Trent Mosley itched and itched, the discomfort of standing on the sideline — not his foot injury that held him out of action since Aug. 22 — weighing on the senior receiver.
The USC commit picked an exceptional time to return. Trailing by six, with 5:06 remaining in the game, Mosley took the snap in the wildcat formation and swerved his way into the end zone for a touchdown.
“It sucked just knowing I couldn’t go out there and help my teammates,” Mosley said. “Now I’m back and we’re getting better.”
The score and the hush of the normally raucous Santa Ana Stadium crowd told the story: For the first time in a long while, the Trinity League is up for grabs. Santa Margarita (5-2, 2-0) played Southern Section stunner on Friday night at Santa Ana Stadium, upsetting Mater Dei 7-6 to set the stage for a thrilling Trinity League finale after the Eagles took down the Monarchs (4-2, 1-1) for the first time since 2013.
“Incredible,” Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer said. “They’ve been playing like the best defense in the country all year long, every week.”
Palmer pointed to defensive coordinator Steve Fifita, who served as interim head coach during last season and decided to stay on the Eagles’ staff as the catalyst for Santa Margarita’s success. Mater Dei had only 175 yards on offense Friday.
Mater Dei High’s CJ Lavender Jr. intercepts a pass intended for Santa Margarita receiver Grant Mosley on Friday night.
(Craig Weston)
“They’re [Fifita’s] heartbeat on defense,” Palmer said of the group, which includes Fifita’s nephew Dash, a senior linebacker.
Pound-for-pound, the defensive lines of Santa Margarita and Mater Dei wouldn’t budge.
Eagles senior linebacker Vai Manutai would secure a sack — while moments later Monarchs linemen Montana Loilolo and Matamatagi Uiagalelei stormed through for sacks of their own. Monarchs linebacker Shaun Scott forced a fumble and earned 1 1/2 sacks as the Eagles couldn’t break 25 rushing yards.
Mater Dei quarterback Ryan Hopkins never got comfortable — outside of a 10-yard touchdown strike to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt in the first quarter — eventually throwing an interception to Eagles defensive back Davide Morales as the third quarter came to a close.
“We’re right there, but we’re not quite there,” said Mater Dei coach Raul Lara, referring to plays such as Hopkins overthrowing wide receiver Gavin Honore for a potential game-winning touchdown, which instead became a turnover on downs with 2:06 remaining.
Lara continued: “This game of football is a great tool to teach young men life skills. Not everything in life is going to be perfect.”
Quarterback Trace Johnson of Santa Margarita could not get comfortable , tossing two interceptions into the hands of Mater Dei defensive back CJ Lavender Jr.
When Johnson found open space, it was thanks to Mosley.
For a team-high six catches for 51 yards, Mosley — who often lined up next to his brother Grant in the slot — helped set up the game-winning drive after freshman running back Adrian Petero hauled in a 59-yard catch to bring the Eagles into Monarchs’ territory.
Trent Mosley’s punch in and the point after — which was enough to win after a failed two-point conversion after Dixon-Wyatt’s score — now sets up unprecedented territory in recent Trinity League seasons.
Yes, Mater Dei and St. John Bosco (which defeated Orange Lutheran 48-0 Friday) will still be contenders.
But the Eagles, who also hold a win over Corona Centennial, can certainly consider themselves as contenders for the league’s crown — and maybe even Division 1 glory. Santa Margarita plays St. John Bosco on Friday at Trabuco Hills.
“We can go forever,” Trent Mosley said. “The culture we have, the bond we have — I know what we’re capable of.”
The Chelsea star has officially won the rights to his nickname and trade mark celebrationCredit: Getty
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Palmer is renowned for his iconic shivering goal celebrationCredit: Getty
It comes after Chateau Palmer, which sells bottles of wine for as much as £750, opposed his bid to flog plonk — and won their case in August.
But, on Friday, the 23-year-old won the right to brand an array of other products, including snacks, mobile phone covers, toys, Christmas crackers and even teddy bears.
This essentially means nobody can use Palmer’s “Cold” nickname for commercial use without his permission.
He has also successfully trademarked his autograph.
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An article in The Athletic detailed how the Intellectual Property Office approved the application made by the footballer’s private company, Palmer Management Limited.
In August, winemaker Chateau Palmer, based near Bordeaux, opposed the initial application.
