The San Jose Earthquakes acquired yet another player who saw time under coach Bruce Arena in New England, adding midfielder Noel Buck in a cash deal on Wednesday, the day the MLS transfer window closes.

San Jose is sending $600,000 to the Revolution in exchange for Buck and could send another $50,000.

Buck, 20, was loaned to Southampton FC in England last season but could not break through to the first team and returned stateside after six appearances with Southampton’s under-21 squad.

He made his MLS debut for the Revolution in August 2022, scoring his first goal for the Revs later that season. In 47 career matches for New England across all competitions, he has five goals and two assists.

After Arena left New England at the end of the 2023 season following an investigation into allegations the MLS all-time leader in coaching wins made “insensitive and inappropriate remarks,” Buck’s playing time decreased, leading to the Southampton loan.

Over their six months since hiring Arena as head coach and sporting director, the Quakes have acquired six players who played under him in New England. That list includes DeJuan Jones, who arrived from Columbus in a Tuesday trade.

“Noel Buck is a player with excellent potential,” Arena said in a team release.

— Michael Nowels

College sports

The judge in Oakland overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences delayed final approval of the plan until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken signaled she is ready to approve the rest of the settlement but wants both sides to come up with a way to not harm current athletes who will lose their spots on teams. The settlement calls for scholarship limits to be replaced by roster limits.

“With the exception of the immediate implementation of the roster limits provisions that will cause harm to certain members of the Injunctive Relief Settlement Class ... the Court tentatively finds that it can grant final approval of the remainder of the settlement agreement as fair, reasonable, and adequate,” Wilken wrote in her five-page order.

NFL

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis confirmed for the first time on Wednesday that starting quarterback Derek Carr does have a shoulder “issue,” but he declined to discuss specifics or forecast Carr’s playing status for the upcoming season.

“We’re hoping to get some resolution and some clarity on that in the near future,” Loomis said. “And when we do, I’ll report back to you. Otherwise, I don’t have anything more on Derek.”

Loomis also sidestepped a question about whether he believes the Saints’ starting QB for 2025 is currently on the roster.

The issue first arose when NFL.com, citing an anonymous source, reported on April 11 that the former Raiders quarterback might need shoulder surgery which could cause him to miss part or all of the upcoming season.

The Los Angeles Chargers will take on the Detroit Lions in the annual Hall of Fame game as part of enshrinement week.

The Hall announced the matchup for July 31 with the Chargers playing just days before longtime tight end Antonio Gates will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gates will be joined by three other modern era candidates with ex-Raider Eric Allen, Jared Allen of Morgan Hill and Sterling Sharpe also getting inducted on Aug. 2.

Steve McMichael, a star defensive tackle on the Chicago Bears’ famed 1985 Super Bowl championship team whose larger-than-life personality made him a fixture in the Windy City for decades and a natural for professional wrestling, has died following a battle with ALS. He was 67.

McMichael died Wednesday afternoon, his publicist, Betsy Shepherd, told The Associated Press.

An All-Pro in 1985 and 1987, McMichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. He played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981-93 and ranks second to Richard Dent on the Bears’ career sacks list with 92 1/2. His final NFL season was with Green Bay in 1994.

Women’s soccer

Former U.S. women’s national team star Lauren Holiday and husband Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics have joined the ownership group of the North Carolina Courage in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Lauren Holiday was on U.S. teams that won the 2015 Women’s World Cup and gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. She’lle be an advisor and ambassador for the NWSL club.

Women’s hockey

The PWHL is heading west by selecting Vancouver as its first expansion franchise as the six-team league broadens its reach across North America.

And the addition of a second expansion team — with Seattle a candidate — is on the horizon.

Other potential markets for the next expansion team include Denver and Detroit.

The PWHL’s other six clubs include five northeastern-based teams — Boston, New York, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto — and one in St. Paul, Minnesota.