Spain's biggest rivals take La Liga down to the wire, with just one point separating Real Madrid and Barcelona ahead of the last week of the season. In the U.S., Tiger Woods returns to the golf course for the first time since February at a tournament he's won five times. And if you want some live high-stakes basketball before the NBA returns, The Basketball Tournament final is Monday, with the winner getting $1 million.
What's On
La Liga ready to crown a champion
Real Madrid and Barcelona play their last matches of the domestic season this week, with a one-point gap separating the rivals. Madrid can extend its lead to four points with a win Monday and then clinch the league title with a win Thursday. Barcelona will need to win both of its remaining matches and get some help, with Real also holding the tiebreaker advantage in case the clubs finish even on points.
Barcelona has won the league four of the last five seasons, with Real Madrid's only triumph during that span in 2017.
All matches on BeIN Sports and kickoff times ET
Thursday
Barcelona vs. Osasuna, 3 p.m.
Real Madrid vs. Villarreal, 3 p.m.
Sunday
Alaves vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m.
Leganes vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m.
Tiger Time: Woods returns to PGA Tour at The Memorial
Golf's leading man will play his first competitive event since February when he tees off Thursday at Muirfield in Ohio. We last saw him play in Capital One's The Match in May, when he quietly played pretty great. It's a logical return for Woods, not only since he's won the tournament five times in his career but also because the first major back on the revised tour calendar—the PGA Championship—is in three weeks. A sixth win at Memorial would be Tiger's 83rd overall, which would break his tie with Sam Snead for the most in tour history.
Woods's return is a bittersweet moment for the Memorial, given that it was originally scheduled to be the tour's first event with the reintroduction of fans on the course. But surges in coronavirus cases in Ohio and around the country forced the PGA Tour to scrap that plan.
Tiger joins an impressive field that includes defending champion Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson. Check out the pairings and full field here.
Rounds 1 and 2 on Golf Channel 2:30-6:30 p.m.
Round 3 on Golf Channel 1:30-3:45 p.m. and CBS 4-7 p.m.
Final Round on Golf Channel 1-3:15 p.m. and CBS 3:30-7 p.m.
FA Cup Semifinals
Both matches on ESPN+
Arsenal vs. Manchester City, Saturday 2:45 p.m.
Manchester United vs. Chelsea, Sunday 1 p.m.
Four of the biggest clubs in England can take one step closer to the FA Cup trophy this weekend. Each of the teams has been in pretty solid form since the restart, and it's been Chelsea's Christian Pulisic who has really broken out into a higher level of play. The American standout has scored three goals and provided a dynamic presence on the pitch for the Blues. On B/R Live, you can watch live pre- and post-match coverage on MUTV and a match replay on Arsenal TV.
The Basketball Tournament Final, Tuesday 7 p.m. on ESPN
With a $1 million prize up for grabs, this year's abbreviated version of The Basketball Tournament crowns a champion Tuesday. Down from 64 to 24 teams and played in just 11 days, the tournament has still provided entertaining basketball after a spring and summer without March Madness and NBA playoffs. Golden Eagles and Sideline Cancer will face off in the final from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Former Indiana standout Maurice Creek hit this shot to send Sideline Cancer to the championship.
Soccer in the States
MLS is Back Tournament
Much of the excitement surrounding the return of MLS last week was tempered by the tournament withdrawals of two clubs—FC Dallas and Nashville SC—after several players on each team tested positive for the coronavirus. The event's first night did provide an exceptional moment of power and unity, when players from every team kneeled and raised fists in silence to support Black Lives Matter and the fight for social justice and equality.
Below are the top matchups for each day this week. Full schedule and group standings
LA Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers, Monday 10:30 p.m. on FS1
Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire, Tuesday 9 a.m. on ESPN
Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC, Wednesday 8 p.m. on TUDN USA
Atlanta United vs. FC Cincinnati, Thursday 9 a.m. on ESPN
Real Salt Lake vs. Minnesota United, Friday 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
El Trafico: LAFC vs. LA Galaxy, Saturday 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
NWSL Challenge Cup
The qualifying round of the National Women's Soccer League tournament concludes Monday with a final pair of matches. North Carolina has already clinched the top seed in the knockout round, while the other three clubs are playing for seeding.
All matches on CBS All Access
OL Reign vs. Portland Thorns, 12:30 p.m.
