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The Dodgers’ 9-2 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday wasn’t enough to prevent them from going into the All-Star break with the best record in the majors — that much is ensured. But the uninspired all-around performance sealed a series loss on the final weekend of the season’s first half.

The Dodgers (61-35) put little pressure on the Diamondbacks pitching staff. And Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto wrapped up his first-half campaign with his highest-scoring start of the season; he surrendered six runs in six innings.

Over the All-Star break, Yamamoto (2.85 ERA) will get the week to rest. Before the game Saturday, manager Dave Roberts confirmed Yamamoto, an All-Star for the second consecutive year, will not pitch in the game.

The timing of his start Saturday, three days before the Midsummer Classic, suggested as much. Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to have his left knee drained coming out of the All-Star break and will not travel to Philadelphia. So Justin Wrobleski, who was added to the National League roster Saturday, is the only Dodger set to pitch in the All-Star Game.

Yamamoto held the Diamondbacks to one run through the first five innings. But his final inning quickly unraveled. It started with a leadoff walk and peaked with a three-run home run from James McCann.

The Dodgers finally rallied for two runs in the sixth and then fell quiet again. The Diamondbacks then scored three runs against Landon Knack in his three-inning season debut coming off the injured list.

Yamamoto’s uncharacteristic sixth inning ended his streak of quality starts at five, including two that lasted eight innings or more. He leads the team with 110⅔ innings pitched.

“His delivery is so consistent, repeatable,” Roberts said before the game. “He uses his body so efficiently. I just see how he takes care of himself, and the tax wasn’t going to be a problem for him.”

Yamamoto’s workload, along with Wrobleski’s emergence, have helped the Dodgers weather injuries to pitchers who were expected to be major contributors.

In a promising sign for closer Edwin Díaz’s recovery timeline, he started a rehab assignment with single-A Ontario on Saturday. Díaz made just seven appearances for the Dodgers before undergoing an operation to remove loose bodies from his right elbow in late April.

“He’s been throwing pretty effortlessly, free, maybe a week after he started throwing,” pitching coach Mark Prior said.

He estimated that Díaz would return in about three to four weeks if his progression goes smoothly.

Blake Snell — who also had loose bodies removed from his pitching elbow, undergoing a NanoNeedle Scope procedure on May 19 — threw two simulated innings to batters Saturday.

Snell is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment next weekend, Roberts said. Prior believes Snell will need at least four to five outings, likening it to a spring training buildup.

“The goal would be to get him fully built up to 90ish pitches before he comes back,” Prior said.

Tyler Glasnow, who had been sidelined for more than two months with a lingering back injury, threw a bullpen session Friday.

“It was like 95, 96 [mph] in his ‘pen, but he does that rolling out of bed when he’s healthy,” Prior said. “But it’s a good sign.”

Glasnow has had plenty of back and forth in his rehab, however. Twice he started playing catch only to be shut down when back spasms returned.

“The schedule is starting to move with a little bit more consistency than it had been,” Prior said. “So he’s in a good spot.”

Glasnow is scheduled for another bullpen session on Monday.

Bo Lowrance models his game after Freddie Freeman. So, it’s fitting that the Dodgers selected the 6-foot-5, 200-pound high school infielder — ranked the No. 21 overall prospect by MLB.com — with the 40th pick in the MLB amateur draft on Saturday.

“He’s obviously a first baseman, and I’m on the left side, so defensively a little different,” Lowrance said of Freeman during a conference call with media. “But he’s still unbelievably athletic, and a big thing that I’ve watched for years is his approach and how he uses the whole field. … [Freeman is] somebody that I’m always trying to emulate.”

Lowrance hit .435 with 12 home runs last season at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, S.C.

A left-handed batter and right-handed thrower like Freeman, Lowrance is expected to develop as a shortstop — noting former Dodger Corey Seager has a “super smooth” defense at 6-4 he hopes to replicate — with a potential role at third, depending on how the prep star grows into his frame.

“Yeah, definitely want to be a shortstop,” Lowrance said. “I believe I’m capable of it. I think I have the glove skills and the athleticism. I think it’s just going to turn into who I want to become at the plate in terms of my overall size and frame. Like, if I ultimately put on a bunch of weight and kind of grow out of the shortstop position, then maybe that’s where that’ll change.”

Lowrance hit it off with the Dodgers’ front office in June at the draft combine in Phoenix.

And even though the Dodgers didn’t exactly see the Freeman comparison Lowrance mentioned, they would be thrilled if he turned out anything like the 10-time All-Star.

“Bo was definitely our main target coming into the day,” Dodgers amateur scouting director Zach Fitzpatrick said. “Probably would have said there’s a pretty low chance we were able to acquire him, had you asked me in the morning. So as the picks start coming off the board and realizing there’s a little bit more opportunity to get him, our excitement level climbed. And then to actually be able to call his name was a home run for us.”

