Sports
L.A. defies the skeptics for a World Cup marked by unity, fearless fun
The run-up to the World Cup in Los Angeles was marked by anxiety over how immigration enforcement, travel restrictions and anti-Trump backlash would affect the spirit and attendance of the games.
But on the streets of L.A. over the last week, something very different has happened.
Fans from a kaleidoscope of cultural backgrounds have come together to act out the kind of world — and city — they want to live in.
On the shuttle bus from downtown to Inglewood on Monday, there were scores of people with Farsi-emblazoned shirts and crowds of grinning Kiwis as one would expect for the Iran-versus-New Zealand showdown that evening. However, there were also clusters of striped blue Argentina T-shirts, plenty of Team USA jerseys, and a loud group of fans chanting “Viva Mexico” from the back of the bus.
The mood was joyful before Monday’s match among fans of Iran’s national team. The players, because of restrictions by the Trump administration, have had to commute to the games from Tijuana.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Similar scenes played out on the Metro K Line as World Cup-goers from all over traded stories of how they scored tickets, tips for navigating L.A.’s transit system, and wistful memories of tournaments past.
“This festival is about unity and bringing the whole world together; there are 48 nations and everybody is having a good time,” said Ardy Salem, an Iranian American dentist who traveled from the Bay Area to attend the game, as he surveyed the crowd outside SoFi Stadium on Monday with unabashed glee.
“Just for a moment,” he said, “we get to leave all the politics behind.”
David Leon, 32, of Watts was grinning from ear to ear as he stood outside the stadium entrance in his forest-green Mexico jersey, despite the fact that he initially didn’t support having the World Cup in Los Angeles.
“I thought it was going to be a big issue for a bunch of different people to come here,” Leon said.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Leon worried that people from other countries would be turned off by American politics and fearful about traveling to the U.S.
Instead, he’s been delightfully entertained by tourists documenting their wholesome reactions to American culture on social media — such as the German man experiencing Waffle House for the first time and the Swedish woman blown away by ranch dressing.
“It really does bring people together from all these different ethnicities,” Leon said, looking at the lines of people waiting to get into the stadium. “I’ve seen Colombians, I’ve seen Mexicans, people from New Zealand, people from Iran, Germans, Spaniards.”
And for his own community of Mexican Americans, he said the matches had brought a much-needed infusion of joy. This time last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids were roiling Los Angeles, instilling fear throughout immigrant households.
Fans of Mexico are on hand at Monday’s match at SoFi Stadium. Before the World Cup, there were widespread fears of ICE presence at the games.
(Kelvin Kuo/Los Angeles Times)
Just last month, about 2,000 SoFi Stadium workers threatened to strike if they didn’t receive assurance that immigration agents would be kept out of the venue during the World Cup.
Leon said he was definitely worried that ICE would take advantage of crowds gathering for the matches to perform further immigration enforcement.
But, so far, that has not been the case. Instead, many people in his hometown of Watts have been consumed with “World Cup fever,” calling out of work to attend watch parties at local bars and walking down the streets with eyes glued to a livestream of a game on a phone, he said.
While joy was the overriding mood among soccer fans gathered in Inglewood on Monday, the day was not entirely free of tension or pangs of grief for the people who were missing out on the fun.
James Carling, 63, of Ventura said it pains him to know that many fans from countries such as Iran, Haiti and Senegal are unable to attend the matches because of the Trump administration’s travel restrictions.
“Let’s face it, our government hasn’t made it easy for people to visit us, which is a shame,” he said outside the stadium. “There were people from countries whose teams made it [to the World Cup] who were not allowed to come and, sorry, that’s wrong.”
The shadow of the U.S. war with Iran and the anger many Iranian Americans feel over Iran’s current government were also present in Inglewood on Monday. Outside the stadium, some Iranian soccer fans had heated encounters with protesters who felt that supporting the Iranian national team was synonymous with supporting an oppressive regime.
Yet the atmosphere among the Iranians attending Monday night’s game was one of cathartic celebration, where for a few hours they could set aside geopolitical tensions and unite over the simple love of soccer.
In the stadium parking lot, David Arias, a Mexican American resident of Inglewood, gave a fist bump to Kam Pirouz, an Iranian fan who had traveled from Washington, D.C., to see the game.
Mexico and Iran are “homies right now,” Arias said, referencing the fact that the Iranian players are commuting to the Los Angeles games from Tijuana because of restrictions placed on them by the Trump administration.
