Sports Articles

Kieran Phagura
Apr 22
18 min read

I wrote a series of short sports articles covering the soccer, baseball, football, and hockey. Each piece highlights key moments, player performances, and game insights in a concise, engaging style. I aimed to keep the content sharp and informative, perfect for quick reads by fans on the go. Whether it's a big win or a tough loss, I broke it down with clarity and passion for the game.

NFL is Back!

Football season is well and truly upon us! And what better way to ring in this truly amazing time of the year than sitting down and watching the tv all Sunday long?

The 2024-2025 NFL season kicked off last Thursday with the Kansas City Chiefs, yes Taylor Swift’s boyfriends team, taking on the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium.

A penalty riddled game to start the season had fans asking questions as to why the yellow flags were flying all over the field from the referees. Nonetheless, a 27-20 win for the Chiefs had the season well underway. Lamar Jackson, the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, balled out in the loss with 273 passing yards and 122 rushing yards. However, even with tight end Isaiah Likely putting up 111 receiving yards and a touchdown, it was not enough to take down the defending Super Bowl champions.

After Thursday night’s game the NFL held their first ever game in South America. The Philadelphia Eagles took on the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. This high scoring game was filled with controversy both during and outside of the game. From team colours causing an issue with the locals, to the field being nowhere near the standard most NFL players are used to, the newest addition to the NFL’s International series was definitely something most fans don’t want to see again. The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and A.J. Brown led their team to a 34-29 win. Their newest player Saquon Barkley had three touchdowns and 109 rushing yards, while veteran star A.J. Brown put up 119 receiving yards and a touchdown to cap off a tremendous team display.

After the first two games of the week, Sunday brought out plenty of reasons to be excited about the upcoming season.

The young quarterbacks in the AFC South like C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson who played against each other in a thrilling divisional matchup are starting to live up to the hype. Seattle and New England both won their games with brand new head coaches. And you might not believe this, but Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears became the first rookie quarterback to win in week 1 since 2002 when David Carr won for the Houston Texans.

So whether you’re hoping your team makes the jump to get to the postseason, or hoping that your team can start a dynasty, there are so many things to be excited about. I for one cannot wait to see what this season brings!

2 Weeks Down, 16 to go!

Did your favourite NFL team win this week? Mine sure didn’t.

Week 2 finished last night with a nail biting game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons. Eagles fans you might want to look away… because that was a big fat oof. However, that wasn’t the only upset that happened this week. The Green Bay Packers beat the Indianapolis Colts, my favourite team, with backup QB Malik Willis and it’s safe to say that I wanted to curl up in a ball after watching that performance. Along with that, the New Orleans Saints absolutely dismantled the Dallas Cowboys and quite frankly it wasn’t even close.

The previously mentioned Saints huge offensive showing has people turning heads all around the league. After week 1 when they destroyed the Carolina Panthers no one thought twice because well, it’s the Panthers. But after beating up the Cowboys in Dallas everyone is starting to ask what the heck is going on in New Orleans. Could it be the new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak? Could it be Dereck Carr finally finding his stride? No one has the exact answer and I think that’s what is scaring everyone. Now obviously it’s still only week 2 so you probably shouldn’t overreact, but they definitely are making a case for sleeper team of the year.

Now apart from the upsets, let’s look at some other exciting things that happened this week. Packers running back Josh Jacobs rushed 32 times for 154 yards, absolutely tearing apart the Colts defensive line. I’m sure he broke fantasy football managers’ hearts as well as every Colts fan’s hearts as well. Another great running back performance from Saints RB Alvin Kamara helped them take down the Cowboys, he ran for 115 yards on 20 attempts. Oh and he also scored FOUR TOUCHDOWNS. That hasn’t been done since last October when San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffery did it against the Arizona Cardinals.

Unfortunately it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for every player this weekend. Quite a few star players were diagnosed with injuries that will see them out of action for as long as eight weeks. Some of those players include Eagles wide receiver A.j. Brown with a hamstring issue, LA Rams receiver Cooper Kupp with an ankle injury, and Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco injured his fibula.

I hope your favourite teams are doing well, because like I said mine sure isn’t and it is ruining my mental health… I do not wish that upon anyone, except maybe if you cheer for the Houston Texans, New England Patriots or the Kansas City Chiefs.

Shohei Ohtani's Historic Season

If you haven’t heard, we’re in the midst of an MLB season like no other. Shohei Ohtani is having an absolutely bonkers season this year.