“I’ve been in communication with them for a while,” Lowrance added. “I’ve loved their scouting staff. I have a great relationship with them.”

The Dodgers entered the draft with the smallest bonus pool at $3,951,900; the White Sox had the most cash to work with, boasting $20,489,500.

Fitzpatrick, though, said the Dodgers’ strategy centered around taking the best player available.

The approach carried over into the Dodgers’ second and final pick on the day — Florida right-handed pitcher Russell Sandefer at No. 132.

Sandefer posted a 3-2 record as a junior in 2026 with a 4.42 ERA over 19 games and 12 starts. The Dodgers were intrigued by his repertoire and heat.

“As we dove into Russell throughout the spring, kind of all departments — from scouting and what we saw at the park to our player development group and our analytics group — kind of flagged Russell as very intriguing and then having a lot of upside left,” Fitzpatrick said.

“A starter at Florida, threw a lot of strikes; there’s obviously velocity, there’s a deep mix, and he performed and had some pretty stellar outings along the way that helped us believe in his upside and different ways we can help him access it more consistently.”

Lowrance was happy to be part of the Dodgers’ draft class.

“Just a whole wave of emotions,” he said. “I’m extremely grateful, first off, and couldn’t be more excited. I mean, yeah, I’ve said it already: It’s the best team in baseball, and nobody else that I want to be a part of.

“Couldn’t have drawn it up any better.”

Fifa later said there was “no evidence” the ball had touched a wire.

Fifa Media posted on X, external: “Before England’s goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, the sensor in the connected ball showed no peak in the ‘heartbeat of the ball’ when in the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball.”

Solbakken added: “I cant say anything about that because if there was no sound from the chip, what can I say?

“The ball dropped down straight from heaven, says everyone – including the goalie, including the guy who was going to receive the ball. I think it was pretty clear that it did. It was a strange thing.”

The Snickometer-style technology, usually associated with cricket had already been at the centre of controversy at this tournament during Portugal’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the last 32.

Croatia thought they had equalised deep into stoppage time through Josko Gvardiol but their celebrations were cut short after the technology deemed Igor Matanovic had made a slight touch in attempting to flick the ball on in the build-up while in an offside position.

England head coach Thomas Tuchel said: “There is a chip in the ball who can tell you if a hair touches it as we know since the Croatia v Portugal game, so they should be able to tell you if it [a touch] happened [here].

“I didn’t see [the incident].”

Tuchel did however admit that his side had been fortuitous overall at key times.

“I’m not saying we are lucky to win, but we are lucky in decisive moments,” he said.

A thick early morning marine layer on Saturday in Huntington Beach left players, coaches and fans arriving for the Battle at the Beach seven-on-seven passing tournament feeling cool and energized. New Servite coach Rick Garretson later joked that back at his former home in Arizona, the temperature was over 100 degrees.

Ray Fenton, the new head coach at Orange Lutheran after earning coach of the year honors at Los Alamitos, didn’t have to wear a hat to cover his shaved head. Neither sun nor one of the most talent-laden group of teams in the tournament history could disrupt where Fenton appears to be taking the Lancers.

“Are we playing selflessly or selfishly? Are we good teammates or not?” Fenton said about what he wanted to learn in the Lancers’ only appearance this summer in a passing competition.

Let’s just say the progress is impressive. Fenton brought along his up-tempo, no-huddle offense from Los Alamitos, and quarterbacks Ezrah Brown and Reagan Toki were executing it in midseason form. Looking on in street clothes was 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive tackle Lucas Rhoa, a Texas commit who can’t wait to throw his weight around when the pads come on. The Lancers won their first four matches, including an opening win over two-time defending champion Mission Viejo.

They made it to the semifinals until a roadblock sent the Lancers home. St. John Bosco came in as the tournament favorite, and from start to finish, the Braves looked better than each opponent. It was only a matter whether coach Jason Negro was going to use his backups to spread playing time.

The Braves knocked off Corona Centennial in the championship game. Tustin won the other division title.

Junior quarterback Koa Malau’ulu, in his third year as a St. John Bosco starter, has new bulging biceps from his many hours in the weight room. The hard work shows. The ball is coming out quicker from his hand. His priority this summer has been trying to build chemistry with a new group of receivers.

“They’re all coachable,” Malau’ulu said.

Junior DJ Tubbs, one of the few returnees, remains a go-to target. “He may not be big but plays big,” Malau’ulu said.

St. John Bosco has six top defensive backs, giving the Braves options for the coming season.

One of the best players in California and the nation, Cathedral Catholic’s Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, a USC commit, got to show off his speed.

Corona Centennial, which doesn’t usually perform well in passing competitions (the Huskies like to let their running game set up the pass), started the morning 4-0 and didn’t lose until its final game. Making the final means the Huskies could be very good this fall. The only other times they reached the Edison final was in 2015 when they won the Division 1 title and 2008 when they were undefeated state champs.