Fans watch the World Cup group stage match between Iran and New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on Monday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Although Arias did not have tickets to the match, he said he could not resist the chance to meet people from all over the world. So he decided to take his local barbershop to the parking lot outside the stadium and offer free haircuts to fans.
With an hour to go before Monday night’s game, all three seats at his pop-up shop were occupied; Pirouz, the Iranian fan, was getting a fresh fade while seated next to a Mormon missionary from Utah and an Egyptian fan.
“It’s the World Cup, man, the entire world comes together, and it’s beautiful,” Pirouz said mid-haircut. “Best sport in the world.”
Times staff writer Seamus Bozeman contributed to this report.
Sports
SJSU was told of decades-old allegations against volleyball coach during controversial 2024 season
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During the San Jose State University (SJSU) volleyball team’s scandal-ridden 2024 season, the athletic department received a letter from one of head coach Todd Kress’ former players.
The letter included allegations that Kress attacked her in a hotel room in 1998.
Emails show that SJSU officials acknowledged the receipt of the allegations, thanked the former player for coming forward and apologized for her experiences. Despite this, Kress was never suspended and has continued to serve as the head coach of the women’s volleyball team.
Head coach Todd Kress of the San Jose State Spartans looks on during the third set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on Oct. 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital was given copies of the emails exchanged between SJSU and the former Fairfield player, from an independently verified source. Fox News Digital has independently verified she played at Fairfield under Kress in the 1998 season, but is not disclosing her name.
Fox News Digital submitted a public records request seeking copies of documents with criteria that match the emails exchanged between SJSU and Kress’ former player, but the university formally declined the request, stating “the requested communications implicate substantial privacy interests.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Kress, SJSU officials and the university’s legal counsel that handled the 2024 exchange with a series of questions, but did not receive a response from any of the parties.
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The original letter was written by a woman that played for Kress at Fairfield University in the late ’90s, and sent to SJSU on Oct. 24, 2024.
That first email she sent to SJSU contained the letter with the written allegations against Kress, that was originally sent to Fairfield University. The alleged incident occurred in a hotel after Fairfield’s loss to Clemson in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament in December of that year. She wrote that a teammate asked her to bring her a shirt to Kress’ room.
“I told her I wanted no part of his insanity. I was distraught about the loss and wasn’t interested in his drunken insanity, which was commonplace on trips.”
The former player added that her teammate “promised Todd would not throw water at me or do something juvenile so I reluctantly agreed to bring her the shirt.”
“I knocked on the door and Todd answered. He immediately took caramel from a plastic container and smeared it all over my face and hair. He then forcibly threw me on the bed and held me down. I was in shock. He let go of me and then pulled his pants down and put his back side in my face.
“Astonished… that is the only word I can think of to describe how I felt in that moment… Todd was drunk. I got up and went for the door.
“Todd again grabbed me, picked me up, and threw me into the bathtub where he held me down and threatened to turn on the shower with me laying there to ‘clean the caramel off of my face.’ At this point I was fighting back to get away from him.
“Todd let me get out of the tub, laughing, and then he stood in front of the door blocking my exit. Todd told me he would only let me leave if I took a shot of liquor, which I did only to get him to move away from the door. Once he did, I ran for it. He chased me. I got into my room and although he seemed to be in a rage, he turned and calmly walked out,” the letter alleges.
The former player goes on to allege her teammates “had been drinking with Todd underage.” She also claimed she did not report the incident at the time because she “was scared of losing my scholarship and being the reason my teammates lost theirs.”
Then she revealed why she was coming forward more than two decades later.
“But what is happening now at SJSU is egregious and he only continues to get more bold with each new school, and the complete improper balance of power seems to drive him. He knows very well that young impressionable female athletes are not in a balanced position,” she wrote.
The “egregious” conduct she referred to was regarding Kress’ handling of the trans athlete on SJSU’s volleyball team.
When that letter was sent to SJSU, Kress was in the middle of leading a Spartans team that was near the top of the Mountain West Conference standings. They got there through a few wins and a lot of forfeits from other teams, as SJSU was at the center of a national media controversy over a transgender player. A female teammate had joined a lawsuit claiming she hadn’t been told of that player’s birth sex before joining the team and living together.
Later that day on Oct. 24, 2024, SJSU Athletic Director Jeff Konya responded to the former Fairfield player in an email.
INSIDE THE FALLOUT OF THE SJSU VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL: ‘THIS IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM’
“I want to acknowledge that I am in receipt of your correspondence and will share it with the proper authorities on the SJSU campus for additional review,” Konya wrote.
More than a week later, on Nov. 4, former SJSU interim Title IX and Gender Equity Officer Peter Lim reached out to set up a meeting with the former player and her attorney.
“Thank you for sharing your concerns about Coach Todd Kress. I am sorry to hear about your experiences. I have reviewed your letter and would like to meet with you to better understand your experiences with Coach Kress. The purpose of the meeting would be to help me assess potential next steps, which may or may not include an investigation into the reported conduct,” Lim wrote.
Three days after that, on Nov. 7, Lim sent another email to the former Fairfield player, thanking her and her attorney for meeting with them.
“I am so sorry about your prior experiences with Todd Kress at Fairfield University. I appreciate the time you took to describe those experiences, the impact those experiences continue to have on you, and the safety threat that you believe he presents to SJSU’s volleyball team,” Lim wrote.
“We are evaluating the information you provided and determining appropriate next steps. If it is okay with the two of you, I would appreciate staying in touch.”
There was no further correspondence between the two parties after that exchange, Fox News Digital has learned.
A split image of San Jose Spartans’ Blaire Fleming and Todd Kress. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images and Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Kress continued to coach and travel with SJSU’s volleyball team, all the way to the final game of the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas that year, where their season ended to Colorado State.
Kress coached the team again in 2025. They fell short of the conference tournament with a losing record in 2025.
Kress continues to be the head coach of the women’s volleyball team at SJSU.
A U.S. Department of Education (ED) Title IX investigation into SJSU over the transgender scandal determined that the university allegedly made the decision to not suspend or relieve its head volleyball coach during the team’s 2024 transgender scandal, despite Title IX-related complaints against the coach. The investigation’s findings made no mention of the former Fairfield player and her letter.
However, the investigation did not disclose what those complaints were, and SJSU and the California State University System (CSU) are suing the department to challenge those findings.
ED’s findings, which were provided by SJSU to Fox News Digital in response to a public records request, suggest the school allegedly considered potential media attention that would arise from taking any action against the coach, and the affect it would have on the team.
The findings do not mention the coach by name, but Fox News Digital reasonably believes the figure titled “Coach 2” in the findings to be current SJSU volleyball head coach Todd Kress. The findings specify Coach 2 as the current head coach of the SJSU volleyball team who began his tenure in the 2023, which was the year Kress took over his current position.
“Additional notes indicate the decision to not suspend Coach 2 also included the improper consideration: ‘If we relieve him… [w]e could also spark more media attention…. ‘ University records indicate University officials, including the President of the University, agreed to not suspend Coach 2 because they felt his suspension would unduly disrupt the team,” the findings state.
Kress continues to be the coach at SJSU. He is one of the more accomplished volleyball coaches in NCAA history, currently ranking 21st all-time in NCAA history in wins with 550. But he has only led one winning season for SJSU since arriving in 2023, that being the controversial 2024 campaign with a trans player.
SJSU has faced federal sanctions for an unrelated Title IX violations since 2021. That year, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that the university ignored more than a decade of sexual assault and harassment complaints made by female student-athletes against a former director of sports medicine/head athletic trainer.
Beginning in 2009, an athletic trainer subjected female student-athletes to repeated, unwelcome sexual touching under the guise of medical treatment.
The DOJ found that SJSU repeatedly mishandled, downplayed or failed to properly investigate these reports, which ultimately exposed additional student-athletes to harm.
To remedy these violations, SJSU agreed to pay a $1.6 million financial settlement to the affected victims and implement sweeping corrective measures.
SJSU has withheld relevant records and not responded to request for comment
On June 9, 2026, Fox News Digital submitted a formal public records request to San Jose State University seeking copies of the Oct. 24, 2024, complaint letter sent to Athletic Director Konya, the Nov. 1 follow-up email, and the subsequent Nov. 7 correspondence from the university’s Title IX office.
On June 22, 2026, SJSU’s public records office formally denied the request. In a response issued by university legal counsel J. Leah Castella, the school acknowledged the existence of the records but determined they were not disclosable under the California Public Records Act.
“The requested communications implicate substantial privacy interests,” the university’s response stated.
“Disclosure of these records would therefore constitute an invasion of privacy that outweighs the public interest in disclosure. Specifically, these records are being withheld subject to the following exemptions: Personnel Records/Privacy… General Privacy Rights… [and the] Balancing Test. Here, the public interest served by disclosure is minimal and is outweighed by the public interest served against disclosure in protecting substantial and significant privacy rights.”