If you don’t know who Shohei Ohtani is, well then I must ask if you have been living underneath a rock. Ohtani is the best baseball player in the world right now, and it’s not even slightly close. He is only two stolen bases and two home runs away from having fifty of each stat, which is something we have only seen twice before in the MLB. This season would add to his already stacked resume. What’s crazy about Ohtani is that he is arguably one of the best starting pitchers and best hitters in the league, and yes that is very abnormal.

His MLB rookie debut was in 2018, where he would go on to win American League Rookie of the Year. He started 10 games, won 6 and lost 4 and had a whopping 63 strikeouts. On top of his pitching stats, his batting was also unreal. He scored 93 runs, hit 22 home runs, and a batting average of .285. This kind of talent is unheard of and you better believe that he just kept getting better and better. Three years later he won his first MVP, having a .257 batting average, 46 home runs and 100 runs batted in. Two years after that he won his second MVP, and after playing for the Los Angeles Angels for six seasons, he finally signed for the LA Dodgers in a big money move to try and win a World Series.

Shohei also led Japan to their third World Baseball Classic in 2023, where he struck out former teammate Mike Trout in the final inning to beat team USA 3-2. Ohtani also took home the MVP for the tournament, adding onto his already impressive MLB season. So what makes this season so much different?

Unfortunately he underwent tommy john surgery, which is a pretty significant elbow surgery that didn’t allow him to pitch for the Dodgers this year. However, that didn’t stop him from being a monster at the plate as a designated hitter. So far he’s played 148 games, and he is hitting career highs in almost every batting stat that’s recorded. No one has quite seen a season this good in a long time.

So what do you think? Will Ohtani join the exclusive 50-50 group? Or will he fall just short? There’s only eleven games left so time is running out, but if anyone can do it I’d put my money on Shohei Ohtani.

Abbotsford Moves on!

The Canucks organization just loves winning overtime I guess.

Not only Vancouver, but the Abbotsford Canucks also won in overtime against the Colorado Eagles last night to move onto the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

Game 3 of the first round started off very defensively, with both teams not doing enough to get past the goalies however the Eagles were managing to get quite a few more shots on goal than the Canucks. It wasn’t until almost 15 minutes into the game where the Canucks looked to pour on some pressure that made Colorado uneasy. Max Sasson broke out of the defensive zone and found Arshdeep Bains on the receiving end of a cross ice pass, who was able to put the puck in the back of the net for his second goal of the postseason. The Canucks were now up 1-0, and the prospect of making it to the next round was looking better and better. The score remained the same for a majority of the game, with both goalies making some crucial saves to keep both teams where they were.

Abbotsford goalie Zach Sawchenko stood on his head last night, making crucial saves when needed to keep the shutout going strong. The game looked sure to go Vancouver’s way, until a penalty late in the third period saw Colorado go up on a man advantage. On top of this, the Eagles pulled their goalie to go on a 6 on 4 advantage for the power play. The attack heavy play call worked out, as Sam Malinski was able to claw a goal back and tie the game up at 1-1 to ultimately send the game to overtime.

Overtime lasted just under nine minutes, until a pass from Bains found its way through the crowd and deflected off Chase Wouters’ stick into the back of the net. The Canucks won the game 2-1 after the overtime goal.

The Canucks will now play the Ontario Reign in a five game series, hosting games 3 to 5. The winner will be the first to win three games. The series begins on May 1st, with game 1 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, puck drop is 7:00pm PST. Abbotsford’s first home game of the playoffs will be on Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00pm PST.

With the first round ending, Arshdeep Bains and Tristen Nielsen lead the team in points with 4 points in three games. Sawchenko ended the series with a 2.50 goals against average, and a 0.925 save percentage.

Hattrick Hero Saves the Day in Game 3

Wow.

That was one of the most electric nights of Canuck hockey I have witnessed in a long long time. It all looked so dreadful for so long, but Mr. Brock Boeser stepped up to prove that the Canucks are not here to mess around. His third period heroics carried Vancouver into overtime after scoring all three regulation time goals against Nashville.

It started off well as Boeser fired home a goal on the first shot for the Canucks, just as Miller did in game three, just under three minutes into the game, and put Vancouver up 1-0. That lead didn’t last for too long unfortunately as Mark Jankowski tipped in a shot from Jeremy Lauzon to tie the game up at 1-1. This is where things started to get ugly for the ‘Nucks. Although the score stayed the same, the Nashville fans were fired up and it definitely made a difference in the game. The Preds were piling on the pressure for the rest of the period and continued to do so well into the second period as well. The attacking play became too much for the Canucks defence and Gustav Nyquist fired home a top corner shot on a two on one attack. The score remained 2-1 for the rest of the period, with Canucks only getting six shots on goal in that frame, compared to the Predators ten.

