Gophers forward Khyah Harper has signed a professional contract with National Women’s Soccer League side NJ/NY Gotham FC for the 2025 season, the club announced Wednesday.

Harper, of Lino Lakes and Centennial High School, is the first U player to join the top U.S. women’s soccer league since Eden Prairie forward April Bockin to the Chicago Red Stars in 2019 and Rashida Beal, of Germantown, Wis., with FC Kansas City in 2017.

As a senior last fall, Harper finished in the Top 10 in the nation with 17 goals as Minnesota advanced to Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in November. She was honored as the Big Ten forward of the year and a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which goes to the best college men’s and women’s soccer players in the country.

Gotham FC has a handful of U.S. women’s national team players, including Rose LaVelle, Crystal Dunn, Emily Sonnett and Tierna Davidson.

The NWSL, which has only 14 clubs, stopped doing a college draft this year. Instead, players are able to negotiate with teams individually.

— Andy Greder

USWNT invites 24 to ‘Futures Camp’

Coach Emma Hayes has invited 24 players into a Futures Camp to run concurrently with the U.S. team’s annual January training camp.

Ten college players and 14 professional players are on the roster, including 13 from the National Women’s Soccer League and one from the USL Super League. Seventeen players have represented the U.S. youth national teams in World Cups.

The futures roster comes a day after Hayes revealed the senior players invited to training camp in Carson, Calif., starting next week.

Hayes is evaluating talent with an eye toward the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

NHL

Kings’ game postponed due to wildfires

The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area.

The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers are scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena on Thursday night.

MLB

Former Orioles player Matusz dies at 37

Brian Matusz, the left-handed pitcher who spent eight seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Baltimore Orioles as they returned to prominence a decade ago, has died. He was 37.

The Orioles and the University of San Diego announced Matusz’s death Tuesday night, with USD saying it received word from Matusz’s family. They did not announce a cause of death.

The Orioles drafted Matusz with the fourth overall pick in 2008 out of San Diego.

AUTO RACING

NASCAR asks judge to dismiss antitrust suit

NASCAR went before a federal judge and asked for the antitrust suit filed against the stock car series to be dismissed. Should it proceed, NASCAR asked that the two teams suing be ordered to post a bond to cover fees they would not be legally owed if they lose the case.

NASCAR also asked U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina to dismiss chairman Jim France as a defendant in the suit filed by 23XI Racing, a team co-owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, and Front Row Motorsports, which is owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Penn St. coach calls for more uniformity

The Big Ten plays nine conference games in football. So does the Big 12. The Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference are among those playing eight-game league schedules. The Mountain West played a seven-game league slate. Notre Dame doesn’t have a league.

Enough, Penn State coach James Franklin says.

Franklin said on the eve of his team’s matchup with Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl that the sport needs uniformity.

“I know a lot of times when coaches talk like this people roll their eyes,” Franklin said. “But I think when every decision that we make is based on finances, then we’re not making great decisions that’s in the student-athlete and the game of football’s best interest. … I think it should be consistent across college football.”

Badgers QB Van Dyke is heading to SMU

Tyler Van Dyke, whose only season at Wisconsin was cut short because of a major knee injury, is moving on to SMU.

The quarterback’s transfer destination was reported by multiple media outlets Wednesday and his agent, Shawn O’Dare, congratulated him on social media.

Van Dyke was a three-year starter at Miami, where he was 2021 ACC rookie of the year, and he transferred to Wisconsin after the 2023 season.

He won the Badgers’ starting job in preseason practice and led them to two wins before he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the opening series of a Sept. 14 loss to Alabama.

SKIING

Bulgaria ski team gets first win in 45 years

Albert Popov gave Bulgaria’s ski team its first World Cup victory in 45 years by triumphing in a slalom as four of the favorites skied out of the night race in Madonna Di Campiglio.

Eighth-fastest after the opening run, Popov put down a brilliant second run on the Canalone Miramonti course and the 27-year-old tipped his head back and let out a scream of joy after crossing the finish line.

BRIEFLY

SOCCER >> Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou says midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was “conscious” after being carried off on a stretcher in the 14th minute of a match against Liverpool in the English League Cup semifinals after falling to the ground at a corner.

SKIING >> Ski patrollers at the biggest U.S. ski resort reached a tentative deal with the corporate owner of Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort to end a strike and resume normal operations after almost two weeks of closed terrain and long lift lines at the busiest time of year.

— From news services