• Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau died on Aug. 29, 2024, when hit by a suspected drunk driver while they were bicycling in New Jersey.
• Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau went on ABC to discuss their grief and a foundation to honor their late husbands.
• The John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation will help youth hockey initiatives and support hockey families that have faced tragedy.

The widows of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau used the occasion of what would have been Johnny’s 32nd birthday to formally launch a foundation to honor the late hockey players.

But most of the interview with Meredith, Johnny’s wife, and Madeline on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ dealt with the grief they have experienced in the nearly one year since their husbands died on Aug. 29, 2024. The brothers were hit by a suspected drunk driver while they were bicycling in New Jersey. Sean Higgins has pleaded not guilty to charges in the case.

‘Half of me, the best part of me, died that day, too,’ Meredith said. ‘I’m trying to be double now for my kids, even though I’m half of who I was.’

Both women were expecting at the time of their husbands’ deaths. Madeline gave birth to her first child, Tripp, and Meredith her third, Carter.

‘Tripp’s now hitting milestones, so that’s heartbreaking because Matt was super excited to be a dad,’ Madeline said.

The John and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation, first announced in March, will help youth hockey initiatives, support hockey families that have faced tragedy and help other families that have been affected by drunk driving.

‘It was never lost on John and Matty about how expensive it is to maintain hockey as a hobby,’ Meredith said.

The brothers played at Boston College. Older brother Johnny became a seven-time All-Star with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets. Matthew played in the American Hockey League and ECHL and retired to coach youth hockey.

The hockey community has kept the players’ names in the forefront. USA Hockey had Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey in the locker rooms at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Columbus fans sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Johnny Gaudreau Jr. at a game in February. The Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings honored the brothers with their outfits as they walked into their Stadium Series game. Meredith announced Blue Jackets first-round selections at the 2025 NHL Draft.

‘My daughter (Noa) is catching on,’ Meredith told ABC. ‘She’s 2 and she asks for him a lot. She says, ‘Daddy’s in heaven’ and I’m starting to explain to her what heaven is really because she wants to go to heaven and she says, ‘I want him to come back’ or ‘let’s call him.”

Madeline said she has been writing notes to Matthew since a couple days after the accident.

‘Lately it’s been like, oh, you know, ‘Tripp has two teeth now, but I know you know this.’ Because it’s hard for me to write and think that Matt isn’t seeing this,’ she said.

AI-assisted summary
• The 2025-26 English Premier League season begins Friday, Aug. 15.
• Liverpool begins its title defense against Bournemouth.
• Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City are expected to challenge Liverpool.

The 2025-26 Premier League season kicks off Friday, Aug. 15, when the defending league winners Liverpool host Bournemouth at Anfield.

Liverpool now faces the daunting challenge of a title repeat quest and must do so after a tragic summer during which forward Diogo Jota died in a car crash on July 3.

On the pitch, Liverpool will have a number of worthy challengers. The clubs that finished in the three spots below Liverpool on last season’s table – Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City – all spent (and will continue to spend until the transfer window closes on Sept. 1) in hopes of catching the Reds. The high-priced arms race should make for a thrilling season ahead.

It should be no surprise that the reigning champions sit atop USA TODAY Sports’ first EPL power rankings. However, where do the other 19 squads stand? Here are our rankings:

1. Liverpool

• The Reds will need to overcome the tragic death of Diogo Jota in their title defense.

2. Arsenal

• Is Viktor Gyökeres the missing piece after three consecutive second-place finishes?

3. Manchester City

• Anything short of the Premier League title will be a failure for Pep Guardiola’s squad.

4. Chelsea

• Can Chelsea ride a wave of momentum from their Club World Cup win into the new season?

5. Aston Villa

• After an inspired run to the Champions League quarterfinals last season, the Villans must settle for the Europa League this season.

6. Newcastle United

• Will Alexander Isak still be with the team come September?

7. Tottenham Hotspur

• Adding Mohammed Kudus is a big boost for new manager Thomas Frank.

8. Manchester United

• Was last season’s 15th-place finish an outlier, or a sign of what’s to come at Old Trafford?

9. Brighton & Hove Albion

• Barely missing out on European competition will have the Seagulls hungry for more in 2025-26.

10. Bournemouth

• The Cherries have steadily improved their station in the table in each of their past three seasons in the Premier League.

11. Nottingham Forest

• With its Europa League spot, Nottingham Forest enters European competition for the first time since 1996.

12. Fulham

• Consistent middle-of-the-table finishers since Premier League return expected to finish mid-table again.

13. Everton

• After calling Goodison Park home since the 1800s, the Toffees will break in a fancy new stadium this season.

14. Crystal Palace

• The reigning FA Cup champions have to settle for the UEFA Conference League after losing an appeal.

15. West Ham United

• The Hammers have been in the Premier League since the 2012-13 season, but that run could be in jeopardy.

16. Wolverhampton Wanderers

• Wolverhampton has been on a steady drop in the table the previous four seasons.

17. Brentford

• Former Liverpool backup ‘keeper Caoimhín Kelleher finally gets his opportunity to be a No. 1.

18. Leeds United

• Leeds has spent just three seasons in the Premier League since 2004.

19. Burnley

• Staying in the Premier League will be a challenge, made even more daunting by the loss of goalkeeper James Trafford, who had 29 clean sheets last season.

20. Sunderland

• The Black Cats are in the Premier League for the first time since 2017, climbing back up from the third division over the past four seasons.

