's motivation comes from the coach and how much from the players. Pochettino, while indicating there would be changes to his lineup on Sunday, said it's the responsibility of both parties.

"Of course you have this characteristic that maybe you can find different ways to motivate people or groups, but in the same time you need to identify the players that have their own motivation and their own aggressivity because they're comfortable in behaving in this way," he said.

U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams said the loss to Panama has prompted plenty of contemplation within the squad.

"We've obviously had individual talks. We've had talks with the manager as well," he told reporters Saturday. "And it's just a reflection talking about what it means to be able to represent your country, what it means to be able to represent the national team, making sure that every time that we step into camp, we're representing the crest, our teammates, our families, the country, giving someone to someone, something to root for.

"So yeah, I think that has been a big reflection. And obviously this will be our first training today as a group since the game. So yeah, we'll see the energy, but it needs to be better.

"We need to raise the bar," he added. "We need to be the team that sets the tone for every single game that we play and we can't be waiting for someone to throw the first punch and us be able to react. Cause sometimes you get knocked out with the first punch.

"There doesn't need to be motivation for the game, whether it's third, fourth, whatever place game it is. It's like we're representing our country and that needs to be the wake-up call for guys."

The Panama result has served to raise concerns from fans and media about the form of the USMNT and what it might mean for their performance at next year's World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host alongside Canada and Mexico. But Pochettino indicated he's not bothered by the criticism.

"When there is a loss, there is a criticism, and you have positive and negative critics, but you also have the constructive criticism. This is the one that we have to consider," he said with the help of a translator.

"I understand the doubts, and that's OK."

Tim Weah offered full backing to Pochettino to get the best out of the team by the time the World Cup rolls around.

"I think every player here is excited to be here and with him and I think we're just going to grow under him," he said. "I think in the next what year or so before the World Cup, you're going to see a totally different squad. I think he's going to get the best out of the players and having moments like Panama is the only way you get to fine tune and fix certain things."

Earlier this week, Pochettino sidestepped questions about the political rhetoric surrounding the tournament. Canada counterpart Jesse Marsch has been more outspoken, taking issue with comments from U.S. President Donald Trump about Canada becoming a "51st state."

Marsch, whose side lost 2-0 to Mexico in its semifinal on Thursday, indicated he felt the rhetoric had subsided a bit, but could still be felt.

"The climate politically has calmed down, and there's still the rhetoric out there about the 51st state, but I think people are becoming more numb to it than what they were a month ago during the 4 Nations [hockey] tournament," he said. "However, we are still very aware that there's still a different climate than what there was even the last time we played the U.S. in September. So we will make sure that we know what that is.

"But more importantly, I think that the U.S., I've heard from the camp that they're internally disappointed with their performance. Then, in the media here in the U.S., I think the media has been very aggressive about how disappointed they are in this team and now they've turned a little bit and put it toward the players. So we would be very foolish that if based on those two factors, we don't expect a real hard game and a big response from the U.S. national team."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- McNeese men's basketball coach Will Wade wiped away tears after his team's 76-62 loss to Purdue in the second round of the NCAA tournament, saying he wasn't yet ready to look ahead to taking over at NC State.

"I'll worry about that tomorrow. I'm an honest guy, but today I want to put a bow on everything with McNeese if we can," said Wade, who won 58 games and went 36-2 in the Southland Conference over the past two seasons, capturing back-to-back regular-season and conference tournament titles.

"Not to try to give out a canned answer, but this is about our players and McNeese now. We're not flying back until tomorrow morning. We'll enjoy this here and when we get back, we'll figure out next steps."

For Wade and the McNeese players with eligibility remaining, they are less than 48 hours from the scramble of the NCAA transfer portal opening Monday.

Wade will be attempting to lure a new roster to NC State and Wade's players will be deciding whether to stay in Lake Charles, Louisiana, or depart for other opportunities. The cruelty of March is the suddenness of the endings, the sonic boom of attention garnered by a double-digit seed authoring an upset soon followed by uncertainty and high-stakes decisions.

McNeese beat No. 5 Clemson 69-67 in the first round for the school's first NCAA tournament victory, which school president Dr. Wade Rousse had called the "biggest day in our school history, or one of them, for sure." Rousse said the school's website crashed that day.

