For now, it appears Jose Mourinho has his wish. Manchester United will have to rely on winning the Europa League if they wish to return to the Champions League in 2017-18.

There is still a chance that the Red Devils could maneuver their way into the top four, but the club still have an option that Liverpool & Manchester City don’t – take care of business against Celta Vigo and win the Final (presumably over Ajax), and they’ll return to Europe’s top club competition.

It was just several weeks ago that United controlled their own destiny to not just finish in the top four, but a chance to finish third, the difference being an automatic place in the UCL group stage. Liverpool and City have continued to drop points, allowing Mourinho’s team an opening that they’ve been unable to take advantage of. On the bright side, the club enjoyed an unbeaten Premier League run which came to an end Sunday after nearly eight months. At the same time, though, that run included home draws with West Bromwich Albion, Everton, and Swansea City, the last of those involved in a heated battle with Hull to avoid relegation.

And what if the plan to focus on the Europa League backfires? Should the club run into obstacles Thursday or in the Final, what will fans remember when they look back on this season? One positive that can’t be overlooked is the effect Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had on both the club and the Premier League, proving that he can still play at a high level even in his mid-30s. But when the Swede returns from his injury, can he maintain that level of play?

Manchester United are already assured a spot in next year’s Europa League, having won the EFL Cup in February. But for a club that has viewed an appearance in the Champions League as a birthright for two decades, anything less is looked at as failure. They’ve already experienced disappointment under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.  Can Mourinho return them to the UCL after one season? We will know by the end of the month.

Sunday marked the start of Year Four in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United. In the three full seasons since the Scotsman announced his retirement, the club has experienced a significant decline, finishing seventh, fourth, and fifth in the Premier League. Ferguson’s successor, David Moyes, was a prominent example of how the pressures of managing a major club can lead to poor results. While Louis van Gaal did bring a trophy to Old Trafford – the FA Cup – the Red Devils’ inconsistent performances led to the Dutchman’s departure as well.

Enter Jose Mourinho, who first made a name for himself with his touchline celebrations as Porto edged United in the 2004 Champions League. He has experienced success since at Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid, while always maintaining a great deal of respect for United. He’s made no secret in the past of his desire to be the manager at Old Trafford, and after a longer-than-expected wait, that opportunity has arrived.

United players responded by opening the 2016/17 season with a 3-1 win at Bournemouth. The first goal came late in the first half, as Juan Mata took advantage of a Cherries defensive error to put the visitors in front. Commentator Peter Drury described the goal as a “delicious irony,” seeing as Mata joined United in 2014 after Mourinho deemed him surplus at the start of his second stint with Chelsea. There have been rumors that the Spaniard will be leaving Old Trafford in the near future, so seeing him score the opener – in a manner similar to how Leicester scored against United in last week’s Community Shield – might prompt management to keep him with the club. Wayne Rooney & Zlatan Ibrahimovic added their names to the scoresheet, while a late goal for the hosts prevented a season-opening shutout for David de Gea.

The 2016/17 campaign will certainly be one to watch for United supporters, with the arrival of not just Mourinho but multiple high-profile players. Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly have already made their presences known in the opening fixtures of the season, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan provides another midfield option. Last week, the Red Devils made their biggest move of the summer so far as Paul Pogba has returned to the club whose academy he was once part of; he was suspended for the Bournemouth match. Will the new signings make a lasting impact throughout the season, or are the first few weeks going to end up misleading?

Manchester United’s first home match comes Friday against Southampton. The Red Devils are keen to continue the momentum gained from Sunday, and not have it be a repeat of the David Moyes era, which also started with a multiple-goal win on the road but ended in disaster. The club feels they are ready to return to the top of the Premier League pyramid, and may have the pieces in place to do just that.

The 2016 European soccer championships begin Friday, as 24 teams compete for continental supremacy and the Henri Delaunay Trophy. The field has expanded from 16 to 24 teams this year, with several nations making their Euro debut, while the Netherlands are missing their second major tournament since the turn of the century. Here are my picks for how the group stage will play out.

