BASEL, Switzerland — England thrived in the high drama yet again to take down Spain in a penalty shootout and win another Women’s European Championship title on Sunday.
Chloe Kelly lashed in her spot kick to give defending champion England a 3-1 win in the shootout after a 1-1 draw after extra time.
It’s the second straight Women’s Euros final decided by Kelly scoring.
England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton saved spot kicks from Mariona Caldentey and Spain superstar Aitana Bonmati, before substitute Salma Paralluelo dragged her shot wide of the goal.
England’s Chloe Kelly scores the winning penalty against Spain goalkeeper Catalina Coll during the Women’s Euro 2025 final at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday.
(Martin Meissner / Associated Press)
The defending champion won the only way it knew how at this thrilling Euro 2025.
England fell behind in the first half, fought back in the second and relied on its superb substitutes — just as it did against Italy and Sweden previously in the knockout rounds.
England leveled the score in the 57th on Alessia Russo’s header from a cross by Kelly after Caldentey had given Spain the lead in the 25th by finishing Ona Battle’s cross.
Spain trailed for only four minutes in the entire tournament — and not for one second against England — yet the reigning World Cup winner could not seal its first European title.
Kelly had scored an extra-time winning goal for England at Wembley three years ago to beat Germany 2-1.
In extra time, Spain had good possession in the England penalty area so many times yet did not force a decisive goal.
Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll saved spot kicks from England captain Leah Williamson and the first by Beth Mead.
It was appropriate in England’s memorable tournament that Mead’s penalty was retaken under a brand new soccer rule that allows a second chance when a player scores by slipping and touching the ball twice. It did not matter after Hampton’s saves.
Classic Arsenal goals
Arsenal attackers like scoring with perfectly placed headers from inviting crosses sent to the ideal spot.
Spain took the lead Sunday with a very English goal — a fullback’s cross from the byline finding the head of an Arsenal player to score, on a rain-slicked field on an overcast, cloudy day.
The strong Spanish flavor leading to Caldentey’s opener was in the neat passing to find Athenea del Castillo in the penalty area and her vision to see Battle’s direct run into space.
Caldentey was in the Arsenal team that won the Women’s Champions League final in May beating a Barcelona side with six starters who also lined up for Spain on Sunday. Spain used three more Barcelona players as substitutes.
The Arsenal forward line in that final, Russo and Kelly, combined to tie the Euro 2025 final. Kelly’s right-foot cross from the left was floated toward the head of Russo who guided the ball back toward the top corner of the Spain net.
Wiegman’s hat trick
England coach Sarina Wiegman has still never before been eliminated from a Women’s Euros tournament. Despite how close she came three times this month.
The top female national-team coach of her generation has a Euros hat trick after leading England to victory in 2022 and her native Netherlands to the 2017 title.
Both those titles were won as the host nation team and no England senior team, men or women, had previously won a world or continental title abroad.
Wiegman also extended the run of title-winning women coaches to eight Women’s Euros editions across 28 years. Women were outnumbered by male coaches each time.
Royal appointment
There was royalty from both nations in the VIP box at St-Jakob Park, including heirs to each throne.
Prince William, the first son of Britain’s King Charles, was with his daughter Princess Charlotte. He is president of the English Football Assn.
Also present were Princess Leonor of Spain and her younger sister, Infanta Sofía. At the 2023 World Cup final Sofia was at the game with her mother, Queen Letizia in Sydney, Australia.
Kenley Jansen signed his first professional contract with the Dodgers 21 years ago. He was Clayton Kershaw’s catcher in rookie ball. He has been honored as an All-Star four times. He has saved more games than all but three men in major league history, all of them Hall of Famers. He won a World Series with the Dodgers.
For all that Jansen has accomplished in his two decades in pro ball, there is one thing he has not experienced: He never has been traded.
That could happen in the coming days, with baseball’s trade deadline next Thursday. As we talked about that possibility Friday at Angel Stadium, and about how the sport can be a cold business at times, he dropped 11 words that stood out.
“I thought,” he said, “I would play my whole career with the Dodgers.”
Maybe you can go home again.
The Dodgers are urgently shopping for right-handed relievers. In Anaheim, Jansen is enjoying a season that by some measures is his best since 2021, his last season with the Dodgers.
First things first: Jansen did not sign with the Angels just to rack up saves. He is 36 saves shy of 500, a milestone reached only by Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.
“I came here with one goal in mind,” Jansen said, “and the goal was to help this team turn around, to end that playoff drought. That’s what I’m here for.
“If they move me, I’d definitely feel disappointed we didn’t accomplish it.”
But let’s be real: The longest playoff drought in the majors is likely to hit 11 years. The Angels are 4-1/2 games out of a postseason berth, but they would have to pass six teams to sneak into the last wild-card spot in the American League playoffs. Baseball Prospectus projects their chance of making the playoffs at 2%.
The Angels demoted their fifth starter this month. They have been running bullpen games because they had no one in their farm system ready to fill the vacancy. They only have two starters you could pencil into their 2026 rotation.
They need pitching depth, and it would be organizational malpractice not to get some by trading their pending free agents, Jansen included.
Kenley Jansen pitches for the Dodgers against the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLCS on Oct. 19, 2021.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
For the Angels, the optimal outcome would be a team desperate for a closer overpaying to get Jansen.
However, such a team would be more likely to overpay for the marquee names on the market, including Jhoan Duran of the Minnesota Twins, Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians and Felix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles, with a second tier led by David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Dodgers hate to overpay.
Jansen has 17 saves and one blown save, with a 1.00 earned-run average in save situations and a 3.19 ERA overall. The latter is his lowest ERA since 2021. By ERA+, a statistic that accounts for league and ballpark factors, Jansen is at 133 — or 33% better than league average.
The only Dodgers relievers with an ERA+ above 133: left-handers Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer.
