Sports Express | November 12, 2026: Manchester United Sack Carrick as Pochettino Nears Takeover

1. Manchester United Sack Carrick With Pochettino Poised to Take Over

Source: The Guardian

Manchester United sacked Michael Carrick as head coach on Thursday with the team in the Premier League relegation zone, and have lined up Mauricio Pochettino to replace him. The Guardian reports Pochettino has a framework agreement to join, with a release clause of about $10 million (7.5 million pounds); United would have to pay more to bring his staff.

Carrick arrived at work on Thursday morning as he had all week, his fate already sealed. The exit followed a review led by director of football Jason Wilcox, who travelled to Monaco with CEO Omar Berrada to meet Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who controls sporting policy. The sacking was signed off at a board meeting involving the Glazer family.

United called it an "extremely difficult conclusion" and said Carrick "is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend." The club have three wins in all competitions this season and one win in their past 11 league matches, sitting third from bottom, a point behind 17th-placed Coventry and 17th in the Champions League standings. Carrick was appointed in May on a contract to 2028.

2. Canada Bars Russian Players From World Juniors Even With Valid Visas

Source: CBC

The federal government said Wednesday that Russian hockey players will not be permitted to compete at next month's world junior championship in Alberta, even if they already hold valid Canadian visas. In a statement, Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will individually assess and prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from entering Canada to compete.

The statement appears to close the door on Russia's return after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled last month that the IIHF must reinstate the country. Norway's hockey federation said Sunday the IIHF had informed it that Russia would be added at Norway's expense. The IIHF has not formally announced changes to the field and still lists Norway among the 10 teams.

Several Russians with valid visas play in the Canadian Hockey League, which barred Russians and Belarusians from its import draft from 2022-24 before allowing them back; Russia led this year's draft with 32 of 114 players selected. Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week that Russian and Belarusian athletes could not compete in Canada representing their countries while the war continues. The tournament begins Dec. 26 in Edmonton and Red Deer.

3. Hellebuyck Says Family Incidents Crossed the Line Before Trade Request

Source: CBC

Connor Hellebuyck says online death threats and his family were major factors in his trade demand, speaking to Winnipeg media on Tuesday during his first return to the city since being traded Oct. 23. "Some things happened to my family that, for me, crossed the line and made that decision very certain," he said. His New Jersey Devils played the Jets that night, but he did not play.

The 33-year-old said there was more to the decision than death threats alone, but "I won't go deeper than that," mentioning only "some uncertainty" about his career. He said he needed to "be a good husband and good father and do what's best for my family," adding that his family would not have been with him in Winnipeg and that he wants to be present for his two young children.

He would not say whether the threats came from anyone in Winnipeg and asked for his family's privacy to be respected. Jets management has said harassment escalated to the point where team security and local police were involved, with increased monitoring around his home. Hellebuyck backstopped the U.S. to Olympic gold over Canada in February and later received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House.

4. Landeskog Scores Twice as Avalanche Pull Away From Maple Leafs 6-3

Source: NHL.com

Gabriel Landeskog scored twice, including the tie-breaking goal at 5:02 of the third period, as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. Landeskog redirected Nazem Kadri's cross-crease pass 51 seconds after Toronto tied it 3-3, and Colorado pulled away with three straight goals.

"We always talk about responding," Landeskog said. "Whether you score, you've got to follow it up. Whether they score, you've got to follow it up." Coach Jared Bednar called it close to a 60-minute effort. Devon Toews had a goal and an assist, Cale Makar had two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood made 28 saves as Colorado improved to 11-6-2 and earned points in six of seven (5-1-1).

Darren Raddysh, Jack Roslovic and Easton Cowan each had a goal and an assist, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 22 saves for Toronto (8-10-2), which has lost four in a row. Bobrovsky has lost each of his past five starts while allowing three or more goals in every one. "We make multiple poor decisions," coach Jim Hiller said. "That's how you lose."

5. Blue Jays Closer Louis Varland Wins AL Reliever of the Year

Source: Sportsnet

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Louis Varland narrowly beat Cleveland's Cade Smith on Wednesday night in Las Vegas to win the inaugural American League Reliever of the Year award. Varland received 16 first-place votes and 146 points, while Smith had seven first-place votes and 133 points and Tampa Bay's Bryan Baker six first-place votes and 111 points.

The 28-year-old took over as closer this season and had 35 saves with a 1.27 ERA in 78 innings over 71 games, striking out 97. Acquired from Minnesota at the 2025 trade deadline, he became one of manager John Schneider's most trusted arms and appeared in 15 of the team's 18 postseason games last year.

Varland credited pitching coach Graham Johnson with a changeup grip tweak. He threw it 31 percent of the time against left-handed hitters, up 20 percent from 2025, holding them to a .123 average and .140 slugging. Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease finished second in AL Cy Young voting behind unanimous winner Cam Schlittler of the Yankees.

