KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Brendan Rodgers has returned to soccer as the coach of Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah, six weeks after resigning from Scottish champion Celtic.
Al-Qadsiah, whose squad includes Italian striker Mateo Retegui and former Real Madrid defender Fernandez Nacho, is in fifth place in the Saudi Pro League in its first season after promotion.
Rodgers departed Celtic on Oct. 27 under a cloud, his second spell in charge damaged by scathing criticism from major shareholder Dermot Desmond that Rodgers' conduct had been “divisive, misleading, and self-serving” and that he “contributed to a toxic atmosphere around the club.”
He has opted to continue his managerial career outside Britain for the first time, having previously coached Liverpool, Leicester and Swansea.
In its statement announcing the hiring of Rodgers on Tuesday, Al-Qadsiah described him as a “world-renowned coach” and said his arrival “reflects the club’s ambitious vision and its rapidly growing sporting project.”
Aramco, the state-owned Saudi oil giant, bought Al-Qadsiah in 2023 in a move that has helped to transform the club’s status.
“This is a landmark moment for the club,” Al-Qadsiah chief executive James Bisgrove said. “The caliber of his experience and track record of winning reflects our ambition and long-term vision to establish Al-Qadsiah as one of Asia’s leading clubs.”
Rodgers is coming off winning back-to-back Scottish league titles with Celtic, where he won 11 major trophies across his two spells. He also won the FA Cup with Leicester.
Al-Qadsiah's last two coaches were former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler and former Spain midfielder Michel.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Then-Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers greets supporters after a Europa League soccer match between Red Star and Celtic at Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels first baseman Trey Mancini, a cancer survivor and former Baltimore slugger, played in his first major league game since 2023 on Monday night against the Houston Astros.
Mancini delivered a run-scoring single in the second inning in his first at-bat.
The Angels selected the contract of Mancini and put him in the lineup at first base against the Astros after placing infielders Vaughn Grissom (left oblique strain) and Adam Frazier (right elbow inflammation) on the 10-day injured list.
Mancini, 34, agreed to a minor league contract with the Angels in February, a deal that included an invitation to major league spring training. Mancini hit .273 with six homers, 29 RBIs and three steals for Salt Lake this year.
Mancini has batted .263 with 129 homers and 400 RBIs over parts of seven seasons in the majors. He played parts of six seasons with the Orioles and hit a career-high 29 homers in 2019.
Mancini then missed the 2020 season after surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. He made a successful return to the Orioles in 2021, and he won a World Series ring in 2022 after Baltimore traded him to Houston.
He spent part of the 2023 season with the Chicago Cubs. He has since played in the minor league systems of the Reds, Marlins and Diamondbacks.
Mancini opted out of a minor league deal with Arizona last July after batting .308 with 16 homers for Triple-A Reno.
Grissom’s move to the IL was retroactive to Friday. Frazier’s move was retroactive to Saturday.
The Angeles also recalled infielder Denzer Guzman from Triple-A Salt Lake and transferred infielder Yoán Moncada to the 60-day injured list.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Los Angeles Angels' Logan O'Hoppe, left, scores after a single by Vaughn Grissom and a throwing error by Sterlin Thompson as Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman misses the ball during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
