The Flyers’ fella is Tortorella | Sports Daily Newsletter

The Flyers have found their man.

John Tortorella has been around the hockey block and then some. He’s a known quantity and entity and he pushes teams to play tough in the NHL.

Now that it looks like a deal is all but done to bring him to Philadelphia to coach the Flyers, the question remains, is he what the team really needs? Can he build a team and develop young players? Is he the right coach for the team’s future or is he better suited as a motivator for the moment?

The Flyers are willing to find out.

Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The 76ers failed to get over the hump with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, which resulted in full-scale roster changes. Simmons went to the Brooklyn Nets along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and a first-round pick. That process will continue this summer as the Sixers look to structure a team around Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey that will be capable of contending in the East.

That process has started in earnest in the march up to next week’s draft, as the Sixers tested the trade market for Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Danny Green, and more, sources told The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. The team hasn’t made any moves at the moment, instead deciding to take inventory on what players might fetch on the open market and use that information to find trade partners in the future.

The Phillies were down to their last strike Wednesday when Garrett Stubbs became the man of the moment. Stubbs smacked a three-run homer to beat the Miami Marlins, 3-1.

Before the stirring victory, interim manager Rob Thomson said that Corey Knebel would be taken out of the closer’s role — for now.

Next: The Phillies begin a five-game series with the Nationals at 7:05 p.m. Thursday (NBCSP).

It was a mud pit in El Salvador Tuesday night for the United States men’s soccer team. The American squad was down a fluke goal for most of the game. But the Americans didn’t quit, and that fight bodes well for the future.

That’s because the USA has one of the youngest roster pools for the upcoming World Cup. Not only that, but a number of these young players will be in their prime four years later, when the United States, Canada and Mexico host the 2026 World Cup.

So, will Philadelphia be, for the first time in history, one of the men’s World Cup host cities? We will find out when FIFA makes the official announcement this afternoon, but until then, Jonathan Tannenwald takes stock of Philly’s odds.

Fencing fury: Temple’s Nikki Franke knows more than most about how seizing the moment can make a difference in life and she makes sure her teams learn that important lesson.

We asked: Should the Sixers trade away their first-round pick? Some of your responses:

“Yes, the Sixers should look to trade their first round pick, possibly packaging it with Danny Green or Tobias Harris for a top notch 3-point shooter that was desperately needed last season.” — Joseph R.

“They should trade it only if they can get a player or two that can really help them.” — Nick B.

“Yes if it can help strengthen their bench.” — James H.

It’s finally official. The 76ers will select No. 23 in the 2022 NBA draft, picking in the latter half of the first-round, which is a position they are familiar with. Sixers star Tyrese Maxey, defensive stalwart Matisse Thybulle and backup guard Furkan Korkmaz were all chosen in that part of the draft. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell, Keith Pompey and David Murphy will discuss potential picks for the Sixers and touch on a big offseason to follow.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Keith Pompey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Giana Han, and Olivia Reiner.