Lionel Messi had two assists and converted in a shootout to lead Inter Miami over MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 3-3 draw on Wednesday night and into a U.S. Open Cup final against Houston.

Miami remained unbeaten in eight matches with Messi heading into his Major League Soccer debut on Saturday at the New York Red Bulls. The 36-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, joined the team last month and led it to the title of the Leagues Cup.

Jude Bellingham's promising start with Real Madrid has quickly helped quell some of the disappointment prompted by Karim Benzema's departure and the club's failure to bring in Kylian Mbappé.

Madrid's top signing so far this year got off to a red-hot start, scoring once in the team's 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish league opener and twice in the 3-1 win at Almeria last weekend. Bellingham will be attracting all the attention again when Madrid visits Celta Vigo on Saturday to try to stay perfect.

FIFA opened a disciplinary case against Spanish football president Luis Rubiales on Thursday for his behavior at the Women's World Cup final.

The footballbody's disciplinary committee will weigh if Rubiales violated "the basic rules of decent conduct" and "behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute."

The coach of Spain's Women's World Cup champion football team is facing scrutiny after footage emerged showing him touching the chest area of a female assistant while celebrating the only goal of the final.

The incident comes amid a national uproar against the president of the Spanish football federation after he kissed a player on the lips without her consent during the award ceremony after the 1-0 victory over England in Sydney, Australia.

The leader of Spain's soccer federation marred the country's Women's World Cup victory after kissing a player on the lips during the medal ceremony, drawing criticism for inappropriate conduct in a sport that has struggled to overcome sexism.

The Spanish government and the world players' union condemned the behavior of Luis Rubiales on Monday, a day after Spain's 1-0 win over England. The soccer federation led by Rubiales sought to downplay the incident through a statement it attributed to the player he kissed, then later released a video in which Rubiales apologized.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has undergone "emergency surgery" on a back problem and isn't expected to take charge of the team for around another month, the club said on Tuesday.

City said Guardiola has been suffering with severe back pain for some time and decided to have an operation in Barcelona, where he will spend time recovering. The surgery was successful, the club said.

Salma Paralluelo could have been preparing for next year's Olympics if she'd decided to stick with track and not make the switch to football.

But she did pick football and the 19-year-old winger has been a super-sub in Spain's run to the Women's World Cup final. Spain plays England on Sunday in the first all-European final since 2003.

Men and women will use the same tennis ball this year at the U.S. Open, satisfying some women who complained last year they were hitting an inferior product.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek — who eventually won the tournament — was among the women who felt their lighter ball didn't hold its strength as long as the one that was used by men. The U.S. Open had been the only one of the four Grand Slam tournaments that used a different ball for men and women.

Fans line up outside Inter Miami's practice facility to watch Lionel Messi's car drive away after training sessions. Players from opposing teams wait after matches to get his signature or just a simple handshake. His No. 10 jersey is everywhere in South Florida.

For Messi, these are reminders that he made the right choice. He could have continued his acclaimed career with another stint in Barcelona, where he rose to stardom. He could have signed a lucrative deal to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. He chose the unfamiliar — to travel stateside and play soccer in the United States, and he's glad about it.

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is joining Neymar's new club in Saudi Arabia after Sevilla announced his transfer to Al Hilal.

The 32-year-old Bounou helped Morocco become the biggest surprise of last year's World Cup when it reached the semifinals after beating both Spain and Portugal in the knockout rounds.