BRAINERD, Minn. – Hailing from Wright, Minn., the annual visit to Brainerd Int’l Raceway, the site of the 38th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals on Aug. 15-18, is always a welcome trip for Jason Line.

The Pro Stock standout and three-time world champion wouldn’t mind his luck changing at the facility just over an hour from his hometown.

Line has enjoyed an incredible list of accomplishments during his standout NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock career, but it doesn’t actually include a trip to the winner’s circle in Brainerd. He’s been to the finals four times at the fan-favorite facility, most recently in 2016, and he even won the race in 2014, but the finals were finished in Indy that year, meaning he hasn’t enjoyed the ultimate glory at the track in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro. With the veteran seeking his first win of 2019, this year would be the perfect time to win in Brainerd.

“That place has been kind of tough for me, but the older I get the more relaxed I get, so maybe this year it will help me,” Line said. “I’m looking forward to going, that’s for sure. I want to enjoy doing what I do for the amount of time I have left doing it. Going to Brainerd, the biggest thing is seeing my core group of friends and family that I started racing with years ago. It’s a good reminder of a lot of things, and there’s a first time for everything.”

Billy Torrence (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Deric Kramer (Pro Stock) were last year’s winners of the event. It is the 11th of 18 races during the Pro Stock season and Line is looking for a late-season surge.

The stop in Brainerd is the penultimate race during the NHRA regular season and a win would solidify his title hopes. Line is currently fifth in points thanks to one final round appearance this year and two semifinal showings. It’s a solid showing, but not what Line is after. He had to wait until the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship to get his first win a year ago, and that’s a scenario Line, a 48-time event winner, hopes to avoid in 2019.

“We’re not bad right now, but I don’t know that we’re great,” said Line, who has 100 final round appearances. “I think we can be better and obviously that’s the goal. There’s some other stuff we’re working on that I think will refine things and will help us be better long-term. We need to do a little better on raceday. Our class has evolved into super refinement. You’re not going to find big gains, so you’re going to have to rub on what you’ve got and try to improve it.”

Finding that improvement would be perfect timing for Line in Brainerd, which annually delivers one of the most unique and memorable atmospheres on the NHRA circuit, thanks in part to the on-site campground known as “the Zoo.” For Line, it’s simply home, which is enough to get him excited to return. But there’s a tall task to succeed in Pro Stock, as Line will have to deal with the likes of KB Racing teammates Bo Butner, the current points leader, Greg Anderson and Deric Kramer, who all have wins this season, as well as the likes of Matt Hartford, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Alex Laughlin.

“In our class, the difference between okay and great is a really small number,” Line said. “There’s definitely not a huge difference between okay and great. I’m just trying to take an analytical approach to it and try to do a better job. We’ll try to keep getting better and we’re constantly trying to come up with new ways to improve.”

SALEM, Ind. – Five-time Indianapolis 500 starter James Davison will make his USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series this weekend at Salem Speedway.

With regular driver Kevin Thomas Jr. competing in this weekend’s Knoxville Nationals, David Byrd, who supported Davison’s Indy effort, got the ball rolling and made a deal with the 32-year-old Davison to make his USAC debut in the DHR/Byrd Racing No. 11 at Salem.

Davison will be the first driver in 21 years to compete in Saturday’s Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial and the Indianapolis 500 in the same season. The last driver to do the double was Jack Hewitt.

“David just called me and said that he has a deal with Davey Hamilton and asked me if I wanted to drive it,” Davison said.  “I gave it some thought and said, ‘let’s give it a try,’ and here we are.”

Davison has made seven NTT IndyCar Series starts since 2013, with five of them coming in the Indianapolis 500. He’s also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, earning a best finish of fourth at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

“I love horsepower and high power-to-weight ratio cars like a shifter kart or a Formula One car, and I’ve been fortunate to drive both,” Davison explained.  “Silver Crown and Sprint Cars’ power-to-weight ratio is pretty high.  Hopefully, we can run competitively and finish in one piece.  Half the battle is just wheeling the car back to the trailer and getting the result.  It’ll be a tall order with tire management and with it being a 75-lap race, and I’ve never done it before, so I’ll just have to give it my best shot with no experience.”

ST. LOUIS -- Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson has been awarded a $3.1 million, one-year contract in arbitration.

Edmundson was one of four St. Louis restricted free agents to file for player-elected salary arbitration this summer after helping the team win its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Goaltender Jordan Binnington and forwards Oskar Sundqvist and Zach Sanford agreed to multiyear deals before their arbitration hearings.

General manager Doug Armstrong on Tuesday called Edmundson an important part of the Blues' defensive unit and said they're looking forward to another successful season.

The 26-year-old Canadian had 11 points in 64 regular-season games and seven points in 22 playoff games during the Blues' Cup run. Edmundson has 52 points in 269 regular-season games during his four-year NHL career.

Arsenal are not interested in signing Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho this summer but north London rivals Tottenham remain keen, sources have told ESPN FC.

The Brazil international is out of favour at Camp Nou and reports in Spain and France have linked the Gunners with the former Liverpool player, with some even stating that a deal was close to completion.

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However, sources have told ESPN FC that Arsenal are not in for the 27-year-old and never were.

Barca are trying to move their No. 7 on but so far has not found anyone willing to sign him. His £290,000-a-week wages as well as his price tag -- he was signed for €120 million rising to €160m 18 months ago -- have made a potential deal very difficult.

After the recruitment of Dani Ceballos, Nicolas Pepe, William Saliba, who has returned on loan to Saint Etienne, and Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal and Raul Sanllehi, their CEO in charge of football operations, are now focusing actively on recruiting a centre-back. It will have to be a loan, however, as Arsenal have spent all their budget on transfers for this summer.

RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano is no longer an option as a deal was too complicated to conclude, though, Juventus' Daniele Rugani is in the frame following a meeting in London this week between Sanllehi and Juve director Fabio Paratici.

Despite Arsenal's lack of interest interest, Barca are still actively looking to place Coutinho in the Premier League before the transfer window closes in England this week.

Sources have told ESPN FC that the player has been offered to both Manchester United and Tottenham. United have not completely ruled out making a move but Spurs is a more likely destination.

Coutinho played under Mauricio Pochettino at Espanyol and has maintained a great relationship with the Argentine coach. A source close to Coutinho told ESPN FC the chances of a return to England this month are "low" but not impossible.

A move to Spurs is complicated, though, and would depend on a number of factors. Christian Eriksen would have to leave the club -- with United interested -- while deals for Giovani Lo Celso and Bruno Fernandes would have to fail to materialise.

Finally, Coutinho would possibly have to take a sizeable pay cut or Barca would have to accept a loan move. Sources at the Catalan club say a loan move is the last option as they look to move the Brazil international on on.

If a move to the Premier League fails to materialise, there remains interest from Paris Saint-Germain, with Barcelona still interested signing Neymar from the Ligue 1 champions.

ESPN FC first revealed after Barca's Champions League loss to Liverpool that the Blaugrana wanted to sell Coutinho, who became their record signing when they bought him from Liverpool in 2018.

Since then, there has been interest but no firm bids for Coutinho, who flew out to Miami with Barca on Monday. He was one of four players to train at Barry University on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's game against Napoli.

Information from ESPN FC's Barcelona correspondent Sam Marsden was used in this report

D.C. United will hold talks this week with representatives of Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil, sources have confirmed to ESPN FC.

The Washington Post was the first to report D.C.'s interest in Ozil. One source added that any deal involving Ozil would occur during the January transfer window, which coincides with MLS' offseason.

News of D.C. United's interest in Ozil coincided with the announcement that Wayne Rooney will end his stay with the Black-and-Red at the conclusion of the current MLS season and join English Championship side Derby County as a player/coach in January.

Ozil has struggled to hold a regular place under manager Unai Emery at Arsenal. The Germany international logged just 1741 minutes in league play last season, the lowest figure since the 2007-08 campaign when he was breaking through with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.

His current contract, signed at the beginning of 2019, reportedly pays him over $22.2 million a year. Since joining the Gunners in 2013, Ozil has made 231 league and cup appearances, scoring 43 goals while winning three FA Cups and a Community Shield.

Ozil began his professional career in 2006 with Schalke before moving on to the likes of Bremen, Real Madrid and then Arsenal. He was part of Real's La Liga-winning side in 2011-12 as well as the team that claimed the Copa del Rey the previous season.

At international level, Ozil has earned 92 caps with Germany while scoring 23 goals, and was part of the side that claimed the 2014 World Cup title. He retired from the Germany team in July, 2018 at the age of 29 citing racism.

Wayne Rooney has agreed a deal to leave Major League Soccer side D.C. United and take up a role as a player-coach at English second-tier club Derby County in January.

