Denis Bouanga's 1 goal, 2 assists help LAFC beat Sporting KC 3-1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Denis Bouanga had a goal and two assists, Eddie Segura scored his first goal since 2020 and Los Angeles FC extended its unbeaten streak to nine games with a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday night.
Bouanga converted from the penalty spot in the 59th to give LAFC (7-4-5), which had 56% possession and outshot Kansas City 21-5, a 2-1 lead.
Dejan Joveljic scored a goal for the fourth consecutive game when he ran onto a through ball played ahead by Manu García, exploded into the area and scored from near the penalty spot to make it 1-0 in the 39th minute.
The 25-year-old Joveljic, who scored 15 goals and had six assists last season and was acquired in February from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $4 million, is tied for third in MLS with 10 goals this season — five in the past four games.
Segura slipped a header — off a corner kick played into the center of the area by Bouanga — inside the back post in first-half stoppage time to make it 1-1 at halftime.
Olivier Giroud capped the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time, the 38-year-old's second consecutive game with a goal.
John Pulskamp had four saves for Sporting.
Hugo Lloris stopped one shot for LAFC.
Kansas City (4-9-4) beat Houston 3-1 last time out to snap a four-game winless streak.
LAFC beat Sporting 2-0 on March 22.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
How do Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid compare all-time?: Penguins mailbag
Good morning, everyone, and thank you for the wonderful array of questions, as always. Hopefully you're enjoying the Stanley Cup Final and the U.S. Open, if you've got tickets. We'll start in that direction before moving to more Penguins-centric questions. Part 2 of this mailbag is coming soon. Away we go. Do you think it's silly to root against McDavid to win a cup to keep him a peg below Sid? —@beancantfly No, not really. I get it. If you're from Pittsburgh and/or a Penguins fan, you aren't just rooting for championships. You've had the privilege of watching some of the greatest players of all time, from Mario Lemieux to Jaromir Jagr to Sidney Crosby to Evgeni Malkin. It's completely natural to get territorial and to want your guy to be considered the best. And if you're a Sid fan and are very prideful in him being the best player of this century, then I imagine you feel a bit threatened by Connor McDavid. Deep down, you know McDavid's overall talent probably exceeds Sid's. But then again, Lemieux was twice as talented as Gretzky, and most hockey experts like to say Gretzky is the greatest player of all time. I was so, so happy when the Canadiens beat the Kings in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. I just didn't want Gretzky to get another one. Mind you, I was 13, but still, it's fair. Advertisement While McDavid might be more talented than Sid, the fact is, Sid's accomplishments in terms of winning utterly dwarf McDavid's. I believe the five greatest players who ever lived are Lemieux, Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Crosby and McDavid. I can't imagine anyone else cracking that top five, with all due respect to Gordie Howe, Jagr, Alex Ovechkin, Rocket Richard or whomever else you want to put on this list. You can make an argument for anyone in that top five. There's no right or wrong answer. It's yet to be seen, but if McDavid wins the Cup this year, does he jump over Sid as an all-time great, or does it take more? 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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Magic Johnson On The Knicks: ‘All The Excuses Are Gone Now'
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More during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) The Knicks are still seeking a coach to replace Thibodeau, who led the franchise to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. They have reportedly been rebuked after asking for permission to speak with five sitting NBA head coaches – Jason Kidd (Dallas), Ime Udoka (Houston), Chris Finch (Minnesota), Billy Donovan (Chicago) and Quin Snyder (Atlanta). Current and former college coaches Jay Wright, Rick Pitino, John Calipari and Dan Hurley have also said they don't want the job. 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"If I'm the Knicks, the Knicks are too slow. They're not going to beat Indiana next year or these other teams. They got to get a little faster, right? And to me, Kevin Durant will allow them to get faster and be a guy that can help Brunson in the fourth quarter. You're relying on Brunson so much. One guy can't get you there. You gotta give him some help. PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 28: Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns reacts during the second half of ... More game four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Footprint Center on April 28, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Timberwolves defeated the Suns 122-116 and win the series 4-0. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) "Durant will be a guy who will give you some help on the offensive end, plus he's able to put the teams that they play against in foul trouble. I like Kevin Durant playing with the Knicks. I really do, a champion. He can teach the other guys how to win the championship, that would be important. 'But the main thing here is everybody's gotta step up and be better next season.' Johnson also said the Knicks lost some "swagger" when they traded away Donte DiVincenzo in the KAT deal with Minnesota. 'The swagger left the Knicks when he got traded, and they don't have that swagger again. See, they got nice guys, but they don't have tough, mean guys, and that's what Donte brought to the table. The Pacers beat them up, and they were faster than them, right? So, so now they gotta change a little bit that bench. And I love what Donte brought from the bench when he came on the floor, and New York Knicks fans loved him because he was tough, he was mean, but also he could score. He could get you 15 to 25 points when he came off that bench ended and they missed that, that contribution that he brought to the team.'