It still covers a range of other alcoholic beverages, such as spirits, liqueurs and alcoholic energy drinks.
The winery was founded in 1814 when Army officer Charles Palmer bought the estate.
Royal wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd says: “At their best, the wines of Ch. Palmer are among the greatest anywhere in Bordeaux.”
Chelsea ace Cole Palmer LOSES battle against £750-a-bottle winery to trademark nickname & goal celebration
A bottle of its Cru Classé Margaux from 1970 is priced at £750.
Speaking to The Athletic, Karen Lee, an intellectual property lawyer at Edwin Coe, said: “Once you have a registered trademark in place, it is much easier to enforce your rights against third parties.
“Anyone using something that’s the same or similar can amount to an infringement. And that’s when it can lead to High Court litigation, which can be very expensive.”
Palmer has made no secret about the celebration not being his own original work.
He previously admitted how, following his time in the Manchester City academy, he was inspired to perform the celebration by then team-mate Morgan Rogers.
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The vineyard is in France’s Margaux region
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One bottle of the firm’s Cru Classé Margaux from 1970 was listed at £750
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The 23-year-old has now also won the rights to brand an array of other productsCredit: Getty
Aston Villa star Rogers, was accused of copying the celebration when he scored against Chelsea in April 2024, before he clarified: “It’s the opposite, I did it first, he copied me.”
Speaking of his celebration in a previous interview with The Telegraph, Cole said: “It symbolises joy, passion and hard determination for the game, plus it’s funny as it works well with my name.
“Everyone knows it’s my celebration. Lots of people might have done it (before me), but everybody knows it is my celebration.”
However, this could mean that Chelsea has to register for a licence if the London club wants to use his nickname in promotional material.
EA, the company behind the EA Sports FC series of video games, might also have to ask permission to use his celebration in future games.
Other footballers who have trademarked their names and celebrations include David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, who trademarked his name, CR7 initials and “Siuuu” celebration.
Lionel Messi also trademarked his surname after a legal challenge from the cycling brand Massi.
Some other stars have managed to have their brand made exclusive in specific countries, including Marcus Rashford with his name in the United States, Erling Haaland with his signature and goal celebration in his native Norway.
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The footballer has claimed that everyone knows its his celebrationCredit: Getty
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Other players like Beckham and Ronaldo have also trademarked their namesCredit: Getty
Sanchez took out Mbeumo just four minutes and one second into the match to receive Chelsea’s earliest red card in the Premier League.
“It was rough… the red card [would be] difficult not only for Chelsea, it [would be] difficult for any club,” said Maresca.
“After the red card, all the planning and everything doesn’t exist any more.”
Maresca said afterwards he would have preferred to go a goal down than lose his goalkeeper.
“It’s the best solution, because we are still 95 minutes to play,” he said.
“I think even Robert is aware of that, but also it’s difficult because he has to take a decision in one second or two seconds.”
The Italian manager took off two attackers in Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian for replacement goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen and defender Tosin Adarabioyo after Sanchez was sent off.
The change effectively left Chelsea with a back five, three midfielders and just Joao Pedro in attack.
Maresca explained why he had made such a defensive reaction to the dismissal, saying: “We needed to defend with five players – we can defend with four when we are 11 v 11.”
However, that decision looked like a mistake when Fernandes opened the scoring and Palmer then went off injured.
When Andrey Santos replaced the England playmaker 21 minutes into the match it was the earliest any team in Premier League history had made their first three substitutions.
Chelsea failed to register a shot on target in the first half as Casemiro put United 2-0 up.
However, the Brazil midfielder’s ill-timed lunge just before the break left both sides down to 10 men.
Chalobah managed to pull a goal back in the 80th minute but it only proved to be a consolation for the Blues, who suffered a second successive defeat in what has been a tough week of away fixtures.
They drew at Brentford last weekend before losing to Bayern Munich in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.
“When it went to 10 a piece I felt no urgency from Chelsea to try to get back into it,” said former England striker Wayne Rooney on Match of the Day.
“They were slow, side to side. If you’re a Chelsea fan you’d want to see a lot more urgency.”
Saturday’s loss at Old Trafford leaves Chelsea sixth in the top-flight table, and they will hope to avoid a prolonged absence for star man Palmer.
