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    The Perils of Having Your Dreams Come True

    Enjoying this newsletter every week? Forward it to a friend and tell them to sign up at nytimes.com/rory. Manchester City’s fans do not see themselves as victims. They are — they feel — like the lucky ones, the lottery winners. More than that, in fact. Any fool can win the lottery. Manchester City earned it. […] More

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    U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Sets Price for Ending Lawsuit: $67 Million

    The United States Soccer Federation and the members of its World Cup champion women’s national team each proposed a way out of their bitter equal pay lawsuit in court filings late Thursday night. The federation sought to avoid a looming gender discrimination trial by asking the judge to dismiss the players’ claim. The women’s players […] More

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    N.F.L. Owners Approve Bargaining Agreement and Await Vote by Players

    The N.F.L.’s 32 teams moved quickly on Thursday to approve a new proposed labor agreement that includes a 17th regular-season game and an expanded playoff structure. Under the proposal, the playoffs would grow from 12 teams to 14. Team owners, including John Mara of the Giants, the chairman of the N.F.L.’s management council, declined to […] More

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    P.S.G. President, Nasser al-Khelaifi, Is Charged in Soccer Scheme

    LONDON — Swiss prosecutors on Thursday charged Nasser al-Khelaifi, a Qatari businessman who is one of the most prominent figures in soccer, with inciting a former secretary general at FIFA to break the law and the official, Jérôme Valcke, with accepting bribes and criminal mismanagement. The charges came more than two years after the Swiss […] More

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    N.F.L. Owners Propose Adding Two Teams to Playoff Format

    The N.F.L. playoffs could expand to include two extra teams as soon as this coming season under a proposed labor agreement now being reviewed by the owners and players, according to a league official who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. In the new playoff structure, a seventh team from each conference would qualify for the […] More

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    Manchester City Defiant Despite Champions League Ban

    Manchester City’s chief executive struck a defiant note Wednesday in his first public comments on the team’s possible ban from the Champions League, saying charges that the club broke cost-control regulations in pursuit of on-field success were untrue. The chief executive, Ferran Soriano, made his comments in a video interview posted on the team’s website […] More

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    Dortmund’s Erling Haaland Adds to His Totals, and to His Legend

    DORTMUND, Germany — Borussia Dortmund’s players hung back a little, idling halfway between the center circle and the goal. With Paris St.-Germain jerseys slung over their shoulders, the spoils of battle, they clapped each other on the back, they exchanged high fives, they ruffled each others’ hair. Most of all, though, they waited for him […] More

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    Atlético Madrid Takes Early Lead to Beat Liverpool

    MADRID — Atlético Madrid scored early and then defended well to beat Liverpool, 1-0, in the first leg of the Champions League’s round of 16 on Tuesday, spoiling the reigning champion’s return to the place where it had won the European title last year. Midfielder Saúl Ñíguez netted in the fourth minute, and Atlético’s defense […] More