Group A

France are hosting the European championships for the third time, and will be favorites to win; they did clinch the title in 1984, the last time they hosted. They’re paired with Switzerland, Romania, and Albania, the latter making their first ever major tournament – Euros or World Cup. The most interesting battle here, and across all groups, is who finishes second, as all the group winners runners-up make the Round of 16, but four second-place teams will join them. Switzerland may have enough experience to edge Romania for second place here. Prediction: France, Switzerland, Romania, Albania

Group B

England are hoping to put a poor 2014 World Cup behind them as they are paired with Russia, Slovakia, and Wales. The Russians boast several veterans from the 2008 squad that made the semifinals, but that age could prove a negative for them. Wales’ major question is how well the team can perform should Gareth Bale play poorly, while Slovakia might struggle overall, particularly if the stars on the other three teams are all 100 percent. Prediction: England, Wales, Russia, Slovakia

Group C

It’s Germany’s turn to do what Spain accomplished several years ago: hold the World Cup and European titles at the same time. The Germans are heavily favored against Northern Ireland, Poland, and Ukraine, with the Green & White Army making their Euro debut. This stage might prove to be a bit too much for them, but for the two co-hosts from 2012, they have realistic expectations of reaching the knockout round. Ukraine & Poland will meet in the final group match on June 21 in Marseille, which should provide a fantastic atmosphere. Prediction: Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Northern Ireland

Group D

This group brings back memories of Euro 2008, starting with the fact that it was Spain’s win in this competition eight years ago that started their domination of the world game that continued for over five years. But the matches to watch will be Turkey’s first and last group games; they were seconds away from going out in the 2008 quarterfinals to Croatia before a Semih Sentürk goal forced penalties. The match prior, they scored three goals in the final 15 minutes to prevail in a winner-take-all match against the Czech Republic. If Turkey’s matches here against those two are half as good as they were eight years ago, fans are still in for a treat. Prediction: Spain, Turkey, Croatia, Czech Republic

Group E

Belgium are currently the top-ranked team in Europe, second in the world only behind Argentina, but will miss several key contributors because of injuries. This is likely the final international tournament for both Gianluigi Buffon and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and while Italy has a lot of depth, Sweden’s fortunes depend largely on Ibrahimovic, who has put up good performances in past Euro performances. Ireland look to be outmatched by all three of its counterparts, and will struggle throughout group play. Prediction: Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Ireland

Group F

As long as Cristiano Ronaldo plays with the style that has made him a household name, Portugal are firm favorites to top the group. The big wild card here is Hungary; not many analysts are giving them a chance, but if the Modern Magyars draw their opening match with Austria and win over Iceland, they may clinch a spot in the last 16 prior to meeting Portugal. Austria’s only previous Euros appearance was 2008, when they co-hosted, but this nation has greatly improved since then. For Iceland, it will be a great learning experience, but nothing more than that in all likelihood. Prediction: Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Iceland

Group winners: France, England, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Portugal

Group runners-up: Switzerland, Wales, Ukraine, Turkey, Italy, Hungary

Four best third-place teams: Croatia, Austria, Russia, Sweden

Manchester United have long been considered the dominant team in English soccer. But ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, the club have experienced a significant decline. Coming into Saturday’s FA Cup Final, United had failed to win a major trophy since the Scotsman left as manager. That changed over the weekend, with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Wembley.

In regards to the match itself, it certainly is worthy of being regarded as one of the more entertaining Finals in recent memory, as Palace & United met in a rematch of the 1990 Final. Like 26 years ago, the Eagles appeared to have a game-winning goal from a substitute, before the Red Devils equalized through Juan Mata. Jesse Lingard won the Cup with an extra-time strike fitting for the occasion, one that will be replayed for many years.

Saturday’s win was significant for multiple reasons. It marks United’s first FA Cup win since 2004, when now-assistant coach Ryan Giggs was still in the prime of his playing career. The club would go on to make two more Finals under Ferguson, but were unsuccessful against Arsenal & Chelsea. The new Wembley has not been the kindest ground for the Red Devils since opening in 2007, but Saturday’s win does provide a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing campaign.

The Red Devils did qualify for the Champions League in 2015/16, though a 3rd-place group finish meant a spot in the Europa League knockout rounds, where they fell tamely in the Round of 16. In the Premier League, they had several opportunities to book a top-four finish, but the club would ultimately finish 5th, meaning no Champions League appearance for the second time in three years.

Despite the FA Cup triumph, speculation remains over the job security of Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman has one year remaining on his contract, but talk has grown of van Gaal being replaced by Jose Mourinho. It’s unfortunate that the main topic of discussion following Saturday’s match was about LvG’s future with United, but it appears that even winning the FA Cup – which admittedly doesn’t mean as much today as it used to a generation ago – won’t be enough to justify him staying at Old Trafford one more season.

Who will Manchester United’s manager be in 2016/17? And whoever it is, can he use the momentum from the Cup title to lead the club to more success?

Saturday’s game with the Ottawa Senators marked the 50th game since John Tortorella took over as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The change came after a disastrous 0-7 start to the season under Todd Richards, in which the franchise failed to even take a game to overtime, which would’ve meant at least a point. By hiring the winningest American coach in NHL history, analysts viewed the coaching change as a much-needed wake-up call for the Blue Jackets, who have a history of slow starts to new seasons.