The third period began and twelve seconds later it was 3-1 Nashville, and the thought of a full seven game series started burning bright in all Vancouverites watching the game. Filip Forsberg scored the goal and registered his fourth point in as many games. For the rest of the period Vancouver really couldn’t get anything going, and it looked blatant that the series would be tied 2-2 heading into game 5. Up stepped Brock Boeser and the Canucks for what could arguably be one of the best comebacks in recent Stanley Cup playoff history. With just under three minutes left in the game, and an empty Vancouver goal to go on a 6-on-5 advantage, JT Miller passed to Elias Lindholm, who slid the puck across the front of goal to Boeser who was able to make it 3-2. Celebrations were short as the ‘Nucks knew that there was still work to do. As the time wined down, the Predators were looking more and more confident that the game would end in their favour. But after Colton Sissons missed what looked like a sure fire goal, there was still a glimmer of hope. With the one man advantage still going, the Canucks kept piling the pressure on to get as many shots on goal as they could. Pettersson found Miller who ripped a shot on goal that bounced to Boeser and with as much persistence as he could possibly manage he smashed the puck in the back of the net for his hattrick with just 6.2 seconds left on the clock and tied the game at 3-3.

The first overtime of the series was beckoning, and both teams looked to put this game to bed. Nashville couldn’t get anything going to start off the extra period, enter the dynamic duo of Connor Garland and Dakota Joshua, as they combined to assist Elias Lindholm who fired home his second goal of the series to complete the comeback. Fans all over the place went nuts, as did the players on the ice as they all rushed to celebrate with Lindholm.

Now Boeser is the obvious player to get all the glory, but third string goalie Arturs Silvos made his presence known, saving 27 of the 30 shots he faced, putting up a .900 save percentage. The Canucks can look back at this game and be ecstatic about the result, but head coach Rick Tochett knows there is still work to do.

Game 5 is back at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Tuesday April 30th. Puck drop is at 7:00pm, and the Canucks look to be the second or third team to move onto the second round.

First ever UBC NFL Draftee

It’s an exciting weekend for the University of British Columbia as Giovanni Manu was drafted into the NFL in this year’s draft.

Giovanni Manu, the Pitt Meadows native, was selected in the 4th round on Saturday, April 27th and became the first ever UBC player to ever be drafted into the NFL. He now has the opportunity to become the 4th UBC Thunderbird to play in the NFL, behind Bill Crawford (OL – New York Giants), Brant Bengen (WR – Seattle Seahawks), and Dakoda Shepley, who currently plays for the Dallas Cowboys. Manu is an offensive lineman, who stands at 6 foot 8 and weighs 352 pounds, hopes to be a great addition to the Detroit Lions this season. Giovanni said that he couldn’t be more excited to join the Lions, who made it to the NFC Conference Championship game last season.

“My phone started ringing, it was a Detroit area code and I just picked it up and it was head coach Dan Campbell on the phone… I had my whole family beside me and the first thing he said when I picked up the phone, he yelled through: ‘are you ready to be a Lion?!’ I was just so ecstatic, all the emotions were running through me. I told him 110 percent I’m ready to be a Lion and represent the great city of Detroit.” Giovanni Manu, Offensive Lineman, Detroit Lions.

As a two-time All-Canadian, Manu was essential to the success of UBC’s offence since his rookie year. The Thunderbirds had the number one ranked offence in 2023, and he helped lead his team to the Hardy Cup and Mitchell Bowl titles. With these credentials, Manu was looked as one of the biggest sleeper picks in this year’s draft. His pro-day was next to unheard of for a man his size, as he ran 5.03 40-yard dash, which is the tenth fastest time for an offensive lineman, even though he ranks as the second heaviest player to attempt it. The Thunderbirds team was highly talented over the past few years, and although many of them didn’t get drafted to the NFL, many of them are touted to be drafted in this year’s CFL draft on Tuesday April 30th.

Giovanni was one of four Canadians to be drafted this year, along with two others who signed as free agents. Theo Johnson was drafted by the New York Giants, Isaiah Adams was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, Qwan’Tez Stiggers was drafted by the New York jets and Tanner McLachlan was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Rookie mini-camp starts on May 11th, and Giovanni Manu will be looking to make a huge impact there, as he looks to make his NFL debut later this year.

