After going through some growing pains, edge rusher Dallas Turner is currently flourishing amid the best stretch of his career.

He’s quietly up to 5 1/2 sacks for the Vikings heading into the matchup with the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Not that the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is getting too far ahead of himself.

“I don’t really feel like it’s like, ‘He’s here now,’” Turner said. “It’s about continuing to do what I’ve been doing.”

That mature outlook from Turner stems from a lesson he learned in college while playing for legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

“Just being level headed,” Turner said. “Not paying too much attention to the rat poison.”

Wait. What?

Asked for an explanation on the phrase, Turner laughed to himself, then explained how Saban would refer to the outside noise as rat poison. It was his way of trying to get everybody within the program to ignore some of the distractions that might make them feel overconfident.

That mentality has shown up in Turner as he carves out a niche for himself with the Vikings. Never mind that he’s riding a hot streak, recording a sack against the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, then a pair of sacks against the Seattle Seahawks. He’s not letting himself get complacent.

That focus from Turner impressed veterans like edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and fellow edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel.

“This is a small glimpse of who he can be,” Van Ginkel said. “He’s only getting better so it’s good so see.”

As for defensive coordinator Brian Flores, he said he’s been encouraged by how Turner has continued to put his head down and go to work, even if his playing time has fluctuated since being drafted.

That has gone a long way in Turner taking the next step in his progression.

“It’s the splash plays that everybody says, ‘OK. He’s starting to figure it out,’” Flores said. “There are a lot of the little things that aren’t as splashy that he’s also doing well.”

That’s always been a key for Flores when it comes to development. He loves to use the example of a player who records 10 sacks in a season and doesn’t do anything else to impact the game.

“Let’s say there are 1,000 snaps in a season,” Flores said. “What did he do in those other 990 snaps?”

That’s how Flores has tried to get Turner to understand the importance of doing the little things.

“You’ve got to get gritty first,” Turner said. “You’ve got to get down and dirty to get sexy.”

What does that entail?

“It’s stuff like setting edges, playing the run, taking on the double team to set somebody else up,” Turner said. “Just reading my keys and understanding what I have in front of me will lead to the splash plays and turnovers and all that stuff that everybody likes to see.”

That’s exactly what Flores has been hoping to see from Turner.

“We love it,” Flores said. “He’s also doing a lot of the little things well. I’m excited for him to continue to grow and develop. He’s still young and he’s certainly moving in the right direction.”

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By NOAH TRISTER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The president of the United States danced to the Village People, Wayne Gretzky struggled to pronounce the names of underdog soccer nations from Europe and the Caribbean — and the head of FIFA declared his governing body to be humanity’s official provider of happiness.

And yes, teams were divided into groups for next year’s World Cup. That was, after all, the stated purpose of the gathering.

After Friday’s ceremony began, it took about 90 minutes — the length of a regulation soccer match — for the draw to begin in earnest. By then, casual fans who tuned in out of curiosity had learned that FIFA doesn’t really do understatement. Not for an event like this, at least.

A screen shows the final bracket at the end of the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Jia Haocheng/Pool Photo via AP)

President Donald Trump loomed over the proceedings, as expected, receiving a peace award from FIFA that seemed to have been created specifically for him. FIFA President Gianni Infantino called his group “the official happiness provider for humanity” — which is certainly one way of describing an institution that’s been in the middle of any number of corruption allegations through the years.

In addition to Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — who drew their countries into predetermined World Cup groups before the rest of the spots in the 12 four-team groups were filled — Friday’s festivities included plenty of big names.

Comedian Kevin Hart co-hosted the broadcast alongside Heidi Klum. Gretzky, Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal and Aaron Judge helped with the draw itself. Singers Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and Lauryn Hill performed.

Singer Robbie Williams and singer and actor Nicole Scherzinger perform during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Over the top? Yes. One can only imagine the fan revolt if, for example, the selection shows for the NCAA basketball tournaments were handled this way. But there was no denying how many fans were tuning in — and FIFA was determined to make this a full-fledged entertainment event.

The Trump show

When the U.S. last hosted the men’s World Cup in 1994, then-president Bill Clinton didn’t even attend the draw. But Trump is no usual politician, and the former real estate mogul and reality show host ensured — with plenty of backup from FIFA — that he was the effective star of the event.

First, the event was held at the Kennedy Center, the longstanding arts institution in Washington whose leadership was ousted earlier this year and replaced with Trump loyalists. The president has jokingly called it the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”

Then the U.S. president was awarded the inaugural FIFA peace prize from soccer’s governing body.

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“You definitely deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for your action for what you have obtained in your way,” Infantino told Trump, who wore the prize’s gold medal around his neck.