Dodgers relievers have thrown 49.1% of the team’s innings pitched; the highest percentage of any major league team. Vesia, Anthony Banda and the injured Tanner Scott rank among the top 20 in appearances. Ben Casparius, who earned his first major league save Friday, ranked second among major league relievers in innings pitched.
Phillips is out for the season. Treinen could return from the injured list next week, with Kopech possibly to follow next month and Graterol in September, but it is risky to count on injured players to return healthy and effective.
In a major league career that started in 2010, Jansen never has been on the injured list because of an elbow or forearm issue, and his two stints for shoulder inflammation were brief.
The Dodgers could drop Jansen into their mix of high-leverage right-handers. They would not want Jansen if he would want to be the unquestioned closer.
He is getting the job done as a closer, and he is getting closer to 500 saves. But the Dodgers’ analysts would probably take note of his career highs in exit velocity and hard-hit balls, and a .774 OPS against left-handers that compares unfavorably to his .600 career mark, and might want to spot him against a run of right-handers. Could be the sixth inning, could be the ninth.
Whether it’s the Dodgers or any other contending team, would Jansen consider a role outside the ninth inning?
“At that point, it’s just about getting rings,” Jansen said. “My goal is to win. You play for that, always. I understand there is a milestone I am close to. But, at the end of the day, it’s what you play for. You play to win. You play to win a World Series.
“If I have to go throw the sixth, seventh, eighth, I would do it. I’m a professional. I would do what I do best, and that is pitch.”
Jansen said he hasn’t given up on this Angels team, or this Angels season. He would love to win in Anaheim. The Angels could help him do that: Trade him for another pitching piece that could help them next year, then sign Jansen again over the winter.
The rivalry between the old-school Galaxy and its upstart neighbor LAFC was once the best in MLS. The Galaxy traces its roots to the inception of the league while LAFC helped define its modern era, setting up a turf war so good, so competitive and so emotional, it had its own nickname.
Much of that drama had faded from El Tráfico in recent matches. But that changed Saturday when Maya Yoshida scored on the last touch of the game to give the Galaxy a 3-3 draw before a packed house of 22,301 at BMO Stadium.
And the teams didn’t limit their fight to the scoreboard. A tense shoving match broke out seconds into stoppage time, leading referee Guido Gonzalez Jr. to send off LAFC’s Eddie Segura with a red card while handing two yellow cards to the Galaxy and one to LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Galaxy and LAFC players get into a on-field scuffle during Saturday’s 3-3 draw at BMO Stadium.
(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
The most devastating punch, however, came from Yoshida, who was in the center of the shoving match. Minutes later his header off a cross from Mauricio Cuevas — his first goal and just his second shot on target of the season — capped a Galaxy comeback from a late 3-1 deficit.
The draw gave the Galaxy (3-14-7) points in five of their last seven games, the team’s best stretch of the season. LAFC (10-5-6) is unbeaten in four straight and has lost just once in 14 league games since April 5. But the two points it lost on Yoshida’s goal dropped it to fifth in the Western Conference standings.
Bouanga’s fifth goal in six games gave LAFC the early lead in the 26th minute and, significantly, it was the first goal in that span that didn’t come from the penalty spot. It also gave him a goal in his last six games against the Galaxy.
LAFC star Denis Bouanga celebrates after scoring in the first half against the Galaxy on Saturday.
(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
Dilrosun doubled the lead with his second MLS goal on a counterattack five minutes later.
Pec halved the deficit for the Galaxy on a penalty kick less than 10 minutes before the intermission. That goal, set up by a Ryan Hollingshead hand ball in the box, snapped a 375-minute scoreless streak for LAFC.
Bouanga extended the LAFC lead on another counterattack set up by a Galaxy mistake in the 67th minute. Afterward, as the teams walked back to the center circle, Pec and Galaxy defender Emiro Garces, who was out of position on the breakaway, engaged in a heated argument.
Pec calmed down enough to get his fifth goal of the season, on a cross from Marco Reus, to pull his team closer in the 79th minute. The Galaxy then appeared to tie the score just before stoppage time, but Lloris made a spectacular kick save on Christian Ramirez while lying on his back on the goal line.
That set the stage for Yoshida, however, with the Galaxy captain slipping in front of Nkosi Tafari to redirect a glancing header inside the far post, earning the Galaxy a league result at BMO Stadium for the first time since August 2021, a game that also ended in a 3-3 draw.
WASHINGTON — President Trump says he wants to hire 10,000 new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents, but experts and the history of law enforcement hiring sprees suggest the process could be challenging, lengthy and possibly result in problematic hires.
The massive funding bill signed into law this month by Trump earmarks about $170 billion for border and immigration enforcement, including tens of billions for new deportation agents and other personnel. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement to The Times, said that the agency will deliver on the president’s hiring directive.
“In June, our 2025 Career Expo successfully recruited 3,000 candidates and generated 1,000 tentative job offers — nearly double the 564 from 2023,” she wrote. “Our recruitment strategy includes targeted outreach, thorough vetting and partnerships with state and local law enforcement.”
During his first term, when Trump called for ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to hire 15,000 people collectively, a July 2017 report by the Homeland Security inspector general found significant setbacks.
“Although DHS has established plans and initiated actions to begin an aggressive hiring surge, in recent years the Department and its components have encountered notable difficulties related to long hire times, proper allocation of staff, and the supply of human resources,” the report states.
The independent watchdog concluded that to meet the goal of 10,000 new immigration officers, ICE would need more than 500,000 applicants. For CBP to hire 5,000 new agents, it would need 750,000 applicants.
It doesn’t appear either goal was met. In 2017, ICE hired 371 deportation officers from more than 11,000 applications and took 173 days on average to finalize hires, the news outlet Government Executive reported. And Cronkite News reported that when Trump left office in 2021, Border Patrol had shrunk by more than 1,000 agents.
“The mere mechanics of hiring that many people is challenging and takes time,” said John Pfaff, a law professor at Fordham University who studies U.S. incarceration and has researched the hiring challenges ICE faces.
