For the 12th consecutive season, the New England Revolution will open its season on the road, and this time, it will be on foreign soil with the Revolution scheduled to face the Montreal Impact at 3 p.m. on Feb. 29, at Olympic Stadium. Major League Soccer announced the full lineup of home openers for the 2020 season, including New England’s first home game at 1:30 p.m. on March 7 against the Chicago Fire. It will be the earliest home opener in club history.
New England, which finished 11-11-12 last season with its first playoff berth since 2015, is 2-6-2 over its last 10 season openers. However, the Revs are 14-6-4 in home openers in Foxboro and 9-4-4 in openers at Gillette Stadium. The full list of home openers is available online on MLSsoccer.com.
Nate Weitzer
Charlotte next for MLS?
The MLS will try to reach an agreement for ïts 30th team to be in Charlotte, N.C. Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper made a presentation to owners Thursday in New York. Tepper would own the team, which would play at Bank of America Stadium, home of his NFL franchise. MLS Commissioner Don Garber all but confirmed the expansion fee will be $300 million . . . Midfielder Jeff Larentowicz will be returning to Atlanta United for his 16th MLS season . . . Everton fired manager Marco Silva, a day after losing, 5-2, to rival Liverpool to slip into the relegation zone in the Premier League. Silva, who was in charge for 18 months, becomes the fourth manager in a little over two weeks to lose his job in England’s top division.
Moustakas’s deal final
All-Star infielder Mike Moustakas completed a $64 million, four-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds, the biggest free agent deal in franchise history. They agreed to the deal earlier in the week. Moustakas was in town to sign it and get introduced at the team’s annual fan festival . . . The Minnesota Twins and starting pitcher Michael Pineda agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract to bring the righthander back after a suspension for a banned diuretic, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because the deal, pending completion of a physical exam, had not been finalized . . . The Milwaukee Brewers acquired catcher Omar Narváez from the Seattle Mariners for minor league pitcher Adam Hill and a compensation round pick in next June’s amateur draft. Narváez becomes Milwaukee’s replacement for Yasmani Grandal, who signed a $73 million, four-year contract with the Chicago White Sox . . . Outfielder Jake Marisnick was acquired by the New York Mets from the Houston Astros for two prospects — lefthander Blake Taylor and outfielder Kenedy Corona.
Reed leads in Bahamas
Patrick Reed made six birdies over his last 10 holes for a 6-under-par 66 for a three-shot lead over US Open champion Gary Woodland at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. Reed was at 12-under 132 after two rounds. Tournament host Tiger Woods remained six shots behind, but he played bogey-free and made up ground on the back nine . . . Rookie Rasmus Hojgaard, an 18-year-old Dane, shot 6-under 66, including an eagle on the par-5 seventh, for a share of the lead at the Mauritius Open alongside South African Brandon Stone, Grant Forrest of Scotland and French players Benjamin Hebert and Romain Langasque . . . World No. 1-ranked amateur Takumi Kanaya birdied his final two holes for a 6-under 65 a two-stroke clubhouse lead at the Australian Open in Sydney.
NASCAR gets sponsors
NASCAR signed Busch Beer, Coca-Cola, Geico and Xfinity as its “premier partners’’ in a change to its traditional sponsorship model. The premier series starting next year will be known as the NASCAR Cup Series and not feature a title sponsor. Winston, Nextel, Sprint and most recently Monster Energy served as the entitlement sponsors for the stock car racing series . . . Joe Gibbs was honored with the Bill France Award of Excellence, capping a year in which he was elected to NASCAR’s Hall of Fame, won his fifth Cup championship as a car owner, and thoroughly dominated the competition . . . Freshman Aubrey Griffin had the best game of her young career, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead undefeated fourth-ranked UConn to a 92-78 victory over Seton Hall in women’s college basketball in South Orange, N.J. . . . Kelli Tennant, the woman who accused Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton of sexual assault, dropped her lawsuit. The request for dismissal was filed Tuesday in Superior Court in Los Angeles.