Brian White scores twice, Whitecaps rally to tie LAFC 2-2 and extend unbeaten streak to 11
Brian White scored on a header in the 70th minute and the Vancouver Whitecaps rallied to tie LAFC 2-2 on Sunday to extend their unbeaten streak to 11 games across all competitions.
The Whitecaps (8-1-3) lead all MLS teams with 27 points and hold a five-point edge over Minnesota in the Western Conference. They are 6-0-5 during the streak.
On the tying goal, second-half substitution Ali Ahmed headed the ball into the center of the box and White headed it into the net. White also scored in the 26th minute to pull Vancouver within a goal.
White is tied for the MLS goals lead with eight and has 13 goals across all competitions. He returned to the lineup Sunday after missing a victory last week over Real Salt Lake because of a tight hamstring.
Mark Delgado opened the scoring for Los Angeles (5-4-3) in the eighth minute, and Denis Bouanga connected on a penalty kick in the 19th.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Prosecutor calls Michael McLeod the architect of Hockey Canada sexual assault
LONDON, Ont. – The prosecution described Michael McLeod as the 'architect' of the 'group sexual activity' at the center of the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial and said he told 'outright lies' to portray the complainant as the aggressor in the sexual interactions of the night and advance a 'false narrative.' Advertisement Attorney Meaghan Cunningham provided Justice Maria Carroccia an outline of the Crown's argument, showing a power point in a closing submission on Wednesday that she said will demonstrate E.M. did not voluntarily agree to the charged sexual acts of the night. Cunningham began that presentation by telling Carroccia that she intended to prove E.M. did not want to engage in group sex and that McLeod repeatedly lied about his role as the orchestrator of the alleged incident. McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are all charged with sexual assault after an alleged incident in June 2018 in which a 20-year-old woman — known as E.M., whose identity is protected by a publication ban — has said she was sexually assaulted over the span of several hours in a London, Ont., hotel room. The players were in town for a Hockey Canada event celebrating their 2018 World Junior Championship victory. McLeod is also facing a second charge for 'being a party to the offense' for what the Crown has asserted was his role 'assisting and encouraging his teammates to engage sexually' with E.M. All five players have pleaded not guilty. Cunningham highlighted that a key factual difference between the Crown and defense cases is what prompted McLeod's teammates to come to his hotel room after he and E.M. had consensual sex. She said that the factual issue will 'shape how the evidence is viewed.' The defense has asserted E.M. encouraged McLeod to invite his teammates in seeking what McLeod's attorney David Humphrey described as a 'wild night.' E.M. said that she did not know McLeod was inviting others and was 'surprised' when other men showed up in the room. Cunningham said there was no evidence to suggest that E.M. encouraged McLeod to invite teammates back to his room and laid out five elements to demonstrate why Carroccia should accept E.M.'s version of events – that she did not want group sex and was surprised by men entering the room. She pointed to 1) McLeod's 2018 police interview, 2) the June 20 text exchange between McLeod and E.M., 3) E.M.'s testimony, 4) the witness testimony of Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk, and 5) McLeod's actions in 'recruiting' others to his room. Advertisement Cunningham said that McLeod was well prepared for his November 2018 interview with London Police, which took place under negotiated terms in Toronto with his attorney in the room, and yet did not make any mention of E.M. encouraging him to text his teammates. He also did not disclose the text messages he sent to a 19-person group chat and to Raddysh in the early-morning hours of June 19, 2018. He texted the group chat 'Who wants a 3 way quick' with a follow-up message providing his hotel room number. He also texted Raddysh separately to ask if he wanted a 'gummer,' which is slang for oral sex. Cunningham asked why McLeod would omit these messages in his interview with Detective Steve Newton and why, if it was true that E.M. was the initiator, he wouldn't disclose that in the interview, considering that would bolster his narrative. 'There is no logical or plausible reason why he wouldn't if it was a true fact,' Cunningham said. 'McLeod lies repeatedly to Detective Newton in that interview but it's the Crown's position that he's doing that in furtherance of a false narrative about what happened. The false narrative that Mr. McLeod is trying to craft is that he and his friends are completely innocent and that (E.M) was the instigator and the one demanding sexual activity.' In the interview, McLeod initially told Newton he didn't know why guys 'kept showing up in his room.' When asked directly whether he texted teammates, McLeod acknowledged he texted teammates he was ordering food and had a girl in his room. Cunningham said that if E.M. was the instigator of the group sexual activity, McLeod also would not have expressed the surprise and shock he conveyed to Newton in his interview about what he said was her sexually aggressive nature. 'It's not just that he forgot, it's not just that he didn't mention that he sent those texts. He outright lies to Detective Newton,' Cunningham said. 