Following the records denial, Fox News Digital sent a detailed press inquiry to Kress, Konya, Lim and Castella. The inquiry summarized the exact dates, timestamps and contents of the internal records obtained independently by Fox News Digital, and posed a series of explicit questions to the parties, including requests for Kress’ response to the 1998 allegations, details on what specific next steps the Title IX office took following their November 2024 meetings, and whether athletic department officials interviewed current volleyball players regarding their safety.
The inquiry also questioned university legal counsel regarding the decision to classify the public interest in these safety warnings as “minimal” while the university is actively engaged in a federal lawsuit defending its Title IX compliance within the volleyball program. Fox News Digital has not sought judicial relief on SJSU’s claim.
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Head coach Todd Kress of the San Jose State Spartans looks on during the second set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on Oct. 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
As of publication time, neither Kress, Konya, nor any legal or communications representatives for San Jose State University have responded to the requests for comment.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Fairfield University for request for a response to the former player’s letter, but a spokesperson responded, writing, “The university does not comment on former or current personnel matters.”
Continuing my summer observations looking back at memorable moments in covering high school sports since 1976, you can’t find a better, more beloved action-packed night than Feb. 24, 2017, at USC’s Galen Center when you got to see two great high school basketball games for the price of one in the Southern Section Open Division semifinals.
Anyone who was there remembers the long lines to get in, the sold-out crowd and drama involving Sierra Canyon against Bishop Montgomery and Mater Dei against Chino Hills.
Enjoy the memories from the video looking back.
Sports
England’s Jordan Henderson officially ruled out after freak fall causes fracture, opts for surgery
A freak mishap Sunday night abruptly ended England midfielder Jordan Henderson’s 2026 World Cup.
Henderson, 36, spent the match on the bench in England’s 3-2 win, but quickly drew attention after falling over an advertising board, leaving him writhing in pain during a moment of victory for England.
England’s Jordan Henderson is stretchered off after suffering an injury during World Cup Round of 16 victory. (Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images) ((Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images))
Harry Kane celebrates with Jordan Henderson after England’s thrilling World Cup victory over Mexico Sunday. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) ((Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images))
On Monday, Henderson opted to undergo surgery, bringing an unusual ending to the World Cup campaign of one of England’s veteran leaders.
ENGLAND PLAYER INJURES WRIST HOPPING OVER AD BOARD DURING TEAM’S WORLD CUP VICTORY CELEBRATION VS MEXICO
As the stadium speakers blasted Oasis, Henderson tried to climb over a pitch-side advertising board to celebrate with the traveling supporters. He lost his footing and landed awkwardly on his wrist.
WATCH:
England captain Harry Kane reacted to Henderson’s injury Sunday night after the match.
ENGLAND STUNS MEXICO 3-2 IN INSTANT WORLD CUP CLASSIC, HANDS TEAM FIRST WORLD CUP LOSS AT ESTADIO AZTECA
“Yeah Hendo just fell over there. I think he’s OK. Something to do with his arm,” Kane said, unaware of the severity of Henderson’s injury at the time.
Dan Burn helps injured Jordan Henderson during England’s World Cup victory celebrations over Mexico Sunday. Surgery required for English vet. (Photo by Martín Fonseca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images) ((Photo by Martín Fonseca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images))
The celebrations quickly turned to concern as medical staff rushed onto the field, administered oxygen, and stretchered Henderson off the pitch.
Before the accident, Estadio Azteca hosted a World Cup classic. Jude Bellingham sparked England with a first-half brace before Harry Kane added a penalty. Mexico answered through Julian Quinones and a late Raul Jimenez penalty.
ENGLAND STUNS MEXICO 3-2 IN INSTANT WORLD CUP CLASSIC, HANDS TEAM FIRST WORLD CUP LOSS AT ESTADIO AZTECA
Henderson watched the thriller from the bench, picking up a yellow card in the 98th minute for his touchline protests. The match fell into chaos when England defender Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card, forcing the Three Lions to desperately hang on.
While manager Thomas Tuchel and the squad flew to Kansas City to prepare for a quarterfinal clash against Norway, Henderson remained hospitalized in Mexico City. England next faces Erling Haaland’s Norway on Saturday without the suspended Jarell Quansah.
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Henderson’s World Cup had its ups and downs. The last one ended it.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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