Last Week around the Leagues

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Last Week around the Leagues

by Fran Stuchbury
July 30, 2024 - ECHL (ECHL)


This past week the National Football League's New York Jets signed United Football League MVP Birmingham Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez; NJ/NY Gotham FC signed 13-year-old forward McKenna "Mak" Whitham, the youngest-ever contracted player in the National Women's Soccer League; and the ECHL's Jacksonville Iceman promoted Brandon Mashinter to head coach. Highlights from this week come from the United Football League, Canadian Football League, Indoor Football League, The Arena League, European League of Football, National Women's Soccer League, USL Super League, Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro, Canadian Premier League, Women's National Basketball Association, NBA G League, International League, Southern League, Premier Lacrosse League, National Lacrosse League, Major League Rugby, and Ultimate Frisbee Association.

FOOTBALL

United Football League

The New York Jets signed UFL MVP Birmingham Stallions quarterback Adrian Martinez. Martinez led the league in rushing yards (528) during the regular season, while finishing tied for second in passing touchdowns (15) and third in passing yards (1,749).

Check out the full season highlights from Birmingham Stallions QB Adrian Martinez during the 2024 UFL season.

The UFL has announced that St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver Hakeem Butler has signed a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. The 2024 UFL Offensive Player of the Year and All-UFL at wide receiver, Butler caught 45 passes to lead the league with 652 receiving yards. His five touchdown catches led the Battlehawks and ranked second in the UFL. Butler averaged 14.5 yards per catch and his 80 yard touchdown reception in Week 5 at DC was the longest play from scrimmage of the season for St. Louis.

Here are his best plays from the 2024 UFL season.

Canadian Football League

CFL Plays of the Week - Week 8

Indoor Football League

In a heart-pounding finish, the Rattlers clinched the victory with just 2 seconds left on the clock, edging out the Vegas Knight Hawks 39-38. This win marks Head Coach Kevin Guy's 262nd career victory, solidifying his status as the Winningest Head Coach in Arena and Indoor Football History - truly the GOAT, Guy. Of. All. Time.

Arena Football League

The Arena Football League completed its 2024 season July 19th when the Billings Outlaws topped the Albany Firebirds, 46-41, in the ArenaBowl held at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, NJ. Making it to the finish line could be considered a minor miracle for a league which showed cracks in its foundation even before kickoff and a propensity for making the wrong headlines on a weekly basis.

The Arena League

The Arena League is bringing a professional football team to Hot Springs. Here's what to know. The Hot Springs Wiseguys.

European League of Football

Top 10 Plays of Week 10

SOCCER

National Women's Soccer League

NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that the club has signed U.S. Youth National Team forward McKenna "Mak" Whitham through 2028 via the NWSL's U-18 Entry Mechanism. The guaranteed contract will be effective beginning January 1, 2025. In addition, the club is also signing Whitham to a National Team Replacement contract, which will allow Whitham to be available for selection in upcoming matches for Gotham FC during the international window. The forward becomes the youngest-ever contracted player in the NWSL at 13 years old. Whitham is also the first to join Gotham FC by way of the NWSL's U-18 Entry Mechanism, which has been expanded to include additional provisions around pediatric medical evaluations, facilities and safety assessments and a commitment to establishing long-term development plans for U-18 players entering the league.

"I am really excited to sign and begin my professional career with Gotham FC," said Whitham. "Gotham FC is a great place for me to continue to push myself as a player. I can't wait to get to work and to continue to grow as a player with the great players, coaches and staff at Gotham FC."

McKenna Whitham made U.S. soccer history on July 28, becoming the youngest athlete to play in a top-flight U.S. soccer game. Mak, as she is known to fans, is just 14. Whitham entered for the New Jersey/New York Gotham with 10 minutes left in a 1-0 win against the Washington Spirit.

Mak signed with the Gotham on July 26, the day before before turning 14. In February, she became the youngest athlete ever to sign with Nike. Gotham had to acquire a special permit to comply with a New Jersey labor law barring 14 year olds from working past 7 p.m. without an exception.

