National Sports

WINNIPEG — The promoters of an NFL pre-season game in Winnipeg remained enthusiastic in the hours before Thursday's kickoff despite some earlier fumbles.

AURORA, Ont. — Canada's Brooke Henderson is quite comfortable in the role of defending champion. She showed why during a strong opening round Thursday morning at Magna Golf Club.

Stefan Ptaszek has a tough act to follow. His own. The 48-year-old Burlington, Ont., native is back for his second stint as the head football coach at McMaster University.

MONTREAL — Former national ski coach Bertrand Charest has seen his sentence for sexually abusing young female skiers under his care reduced by 21 months on appeal.

LIMA, Peru — Para table tennis player Stephanie Chan has been named Canada's flag-bearer for the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games opening ceremony.

EDMONTON — From the moment they broke training camp facing a season of significant change after missing the 2018 playoffs, the Edmonton Eskimos have insisted that if they focus on the process, the results will take care of themselves.

Felix Auger-Aliassime didn't have much time to savour his first career appearance at the U.S. Open.

MONTREAL — The new coach of the Montreal Impact has nine games to turn the team's season around. The Impact introduced Wilmer Cabrera as their new coach on Thursday in the aftermath of the firing of Remi Garde.

LACONIA, N.H. — New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung has been indicted in New Hampshire on a charge of cocaine possession, according to court paperwork released Thursday. A Belknap County grand jury indicted Chung, 32, on Aug. 8.

OTTAWA — Canada's women's soccer team will face host Japan in its first match since being eliminated in the round of 16 at the World Cup. The friendly against the 2011 Women's World Cup champs goes Oct. 6 in Shizuoka.