Sure, he has the NFL pedigree and the Heisman Trophy, and a staff of assistant coaches loaded with pro experience. But he’s the first-year coach at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, his alma mater, and stepping into an elite league of schools while studying not just game tape but reels of red tape.
“This is harder than I thought,” said Palmer, 45, sitting in his office above the practice field. “Year One is tough. The NFL is fast and responsive. Here, changing the playbook software takes an act of Congress. But I’m learning every day.”
Not that he’s complaining. He knew when he took the job eight months ago that his path would be littered with challenges and obstacles. Along with some satisfying successes.
The Heisman Trophy winner and former No. 1 overall pick has spent his adult life in that wafer-thin line at the top, the lofty latitude occupied by the best players in the game. Now, he’s getting back to basics.
“I enjoy seeing a kid make a mistake, then understand the why and fix it,” he said. “You don’t get that in the NFL. There, it’s just a job. Here, there’s joy in learning.”
The Eagles, ranked No. 7 in the Southland by The Times, open their season Friday against No. 6 Mission Viejo.
Said Palmer, engrossed in preparing the program for the last eight months: “It’s time.”
Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer watches over practice on Wednesday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
He will have his hands full in the Trinity League, easily among the most competitive leagues in the country and featuring football powerhouses such as Mater Dei and St. John Bosco.
Are those opposing coaches looking for their Carson Palmer pelt on the wall?
“It’s not about the coach,” Palmer said. “Programs where the coach is the focal point don’t work. It’s about the players 100% of the time. I can help them because I was taught by great minds, but I’m just passing it on.”
Santa Margarita has standouts in brothers Trent and Grant Mosely, both wideouts and Trent committed to play at USC. At quarterback is Trace Johnson, who played high school football in Florida before transferring to spend his senior season with Palmer. His father, Doug Johnson, is Santa Margarita’s quarterbacks coach and played the position in the NFL.
Cornerback Jayden Crowder is heading to California, safety Logan Hirou to UCLA. Dash Fifita, a first-team All-Trinity League linebacker last season and nephew of Santa Margarita’s defensive coordinator, is committed to Arizona, and fellow linebacker Leki Holani is going to Sacramento State.
Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer instructs his players during practice.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“I’ve heard high school coaches say the hardest part isn’t the kids or the parents, it’s the adults and their egos. That’s why I was intentional about picking guys who get along. No one’s doing this for the money.”
— Carson Palmer, on the choices he made for his assistant coaches
Palmer has several assistant coaches with NFL and/or major college football experience, among them running backs coach Mike Karney, a bruising fixture at fullback for the New Orleans Saints; receivers coach T.J. Houshmandzadeh, one of Palmer’s standout targets with the Cincinnati Bengals; offensive line coach Lenny Vandermade, among Palmer’s blockers at USC; defensive coordinator Steve Fifita, a standout at the University of Utah who later played in the NFL; and linebackers coach Rob Thomas, who was Pac-10 defensive player of the year as a UCLA linebacker and played eight NFL seasons with four teams.
“It’s been awesome,” Karney said. “Carson’s been running the program the way it should be run but putting his own twist on it, making it his own. From how we run practice to what we’re doing schematically, there’s a lot of carryover from the NFL.”
Palmer said it isn’t necessary to have a staff with so much playing experience, but it’s helpful.
“These guys know the importance of staff chemistry,” he said. “I’ve heard high school coaches say the hardest part isn’t the kids or the parents, it’s the adults and their egos. That’s why I was intentional about picking guys who get along. No one’s doing this for the money.”
Before accepting the job, Carson frequently consulted with Pete Carroll, his legendary coach at USC who is now leading the Las Vegas Raiders.
Carroll believes Palmer will be successful in this endeavor, but that it will take time.
Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer instructs a player during practice.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“He’s going to take his knocks, I’m sure,” Carroll said. “He’ll have first- and second-year issues like all the coaches do — just getting your act together and trying to figure yourself out.
“We went extensively into that when we got together — helping him understand some of the questions that will be raised: What am I standing for? How hard am I? How tough am I? How open am I? All of those kinds of things that come into coaching.
“He’s tough, he’s demanding, and he has high expectations for anybody that plays — just like he held himself to all those years. I think he’ll do a wonderful job. He has a great love for the school and the setting, and he was really excited about the opportunity to go back. He’ll put his best foot forward, but it’s a challenge now. He’s got good guys working with him, too, so that’ll all help out. He’s going to do just fine.”
