US opens its home World Cup with a dynamic 4-1 victory over Paraguay, sparked by Balogun’s 2 goals
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. has opened its first home World Cup in 32 years with a dynamic 4-1 victory over Paraguay. Folarin Balogun scored twice in the Americans’ historic three-goal first half. Christian Pulisic had an assist in a stellar playmaking performance for the Americans, who enthralled their Southern California fans with an aggressive attack while streaking to a 3-0 halftime lead. Gio Reyna ripped another goal in the dying moments of second-half injury time, giving the Americans four goals in a World Cup match for the first time. The U.S. scored only three goals combined in Qatar four years ago.
Folarin Balogun, who could have played for England or Nigeria, scores 2 for US in World Cup debut
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Folarin Balogun chose to play for the U.S. and made a splashy World Cup debut. The 24-year-old striker scored two goals in a 4-1 victory over Paraguay in the Americans’ opening match. The game took place in front of a sold-out crowd of 70,492 outside Los Angeles. With David Beckham watching, Balogun became the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930. Born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents, he moved to England as a child. Balogun is now making himself an American household name during this Summer of Soccer.
Time to rage in the cage at the White House. UFC the main event at Trump’s 80th birthday bash
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is making a splash by hosting a UFC event at the White House, marking his 80th birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary. The event called UFC Freedom 250 takes place on Sunday night and streams on Paramount+. Trump, a longtime fan of cage fighting, first suggested the idea at a rally in Iowa. While top stars like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey aren’t participating, the event features fighters like Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. The unique setting includes a cage on the South Lawn, drawing attention more for its location than the fights themselves.
Brewers’ Misiorowski dominates Phillies with a 15-strikeout, one-hit complete-game gem
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers fireballer Jacob Misiorowski turned in is finest outing one year to the day of his major league debut. Misiorowski dominated the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night, strikeout out 15 and tossing a complete-game one-hitter in a 6-0 victory. Misiorowski (8-2) didn’t issue a walk in facing the minimum number of batters, throwing 95 pitches, 74 for strikes. It marked the first complete game by a Brewers pitcher since Brandon Woodruff on Sept. 11, 2023, against Miami. Misiorowski has a 0.17 ERA in his last eight starts and the 15 strikeout are the most by any pitcher this season.
Wemby, Spurs still believers, even while down 3-1 to Knicks in NBA Finals
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama, the tallest man in these NBA Finals, is about to face the tallest order of his basketball career. And he’s fine with that. Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs — who just became the first team in NBA Finals history to lead a game by 29 points and still lose — need to win the next three games, or they’ll watch the New York Knicks celebrate an NBA title at their expense. And when the Spurs gathered for practice on Friday, Wembanyama insisted the belief within the Spurs camp is still there.
Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez becomes 1st MLB player to hit grand slam, multi-run HR in 1st inning
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yordan Alvarez became the first player to hit a grand slam and multi-run homer in the first inning of a Major League Baseball game, pulling off the feat for Houston against Kansas City on Friday night. He became the eighth player to hit a grand slam and multi-run homer in an inning and the first since Angels slugger Kendrys Morales did it against Texas in 2012, according to Sportradar. The left-handed Alvarez drove in two runs with an opposite-field homer early in the inning and cleared the bases with a two-out shot, giving him six RBIs in Houston’s nine-run inning.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani misses series opener against White Sox because of knee soreness
CHICAGO (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is day to day with left knee inflammation. Ohtani was sidelined for the team’s 8-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. But manager Dave Roberts says Ohtani could play this weekend and remains in line to make his next scheduled start on the mound on Wednesday. Ohtani was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of Thursday night’s 8-6 win at Pittsburgh. Roberts says Ohtani had some imaging done and “it’s just normal wear and tear.”
Judge rules Trump can stage UFC fights on the White House’s South Lawn this weekend
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled the White House is allowed to stage a UFC show this weekend in an elaborate ring already built on the South Lawn to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary — on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled Friday that organizers can use the White House lawn as the venue for Sunday’s planned UFC mixed martial arts event. The nonprofit Public Integrity Project had sued to challenge Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event. The White House calls the lawsuit baseless, saying the UFC event is no different from many other events hosted at public forums in the capital.
Inside the crowd drawn to Trump’s unusual UFC fight night at the White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — Throngs of UFC fans have descended on the nation’s capital for an unusual fight night at the White House. The Sunday night event is marking both America’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. Fans from as far away as Australia are in Washington for the spectacle. Polling shows UFC fans skew male and nonwhite, with more identifying as Republicans, but the crowd near the Lincoln Memorial for a news conference with the fights on Friday night was diverse. Trump has billed this weekend as “the greatest show on earth.” A watchdog group tried to stop it with a lawsuit and says the event is a corrupt use of national monuments.
Ben James takes lead in Canada in his pro debut
CALEDON, Ontario (AP) — Ben James is making quite the impression in his professional debut. James has a one-shot lead in the RBC Canadian after a bogey-free 63 on the TPC Toronto. The four-time All-American from Virginia led the PGA Tour University ranking to earn a tour card through 27. This is his 10th time playing a PGA Tour event but the first time with a paycheck on the line. He leads over a group that includes Sam Burns. Brooks Koepka overcame a double bogey and shot a 68. He’s in a large group two shots behind going into the weekend.