The former Manchester United forward moved to MLS from Everton in June 2018 and has scored 25 goals in 45 appearances.

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"I remain fully focused on giving my all for the team for the rest of this season and repaying the support shown by the Black-and-Red faithful by hopefully delivering an MLS Cup to Audi Field," Rooney said. "My time in Major League Soccer is something I will always be proud of.

Delighted to announce I'll be joining @dcfcofficial as player coach in January ? #WR32 pic.twitter.com/K5nVbhgopy

— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) August 6, 2019

"The supporters in the Screaming Eagles, Barra Brava and District Ultras have made my time in America so enjoyable. While the decision to move home was a tough one, family is everything to us and we make this change to be closer to the ones we love back in England.

"The opportunity to go back home and start the next step of my career in coaching was the factor that made my mind up. I would like to thank everyone at D.C. United for the incredible support my family and I have received over my two seasons at the club."

Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien, D.C. United co-chairmen, added: "After speaking to Wayne and understanding his difficult situation of being so far away from his family, we have accepted that this is the best decision for all parties.

"Our main focus now is the 2019 MLS Season and ensuring we make a push towards the playoffs with the ultimate goal of bringing an MLS Cup back to the District.

"Wayne is an exceptional leader and one of the most iconic players to play the game so we look forward to his continued contributions to the team this season."

Levien, speaking exclusively to ESPN FC on Tuesday, said that Rooney had found it difficult to settle in D.C. and even took a midseason trip back to England to be with family.

"When [Rooney] came back he said he had a strong desire to return home, and not just to the U.K., but to his house where he lives, and didn't know if he was going to be able to continue after this season, or for the full [length] of his contract," said Levien.

"We talked about that, and the personal side of it, and what it meant for the club and what it meant for him, and how we could accept that and make the best out of the situation for everybody, and be supportive of what was going on with his personal life, his need to move back home."

Levien added that, upon signing Rooney last summer, the club always knew the midfielder was never destined to stay in D.C. for very long.

"We never thought that Wayne was going to stay here forever," said Levien. "We anticipated probably being here the full length of his agreement with us, but we're good and we're in a very different place than before Wayne arrived.

"We've got our stadium, we've got a lot of momentum from that. We've grown our fanbase, we've grown the visibility of our club in a big way the last two seasons. We don't plan to rest on our laurels or stop there. We want to take it to a whole new level."

To help cope with Rooney's absence, D.C. has already lined up the signing of forward Ola Kamara. And sources confirmed a Washington Post report that the club is in talks to sign Argentine midfielder Mateo Garcia, with the proposed transfer fee set at around $3 million.

At Derby, Rooney will look to learn from manager Phillip Cocu, who replaced Frank Lampard in the summer after the ex-England man was named Chelsea boss.

"Wayne Rooney is an extremely talented and top-class footballer," Cocu said. "It is an exciting prospect for him to be joining Derby County and he can bring so much to this squad, both on and off the pitch.

"He has enjoyed a wonderful career, both in club football and for England, and he still has so much to give as well. His credentials speak for themselves. But to have a player with his leadership, skill, experience, character and work ethic will be huge for us.

"I felt that the ambitions of the club match mine, in terms of where I want to go with my career." - @WayneRooney ?#WR32

— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) August 6, 2019

"He knows what it takes to succeed as a player and I have no doubt he will have a positive impact right across the club. The inspiration and motivation this can generate is massive for all of our players from the first team right through to the youngsters in the academy.

"It is entirely in keeping with, and in support of, the club's philosophy and approach. I am looking forward to working with Wayne from the start of next year and welcoming him to the club."

Rooney will be following most closely in the footsteps of Lampard, who last season took the team he is set to join all the way to the Championship playoff final. Lampard has now taken over at Chelsea, while Steven Gerrard is in charge of Scottish side Rangers.

Former Manchester United teammate Phil Neville has also impressed as England's women's team boss, having recently guided the Lionesses to the World Cup semi-finals.

"It's great to see them going into management. But it's not just because of that, I've always had an ambition to go into management," Rooney told reporters.

"It's great these young English managers are getting the opportunity. Over the past 20 years we haven't seen it so much. When the time is right, hopefully that's what I can move into. But ... my first aim is to play," he said.

ESPN FC U.S. Correspondent Jeff Carlisle and Reuters contributed to this report.

As break-ups go, Wayne Rooney's split with D.C. United seemed to come out of nowhere.

