San Diego, CA
Tom Krasovic: Chargers have run out of excuses for losing to Andy Reid’s Chiefs
The Chargers are out of excuses for losing so often to Andy Reid’s Chiefs, who’ll face them Sunday night.
Trashing their final excuse, the Chargers now have their own great coach in Jim Harbaugh, hired in January.
Sure, Reid makes it tough. An all-time great coach, he has turned the Chiefs into an NFL dynasty, winning three Super Bowls since inheriting a 2-14 club.
But divisional competition often levels the field, and when it comes to beating the Chiefs, the Chargers aren’t keeping up with the other AFC West teams. Last season, Both the Raiders and Broncos firmly defeated Reid’s Super Bowl-bound team last season.
Weeks after Brandon Staley’s final Chargers squad looked soft and confused against the Chiefs, the 2023 Raiders of rookie head coach Antonio Pierce hammered Reid’s team on Christmas Day, winning 20-14 behind two defensive touchdowns.
“Everything we talked about – ill intent, violence, physicality, execution, the will to win — we did it! ” Pierce hollered as cigar smoke wafted in the visiting locker room at Arrowhead Stadium.
Sean Payton’s first Broncos team beat the Chiefs by 15 points. Denver held the Chiefs to nine points. “They were the better football team, and I give them their props,” Patrick Mahomes said the Broncos intercepted him twice and allowed no touchdowns.
The Chargers, meantime, haven’t defeated Reid’s club since September 2021.
They’ve lost six straight games to K.C. And, between 2014-18, Reid’s program beat them nine times in a row.
Harbaugh was hired to stem the red tide of dominance.
I gave Harbaugh a mulligan for L.A.’s 17-10 September loss at the Kroenke Dome. It seemed too soon for the Chargers to match the savvy Chiefs at adjusting to adversity within the game.
But as great coaches tend to do, Harbaugh has effected better habits in short time. By now his club, at 8-4, knows how to win. A more physical style has been established. Quarterback Justin Herbert has thrown only one interception all season, and the Chargers stand among the NFL’s leaders in fewest fumbles and fewest penalties.
Besides, overcoming his team’s most capable rival is a Harbaugh speciality.
As Michigan’s quarterback, he publicly guaranteed and led a road win over Ohio State.
His first Stanford team beat USC as a 41-point underdog.
Harbaugh’s rookie year as an NFL head coach saw his 49ers defeat Pete Carroll’s Seahawks twice, leading to an NFC West title.
As the Chargers attempt to add Reid’s Chiefs to Harbaugh’s book, it wouldn’t be an achievement to stay close to the Chiefs, despite their AFC-best 11-1 record. After all, nine of Kansas City’s wins have come by seven points or fewer, within an NFL-best streak of 14 consecutive wins in “one score” games.
Nor would a fine game from Jesse Minter’s defense qualify as a major feat, given that K.C. stands a modest 11th in points scored and bogged down often in recent home games against the Raiders and Broncos.
It’ll take finishing the game; there, this year’s Broncos and Raiders showed the Chargers what not to do.
Denver positioned itself for a decisive kick only for Chiefs linebacker Leo Chanel to block Will Lutz’s 35-yard try after bowling over a Broncos blocker. The Raiders drove for a potential game-winning field goal. One play before they would’ve tried it, they lost a fumble after quarterback Aidan O’Connell, looking toward a wideout, failed to see a shotgun snap.
A Chargers victory would improve Harbaugh’s chances of landing the franchise’s first home playoff game since … well, it’s been a long time.
It was January 2014, when Norv Turner’s team, a nine-point favorite, lost a Divisional Round game in Mission Valley to Rex Ryan’s Jets.
San Diego, CA
City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness
Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.
Located on 17th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.
“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.
Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.
“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.
Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.
But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.
“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.
In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”
Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.
However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.
“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.
Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.
He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.
“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.
The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.
San Diego Padres (14-7) at Los Angeles Angels (11-11), April 19, 2026, 1:07 p.m. PST
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San Diego, CA
Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com
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
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