Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.
Gage Forster
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — If you were at Providence Park on Saturday, Nov. 1, when the Timbers defeated San Diego in penalties, you walked away with one unshakable feeling – hope.
Both teams are more than familiar with each other — and maybe a little tired of the sight. This will be their fourth meeting in less than a month, and emotions have already run high. In the last game, Timbers’ Kristopher Velde and San Diego’s Chuky Lozano exchanged heated words multiple times, a reflection of how fierce this rivalry has quickly become.
READ ALSO | Valakari, Dreyer lead San Diego to 2-1 victory over Timbers in club’s 1st postseason match
Now, with the series tied and a trip to face either Seattle or Minnesota on the line, everything comes down to this final showdown. Portland Head Coach Phil Neville knows exactly what’s at stake.
“I think whoever handles that emotion, whoever handles that occasion, whoever goes out there and sticks to the game plan, is the team that’s going to win,” Neville said. “And I think the third game is going to be an absolute classic. We can’t wait for it.”
Neville, who has guided the Timbers through a gritty and tactically complex playoff run so far, didn’t shy away from the importance of this matchup.
“It’s probably the most important game I’ve coached for the Portland Timbers for sure,” he said. “But I hope there’s an even bigger one in two weeks and in three weeks.”
That confidence stems from what Neville has seen in his squad over the past two games — a growing belief that they belong among the league’s best.
“I see a team that’s got all those qualities and we’ve just got to go out there and perform again,” he said. “And what I said to them before the last game is that we have incredible belief in this group of players. And sometimes you need to go out there and perform at a certain level for them to start believing in themselves. And I think what you saw in the second game, you saw a group that started to believe that they can compete in this playoff. And the playoff run so far, the two games we’ve had have been really, really outstanding games, tactically sort of like a chess game. And I think the third game will be the same.”
On the field, defender Dario Zuparic echoed that mindset. When asked what it will take to withstand San Diego’s early pressure, he didn’t hesitate.
“Put some pressure on them, make some chaos,” Zuparic said. “Because if we play calm, like past games against them, it’s going to be hard to win this game. So we need to play in something like not playing their game. So we need to find the way to play our own game. So play direct, play aggressive. Press them when we can. When we can’t, so drop and wait for counterattacks.”
In the end, Zuparic summed up the focus perfectly: “The only thing I care is to win the game. I don’t care how — just to win the game. Even on big games, I’m fine with that.”
Kickoff is Sunday at 6 p.m. The winner moves on. The loser goes home. After four weeks of tension, tactics, and tempers, it all comes down to one final night.
SANDY, Utah — SANDY, Utah (AP) — Sergi Solans had two goals and an assist, Diego Luna added a goal and two assists, and Real Salt Lake beat San Diego FC 4-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to six games.
Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal in MLS and had an assist for Real Salt Lake (5-1-1). The 28-year-old designated player has five goal contributions in his first six career games.
RSL hasn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat at Vancouver in the season opener.
San Diego (3-3-2) has lost three in a row and is winless in five straight.
Luna opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he re-directed a misplayed pass by Duran Ferree, San Diego’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, into the net.
Moments later, Solans headed home a perfectly-placed cross played by Luna from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box to the back post to make it 2-0. Solans, a 23-year-old forward, flicked a header from the center of the area inside the right post and past the outstretched arm of Ferree to make it 3-1 in the 37th minute.
Guilavogui slammed home a first-touch shot to give RSL a three-goal lead in the 45th.
Marcus Ingvartsen scored a goal in the 14th minute and Anders Dreyer converted from the penalty spot in the 66th for San Diego.
Ingvartsen has five goals and an assist this season and has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 16 career MLS appearances.
Rafael Cabral had three saves for RSL.
Ferree finished with five saves.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
When John Resnick opened Campfire on a quaint little street in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2016, some locals weren’t sure what to think. The coastal enclave wasn’t exactly awash in innovative, chef-driven establishments, so it was a shock to see the dining room consistently full. Early on, one woman wondered aloud to Resnick, “Where did all these people come from?”
It’s a moment he remembers vividly. “I was struck by her statement, because I think she was surprised that so many other people in Carlsbad were there,” Resnick says.
The rest of the culinary world would take some time to catch up to what was happening. In 2019, when Michelin expanded to rate restaurants throughout all of California—not just the San Francisco area—Addison was the only one in San Diego to earn a star. But since emerging from the pandemic, the region’s food scene has grown dramatically. Driven by outstanding farms, ingredients, a bumper crop of talented chefs, and a G.D.P. approximately the size of New Zealand or Greece, San Diego County has become one of America’s most underrated dining destinations.
Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.
Gage Forster
Perhaps no single restaurant is a better emblem for this shift than chef William Bradley’s Addison, which opened in 2006. After landing his first star, Bradley knew he wanted more. To get them, he transformed his French-leaning fare to serve what he calls California Gastronomy, which combines the cultures of SoCal with impeccable ingredients and wildly impressive techniques, prizing flavor over flair. Michelin responded, awarding Addison a second star in 2022, and making it the first Southern California three-star restaurant just a year later. The accolade has created a halo effect, attracting culinary tourists from around the world.
Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.
Eric Wolfinger
“Earning three stars forces the global dining community to pay attention to a place that may not have been on their radar before,” says chef Eric Bost, a partner in Resnick’s four Carlsbad establishments.
Resnick recruited Bost, who spent time at award-winning outposts of Restaurant Guy Savoy, to run Jeune et Jolie, which he led to a star in 2021. They’ve since taken over an old boogie-board factory down the street and converted it to an all-day restaurant and bakery, Wildland. The space also hosts an exquisite tasting-counter experience called Lilo, which was given a Michelin star mere months after opening in April 2025. And as Resnick and Bost grew their successful Carlsbad operation, chef Roberto Alcocer earned a Michelin star for his Mexican fine-dining spot Valle in nearby Oceanside.
The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.
Kimberly Motos
About 25 miles to the south, another affluent coastal community is going through its own culinary glow up. In La Jolla, chef Tara Monsod and the hospitality group Puffer Malarkey Collective opened the stylish French steakhouse Le Coq. Chef Erik Anderson, formerly of Michelin two-star Coi, is preparing to launch Roseacre. And last year, Per Se alums Elijah Arizmendi and Brian Hung left New York to open the elegant tasting-menu restaurant Lucien, lured by the ingredients they’d get to serve. “A major reason we chose San Diego is the quality and diversity of the produce,” Arizmendi explains. “San Diego County has more small farms than anywhere else in the U.S., and its many microclimates allow farmers to grow an incredible range of ingredients year-round.”
Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.
Gage Forster
Chef Travis Swikard has also been a tireless advocate for the region’s ingredients since he returned to San Diego, his hometown, and opened Mediterranean-influenced Callie in 2021. There’s no sophomore slump with his latest effort, the French Riviera–inspired Fleurette in La Jolla, where he’s serving his take on classics like leeks vinaigrette and his San Diego “Bouillabaisse” with local red sheepshead fish and spiny lobster. Its food is bright, produce-driven, and attentive in execution, while the dining room maintains a relaxed and unpretentious style of service. And Swikard sees that approach cohering into a regional style with a strong network of professionals behind it.
“It’s really nice that we are developing our own identity, not trying to be like L.A. or any other market, just highlighting what’s great about the San Diego lifestyle and ingredients,” he says. “Similar to New York, a chef community is starting to develop where chefs are supporting each other. There is a true sense of pride to be cooking here.”
Top: In La Jolla, Lucien serves ocean whitefish with tomatoes turned into concasse, sabayon, and other expressions.
Little Debbie is officially expanding its doughnut range.
On April 14, the brand announced a new sweet snack: Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts. The company says there was “massive consumer demand” for the original Big Pack Old Fashioned Donuts, which quickly became a top seller. Now, they’re just giving the people what they want.
The new snack is a chocolate old-fashioned cake doughnut finished with a sweet glaze and is launching in two formats:
The original, which includes six individually wrapped cake-style doughnuts with a vanilla glaze, first hit stores in June 2025 and, according to the brand, has been “consistently selling out.”
“We saw an incredible response to the Old Fashioned Donut we introduced last year,” said Scott Brownlow, Little Debbie’s brand manager, in a press release. We’re doubling down on what works and giving both loyalists and new fans an irresistible reason to head back to the store.”
Little Debbie’s Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts are rolling out now to major retailers, grocery stores and convenience stores nationwide. As with the original Old Fashioned Donut, they become a permanent addition to the brand’s snack lineup.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
Texas needs at least $174 billion to avoid water crisis, state says
Multiple earthquakes detected near Kanosh
Wrong-way driver stopped on I-89, charged with DUI
Parachutist Slams into Jumbotron at Virginia Tech Spring Game
US animal rights activists clash with police over Wisconsin dog breeder
The 2026 WVU Tommy Nickolich Award Goes to a Parkersburg Native
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon won’t seek a third term. He won’t rule out running for other offices, either
1 Cryptocurrency to Buy While It’s Under $80,000