When the initial version of the funding bill passed the House of Representatives, it laid out a target of at least 10,000 ICE officers, agents and support staff, specifying a minimum of 2,500 people in fiscal year 2025 and 1,875 people in each subsequent year through 2029.
The legislation didn’t outline specific hiring goals for Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of Border Patrol, though Homeland Security said that, in addition to the 3,000 Border Patrol agents, the funding will also support the hiring of 3,000 more customs officers at ports of entry.
The Senate modified the bill and on final passage, the law removed those hiring specifics, meaning ICE can use the funding for a variety of purposes. ICE has more than 20,000 law enforcement and support personnel. CBP has 60,000 employees, including about 19,000 Border Patrol agents.
Studies on accelerated hiring efforts have found that, in some cases, contracts were poorly managed. Ten months into a 2018 contract with the professional services firm Accenture, by which point CBP had paid $13.6 million, the inspector general found that just two people had accepted job offers.
Residents confront ICE agents and Border Patrol agents over their presence in their neighborhood on Atlantic Boulevard in the city of Bell on June 20.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Hiring thousands of employees would be an even bigger lift today, Pfaff said.
He pointed to the fact that since 2020, police departments nationwide have also struggled to recruit and retain officers. Immigration officer pay is lower than rookie salaries at big-city law enforcement agencies, such as the New York Police Department.
A job posting for a deportation officer offers a salary range of about $50,000 to $90,000. Pfaff compared that with NYPD, where officer salaries start at just over $60,000 and rise to more than $125,000 in less than six years.
During a Border Patrol hiring spree from 2006 to 2009, standards for hiring and training were lowered, about 8,000 agents were brought on. The Associated Press reported that the number of employees arrested for misconduct — such as civil rights violations or off-duty crimes like domestic violence — grew yearly between 2007 and 2012, reaching 336, or a 44% increase. More than 100 employees were arrested or charged with corruption, including taking bribes to smuggle drugs or people.
A 2015 report from an internal audit by a CBP advisory council said that “arrests for corruption of CBP personnel far exceed, on a per capita basis, such arrests at other federal law enforcement agencies.”
Josiah Heyman, an anthropology professor who directs the University of Texas at El Paso’s Center of Inter-American and Border Studies, studied the mid-2000s hiring spree. He said smuggling organizations have only gotten more sophisticated since then, as have security measures, so it’s more valuable for smugglers to “buy someone off” instead of attempting to bring in people or drugs undetected.
Beyond corruption, Heyman said he worries the drive to quickly increase Homeland Security staffing could lead to Americans being deported, as well as an increase of assault and abuse cases and deaths of detainees.
“Getting 10,000 [new employees] means basically hiring the people who walk in the door because you’re trying to hit your quota,” he said. “Rapid, mass-hiring lends itself to mistakes and cutting corners.”
The recruitment issues at Border Patrol led to reforms, such as the Anti-Border Corruption Act of 2010, which included mandatory polygraph testing for job applicants (though that requirement was not implemented for ICE applicants). The polygraph tests revealed some applicants had concerning backgrounds, including some believed to have links to organized crime.
The reforms also slowed hiring as two-thirds of Border Patrol applicants began failing the polygraph exam by 2017, the Associated Press reported.
If the government is not able to hit its hiring goals, it might turn to contractors, the U.S. military and local law enforcement to help carry out Trump’s aggressive crackdown on immigration. It is likely to continue its expansion of the 287(g) program, which deputizes local law enforcement to function as deportation agents. Homeland Security said the new budget will fully fund the 287(g) program.
Pfaff said that while using local police to make immigration arrests could help in the short term, many major cities and states, including California, have already banned the agreements or limited cooperation with ICE. Still, ProPublica reported that more than 500 law enforcement agencies have signed 287(g) agreements since January.
Jason Houser, who was ICE’s chief of staff under the Biden administration, said training new hires takes about a year and that classes are typically capped at 50 students.
Houser said another short-term workaround for permanent staff could be the use of contractors.
Most immigrant detainees are held in facilities that are run by private prison companies, including the Florida-based GEO Group and Tennessee-based CoreCivic.
But those companies have a limited inventory of detention space. CBP could also use its funding to erect soft-sided, temporary facilities on military bases within the 100 miles of the U.S. boundary, in which CBP has authority to conduct immigration checkpoints and other enhanced enforcement activities.
Houser said temporary facilities could be set up by October, and they could be staffed with National Guard or U.S. military personnel in administrative, nursing, food and sanitation roles.
Federal law generally prohibits the military from arresting civilians. But Homeland Security officials have said military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain anyone who attacks an immigration agent until law enforcement can arrest them.
But Houser worries that placing young service members, who aren’t trained to conduct civil detention, in charge of those facilities will lead to people getting hurt. He also worries that without other countries agreeing to accept more deportees, the number of immigrants detained for months could quickly balloon.
As of June 29, there were nearly 58,000 immigrants held in detention, according to TRAC, a nonpartisan data research organization. That’s far beyond the congressionally approved 41,500 detention beds this fiscal year.
“This is 9/11-style money,” Houser said. “Think about the money in counterterrorism post-9/11. It turns the entire apparatus toward this goal. Everything in government is going to turn to where the money is, and that’s the scary piece to me.”
Myrto Uzuni scored a goal in the 40th minute and added an assist, Owen Wolff scored his first goal of the season and Austin FC beat the Galaxy2-1 on Wednesday night to snap the Galaxy’s three-game home win streak.
Brad Stuver had three saves and his ninth shutout — second in MLS behind Vancouver’s Yohei Takaoka (10) — this season for Austin (8-8-6).
Diego Rubio, on the counter-attack, played a ball-ahead to Uzuni, who cut back to evade a defender at the edge of the box and then blasted a shot inside the left post to open the scoring.