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
A curious major-league fib, plus: Alcantara starting to round into form
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. New developments in the Tyler Skaggs case bring a former teammate's name into the proceedings. Plus: The curious case of the missing career, a Q&A with our player poll editor, and Ken says Sandy Alcantara is getting closer to being, well, Sandy Alcantara. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! When Tyler Skaggs died in 2019, it shook the entire league. Every new detail in the nearly six years since has made the story a little more tragic, a little more shocking. Former Angels PR director Eric Kay is serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in providing Skaggs with the opioids that led to his overdose. Advertisement Now there's a civil lawsuit between Skaggs' family and the Angels organization, in which the family insists the team holds some responsibility in the matter. 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His changeup doesn't have quite as much drop, and neither does his curve, but his fastballs are mostly back, and overall his stuff is there. Stuff+ is a stat that sums up the physical qualities of his pitches, and most of his pitches are back to pre-surgery quality. More here. It's been a big week for 25-year-old Red Sox rookie pitcher Hunter Dobbins. Here's the timeline: June 8: Dobbins tells Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Globe, 'If the Yankees were the last team to give me a contract, I'd retire.' But in that same story, he also says: 'Andy Pettitte and my dad were really good friends. … He was actually drafted twice by the Yankees. Signed with them his last year and then he got traded over to the Diamondbacks.' That night, Dobbins picked up the win over the Yankees. Score one for the kid. June 10 (Tuesday): Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes this article, in which he says, more or less, 'Nuh-uh.' 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Stay tuned, I guess? In the meantime, Dobbins' next start is scheduled for Saturday. Against whom? The Yankees, of course. Yesterday's Windup was all about our five anonymous player poll stories. Today, we have a Q&A with editor Kaci Borowski, who handles all the heavy lifting of making these things shine. What has been the biggest challenge in making these successful? One is that baseball players are, unlike their basketball counterparts, generally less inclined to speak on more controversial topics, so you really have to think about what types of questions they'd be likely to answer and shape those in a way that would get a good response. The second is that it takes a lot of coordination to make this work. We have a large staff of national and local writers, and keeping the information organized takes some planning. There's just so much data. Truly mind-numbing amounts of data. Do you have a favorite question we've ever asked? Least-favorite? In 2019, we asked pitchers who they would least like to see charging the mound and vice versa for the hitters. The answers we got were really amusing and surprisingly honest. My least favorite questions are, unfortunately, often the ones our readers ask for the most. We've tried to do the 'most overrated player' question a few times and the players don't really take to that one — we end up with a small sample size and a lot of names without a lot of justification. It can be a little awkward, and it doesn't always provide an enlightening outcome. What's the question you can't ask, but wish you could? I can't just be giving out free story ideas on main here, Levi. But out of respect and appreciation for the kind players who take the time and answer our poll honestly, I will give a response and go with one I think they'd never answer anyway: Which of your fellow baseball players pisses you off the most? They'd need to give specifics, though. I'd need quotes for sure. How have you seen these evolve over the years we've been doing them? One thing we've made a priority in these more recent polls is making sure we're talking to a wide range of voters with different backgrounds, years of league experience and primary languages so we can (attempt to!) better reflect the attitudes and perspectives of those who currently make up the sport. It's not a perfect exercise, but I think we've made some good strides. Britt Ghiroli has an insightful one today: What do baseball families do to juggle school while parenting on a baseball schedule? One day after the Giants placed third baseman Matt Chapman on the IL, catcher Patrick Bailey joined him. That hasn't stopped San Francisco from consecutive late-innings comebacks. The Red Sox and Twins pulled off a trade, with Boston acquiring reliever Jorge Alcala for a minor-leaguer. Tigers starter Jackson Jobe is having Tommy John surgery. The epidemic continues. Hot birds vs. hot birds: The blue ones emerged victorious, sweeping the red ones. Keith Law's Mock Draft 2.0 is here, with a new No. 1 pick. There had been some suspicion that Jesús Luzardo was tipping his pitches. He made some adjustments, and held the Cubs to one run, striking out 10 in six innings yesterday. Speaking of which … On the pods: On 'Rates & Barrels,' Eno, Jed and DVR discussed what info hitters might want from external sources when preparing for opposing pitchers. Prefer video? Here you go! Most-clicked in our last newsletter: The first Player Poll story, where we learned which teams and managers players do and don't like to play for. *against the Rockies, though. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
