Sports
Landon Donovan on San Diego Wave gig: 'I don't worry about the next job'
From the San Diego Wave hotel in Panama City, Landon Donovan addressed reporters for the first time since being named the team’s interim head coach. The former U.S. men’s national team forward said he has a “steep” learning curve as he coaches women’s professional soccer for the first time, but it’s a challenge he can’t wait to start.
“Every day, I wake up after not sleeping because I’m so excited. My wife’s like, ‘Why are you out of bed again at 3 a.m.?’ I’m excited to do this every day, and the project’s phenomenal. There’s amazing resources,” Donovan said. He said Wave ownership has promised to help him achieve whatever he wants for the team, something any head coach — interim or not — would like to hear.
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The Wave traveled early to Panama ahead of their first CONCACAF W Champions Cup match against Santa Fe FC on Tuesday night, in part to get Donovan some extra time with the team, as it’s only had a handful of training sessions since he took over. Donovan wants to balance stabilizing the team with implementing his ideas, while also being aware that Wave president Jill Ellis and general manager Cami Ashton value the CONCACAF tournament as much as they do the NWSL playoffs.
Monday, Donovan said he had spoken directly with the Wave’s leadership group — and planned to speak to defender Naomi Girma once she returns from her break following the Olympics — and planned to meet with over a dozen players later in the day.
The Wave won the 2023 NWSL Shield, earning them a spot in the Champions Cup. (Elsa / Getty Images)
“It’s important for me to get to know them as individuals quickly,” he said. “I want to get to know them as human beings. We spend a lot of time on that, and we build real human connections with our players, and that’s important for me.”
Donovan said multiple times that he’s been impressed by the speed at which the players are picking up new ideas, but he stressed there’s more to it than tactics as he hits the ground running with the 10th-place Wave.
How Donovan got the Wave job
Donovan’s connections with the Wave go beyond his time as head coach of the former USL Championship men’s team, the San Diego Loyal, and the crossover the teams had early in the Wave’s existence.
“I’ve known Jill (Ellis) since 2015. I was at the World Cup final in Vancouver, and we spent a lot of time together after the match and got to know each other,” Donovan said of his connection to the former USWNT head coach. “She’s an incredible human being. She’s an incredible leader. We’ve kept in touch over time.”
Donovan said he had texted Ellis when the team was going through “a hard time.”
The Wave are currently in 10th place but only 3 points out from the final playoff spot, thanks to the league’s expanded playoff format. In June, the team parted ways with head coach Casey Stoney, who had led it to win the NWSL Shield in 2023, earning the team a spot in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.
Last month, Ellis was accused of workplace abuse, which she denied. The NWSL confirmed that Ellis and the Wave were the subject of reports of misconduct, which the league investigated via an independent third party. No league policy violations were found. At the end of July, Ellis filed a lawsuit against a former Wave employee who alleged workplace misconduct on social media.
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Ellis texted Donovan back, asking if he had any interesting coaching candidates for her to consider.
“I didn’t (immediately) respond to the message,” Donovan said Monday. “I thought about it for a little bit that evening. I talked to my wife. I said: ‘I love San Diego. We’ve loved watching and supporting the Wave. I miss coaching. Maybe I should think about it.’”
He replied to Ellis, saying that if she was interested in having the conversation, he’d be ready to talk.
“That’s how it started, and now we’re here,” he said. Those conversations, according to Donovan, were “really open and honest.” They were about building something identifiable, something the club as a whole could be proud of. Donovan said that with Ashton stabilizing the soccer side of the staff, they needed someone to help stabilize things with players, particularly “confidence and culture.”
How Donovan’s experience can help the Wave
“My No. 1 core value is compassion,” Donovan said Monday, citing his experience with mental health. He said he was fully aware of what the players have been through, not just this year but throughout their careers.
“I don’t view this as purely a soccer job,” he said. “My job is to have a positive impact on their life every day. That doesn’t have to be on the field.”
He brought up a recent conversation he had with San Diego and U.S. forward Alex Morgan after she was left off the Olympic roster.
“I went through the same thing that she went through this summer. I got left off a team, and I have the ability to empathize because I went through that,” Donovan said. “We had a long talk — ‘How do you make the last stretch of your career still positive?’ I was able to come back and win a championship that season with my team, and that was the lasting impression of that season, not getting cut.”
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Landon Donovan spoke to Alex Morgan after she was left off the U.S. Olympic roster. (Ira L. Black – Corbis / Getty Images)
Donovan was also asked about his approach to developing younger talent, like 16-year-olds Melanie Barcenas and Kimmi Ascanio. He leaned again on his experience.
“I’ve been in (Barcenas’) shoes. I was a 16-year-old who had a lot of talent that people were talking about, and I know exactly what she’s going through. So that will be one of my personal projects, for sure,” he said. He has yet to see Ascanio play in person due to some injuries, but he’s watched the film, and he mentioned other young players such as Jaedyn Shaw.