Uzuni misplayed a cross that was deflected but then beat three Galaxy players, including goalkeeper Novak Micovic, to the loose ball near the right post and tapped it to Wolff for the finish from the center of the area that made it 2-0 in the 63rd.
The Galaxy (3-14-6), the defending MLS Cup champion which had won back-to-back games for the first time this season, had its three-game unbeaten streak snapped.
Joseph Paintsil converted from the penalty spot in the third minute of stoppage time for the Galaxy. Micovic stopped two shots.
The Galaxy had 57% possession and outshot Austin 15-7.
Italy captain Cristiana Girelli scored a 90th-minute winner as Italy beat Norway 2-1 to set up a potential semi-final against defending champions England.
HomeBankingAs Dominican Republic’s Fintech Sector Booms, Financial Inclusion Is Big Goal
Fintechs are a rapidly growing presence in the Dominican Republic, where they promise to improve inclusiveness in a still-underbanked nation.
Along with Jamaica and Puerto Rico, the Association of Fintech Companies (Adofintech) has spotlighted the Dominican Republic as a fintech leader in Central America and the Caribbean. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) reports that the number of companies the island nation hosts in the field grew from six in 2018 to 65 in 2024. This places the country eighth in Latin America for its fintech economy and the leader in Central America and the Caribbean.
Dominican Republic internet banking and electronic payments are showing substantial growth of over 20% year-on-year from 2023-2024, along with impressive innovation. This is especially true in connection with tourism and remittances, which combined make up 30% of the country’s GDP. Case in point is Qik, the country’s first neobank, which Banco Popular launched in 2022 and which has rapidly grown from an app to a standalone digital bank with over 600,000 customers.
Part of the fall-out from the Covid-19 pandemic in the republic was increased demand for non-traditional financial services, coupled with accelerated digitization. Improved regulatory guidance from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic and the Superintendencia of Banks, including the Innovation Law of 2016 and a focus on financial inclusion, has invigorated the fintech sector, says José Alberto Adam Adam, country manager with Equifax Dominican Republic.
“The [fintech] industry has evolved toward greater diversification, technological sophistication, and a focus on financial inclusion,” he says. “There’s now multi-service expansion, fintechs for specific segments like personal finance tools for Generation Z, and banking solutions for migrants or informal workers.”
At the upper end of the fintech ecosystem are startups exploring tokenization and decentralized finance (DeFi) and the use of artificial intelligence in credit scoring. The industry has come a long way, Adam notes, since BlueWallet, a Bitcoin wallet, and PrestamistApp, a loan calculation and management aid for financial institutions, launched in 2018.
Financial inclusion has lagged thus far, despite the republic’s consistent GDP growth; only 55% of adults are banked, making it “one of the Dominican Republic’s main challenges,” Adam argues. “The concentration of supply-side efforts on the previously banked population is about to reach peak penetration. Therefore, converting the unbanked population would significantly help the economic sectors we need to continue growing.”
Adam says to achieve that would entail a shift in focus to “inclusion, efficiency, scalability, and new hybrid models that combine the best of the traditional and decentralized worlds.” New efforts include fintech, mobile banking, education programs, and gender-focused initiatives. The central bank has targeted incorporating 65% of adults within the financial system by 2030.
A Blockchain Assist
In April, PaySett and Jamaica’s JMMB Bank partnered to expand into the country and will provide enhanced digital payments and financial inclusion through PaySett’s PayBank solution.
Félix Pago, a Miami-based fintech start-up, added coverage to the Dominican Republic as well as the Northern Triangle of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras late last year. This followed a partnership with Mastercard that will see a chat-based platform carrying remittances out of the US. Félix Pago uses USDC stablecoin to save on currency exchange costs and passes on the savings to clients for a lower rate than on SWIFT transactions.
“Cryptocurrencies are a powerful enabler of remittances,” CEO Manuel Godoy said in a press release, “but you have to abstract them from the user. I always say it could be a donkey crossing the border, it doesn’t matter. What they want is the money, the local currency, and they want it instantly and at the best possible price. And cryptocurrencies allow for that.”
Last August, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a technical assistance report assessing the potential impact of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) on retail transactions in the Domincan Republic. It found that while the country has a well-developed national payment system, further improvements are necessary. Cash remains king in the region, and the IMF estimated that take-up of a Dominican CBDC would impact up to 20% of transactions, which in 2017 were over 90% in cash.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Cole Palmer scored twice and fed João Pedro for a goal as Chelsea overwhelmed Paris Saint-Germain in the first half and beat the European champions 3-0 on Sunday in the final of the first expanded FIFA Club World Cup.
Palmer had almost identical left-footed goals from just inside the penalty area in the 22nd and 30th minutes, then sent a through pass that enabled João Pedro to chip goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43d for his third goal in two starts with the Blues.
A 23-year-old who joined Chelsea from Manchester City two years ago, Palmer scored 18 goals this season.
PSG finished a man short after João Neves was given a red card in the 84th minute for pulling down Marc Cucurella by his hair. After a testy final few minutes, the teams needed to be separated as PSG coach Luis Enrique and Donnarumma pushed João Pedro near the center circle.
A heavy favorite who had outscored opponents 16-1, PSG had been looking to complete a quadruple after winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and its first Champions League title.
Before a tournament-high crowd of 81,188 at MetLife Stadium that included U.S. President Donald Trump, Chelsea showed the energy of a fourth day of rest after its semifinal, one more than PSG.
Chelsea players celebrate after winning the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday.
(Adam Hunger / Associated Press)
Chelsea had finished fourth in the Premier League and won the third-tier UEFA Conference League. The Blues took the world title for the second time after 2021, when it was an seven-team event. The Blues earned $128,435,000 to $153,815,000 in prize money, the amount depending on a participation fee FIFA has not disclosed.
PSG had not lost by three goals since a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Newcastle in October 2023.
Denis Bouanga scored on a penalty kick and assisted on Nathan Ordaz’s goal as LAFC defeated FC Dallas 2-0 at BMO Stadium on Saturday night.