New quarterback Jaden Jefferson has lots of weapons at the receiver position, including his former Cathedral teammate Quentin Hale. Sophomore defensive back Koti Fultz had a big day on defense.

Hayden Koo of Tustin makes catch between two St. John Bosco defenders.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Palos Verdes has a four-year starter at quarterback, Ryan Rakowski, and he’s going to cause many problems for defenses this fall with his knowledge and accuracy.

Long Beach Poly, making its debut under first-year coach Travon Patterson, will have lots of options on defense because of its standout cornerbacks in Donte Wright and JuJu Johnson.

Tustin is loaded with skill-position players.

San Clemente won the Ocean View tournament. Culver City took its own tournament championship.

It is impossible to gauge exactly who has only come on for a penalty shootout.

But if we take outfield players who come on for the final five minutes of stoppage time, there are only seven (five of which came since 2022) – and only three of those scored.

This summer two penalty takers have come on in stoppage time at the end of extra time and not had a touch before the final whistle.

Fabian Balbuena saw his penalty saved by Germany’s Manuel Neuer, although his Paraguay won the last-32 shootout.

Mahmoud Saber scored Egypt’s first penalty in the last-32 win over Australia – against a keeper who also had not touched the ball (more on him shortly).

Paulo Dybala came on past the 120-minute mark at the end of the 2022 final and scored in Argentina’s shootout win over France.

In Morocco’s last-16 win over Spain that year, both sides brought on players in the final two minutes – Badr Benoun and Pablo Sarabia – and both missed.

England’s Jamie Carragher came on with two minutes to go against Portugal in the 2006 quarter-final and had his kick saved by Ricardo, having initially netted but been ordered to retake because the whistle had not been blown.

The first player to come on in the final five minutes of extra time and score in a shootout was West Germany’s Pierre Littbarski, who netted in a quarter-final win over Mexico in 1986.

Two keepers have come on in the closing stages of a World Cup game with penalties in mind.

The Netherlands’ Tim Krul came on in the 121st minute against Costa Rica in the 2014 quarter-finals – and saved two penalties in their win.

He remained an unused substitute in the next round – when it again went to penalties – and the Netherlands went out, with Jasper Cillessen not saving any.

This summer it was Mat Ryan’s turn for Australia – but it did not work as Egypt scored all four penalties.

While Krul knew about the plan in advance, Ryan was told with a few minutes remaining that he would be coming on if the game went to a shootout.

Catalans Dragons head coach John Cartwright told Sky Sports:

“Intent-wise and physicality, it was a massive improvement on last week. To compete with them, we had to do that.

“Up until 16-0 down we were still in the game. We were unlucky because we should have scored a try and had to take our chances against a side like that, and we didn’t.

“There were a lot of things we had to get right to be in the game against them, and we didn’t quite do it. But physically, I just loved the way they had each other’s back in that second half.”

Leeds coach Brad Arthur told Sky Sports:

“We were pretty professional and thought we were quite tough as well. We wanted to dominate possession, and I thought we did that really well.

“Obviously there were some tactics after they came out after half-time, trying to rattle us, and we go back to round five and it worked for them. It was good that we learned our lesson.

“There are a couple of things we got wrong, but we were able to compose ourselves and just get back to our job.”

Catalans Dragons: Staines, Cotric, Laguerre, Faataape, Darrelatour, Sexton, Dodd, Allen, Leeming, Maria, Rogers-Smith, Lipowicz, Bousquet.

Interchanges: Condon, Navarrete, Wilson, Tison, Martin.

Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Sivo, Handley, Newman, Lumb, Croft, Connor, Oledzki, Levi, Jenkins, Hankinson, McDonnell, Watkins.

Interchanges: Holroyd, O’Connor, C. Smith, Cassell, Nicholson-Watton.

Referee: Liam Moore.

Joe Joyce’s comeback fight ended in bizarre fashion as the veteran British heavyweight lost to Artem Suslenkov in Moscow.

The 40-year-old was facing undefeated Russian Suslenkov in his first fight since losing to Filip Hrgovic in April 2025.

But after looking lethargic and lacking power throughout, Joyce appeared to signal that he no longer wanted to fight in the 11th round and stepped backwards.

Joyce offered little defence as Suslenkov, 30, landed a few more blows before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Joyce, a silver medallist at the 2016 Olympics, now has a professional record of 16 wins and five losses, with all of those defeats coming in his last six fights.

The highlight of Joyce’s professional career came in 2022, when he beat Joseph Parker to win the vacant WBO interim heavyweight title.

Joyce then faced Zhilei Zhang twice in 2023, but lost his unbeaten record in the first meeting and was stopped in the rematch.