The draw even opened and closed with some Trump musical favorites. Opera legend Andrea Bocelli, set to perform at the White House on Friday night, began the draw with a rendition of Puccini’s “Nessun dorma.”

Near the end, organizers brought the Village People on stage to perform “YMCA,” which, like “Nessun dorma,” is often performed at Trump campaign rallies. From his seat at the Kennedy Center, Trump stood up and did his signature dance.

Quite a production

FIFA looked to elevate the ceremony with comedy, music and star-driven moments. The organization packed the two hour-plus event with comedians, music stars, sports legends, roving interviews and commercials featuring popular actors Matthew McConaughey and Salma Hayek.

Some moments dazzled, others drifted. But together they signaled FIFA’s growing effort to turn the draw into entertainment.

Williams and Scherzinger earned a standing ovation with a rousing performance of FIFA’s official hymn, “Desire.” Hill followed with full-band renditions of “Lost Ones” and “Doo Wop (That Thing),” pausing to acknowledge Bob Marley’s deep connection to the game before bringing out his grandson, YG Marley, for a reggae-soul collaboration.

Klum and Hart introduced a rotation of sports legends as part of the extended broadcast. Hart welcomed Gretzky and Judge. Klum followed by introducing O’Neal, whose 7-foot-1 frame provided an instant visual contrast to Hart, before rounding out the sequence with Brady.

Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal holds up the team name of Ecuador during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Expanded field

Gretzky stumbled over the pronunciations of North Macedonia and Curaçao, two teams whose qualification hopes — North Macedonia isn’t actually in yet — were boosted by the fact that the World Cup expanded from 32 teams to 48. That meant the number of groups increased from eight to 12.

It also made for an even more complex draw, with six of the 48 teams not even known yet. Those six will come from March playoffs, which forced the draw to use placeholders.

Then there was FIFA’s policy of not putting multiple teams from the same continental confederation in the same group, with the exception of Europe. For an avid fan who’d studied the process, it wasn’t too hard to follow. For the uninitiated, there was probably a fair amount of confusion.

New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge shows Norway during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, Pool)

Nuts and bolts

The expanded field also meant there was little chance of multiple powerhouses ending up in the same group. However, France has to contend with goal-scoring star Erling Haaland and Norway in Group I. Senegal is also in that group. In 2002, Senegal beat France as the French fell apart trying to defend the title they’d won four years earlier.

Scotland has never made it past the group stage, and it won’t be easy this year. Group C also includes Brazil — the fifth time in its last seven appearances Scotland has been drawn with Brazil — and Morocco, which is No. 11 in the FIFA rankings.

The U.S., meanwhile, is in Group D with Australia (the lowest-ranked team in pot 2 of the draw) and Paraguay (the lowest-ranked South American team in the field so far). The Americans also avoided the possibility of facing Italy or Denmark from out of the European playoffs.

AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. and Associated Press Writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

By HOWARD FENDRICH

WASHINGTON (AP) — If you listened to the words spoken after the World Cup draw by the various coaches who were at the Kennedy Center on Friday, it would seem impossible for any of them to win next year’s tournament.

Everyone got thrown into the toughest group — or the “Group of Death,” in soccer parlance.

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Everyone was burdened with talented foes for their first three matches — even if a half-dozen participants are yet to be determined and the expanded field means some lesser-quality teams will get in.

And everyone needs to avoid overlooking any other team and be ready for whatever is to come during the tournament from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico during the largest World Cup yet, the first with 48 countries participating (there were 32 last time).

“We need to respect all of the opponents. It’s always going to be difficult,” said U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, whose squad is in Group D and starts off against Paraguay on June 12, then also will face Australia and a still-undetermined playoff qualifier.

“My message to the players is: We need to compete better than Paraguay; that is going to be difficult. Australia is going to be difficult,” Pochettino said. “And the team that is going to join us is going to be difficult.”

Hmmm. Sense a theme?

There is some version of what is often referred to as “coach speak” under nearly every circumstance and in nearly every sport. Just pay attention to what the men in charge of NFL clubs say day after day during that sport’s season.

It’s the classic playbook: Build up opponents. Don’t let your players get complacent. Don’t let your fans — or the people who hired you and can fire you — think success is guaranteed.

Didier Deschamps, a player on France’s championship team in 1998 and the coach of its title winners in 2018 and runners-up to Argentina in 2022, sounded as worried as anyone else.

Coach of France Didier Deschamps attends the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Dan Mullan/Pool Photo via AP)

Doesn’t matter that the French are considered one of the favorites — not merely to get out of the round-robin stage but also to once more appear in the final.

“We know this is a very tough group,” Deschamps said Friday. “We cannot rest.”

