Jack Hendry says he'll "look forward to" coming up against Neymar should Brazil's superstar forward make his first appearance of this World Cup on Wednesday - and the Scotland centre-half believes his previous experience of playing against him will stand him in good stead.

The Santos 34-year-old, who has scored 79 goals in 128 appearances for Brazil, has not played for the five-time champions at this tournament due to the calf injury, but head coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed he is fit to play against Scotland in Miami on Wednesday.

And Al-Ettifaq 31-year-old Hendry insists he will be ready for the challenge.

"I'll have no problem," he said. "Obviously he was out in the league I was in. I'm quite comfortable coming up against Neymar. It should there be a really good battle and if he does play then I'll look forward to it.

"Obviously I think he got injured out in Saudi, he did get his ACL, which was unfortunate. I would have loved to have played against him more."

Hendry also faced Neymar while he was playing for Club Brugge in season.

"I played against him twice I think in the Champions League when he was at Paris Saint-Germain, so that was good test," he recalled.

"Obviously the front three at that time were with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. That's not a bad front three, so it was a good experience and l learn a lot from playing against those top-calibre players, so I look forward to it.

"You need to concentrate throughout the game playing against these calibre of players because, the second you switch off, they can punish you.

"Brazil have got an amazing history and we obviously want to disrupt that on Wednesday and I think, if there's a nation to play to get to the next round, we want to do it against these type of teams, so it's going to be a great spectacle."

There’s already talk that another major sporting event could soon be heading to the South Lawn of the White House.

Just last Sunday, UFC Freedom 250 took place in that very spot, and there’s no question it was one of the most highly anticipated cards in recent memory. It more than delivered, too.

Despite Dana White making it clear at the time that something like this wouldn’t happen again, discussions have already started about what might come next.

After such an incredibly successful event, Joe Rogan made a huge claim that it garnered 150 million viewers.

Rogan’s number turned out to be far from accurate, though, with the official count closer to 17 million. Even so, that’s still a massive audience and has sparked interest from other corners of the sports world.

The UFC’s sister company, WWE, is now exploring the idea of hosting its own event on the South Lawn.

Both organisations fall under TKO Group Holdings, which is reportedly testing out whether WWE could replicate UFC’s success at Freedom 250.

A big factor in UFC landing their spot at the White House was Donald Trump’s support for MMA and his ties to Dana White.

But there’s more than one link here. Trump also has a history with WWE. He appeared at WrestleMania 23 in a ‘Battle of the Billionaires’ match against then-CEO Vince McMahon back in 2007 – a nod to his ongoing connection with wrestling as well as MMA.

Read more:

• Former WWE champion claims Vince McMahon is one of the ‘greatest stories’ in American history
• Major WWE SummerSlam update emerges amid safety fears at the US Bank Stadium
• How WWE insiders really feel about the Bloodline 2.0 story with Jacob Fatu

Rory McIlroy's U.S. Open takes painful turn after early charge at Shinnecock Hills originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Rory McIlroy looked like he might be a factor at the 2026 U.S. Open. Instead, one of golf's biggest stars left Shinnecock Hills wondering what could have been.

McIlroy entered the final round within striking distance after putting himself in position through the first three days of the championship. For stretches of the week, the five-time major winner appeared poised to make a serious run at another U.S. Open title.

But the final chapter never materialized.

As eventual champion Wyndham Clark surged to victory, McIlroy faded down the leaderboard with a disappointing closing round that erased much of the momentum he had built earlier in the tournament. The result marked another frustrating major championship finish for a player who has consistently put himself in contention but has struggled to convert opportunities into victories.

There were plenty of encouraging signs for McIlroy throughout the week at Shinnecock Hills. His ball-striking was sharp, he avoided many of the mistakes that punished players around the course, and he entered Sunday with a realistic chance of making noise near the top of the leaderboard.

That's what made the ending so disappointing. Rather than mounting a charge, McIlroy was unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities while several players around him made moves. As the pressure increased and conditions remained demanding, his hopes of lifting the trophy slowly slipped away.

For a player with McIlroy's pedigree, simply making the cut or finishing inside the top portion of the leaderboard is rarely the goal. Expectations are much higher every time he tees it up in a major.

A disappointing end to a promising start for Rory at the #USOpen 😬 pic.twitter.com/6LfGIWwtUR

McIlroy's performance at Shinnecock Hills will likely reignite conversations about his major championship drought. Despite remaining one of the most talented and recognizable golfers in the world, every major now seems to carry an added layer of scrutiny. Fans and analysts continue searching for signs that another breakthrough is coming.

There were moments during the U.S. Open that suggested this could be the week. Instead, the tournament added another near-miss to a growing list of opportunities that slipped away.

That reality is especially difficult because McIlroy showed enough throughout the week to remind everyone why he remains a threat on golf's biggest stages.