Hugo Lloris made one save as LAFC (9-5-5) recorded its second straight shutout and won for the second time in three games since it went winless during the Club World Cup.
LAFC put 10 shots on goal.
Ordaz took a pass from Bouanga in the penalty box, spun and booted a right-footed shot into the right side of the goal in the 31st minute.
Bouanga made it 2-0 when he converted into the right side in the 45th minute, after he was fouled by Shaq Moore.
LAFC captain and defender Aaron Long was carted off in the 76th minute for an apparent leg injury.
Reus scored in the 23rd minute with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box to the lower left-central zone and the Galaxy carried the 1-0 advantage into the halftime break.
The Galaxy outshot the United 13-11 overall and 5-3 on goal.
Fagúndez made it 2-0 for the Galaxy early in the second half when he scored with from the center of the box to the bottom left corner.
In the 77th minute, Gabriel Pirani got the United on the board, connecting from the center of the box to the bottom right corner.
Pirani’s goal was the first for the United (4-11-7) in four games. They are winless in their past five matches.
Novak Micovic had two saves for the Galaxy (3-13-6) and Luis Barraza had three saves for United.
No club in MLS history played more games during a two-year span than the 103 LAFC played the past two seasons. It was an exhausting and unrelenting slog that saw the team play a game every five days.
Yet it may prove to be just a warm-up for what the team could face during the remainder of this season. Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the short-handed Colorado Rapids, which snapped a four-game winless streak in all competition, was LAFC’s 28th match in less than five months. If it makes long runs in both the Leagues Cup and MLS Cup playoffs, the team will play another 29 times this season, with seven of those matches coming in the next 26 days weeks.
It’s a tortuous schedule, especially in mid-summer. But it’s also an unavoidable one.
“This schedule is what it is. We cannot change that,” said coach Steve Cherundolo, who got goals Wednesday from Denis Bouanga, Nathan Ordaz and newcomer Javairo Dilrosun. “It’s important not to waste any moments; moments meaning games you can win, moments also meaning chances in each game. So it’s important to play as effective as possible.
“That is our objective.”
Another objective would be to call for help, or at least relief, which is something LAFC figures to do as well. Because while the schedule ahead looks daunting, the team appears to have ample resources to deal with it.
The departures of Olivier Giroud, who returned to France, and Cengiz Under, whose loan from Turkish club Fenerbahce expired, frees up two designated player spots and more than $2.6 million in salary heading into the summer transfer window, which opens in two weeks. And the $10 million LAFC will receive for making the FIFA Club World Cup gives general manager John Thorrington more money to fund a roster upgrade.
“I don’t think there’s been a transfer window that LAFC has not been active in,” Cherundolo said. “We are always trying to improve the team whenever possible. That is just part of who we are and how we do things.
“So I, of course, expect the exact same demeanor this window.”
Exactly what that would look like, Cherundolo said, was a question for Thorrington, who wasn’t taking any this week. But LAFC’s needs are as obvious as they are plentiful.
LAFC’s Nathan Ordaz (27) celebrates after scoring a goal against Colorado Rapids at BMO Stadium on Wednesday.
(Shaun Clark / Getty Images)
Bouanga and Ordaz, who scored the first two goals Wednesday, have combined for 13 of LAFC’s 33 goals this season and the departures of Giroud and Under make the offense even more top heavy. Keeping Dilrosun, a former Dutch international on a short-term loan from Mexico’s Club América, could help spread out the scoring but expect LAFC to look to add another attacker in the transfer window just the same
The loss of center back Marlon, whose contract expired nine days ago, has also created a hole, this one on the back line.
Time is critical because despite the win over Colorado, which went down a man in the sixth minute when left back Jackson Travis drew a red card for elbowing defender Sergi Palencia in the face, LAFC (8-5-5) is closer to the ninth and final playoff Western Conference playoff spot than it is to the top of the 15-team table. However the team’s congested schedule means it will play at least more two games than every other team in the conference the rest of the season, something that is both a blessing and a curse.
It’s a blessing because it gives the team two extra chances to make up ground against the teams ahead of them. But it’s a curse in that it means the team’s MLS schedule is the most challenging down the stretch.
“That’s what I like,” Bouanga, whose first-half penalty-kick goal was his ninth of the season 50th in his MLS career, said through a translator. “I like play, play, play. When we train too much it becomes tiring for me.”
The crowded calendar is mainly a result of LAFC’s participation in the Club World Cup, which forced MLS four games, including Wednesday’s match with Colorado, to be rescheduled while adding four non-league games to the schedule. Then there’s the upcoming Leagues Cup, which will force LAFC to play as least three more games and perhaps as many as six.
Ordaz, whose goal early in the second half came off the rebound of a Dilrosun shot, said its important not too look too far ahead.
“You just have to go one day at a time,” he said. “I think we’re all going to be important, the whole team. Everybody’s ready and we’re going to trust in everyone.”
His coach agreed.
“We need to take it step by step, meaning game by game,” Cherundolo said.
“When you’re winning games that’s a great time to have a congested schedule because things are flowing and going in the right direction. So it’s important to get us going, get the ball rolling in the right direction.”
LAFC has been heading in the opposite direction the last month, earning just a draw in four games in all competition and getting shut out three times. Wednesday’s win, however, was the team’s most one-sided since a 4-0 victory over Seattle in mid May. The team also got a big effort from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who recorded his sixth clean sheet in 16 MLS games.
“There’s no replacement for wins, and more specifically three points in the position we’re in,” Cherundolo said. “So that was very important, regardless of how it happened.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Fabián Ruiz scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain built a three-goal lead in the first 24 minutes and routed Real Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday, advancing to the Club World Cup final against Chelsea.
Ruiz scored in the sixth minute and Ousmane Dembélé in the ninth following glaring mistakes by defenders Raúl Asencio and Antonio Rüdiger, and Ruiz made it 3-0 to cap a counter. Gonçalo Ramos added a goal in the 87th.
