XRAY - Model racing cars

BARCELONA , Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi was substituted at halftime of his first start for Barcelona since a long injury layoff because of a leg muscle problem.Messi hurt his left leg less than half an hour into the Spanish league match against Villarreal at Camp Nou Stadium on Tuesday. The playmaker left the field and doctors attended to his leg for few minutes before he eventually returned and finished the half.Messi didn’t return for the second half, though, being replaced by Ousmane Dembele.“When something happens to Messi, it seems that the world comes to a halt,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. “But it looks like it’s only some minor pain in his abductor (muscle). We replaced him as a precaution. We don’t want to take any risks.”Messi had set up Antoine Griezmann’s opening goal early in the match, which Barcelona won 2-1 to move to fourth place with 10 points from six matches.Messi played his first minutes of the season when he came off the bench in the second half of a 0-0 draw against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last week. He also came off the bench in the second half of the 2-0 loss at Granada in the Spanish league on Sunday.Messi had been sidelined because of a right calf injury picked up in the preseason.Dembele has also been injured, and made his first appearance since the league opener. NEW YORK (AP) — A year ahead of the start of World Cup qualifying, U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter is bringing in a trio of young players for exhibitions next month against Mexico and Uruguay, adding defenders Sergiño Dest and Miles Robinson to his player pool along with midfielder Paxton Pomykal.All three have gained regular club playing time. Dest and Pomykal were on the U.S. team that reached the quarterfinals of this year’s Under-20 World Cup.Dest, an 18-year-old who is right-footed, has at times played left back with Ajax — a position where the Americans lack depth.“I’ve been really intrigued with how he’s been playing in Ajax,” Berhalter said during a conference call Wednesday. “I really like how he interprets it. In terms of will he play on the right or the left, it’s something that we’re going to work through in camp. But we’re open to him playing on either side.”Robinson is a 22-year-old central defender with Atlanta.“Form pushed Miles into the team,” Berhalter said. “He’s played exceptional over this last month and a half.”Pomykal , a 19-year-old with Dallas, appears less likely to get into a match.“He’s a guy that we want to bring around to just see the environment, get this experience,” Berhalter said. “This is his first real professional season and I think the physicality of the MLS has at times taken its toll on him, but he’s coming back and rebounded in a good way.”The U.S. plays Mexico on Sept. 6 at East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Uruguay four days later at St. Louis.Christian Pulisic, the 20-year-old star in his first season with Chelsea, was listed as a forward rather than a midfielder on the 26-man roster.“We want him to be able to affect games in a number of different ways,” Berhalter said. “We want to be able to isolate him one vs. one at times but we also want him getting them ball between the lines.”Josh Sargent, a 19-year-old forward, also was among the selections after getting cut ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean. He has played just eight minutes in Werder Bremen’s first two matches.Dallas goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez, who has trained with the national team but not gotten in a game , also was selected. Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan returns for the first time since November 2018 and Fortuna Duesseldorf midfielder Alfredo Morales for the first time since May 2016.Berhalter omitted Toronto forward Jozy Altidore, midfielder Michael Bradley and defender Omar Gonzalez, who have a pair of Major League Soccer club matches during the international fixture window. A former Columbus coach, Berhalter criticized the league’s scheduling.“One thing I’ve been a little bit disappointed with is MLS teams opting to play in FIFA windows,” he said. “It’s infringing on the time we have with players.”Berhalter selected 15 of his 23 Gold Cup players. Defender Matt Miazga was left off after getting hurt Saturday during Reading’s game against Huddersfield. Lille midfielder Tim Weah also is injured, and Newcastle defender DeAndre Yedlin and RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams are still recovering from injuries that caused them to miss the CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer.Wolfsburg defender John Brooks is back after missing the Gold Cup because of an injured knee ligament.The roster:Goalkeepers: Jesse Gonzalez (Dallas), Brad Guzan (Atlanta), Sean Johnson (New York City), Zack Steffen (Fortuna Duesseldorf, Germany)Defenders: John Brooks (Wolfsburg, Germany), Reggie Cannon (Dallas), Sergiño Dest (Ajax, Netherlands) , Nick Lima (San Jose), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal), Tim Ream (Fulham, England), Miles Robinson (Atlanta), Walker Zimmerman (LA)Midfielders: Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Weston McKennie (Schalke, Germany), Alfredo Morales (Fortuna Duesseldorf, Germany), Paxton Pomykal (Dallas), Cristian Roldan (Seattle), Wil Trapp (Columbus) , Jackson Yueill (San Jose)Forwards: Corey Baird (Salt Lake), Tyler Boyd (Besiktas, Turkey), Jordan Morris (Seattle), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea, England), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen, Germany), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus).