SoCal

With its World Cup opener just four days away, the U.S. team moved into its temporary home in Irvine on Monday, where the players found thousands of new Southern California neighbors waiting in line to watch them kick a ball.

After the U.S. announced that Orange County Great Park would be its base for at least the group stage of the tournament, the City of Irvine held a raffle for passes to see the team train in its only public workout.

Thirty-two thousand people applied and 5,500 received access on a warm Monday morning to watch the team rush through a light 45-minute practice that was notable primarily because it was the first in which injured center back Chris Richards was fully involved. Richards tore two ligaments in his left ankle playing for Crystal Palace, his English club team, on May 17 and hadn’t played or fully trained since. The team is rushing to get him ready in the hopes he can play at some point in the three-game group stage.

But the practice was also notable because it was the first at Championship Soccer Stadium, about 50 miles southeast of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where the U.S. will open its World Cup on Friday against Paraguay.

“[The] environment and facilities are crazy. It’s more than we expect,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said of the venue. “We are so grateful.”

Championship Soccer Stadium is owned and managed by the city, which has leased it to the Orange County Soccer Club of the second-tier USL Championship. But the club was temporarily evicted in late April to make space for the national team — which is just fine with them.

“How can you not be excited about the host nation training in your facility?” said Dan Rutstein, president of business operations of the Orange County club.

“We’re proud to be associated with the U.S. national team. We wouldn’t want to ever block anything, even if we could.”

(And they couldn’t, the city said.)

The Great Park is a sprawling 500-acre complex built on the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, which closed in 1999 after 56 years training pilots for conflicts from World War II through the first Gulf War. In 2001, voters approved a proposal to convert the space into a public park and nature preserve, one which now includes, among other things, five sand volleyball courts, four basketball courts, 25 tennis courts, 12 softball and baseball fields, the ice arena where the Ducks practice and 25 soccer fields, including the pristine one FIFA just installed inside the 5,500-seat stadium.

“The idea was that this would be a quality facility, a great park that we hope will rival San Diego’s Balboa Park and other great parks across the country,” Irvine mayor Larry Agran said. “It took a lot of nurturing, a lot of time, a lot of work.”

Bringing the World Cup — or at least a World Cup team — to Irvine also took a lot of time and work. Agran said the city put out feelers about hosting a training base five years ago and made the first cut in 2024 when the Great Park was placed on a list of options distributed to tournament qualifiers.

Over the next two years, Rutstein said, about a dozen national teams sent representatives to have a look while Sam Zapatka, the operations manager of the USMNT, said he scouted 27 facilities from Seattle to San Diego. After his first visit to the Great Park, however, he said he stopped looking and in March, the team announced it would train in Irvine.

On Monday, when the players filed out of the stadium’s locker room, which FIFA expanded and upgraded, they were greeted by rhythmic clapping and chants of “USA! USA!”

“I think we’ve all been, I wouldn’t say overwhelmed, but possibly surprised by the excitement and the buzz,” said captain Tim Ream, who led the team onto the field. “Pulling up here with 5,500 fans ready to watch a training session is incredible.

“We get to train in an actual stadium with a good pitch. The support, really, from all the kids out there is amazing. You want to feel like you have a good home base, right? So really, we’re looking forward to being here.”

Especially after 5,000 of your neighbors show up for the housewarming party.

This is San Diego’s backyard, a condensed, flatter version of Griffith Park, but with more historic buildings, more museums and a zoo with a global following. If you’re a Balboa Park rookie, start with the San Diego Zoo, which may take your entire day. (Admission: $68-$74 per adult, $58-$64 per child age 3-11.) If you’ve already done that, well, it’s lucky for you that the zoo is less than 10% of Balboa Park’s 1,200 acres, and the park’s other institutions have been growing and changing.

The park’s emblematic 1914 Botanical Building is open again after major reconstruction that ended in late 2024. The Mingei International Museum, which focuses on global folk art, won Michelin praise in 2023 for its eclectic restaurant, Artifact at Mingei (which serves lunch Tuesday through Sunday, dinner Thursday and Friday).

The park’s museums and other institutions cover art (fine, folk, contemporary and photographic), natural history, anthropology, flight, model railroading and all the imagined worlds that come with Comic-Con (which opened its museum here in 2021).

The Old Globe theater complex includes three stages. The big lily pond between the promenade and the Botanical Building may be the most wholesome over-the-counter tranquilizer in town. The Centro Cultural de la Raza, housed in an enormous former water tank, covers Chicano, Latin and Indigenous culture. The park’s Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum fills 12 acres with greenery, koi ponds and bonsai displays.

If you’re planning to hit several museums over a couple of days, look into a park Explorer Pass, which might save you money.

About parking: In January, after years of free parking, the city imposed a fee system charging non-residents $10-$16 per day and residents slightly less. San Diegans rose in outrage, and in late May city officials announced a plan to end the parking fees by Jan. 1, 2027.

CIF SOCAL SOFTBALL REGIONALS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
First Round

DIVISION I
#1 Chula Vista Mater Dei, bye
#5 Point Loma 10, #4 Whittier Christian 1
#6 St. Paul def. #3 Murrieta Mesa, forfeit
#2 La Habra def. #7 Bonita, forfeit

DIVISION II
#2 Riverside Prep 1, #8 Del Norte 0
#5 Redwood at #4 Birmingham, Wednesday at 3 p.m.
#6 Garces Memorial 3, #3 Oxnard 0
#2 Great Oak 9, #7 El Capitan 4

DIVISION III
#8 Mission College Prep 4, #1 Venice 2
#4 Hanford West 19, #5 Eagle Rock 1
#3 Grace 9, #6 Brawley 3
#2 Helix 14, #7 Covina 7

DIVISION IV
#1 San Diego Madison 10, #9 Arleta 4
#5 Grossmont 7, #4 Arroyo 4
#3 Irvine 8, #6 Avenal 7
#2 Woodlake 8, #7 Edgewood 4

DIVISION V
#1 Arroyo Valley, bye
#5 La Jolla 16, #4 Franklin 3
#6 San Bernardino 9, #3 Monte Vista 6
#2 South East, bye

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 4 p.m. unless noted)
Semifinals

DIVISION I
#5 Point Loma at #1 Chula Vista Mater Dei
#6 St. Paul at #2 La Habra

DIVISION II
#5 Redwood / #4 Birmingham at #1 Riverside Prep
#6 Garces Memorial at #2 Great Oak

DIVISION III
#8 Mission College Prep at #4 Hanford West
#3 Grace at #2 Helix

DIVISION IV
#5 Grossmont at #1 San Diego Madison
#3 Irvine at #2 Woodlake

DIVISION V
#5 La Jolla vs. #1 Arroyo Valley, Wednesday at San Gorgonio
#6 San Bernardino at #2 South East

Note: Finals in all divisions Saturday, June 6 at 4 p.m. at higher seeds.

CIF SOCAL BASEBALL REGIONALS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
First Round

DIVISION I
#8 San Diego Cathedral 4, #1 St. John Bosco 2
#5 La Mirada 7, #4 Bakersfield Liberty 6
#6 Chula Vista Eastlake at #3 Corona, Wednesday
#7 Huntington Beach 10, #2 Patrick Henry 3

DIVISION II
#8 Arroyo Grande 4, #1 Loyola 3
#4 Bakersfield Christian 3, #5 St. Francis 1
#3 Point Loma 5, #6 Millikan 2
#2 Newport Harbor 2, #7 San Diego Madison 0

DIVISION III
#8 Kaiser 2, #1 Mt. Carmel 0
#4 Helix 13, #5 Laguna Beach 4
#6 Westview 7, #3 Carson 1
#7 Culver City 11, #2 Glendora 10 (suspended in bottom of 13th inning due to darkness)

DIVISION IV
#8 South El Monte 3, #1 Brentwood 2
#5 Francis Parker 6, #4 Covina 1
#3 Central Valley Christian 6, #6 Garfield 5
#7 North Torrance 2, #2 Bell 0

DIVISION V
#1 Verdugo Hills 11, #8 Rolling Hills Prep 2
#5 LA Roosevelt 7, #4 Rancho Alamitos 4
#3 Schurr 11, #6 Webb 1
#2 Coastal Academy 5, #7 Fremont 4

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(Games at 4 p.m. unless noted)
Semifinals

DIVISION I
#8 San Diego Cathedral at #5 La Mirada, Friday
#7 Huntington Beach at #6 Eastlake / #3 Corona

DIVISION II
#8 Arroyo Grande at #4 Bakersfield Christian, Wednesday at 3 p.m.
#3 Point Loma at #2 Newport Harbor, Wednesday

DIVISION III
#8 Kaiser at #4 Helix
#6 Westview vs. #2 Glendora / #7 Culver City

DIVISION IV
#8 South El Monte at #5 Francis Parker, Friday
#7 North Torrance at #3 Central Valley Christian

DIVISION V
#5 LA Roosevelt at #1 Verdugo Hills
#3 Schurr vs. #2 Coastal Academy at Palomar College, Wednesday

Note: Finals in all divisions Saturday, June 6 at 4 p.m. at higher seeds.

CIF SOCAL BASEBALL REGIONALS

(Games at 4 p.m. unless noted)

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

First Round

DIVISION I

#8 San Diego Cathedral at #1 St. John Bosco

#5 La Mirada at #4 Bakersfield Liberty

#6 Chula Vista Eastlake at #3 Corona

#7 Huntington Beach at #2 Patrick Henry

DIVISION II

#8 Arroyo Grande at #1 Loyola

#5 St. Francis at #4 Bakersfield Christian

#6 Millikan vs. #3 Point Loma at Dana Middle School

#7 San Diego Madison at #2 Newport Harbor

DIVISION III

#8 Kaiser at #1 Mt. Carmel

#5 Laguna Beach at #4 Helix

#6 Westview at #3 Carson

#7 Culver City at #2 Glendora

DIVISION IV

#8 South El Monte at #1 Brentwood

#5 Francis Parker at #4 Covina

#6 Garfield at #3 Central Valley Christian

#7 North Torrance at #2 Bell

DIVISION V

#8 Rolling Hills Prep at #1 Verdugo Hills

#5 Los Angeles Roosevelt at #4 Rancho Alamitos

#6 Webb vs. #3 Schurr at Montebello

#7 Fremont vs. #2 Coastal Academy at Palomar College

Note: Semifinals in all divisions Thursday, June 4 at 4 p.m. at higher seeds; Finals in all divisions Saturday, June 6 at 4 p.m. at higher seeds.

WASHINGTON — Shrey Parikh felt the pressure of arriving at the Scripps National Spelling Bee as a favorite, but his confidence showed every time he got a word he knew. And when the bee came down to a lightning-round tiebreaker against Ishaan Gupta, Shrey left no doubt.

Shrey turned a tense, high-quality final into a blowout Thursday night, racing through the 90-second “spell-off” and getting 32 words right to be crowned the best young speller in the English language. Ishaan spelled 25 words correctly in the tiebreaker.

A 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, Shrey finished third in 2024 but lost his school bee last year when he was battling a fever. He has dominated the bee circuit since, winning several highly competitive online competitions against many of the same kids he outlasted this week in the nation’s capital.

Ishaan, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Jersey City, N.J., was a semifinalist this year, outperformed some veteran spellers in the finals, and has another year of eligibility left.

Sarv Dharavane, a 12-year-old sixth-grader from Dunwoody, Ga., finished third for the second consecutive year and has two more years to improve that placement.

For the first time in the bee’s history, second- and third-place finishers from the same year have gone on to win. Faizan Zaki won last year, and two years ago he was the runner-up, just ahead of Shrey.

Sporting a business-casual look with a dark, long-sleeve collared shirt, khakis and sneakers, the lanky Shrey strode to the microphone with a dour, apprehensive expression that instantly vanished when he heard his word from pronouncer Jacques Bailly and nodded vigorously — his tell that, yes, he knew it.

Upon hearing the announcement confirming his victory in the spell-off, Shrey turned and shook his competitor’s hand.

He can credit his victory to intense preparation. Shrey’s coaching team included Sam Evans, who has tutored each of the past three champions, and Sohum Sukhatankar, a co-champion himself in 2019. He competed nonstop against other top spellers, pored through advanced study guides and tried to eliminate the variables that had led to the few unexpected exits of his long spelling career.

Former spellers, coaches and other observers described this group of finalists as unusually strong, and they showed off their skills early by going 18 for 18 to start, breezing through the first spelling and vocabulary rounds. Aiden Meng of Orinda, Calif., ended that streak when he was tripped up by “catometope” to start the second spelling round.

Then the crowd gasped when the bell rung on two thought to be capable of winning it all: Oliver Halkett for “Faesulae” and Zwe Spacetime for “vaesite,” words with tricky combinations of origins and vowel sounds.

The bee’s move to Constitution Hall, a point of contention for spellers and their families because of the inconveniences it caused, helped imbue the event with a lively atmosphere, with more intimate seating and better sight lines bringing the crowd closer to the action.

New television host Mina Kimes of ESPN narrated the action smoothly alongside longtime bee analyst Paul Loeffler.

Nuckols writes for the Associated Press.

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VOLLEYBALL

SOCAL REGIONAL FINALS

SATURDAY

DIVISION I

#1 Mira Costa d. #2 Loyola, 14-25, 25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 15-5

DIVISION II

#2 Orange Lutheran d. #1 Francis Parker, 25-21, 25-19, 25-15

DIVISION III

#1 Central East d. #6 Mission Bay, 3-2

DIVISION IV

#1 El Cajon Christian d. #2 Point Loma, 25-19, 23-25, 27-25, 25-17

Note: State Championships May 30 at Fresno City College.

Don’t worry if your Hogwarts acceptance letter got lost in the mail — a new “Harry Potter” experience will soon let you hop aboard the Hogwarts Express anyway.

Harry Potter: A Hogwarts Express Adventure will open at the Southern California Railway Museum this summer for guests to experience the Wizarding World rite of passage aboard a real moving train in the Inland Empire. The experience will run from July 24 through Sept. 27. Yes, that includes Back to Hogwarts Day on Sept. 1.

A Hogwarts Express Adventure will include a Platform 9¾-themed preboarding experience as well as House competitions and chants, spell-casting challenges and other interactive activities aboard the train. Guests will also be able to grab some themed treats from the trolley. The train ride will end at a Hogsmeade-inspired village where more food, beverages and merchandise will be available.

The Rail Events Inc. press release also teases a possible encounter with “a dark and mysterious force.” The company, also known for the Polar Express Train Ride, developed A Hogwarts Express Adventure along with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences.

This is a big year for “Harry Potter” fans. “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” a new television series based on author J.K. Rowling’s popular book series, is set to debut on HBO Max on Christmas Day. The show will introduce audiences to a new Golden Trio, portrayed by Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley) and Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger), as they embark on their Hogwarts journey. (Rowling remains controversial for her views on trans women.)

Ticket sales for A Hogwarts Express Adventure will begin April 28, with prices starting at $77 for adults and $67 for children ages 2 to 11, depending on departure time.