'He lies to Detective Newton repeatedly but in particular he lies to Detective Newton about the text message he sent or didn't send that night.' Advertisement Cunningham showed Carroccia the text exchange between McLeod and E.M. from June 20, 2018. In that exchange, in which McLeod asks E.M. if she went to the police, E.M. tells him she was OK going home with him but that she didn't expect others to come to the hotel room. She said she felt the players were making fun of and taking advantage of her. McLeod responded, Cunningham said, by re-framing what she said and responding that he was 'sorry that she was embarrassed' but warned about the serious 'implications' if the police matter moved forward. Cunningham said that if E.M. wasn't the instigator, as multiple players had testified, McLeod should have expressed surprise that she was upset about the other players joining them in the hotel room. Cunningham said E.M. was pressed repeatedly on the suggestion that she had prompted McLeod to invite others back to the hotel in pursuit of a 'wild night' but 'never wavered' in her testimony that she was surprised when players arrived in the room. 'Time and again she is pushed on this very same issue and her evidence is always the same, that she was surprised when other people started coming into the room and she does not think she would have ever asked for him to invite other people,' Cunningham said. Cunningham said that Raddysh and Katchouk both testified about E.M.'s behavior that was consistent with the Crown's assertion that E.M. was not seeking group sex. Both players said that they observed E.M. in bed, with the covers up to her shoulders and neck, and that she did not participate in any conversation beyond asking Katchouk for a bite of pizza. She said this was behavior consistent with someone who felt uncomfortable, not someone who was looking to engage others sexually. She said that if the defense theory was true that she was asking McLeod to ask his teammates to come over for group sex — and wanting to engage in group sex — Raddysh and Katchouk's testimony defies logic. Advertisement 'It would make no sense she would make absolutely no effort to engage or attempt to engage with Mr. Katchouk or Mr. Raddysh, not a single offer,' Cunningham said. Cunningham also pointed out that the testimony of both Raddysh and Katchouk differed significantly from other witnesses about E.M.'s behavior that night. Crown witnesses Tyler Steenbergen, Brett Howden and defense witness Carter Hart all testified that E.M. was the aggressor, asking players to have sex with her and insulting them when they declined. When Carroccia pointed out this divergence in stories, Cunningham replied: 'I agree these things are irreconcilable and someone's not telling the truth,' Cunningham said. She noted that Raddysh and Katchouk's description 'is completely at odds' with the testimony of the players who were on the June 26, 2018, group chat. In that group chat, players strategized how to handle the impending Hockey Canada investigation and discussed what to tell investigators. Cunningham said that they were the only two players who saw E.M. in Room 209 that night who were not on that June 26, 2018, group text chain. Cunningham pointed to McLeod's actions from the night to make the case that he was the instigator instead, and facilitated a group sexual encounter unbeknownst to E.M. Cunningham used a visual display of the '3 way quick' and 'gummer' text messages, sent at 2:10 and 2:15 a.m. respectively. She said McLeod made no efforts to vet who came to the room or took any efforts to get people to leave, but instead was 'trying to drum up more business' and 'recruit more people.' Cunningham cited McLeod's phone call to Hart, his recruitment of Katchouk from the hallway and his knocking on Raddysh's door as evidence of this. '(E.M.) was doing nothing either verbally or through her actions to communicate that she was at all interested in engaging in sexual activity with them,' Cunningham said. 'But the evidence does establish that someone was offering sex to Mr. McLeod's teammates in Room 209 and it wasn't (E.M.).' Advertisement Cunningham ended with the fact that by McLeod's own admissions, he said he was consistently checking in on her throughout the night, telling Detective Newton in his 2018 interview that he and his teammates had a 'no phones' policy and that at one point he 'calmed her down' because he said she was upset no one was having sex with her. Cunningham said McLeod was intervening to 'take some responsibility for managing the room' while all the events were unfolding. 'The reason he is doing that is because this was his idea to begin with,' Cunningham said. 'He set this up.' Earlier in the day, the defense teams finished their closing arguments. Julianna Greenspan, who represents Foote, said that her client performed the splits over E.M. as a 'party trick' that was both 'non-threatening,' not sexual and a 'momentary interaction.' Foote is accused of doing the splits over E.M. while she was lying on her back, grazing his genitals over her face. Greenspan said that E.M. was seeking sexual encounters and attention and that Hart's testimony that she was laughing was 'consistent with her performative behavior in the room generally.' 