After losing to Hrgovic, Joyce’s promoter Frank Warren said his man needed to have a “real serious think about the future”.

Despite Joyce having said he spent 12 months preparing to fight again and that he was “excited for the opportunity” to face Suslenkov, who improved his record to 15-0, some now fear this could be the end of his boxing career.

Anthony Fowler, a Great Britain team-mate at Rio 2016, said on X: “What a sad end to Joe’s career. It’s a shame to see him go out like that.”

Joyce’s fight was on the undercard of Russian Murat Gassiev’s first defence of the WBA heavyweight title.

Gassiev, who was elevated to WBA champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his three heavyweight belts last month, was scheduled to face Tony Yoka.

Joyce was touted as a possible stand-in after the Frenchman pulled out with injury, but Peter Kadiru was confirmed last week and Gassiev stopped the German in the sixth round to improve to 34 wins and two losses.

PHILADELPHIA — The Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky on Saturday with the first pick of the MLB amateur draft.

A 6-foot-2 right-handed hitter, Cholowsky was a Golden Spikes finalist at UCLA and had a 1.088 OPS with 21 homers and 60 RBIs in his junior season.

Cholowsky is the third UCLA player to be drafted No. 1 overall, joining Gerrit Cole (2011, Pittsburgh Pirates) and Chris Chambliss (1970, Cleveland Indians). The two-time Big Ten player of the year and conference defensive player of the year also won National Player of the Year honors from ABCA/Rawlings, Baseball America, D1Baseball and Perfect Game.

The White Sox had the top selection for the first time since taking Harold Baines in 1977. Chicago got the No. 1 pick after it lost 102 games last season and won the draft lottery. The White Sox have pegged Cholowsky as a future star that can help them win their first World Series title since 2005.

Gelston writes for the Associated Press.

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters told BBC Radio Humberside:

“I’m very disappointed. We need to look at what happened. I need to be accountable, players need to be accountable, staff need to be accountable.

“I’m not bothered about the scoreboard, I’m bothered about performance. That was a really, really poor performance.

“We got back at half-time to 6-6, we had an opportunity to put pressure on in the second half, but we didn’t do that. It was our doing.

“We had ill discipline, yellow cards. It hurts. The refereeing decisions are not my concern – my concern is my team and that performance.”

Hull KR: Hampshire, Davies, Hiku, Gildart, Burgess, Lewis, May, Sue, Lawton, Whitbread, Martin, Batchelor, Minchella

Interchanges: Litten, Broadbent, Luckley, Dezaria

Wakefield: Rourke, Walsmsley, Scott, Tate, Johnstone, Trueman, Smoothy, McMeeken, Smith, Rodwell, Storton, Vagana, Tevaga

Interchanges: Pitts, Hamlin-Uele, Faatili, Lawford

Referee: Chris Kendall.

Kranti Gaud takes five wickets and makes history, before Smriti Mandhana frustrates England with an unbeaten 69 as India close on 154-1, giving them a lead of 269, with the tourists in complete control of the one-off Test at stumps on day two at Lord’s.

DAY REPORT: England toil as India take control on day two

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Bates was never far from controversy, especially in the mid-’80s when he erected a 12ft 12-volt electric fence around Stamford Bridge to prevent pitch invasions – but was then refused permission by Greater London Council to switch it on, citing safety grounds.

In 1991, Chelsea were fined £105,000 for alleged illegal payments to players. Bates resigned from the Football League management committee.

He regarded one of his most significant achievements at Chelsea as securing Stamford Bridge as the club’s home before developing it into a luxury all-seater stadium with a 40,000-plus capacity.

It came after a long-running legal battle with property developers Marler Estates, which owned a substantial part of the stadium’s freehold. He then started the Chelsea Pitch Owners scheme, sharing out ownership of the land with fans, ensuring Stamford Bridge would not be in similar peril again.

This, in many respects, was as important as the success Chelsea eventually enjoyed during his tenure.

Bates was helped in his quest to bring the best players to Chelsea by the investment of Matthew Harding, who became a director in 1993 and eventually vice-chairman.

Glenn Hoddle was appointed player-manager in June 1993 as the club became increasingly fashionable, doing well enough to be appointed England manager two years later.

Harding was a lifelong Chelsea fan who yearned for a return of the club’s glory days, initially providing £5m for Stamford Bridge’s renovation, then more money for players, but often clashed with Bates over the direction and power base of the club, eventually being banned from the Chelsea boardroom in 1995.

Amid bitterness, the pair never reconciled before Harding’s death in a helicopter crash returning from a League Cup tie at Bolton Wanderers.

Bates sacked Gullit, who had won the FA Cup the previous season, in February 1998 after their relationship suffered a fracture – with claims that the manager learned of his sacking via Teletext.

Vialli replaced Gullit, bringing that European Cup Winners’ Cup success to Chelsea, as well as an FA Cup final victory against Aston Villa in 2000.

Bates wielded the axe ruthlessly after Chelsea won only one of their first five league games the following season, although the decision brought heavy criticism from Pierluigi Casiraghi, the Italian striker bought by Vialli whose career was ended by injury.

He said: “Ken Bates does not know the meaning of gratitude. He is arrogant and has made a mistake.”

Even Bates’ programme notes were required reading as he settled scores in print and used them to mount a fierce defence of either personal criticism or criticism of the club.

Claudio Ranieri was Bates’ final managerial appointment before selling to Abramovich, saying the deal would “take Chelsea to the next level” – which it duly did.

It turned out to be one of defining moments in Premier League history, as a succession of rich foreign owners bought in.

Great Britain’s Henry Patten wins his second Wimbledon men’s doubles title alongside Harri Heliovaara of Finland, defeating Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3).

READ MORE: GB’s Patten and Heliovaara win second Wimbledon title together

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MINNEAPOLIS — Vaughn Grissom went two for three with a home run and two RBIs, and the Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Friday night to break a five-game skid at Target Field.

Grayson Rodriguez (3-2) gave up three runs and six hits in 5⅓ innings while Kirby Yates pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save this season.

Wade Meckler and Tyler Heineman also had two hits apiece for the Angels, whose previous win at Minnesota was in September 2024.

Brooks Lee and Josh Bell each went two for four with a double for the Twins (46-49).

The Angels (38-57), who have lost eight of their last 10 games, have the worst record in the major leagues.

Grissom hit the first pitch of the fourth inning over the wall in left field. Jorge Soler followed with a double and later scored on a balk by Twins starter Zebby Matthews (4-6) that gave the Angels a 2-1 lead.

Matthews surrendered four runs and nine hits in six innings.

Meckler scored when Nolan Schanuel hit the last of four consecutive singles to lead off the fifth inning before Grissom followed with a sacrifice fly that made it 4-1.

Trevor Larnach doubled to lead off the first inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kody Clemens. Lee hit a run-scoring double and pinch-hitter Austin Martin had an RBI groundout in the sixth that made it a one-run game.

Larnach walked with one out and moved to third when Ryan Jeffers doubled in the seventh, but Samy Natera Jr. retired Clemens and Bell to end the threat and preserve Minnesota’s 4-3 lead.

Minnesota is 10-4 with a plus-41 run differential in its last 14 against the Angels, dating to September 2023.

Up next: Angels RHP Ryan Johnson (1-4, 6.99 ERA) starts Saturday opposite Joe Ryan (6-5, 2.85) in the second of a three-game series.

Great Britain’s Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett come from a set down against Gustavo Fernandez and Tokito Oda to win a seventh Wimbledon men’s wheelchair doubles title.

READ MORE: Hewett & Reid win seventh Wimbledon doubles title

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World Cup tourists are coming to L.A. for the soccer, but they’re staying for the $21 smoothies and Double-Doubles.

As the last Los Angeles FIFA World Cup event ended Friday, soccer fans were eating like locals and famous chains from the region were cashing in.

In the weeks that L.A. has hosted the World Cup, international soccer enthusiasts have flocked to big brands from the area, often in large groups wearing their countries’ jerseys.

It is a phenomenon seen at many of the host cities. In Dallas, giant gas station Buc-ee’s is the main attraction. For people visiting New Jersey, deli shops have been a hot ticket. In L.A., the place to be between matches was Erewhon.

Thirsty international sports fans gathered for pictures outside different Erewhons, wandered their aisles smiling, and, of course, picked up pricey smoothies.

While Erewhon would not comment on its business, mobility data company Arity, which uses phone data to track consumers, said Erewhon visits at the outlets around SoFi Stadium were quadruple what they were a week earlier on June 12, the day of the U.S. national soccer team’s opening match there.

Arity looked at what stores people visited within a 10-mile radius of SoFi that day and also found surges in visitors to nearby El Pollo Loco and Trader Joe’s.

Locals have spotted groups of people in Korea jerseys huddled together, trying to decide what to order at In-N-Out.

Some complained on social media that international tourists at Trader Joe’s were buying up all the mini canvas tote bags.

Soon after the Belgium vs. Spain quarterfinal ended Friday, the In-N-Out near SoFi had a long line of soccer fans stretching out the door in bright red and yellow and black jerseys and matching striped hats and scarves.

One of the workers said he had to explain “spread” and “animal style” to foreign football fans.

“I didn’t know this place existed,” a fan from Romania said while waiting in line.

Los Angeles and other cities and states that have hosted the event need the soccer fans to spend money to make the event worth all the time, effort and money it requires.

A rosy 2024 report projected the World Cup could bring more than $800 million to the L.A. region as 180,000 people converge on the area to sleep, eat and spend.

