Digest

Soccer

Rooney's happy return for Everton

Wayne Rooney marked his first game back in an Everton jersey with a goal in a friendly against Kenya's Gor Mahia in Tanzania on Thursday.

The 31-year-old former England captain was making his first appearance since rejoining his boyhood club from Manchester United last week on a free transfer after 13 years at Old Trafford.

And Rooney delighted the crowd by scoring a superb goal from long range to help Ronald Koeman's Toffees, who have spent big this summer, win 2-1 in what was the first match for a Premier League side in East Africa.

England Under-20 midfielder Kieran Dowell scored their winner. Everton is touring the region as part of its preparations for the upcoming season after signing a shirt-sponsor deal with Kenyan betting firm SportPesa.

Barca bags Benfica fullback Semedo

Barcelona has agreed to sign Benfica rightback Nelson Semedo on a five-year deal, the Catalan giant announced on Thursday.

Barcelona said Semedo would undergo a medical on Friday after Spanish press reports said they had agreed to pay a transfer fee of around $34 million.

The deal for the 23-year-old Portugal international could see Benfica receive a further $5.7 million in bonuses, several Spanish newspapers said.

The fee would make Semedo the second most expensive defender in Barca's history behind Dani Alves, who cost $41 million, including bonuses, when he joined from Sevilla in 2008.

Baseball

Cubs' crosstown Quintana capture

The Chicago Cubs signed left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana from crosstown rivals the White Sox on Thursday in a trade that could shake up the National League Central race.

By landing the 2016 All-Star, the Cubs have shown they are not giving up on a difficult season after arriving at the break two games under .500. The World Series champions trail Milwaukee by 5 1/2 games in the division at 43-45. The Cubs believe they are set up to contend for years to come with stars such as Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.

By trading for Quintana, they brought in an elite starter who is under club control through 2020. They had to give up two top prospects in outfielder Eloy Jimenez and right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease along with minor-league infielders Matt Rose and Bryant Flete.

Nfl

Cowboys still sit atop global rich list

With the NFL's top sponsorship and premium seating revenues, the Dallas Cowboys were named the world's most valuable sports team by Forbes magazine this week in its annual top-50 ranking.

The Cowboys, who have not won a Super Bowl since 1996, jumped five percent in value to $4.2 billion to defend their 2016 position. Last year they unseated Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid atop the global list.

The 32-team NFL is the world's richest league, with an average operating profit of $91 million and no club turning less than a $26 million profit. A major reason for that was the latest NFL television package bringing annual revenues of $7 billion.

The Cowboys also boast a $1.5 billion team practice facility and headquarters that will become a retail and entertainment complex with hotels, medical center and convention center. An exclusive club offers members the chance to watch Cowboys workouts.