USA TODAY Sports’ 48-page special edition commemorates 30 years of Major League Soccer, from its best players to key milestones and championship dynasties to what exciting steps are next with the World Cup ahead. Order your copy today!

Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

While it was a road game for the Dodgers, Ohtani was back in a familiar setting: Angel Stadium.

Wednesday marked his first time pitching in the stadium as an opponent. Before Wednesday’s game, he was 21-8 with a 2.22 ERA in 47 career starts at Angel Stadium, according to MLB Network.

Ohtani played for the Los Angeles Angels from 2018 to 2023.

The Japanese star continues to progress on the mound and isn’t expected to pitch more than five innings per start during the regular season. He did not pitch during his first season with the Dodgers in 2024 as he continued to recover from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Shohei Ohtani pitching performance

Ohtani allowed five hits and four earned runs, while striking out seven in 4.1 innings pitched on Wednesday against the Angels. He threw a season-high 80 pitches and had at least two wild pitches near the end of the fourth inning.

He came out in the fifth inning after Zach Neto hit a two-run double. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to the bullpen and called on Anthony Banda to replace Othani with just one out recorded in the inning.

Ohtani was not expected to pitch more than five innings and had not thrown more than 55 pitches in a single game before Wednesday.

Ohtani had impacted the game before he even took the mound, recording a leadoff triple before Mookie Betts hit an RBI single to bring him in to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers extended their lead to 3-0 in the top of the first inning.

But Ohtani the pitcher had a rough start to the second inning, with Taylor Ward hitting a solo home run 375 feet to right-center field. The Angels scored two runs in the inning.

Ohtani, the reigning National League MVP, struck out former teammate Mike Trout twice, however.

The two-way star’s performance followed up his last outing against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 6, in which he produced a season-high eight strikeouts. He pitched four innings, allowing just one run on two hits in a 5-3 loss.

During his seventh start of the season, Ohtani left the game during the middle of an at-bat after throwing six consecutive balls against the Cincinnati Reds. While the situation appeared concerning, he was not injured and was dealing with a cramp in his right hip.

Ohtani finished 1-for-4 at the plate and drew a walk on Wednesday. He had three strikeouts.

The Angels rallied to win the game 6-5.

The 2025 Little League World Series is known for high-octane baseball and Day 1 did not disappoint.

The first two games of the day each gave fans a chance to witness two elite squads in Venezuela and Nevada. Each team dominated their contests, winning by a combined score of 21-1. Panama followed suit and beat Australia, 7-2. The game also included the first home run of the tournament.

Day 2 is sure to bring similar energy with four more games on tap. To start, the Europe-Africa region representative Czechia will look to topple an international favorite in Japan. That will be followed up with an American contest between the reps from Massachusetts and South Carolina. The final two games will feature showdowns between Mexico and Chinese Taipei followed by South Dakota taking on Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania certainly has a lot to live up to after its softball counterparts ended up winning the Little League Softball World Series.

Winners from each of these games will immediately advance to their respective bracket quarterfinals, just four wins away from an LLWS title. Meanwhile, the losers will need to win seven consecutive games for a Williamsport championship.

What time is the Little League World Series today?

The first game Thursday is at 1 p.m. ET with the final game starting at 7 p.m. ET, with Sioux Falls, South Dakota, taking on Upper Uwchlan Township, Pennsylvania, to conclude the day.

Little League World Series 2025: TV, time and how to watch

The Little League World Series begins Wednesday with four games across the U.S. and international brackets. Games will be presented across ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. Viewers can also watch with Fubo, which offers a free trial for new users.

• Times: Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET with the final game starting at 7 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: ESPN+ (international games), Fubo

Watch the Little League World Series with Fubo

LLWS 2025 scores, schedule today

This section will be updated when games begin. All times ET.

United States bracket

Thursday, August 14

• Game 6: Braintree, Massachusetts (New England) v. Irmo, South Carolina (Southeast): 3 p.m. @ Lamade
• Game 8: Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Midwest) v. Upper Uwchlan Township, Pennsylvania (Mid-Atlantic): 7 p.m. @ Lamade

International Bracket

Thursday, August 14

• Game 5: Czechia v. Japan: 1 p.m. @ Volunteer
• Game 7: Chinese Taipei v. Mexico: 5 p.m. @ Volunteer

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid has, on occasion, taken credit for helping set up Travis Kelce in his relationship with Taylor Swift.

Does Reid’s story of being a legendary wingman carry much weight?

‘Whatever Andy Reid says, we’re gonna stand by,’ Swift said on the ‘New Heights’ podcast Wednesday. ‘He said it, that’s what happened.’

”Cupid,’ ‘Big Red.’ It’s all the same,’ Kelce added.

Reid’s role as a wingman came after Kelce’s plea to Swift on the ‘New Heights’ podcast, which Swift referred to as ‘the shooting your shot heard ’round the world.’

After that, Swift outlined she heard from ‘a lot of people’ who liked Kelce enough to vouch for him. That included Reid, who had a long-term friendship with Swift’s family, via her father Scott.

‘There were a lot of kind of people whispering in my ear about you,’ Swift said to Kelce on the podcast. ‘And like, actually, that’s not normal. There are people willing to just go to bat for you, and be like, ‘You don’t understand. This guy is incredible.”

Ultimately, Reid’s endorsement mattered, and Swift and Kelce eventually went on a date. They remain together nearly two years after they were first romantically linked.

As such, both believe the three-time Super Bowl winner deserves a thank you for helping them get together.

‘Thank you Andy, for everything,’ Swift said.