Sky Blue FC vs. North Carolina Courage, 10 p.m.
All eight teams in the tournament will reach the quarterfinals, which begin this weekend with two matches each on Friday and Saturday. The full Nos. 2-8 seeds will be confirmed after Monday's matches.
Friday: Quarterfinal 1 at 12:30 p.m.; Quarterfinal 2 at 10 p.m.
Saturday: Quarterfinal 3 at 12:30 p.m.; Quarterfinal 4 at 10 p.m.
The News, Fast
1. Pat Mahomes, the world is yours
The Super Bowl MVP signed a record-setting 10-year contract extension with the Chiefs, keeping him in Kansas City at least through the 2031 season. It includes $477 million in guarantee mechanisms, a no-trade clause and a total value that overtakes MLB MVP Mike Trout for the largest in sports history. Get all the details on Mahomes' deal here.
2. NBA and WNBA players arrive in Florida bubbles
- Lackluster dining options at Disney World have become the latest meme target of NBA Twitter, while some not-so-luxurious accommodations forced the WNBA to relocate a handful of players at IMG Academy
- WNBA players will wear the names of women killed by police violence on their jerseys and display the messages Say Her Name and Black Lives Matter on their warm-ups. When a U.S. Senator and co-owner of the Atlanta Dream criticized this move, numerous WNBA players and their official union called on the league to remove her.
- In the NBA, the league approved 29 equality and justice messages players can choose for their jerseys
- Brooklyn roster moves: The Nets have signed veterans Jamal Crawford and Michael Beasley after two more of their players, Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince, confirmed they would not play in Orlando after testing positive for the virus
- Wizards star Bradley Beal will not play in Orlando, citing a shoulder injury sustained earlier this season
3. UEFA Champions League Draw Results
The quarterfinal draw for the Champions League split the field into heavyweights and underdogs. Clubs in the top half of the draw have never won the UCL trophy, while those in the bottom half have 26 combined titles. Here's how it looks:
Champions League returns Aug. 7 with second legs of the remaining four round-of-16 matches before jumping into single-leg quarterfinal matchups. Europa League kicks back off on Aug. 5. Check out the draw for the rest of that competition here.
4. NHL sets return timeline
- Training camps begin today, qualifying round of playoffs begins Aug. 1
- All games played in hub cities of Toronto (Eastern Conference) and Edmonton (Western Conference), and Edmonton will host the Stanley Cup Final in October
- NHL and NHLPA agree on four-year extension of CBA
- Go here for all the details
5. MLB releases 60-game schedule amid testing problems
- Multiple teams delayed or suspended their summer training camps last week while still waiting on test results, with players and executives growing increasingly frustrated with MLB over the inefficient process.
- Rangers slugger Joey Gallo tested positive after two previous negatives.
- Giants star catcher Buster Posey will not play this season, opting out of the restart, citing the health of newborn twins he and his wife recently adopted.
- Braves outfielder Nick Markakis also will not play this season, opting out after an "eye-opening" conversation with teammate Freddie Freeman, who has COVID-19 and significant symptoms.
- 2020 schedule: Opening night doubleheader July 23, featuring Yankees vs. Nationals and Giants vs. Dodgers; Opening Day on July 24; MLB on TBS premiere on July 26 Yankees vs. Nationals. Full details and schedules for every team
6. College Football Season?
Last week the Ivy League announced its fall sports teams will be postponed, and days later the Big Ten announced its fall sports teams—football included—will play conference-only schedules this fall, and the Pac-12 soon did the same. The ACC reportedly will follow the Big Ten's lead, while the SEC has not made any decision on scheduling for the fall 2020 season.
7. New team name coming to DC
After 83 years in the nation's capital, Washington's NFL team will choose a new name, it announced Monday morning. The long-called-for move finally comes after the team and owners faced mounting pressure during this summer's national awakening on racial and social injustice in America.
Best of the Week
1. Runs in the Family
Usain Bolt and his girlfriend welcomed a daughter into the world and gave her the greatest name in name history.
2. AEW Fyter Fest Night 2
Chris Jericho outlasted Orange Cassidy in one of the best matchups across both nights of Fyter Fest on AEW Dynamite. Check out highlights from their main event below and watch Dynamite this week as the All Elite Wrestling world title and TNT title are on the line in Fight For the Fallen.
3. Luka and Boban, a match made in the bubble
Give us all of the content with these two.
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