The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • B3

TUESDAY JANUARY 21 2020 3BSportsNEWSOBSERVER.COM AF MIAMI SHORES, FLA. David new soccer team finally got to play soccer. After more than six years of planning and a process that was at times brutally difficult Inter Miami took the field for the first time Monday. The expansion MLS inaugural training camp opened at Barry University, with about two dozen players on the field. said Paul McDonough, Inter Mia- sporting director.

day we do some- thing, every milestone we hit, everything be- comes more Beckham at the workout and is not ex- pected in town for a few more weeks. McDo- nough has been with the club for the last year and a half or so and is still working on a final roster, with about a half-dozen more signings expected in the coming weeks. He watched much of the session from a far corner. Coach Diego Alonso, who will be introduced Wednesday, bounced from group to group, barking instructions. McDonough was up at 2 a.m., eight hours before the first training session, with all sorts of thoughts going through his mind construction that still needs to be finished and deals that still need to be signed among them.

To say he was a bit anxious may have been an understatement. of the things about being in Miami is the fans do have very high McDonough said. fans are very educated here so going to hold us to a very high standard, which I think is OK. We want that type of Inter players gathered for the first time as a group over the weekend, sharing a team dinner on Saturday night. Alonso, who is not yet comfortable speaking English, addressed the team at that dinner and set the tone for training camp.

In any language, his message got through. introduction, I thought, was said goalkeeper Luis Robles, the MLS goalie of the year for the 2015 season and who spent the last eight seasons with the New York Red Bulls. he spoke, I was ready to go train. Except it was 8 at night, so glad we Beckham was in Miami looking at potential sta- dium sites on June 1, 2013 2,424 days before his team would hold its first practice. The AP reported that Beckham had officially picked Miami on Oct.

29, 2013. Beckham himself came to town to announce that very decision on Feb. 5, 2014. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said that day, sional soccer is a reality in was a relative term. Practice happen for another six years.

There were more than a half-dozen sites under consideration at various times, and even that remains somewhat in flux. Inter Miami will play its home opener March 14 at a still-get- ting-completed complex in Fort Lauderdale at the site of the now-de- molished Lockhart Stadi- um, where the Miami Fusion spent three sea- sons in MLS before fold- ing because of poor at- tendance in 2001. stadium is on McDonough said. The team still wants to build a stadium in Mia- mi. When, or if, that will happen is a matter for another day.

For now, a roster to com- plete and countless de- tails to attend to before the first compet- itive game on March 1 against Los Angeles FC. been waiting for this moment for a said Matias Pel- legrini, the highly touted 19-year-old Ar- gentine midfielder. wait to get start- AToronto midfielder Michael Bradley needs surgery on his right ankle and likely will be side- lined about four months. Bradley was hurt dur- ing Major League Soc- championship game on Nov. 10 when Seat- Roman Torres at- tempted a shot and hit the ankle with his follow- through.

GOLF Lopez wins LPGA tour- nament in 7-hole play- off: Having already bat- tled for five extra holes into darkness without producing a champion a day earlier, Gaby Lopez and Nasa Hataoka showed up to work at 8 a.m., just like regular folks. The early wake-up call and extra golf was worth it for Lopez, who rolled in a 30-foot putt for birdie to prevail on the seventh playoff hole Monday and capture the season-opening Dia- mond Resorts Tourna- ment of Champions. It was the second LPGA title for Lopez, who 14 months ago be- came only the second player from Mexico to win on tour, joining World Golf Hall of Fame member Lorena Ochoa. She earned $180,000 for the victory. The elite field featured 26 LPGA tournament champions who had won tournaments in the last two seasons.

AAndrew Landry re- grouped to win The American Express after blowing a six-stroke lead on the back nine Sunday. Landry broke a tie with Abraham Ancer with a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th hole and made a 6-footer on the par-4 18th for a 5-under 67 and a two-stroke victory. victory came two years after losing a playoff to Jon Rahm at PGA West. The 32-year- old Texan has two PGA Tour victories, also win- ning the 2018 Texas Open. Ancer tied the Stadium Course record with a 63.

SERVICES SPORTS IN BRIEF MLS team takes field for first time JOE CAVARETTA AP Argentine striker Matias Pelligrin shoots during the first training session for David Inter Miami MLS soccer team Monday in Miami Shores, Florida. GARY MCCULLOUGH AP Gaby Lopez drives from the 2nd tee during during the final round of the Tournament of Champions LPGA golf tournament Sunday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. RALEIGH Omarion Hampton was one of the best running backs in the nation as a sophomore, and the close- st college to his Cleveland High School has taken notice. Hampton picked up an offer from N.C. State on Sunday afternoon, the second ACC offer for the star running back.