Palmer said he frequently gets phone calls from Norm Chow, his offensive coordinator at USC, who delivers a simple and powerful message.
“He keeps calling me and saying, ‘Culture before Xs and O’s,’ then hanging up,” Palmer said. “That sticks with me. It doesn’t matter what you run. It’s, do they believe in it? Do they trust each other? Is there an environment for growth? We don’t haze. We respect each other.”
That meant showing some players the door.
“Some kids didn’t fit culturally with what I envisioned,” he said. “This is the Trinity League. It’s big-boy ball.”
Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer speaks to his players during practice on Wednesday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
And that also means coaching some sophisticated concepts, which he said his players are grasping to a surprising degree.
“I’m just giving them what I was given,” he said. “I use Bruce Arians’ short passing game, Norm Chow’s trick plays, the play-action stuff of [Steve] Sarkisian and [Lane] Kiffin.”
He borrowed, too, from Greg Knapp, the longtime NFL offensive coordinator who died in 2021 after a bicycle accident.
“Greg was a master installer,” said Palmer, who played for him in Oakland in 2012. “He’d give surprise quizzes in the meeting room to keep you awake. ‘What’s the capital of Nevada?’ I do that now. Meetings aren’t sit and stare. We’re on the move.”
How will that translate in terms of wins and losses? We’ll see. One of his old and beloved coaches is optimistic.
“The respect for him is automatic, right?” Chow said. “Just because of who he is. … When you’re coaching, you need to be able to run the room. With Carson, young people say, ‘OK, I’m going to listen.’”
Then, perhaps the highest praise.
“I’d absolutely want my kid to be coached by him,” Chow said. “Because of the human being that he is.”
CHELSEA’S free-flowing attack tripped at the starting line of the Premier League title race, as Enzo Maresca’s side stuttered to a bore-draw at home to Crystal Palace.
Reportedly on the verge of a move away from the club, it was Eberechi Eze who thought he had opened the scoring, only for VAR to rule his free-kick out over an infringement in the wall by Marc Guehi.
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Chelsea struggled to find a way past Crystal Palace in a 0-0 drawCredit: AFP
It was a VAR call that really wrote the story of this game, with both teams unable to create any moves with much meaning beyond it.
A tightly contested first half was met with an equally tight second 45 minutes.
The introduction of teenage wonderkid Estevao threatened to shake things up in the second half, as the Brazilian injected pace and enthusiasm into a lacklustre Chelsea attack.
But even his Brazilian brilliance wasn’t incisive enough to carve an opening for Maresca’s men.
And despite a number of substitutes following Estevao, including new number nine Liam Delap, Stamford Bridge’s shooters could only fire blanks before going to West Ham next week.
Here’s how SunSport Chelsea Reporter Lloyd Canfield rated the players…
Robert Sanchez – 6
It’s unclear if Robert Sanchez was blinded by the sun or by a player as an Eze free-kick was rifled past him, but VAR perhaps saved him in that sense, as it was ruled out.
The Spaniard made a solid stop to deny Jean Phillipe-Mateta in the first half, and his distribution seemed improved from last season, but there are still question marks over him among the Blues’ fanbase.
With an ‘elite’ goalkeeper like Gianluigi Donnarumma up for grabs, he is under a lot of pressure to perform at this moment in time.
Ex-Premier League ref on Eberechi Eze’s disallowed goal vs Chelsea
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Reece James – 7
Chelsea’s captain was tasked with marshalling Ebere Eze from right-back for the Blues, as well as leading from the back with the young Josh Acheampong next to him.
It wasn’t a vintage, flying fullback Reece James performance, but one that showed a maturity to his game with a good passing range and an air of calmness on the ball that he has always possessed.
Josh Acheampong – 9
The Cobham Academy graduate was thrown in the deep end once more in the absence of Levi Colwill and Tosin for Chelsea.
With all the talk of whether or not the Blues will sign a new central defender or not, the teenager did extremely well under huge pressure, putting in crunching tackles and showing elite composure on the ball, sending something of a soothing aura around Stamford Bridge with it at his feet.
Dealing with the physicality of Jean Phillipe Mateta is a tough task for any defender, and Acheampong will need to grow physically before he can dominate that kind of threat, but it didn’t bother him much today.
Enzo Maresca has got the answer to his injury dilemma from within the club, as they wanted, and Chelsea will hope the youngster can build on such an impressive display.
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Josh Acheampong had a brilliant game at the backCredit: AFP
Trevoh Chalobah – 7
Perhaps should have done better when he had a chance to open the scoring after 30 minutes, as the ball fell kindly to him eight yards out, only to be fired over the bar.
But Trevoh Chalobah put in a solid showing against his former club, with an array of good tackles and blocks, as well as guiding Josh Acheampong next to him into a brilliant showing.
Marc Cucurella – 5
Almost opened the scoring with a header before a clumsy challenge gave a free kick to Crystal Palace, from which they thought they had opened the scoring.
Marc Cucurella has often become a source of attacking threat and chance creation under Enzo Maresca, but wasn’t able to create many openings when he did progress further up the pitch, losing the ball too often.
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Marc Cucurella was clumsy going forwardCredit: Getty
Moises Caicedo – 8
Consistency personified in blue, Moises Caicedo was his usual brilliant self today.
Vital interceptions, tackles full of heart and the stamina of a marathon runner, Caicedo distributed the ball through Chelsea’s midfield and put out fires from the very first whistle to the last.
A bit more creativity and ball progression from the deep-lying midfielder would have improved his rating to that truly elite level.
Enzo Fernandez – 4
A very quiet first half saw Moises Caicedo doing the work of two people on his own, with Enzo Fernandez seeming overrun by the enigmatic Ebere Eze.
Struggled to get his foot on the ball and create chances as he has done so well in recent games for the Blues, before being swapped for Andrey Santos in the final 15 minutes.
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Enzo Fernandez was hauled off after failing to impressCredit: Getty
Jamie Gittens – 4
After an electric pre-season that left fans excited to see him in Premier League action for the first time, he was somewhat disappointing in the first half.
He was given a run for his money by Daniel Munoz and failed to deliver any sort of end product on his PL bow.
Better things will be coming from Chelsea’s new number 11, who was substituted after 54 minutes for wonderkid Estevao Willian.
Cole Palmer – 3
A shadow of his usual self, Cole Palmer didn’t deliver the same kind of fireworks we have become so accustomed to seeing from him under Enzo Maresca.
Instead for much of the game he looked the same player we saw during his ‘rough patch’ last year.
He wasn’t allowed much, if any, space on the ball and wasn’t able to create something from nothing in this game, which everyone knows he can do at his mind-blowing best.
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Cole Palmer struggled to impress for the BluesCredit: Getty
Pedro Neto – 5
Chelsea fans know what to expect from Pedro Neto by now, at his worst he will give you heaps of hard work and running, even on a baking hot day at Stamford Bridge like today.
He was more impressive than Gittens on the other wing, but also struggled to really create any meaningful chances, with a few deliveries sailing over any Chelsea attackers.
Neto was switched to the left side when Estevao was introduced, but it was much the same as the first half in truth.
Joao Pedro – 4
After five goals in his first five games for Chelsea, he had fully justified his place in Enzo Maresca’s starting XI for this game.
In this game, though, fans were keen to see the introduction of Liam Delap after the half-time whistle, which came to fruition with little under 20 minutes to go.
The Brazilian struggled to grasp the game by the scruff of the neck against Palace, and couldn’t provide the link-up with Cole Palmer that was so impactful in the Club World Cup.
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Joao Pedro could not continue his goal streakCredit: AFP
Substitutes
Estevao – 7
Instantly injected energy and enthusiasm into the game but also into the crowd, Estevao is a catalyst for making things happen in this team.
As soon as he came on he had Marc Guehi in a twist before delivering a cross that created a Chelsea chance, despite not being finished off – a move that will have Blues’ fans clamouring for him to start against West Ham next week.
Estevao perhaps should’ve opened the scoring, with a chance falling to him in the second half that he seemed to overthink before firing over.
Nonetheless, with the iconic Romario watching on at Stamford Bridge, he will be confident that Joga Bonito has a place here for years to come.
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Estevao looked sharp when he came off the benchCredit: Getty
Malo Gusto – 4
Took on Reece James’ role when he came on, and was mostly solid at the back but also unable to create any kind of forward spark.
Saw his name up in lights in the 88th minute, but those lights may have blinded him as his shot from range sailed into row Z.
