MIAMI (AP) — Carín León sees the World Cup as something that pulls different cultures together. He wants his music to be viewed the same way.
León is a huge World Cup fan, a huge Real Madrid fan and someone who can't believe he got to meet Inter Miami co-owner and soccer icon David Beckham. And on Sunday, the Mexican singer-songwriter will become the first person to headline a concert at Inter Miami's newly opened stadium — Lionel Messi's home field.
“Being the first one to play in this iconic stadium — it's new but already iconic because of the team — I see this with much responsibility,” León told The Associated Press in an interview. “For me, it's like a big soccer match and I want to inspire a lot of new artists in my genre and in all the root genres that nothing is impossible. We’re coming here to this big stage, making history with the music we grew up with.”
León is a back-to-back Grammy winner in the Best Regional Mexican Music Album category, plus a four-time Latin Grammy winner. Except, with León, it's short-sighted to simply call him a Mexican artist.
He's a little country. A little rock. Maybe some reggaeton. He has played Coachella and the Grand Ole Opry. He's in line to become the first Latino artist to have a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, with shows scheduled in September. His appeal is all over the map, which is why Inter Miami wanted someone like him to be the first show on the field that the reigning Major League Soccer champions call home.
“There was a time when I was going to do music because it was trending right then, and then nothing was happening for me,” León said. “There was a time when I was going to quit music. But in two weeks, I was back because I’m a musician. I decided to do what I love, what I love, what I like, what I feel, what made me happy. I never did music because of money or to be famous.”
He released some music that wasn't expected to be a hit, and fans couldn't get enough of it.
“That's when I knew to just be honest with the music,” León said. “And now I prefer to be a trendsetter than looking for the trend.”
That approach has opened countless doors — including the one leading from Messi's locker room to the field where he plays. And it's not lost on León that soccer fans in Miami won't have any World Cup matches to watch Sunday night when he takes the stage; there's only one game on Sunday's tournament schedule, and it's in the afternoon.
“I'm so happy for what we've accomplished,” León said. "I'm just proud to be here at the house of Inter Miami, the Messi house, the David Beckham house. Putting my name alongside these names, it's something incredible for me, something that I still cannot believe.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Carín León, winner of the award for best contemporary mexian music album for "Palabra De To's," poses in the press room during the 2025 Latin Grammys on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Grammy winner Carin Leon speaks at Inter Miami's Nu Stadium about becoming the first performer to have a concert at the new facility on Thursday, June 25, 2026 in Miami. (AP Photo/Tim Reynolds)
The St. Louis Blues acquired Brandon Carlo from the Toronto Maple Leafs during the NHL draft on Saturday, those teams' latest steps to remake their rosters during an offseason of upheaval.
St. Louis sent the Nos. 73 and 76 picks to Toronto for the 29-year-old defenseman.
Carlo lasted just 88 games with the Leafs after they sent a first-round pick, a fourth-rounder and highly regarded forward prospect Fraser Minten to Boston for him at the deadline in March 2025. That was with the previous regime in charge, and general manager Brad Treliving was fired two months ago and replaced weeks later by John Chayka, and they only got to keep the pick this year because they won the lottery for the No. 1 overall pick.
This is the third trade of the week for the Blues, who are also in transition as GM-in-waiting Alexander Steen is set to take over for seasoned executive Doug Armstrong next week. Armstrong in his final days at the helm has been plenty busy.
On Tuesday, he traded Jordan Kyrou to Washington for fellow forward Connor McMichael, prospect Milton Gastrin and the No. 16 pick, accumulating a league-high four in the first round. On Friday night, he sent two of them to Anaheim for 23-year-old Mason McTavish, who is signed through 2031.
Carlo provides some dependable veteran stability on the right side on defense, especially if the Blues decide to trade Colton Parayko or Justin Faulk as part of their summer overhaul. He is going into the final year of his contract at a salary cap hit of just under $3.5 million.
“We’re excited (Carlo has) got his size and length, his ability to kill plays, his experience,” Armstrong told reporters in Centene, Missouri. “Getting stronger up front and having strong goaltending, we think we’re going to be more competitive than we were last year.”
Toronto used the third-round picks on Canadian winger Zach Olsen and Swedish defenseman Mans Gudmundsson.
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes jumped the queue to talk to John Carlson before the 36-year-old defenseman can become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday. They sent the 192nd pick and the rights to pending restricted free agent forward Kyle Masters to Anaheim to get an exclusive negotiating window with Carlson.
Traded to the Ducks by the Capitals less than 13 hours before the deadline in March, Carlson is believed to want to get back on the East Coast for family reasons. He spent his first 16-plus NHL seasons with Washington and helped the team win the Cup in 2018.
New Nashville president of hockey operations and GM Chris MacFarland spent his first few weeks on the job largely adding players he was familiar with from his time in Colorado. On Saturday, he added fresh blood from the East by acquiring big, Swedish winger Adam Edstrom in a trade with the New York Rangers.
The Predators sent the 148th pick in the draft (a fifth-rounder) and the rights to minor leaguer Massimo Rizzo to New York. The Rangers, who also traded Brett Berard to Montreal on Friday, are not expected to tender Rizzo a qualifying offer and would make him an unrestricted free agent.
The Avalanche traded Ivan Ivan to the Bruins for Fabian Lysell in a swap of young forwards.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
FILE - St. Louis Blues right wing Jordan Kyrou (25) shoots during an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong,File)
FILE - New Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager John Chayka speaks during a scrum following a news conference in Toronto, May 4, 2026. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo looks on during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks, March 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang, File)