Rooney arrived in the nation's capital just over 12 months ago and almost immediately achieved icon status with the DCU faithful, scoring 12 goals and adding seven assists to spark the Black-and-Red to an unlikely spot in the MLS playoffs.

He has been similarly effective in 2019 and D.C. is in postseason contention, but Tuesday brought the news that Rooney, who still had two-and-a-half years to run on a contract that sees him earn a $3.5 million salary in 2019-20, will join English Championship side Derby County in a player-coach role when the winter transfer window opens in January. A source told ESPN that the move will see the 33-year-old take a pay cut.

DCU co-owner and CEO Jason Levien confirmed to ESPN FC much of what transpired and had been reported in recent days: While Rooney continues to enjoy life in MLS, his family had found it difficult to settle and is eager for a return to England. Rooney took a short trip home after a July 18 match against FC Cincinnati to not only heal some nagging injuries but get in some family time. Upon his return, he expressed concerns.

"When [Rooney] came back he said he had a strong desire to return home, and not just to the U.K., but to his house where he lives, and didn't know if he was going to be able to continue after this season, or for the full [length] of his contract," said Levien, who noted Rooney had "never lived outside of a 30-40-mile radius his entire life until he came to Washington."

"We talked about that," Levien added, "and the personal side of it, and what it meant for the club and what it meant for him, and how we could accept that and make the best out of the situation for everybody, and be supportive of what was going on with his personal life, his need to move back home."

During last week's All-Star Game festivities, player and club plotted a way forward. Derby County's situation, with Philip Cocu newly installed as manager, appealed to Rooney, who desires to get into coaching, and the broad strokes of a deal were hashed out over the weekend with the club's CEO, Steve Pearce. Rooney flew to England on Monday night and finalized the move the following day.

"The opportunity came up for me to join Derby County in January, as a player but also as a coach, which was important to start that transition for the next stage of my career," Rooney said in an interview with DCU's website. "But also for my family and myself to be back in England around our extended family and friends was part of the reason also."

D.C. United sources confirmed that there is no transfer fee involved in the deal and that the marketing agreement attached to Rooney's contract, which has been reported as a seven-year deal worth $2.5m, will no longer apply. The team is exploring a "different relationship" with the player, according to one source.

Rooney will leave behind enduring memories, like the Herculean effort last season against Orlando City when, with his goalkeeper committed upfield, he tackled the ball away from Will Johnson at midfield, then turned and dribbled before launching a laser-guided cross that Luciano Acosta headed home for the game winner.

In conjunction with the opening of Audi Field, Rooney helped galvanize a franchise that had been stuck in the doldrums, content to exist on a shoestring budget as efforts to get a stadium plodded along. Further, he gave the team considerable cachet in the crowded D.C. sports market.

One certainly can't begrudge Rooney for putting his family first, but while there does not appear to be any acrimony over his departure, there is a sense that his contribution will be less than it might have been; not because he performed poorly, just not long enough. It also leaves the impression that DCU's momentum has been arrested.

"Legacies come from winning trophies," Rooney admitted this week, and that he is not leaving immediately means there is time to add to his American story. Ben Olsen's side is fourth in the Eastern Conference and targeting a playoff run, but this news dents optimism and that trend will continue if Acosta, whose contract is up at the end of the season, also departs. Further, the loans of Bill Hamid, Leonardo Jara and Lucas Rodriguez expire at the end of the 2019 campaign.

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Levien, though, does not believe that DCU's upward trajectory will be overly affected.

"We never thought that Wayne was going to stay here forever," said Levien. "We anticipated probably being here the full length of his agreement with us, but we're good and we're in a very different place than before Wayne arrived. We've got our stadium, we've got a lot of momentum from that. We've grown our fan base, we've grown the visibility of our club in a big way the last two seasons. We don't plan to rest on our laurels or stop there. We want to take it to a whole new level."

Hours after Rooney's move was announced, DCU traded for Felipe Martins. It has also lined up the signing of forward Ola Kamara and sources confirmed a Washington Post report of talks with Argentine midfielder Mateo Garcia over a $3 million transfer. The reported interest in Mesut Ozil, while tantalizing, represents a very different value proposition.

While those moves will soften the impact of Rooney's eventual departure, more needs to be done. The former England captain represented a unique opportunity in terms of name recognition and ability and in the last 12 months proved his worth on and off the field. The extent to which Kamara, Garcia or any others pick up slack is not yet known.