At the 50-game mark, Tortorella’s record with Columbus stands at 23-21-6, with 52 points. They are not the worst team in the league as of February 14, but still face a monumental climb if they want to challenge for a playoff spot. The New York Islanders have a 12-point advantage on the Blue Jackets for third in the Metropolitan Division, while the Penguins lead Columbus by 11 points for the second wild card slot.

It’s been a habit for the Jackets to make late-season streaks at the end of campaigns. At the end of the shortened 2012-13 season, Columbus was arguably the hottest team in the NHL, but their poor start meant they lost out on a tiebreak to Minnesota for a playoff berth. The following year, their hot streak began in mid-January, allowing the team to make the playoffs for only the second time. Last year, a dismal November meant their winning run towards March & April was not enough to qualify for the postseason.

In 2015-16, the biggest problem for Columbus has been late-game collapses or giving up the first goal of a game early. On more than one occasion, players have said they found a way to lose a game, rather than win. Tortorella made a bold move earlier this season, bringing in defenseman Seth Jones in a trade that sent one-time fan favorite Ryan Johansen to Nashville. Jones has adapted well to Columbus, playing a key role in the past two games; a shootout win over Anaheim and a regulation win over the Senators.

The Blue Jackets have won four of their past five games, so making this the start of a big run could spell a postseason berth. Perhaps most incredible is the fact that both Sergei Bobrovsky and regular backup Curtis McIlhenny are both injured, but both Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg have shown at times they have futures in the NHL.

Columbus has two more games remaining on their current homestand, hosting Boston on Tuesday and Buffalo on Friday. They’ll have a matchup at Detroit on February 23rd on NBCSN, which could prove to be either an important statement or an embarrassment on national television. It’s make-or-break for the Blue Jackets, and what a turnaround it would be for Tortorella to take the franchise to the playoffs after that disastrous start.

Even if one isn’t a football fan or an NFL fan, most of America is aware that 2016 is the year of Super Bowl 50. A golden anniversary is always historic, and with an entity as popular as the National Football League, the hype for the game has been present since the beginning of the season. With the way the regular season and the postseason played out, Sunday should mark a celebration of the game of football, and NFL execs hope a celebration of the league as well.

Either the Carolina Panthers or the Denver Broncos will have the distinction of lifting the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night. The Panthers have only been a franchise for two decades, but this is their second trip to the big game, having come close on several other occasions, too. Boasting the league’s best record and what seems like the runaway choice for MVP in Cam Newton, Carolina may be regarded favorites to win. However, Denver is the sentimental favorite; they have veteran quarterback Peyton Manning, who is likely to retire after the game, win or lose. The Broncos sent John Elway out as a two-time Super Bowl champion; Manning already has one ring with the Indianapolis Colts, and has two disappointing losses in Super Bowls XLIV & XLVIII. A win Sunday will end any doubts of how his legacy should be regarded.

It’s an important day for CBS too, as the broadcaster for Super Bowl 50. The current TV agreement involves all three network NFL broadcasters airing the Super Bowl every three years, and 2016 just happens to be the turn of CBS. No doubt Fox or NBC would treat the occasion the same way, but with CBS being one of the channels that broadcast Super Bowl I (NBC did as well, with a separate announcing crew), it will be a day everyone with that network will remember. Jim Nantz will call his fourth Super Bowl since becoming the #1 play-by-play man for their NFL coverage, and while some say he’s better as a golf announcer, he has definitely grown in his knowledge of the NFL.

Will Super Bowl 50 live up to the hype? Only a few days until fans find out the answer.

The 2016 Australian Open ended Sunday in Melbourne with a familiar outcome: Novak Djokovic winning the men’s singles championship. The world number one continued his dominance of the game, and particularly his dominance of Melbourne Park, with a straight-set win over Andy Murray, in a rematch from the 2015 final. It’s the Serbian’s sixth Australian Open title, and his fifth in six years.

Sunday’s match was a reverse of sorts when compared to the 2015 meeting between Djokovic and Murray. Last year, Murray fought hard early, taking the first sets to tiebreaks and winning the second. However, Djokovic proved too strong in the third and fourth sets, barely needing half an hour to close out the fourth set 6-0. This year, the top seed cruised in the first set, before winning the second and third sets 7-5 7-6.

