Ohio State coach Ryan Day says Kyle McCord will be starting quarterback going forward

>> Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Kyle McCord will remain the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback, finally committing to the third-year player after two games where he received most of the playing time.

Day has refrained from naming a definitive starter after McCord and Devin Brown competed throughout the offseason to replace C.J. Stroud.

“We decided that Kyle is going to be the starter,” Day told reporters. “We’re going to go ahead and make that distinction.”

McCord has thrown for 497 yards, three touchdowns and interception for the sixth-ranked Buckeyes (2-0).

Brown is 8 for 16 in two games against Indiana and Youngstown State.

“It gives Kyle, first off, peace of mind that I think he realizes he is the starter,” Day said. “He earned that opportunity.”

The Buckeyes face Western Kentucky at home on Saturday.

US routs Oman 4-0 in exhibition as Balogun, Aaronson and Pepi score

Balogun scored in the 13th minute, Brenden Aaronson converted a free kick in the 60th and Ricardo Pepi got a goal in the 79th to lead the United States over Oman 4-0 in an exhibition Tuesday night for a two-game sweep of the Americans’ first matches in Gregg Berhalter’s return as coach.

Khalid Al-Braiki added an own goal in the 81st when he deflected in a cross by defender Kevin Paredes, who had entered two minutes earlier in his U.S. debut.

Berhalter was hired after the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and led the Americans to the second round of last year’s tournament, where they lost to the Netherlands 3-1. He was replaced by interim coaches while the U.S. Soccer Federation investigated a domestic violence accusation brought to its attention by the Reyna family, then was rehired.

The 11th-ranked U.S. has an automatic berth for 2026 as a co-host of the 48-nation tournament, No. 73 Oman has never qualified for soccer’s top tournament.

Next up for the Americans are exhibitions against Germany on Oct. 14 at East Hartford, Connecticut, and three days later against Ghana in Nashville, Tennessee.

NHL and NHLPA are now planning to hold a scaled-down World Cup of Hockey in February 2025

HENDERSON, NEV. >> If a World Cup of Hockey materializes in the near future, it won’t be a traditional international tournament like the Olympics.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are still planning to host a World Cup in February 2025, though the sides have scaled back what they think they can do given the timeframe and uncertainty regarding Russian players. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly wouldn’t reveal specific ideas being considered other than to say it won’t be a “typical” World Cup of eight national teams playing over the course of 16 days.

“We’re focused on an alternative type of tournament that leverages kind of the unique internationality of our sport,” Daly said Tuesday at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour. “And so that’s the process we’re in now working with the Players’ Association really to design something that we can plug into February of ‘25.”

The initial hope was to stage the World Cup in 2024, but Russia’s war in Ukraine and some federations’ objections to Russian players taking part were among the issues that scuttled that plan. The aim is still for 2025, which would come a year before the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.

Revolution make additional coaching staff changes

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. >> The New England Revolution have made additional changes to their coaching staff following last week’s abrupt resignation of longtime coach Bruce Arena after he was placed on administrative leave by Major League Soccer because of allegations he made insensitive and inappropriate remarks.

The team announced Tuesday night that Clint Peay, who had been serving as coach of New England’s reserve MLS Next Pro Revolution II team since 2019, has been elevated to interim head coach of the MLS club. Arena’s longtime assistant Richie Williams was originally given the interim title after Arena was placed on leave last month. Arena quit his post on Saturday.