Coming off its first European title, PSG plays for the championship on Sunday.
“We’re truly happy to be in another final,” Ruiz said. “Now we have to enjoy it because we’re doing something historic. It’s very difficult to reach every final this season, and now we’re one step away.”
Real Madrid fared no better than Inter Milan, overrun by PSG 5-0 in the Champions League final. The 15-time European champion looked sluggish after traveling to Florida for training between games, and PSG had 76.5% possession in the first half.
A crowd of 77,542 was at MetLife Stadium on a scorching day with a temperature of 91 degrees at kickoff and humidity that made it feel like 101.
Real’s Kylian Mbappé was not a threat in his first game against his former team.
“It’s a painful defeat. We were not up to standard today,” Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said through an interpreter.
Luka Modrić entered in the 64th in likely his last match for Madrid, his team since 2012. Éder Militão came in at the same time in his first game since tearing his right ACL on Nov. 9.
PSG surged ahead after Lucas Beraldo’s cross was mis-hit by Raúl Asencio, Thibaut Courtois tipped the ball from Dembélé and Ruiz slammed it into the empty net.
Dembélé then took possession about 40 yards out after a Rüdiger mis-hit, dribbled and slotted past Courtois.
PSG went the length of the field to make it 3-0. Hakimi exchanged passes with Dembélé, then crossed for Ruiz, who maintained control despite Federico Valverde’s challenge and scored from 8 yards for his third goal of the tournament.
Madrid’s defense was missing Dean Huijsen, who got a red card Saturday against Borussia Dortmund, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had right leg muscle discomfort.
Paris Saint-Germain has earned $88,435,000 to $113,815,000 for reaching the final, the amount depending on a participation fee.
Edson Álvarez scored a tiebreaking goal in the 77th minute after a video review reversed an offside call, and Mexico beat the United States 2-1 on Sunday night for its record 10th CONCACAF Gold Cup title.
Chris Richards put the U.S. ahead in the fourth minute, heading in a Sebastian Berhalter free kick for the second time in the tournament, but Raúl Jiménez tied the score in the 27th with his third goal of this Gold Cup.
Mexico was awarded the free kick when Diego Luna fouled Alexis Vega on a flank. Johan Vásquez flicked the restart across the goal mouth and Álvarez burst past the defense, redirecting the ball from three yards just inside Matt Freese’s far post. While the play was initially called offside, the goal was awarded by the VAR, and Mexico defended its title from 2023 while improving to 6-2 in Gold Cup finals against the U.S.
Patrick Agyemang had a chance two minutes into stoppage time but he didn’t make good contact on his short-range shot that was blocked by goalkeeper Luis Malagón.
“We’re disappointed obviously to not come away with a win,” U.S. captain Tim Ream said.
A sellout crowd of 70,925 at NRG Stadium was about 70% pro-Mexico and booed U.S. players when they walked out for pregame warmups. Mexico dominated with 60% possession and had 12 corner kicks to none for the Americans.
This was the last competitive match for the U.S. and Mexico before co-hosting next year’s World Cup with Canada.
The U.S., which has seven Gold Cup titles but none since 2021, used a starting lineup with only a handful of players currently projected as World Cup starters, missing regulars because of vacation, injuries and the Club World Cup.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino used their absence to evaluate players who could push for starting jobs during the friendlies this fall and next spring, and Luna, Agyemang and Freese emerged as contenders for World Cup roster spots.
Richards put the U.S. in front when he headed Berhalter’s free kick from about 40 yards off the crossbar. The ball bounced straight down and just crossed the goal line.
Jiménez scored his 42nd international goal, third-most in Mexican history. He burst past the defense and one-timed the pass from Marcel Ruiz, beating Freese from about 10 yards on a shot that might have nicked Ream.
Jiménez celebrated by grabbing a Mexico No. 20 jersey with “DIOGO J” in honor of Diogo Jota, his former Wolverhampton teammate who died in a car crash Thursday in Spain. Jiménez ran to a corner, sat down with the jersey and mimicked playing a video game.
Désiré Doué scored in the 78th minute, and Paris Saint-Germain moved a step closer to another trophy with a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup on Saturday, a game marred by a gruesome injury to young German star Jamal Musiala.
With PSG two men down after a pair of late red cards and Bayern throwing everyone forward, Ousmane Dembélé added an insurance goal deep into stoppage time to send the French powerhouse on to the semifinals Wednesday.
Dembélé, whose goal was set up by Achraf Hakimi’s brilliant dribbling through five Bayern defenders, celebrated by sitting with his legs crossed to honor Liverpool player Diogo Jota, who was killed along with his brother in a car wreck early Thursday. A moment of silence was held before the opening kick.
“We do what we have to do to take the victory,” Hakimi said. “We are really happy. We know Bayern is one of the teams that plays similarly to us. They are a strong team. It was a really good effort today, a really good game.”
PSG, which claimed its first Champions League title with a 5-0 rout of Inter Milan five weeks ago, broke a scoreless deadlock when João Neves stole the ball from Harry Kane near the halfway line to send the French team sprinting toward the Bayern goal.
Neves got the ball back off a give-and-go and found Doué lurking just outside the top of the area. His left-footed shot caught Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer flat-footed as it skidded inside the right post.
But PSG had to hold on for dear life to preserve the win after Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernández were both sent off with red cards. Pacho was called for a reckless challenge and Hernandez earned red for doling out an elbow.
Bayern had two apparent goals flagged for offside, including a header by Kane. In the waning seconds, the German club was awarded a penalty kick, only to have it waved off after a video review.
Musiala’s injury marred the outcome. As he chased a loose ball near the end line in first-half stoppage time, PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma darted off his spot and dived for it — only to crash into the left ankle of the 22-year-old German.
As Musiala rolled over, his foot dangled awkwardly, the ankle appearing to be cleanly broken.