Duke made an offer in October, first official offer from any school. Hampton posted the announcement on his Twitter page late Sunday. Just a sophomore, Hamp- ton has already appeared in 25 varsity games, start- ing all 14 games for the Rams last season. Behind Hampton, Cleveland ad- vanced to the third round of the 3AA playoffs. Hampton (6-0, 180 pounds) has rushed for 2,736 yards in two sea- sons.

He had a breakout sophomore campaign, rushing for 2,402 yards (school record) and 35 touchdowns in 2019. Hampton also caught 14 passes for four more scores. a good sign that only two offers are from ACC schools. Once he hits the camp scenes over the summer, college coaches will prob- ably flock to Cleveland High. Hampton provides the rare combination of speed and power for a sopho- more.

He broke several records in the weight room at Cleveland, in- cluding the running back record for squat (560 pounds), as well as the position record for bench press (340) and incline (305). The Wolfpack has off- ered three running backs in the class of 2022, but Hampton is the only one from North Carolina. Jonas E. Pope IV: 919-829-8911, RAY BLACK News Observer Cleveland running back Omarion Hampton scored five touchdowns against Garner on Aug. 30.

Hampton, only a sophomore, has rushed for 2,736 yards in two seasons, making him one of the most productive backs in the state. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Omarion Hampton draws the attention of NC State BY JONAS POPE IV After putting together one of the best seasons in school history, Richmond Senior quarterback Caleb Hood announced on social media that he will play college football for Mack Brown at North Carolina. Hood, a 6-foot, 212- pound junior quarterback, made the announcement on Twitter Sunday night. father, Errol, was a three-year starter on de- fense for the Tar Heels. At Richmond Senior last season, Hood completed 123-of-217 passes for 2,175 yards and 21 touchdowns.

He ran 111 times for 976 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 8.79 yards per carry. He was offensive player of the year in the Sandhills Athletic Confer- ence and is a three-time all-conference player. Hood also made the All-Observer football team. 247 Sports ranks Hood the No. 32 player in the N.C.

class of 2021, rank- ing him as an athlete. It ranks Hood a 3-star recruit (out of 5). Langston Wertz 704-358-5133, HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Richmond QB Caleb Hood commits to UNC Tar Heels BY LANGSTONWERTZ JR. JONATHAN AGUALLO Special to the Observer Richmond Raider quarterback Caleb Hood is a three-time all-conference player. Baylor and Gonzaga were the only two teams in the top five that took care of business last week.

That mean they move around, too. The Bears (15-1) leaped over the Bulldogs and into the No. 1 spot in The Asso- ciated Press college basketball poll on Mon- day, using wins over Iowa State and Oklahoma State to give the Top 25 its sev- enth team on top this season. That matches the record set in 1983 for the most No. 1s in the history of the poll, which dates to the 1948-49 season.

Gonzaga (20-1) was merely a victim of its con- ference schedule. The Bulldogs blew out Santa Clara and BYU, but just enough voters considered those wins to be less im- pressive than the perfect Big 12 start. Baylor received 33 first-place votes and had 1,591 points from the 65-member media panel while Gonzaga re- ceived 31 first-place votes for 1,588 points. takes a team to said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team also reached the top of the poll two years ago. a coach, just really proud when different people step up, especially guys that have been working The rest of the top five looks a whole lot different after Duke, Auburn and Butler all lost both of their games last week.

Kansas (14-3) rose three spots to No. 3 after victo- ries over Oklahoma and Texas, the latter requiring a big comeback in Austin. San Diego State (19-0) remained perfect with wins over Fresno State and Nevada, and Florida State (16-2) barged into the fifth spot after it beat reigning national cham- pion Virginia and survived overtime to best Miami. The Seminoles lost since playing Indiana in the Big Ten-ACC Chal- lenge the first week of December. Louisville, which tasted the top spot earlier this season, jumped five spots to sixth after beating Pitts- burgh in overtime and handling the Blue Devils.

Dayton was next, followed by Duke, Villanova and Seton Hall to round out the top 10. Duke also lost to Clem- son earlier in the week, sending coach Mike Krzy- team tumbling five spots. just have to get he said after the Blue 79-73 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday. really up on my team. a long journey.

never told you that great. a process for us, playing these two teams. Getting beat, we have to learn from it and move on. a long team alone in getting a tough lesson last week. Fourth-ranked Auburn fell all the way to No.

16 after losing a pair of blowouts to Alabama and Florida, and fifth-ranked Butler was bounced all the way to 13th after the Bulldogs followed up a loss to Seton Hall by getting soundly beaten by DePaul. the time of the year when we should be trying to elevate our play, and said Tigers coach Bruce Pearl, whose team had won its first 15 games. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Baylor seventh team to be ranked No. 1 BY DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press.