PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies signed reliever Zach Pop to a one-year contract Monday.
Pop made four appearances last season for the Seattle Mariners and one with the New York Mets, going a combined 0-1 with a 14.85 ERA. He gave up four home runs and 15 hits in 6 2/3 innings.
The 29-year-old right-hander pitched in 58 games for Toronto in 2024. He is 8-6 with a 4.88 ERA and one save in 163 games over five major league seasons with the Marlins, Blue Jays, Mariners and Mets.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Zach Pop throws to a New York Mets batter in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday Sept. 10, 2024. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP,File)
ROME (AP) — Italy's soccer federation president resigned amid political pressure on Thursday, two days after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.
Gabriele Gravina's decision will likely lead to the ouster of Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso, too.
Italy Sports Minister Andrea Abodi called for a change in the country’s soccer leadership after Gravina oversaw two sets of disappointing World Cup qualifiers.
“It’s evident to everyone that Italian soccer needs to be overhauled,” Abodi said on Wednesday, “and that process needs to start with new leadership at the FIGC (federation).”
Italy’s chances of reaching this year’s tournament in North America ended on Tuesday after a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a qualifying playoff.
Gravina took charge of the federation in 2018 replacing Carlo Tavecchio, who also stepped down after Italy failed to reach that year’s World Cup.
The defeat to Bosnia added more misery for four-time champion Italy after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.
Italy’s World Cup struggles go back all the way to 2010 and 2014 when it failed to advance from its group on both occasions.
The Azzurri’s last World Cup knockout match was in 2006 when they won the title by beating France in the final after a penalty shootout.
Gravina did oversee Italy’s European Championship trophy in 2021.
“Soccer has been in trouble since 2006,” Italian coaches association president Renzo Ulivieri said.
Players’ association president Umberto Calcagno said new regulations promoting the use of more Italian players in Serie A were necessary: “A rapid change needs to be made."
An election was called for June 22 to elect a new FIGC president.
Gravina also announced that he would attend a hearing in Italy’s parliament next Wednesday to discuss “the wellbeing of Italian soccer.”
Gattuso took over from the fired Luciano Spalletti in June with the squad already in crisis mode following a defeat at Norway in its opening qualifier.
The Azzurri then went on a six-match winning streak before losing again to Norway in November to finish second in their group and end up in the playoffs again.
Among those being mentioned to replace Gattuso are Roberto Mancini, Simone Inzaghi, Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri.
Mancini coached Italy to the European Championship title in 2021 then failed to get the Azzurri to the next year’s World Cup before bolting to take over Saudi Arabia’s national team.
Inzaghi coached Inter Milan to the Serie A title in 2024 and now manages Saudi club Al-Hilal.
Conte coached Italy at the 2016 European Championship and is currently at Napoli.
Allegri is at AC Milan.
Gravina is also Aleksander Ceferin’s top vice president at UEFA.
UEFA statutes require that executive committee members are also senior FA officials but Gravina could stay in the UEFA role as a lame duck as long as the FIGC’s new leadership doesn’t demand his removal.
Gravina was re-elected last year by UEFA so he has three more years in his current term.
“Gabriele is my first vice president and is very important to me,” Ceferin said in Thursday’s Gazzetta dello Sport after attending the playoff in Bosnia.
Besides revitalizing the national team, whoever replaces Gravina will be tasked with getting Italy’s dilapidated stadiums ready to host the 2032 European Championship.
Italy is slated to co-host Euro 2032 with Turkey.
“I hope that the infrastructure is ready,” Ceferin said. “Otherwise the tournament won’t be played in Italy.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - A journalist stands at the entrance of the FIGC Italian Soccer Federation, where a logo with four stars (one for each World Cup won) is seen partly in the shade, in Rome, on Nov. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)
Italy players react during a penalty shootout during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
A broken soccer ball is pictured on a street in Rome, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma walks off the pitch after losing in a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Italy's coach Gennaro Gattuso walks off the pitch after losing in a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Italy players react after losing in a World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