Donnarumma walked away with the ball but kneeled down in horror when he looked back and realized the seriousness of the injury.
A stretcher was immediately summoned to take Musiala off the field.
Real Madrid beats Borussia Dortmund
Kylian Mbappé’s spectacular bicycle kick was among three goals in second-half stoppage time, and Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in a Club World Cup quarterfinal match as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois used his fingertips to palm away the potential tying goal on the game’s final play.
Gonzalo García and Fran García scored in the first 20 minutes as Madrid built a 2-0 lead.
Courtois used all of the lengthy arm on his 6-foot-7 frame to tip away Marcel Sabitzer’s shot just before the final whistle.
Chelsea wins, reaches semifinal
Chelsea scored the go-ahead goal on Malo Gusto’s 83rd-minute shot that went in after a pair of deflections, beating Brazilian club Palmeiras 2-1 on Friday night in Philadelphia for a spot in the Club World Cup semifinals. Chelsea will meet Fluminense on Tuesday at noon.
Joseph Paintsil had two goals, Matheus Nascimento also scored a goal and the Galaxy beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 on Friday night to snap a three-game winless streak.
The Whitecaps (11-4-5) have lost three of their last four. Vancouver is second in the Western Conference with 38 points, behind San Diego (39).
Edwin Cerrillo flicked a shot from 30 yards outs that was deflected by goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka and Nascimento put away the rebound with a first-touch finish to open the scoring in the second minute.
Paintsil made it 2-0 in the 60th. Gabriel Pec played an long arcing ball to the top of the penalty box, where Marco Reus tapped a first-touch pass to a wide-open Paintsil, who calmly flicked a shot inside the back post from the left side of the area.
Paintsil converted from the penalty spot in the 77th minute for his first career multi-goal game. The 27-year-old forward has three goals and one assist this season after he finished with 10 goals and 10 assists last season, his first in MLS.
Takaoka had five saves for Vancouver. Jayden Nelson was shown a yellow card in the 55th minute and another in stoppage time as the Whitecaps played a man down for the final few minutes.
Novak Micovic had a save for LA. The Galaxy had 55% possession and outshot Vancouver 12-6, 8-1 on target.
The Whitecaps beat the Galaxy 2-1 at home on March 2.
Christian Pulisic was supposed to be in St. Louis on Tuesday, preparing to play in the national soccer team’s Gold Cup semifinal with Guatemala. Instead he was standing under a freeway overpass in Culver City playing with a bunch of kids.
“This is kind of what I was, you know, born to do,” the former and perhaps future captain of the national team said. “Having this platform and being here to inspire, hopefully, the next generation and do this for kids, it’s special.”
Pulisic, 26, isn’t far removed from being a kid himself, one who grew up learning the game on mini fields not too different from the one he was opening Tuesday. But for Pulisic soccer is no longer a child’s game, it’s a business. And that has taken a lot of fun out of it.
So when Pulisic, the national team’s active leader in both appearances (78) and goals (35), decided to pass up this summer’s Gold Cup, the last major competition before next year’s World Cup, he was widely pilloried as selfish and egotistical by former national team players including Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and Landon Donovan.
American Christian Pulisic is grabbed by Bolivia’s Hector Cuellar as they chase the ball during a Copa America match in Arlington, Texas, on June 23, 2024.
(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
“I just can’t fathom turning down the privilege of representing my country,” added Alexi Lalas, who played on two World Cup teams for the U.S.
However, Pulisic says he was simply exhausted.
He played a career-high 3,650 minutes in all competition for AC Milan last season, leading the team with 11 goals and nine assists in Serie A play while appearing in 118 games for club and country in the last 22 months. He needed a break to rest both body and mind before the World Cup, when he’ll be the focus of a U.S. team playing the tournament at home for the first time in 32 years.
So after consulting with U.S. Soccer and national team coach Mauricio Pochettino, he took it, offering to play in two June friendlies — an offer Pochettino declined — but turning down an invitation to play in the Gold Cup.
The reaction was swift and hurtful, with many critics accusing Pulisic of turning his back on his country.
“To question my commitment, especially towards the national team, in my opinion that’s way out of line,” Pulisic said in his defense on a Golazo Network podcast last month.
“I don’t regret my decision. I think it’s the right thing for me.”
AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic celebrates with teammate Tijjani Reijnders after Reijnders scored against Como in Milan, Italy, on March 15.
(Antonio Calanni / Associated Press)
Given a chance to expand on that Tuesday, Pulisic declined.
“I said what I needed to say. I don’t think it’s something that I want to harp on,” he said.
But events like Tuesday’s clearly rekindle his passion for soccer by reminding him of what the game still looks like through a child’s eyes.
“To see the joy that it brings to kids’ faces and to give them a free space to just come and play and enjoy the game like I used to when I was a kid, that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “When I was around their age, that’s when I really grew the love for the game.”
His father, Mark, was a former indoor soccer player and longtime coach, so Pulisic spent much of his childhood in places just like the one in Culver City. Getting back to those basics after what has been one of the most trying months of his professional career has been a breath of fresh air and it showed because Pulisic, whose smiles are rare and generally sarcastic, was wearing a wide and sincere one Tuesday.
The play space he was visiting is the second Christian Pulisic Stomping Grounds facility in the U.S., one developed in conjunction with the global sports brand Puma. The first Stomping Ground opened two years ago in Miami and there are plans to build a third in Texas.
Wedged into an industrial area crowded with storage facilities and warehouses beneath an on-ramp to the 405 Freeway, the space, home to the Culver City Football Club, was refurbished to include mini indoor and outdoor turf fields, a putting green and a life-size chess set.
The costly update was nice, said Krist Colocho, president and chief executive of the Culver City Football Club. But having the captain of the men’s national team come to christen the site, then engage some three dozen players, ages 9 to 13, in training drills, was priceless.