There were early concerns people weren’t turning up for the event because of the high ticket prices and the difficulty of obtaining visas for citizens of some countries.

However, at least for some L.A. hotels, there was a surge of last-minute visitors which pushed up occupancy and room rates.

While sports fans are not in the region to shop, they do make time for it.

World Cup customer spending is also apparent in beer sales. Andrew Heritage, the chief economist at the Beer Institute said beer purchases at entertainment and attractions in L.A. – outside of World Cup spaces – were up around 10% from normal.

“That tells me that fans in the L.A. area have decided to extend their stay and take in all the other things that the area has to offer, rather than just the match itself,” he said.

On social media, the purpose of these shoppers is clear: grab a quick souvenir or local specialty and take a selfie.

The data from Arity suggests that fans are very efficient when they spend at local spots, diving in, getting what they want and getting out as soon as possible, said Jeff Schlitt, a director at the company.

“Normally you’re there for an hour. They’re going to be there for 15, 18 minutes,” he said. “Why is that? Because they were purpose-driven shoppers.”

For some travelers, the more popular American chains aren’t unfamiliar. But some of the native L.A. fare still comes as a surprise.

As one Belgium-Spain matchgoer from the Netherlands stood taking a picture of the In-N-Out sign after the game, he said he’d never had a burger like the one he’d just tried.

“We only have McDonald’s and Burger King,” he said. “It’s way better.”

I am a lifetime resident of Los Angeles and my family has always rooted for the Dodgers. Last year we gave them a pass when they went to visit Trump at the White House. This year after Trump’s attack on our community we cannot accept the Dodgers visiting Trump again. Dave Roberts should know that the first obligation of a patriot is to stand up against tyranny. Shame on him and any other Dodger who goes to the White House this year. I will be canceling my Spectrum service. I’m not playing with the future of our democracy.

Felipe Caceres
Los Angeles

If the Dodgers kowtow to Donald Trump yet again, Angelenos should consider boycotting the team for the rest of the season. Yes, they are an exceptional team and might return to the World Series yet again. However, other great athletes, such as the recent U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team, have displayed their courage and integrity in refusing to bow down to that dangerous tyrant.

By serving, as too many others continue to do, to support and enable the thug, they are enabling him in his inhumane and destructive policies and actions. As well, Trump invaded L.A., and the Dodgers did little to support the city they allegedly represent. If they return, it is more than a slap in the face of every sane and thoughtful Angeleno.

Barry Cutler
Palm Desert

I have always paid for the Dodgers’ games on mlb.tv, but this year when the Dodgers did not decline the White House visit, I did not. I was holding out hope they wouldn’t squeeze a visit in on their road trip after the All-Star Game and I’d get half a season. Instead I’m listening to the games on the radio. I’ve heard the players say things like “you never know when this might happen again” or “it’s tradition.” I don’t get either one of those excuses. Is Mookie Betts going to ask Trump why he posted the picture of the Obamas as monkeys? Or any of the players going to stand up for anything?

How about be like the women’s Olympic hockey team and stand up for what is right? Don’t be a pawn for another photo op for this dysfunctional White House. Please?

Marnie Jernagan
Fresno

Columnist Bill Plaschke wants to impose his political views on us and the Dodgers. Let each player decide if he wants to go to the White House, and if some players don’t want to go, then fine — don’t go. But why should all the players be confined to Plaschke’s view of politics?

David Waldowski
Laguna Woods

I was a huge Dodgers fan until last year when they visited the White House. What a happy crowd they looked, even presenting President Trump with his own jersey, No. 47. That wasn’t enough? They’re off again, with Dave Roberts talking about “respecting the highest office in the land, it doesn’t matter who’s in office” while Clayton Kershaw, who presented the jersey is so “excited to go” again. Roberts had previously talked about it being a tradition. Nothing about this White House or this president is traditional, and not going is not making a “political” stand. It would be a stand for decency and normalcy. While visiting the East Wing maybe they can present Trump with the inaugural Baseball Peace Prize. Shame on the Dodgers!

Jane Peters
Los Angeles

England captain Harry Kane says he once played golf with United States President Donald Trump, describing the experience as “surreal”.

The striker will lead England for their World Cup quarter-final against Norway in Miami on Saturday (22:00 BST) and, in the build-up to that game, revealed he had played golf with Trump in Florida 18 months ago.

“I played alright to be honest,” said Bayern Munich striker Kane.

“He invited me to play when I was down in Palm Beach. So yeah, when the president invites you somewhere…

“It was a pretty surreal experience just to meet him and obviously play golf with him.

“His golf is pretty good, to be honest with you. I hope I can play golf as good as him when I’m his age, that’s for sure. A unique experience, but I was just grateful that he invited me to play.”

The US is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup along with Canada and Mexico, and Kane’s comments followed Trump, 80, saying the pair had played together.