Andrey Santos – 5
A solid showing from the Brazilian in midfield, but leaned back too much and fired over the bar in the dying embers of the game with a left-footed shot in front of the Matthew Harding end.
He came close moments later, this time with a header that was grasped by Henderson.
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Andrey Santos missed a great moment in front of goal late onCredit: PA
Liam Delap – 5
His determination and hard work allowed him a sight of goal as the game came to a close, but his effort on the half-volley was stopped relatively easily by Dean Henderson.
Delap will no doubt be a handful for defenders this season if he is coming from the bench, and likely won’t want to settle for playing second fiddle to Joao Pedro for too long.
Venture capital investments in the Greater Los Angeles region more than doubled to $5.8 billion in the second quarter, compared to a year ago, as investors poured money into the area’s defense tech and aerospace companies amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
Costa Mesa-based defense tech company Anduril received the most venture capital in the region last quarter, raising a $2.5-billion funding round, according to research firm CB Insights.
The company, co-founded by entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, said it would use the money to invest in scaling up its production, hiring, taking big swings on products and capabilities and other efforts such as its mergers and acquisitions strategy.
Anduril, which manufactures autonomous weapons systems, was recently awarded a $99.6-million contract to build a next generation command and control prototype for the U.S. Army that it says will help modernize communications on the battlefield. Anduril employs more than 6,000 people and has a valuation of $30.5 billion.
Venture capital firm Founders Fund led the recent round with a $1-billion investment, marking the firm’s largest check to date, said Founders Fund partner and Anduril executive chairman Trae Stephens in a Bloomberg TV interview in June.
The company’s recent fundraising round is an example of strong investor interest in defense tech and aerospace, which venture firms believe is ripe for disruption, with startups taking market share from incumbents such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Globally, venture capital investments in defense tech is on the rise. Already, the funding in this category has outpaced last year, according to CB Insights. For the first half of 2025, investors allocated $11.1 billion in venture capital to defense tech companies, compared to $8.2 billion in the full year of 2024, CB Insights said.
Investors are eager to jump on an area of growth that has a lot of support from the government, as the U.S. enters a period in which defense and the geopolitical arena is at the forefront, analysts said. The world is being rocked by multiple international conflicts, including Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine and Israel’s battle against Hamas in Gaza.
“We’re entering an administration, a regulatory period, and a broader geopolitical arena where defense is at the forefront of everyone’s minds,” said Jason Saltzman, head of insights at CB Insights. “We’re starting to see a lot of support from the government in particular, with an increasing number of investors hopping on the defense tech train.”
Southern California, long an aerospace and defense tech hub, is benefiting from the investor interest, with the area’s companies representing nine of the top 30 private businesses globally in defense tech that have received the most venture capital financing, according to CB Insights.
Local companies said they were attracted to Southern California because of its strong talent pool, with nearby universities like Caltech and USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
Going back to World War II and the Cold War period, key defense contractors like Northrop Grumman and Hughes were built in the South Bay area, making the region a crucial locale for the defense and aerospace industries, said Professor Dan Wadhwani, director of the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the USC Marshall School of Business. As startups build new technologies, they will need to integrate them with other existing systems, he added.
“The proximity to key players within the defense industry makes L.A. a prime place for capitalizing on the growing trends towards defense spending,” he said.
Last quarter, defense tech and aerospace companies represented the top four businesses receiving venture capital, according to CB Insights. Anduril led the way, followed by Redondo Beach-based Impulse Space, which raised $300 million, Hawthorne-based Chaos Industries that had a $275-million funding round and L.A.-based spacecraft manufacturer Apex, which raised $200 million in the second quarter, CB Insights said.
Chaos Industries makes radars that provide warning and tracking against unmanned aerial systems, missiles and aircraft. The company, which has more than 100 employees, raised a total of $490 million since it was founded in 2022. The funding will go toward hiring and increasing the company’s manufacturing capabilities, said Chief Strategy Officer Will Hurd.
Hurd said he remembers when he worked at an investment bank in 2021 and most investors did not want to fund companies where the government was their client because there was a fear or lack of understanding of how that process worked. Now, that’s changed and evolved, with a wave of defense tech and aerospace companies, including Chaos Industries.
“Now the adversaries have gotten more sophisticated, and we have to match that,” Hurd said.