Brian White makes History

The Vancouver Whitecaps played the NY Red Bulls last night in a hard fought 1-1 draw last night. With that result the ‘Caps slid down to third place in the Western Conference, behind LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, who both have 18 points. The NY Bulls also slid down to third place behind Inter Miami, 21 points, and FC Cincinnati, 18 points.

The formation used by Whitecaps head coach Vinni Sartini was the 3-4-3 that has been used all year. This time however it didn’t sway in the advantage of the ‘Caps, as they struggled for possession all game, and conceded 16 shots, nine of which were on target, which was the second most all season. Despite not having much of the ball, the Whitecaps made the most of the time they did have with it. Ryan Raposo cut the ball across the Red Bulls 18-yard box and Brian White was there to flick home his 44th goal as a Whitecap, making history by becoming the all-time leading goalscorer for the Whitecaps in the MLS era.

After the goal, White had another opportunity to double the lead, however was denied by NY goalie, Carlos Coronel. The attacking onslaught from NY continued for much of the game, as Vancouver goalie Yohei Takaoka was called into action many times, racking up eight total saves throughout the night. The Red Bulls had numerous other chances to get through on goal, but they were denied by the likes of Ranko VeselinoviÄ‡, MathÃas Laborda and Tristan Blackmon in defence. The first half ended 1-0 for Vancouver, after a last minute free kick for the ‘Caps was struck into the defending wall by Sebastian Berhalter. The second half began the same as the first, with the Whitecaps being under constant pressure from NY. Vancouver defended well for the first ten minutes of the game, but after a dangerous corner was all NY needed for forward Lewis Morgan to tie the game at 1-1 in the 56th minute. The pressure continued for the majority of the game, with both teams having great chances to take the lead. White had an opportunity taken away not long after the NY goal, but his chance was cleared away by defender Daniel Edelman. On the other side, VeselinoviÄ‡ made a terrific sliding tackle to take away an opportunity from forward Dante Vanzeir. Things remained the same until the 74th minute, when NY defender Noah Elie was given a red card for using his hand in a clear goal scoring opportunity from captain Ryan Gauld. Despite the ‘Caps throwing everything they had at NY with the man advantage, the game remained 1-1 and ended in a draw.

The Whitecaps now come back to BC Place for a game against Austin FC, who just beat LA Galaxy 2-0 this weekend. Kickoff is 7:30pm PST on May 4th.

Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson

It’s not very often kids from the Lower Mainland have a chance to make it to the big leagues, and it’s even less often for them to be drafted by an MLB team.

Enter Matt “TugBoat” Wilkinson. This kid is a beast. It’s no wonder why the Cleveland Guardians drafted him back in July, 2022. But, just like most other young draftees, he has to make his way through the minors and make a name for himself to get to the big leagues. Matt grew up playing baseball in Ladner, BC, and everyone knew since the day he started playing baseball that he was a special player. His size and strength helped him dominate against kids his age, allowing him to play up with kids who were two to three years older than him.

Wilkinson entered history books last night with his unreal performance for the Lynchburg Hillcats. He started the game off hot, striking out the first seven batters he faced, giving his defence the afternoon off. It just got better and better for Tugboat and the Hillcats yesterday. He managed six scoreless innings from the mound, and didn’t allow a single hit. In total, he struck out fifteen, yes FIFTEEN, out of the eighteen batters he faced last night. If you don’t know a lot about baseball, just know that is insane.

He ended his night in the top of the sixth inning by striking out all three hitters, only walking one batter in the fourth inning. Matt said post game that he tries to do this every game, and tries his best to help the team when he can.

“It’s what I try to do every time… You just have to try not to make that moment too big for yourself and just do whatever you can to help the team win. That’s what I did tonight.” Matt Wilkinson, Starting LPH, Lynchburg Hillcats.

This performance puts Tugboat in the history books, yes the 21-year old is already in the same books as some of the MLBs best pitchers. Since 2005 in the MiLB and the MLB, there have only been eleven other pitchers to strike out fifteen hitters without allowing a hit. Some of those MLB names include Clayton Kershaw, and Max Scherzer… both pitches ultimately bound for the MLB Hall of Fame. It’s crazy to think that a kid from such a small town in British Columbia is already in the same sentence as those two pitchers, but Matt knows that this is the kind of stuff that will only make him work harder.

“Being in the same names as those guys makes me want to keep working even harder to get to where I want to be” Matt Wilkinson, Starting LHP, Lynchburg Hillcats.

Tugboat has started his season strong with a 2-0 record, 0.44 ERA, and 41 strikeouts in 20 ⅔ innings pitched.