“I think Kane is a great player,” said Trump after Kane, who has six goals and one assist for England at the World Cup, helped the Three Lions beat Mexico 3-2 in the last 16.

“I played golf with him and I like him a lot. He’s a good golfer too. He’s really great.”

In an alternate universe, the Sparks’ win over Chicago on Friday could have been a barometer to indicate whether general manager Raegan Pebley’s gamble to trade Rickea Jackson to the Sky paid off.

Jackson didn’t get a chance for revenge after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament in May, making the Sparks’ 102-87 win at Crypto.com Arena not a true litmus test. Veteran guard Ariel Atkins, who was shipped out of Chicago in the Jackson deal, had her best game with the Sparks, finishing with a season-high 17 points.

The Sparks showcased their potential en route to their second straight win, even with All-Star Kelsey Plum (lower left leg) and Cameron Brink (left ankle) out. Nneka Ogwumike, the Sparks’ other All-Star, posted 25 points and 12 rebounds, Dearica Hamby and Rae Burrell both scored 17, and Erica Wheeler had 15 points and eight assists.

“The ball’s got to move,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “It can’t be a lot of one on one. And that’s what happens when you have 32 assists, the ball’s moving. So it’s just the continued emphasis of ball movement, player movement, getting those high-quality shots, and we’ve got players that are going to make them for percentage.”

Still a game under .500, the Sparks (10-11) have a long way to go to be considered serious postseason contenders. Chicago also has struggled mightily outside of a win against Phoenix this week and has been engulfed in drama around veteran guard Skylar Diggins, who sat out because of a knee injury.

The Sparks easily could have spiraled following Monday’s disaster in Seattle. Instead, their season has life.

“After the game on Monday, I think there was just kind of like an ‘enough’ mentality, and we all felt it,” Roberts said. “We all kind of just said, ‘enough.’ That doesn’t mean that we’re going to go undefeated the rest of the way, but we play like that. We give ourselves a chance in every game.”

For the second straight game, all five starters scored in double digits. Hamby had a late backhanded layup over 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso to help close out the win.

Brought in to be Plum’s partner in the backcourt, Atkins has had an inconsistent offensive season, with career-low scoring and shooting numbers. Against her former squad, she showed why the Sparks wanted her, and why they need her to produce with Plum out of the lineup for the foreseeable future.

“It feels good to see shots go in,” Atkins said. “My biggest thing is that it feels good when we all feel good too. When they lead to wins, it makes it even better.”

After the Sparks opened up a 16-8 lead, Chicago (7-15) stormed back to keep it tight throughout the second quarter. The Sparks led 73-70 after three quarters before pulling away late.

Ogwumike made three three-pointers in the fourth to carry the Sparks across the finish line.

“Just to have that poise, like we haven’t shown that in a very long time,” Wheeler said. “So for us to display that tonight, like that should be the standard, and it felt good to have that poise.”

The Sparks scored 25 points off 15 Sky turnovers. They shot 51% from the field.

Ball movement has been emphasized all season, “so it’s good that we’re starting to figure it out,” Roberts said. “When you look at the assists, it wasn’t like one person had 16 or something, right? So it’s balanced. The ball’s moving. There’s [the thought of] ‘we need to get the win,’ not ‘I need to get the bucket.’ And I think that’s the mentality of great teams.”

Veteran forward Emma Cannon played 12 minutes and scored nine points as a key post presence late when Cardoso was in foul trouble.

Ogwumike moved into fifth on the Sparks’ all-time assists list with her third helper in the first quarter, passing Mwadi Mabika.

The Sparks are half a game outside the final playoff spot, not bad given how poor some of their performances have been. They head to Atlanta (13-9) to face a slumping Dream squad on Monday as they try to win three consecutive games for the third time this season.

“It took us a bit with KP out to figure out kind of how we can still flow,” Roberts said. “I think we’ve figured it out.”

LAS VEGAS — The highlight dunk was proof that Adou Thiero is just fine. Thiero delivered a breakaway windmill dunk in the second quarter Friday that brought cheers from the fans, a moment in which the second-year Lakers forward displayed his athleticism.

Thiero’s confidence seemed to grow from that point on, his play for the Lakers during their Las Vegas Summer League opener at the Thomas & Mack Center a sign of his development.

He ran the floor and caught a lob for a dunk. He sprinted back on defense and blocked a shot. He finished the third quarter with a last-second shot off the backboard, a basket that gave the Lakers an 86-66 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Thiero came back in the game in the fourth quarter and threw down another lob dunk.

Thiero completed his night with 20 points during the Lakers’ 96-84 win.

He played an all-around game, collecting four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks with zero turnovers in 30 minutes. He was eight for 14 from the field. He missed all five of his three-pointers, but Thiero finished the game plus-13.

