Sports
SoFi Stadium passes the grass and atmosphere test among players as World Cup looms
Omar Duran had never been to SoFi Stadium until Monday. So consider his visit for the Copa América group-stage game between Brazil and Costa Rica something of a trial run for the 2026 World Cup, now less than two years away.
“It’s beautiful,” Duran said, gripping a beer in his left hand as he made his away along the stadium’s spacious concourse. “It’s amazing what they have done.”
The game, which ended in a scoreless draw, was something of a practice run for the stadium too. The first in a series of test runs, actually, since SoFi will play host to another Copa América game Wednesday, when Mexico faces Venezuela. Then in late July, English Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United will meet there in a friendly.
And for Otto Benedict, the stadium’s senior vice president for facility and campus operations, nothing will be too small to overlook given the task ahead. In 2026, SoFi will stage eight World Cup matches, including the U.S. team’s opener, the first men’s World Cup match to be played on American soil in 32 years. Only AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with nine games, will play host to more.
“The things that people probably don’t think about,” Benedict said when asked what he was focused Monday. “It’s a weekday. Our next game is a Wednesday. When we have World Cup games, we’re going to have weekday games.
“How much traffic we see on the streets right now, we want to know that because that’s going to impact how we’re preparing. So every little detail is something that we’re looking at to understand how that works.”
The bigger things will be dictated by FIFA, global soccer’s ruling body and the organizer of the World Cup. FIFA prohibits artificial turf in major tournaments, for example, so SoFi’s Matrix Turf field was covered with a temporary carpet of desert-grown natural grass from West Coast Turf for this week’s two Copa América games. For the World Cup, the field will be raised a couple of feet and another type of grass installed.
“This is a warm-season grass,” Benedict said. “The FIFA research team thinks this will be a cool-season-grass building. So they’re doing a lot of independent testing. But for us, it’s just good to see how much how much moisture’s getting in the air. How is it reacting?
“It’s all good learning and points that we’re going to take and share that with people and say, ‘Hey, here’s what we got out of this event.’”
SoFi’s floor is also too narrow to accommodate a regulation-size soccer field, which must be at least 74 yards wide along the goal line. That will be remedied for 2026 by eliminating field-level suites in the four corners and widening the playing surface, although that was not done for Copa América.
SoFi’s capacity of 70,240 is also small by FIFA standards but that can be boosted by as much as 10,000 with the addition of temporary stands in the upper deck above the north and south ends.
SoFi isn’t the only World Cup venue having a Copa dress rehearsal this summer. Eight of the 11 U.S. stadiums that will be used in 2026 are also staging Copa matches, and eight games into the tournament, some have been found wanting. Many stadiums will have to widen their pitches in the corners and add grass fields over the regular artificial turf.
That hasn’t gone well.
Players from both teams complained about the carpet laid down in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for last week’s tournament opener, with Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez calling it a “disaster” and Canada defender Kamal Miller saying the field felt “as if it was hollow.”
U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie complained about a lack of atmosphere ahead of his team’s opening win over Bolivia, which was played in front of more than 30,000 empty seats at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas. Of the tournament’s first eight games, only Argentina’s opener sold out.
Monday’s SoFi match came close, with attendance announced at 67,158. And while the ersatz field and narrow dimensions drew complaints, the reviews from those who took part were mostly good.
“There are things that are going to have to improve obviously. The dimensions, the speed of the ball, that type of thing,” Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro said in Spanish. “But it seems to me that it is a good test, to know what we need.
“The atmosphere was very nice. The logistics are very good. Everything was very easy for the teams. They did it very well.”
Teenage forward Andy Rojas agreed.
“The stadium is spectacular,” he said. “It’s a huge, beautiful stadium and it is good for hosting the World Cup. The grass felt like it slowed the ball a lot, but it can be fixed.”
Costa Rica’s Brandon Aguilera, left, and Brazil’s Lucas Paqueta battle for the ball during a scoreless draw at SoFi Stadium on Monday.
(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)
There were a few other glitches — a press elevator never showed up postgame — but nothing that negatively impacted the fan experience.
“It went well,” a SoFi official declared afterward. “A lot of the little nuance things that will be required as part of this major event, we’re going to be looking at those things,” Benedict added. “Whether it’s Copa, our upcoming concerts, even the NFL season in ‘24, in ‘25. We will take those learnings and make sure we’re adjusting.”
Yet for David Cartagena of Irvine, who attended the game with his son dressed in matching Real Madrid jerseys, Monday’s test was one the stadium passed with flying colors.
“For soccer and the World Cup? Are you kidding me?” he said as he waited in a quick-moving concession line. “This place is going to be crazy.”
Sports
Pirates star pitcher makes unfortunate history after being taken out in middle of perfect game bid
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Jared Jones was flirting with Major League Baseball history on Wednesday night — he got it, but it was not what he originally envisioned.
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher retired the first 18 batters he faced, but he was taken out in the middle of his perfect game bid after six innings.
Now, the Pirates certainly have their reasons — the 24-year-old Jones hasn’t thrown more than 81 pitches in eight starts since returning May 20 after missing all of last season while undergoing ulnar collateral ligament internal brace surgery on May 21, 2025. He was yanked with 77 pitches and likely would have needed more than 100 pitches to record the 25th perfect game in MLB history.
Jared Jones of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 8, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
However, Jones left the game after getting zero run support, so when the Atlanta Braves tacked on three runs late for a 3-0 victory, Jones instead found himself in the wrong chapter of the history books.
According to Opta Stats, Jones became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1920) to pitch at least six perfect innings and not record a win.
“It does suck. Something’s cool coming on, but I’m on what? My eighth start off of surgery? I completely understand it, and it is what it is,” Jones told reporters after the game.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) makes his way to the field to warm up before pitching against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
JUSTIN VERLANDER ANNOUNCES HE WILL RETIRE AFTER THIS SEASON: ‘I’VE REALIZED THAT TIME HAS COME’
Jones said he didn’t entertain attempting to complete the perfect game.
“Not with the pitch count,” he said. “Not really ever expecting to go nine right now, so that was never in my head.”
Joey Bart, traded to the Braves from the Pirates on June 18, followed a double by Mike Yastrzemski with a 422-foot, two-run homer to left-center field off a slider from Dennis Santana. Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center in the ninth for good measure.
It was the second time in less than a week that a pitcher was taken out of the game with a perfect bid through six innings — the Miami Marlins took Eury Perez out after seven innings in which he had 92 pitches. Perez, too, is in the midst of returning from injury and has surprisingly found himself right in the postseason mix.
He was pulled for Lake Bachar to start the eighth, and the Marlins allowed eight runs to the Athletics in the final two innings, but held on to win 9-8.
Jared Jones (17) of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch during a MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds on June 27, 2026, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Pirates are 4.0 games out of the final wild card spot, which is held by the Marlins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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WASHINGTON — The Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on July 23 to celebrate their latest World Series title.
“President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to The Times.
The date falls on a scheduled off day in the middle of a nine-game East Coast road trip for the Dodgers. The team will play three games in Philadelphia against the Phillies July 20-22 before ending the trip with a three-game series against the New York Mets July 24 to 26.
The visit continues a tradition from the Dodgers’ two previous World Series championships. They were hosted by President Biden in 2021 and President Trump in April 2025.
After the Dodgers claimed their second consecutive World Series title with a dramatic Game 7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, a visit to the White House was planned, but it wasn’t until Thursday that a date was officially booked and confirmed.
Questions swirled around whether players would decline the visit this year after it did not happen during a scheduled visit to Washington in April.
Kiké Hernández said in 2018 he was unsure he would have gone had the Dodgers won the World Series the previous year. Mookie Betts said he was undecided and needed to talk it over with his family when last year’s visit was announced. After winning his first World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, Betts skipped their trip to the White House the following year during Trump’s first term.
Both players, along with every returning member of the 2024 team who was with the team during its road trip, participated in the visit. The only notable absence was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who remained in Los Angeles to nurse an ankle injury.
Manager Dave Roberts, who indicated in comments to The Times in 2019 he might not go to the White House if Trump was president, also participated in last year’s ceremony.
Asked at the Dodgers’ fan festival in January about the possibility of returning to the White House, Roberts told The Times’ Bill Shaikin: “For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager. That’s my job.”
“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country,” Roberts said. “For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. … For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”
Clayton Kershaw, who retired after last season but was on Team USA for this year’s World Baseball Classic, told The Times in the spring that he was aware Dodgers fans are split over whether the team should visit the White House again this year, but he said he is looking forward to it.
“I went when President Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”
Times deputy sports editor Ed Guzman contributed to this report.
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All eyes were on Caitlin Clark on Wednesday night as she made her anticipated return from injury in a road matchup in Los Angeles.
But instead of a triumphant comeback, the Fever spent the entire night chasing the Sparks as Clark’s rough return fueled a 106-92 rout.
The superstar never found a groove, looking completely out of sync in her return from a back injury.
STEPHANIE WHITE GIVES CAITLIN CLARK STATUS UPDATE AHEAD OF FEVER-SPARKS, BUT HER NEXT MOVE RAISES QUESTIONS
Caitlin Clark huddles with teammates as the Indiana Fever battle the Sparks. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
Much of that disjointed performance falls squarely on head coach Stephanie White, who kept Clark on a ridiculously tight leash by limiting her to just 16 minutes. The stop-and-go approach could have sabotaged any chance for the phenom to establish a rhythm.
Clark finished with just 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Her minus-16 plus-minus told the story.
The Los Angeles Sparks were severely shorthanded, taking the floor without stars Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink.
MERCURY’S NOW-DELETED SOCIAL MEDIA POST MOCKING CAITLIN CLARK DRAWS SCRUTINY AFTER STAR’S INJURY
Yet while a depleted Sparks roster played to win, Indiana spent the night over-managing its biggest asset.
With Clark on a minutes restriction and Aliyah Boston out of the lineup, Kelsey Mitchell was forced to shoulder the entire offensive burden.
Mitchell did her part, pouring in 29 points while shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Caitlin Clark orchestrates the Fever offense as Indiana battles the Los Angeles Sparks in primetime action. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
But one hot hand couldn’t stop an efficient LA squad.
The Sparks shot 45% from three-point range, going 9-of-20 from deep to cruise to the 106-92 victory.
White’s next move is to sit Clark against the Mercury on Thursday while Boston returns.
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After Wednesday’s loss to a shorthanded Sparks team, it’s fair to question whether Indiana’s cautious approach is working. The Fever dropped to 12-9.
Caitlin Clark and Dearica Hamby face off as Fever and Sparks battle at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images))
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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