MORE: Miles Russell's father delivers unforgettable Father's Day moment at U.S. Open

While the final result was disappointing, McIlroy's overall play wasn't without positives. Competing near the top of the leaderboard at one of golf's toughest tests remains an encouraging sign as the season moves forward. His game appears capable of contending against the world's best, even if the final-round execution wasn't there.

The challenge now is turning those flashes into a complete four-round performance. For much of the week, McIlroy looked ready to make headlines for all the right reasons at the U.S. Open.

Instead, he became one of the tournament's biggest "what if" stories after a disappointing end to a promising start.

MORE PGA:

• Inside Wyndham Clark's major history
• Revisiting Wyndham Clark's 2025 U.S. Open incident
• Round 4 tee times, featured groups for 2026 U.S. Open

By now, the Minnesota Vikings’ 2026 offseason is in the books, with training camp beginning on August 1st and the regular season six weeks after that. While the club has fired up some encouraging transactions, such as signing quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Jauan Jennings, Minnesota may regret a handful of offseason decisions.

Ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = top possible regret), here’s the list of items that could age poorly.

4. Ignoring Veteran Centers in Free Agency

The Vikings had opportunities to address their center position more aggressively. They could have pursued free agents like Cade Mays, Elgton Jenkins, Lloyd Cushenberry, Luke Fortner, or Tyler Biadasz. Alternatively, they could have drafted a center such as Jake Slaughter, Connor Lew, Sam Hecht, or Logan Jones.

Instead, they chose to retain Blake Brandel as their primary center, a decision that accepts intrinsic risk.

While Minnesota did draft Cincinnati center Gavin Gerhardt in the 7th Round, hoping he might develop, relying on a 7th-Rounder for an immediate impact is ill-advised, particularly for a team focused on stabilizing the quarterback position and maintaining offensive momentum.

If Brandel performs well, the Vikings’ decision will appear shrewd and patient. However, if he struggles, this one will undoubtedly become an offseason choice that fans quickly criticize, given the available alternatives. Ultimately, they opted to trust their internal solution.

3. Passing on All the Draft’s Best RBs

In free agency, the Vikings said no thanks to halfbacks like Travis Etienne and Kenneth Walker II — presumably too expensive. Instead, they drafted Demond Claiborne from Wake Forest in Round 5 and re-upped with Aaron Jones at a reduced price.

During the draft, Minnesota passed on these rookie tailbacks:

• Kaelon Black | R3, San Francisco 49ers
• Jonah Coleman | R4, Denver Broncos
• Mike Washington Jr. | R4, Las Vegas Raiders
• Emmett Johnson | R5, Kansas City Chiefs
• Nicholas Singleton | R5, Tennessee Titans
• Adam Randall | R5, Baltimore Ravens

For a franchise that has not connected on a rookie RB draft pick since Dalvin Cook in 2017 and Alexander Mattison (to an extent) in 2019, one might’ve expected more emphasis on a new runner. No luck.

For youth at running back, Claiborne and his 4.37 speed is the one big hope.

2. Trading Jonathan Greenard

The Vikings might be just fine at outside linebacker with Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. Rookie defender Jake Golday could even play some hybrid ILB-OLB snaps. Early summer clues also hinted that defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins could flip to OLB from time to time in 2026.

Regardless, most Super Bowl contenders don’t trade their best defensive players, and they for damn sure don’t trade quality EDGE rushers to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Minnesota did that anyway, refusing to accommodate Greenard’s asking price of $25 million per season over the next four years. The pressure is now squarely on Turner.

1. A Team That Has Drafted Poorly since 2022 Betting It All on 1st-Round DT with a Bad Foot

The departures of DTs Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in March were no surprise. Allen signed with Cincinnati, Hargrave with Green Bay, and Minnesota signaled a transition towards a younger strategy.

Simply promoting Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins was never going to be the complete solution. While these players remain valuable, the Vikings clearly viewed them as depth rather than primary starters.

The perspective later directly informed their draft strategy. Minnesota dedicated two of its first three picks to Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange, clearly outlining the front office’s vision for rebuilding the defensive line’s interior. The message was straightforward: out with the old and in with the new.

While Allen and Hargrave offered experience, their projected 2025 performance wasn’t compelling enough. The Vikings evidently opted to construct their future defensive line around emerging talent rather than established, albeit mediocre, veterans.

So, the pressure is now on the rookies. Rapid development from Banks and Orange will validate the move. On the other hand, if the defensive line underperforms, questions will inevitably arise about whether parting with two proven veterans was premature.

The problem with Banks? Well, he’s suffered two separate foot injuries since the summer of 2025, including a broken foot at the 2026 NFL Combine. Big men with foot injuries tend to have problematic recoveries, though that’s not a guarantee.

The Vikings have not drafted well over the last four years, and while Banks has All-Pro upside when healthy, it’s a little weird that one of the NFL’s worst-drafting teams since 2022 would take the plunge on a boom-or-bust rookie.

Hopefully, for the Vikings’ sake, Banks, as No. 1 on this list, will age poorly.