“I feel like I was capable of doing this,” Thiero said. “It’s not different from things I was doing in the G League last year. I feel like I got real comfortable in the G League, how to play and everything and just took that break and still trying to get back to healthy and everything and finally getting to go out and play. I feel like I sped myself up a little bit and now I’m slowing down and letting the game come to me.”

Thiero played after missing the Lakers’ final game at the California Classic in San Francisco because of a right wrist injury.

He looked far more in control and at ease than he did in San Francisco.

“He just wasn’t rushed tonight,” Lakers summer league coach Ty Abbott said. “He took what was in front of him. He attacked matchups. He understood that there was going to be some paint swarming. Those guys are going to try to flood and meet him at the rim and he made the right pass. And then when he started doing that, it started to open up for him and he was able to finish at the rim.”

Thiero was asked to critique his windmill dunk, which was his first highlight of the game and one that had fans cheering.

But Thiero was not impressed.

“The windmill was nice, but it wasn’t my best windmill,” Thiero said. “I’d probably say that was one of my worst windmills. I didn’t have my footing. I went back and watched it on video and I didn’t really like it.”

Thiero believed his chemistry with rookie Cameron Carr and his defense stood out. He also said Lakers coach JJ Redick had conversations with him about being a better defender.

“Just trying to go out there and cause havoc,” Thiero said. “JJ, he says that the things he wants, you know, we need a point-of-attack, on-ball defender and everything. So, just trying to go out there and be that, try and get reps in defending and then, offensively, just trying to play basketball, just trying to make the game more simple for myself.”

Carr also played against the Thunder after being limited by a bothersome toenail in his last game. He had another solid game with 18 points on seven-for-13 shooting.

Pickford made an uncertain start to the World Cup, at fault when he was beaten at his near post when DR Congo took the lead against England in Atlanta before captain Harry Kane’s two late goals saw them through.

In the pressure cooker of the Azteca, however, Pickford had his finest game for England, with two brilliant first-half saves from Mexico striker Raul Jimenez, followed by an outstanding display of penalty-area command in a frantic second period.

“It was a very brave display of goalkeeping,” said Robinson. “I really admired what he did out there in that second half and his two saves in the first half kept England in the game. They could have been out of it by half-time if it wasn’t for him.”

Pickford won widespread praise for the way he took charge of his penalty area, taking the initiative by coming for crosses and corners on a regular basis as England, down to 10 men after Jarell Quansah was sent off early in the second half, came under siege.

“He decided that he was going to stand up. He came for crosses, made decisions to go for balls, making life easier for his defenders because of how good he was.

“The easiest thing as a goalkeeper is to stay on your line because you don’t get criticised. If you stay on your line you can’t make a mistake, but he showed maturity and bravery.

“He showed the way his game has developed by coming off his line, making those decisions, making big bold calls. That’s where you see how much he has evolved.

“Jordan took it upon himself, punched the ball, caught the ball, made life easier for his defenders.

“He doesn’t mind what players are in front of him. It doesn’t faze him. He’s played with a different back four for most games, with the full-backs alternating and a change in central defence.

“The players know him and trust him. I think there is a good relationship there.”

And Pickford’s Mexico masterclass can bolster England’s confidence as they try to overcome the dangerous Norwegians and master striker Erling Haaland, who demonstrated their threat by beating Brazil 2-0 in the last 16.

“I think Jordan Pickford’s confidence will be at an all-time high and the team’s will be as well after their win against Mexico,” added Robinson.

“I questioned them on air when Thomas Tuchel went to a back five after 71 minutes. I was thinking I wasn’t sure they would hang on, and that would have been a stick he would have been beaten with.

“It did go right and Jordan Pickford was a big part of it going right.”

When the World Cup ends, regardless of who wins, we’ll still have loads of great content every day as we build up to the new football season.

As well as all the fall-out and reaction to the tournament, we’ll quickly shift back in the club football with pre-season coverage and all the latest transfer gossip and stories.

BBC Sport and teams across BBC Nations and Regions cover every club in the Premier League, WSL, EFL, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We have dedicated club reporters, who will be travelling to bring you behind-the-scenes insights from pre-season tours.

We’ll also have live pages for selected pre-season matches as well as in-depth features and storytelling, giving you the latest updates before the new campaign.

Once the World Cup ends, some of the standout players will be hot property in the transfer market, with top clubs chasing their signatures.

Our reporters, including senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel, will be breaking the big transfer stories on our website and app.

We’ll also have our daily transfer gossip column, wrapping up all the rumours from across the football world.

For fans of World Cup Predictor, a brand new weekly Predictor game will be launching immediately after the tournament with five fixtures a week to predict the outcomes of.

You’ll be able to build up your streaks and share your results with friends and family.

Our quizzes will also continue to be available to play so you can test your knowledge of the beautiful game.