Florida Sports Wire

 Photo Gallery by Jim Brady/Florida Sports Wire

NEW YORK   – Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 9 of the 2024 MLS season. Messi recorded a goal and an assist in Miami’s 3-2 road victory over Sporting Kansas City, which was played in front of a club-record crowd of 72,610 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium ( Watch Highlights From His Performance Here  ). With his goal and assist in the win, Messi became the first player in MLS history to total at least five goals and five assists through his first five games of a season. Additionally, he joined Thierry Henry (11 in 2012), Landon Donovan (10 in 2008), and Raúl Díaz Arce (10 in 1997) as the only players with at least 10 goal contributions in their first five games to begin a season. The Argentine’s 10 goal contributions are currently tied with Real Salt Lake’s Cristian Arango for the most in MLS. Since Messi joined Miami in 2023, the Herons are now 5-0-2 in MLS games that he has produced a goal or an assist...

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today re-signed defensive lineman William Gholston and signed free agent offensive lineman Lorenz Metz. Gholston  (6-6, 281) returns for his 12th season in Tampa Bay, making him the second-longest tenured Buccaneers player behind only Lavonte David. Since being selected by Tampa Bay in the fourth round (No. 126 overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft, Gholston has played in 169 career regular season games, with 88 starts. His 169 games played with the Buccaneers rank sixth in franchise history.   In his career, Gholston has recorded 420 tackles (58 for loss), 77 quarterback hits, 19.5 sacks, 14 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one interception and four blocked kicks. He has also appeared in all nine playoff games for Tampa Bay over the past four seasons. In his playoff career, Gholston has tallied four quarterback hits and eight tackles, including one for loss. The Detroit native played collegiately at Michigan State....

  SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The ECHL on Monday announced that Austin Magera of the South Carolina Stingrays has been named the 2023-24 recipient of the John A. Daley Memorial Trophy as the ECHL Rookie of the Year.  The award is presented annually to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition at the “AA” level or higher as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members. The trophy was named in honor of John A. Daley in 1997. Daley, who passed away in 1996, was one of the founding fathers of the ECHL, serving as general manger and minority owner of the Johnstown Chiefs from the inception of the team in 1988 until 1994.    Max Andreev of Kansas City finished second, followed by Jacksonville’s Matt Vernon, Kyle Mayhew of Utah and Kansas City’s Cade Borchardt.    The ECHL will announce the winner of the Defenseman of the Year Award on Tuesday.    Magera, who was named to the...

 Photos by Jim Brady/Florida Sports Wire

 Photos by Jim Brady/Florida Sports Wire