Impulse Space, which makes space vehicles, said there has been surging customer demand. The company said it has more than 30 signed government and commercial contracts worth nearly $200 million in value and the additional venture capital funding will go toward hiring, scaling production and accelerating its research and development.
“We’ve proven that we can build fast and fly successfully,” said CEO and founder Tom Mueller in a statement. “Now, the market is demanding more.”
Liam Delap was one of this summer’s most-wanted strikers.
The 22-year-old scored 12 goals in 37 Premier League games for Ipswich, with his tantalising £30m release clause attracting numerous suitors after the club was relegated back to the Championship.
He was given permission to speak to clubs in May, with Manchester United, Everton, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest all showing serious interest while Manchester City also held a buy-back option on their former player.
But it was Chelsea who won the race for his signature and, speaking before the Blues’ final Club World Cup group game against Es Tunis on Wednesday, Delap has revealed why – including the pull of Europe and rejoining some familiar faces.
“You never know if it is going to be the right decision but you’ve just got to go with your gut and hope it works out,” he said. “You’ve got to take your time. I took a few days to speak to people and decide my future.”
One of those people he consulted was Chelsea’s star attacker Cole Palmer, who he first played with at Manchester City at the age of 15.
Delap added: “I asked him what I needed to ask him, he told me what I needed to know. But I don’t like too much information. Ultimately it was my decision so I kind of just want my head to be clear.”
Palmer has become the poster boy for Chelsea after two sensational seasons and Delap was asked if he hopes to emulate his former academy team-mate.
“Yeah, of course, that’s the goal,” he said. “I think we both had similar positions and he’s gone and smashed it so hopefully I can also.”
Reports in May suggested Manchester United were front runners to sign Delap but their Europa League final defeat by Tottenham, and a poor league campaign, left them without European football next season – with Chelsea’s Champions League qualification playing a part in Delap’s decision.
“It wasn’t the be all and end all because I was also looking towards future seasons but also it helps,” he said.
The son of former Stoke City and Derby County midfielder Rory Delap launched his career at Manchester City under now-Chelsea manager Maresca. He scored 20 goals and won the PL2 player of the season – as he fired the Italian’s Under-21s squad to the title in 2020/21.
“I’ve got a good relationship with the manager,” he said of Maresca. “I know how he plays. I’ve played in this system before. It’s very similar now but with little tweaks. I know a lot of the players here and the project of the club, how they see the future. That’s what excited me.”
When asked whether he believes in the curse, which counts Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata, Radamel Falcao and Fernando Torres among its supposed victims, Delap replied: “No, I’m not that type of person.
“It’s something that people talk about but it doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s something that’s related to strikers so I chose it.”
No one needed this moment more than Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.
Before the match, even Maresca said Jackson owed a “debt” to his team-mates after getting sent off in the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle on 11 May, a red card that could well have cost Chelsea qualification for the Champions League.
After the match, Maresca said “this is the Nico that the team needs”.
He is among those who have struggled to convince the Stamford Bridge fanbase – and the club are looking to sign a striker, with Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap among their targets.
However, in that regard, the Senegal international is just like the head coach and the owners, who have all banked credit by winning a trophy.
For Maresca, this was his chance to show the club could build a winning mentality after a season during which he has faced criticism for his style of football and a run of poor results over the winter.
For the US consortium, their ownership was tarnished by 1,201 days without silverware but the moment captain Reece James lifted the Conference League trophy, the first in his captaincy, they earned valuable breathing room.
Boehly was the first to go and celebrate with the team, followed reluctantly by influential Clearlake Capital duo Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano.
Boehly and Clearlake have not always seen eye-to-eye this season but this is a period of relative stability after the club decided they would stick with Maresca regardless of the result of their last two matches of the season.
Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest to qualify for the Champions League and won against Betis to add silverware.
But Chelsea didn’t sell out their allocation in Poland, for what was the final of European club football’s third-tier competition, and fans will quickly move on if it is not backed up with both progress and further success next season.
Maresca told TNT after the match: “I feel good – but also the fans, they deserve that. They have been waiting a few years for that so they deserve it.
“The club have invested a lot of money in the last two, three years so they are also waiting for results. Hopefully this can be a starting point. From tonight, from this season, building something important.”
Substitute Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall said: “There’s a lot more to come from me. Getting a taste of silverware makes you more hungry.”