While Andy Murray is considered one of the “Big Four” in tennis – along with Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal – he has struggled to win major tournaments. He does have two titles – the 2012 U.S. Open and Wimbledon the following summer, but has often fallen short against his “Big Four” rivals. Part of this has to do with the others excelling on certain surfaces; Djokovic has mastered hardcourts with his success in Australia and the United States, while Nadal has often been called king of clay (the surface for the French Open), and Federer has mastered grass for more than a decade. Murray is stuck in an unfortunate scenario where he happens to be competing alongside three of the greatest players in men’s tennis history. In another era, he’d be the revered figure of the sport.

What’s next for Novak Djokovic? He turns 29 in May, around the time Roland Garros will start. The French Open is the only major he has yet to win, having fallen in the final each of the past two years. If 2016 is to be the year where Djokovic completes the career Grand Slam, he’ll have plenty of challenges to face in Paris.

Will Djokovic win the French Open and finish a career Slam? Leave a comment below!

Although football is the most popular sport by far in West Virginia, basketball is not far down the list of relevance. Its position largely depends on the strength of the state’s two Division I programs – West Virginia and Marshall – and the typical highs and lows that any college program endures.

Earlier this month, West Virginia was in the national spotlight thanks to the way their schedule aligned, facing #1 Kansas on a Tuesday and then visiting #2 Oklahoma the following Saturday. After a confident performance over the Jayhawks, the Mountaineers took the Sooners to the wire in Norman, before the hosts prevailed on a late tip-in. WVU is part of a tie for the Big 12 lead as the season heads into the final two months before Selection Sunday.

As January comes to a close, Marshall is now entering similar circumstances. The Thundering Herd won in convincing fashion Thursday night over Middle Tennessee, in a battle of teams that began the game tied for 2nd in Conference USA. Not long after that matchup went final, UAB suffered a shock loss to Western Kentucky, meaning the Blazers and Thundering Herd are now tied for the league lead. The two teams will meet each other Saturday in Huntington, West Virginia.

It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Marshall, in their second year under former playing legend Dan D’Antoni. Expectations were hopeful for an improvement from 2014-15, but after an exhibition loss to Division II Newberry, the Thundering Herd dropped their first six regular season contests. Whatever woes they faced in non-conference play, however, have quickly disappeared with the start of Conference USA play. Five straight wins to open league play have quickly brought attention to the program, and even a loss at Charlotte was not enough to slow the momentum. James Kelly has established as an early favorite for C-USA Player of the Year, with several Player of the Week honors already this season.

Saturday’s game against the Blazers presents a major opportunity that Marshall can show they’re a team to be taken seriously. With CBS Sports Network airing the game nationwide, expect an energized team performance as first place in the conference is up for grabs. It will also serve as a notice for how the Herd’s remaining games play out. Will a loss commence a disappointing season’s end or can they win and keep the impressive momentum going?

It’s been several days since England cricket finished the Test portion of its South Africa tour, and when one solely looks at the results, the visitors had a successful Test series. Not only did the Lions win the series 2-1, but South Africa faced the humiliation of losing the #1 Test ranking on their own soil, exactly what England endured when they last hosted South Africa. That the Proteas avoided further disaster by winning the fourth Test will provide some consolation, but how much going forward?

First, a word on the importance of this cricket rivalry, as these teams have much in common when it comes to cricket. They compete for the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy, named after the legendary English cricketer born in South Africa. He was originally in the England squad when they were scheduled to tour the Rainbow Nation in the late 1960s, but the tour was scrapped because of the controversy surrounding South Africa’s refusal to play; D’Oliveira was viewed as “coloured” in the apartheid system. Many other prominent English cricketers have come from South Africa, including Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen.

As for the Test series that just concluded, England seemed to be well in control throughout each of the first three Tests, even with Dale Steyn bowling well on the first day of the series. South Africa had bright spots from Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma, and Kagiso Rabada, among others, but the visitors are worthy series winners. Now the problem is how to close out series in style.

This has been a problem for England in recent Test series. After reclaiming the Ashes against Australia with one match to spare, the hosts chose to send many of their first team, hoping to finish the series with a 4-1 win. However, Australia played with emotion as it was the final Test for captain Michael Clarke. In South Africa, the Proteas also played with desire – and perhaps desperation – to avoid a 3-0 series loss, and that played a part in England’s tame second innings of 101 at Centurion.

Next up in the tour is the ODI series, the first match set for Bloemfontein on Wednesday. The Englishmen who are playing in both the Tests and ODIs know the work ahead of them in terms of repairing their reputations, and will embrace the opportunity to get another series win on the road. As for those who only play Tests nowadays (Alastair Cook, James Anderson, for example), they’ll have to wait four months before Sri Lanka comes to England. It will be interesting to see if they can learn what’s pivotal to closing out a Test series.