It was clear early Saturday that another upset wasn't in the cards.

"Purdue was more aggressive from the start," said Wade, whose team led just once, 35 seconds into the game, 3-2. "They were tougher and more aggressive than we were and we thought we were [that in the first round]. We couldn't carry that over. We couldn't fill our tanks back up quick enough to bring that again."

Despite his impending departure to NC State, Wade shared his view on the Cowboys' future.

"Our program at McNeese is in great shape. We have tremendous leadership. We're not dumb. We have a plan to keep this program rolling, whoever is at the helm, and this program is going to keep moving in the right direction," he said.

"Most of the time you lose a tournament, fans are ready to fire you. Our people were applauding us."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- John Calipari is heading to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time, and this one could be the sweetest of all.

Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks beat longtime nemesis Rick Pitino and No. 2 seed St. John's 75-66 on Saturday, sending their itinerant coach to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament with his fourth school.

Billy Richmond III scored 16 points and Karter Knox had 15 for the 10th-seeded Razorbacks, who sent Kansas and their Hall of Fame coach Bill Self home from the "Region of Coaches" in the first round.

But the victory over his longtime rival was especially sweet for Calipari, who brought the Razorbacks (22-13) back to the tournament in his first season in Fayetteville despite early-season injuries that left them 0-5 to start the Southeastern Conference schedule.

"I told them, 'This is as rewarding as a year I've had, based on how far we've come,'" he said.

Zuby Ejiofor had 23 points and 12 rebounds for Big East champion St. John's (31-5).

Pitino's history in Providence - he took the Friars to the 1987 Final Four - gave him a home-court advantage as he arrived in March Madness with an unprecedented sixth school.

So many of those teams were built with a full-court defense and 3-point shooting.

St. John's had the No. 1 defense in the country this season. But their shooting deserted them on Saturday and they became the first team seeded fourth or better to exit what's been a chalky tournament so far.

"Rick did a good job with his team all year," Calipari said. "If they made a few shots, they probably beat us."

The teams combined to make four 3-pointers on 41 attempts, with St. John's shooting 28% from the floor overall.

End game

Arkansas led by as many as 13 in the first half, and had an eight-point lead with eight minutes to play before the Johnnies cut it to two, 62-60, with 6:11 left. But St. John's missed its next six attempts from 3-point range, and made just one of its last nine shots - Ejiofor's dunk with 20 seconds left.

Knox made a pair of free throws, and then Deivon Smith dribbled the ball off his knee and out of bounds. When Richmond was fouled with 5 seconds left, the Razorbacks ran down the court in celebration, waving their arms for the outnumbered Arkansas fans in the crowd.

Up next

Arkansas heads to San Francisco to play the winner of Saturday night's matchup in Wichita, Kansas, between third-seeded Texas Tech and No. 11 seed Drake.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The sister of Indiana center Myles Turner was taken from courtside on a stretcher before the start of Saturday's game between the Pacers and Brooklyn Nets.

Team officials confirmed Turner's sister, Mya, suffered a "medical situation" while the teams were warming up. They said she was being evaluated and receiving treatment. They had no further comment.

Mya Turner was sitting on the stretcher and appeared to be conscious while being wheeled from one end of the court to the other.

Turner's family was near one of the baselines when the medical team was summoned. Turner responded by coming down the court and giving his sister a hug before she was put on the stretcher.

He did start the game, making five 3-pointers and finishing with 22 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in Indiana's 108-103 win.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

NEW YORK -- Jalen Brunson is doing some work on the court as he recovers from a sprained right ankle that will keep the New York Knicks All-Star out until at least the final two weeks of the regular season.

The Knicks added Saturday that Brunson's status would be updated again in about a week. The regular season ends April 13.

Brunson was set to miss his eighth straight game Saturday night against Washington since he was hurt in a loss at the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6. The Knicks had gone 3-4 and were trying to hold on to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference without their point guard and captain.

Their lead entering the day was down to three games over the Indiana Pacers after dropping their last two games.

Memphis Grizzlies big man Brandon Clarke suffered a high-grade PCL sprain in his right knee and is expected to miss the rest of the season, the team announced Saturday.

Clarke was injured during the Grizzlies' loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

This is the second significant lower-body injury of Clarke's career; he tore the Achilles tendon in his left knee late in the 2022-23 season.

