Iraq hired former Australia boss Graham Arnold as head coach of its national team on Friday.
Arnold quit as coach of Australia in September after six years in charge during which he took the Socceroos to the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup, where they lost to eventual winner Argentina.
Iraq is third in Group B of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and Arnold will start with two crucial games against leader South Korea in Basra on June 5 and second-place Jordan in Amman five days later.
Six points from these two matches would seal Iraq’s place at the tournament for the first time since its 1986 debut.
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FILE - Australia's coach Graham Arnold watches his players during the Asian Cup Group B soccer match between Australia and Uzbekistan at Al Janoub Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani wasn't in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup on Friday night because he is “away from the team on paternity.”
The team announced in a post on X that the two-way superstar is expected to return this weekend, meaning he wasn't placed on MLB's paternity list.
The team's lineup for the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles came out less than an hour before gametime, with Ryan Ward listed as the designated hitter, and batting seventh.
Asked three hours before the game about the delayed lineup, manager Dave Roberts said he was working out “some things with some position players” and made no mention of Ohtani.
Roberts was asked about Ohtani's sore left knee and said he had not spoken to him Friday. “Just assuming that after the off day he's in a good spot,” the manager said.
Roberts often mentions if a player is expecting a baby and the team typically announces they have been placed on paternity leave.
Ohtani, who turns 32 on July 5, and his 29-year-old wife, Mamiko Tanaka, became first-time parents in April 2025 with the birth of their daughter. He first announced on social media in December 2024 that the couple was expecting.
The famously private Ohtani has never publicly revealed her name and has carefully avoided showing her face in the rare family photos he posts to his social media.
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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani smiles in the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)