Whitecaps to take on Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham AFC

Vancouver, get ready! The Whitecaps will be hosting Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds’ soccer (football) team this summer on July 27th at BC Place!

This is an awesome exhibition game for the Whitecaps to host, as it brings together a team Ryan Reynolds knows all too well and the team he has now become the owner of. After purchasing Wrexham AFC back in 2022 with friend and fellow actor Rob McElhenny, the team has soared to new heights of popularity and success in their league. After purchasing the club Reynolds and McElhenny transformed their facilities, and funded the club with money to help strive for greatness. Because of this, Disney+ reached out and offered a docu-series about the pair, the team, and how the influx of money helped increase success. The show has two seasons, thirty-three episodes, and documents the rise of the club that has now been promoted to a higher division two years in a row. Before 2022, fans of Wrexham would have thought that they never have played in the top flight of English football, now they are just two promotions away. Ryan Reynolds has fallen in love with Wrexham, stating in an interview last year that he loves how much stress this team gives him.

“I just lost 9 years of my life. And I’m okay with that. Apologies to my family. Also, bury me in Wales…I love every second of hating it… Wrexham AFC is the greatest drug on earth.” Ryan Reynolds, Co-Chairman, Wrexham AFC.

Vancouver will welcome Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenny and Wrexham AFC with open arms this summer for the game, as it looks to be one of the sporting events of the summer. This will be the first time that the Whitecaps have ever played Wrexham, and it’s not often that they get to play against a team with such great history. Founded in 1864, Wrexham is the oldest club in Wales, and third oldest club in the world. Last year, Philadelphia native, Rob McElhenny brought Wrexham to play against the Philadelphia Union, and this year, Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds gets to bring them to his hometown and play against the team he grew up cheering for.

“Last year Rob got to bring Wrexham to Philly. This year it’s my turn… I am so excited my hometown club the Whitecaps will get to square off against the Red Dragons. My official stance on the match will be a very friendly ‘neutral’ even if I will be screaming for a Paul Mullin hat trick.” Ryan Reynolds, Co-Chairman, Wrexham AFC.

Tickets for this summer’s matchup are available HERE, the game will be held at 4:30pm on July 27th. Get your tickets now and go support your local Whitecaps! And as much as we all love Ryan, we will absolutely be rooting against you!

More Goalie issues for the Canucks

It goes from bad to worse for the Vancouver Canucks as second string goalie Casey DeSmith misses out on game 4 due to an injury, meaning third string Arthur Silvos gets the start.

Silvos only featured four times this season for the Canucks, having a 3-0-1 record, a 2.47 goals-against average, and a .881 save percentage. He has spent most of the season playing for the Abbotsford Canucks, making 34 appearances with a 16-11-6 record, 2.74 goals against average, and a .907 save percentage. DeSmith took over the starting duties for Vancouver after starting goalie Thatcher Demko was ruled out after game 1. After taking a brutal hit in game 2, head coach Rick Tochett decided to be safe and rule DeSmith out for game 4.

It appears that the situation regarding DeSmith’s injury is up in the air, as no official confirmation has been provided regarding the duration of his absence. The nature of his injury remains undisclosed, leaving fans and analysts speculating about the severity and potential timeline for his return.

Making things even more interesting, head coach Rick Tocchet opted to keep details close to the vest during the pregame interview, declining to reveal the starting goaltender for the upcoming game. This decision fueled worry among fans, suggesting that there would indeed be another change in the crease for the upcoming game.

The uncertainty surrounding DeSmith’s status prompted sports journalist Elliotte Friedman to weigh in on the matter. Speaking to the Hockey Central panel, Friedman emphasized that there is undoubtedly cause for concern within the team. His insights likely caused further discussion and speculation among hockey enthusiasts, as they await updates on DeSmith’s condition and the goaltending situation for the remainder of the series.

“He’s not playing today… I don’t think it’s because of the McCarron play; he practised yesterday. But I do think there’s something. The Canucks have decided to be careful.” Elliotte Friedman, Sports Journalist, Sportsnet

Silvos was drafted by the Canucks in 2019, however, didn’t make his debut for them until the 2022-23 season. That season he played five times, winning three and losing twice. The Latvian goalie represented Latvia in the 2023 IIHF World Championships, where he helped bring home a 3rd place medal, Latvia’s first ever medal, with an overtime win over the USA in the third place game. He was awarded as the tournament’s best goalie, made the team of the tournament, and was also named the tournament MVP. Since being drafted, he has spent most of his time with Abbotsford but makes the most of any opportunity that he gets when called up to Vancouver.