AP Top Sports News at 2:46 p.m. EDT

Argentina star Lionel Messi retires from international soccer with World Cup title and 125 goalsAryna Sabalenka wins to open her US Open and Carlos Alcaraz is getting started on hisQuestions abound for Novak Djokovic after US Open loss and 3 years without a Grand Slam titleA decade after Colin Kaepernick took a knee that led to his exile, the ripple effects continueUS stars A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum to miss the FIBA Women's World CupSeattle's biggest obstacle to repeating starts in a tough NFC West with the stacked RamsWalk-ons are on the decline. The ones remaining lament lost opportunities for grinders like themAs NASCAR begins another title Chase, a look at the contenders and pretenders in the 16-man fieldNew York Liberty lead the WNBA with 7 players headed to the FIBA World CupBarcol