But Donovan remained consistent about his objective.
“Because of all the experiences I’ve been through, I think I can connect with them on a really personal level,” he said. “If I make them better soccer players, that’s great, and I think I will, but I want to make them better human beings too.”
Does Donovan view this job as a stepping stone?
Though Donovan holds a U.S. soccer A-level coaching license, he has no experience in the NWSL or professional women’s soccer, and some questioned whether he viewed the Wave job as a potential stepping stone.
US soccer legend Landon Donavon is set to become the San Diego Wave interim coach 🌊🇺🇸@susannahcollins, @Nicocantor1, @CharlieDavies9 and @TMeola1 weigh in on the new appointment 👇 pic.twitter.com/sMwCYiCYgk
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) August 16, 2024
“Let me share something that I’ve never shared publicly before because that’s an interesting take from people,” Donovan said Monday. “I’ve been offered four MLS jobs in my life since I started coaching, and I turned down all of them.”
Donovan said there were a few reasons for declining those offers, including his love of San Diego and his desire to work with “good people.” For Donovan, the Wave gig checks both boxes.
“There is no better place in the world for me to be working right now than where I’m working with the Wave. I am so content and so at peace, and so I understand why people question that, or question my motivation or whatever,” he continued. “People questioned my motivation when I didn’t play in Europe my whole career. I was happy to play in LA and help grow MLS around good people and have passion for a project that I believed in and be close to my family.
“I don’t worry about the next job or the next gig or what this means or a stepping stone. I am present and happy to be here, and I want to help this team succeed.”
He did say the door is open to a permanent position, but his contract only goes through the end of the 2024 season.
“If one side doesn’t want it or the other, no problem. There’s no hard feelings, and we’ll move on,” Donovan said. “But let’s put our whole heart into it and go for it, and then we’ll figure out where we go from there.”
(Top photo: John Wilkinson / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
Sports
Jaxon Smith-Njigba breaks Seahawks franchise record in victory over Titans
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The Seattle Seahawks came away with their eighth win of the season on Sunday, and once again, it was star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba playing a large role in the victory.
This time, though, Smith-Njigba, the NFL’s leader in receiving yards, made some Seahawks history in the process.
The second-year receiver out of Ohio State set the single-season franchise record for receiving yards after totaling 167 in the 30-24 victory.
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Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after defeating the Tennessee Titans in the game at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Coming into the game, Smith-Njigba needed 150 yards to break D.K. Metcalf’s record of 1,303, which he set in 2020. After Sam Darnold found his favorite target for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter, it was not only another deep touchdown connection between the two, but it made it quite possible that Smith-Njigba would break Metcalf’s record in just his 11th game of the season.
Smith-Njigba later reached the yardage needed in the third quarter, and that total is only expected to grow with six games left in the regular season.
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It was clear that Smith-Njigba was going to be a great receiver in the league when he tallied 100 receptions for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns during his rookie campaign in 2024. But with a new quarterback in Darnold — Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason — there were questions entering the year about whether the offense would look the same.
Darnold has proven to be the right fit for Klint Kubiak’s offense, and Smith-Njigba has set a new career high in touchdowns and appears poised to shatter his receptions total as well.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after catching a pass for a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
It’s worth noting that Metcalf was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, partly due to Smith-Njigba’s emergence as a top pass-catching option during his rookie season.
The Seahawks also announced that Smith-Njigba has moved into the league record books. He now has the fifth-most receiving yards through the first 11 games of a season in the Super Bowl era, passing the great Julio Jones on that list.
No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans’ offense made things interesting late, as Chimere Dike caught a touchdown to bring them within six points in the fourth quarter. But Seattle’s defense, which has been a solid unit all season, came through in the end.
Fox One/Fox Nation special promotion. (Fox News)
Smith-Njigba finished the game with two touchdowns for Seattle, while Zach Charbonnet added a rushing score for the Seahawks.
Smith-Njigba will look to add to his single-season total next Sunday when the Seahawks return home to host the Minnesota Vikings.
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Sports
Angela Dugalic responds to her coach’s challenge, leading No. 3 UCLA past Southern
During practice Friday, UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close made it clear she wanted to see more from forward Angela Dugalic.
“You’re not using what you’ve earned,” Close recalled telling her while speaking with reporters Friday.
Dugalic is going to face some of the best players in the country this week. Close thinks she can match up with them, but she needs Dugalic to play like it. With all the work Dugalic has done on her low-post game over the offseason, she can’t settle for floating around the perimeter.
Close won’t let her.
“I just want her to be all she can be,” Close said. “She’s been an animal down there in the low post, and I want her to hunt for that. I don’t want her to settle for playing on the perimeter when she’s got a whole lot more tools in her toolbox that she’s not accessing.”