The Chicago Red Stars today announced the signing of Brazilian international, Ludmila, to a three-year contract through the 2026 season. Ludmila will join the Red Stars in Chicago following the Paris Olympics and approval of a P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate. The Brazilian will occupy one of the club's international roster spots. "I have had the pleasure of watching Ludmila's game for years. There is a clear level of talent that has helped Ludmila find success on the pitch, individually as a goal scorer and as a part of Atlético with their championships. I look forward to seeing Ludmila come in and contribute to the Red Stars as we enter the second half of the season and push for playoffs" said Richard Feuz, Chicago Red Stars general manager "I can't wait to put on the jersey and play in front of our fans. I want my soccer and goals to make them very happy when they come to the field," said Ludmila. "I'm going with the goal of being champions since the first season, I want to keep winning in Chicago. SAMBA! ‚¬Â

USL Super League

Dallas Trinity FC, the new professional women's soccer team in North Texas, will face off against one of the most successful women's soccer teams in the world, FC Barcelona, in a friendly match August 30th at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The current champion of LaLiga F and the UEFA Women's Champions League, Barcelona Femení is considered one of the best female soccer teams in the world. It holds nine league titles, 10 Copas de la Reina, an annual cup competition for Spanish women's association football teams, four Supercopas, as well as 10 Copas Catalunyas. "FC Barcelona is one of the most prestigious and successful football clubs in the world," said Dallas Trinity FC President, Charlie Neil. "Their women's team has received significant recognition for its high level of play and success in domestic and international competitions. This friendly will give us a valuable opportunity to compete and stand in alignment with another top-tier international squad. ‚¬Â

WFAA spoke one-on-one with Dallas Trinity FC goalkeeper Sam Estrada.

Major League Soccer

The LIGA MX All-Stars earned revenge in the 2024 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, securing a 4-1 victory over the MLS All-Stars. The MLS All-Stars won the previous two iterations of this matchup, in 2021 (Los Angeles) and 2022 (Minnesota). But a three-peat wasn't in the cards, despite 20,931 fans creating the highest-attended match in Lower.com Field history. Here are the highlights.

MLS NEXT Pro

The 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Goalie Wars Championship between Crown Legacy FC's Chituru Odunze vs. North Texas SC's Michael Collodi.

Canadian Premier League

Week 16 highlights around the Canadian Premier League

HOCKEY

ECHL

The Jacksonville Icemen, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and the AHL's Rochester Americans announced that assistant coach Brandon Mashinter has been promoted to Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations for the Icemen. Mashinter becomes the third head coach in Jacksonville Icemen history. "We are thrilled to introduce Brandon Mashinter as our new head coach," said Icemen & Zawyer Sports CEO Andy Kaufmann. "Brandon has played a pivotal part in our team's growing success the past three seasons, and we cannot think of a more deserving individual to usher us into this new era of Icemen Hockey. We are confident that he will put a competitive team on the ice each night that will continue to make Jacksonville proud. ‚¬Â Mashinter began his coaching career with the Icemen in 2021, spending the past three seasons in Jacksonville as the team's assistant coach under former Head Coach Nick Luukko, who recently accepted a position with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this past Saturday. The Icemen finished with 40 or more wins in each of the past three seasons under the leadership of Luukko and Mashinter.

Ontario Hockey League

The Windsor Spitfires are saddened to learn of the passing of former Associate and Head Coach Bob Jones. Jonesy was a tremendous coach and had an infectious personality, he cared about the game of hockey, his players and his family. Bob was courageous and made extraordinary efforts to raise funds and awareness for ALS research in Canada. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.

BASKETBALL

Women's National Basketball Association

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced the renewal of its partnerships with The Walt Disney Company and Amazon Prime Video, as well as a new agreement with NBCUniversal (NBCU). Beginning with the 2026 season and running through the 2036 season, Disney will distribute WNBA games on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 and stream them on ESPN's forthcoming direct-to-consumer service; NBCU will distribute its games on NBC, USA Network and/or Peacock; and Amazon will stream its games globally on Prime Video.

Under the new agreements, the partners will distribute more than 125 regular-season and playoff games nationally each season, including a minimum of 25 regular-season games on Disney platforms, 50 regular-season games on NBCU platforms and 30 regular-season games on Prime Video. Additionally, Disney and NBCU will distribute games in key international markets, and Prime Video will distribute games globally to more than 200 million Prime members worldwide. The new deals will also provide access for fans throughout the WNBA Playoffs and Finals. Disney will telecast two first-round series per year while NBCU and Prime Video will each telecast one first-round series annually. The Semifinals and Finals series will rotate over the 11-year term, with Disney distributing eight Semifinals series and five Finals, and Prime Video and NBCU each distributing seven Semifinals series and three Finals.

