SOCCER

Brazil’s wealth of attacking options was highlighted when nine forwards were picked in the World Cup squad on Monday.

Neymar spearheaded the group of forwards including relative youngsters Vinicius Jr., Gabriel Martinelli and Rodrygo. Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, capped since 2014, missed out.

Dani Alves, the 39-year-old former Barcelona right back, was also on the 26-man list named by Coach Tite.

There were also eight defenders and six midfielders, not including Philippe Coutinho, who suffered a quadricep injury in training with West Ham at the weekend.

Tite narrowed down the list from 55 players he and his staff had been monitoring since 2018 to try and win a record-extending sixth World Cup crown.

In Qatar, Brazil will face Serbia (Nov. 24), Switzerland (Nov. 28) and Cameroon (Dec. 2) in Group G.

LIVERPOOL: The owner of Liverpool confirmed it was open to selling shares in the club amid speculation it was inviting offers from potential buyers.

Fenway Sports Group said in a statement it remained committed to the club it bought in 2010 and has guided to a new era of success.

When asked by the Associated Press about the potential that Liverpool could be put up for sale, FSG said it would consider new shareholders.

UEFA: Real Madrid will play Liverpool, again. Bayern Munich will play Paris Saint-Germain, again.

Two rematches of recent Champions League finals were set up by the draw for the Round of 16 as some of Europe’s top heavyweights were paired together.

Madrid beat Liverpool in the 2018 and 2022 finals, to extend its competition record to 14 titles, and Bayern beat PSG in 2020 to become European champion for the sixth time.

HOCKEY

ECHL: The Maine Mariners acquired goaltender Peter Thome from the Idaho Steelheads in exchange for cash considerations.

The move comes after goalies Brandon Bussi and Francois Brassard were both recalled to the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League this past week.

Thome, a 2016 sixth-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets was 1-2 with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage in three games for Idaho last season after finishing his collegiate career at the University of St. Thomas.

BASKETBALL

WNBA: The Dallas Wings hired Los Angeles Sparks assistant Latricia Trammell as head coach, picking a defensive specialist for a franchise seeking its first deep playoff run since moving to Texas.

The move comes seven weeks after the Wings said they were declining the option on Vickie Johnson’s contract despite the coach making the postseason each of her two seasons.

Trammell was in charge of a Sparks defense that put four players on WNBA All-Defensive teams, including 2020 Defensive Player of the Year Candace Parker.

Trammell was an assistant with the San Antonio Stars in 2017 after coaching smaller colleges in her native Oklahoma and Colorado. She won back-to-back NAIA national championships at Oklahoma City University in 2014 and 2015, and also was a high school coach in Oklahoma and Texas.

SWIMMING

WORLD CUP: Katie Ledecky swam to a world record of 7 minutes, 57.42 seconds in the 800-meter freestyle  in Indianapolis Saturday night.

The previous record of 7:59.34 by Spain’s Mireia Belmonte had stood since 2013.

Indianapolis is one of three stops on the World Cup circuit organized by FINA, the world governing body for aquatic sports. The previous two were at Berlin and Toronto.

The 25-year-old Ledecky won by nearly 10 seconds over silver medalist Summer McIntosh, a 16-year-old Canadian. The American earned a $10,000 bonus.

The world record was the 17th by Ledecky since 2013, her second in short course (25-meter pool) and second set in Indianapolis. She set the world record in long course (50-meter pool) in the 1,500 freestyle with a time of 15:20.48 in this natatorium on May 16, 2018.