Reuters Sports News Summary

Messi made an instant impact when he joined Miami midseason last July, leading them to a Leagues Cup title, yet was unable to deliver enough magic to help his new club overcome their early season results and make the playoffs. Rams name seven newcomers to coaching staff The Los Angeles Rams announced seven additions to their coaching staff under Sean McVay on Tuesday, as well as the official promotion of Chris Shula to defensive coordinator.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-MLS Players Association urge quick end to referee lockout

The MLS Players Association on Tuesday urged a quick resolution to the lockout of the league's referees and cautioned that the use of replacement game officials during the labor dispute could jeopardize the health of players. Barring a sudden agreement, the 2024 MLS season opener on Wednesday featuring Argentine great Lionel Messi's Inter Miami will be officiated by replacement referees.

Patriots captain Matthew Slater retires after 16 seasons

New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater announced his retirement Tuesday after 16 seasons. The three-time Super Bowl champion holds the NFL record for special teams players with 10 Pro Bowl selections.

Red Wings F Michael Rasmussen signs 4-year, $12.8M extension

The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Michael Rasmussen to a four-year contract extension worth $12.8 million on Tuesday. Rasmussen, 24, has appeared in 55 games this season, posting 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) and a plus-11 rating.

Avs eager to keep defending home ice, welcome in Canucks

It will be strength against strength when the Colorado Avalanche face the Vancouver Canucks in Denver on Tuesday night. At 21-5-0, Colorado has the best home record in the NHL, while Vancouver owns the sixth-best mark on the road at 18-9-4. However, the Canucks are coming off Monday's 10-7 loss to the Minnesota Wild in Saint Paul, Minn.

Soccer-Messi again in spotlight ahead of first full MLS season

Argentine great Lionel Messi will start his first full season with Inter Miami on Wednesday and alongside some familiar faces from his Barcelona days, his new side are favourites to secure a maiden Major League Soccer title in 2024. Messi made an instant impact when he joined Miami midseason last July, leading them to a Leagues Cup title, yet was unable to deliver enough magic to help his new club overcome their early season results and make the playoffs.

Rams name seven newcomers to coaching staff

The Los Angeles Rams announced seven additions to their coaching staff under Sean McVay on Tuesday, as well as the official promotion of Chris Shula to defensive coordinator. Shula, who was the Rams' pass-rush coordinator and linebackers coach last season, has been on the team's staff since 2017. The son of former Cincinnati Bengals head coach David Shula and grandson of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, he landed his new position after Raheem Morris departed to take over as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

FuboTV files antitrust lawsuit to block Disney, Fox, Warner sports streaming deal

Sports-focused streaming service FuboTV said on Tuesday it has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Walt Disney, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery over a planned sports streaming platform by the companies. Fubo alleges in a statement that the media companies have engaged in a "years-long campaign" to block the sports streaming service's growth by engaging in anti-competitive practices. The recently sports streaming joint-venture "steals Fubo's playbook" it said, and is "the latest example of this campaign."

Commish affirms 5-game ban for Leafs D Morgan Rielly

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Tuesday upheld the five-game suspension appealed by Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly. Rielly, 29, drew the punishment for a cross-check to the head of Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig on Feb. 10.

Soccer-Morgan replaces injured Fishel on USWNT's Gold Cup roster

Alex Morgan, who had long been a mainstay on the U.S. women's team, has been added to the roster for the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup after Mia Fishel suffered an injury during training, U.S. Soccer said on Tuesday. Fishel tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during training on Monday, which opened the door for the veteran forward to be in the squad when the U.S. open their tournament on Tuesday against the Dominican Republic.

Oddsmakers target date LeBron James hits 40k points

LeBron James is on the precipice of yet another historic milestone coming out of the NBA's All-Star Break. The 39-year-old is only 132 points shy of 40,000 for his career. Averaging 24.8 points per game this season, James could reach the mark by the end of February, with the Los Angeles Lakers still having five games remaining this month.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)