Close got that version of Dugalic in Sunday’s 88-37 rout of Southern at Pauley Pavilion. The third-ranked Bruins were in full control from whistle to whistle, even pitching a second-quarter shutout, and Dugalic led the way with 20 points, five rebounds and an assist. She shot eight for 15 from the floor with a trio of three-pointers.
It was pure dominance by UCLA. The Bruins shot 51% from the field while holding the Jaguars to 29%. They outrebounded Southern by 30. They forced 13 turnovers, nine in the first half, and scored 28 points off them. And on the offensive end, UCLA was flowing with 24 assists to Southern’s nine.
Gabriela Jaquez added eight rebounds, six points and five assists. Her first basket, a layup after cutting through the paint in the second quarter, gave the senior guard her 1,000th career point. Kiki Rice had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Lauren Betts finished with 15 points and six rebounds.
Dugalic opened the scoring for UCLA with a midrange jumper followed by a fast-break layup. She finished the first half with 12 points, tied for the team lead with freshman forward Lena Bilic, who finished the game with 14 points.
Despite Dugalic’s strong start, Close issued her another challenge at halftime.
“I just want you to focus on making the right basketball play,” Close said. “What’s the defense doing? I didn’t think she was reading the defense. I thought she shot it well, and I thought she got some great rebounds, but I didn’t think she was in the flow that we’ve been seeing from her the last few days and our last few games.”
Close added that she thinks Dugalic is playing some of the best basketball of her career, and she’s continuously fighting to raise her standard. It’s not about how many points Dugalic scores, it’s about her decision-making, her defense, her consistency.
The Bruins entered the second quarter with a 22-9 lead thanks to a 14-2 run over the final six minutes of the first quarter after holding Southern (1-4) scoreless during the final three minutes. UCLA then exploded for a 27-0 run in the second quarter while holding the Jaguars scoreless for the entire period. It was the first time the Bruins held an opponent scoreless for an entire quarter since Dec. 5, 2021 against San José State.
Still, Close wasn’t satisfied.
During halftime, Close said she reminded the Bruins of what they want to accomplish. Close wrote down a list of “passion plays,” or goals for every player for the second half.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice controls the ball in front of Southern forward DeMya Porter during the first half of the Bruins’ win Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.
(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
It’s part of a mentality Close is trying to instill in her players. They know a 51-point win against an unranked Southern team isn’t going to give them the feedback they need.
“Outcomes are actually a distraction,” Close said, referencing legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban. “What are the processes that we’re going to be committed to that are going to actually lead us to where we want to go?”
UCLA (6-0) will face No. 4 Texas on Wednesday in the Players Era Women’s Championship in Las Vegas, followed by either No. 2 South Carolina or Duke on Thanksgiving. The Bruins then will host No. 15 Tennessee on Nov. 30.
Sports
UAB players take field hours after stabbing incident leaves two hospitalized
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University of Alabama at Birmingham football players took the field in Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday just hours after tragedy struck.
Two players from UAB were allegedly stabbed by a teammate at the team’s training center ahead of a game against South Florida, a university official confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Both were reported to be in stable condition at a hospital. The names of the victims and the player in custody were not released.
Saturday’s game kicked off at 3 p.m. ET, and USF cruised to a 48-18 victory.
Two UAB football players were stabbed hours before their game Saturday in Birmingham, Ala. (Wes Hale/Getty Images)
An online inmate inquiry from the Jefferson County Jail showed that Daniel Israel Mincey, 20, was arrested by the UAB Campus Police just after noon Saturday and is facing charges of “aggravated assault — A to M — attempted murder.” The university would not confirm whether Mincey was a player involved.
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Mincey is a redshirt freshman who joined the team after one season at Kentucky, according to the UAB football roster.
The two players were attacked Saturday morning at the Football Operations Center, the training center for the Blazers’ football program. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
There appeared to be concerns about whether the game would proceed as scheduled given the incident, but a spokesperson confirmed that the university elected to play.
“We’re grateful to report that two players injured in an incident this morning at the Football Operations Building are in stable condition. Our thoughts are with them and their families as they recover. The suspect — another player — remains in custody, and an investigation is taking place,” a spokesperson said.
USF quarterback Byrum Brown threw for 353 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in the blowout win. UAB held a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, but USF scored 27 unanswered points.
A South Florida Bulls helmet near the sideline during a game between the South Florida Bulls and the Miami Hurricanes Sept. 13, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The highlight of Brown’s day was a 60-yard touchdown pass to Mudia Reuben, which gave USF a 24-10 lead on the first play of the third quarter. Nykahi Davenport added 117 rushing yards and a touchdown run for USF.
UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna had 230 passing yards but was also responsible for three costly interceptions.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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