⚽ From hooper to manager | Sports Daily Newsletter

Ryan Richter, known to many as the Union’s interim manager, was once a three-sport athlete at William Tennant High School.

The 37-year-old Bucks County native grew up captivated by NBA culture, particularly Allen Iverson. He’d wear a headband during basketball games. He pierced both ears and gave himself nicknames, like “Shaq Daddy.”

While the moniker is long gone, that side of Richter isn’t.

The La Salle graduate was drafted by his hometown MLS team in 2011, began coaching for them in 2018, and has gradually worked his way up.

Now, he’s leading the Union from the worst record in the league to playoff contention. The soccer world might be surprised by Richter’s accomplishments. But those from his hometown are not.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓What is your biggest concern for the Eagles after their Week 1 matchup? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Jalen Hurts made several big-time throws against Washington, and at times looked like the explosive runner that made him one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL.

He also addressed some doubts about how he would adjust to another change in coordinator and scheme. But the game plan didn’t quite represent the dramatic shift that was anticipated. Instead, it was a blending of the old and new.

There was still much more of the old bad than the good in Week 1, writes Jeff McLane. That meant too many three-and-outs and too much of Hurts under pressure.

Speaking of offensive line struggles, Hurts was sacked three times on Sunday. Now, the Eagles are placing Landon Dickerson on injured reserve.

Cooper DeJean also didn’t look great. He allowed six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. But this was his first game in his new role. So the second-year defensive back has no plans to overreact. However, he knows his performance “wasn’t good enough.”

Read more of our Eagles coverage and what Nick Sirianni said in his Monday press conference here.

🤔 Wondering: What the national media is saying about the Eagles after they escaped with a Week 1 win.

🏈 Learning: The Ivy League is adding a bye week and starting the college football season earlier in 2027.

🔎Analyzing: Villanova men’s basketball complete 2026-27 schedule after the Big East games were released.

📖 Reading: St. Joe’s track and field terminated its jumps program. The phase-out process started in 2023-24.

Andrew Painter has done some struggling, failing, learning, and improving in his rookie season. But when the regular season ends after the next 12 games, Painter could see his role change.

In a best-of-three wild-card series, the Phillies would only need a maximum of three starters. In the best-of-five National League Division Series, clubs usually have a four-man rotation.

Either way, the Phillies will have some decisions to make about how they will set up their starting pitching. Is it possible that the rookie could be an option for the postseason bullpen?

Owen Tippett is entering his seventh season in the NHL. The 27-year-old will sometimes recall his days skating as a kid in Toronto, which is why he’s entering his third straight season as an ambassador for the Flyers Learn to Play Rookie Program.

And curious how the Flyers’ Rookie Series went? Check out Jackie Spiegel’s takeaways from Game 1 and 2 this past weekend.

On Wednesday, U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino is expected to announce his 26-man roster for a series of four upcoming friendlies.

There’s a good chance that Cavan Sullivan will earn his first call-up to the senior squad. On Sunday night, the 16-year-old recorded his first two-goal game in a 5-0 rout of San Diego. He now has five goals and six assists in his last seven MLS games.

The Union are also unbeaten in their last 10 matchups. The group can tie the franchise’s longest unbeaten streak with a win or draw against Sporting Kansas City this Saturday.

Jalen Hurts, after a poor 2025 season, made a strong opening statement Sunday afternoon. If he strings together a dozen or so games like this in Sean Mannion’s system this year, expect the 28-year-old to sign an extension to be the Eagles’ quarterback for the next seven or eight seasons, writes columnist Marcus Hayes.

When was the last time the Eagles lost in a season opener? Bonus points if you can guess which team it was against.

A) 2022

B) 2020

C) 2019

D) 2017

We asked: What did you think of the Eagles’ win over the Commanders? Among your responses:

At this point, it is difficult to tell who these Eagles are, especially on the offensive side of the ball. However, the play of the “O” line was concerning and the “D” line was underwhelming in getting to the QB. Nonetheless, a Week 1 divisional win is much better than a Week 1 Divisional loss. Now on to Tennessee. — Jim V.

The days of the Commanders being almost a guaranteed win are long gone. Daniels and his team took the Eagles almost to the very last second. Zach Baun was outstanding and along with Hurts definitely the players of the game. O-line needs work, but thank goodness Dallas Goedert is still there and came through in a big way, Cooper looked somewhat lost out there, but Baun covered up the mistakes. Kept us fans very nervous throughout, but an excellent win. — Everett S.

Actually Washington lost the game rather than the Eagles winning the game on that stupid 15 yard penalty after a touchdown celebration. Our center still can’t block. Time for Kelsey to come out of retirement. A win is still a win and we should have 13-14 this year. The Giants really looked good! — Ronald R.

When you get right down to it, the main reason the Eagles won at home over a poor Washington team was a blocked extra point. The line play on both sides of the ball was mediocre at best. I don’t think Eagles fans should be happy with this game in spite of the win. — Tom E.

When you beat the lowly Commanders by two points at home, you have nothing to be proud of. Sean Mannion was supposed to have a new offensive scheme. He didn’t. Saquon was going to run thru the line like 2024. He didn’t. Hurts was going to spend much of the time under center. He didn’t. None of the starters played a single down in pre-season. It showed. They were all exhausted in the second half. Thank goodness for Goedert, Baun, and Mann. But it takes a village…. — Michael H.

It’s wasn’t pretty and I was holding my breath in the 4^th quarter! There are obviously areas that still need work, but hey, a win is a win. Congrats to team to begin with a win. The Eagles looked better in the first half; perhaps the excessive time on the field and humidity really took its toll in the second half. Kudos to Godert, Baun, Hurts, and several others for giving us moments to cheer about. It was a good weekend for Philly sports fans. — Karen Laughlin

Solid performance except for the O-line. Dickerson needs help on every play. Jalen was very good and showed he could still run if he has to. A little disappointed with DeJean, but I think he’ll come around. Overall, a good win and a Dallas lost makes for a great first week of the NFL. — Tom G.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Marcus Hayes, David Murphy, Kerith Gabriel, Ryan Novozinsky, Jackie Spiegel, Lochlahn March, Mia Messina, Conor Smith, Finn Courtney, and Ariel Simpson.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

As always, thanks for reading and have a wonderful Tuesday. That’s it for me this week. Maria will be back in your inbox tomorrow. — Bella