Sports
LAFC prevails over El Tráfico rival Galaxy in front of 70,000 fans at Rose Bowl
For seven seasons, the Galaxy and LAFC have shared Southern California. But until Thursday they had never played each other while sharing the top spot in the Western Conference standings.
They didn’t finish the night that way, with first-half goals from Kei Kamara and Denis Bouanga lifting LAFC to a 2-1 victory before a crowd of 70,076 at the Rose Bowl. Gabriel Pec scored for the Galaxy early in the second half.
For much of the bitter crosstown rivalry, the Galaxy have been closer to the bottom of the table than the top. LAFC, meanwhile, has the best record in the league since entering MLS.
That has often left one team playing for a title and the other one playing spoiler. That wasn’t the case this time.
“It looked to me as if the Galaxy players had something today to lose,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said. “They were not the underdogs today. And that’s a different burden.”
LAFC defender Aaron Long wasn’t so sure since nobody takes a copy of the standings into a game.
“It’s always going to feel the same, to be honest,” he said. “If you lose to them when you’re in first and they’re in last, it hurts the same as if you lose to them if you’re both tied for first.”
But when you win and break that tie? Well, it means a little more.
“That perhaps made it a little different,” defender Sergi Palencia said in Spanish. “Tied on points for first place, it was a very important game for us. We approached this match as a final.”
A final maybe, but it won’t be their last meeting. The teams will square off in September and, given the way both are playing, a playoff rematch in the fall looks likely.
Consider that LAFC (13-4-4), with its third win in as many games, extended the team’s franchise-record unbeaten streak to 10 matches and pushed it closer to Inter Miami in the Supporters’ Shield race. It has also won its last three games against the Galaxy. It is the hottest team in the league.
For the Galaxy (11-4-7), the loss, their second in 12 games, ended a four-match winning streak, the team’s longest since 2020, and dropped them into a tie with Real Salt Lake for second in the table on points.
The Galaxy are the third-best team in the Western Conference since April.
The two teams, who normally play in stadiums only 11 miles apart, moved their Fourth of July game to the Rose Bowl for the second straight year and were rewarded with the second-largest crowd in MLS this season and the 14th-largest in league history. And the 70,000-plus who showed up were rewarded with an entertaining game.
LAFC was better through much of the first half, outshooting the Galaxy 13-6, but they couldn’t beat goalkeeper John McCarthy until just before the break. After making two tough saves seconds part, first pushing away Mateusz Bogusz’s right-footed shot from the top of the box then lifting Ilie Sánchez’s header over the bar, McCarthy got beat on a Kamara header, ending the keeper’s scoreless streak at 319 minutes.
It was the 147th goal of Kamara’s MLS career, extending his lead over Landon Donovan for second on the all-time scoring list.
“When the service is right, it’s kind of unstoppable,” Long said. “When he gets that running head start and he gets the jump, no one’s going be able to jump with him. Everyone knows how good he’s in the air. But when the ball is right and he times it well, it’s almost impossible to stop.”
A minute later, Galaxy defender Julián Aude tripped midfielder Eduard Atuesta at the top of the box, drawing a penalty that Bouanga converted for his 14th goal of the season. The Galaxy hadn’t allowed two goals in the first half since an April loss in Austin.
But if LAFC dominated the first half, the Galaxy were more dangerous for much of the next 45 minutes.
Pec halved the deficit in the 56th minute, bulling his way through a pair of defenders before pushing in a left-footed shot from close range for this seventh goal of the season. The score also gave him a goal or assist in five straight games.
Joseph Paintsil nearly tied the game a minute later, spinning and launching a right-footed shot from the center of the box, but the ball sailed harmlessly over the crossbar. LAFC responded by packing the penalty area with as many as seven bodies in the final 10 minutes, finally breathing a sigh of relief at the final whistle.
“These derby matches, there’s so much you have to get up for, mentally and emotionally,” Long said. “So it feels the same, even though in the standings, it doesn’t look the same.”
Sports
Travis Kelce appears to wipe away tears as Brittany Mahomes comforts him during Taylor Swift Eras Tour stop
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was spotted in a seemingly emotional state during girlfriend Taylor Swift’s recent Eras Tour stop.
Videos have popped up on social media showing Kelce in a suite alongside his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and his wife, Brittany Mahomes, among others, where he appears to be wiping away tears during Swift’s performance in Amsterdam.
Swift was performing a mashup of songs on the piano at the time, which fans believe were dedicated to Kelce, hence the emotion.
Taylor Swift performs in Amsterdam on July 4, 2024. (Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
At one point, Brittany Mahomes was seen talking to Kelce, perhaps trying to give the 34-year-old some love as Swift continued to sing onstage.
After the show, Kelce was seen with Swift walking out of the Amsterdam stadium, and he was hyping up the crowd to cheer for his girlfriend after another successful performance.
The songs that Swift was apparently singing during that emotional moment for Kelce was “Mary’s Song,” in which she sang the lyrics, “You’ll be 87, I’ll be 89. I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine. In the sky, oh my my my.” The No. 87 is in reference to Kelce’s jersey number, while No. 89 is the year Swift was born: 1989.
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There was also the song “So High School” off Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which many fans believe is about Kelce. She also sang “Everything Has Changed” in the mashup.
The Mahomes have been present with Kelce this year at a Swift concert, as Brittany and Swift got very close this past season during Chiefs games all over the country.
Kelce has also taken this offseason to join Swift on the Eras Tour stage, surprising fans at a stop in London in late June, supporting her alongside dancers dressed in tuxedos.