“There’s no words for it,” he said. “The top player in the U.S.? It’s amazing. To get to play with him? That’s a cherry on top.”
The nonprofit club, Colocho said, is dedicated to ending the pay-for-play model that has made soccer too expensive for many kids. The Pulisic-Puma partnership will help with that.
“This is a start,” he said. “Coming from a background where soccer is difficult to afford, this is going to be one of those stepping [stones] that we work with.”
AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic celebrates after scoring against Cagliari in Milan, Italy, on May 11, 2024.
(Antonio Calanni / Associated Press)
Outside Pulisic backed toward a mini goal as 6-year-old Arih Akwafei charged forward, pushed the ball around Pulisic and tucked it into the net, then celebrated as only a 6-year-old can.
“It was fun doing everything and using our bodies to try to play soccer with him to see if he was good or not,” Arih said, gulping air between words in an effort to control her excitement. “I scored on him.”
Cameron Carr, 9, agreed.
“It’s a very big deal,” he said of Pulisic’s visit.
Asked whether he’d be happier if Pulisic was in St. Louis practicing with the national team, as so many critics had demanded, Cameron grew confused. To him the answer was as obvious as the question was stupid.
“I’m very happy that he’s taking his time to meet with us kids when he could be training,” he said.
Emmanuel Sabbi scored on Vancouver’s only shot on goal, Yohei Takaoka made four saves and the Whitecaps spoiled Olivier Giroud’s farewell match with a 1-0 victory over LAFC on Sunday night.
Giroud started and played 60 minutes in his final appearance for LAFC. The famed French forward is expected to sign with Lille after one disappointing year in Los Angeles during which he was largely an unproductive substitute, scoring just five goals in 38 matches.
Giroud had a chance to go out with a bang when Denis Bouanga fed him an exceptional cross while he was unmarked deep in Vancouver’s penalty area in the 50th minute, but Giroud volleyed it over the bar.
Giroud still left the field to a standing ovation 10 minutes later, but LAFC failed to equalize without him in its first match back from a winless three-game stint at the Club World Cup.
LAFC scored one goal in the entire FIFA tournament, but still netted at least $9.5 million for earning the final spot in the field. Back in Los Angeles, its nine-match unbeaten run in league play ended with even more offensive frustration against Vancouver.
Takaoka secured his 10th clean sheet for the depleted Whitecaps, who won for just the second time in six matches while falling out of first place in the Western Conference. Vancouver doesn’t have key contributors Brian White, Jayden Nelson and Sebastian Berhalter due to Gold Cup international duty.
Sabbi scored in the 20th minute with an exceptional effort, starting a counterattack with a midfield steal before controlling Jeevan Badwal’s pass in midair on the run and scoring his first goal since April 12.
Backup goalkeeper David Ochoa made his first appearance for LAFC in place of Hugo Lloris, who got the day off after playing the entire Club World Cup.
MINNEAPOLIS — Damion Downs scored in the sixth round of a shootout after three saves by Matt Freese, sending the U.S. to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 4-3 penalty-kicks win over Costa Rica after a a 2-2 tie on Sunday night.
The U.S. advanced to a Wednesday matchup in St. Louis against Guatemala, which upset Canada on penalty kicks in the opener of the quarterfinal doubleheader.
Mexico plays Honduras in the other semifinal on Wednesday in Santa Clara. The championship is in Houston on July 6.
The U.S. has reached the semifinals in 17 of 18 Gold Cups, including 13 straight since a quarterfinal loss to Colombia on penalty kicks in 2000.
Diego Luna and Max Arfsten scored in regulation for the U.S., which faced its highest-ranked opponent of the tournament in Costa Rica (54th) after breezing through the group stage with an 8-1 goal differential.
Alonso Martinez scored the tying goal for the Ticos in the 71st minute with a left-footed shot after Carlos Mora split Luca de La Torre and Arsten to take a shot on Freese and seize the rebound to set up Martinez.
CONCACAF changed the rules for this edition of the biennial championship for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, eliminating extra time except for the championship game.
John Tolkin had the first chance to win the shootout for the U.S. Keylor Navas knocked down his try in the fifth round. Freese then denied Andy Rojas with a diving hand, climbing to his feet while nodding his head and sticking out his tongue toward his cheering teammates at midfield. That set up the winner by the 20-year-old Downs.
Missing the tournament for the U.S. are regulars Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest, due to a variety of reasons from injuries to rest to Club World Cup commitments.
Three of Costa Rica’s six goals during the group stage came by penalty kick, and Francisco Calvo added another one in the 12th minute after a foul by Arsten. Calvo went low to zip the ball just out of reach of a diving Freese.
Malik Tillman, who had three group stage goals, put a 37th-minute penalty kick off a post and Navas knocked away Arfsten’s attempt off the rebound.
Luna picked him up with his first goal in international competition by rocketing a shot off the chest of defender Alexis Gamboa for the equalizer in the 43rd minute.
Tillman made amends for his miss early in the second half by poking a pass ahead for Arfsten, who surged in from the left wing to send the ball into the opposite corner for the lead.
STANFORD — Marco Reus scored in the 70th minute and the Galaxy played the San José Earthquakes to a 1-1 draw on Saturday night in the 104th edition of the California Clásico.
The Galaxy (1-14-5) are unbeaten in their past eight road matches (Stanford Stadium and PayPal Park) across all competitions against San José (7-8-5) dating to June 26, 2021.
San José native Beau Leroux opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a shot into the upper-right corner for his fourth of the season. He settled Mark-Anthony Kaye’s cross with his left foot and curled in a shot with his right from the top of the 18-yard box.
San José goalkeeper Daniel stopped an initial attempt in the 70th, but it bounced right back to Reus for an easy touch home. It was Reus’ first game wearing the captain’s armband.
Daniel made several key saves. He came out of his area to deny Joseph Paintsil on a one-on-one opportunity in the 60th. He also got a hand on Gabriel Pec’s shot on a counterattack in the 88th.
