PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé won Ligue 1's player of the season award for the second straight year, despite injuries limiting him to nine league starts.
Dembélé received the award late Monday night as a PSG player claimed it for the 10th straight time. Kylian Mbappé won five in a row before joining Real Madrid.
Alexandre Lacazette was the last non-PSG player to win it when playing for Lyon in 2015. The prize was not awarded during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign.
Dembélé was selected ahead of two PSG teammates: left back Nuno Mendes and tireless central midfielder Vitinha — who spent more than twice as long as Dembélé on the field. Lens winger Florian Thauvin and Marseille forward Mason Greenwood were the other two candidates.
Dembélé starred in PSG's league title win last season with 21 goals — level with Greenwood — and went on to win the Ballon d'Or, but made less of an impact this time mainly because of nagging injuries in the first half of the season.
But he still managed 10 goals and five assists in 20 league appearances overall as coach Luis Enrique used him and captain Marquinhos more sparingly in Ligue 1. Dembélé played 959 minutes in total compared to 2,369 for Thauvin, who finished with the same number of goals, assists and penalties (two) and 2,008 for Vitinha.
His performances have arguably been more impactful in the Champions League. PSG is aiming for a second straight title after beating Bayern Munich in the semifinals, with Dembélé’s early goal in the return leg earning PSG a 1-1 draw and putting it through 6-5 on aggregate.
PSG plays Premier League leader Arsenal in the final on May 30.
PSG teammate Désiré Doué was voted the league's best young player for the second straight season. The 20-year-old forward's winning goal against Brest on Sunday put PSG on the verge of a record-extending 14th league title.
PSG is six points ahead of second-placed Lens with two games left and with a vastly superior goal difference. PSG only needs a draw at Lens on Wednesday in their rescheduled match to clinch the title.
Pierre Sage won the best coach award for turning Lens into a surprise title contender in his first season in charge and with far less resources than cash-rich PSG.
“Congratulations to Pierre Sage, he deserves to win this trophy because what he's done with Lens is incredible,” Luis Enrique said. “It's the first time in my three seasons here that there's been a genuine rival. It's has been motivating.”
Robin Risser won the best goalkeeper award for Lens.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
PSG's Desire Doue, left, celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Brest in Paris, France, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PSG's Ousmane Dembele runs for the ball during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Brest in Paris, France, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Hot, dry and windy conditions are fueling a fast-moving wildfire in Utah, forcing the governor to declare an emergency and restrict fireworks as critical weather across the West gives way to mounting concerns that anything could cause a spark.
Firefighters are facing more challenges on the ground from what fire managers and experts call unprecedented conditions.
Air tankers and helicopters were grounded Friday as winds picked up on the Cottonwood Fire, the largest blaze currently burning in the U.S. Gusts were clocked at 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) and humidity levels were in the single digits, leaving crews with few options for slowing the flames, especially as they raced through the treetops.
“We are not expecting the weather to be kind to us for the next couple of days,” said Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson assigned to the fire. "We are seeing extreme fire behavior out there with some crown runs and definitely some spotting.”
Burning in a sparsely populated area of southern Utah, the Cottonwood Fire ballooned Friday to more than 112 square miles (290 square kilometers). One of several large wildfires burning in Utah, it severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort in Beaver County and forced evacuations. In the community of Marysvale, the smoke blocked out the sun Friday as ash rained down.
“We’re looking at a full 48 hours of critical weather that we have not seen in Utah in the last five years,” meteorologist Jason Straub told a community meeting in Beaver County Friday evening.
A cold front on Sunday will bring winds that could push the fire in new directions before the weather starts stabilizing next week, he said.
The smoke pushed mostly east, meaning air quality at popular vacation spots like Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks — located far south of the flames — hasn’t been significantly affected beyond some haze in the Bryce area.
Still, the plume was visible from miles away, even as far as Colorado.
It's like nothing seen in recent memory, Utah state forester Jamie Barnes said earlier this week. She acknowledged that fires are spreading farther and faster “under conditions that defy historical expectations.”
Nationally, nearly 3 million acres have burned since the start of the year, pushing the U.S. ahead of the 10-year average. The National Interagency Fire Center said firefighters are making progress on containing fires from Alaska to Florida.
Conditions including low humidity and strong winds have triggered red flag warnings across a wide swatch stretching from Idaho to southern Arizona and New Mexico. Some of the forecasts predicted winds of 25 to 35 miles an hour (40 km/h to 56 km/h), with the worst conditions expected from northern Arizona into central and southern Utah.
At Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, officials were preparing for a power outage on Saturday. The utility that serves the area had warned that it would likely initiate a safety outage in hopes of lessening the risk of wildfire in the area.
Visitors will be able to purchase park passes at entrance stations as long as backup power systems remain operational, but park officials said visitors should come prepared. That means downloading maps and other important information before arriving and ensuring that phones and other electronic devices are fully charged.
Power shutoffs have become more common in the West as wildfire risk has expanded. It's usually a last resort after utility forecasters weigh factors like sustained wind and gust speeds, available fuels and topography.
With extreme fire conditions persisting, Rocky Mountain Power has issued a public safety power shutoff watch/warning for areas of central, southern and eastern Utah through the weekend.
Tim Brown, a research professor and director of the Western Regional Climate Center, said the potential for extreme fire behavior will remain as long as it’s hot, dry and windy. He pointed to parts of the West that have been mired by persistent drought, including Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
“I would not be surprised to see a lot of restrictions come out as we get closer to the July Fourth weekend,” he said. “People really need to be aware of their surroundings if they’re going to be out in the forested campground areas and grassland areas.”
Gov. Spencer Cox set the temporary fireworks restrictions through July 5 as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, saying “this year is different.”
While the Cottonwood Fire's cause was unknown, the governor’s order noted that humans have been the cause of most fires in the state so far this year.
Even in Florida, where there have been multiple brush fires, authorities are urging people to skip the personal fireworks and instead leave the pyrotechnics to professionals putting on carefully planned shows.
Back fire camp, Mason talked about Utah's snowpack and steam flows peaking early in March, resulting in what she called extreme dryness. Then came the wind storms like never seen before, she said.
“If anything happens out there, any kind of spark hits fuels," she said, "it is more than likely going to start a fire and more than likely going get pretty big pretty quick.”
Smoke rises from the Cottonwood Fire near Beaver, Utah, on Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
A plume of smoke rises from the Cottonwood Fire, Friday, June 26, 2026, near Beaver, Utah. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
This undated image provided by the U.S. Forest Service Friday, June 26, 2026, shows firefighters responding to the Cottonwood Fire on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, above Birch Lake, near Beaver, Utah. (Mike McMillan/U.S. Forest Service via AP)
A plume of smoke rises from the Cottonwood Fire, Friday, June 26, 2026, near Beaver, Utah. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