The broadcast of the 2024 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game on ABC - a thrilling 117-109 Team WNBA victory over the U.S.A. Basketball Women's National Team in Phoenix - was watched by an average audience of 3,442,000 viewers, making it the largest audience ever for a WNBA All-Star Game. The 2024 audience surpassed the previous high by 139 percent for the 1,441,000 viewers who watched the 2003 WNBA All-Star Game on ABC. The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game viewership is up 305 percent versus last year's game, seen by 850,000 viewers on ABC.

Relive the moments from the captivating 2024 WNBA All Star Weekend!

NBA G League

All-Access With Ron Holland At The 2024 NBA Draft! He played with the Ignite and was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 5th overall pick in the draft.

BASEBALL

Carolina League

The Hickory Crawdads will join the Carolina League following the 2024 season, entering an exciting and historic competition across the Carolinas and Virginia that dates back to 1945. The move will allow the 'Dads to square off against some old familiar foes as well as play some teams for the first time. The "Battle of the Backroads" rivalry with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (formerly the Intimidators), the closest MiLB team to the 'Dads by mileage, with just 65 miles between the stadiums, will continue. Other members of the Carolina League include: the Augusta GreenJackets, Carolina Mudcats, Charleston RiverDogs, Columbia Fireflies, Delmarva Shorebirds, Fayetteville Woodpeckers, Fredericksburg FredNats, Lynchburg Hillcats, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, and Salem Red Sox. The switch in classification will have a significant impact on the number of miles traveled for road games by the Crawdads in future years. The Crawdads currently have five teams at least 470 miles away, while the in the new league alignment, the longest distance Crawdads will travel starting in 2025 is the 470 miles to Delmarva.

International League

Mets infielder Brett Baty collects a career-high 4 extra-base hits and drives in 3runs for Triple-A Syracuse

Pirates Liover Peguero and Matt Fraizer slug grand slams in the same game for Triple-A Indianapolis

Southern League

Angels No. 1 prospect Caden Dana strikes out 10 while tossing a complete game for Double-A Rocket City

LACROSSE

Premier Lacrosse League

Jeff Teat has surpassed the record for points in a single PLL season in just seven (!!!) regular season games. Watch every single one of his points on the path to 45.

National Lacrosse League

The Ottawa Black Bears have unveiled their home and away jerseys and kits ahead of their NLL debut in late 2024. To support the unveiling of their uniform, the Black Bears hosted an open house where fans had the opportunity to meet and hear from Black Bears general manager Rich Lisk, head coach Dan Ladouceur and players Larson Sundown and Nathan Grenon. Jerseys are now available to pre-order on Ottawa Team Shop. "This is a momentous day not just for our organization, but for the Ottawa-Gatineau region," said Lisk. "With the introduction of our home and away jersey, it now gives not just our team, but our fans something tangible for the upcoming season. We're grateful for the support and can't wait to take the floor on opening night. ‚¬Â The jersey utilizes Ottawa's colours of red, black, gold and white, cementing the Black Bears as a member of the Ottawa-Gatineau athletic community. The logo at the centre of the jersey features a black bear that not only reflects the attributes of the region but also the values of both the community and franchise including pride, passion and grit. The secondary logo located on the shoulders is a black bear's paw print with a maple leaf cutout. The design demonstrates the connection between lacrosse and its Indigenous heritage.

NLL Top 50 Plays: 50-46

NLL Top 50 Plays: 45-41

OTHER SPORTS

Major League Rugby

The New England Free Jacks captured a second-straight Eastern Conference Championship, defeating the Chicago Hounds, 23-17, in the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday. With the win, the Free Jacks, the reigning Major League Rugby champions, advance to the 2024 MLR Championship at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The Free Jacks used several defensive stands and key breakaway rushes to survive and advance.

The Seattle Seawolves captured the Western Conference Championship with a thrilling 28-25 victory over the Dallas Jackals, 28-25 in the Western Conference Final on Sunday. With the win, the Seawolves, two-time MLR Champions, advance to the 2024 MLR Championship at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego where they will take on the New England Free Jacks, winners of Saturday's Eastern Conference Final.

Experience the 2024 MLR Playoffs with a recap of the two Conference Finals matches. We'll cover the major upsets, best tries, intense moments, and who claims the titles of Eastern and Western Conference Champions. Plus, get an exclusive preview of the upcoming MLR Championship, which will air this Sunday at 4 PM ET on FOX.

Ultimate Frisbee Association

Facing his old team in the first round of the 2024 East Division playoffs, Jeff Babbitt catches the game winner in regulation for Boston Glory to send the two-time reigning league champions New York Empire home for the offseason.

Did we miss anything newsworthy or fun? Have a nomination for next week's column? Contact us today and let us know.

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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