His country was dropped into Group I alongside Senegal, Norway and a playoff team (those won’t all be set until March).

A little later, Norway’s coach, Ståle Solbakken, for his part, praised the French team as “maybe the strongest in Europe,” and in the next breath — as though perhaps worried someone from another nation might take offense — pointed out: “But there’s two other teams in the group.”

One of which won’t even be known for another three months.

Luis de la Fuente, who led Spain to the 2024 European Championship, finds his team among the World Cup favorites but insisted there is parity in the sport these days.

Spain’s Group H includes Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde.

Brazil’s coach Carlo Ancelotti arrives for the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Dan Mullan/Pool Photo via AP)

“People think there are easy groups, but it is a very similar level,” the coach said. “This will be a historic World Cup, because there’s an exceptional level all-round. These games force you to play at your best.”

Players can be just as liable to these sorts of pronouncements.

U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams, speaking to reporters on a video call Friday, said it plainly: “There’s no easy game in the World Cup.”

And then he pointed out that during the last World Cup, when the Americans were eliminated in the round of 16, their two hardest games came “against two of the lesser opponents.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

By ISABEL DEBRE and ALMUDENA CALATRAVA

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The libertarian government of Argentina’s President Javier Milei announced Friday it would issue a dollar bond for the first time in nearly eight years, as the cash-strapped country seeks a return to international markets and faces an enormous sum of debt due in the coming months.

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The dollar-denominated sovereign bond, issued under Argentine law and targeted at foreign and local investors, has an interest rate, or coupon, of 6.5% and matures in November 2029, the Economy Ministry said, without offering details on the size of the offering.

Analysts say the bond auction signals growing confidence in President Milei’s reforms after his party’s landslide midterm election victory reassured bondholders that his government would be able to pay them back.

“It shows they are taking steps — slowly — toward normalizing the market and reducing dependence on international reserves, which is a big concern,” said Fernando Marull, an Argentine economist.

“Ideally, debt should be paid with refinancing, not with scarce reserves. It’s like going to a bank and refinancing your loan instead of paying the whole thing in cash from your pocket. That’s why this is so important.”

Economy Minister Luis Capto said the money would be crucial for settling part of the $4.2 billion in debt that’s coming due on Jan. 9 without tapping reserves. Because the bond won’t be issued under foreign law, he said, it won’t need congressional approval.

“The reopening of foreign currency debt markets will expand the Treasury’s options regarding the instruments available for debt management,” Caputo wrote on social media, attributing the move to Milei’s success in reining in the budget deficit and lifting most capital controls that fenced off its debt markets.

Regaining access to international borrowing markets has been one of Milei’s goals since the radical libertarian economist took office in late 2023 on a bid to lower severe inflation, stabilize Argentina’s troubled economy and reverse years of hefty public spending under left-wing populist governments.

Chronic economic crises have led Argentina to default on its debt nine times, most recently in a 2020 restructuring. As a result, high borrowing costs and legal tussles with restive foreign investors have left the country unable to take on debt abroad for most of the past two decades.

Without tapping global capital markets — which is how many governments around the world borrow or roll over debts — Argentina will struggle to expand its economy, and to repay the more than $40 billion it owes the International Monetary Fund.

Earlier this year, Caputo secured a fresh $20 billion loan from the IMF to help Milei press ahead with fiscal reforms. To unlock successive tranches of funds, Milei’s government committed to building up its net hard-currency reserves to around $5 billion by the year’s end.

IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack told reporters on Thursday that “meeting the end-of-year reserve target will be challenging” for Argentina. Warning that Milei’s current exchange rate policy of propping up the peso slowed reserve accumulation, she added:

“We continue to advocate that the authorities should use the window of opportunity to implement a consistent and robust monetary and foreign exchange framework to help support the accumulation of reserves.”

Milei has diverted billions of dollars from central bank coffers to strengthen the depreciating Argentine peso in recent months.

That strategy was pushed to the extreme in the run-up to the midterm elections as doubts about the trajectory of Milei’s harsh austerity plan triggered a run on the peso. With the official rate of the peso crashing against the dollar, U.S. President Donald Trump stepped in to save his ideological ally with a $20 billion credit line and outright purchases of pesos.

President Donald Trump meets with Argentine President Javier Milei during the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

While the electoral win thrilled markets and vindicated Trump, unease remains that nothing can stop Milei from burning through foreign reserves again if he depends on a strong peso to fight inflation — not even this bond auction, which experts say is less attractive to foreign investors for being issued under local law.

“I don’t think this represents a return to international markets,” said Juan Battaglia, chief economist at Cucchiara, a stock brokerage in Buenos Aires.

“The government has made significant progress in normalizing the financial account, but there is still a long way to go.”