Clarke recovered fully from the Achilles tear, appearing in 64 games for Memphis this season while averaging 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18.9 minutes.

Clarke, 28, has two years and $25 million left on his deal.

A shoulder injury that plagued Cincinnati's Spencer Steer all of the 2024 season has him starting this season on the injured list, Reds manager Terry Francona said Saturday.

Steer managed to mostly play through the right shoulder soreness last season, but it was still an issue when he started camp this spring.

He last appeared in a Cactus League game on Feb. 27. He had a cortisone injection on March 1 and was shut down until March 12. He started throwing earlier this week and appeared in a minor league game Thursday as a designated hitter.

"I talked to him, and he understands that being a full-time DH isn't best for him or our team," Francona said. "I understand coming back, we're going to have to message it a little bit, but if we can get him playing a position, that'll help."

Steer, 27, had imaging on the tests which showed no structural issues in the shoulder.

No timetable for his return was announced.

"I talked to him for a while," Francona said. "I give the kid so much credit. He's busting his [butt]. But he's also such a good kid that he listens, and he gives you good opinions. ... We've got to see how he progresses, that's the most important thing."

Steer was a third-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 2019 MLB draft and made his major league debut in August 2022 after being traded to the Reds.

In 158 games last season, primarily as the left fielder or first baseman, Steer hit .225 with 20 home runs and a team-leading 92 RBIs.

In 342 career games, Steer has batted .245 with 45 home runs and 186 RBIs.

PHOENIX -- Arizona hard-throwing right-hander Justin Martinez has agreed to an $18 million, five-year contract even as he continues to compete for the role of Diamondbacks closer.

The contract announced on Saturday by Arizona supersedes the one-year contract agreed to on March 11 that called for a $772,200 salary in the major leagues and $335,700 in the minors.

The deal includes a $2 million signing bonus and $1.5 million salary in 2025. He will earn $2 million in 2026, $3 million in 2027, $4 million in 2028, $5.5 million in 2029, with club options for $7 million in 2030 and $9 million in 2031.

Manager Torey Lovullo has said he is still considering Martinez, left-hander A.J. Puk and right-hander Kevin Ginkel for the closer role. Martinez had eight saves and a 2.48 ERA despite 36 walks in 72 2/3 innings in 2024.

CLEVELAND -- Right-hander Tanner Bibee has signed a five-year contract with the Cleveland Guardians.

The team announced the deal on Saturday, which also a club option for 2030, and is worth at least $48 million, according to multiple reports.

Bibee will get his first opening-day assignment on Thursday at Kansas City. He went 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA last season, finishing with 12 quality starts in 31 outings and 187 strikeouts in 173 2/3 innings.

The 26-year-old California native was 0-1 with a 3.45 ERA in four postseason starts last year.

Bibee had 10 wins during his rookie season in 2023 and was second in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He is the third Cleveland pitcher since 2000 with at least 10 wins in each of his first two seasons in the big leagues. Hall of Famer CC Sabathia (2001-02) and Shane Bieber (2018-19) are the others.

Cleveland selected Bibee in the fifth round of the 2021 amateur draft. He will anchor a young rotation this season that will be missing Bieber for at least the first half as he continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan left his final spring training start against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday with triceps tightness to his pitching arm.

McClanahan will undergo imaging and testing to determine the severity of the injury, the team announced.

Coming off Tommy John surgery, McClanahan has not appeared in a major league game since August 2023.

McClanahan pitched 2 innings and surrendered one hit and one walk, striking out three and facing nine batters. But after a pitch to Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell, McClanahan grimaced in obvious pain as his left arm dropped to his side, and he immediately called for a member of the training staff.

Manager Kevin Cash earlier named McClanahan, 27, as the Rays' starting pitcher for the March 28 season opener against Kyle Freeland and the Colorado Rockies. That debut date is now in serious doubt.

McClanahan started Opening Day for the Rays in both 2022 and 2023, and he threw 10 scoreless innings, combined.

This spring, the Rays limited the work for McClanahan. He entered the game on Saturday having started two games and throwing 4 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and one walk.

After three major league seasons, McClanahan has a record of 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA in 74 games. The two-time All-Star has thrown 404 innings with 456 strikeouts.

--Field Level Media contributed to this report.