“On night 3, something magical happened,” Jason Kelce, Travis’s older brother, said on their “New Heights” podcast during its season 2 finale. “Somehow, you made your way on the stage.”
Taylor Swift was joined by her beau, Travis Kelce, during the “Tortured Poets Department” set of her Eras Tour concert in London. (Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
“It’s very unlike me,” Travis replied with a smile. “I don’t love going on stages.
“I initially mentioned it to Tay. I was like, ‘How funny would it be if I just rolled out on one of the bikes during the ’1989′ era?’” he explained to Jason. “She started laughing, and she was like, ‘Would you seriously be up for doing something like that?’ And I was just like, ‘Are you – what? I would love to do that. Are you kidding me?’ I’ve seen the show enough. Might as well put me to work here.’
“She found the perfect, perfect part of the show for me to come in. There was no bike, in case I, like, ran into somebody else or hit one of the dancers or anything. It was like the safest option.”
Swift was seen at one point in Kelce’s arms as he carried her away during the show.
Taylor Swift took her Eras Tour to Australia last month, and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, made a quick visit to see one of her shows in Sydney. (Getty Images)
It’s truly been a summer of love for these two, though Kelce will head back to work in the coming weeks with Chiefs training camp set to get underway.
Fox News’ Caroline Thayer contributed to this report.
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Natasha Cloud scored a career-high 31 points as the Phoenix Mercury overcame the absence of Diana Taurasi to defeat the Sparks 84-78 after a tense fourth-quarter duel Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
Despite a career-high 22 points from Sparks rookie Rickea Jackson, Phoenix broke a 78-78 tie when Cloud scored with 35 seconds left in the game.
Dearica Hamby led the Sparks with 25 points and nine rebounds and Jackson had six rebounds and three assists. Cloud had nine rebounds and five assists and Mercury teammate Kahleah Copper had 25 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 11 for 13 from the free-throw line.
The Sparks continued to struggle from three-point range, shooting five for 24 while scoring 29 of 75 from the field. Phoenix shot 27 for 59 from the field and 23 for 28 from the free-throw line.
Though the Sparks kept pace early on, they struggled to contain Cloud, who hit a trio of three-pointers and scored 13 points to help Phoenix take a 25-15 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Azurá Stevens, making her Sparks season debut after undergoing surgery on her left arm in March, scored her first points on a steal early in the second quarter. She finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Guard Crystal Dangerfield also made her Sparks debut after signing a seven-day hardship contract Thursday.
After being named to the Australian national team Thursday, Stephanie Talbot, who has been playing significant minutes with an injured right foot, left the game in the first quarter and did not return.
The Sparks clawed back late in the second quarter, going on a 7-0 run to trail 42-39 at halftime. Jackson scored seven points in the second quarter and Hamby had 12 points and seven rebounds at the break.
While Hamby helped the Sparks make it a one-point game early in the third quarter, foul trouble hampered the Sparks’ efforts. However, the Sparks tied the game 56-56 on a pair of Rae Burrell free throws with 2:13 left in the third. Jackson finished with 10 points in the quarter and made it a two-point game after scoring with 1.1 seconds left.
Midway into the fourth quarter, Hamby made a three-pointer to give the Sparks a 70-67 lead — their first lead since the first quarter. Both teams traded points down the stretch before the Mercury pulled ahead in the final minute.
The Sparks complete their homestand Tuesday against the Minnesota Lynx at Crypto.com Arena.
Jessica Springsteen, the equestrian daughter of legendary rock star Bruce Springsteen, is not going to be representing the United States again in this year’s Olympics despite doing so in Tokyo in 2021.
USA Equestrian revealed its jumping team for the Paris Olympics on Saturday afternoon, and Springsteen wasn’t on it.
Instead, veteran riders Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut and McLain Ward were in the three spots, with Karl Cook named as the team’s alternate.
Jessica Springsteen rides Don Juan Van de Donkhoeve in the jumping team final at Equestrian Park on Aug. 7, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. ( Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Springsteen, 32, was with Kraut and Ward at the Toyko Olympics, helping them collect a silver medal to mark the fourth medal in the past five Olympics for the Americans in the event. Springsteen was riding her 12-year-old stallion named Don Juan van de Donkhoeve.
She was tracking to make the team this year, being named one of 10 on the U.S. Jumping Team’s short list for the Olympics in April. U.S. Equestrian said in a press release at the time that those 10 athletes would be “chosen for continued observation.”
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However, Springsteen’s status in rankings didn’t match up with where she was three years ago.
According to the International Federation of Equestrian Sports’ official website, Springsteen is ranked 127th in the world after being 14th in 2021.
Jessica Springsteen rides in the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier at the Hampton Classic Horse Show on Sept. 1, 2023, in Bridgehampton, New York. (Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)
Farrington (6th), Ward, (15th), Kraut (35th) and Cook (23rd) are all much higher in the rankings than Springsteen.
Springsteen expressed the desire to keep competing with hopes of reaching the Olympics during an interview in May with Harper’s Bazaar.
“Tokyo 2020 was such an incredible experience, but because of that year and all the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, you know, you couldn’t have your family and your friends there,” Springsteen explained. “So I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I would love to go to another Olympics and be able to share that with my family, who’ve been so supportive of my career for so many years.’”
Jessica Springsteen rides Naomi van het Keizershof during the CSI5* – International Competition N5 presented by Crivelli – Verona Jumping at 125th Fieracavalli on Nov. 11, 2023, Verona, Italy. (Roberto Tommasini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Her father actually had a two-week block in his touring schedule set aside during the Olympics. And though that’s not officially the reason behind the tour break, one would think it worked perfectly for Springsteen to see his daughter if she made the team.
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