6. Raptors Blow 22-Point Lead in 98-93 Loss to Celtics

Source: Sportsnet

Jayson Tatum scored 24 points as the Boston Celtics rallied from 22 down to beat the Toronto Raptors 98-93 on Wednesday night. Tatum added eight assists and seven rebounds as Boston (10-2) won its fifth straight. Derrick White had 19 points and seven assists.

Toronto made 10 three-pointers in the first quarter to tie a franchise record and led by 19 after a 16-3 run, the largest deficit Boston has faced this season. But the Raptors scored just 32 points in the second half and finished 16 for 43 from beyond the arc.

Ja'Kobe Walter had 17 points, including five threes, for Toronto, and RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Scottie Barnes missed his third game with a strained left groin and Kawhi Leonard was not in the building while recovering from swelling in his left knee. The Raptors fell to 5-6, below .500 for the first time this season, and visit Philadelphia on Thursday.

7. Misiorowski and Schlittler Win Unanimous Cy Young Awards

Source: TSN

Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees were unanimous Cy Young Award winners on Wednesday. Both were drafted in 2022, debuted in the majors in 2025 and posted the only sub-2.00 ERAs among qualifiers in their first full seasons.

Misiorowski, 24, took all 30 first-place votes in the NL after going 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 252 strikeouts in 174 2/3 innings over 30 starts, leading the majors in all three categories as the Brewers won an MLB-best 103 games. He is the fourth Cy Young winner in Brewers history and the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2001 to win the award and the World Series in the same season.

Schlittler, 25, went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts in 193 2/3 innings over 33 starts, allowing one run or fewer in 21 starts. He is the seventh Yankee to win the award and the first since Gerrit Cole in 2023. Toronto's Dylan Cease finished second in AL voting and Cleveland's Parker Messick third. Mason Miller of the Padres was a unanimous winner of the inaugural NL Relief Pitcher of the Year Award.

8. U.S. Soccer Withdraws From U-17 World Cup in Qatar Over Safety Concerns

Source: Yahoo Sports

The U.S. Soccer Federation will not send its under-17 boys' national team to Qatar for the FIFA U-17 World Cup because of safety concerns tied to the war with Iran, Yahoo Sports has learned. "Sending 16- and 17-year-olds to the tournament given that situation was not tenable," a person close to the decision said Wednesday. "The well-being of the players and staff is always going to be at the centerpiece of any decision."

The USSF notified FIFA as well as its players and staff on Wednesday. The tournament is scheduled for Nov. 19 to Dec. 13 and the U.S. was set to take part for the sixth consecutive time. As a precaution, the federation had already moved the team's pre-tournament camp from Qatar to the national training center near Atlanta, with workouts set to start Thursday.

Two sources said the decision was reached Wednesday morning after consultation with its internal security team and the State Department, among others. The U.S. government has a Level 3 travel advisory for Qatar, which sits across the Persian Gulf from Iran and has been attacked by Iran several times since the conflict began in February.

9. Jarry Makes 30 Saves as Oilers Beat Flyers 3-2 in Overtime

Source: Sportsnet

Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots and Evan Bouchard scored the overtime winner as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Wednesday night. Zach Hyman scored twice for Edmonton, which closed its first 20 games at 14-3-3 and led the NHL with 31 points in 20 games entering the night.

The Flyers spent much of the game in Edmonton's end and only several acrobatic saves from Jarry kept the score close. Since Oct. 3, the Oilers have an NHL-best .918 save percentage, with Jarry (.925) second and Devon Levi (.920) fifth among goalies making regular starts.

Bouchard has 33 points in 20 games this season; only Bobby Orr has had more in the first 20 games of a season. Connor McDavid's assist on Hyman's power-play goal gave him 49 points in 20 games, tying Mike Bossy for seventh-most to start a season, and extended his point streak to 20 games. Edmonton begins a six-game Eastern swing Saturday in Toronto.

10. Andreeva Wins 11 Straight Games to Rout Sabalenka at WTA Finals

Source: BBC

Mirra Andreeva won 11 games in a row as she thrashed world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0 to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells. The 19-year-old French Open champion was 4-1 down in the opening set before hitting 16 winners with only six unforced errors and firing three straight aces while serving for the set.

Sabalenka, who had taping on her left knee, made 23 unforced errors and did not hit an ace. "I will be honest, I feel like Aryna did not have the best day," Andreeva said. "I feel like I cannot really take all the credit today - I feel like that is not very fair in some ways."

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine beat Karolina Muchova 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 after taking a medical timeout for a right hip injury. Andreeva advances as the group winner, while the winner of Friday's match between Sabalenka and Svitolina also reaches the last four. At the Stockholm Open, Britain's Cameron Norrie lost 7-5, 6-3 to Taylor Fritz and Denmark's Holger Rune beat Miomir Kecmanovic 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.