'In plain language, Mr. Hart's evidence was, this was in a playful manner, this was a playful trick, and (E.M.) was absolutely in on it,' Greenspan said. Greenspan spent significant time returning to the issue of E.M. referring to the players as 'men' throughout her testimony, painting the decision as intentional. Greenspan hammered this point repeatedly in cross-examination, but reinforced on Wednesday that E.M. had 'an axe to grind.' Greenspan undermined the credibility of Crown witnesses Brett Howden and Tyler Steenbergen, both of whom said Foote asked in a phone call to leave his name out of what happened in the hotel room prior to the players' participation in the Hockey Canada investigation. Advertisement Greenspan said Howden was in 'protect Howden mode' and suggested that Steenbergen was influenced by Henein Hutchison investigator Danielle Robitaille in his 2022 interview with Hockey Canada; she described that as 'an investigation intended to support and corroborate the complainant's civil lawsuit, one that Hockey Canada had just settled.' Greenspan ended her closing argument by suggesting that the intense level of publicity and interest in the case has compromised the presumption of innocence and subjected the players, their families and their legal teams to unfair treatment, such as bullying and taunting. Lisa Carnelos, attorney for Dubé, finished her closing submissions on Wednesday by arguing that her client did not engage in any collusion via the group chat he participated in with teammates on June 26, 2018 — 'This is the most lame attempt at collusion I've ever seen in my life,' she said — or in either of the phone calls he had with Tyler Steenbergen and Brett Howden. She explained the group chat as 'the banter of young men' who were 'confused' and 'expressing nervousness and shock.' Carnelos described the phone calls Dube had with both Howden and Steenbergen prior to the Hockey Canada investigation — asking them to leave his name out of interviews with Hockey Canada about the incident — as 'innocuous,' and 'context specific.' (Steenbergen testified that Dube asked him not to mention what Dube did in the room to investigators, adding that he wanted to speak for himself. Howden previously told investigators that Dube made the same request of him.) Carnelos suggested it was 'reasonable' that the call was about Dubé's desire to call Hockey Canada staff member Shawn Bullock to tell Bullock himself about what happened. Carnelos also suggested that the Hockey Canada and London Police reopened their investigations as a result of a 'media frenzy' and described the situation as a 'political hot potato.' — The Athletic's Dan Robson contributed reporting remotely from Toronto. (Courtroom sketch of Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham and Justice Maria Carroccia from earlier in the trial by Alexandra Newbould / The Canadian Press via AP)
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Report: Suns, Kevin Durant's representatives sorting through multiple trade offers
With an increasing sense in league circles that Giannis Antetokounmpo will remain in Milwaukee, trade speculation is ramping up around the second biggest name on the market: Kevin Durant. The Phoenix Suns and Durant's representation — led by KD's business partner Rich Kleiman — are sorting through offers, working together to find a trade that works for all involved, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. Teams that have expressed interest in Durant, sources said, mainly feature the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks. Several wild-card suitors have made inquiries on Durant in the past seven to 10 days, sources said... Suns officials and Kleiman will continue to meet on trade conversations -- with talks expected to escalate before the NBA draft later this month. Because Durant is entering the final year of his current contract ($54.7 million), he has some leverage in the situation. Teams are not going to give up the kind of haul Phoenix is seeking to rent Durant for a year. Whoever trades for Durant will likely sign him to an extension, one that is at or near the maximum of two years, $122 million. The Suns reportedly are looking for depth and players who can help them retool quickly around Devin Booker, as well as draft capital. With the Suns over the second apron of the luxury tax, a third team (or more) is almost certainly involved in any Durant trade to make the numbers work under the more restrictive CBA. Here's a closer look at the teams mentioned. • San Antonio Spurs. Durant to the Spurs is the rumor with the most heat, there is a growing sense in some circles they are the front runners. The idea for the Spurs is that trading for Durant, pairing him with Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, and having him as an example for about-to-be-drafted Dylan Harper, makes the Spurs a dangerous team next season in the West and helps build a culture for the future. Durant is not on the timeline of those other players, but the Spurs could view this as the best path to being a threat in the deep Western Conference next season. The trade would likely involve something like Devin Vassell or Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes and this year's No. 14 pick. There is zero chance the Spurs are giving up the No. 2 pick for KD. • New York Knicks. It's unclear just how serious these talks are. While a Karl-Anthony Towns for Durant works as the core of a trade (and Devin Booker and KAT have Kentucky ties), it would take a third team coming in (because the Suns are over the second apron, so some money has to go elsewhere) and for a Suns team looking to add depth and draft picks, it's hard to see a path to a trade both teams would like. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports the Knicks are out of the running. The Knicks are not in the mix for Kevin Durant, the Post has learnedhttps:// • Houston Rockets. While Houston certainly put together a package of picks — they control the Suns' 2027 and 2029 first rounders — and young players that would interest Phoenix, reports from people around the Rockets from the start have said they have a limited interest in Durant because he does not match up with the timeline of the rest of their core (Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, etc.). If the Rockets could get Durant on a steal of a deal it's one thing, but whether they would put together the best offer is another question. A trade could involve Green, this year's No. 10 pick and some other players, and it would require a third team to make the math work under the second apron. • Minnesota Timberwolves. This is a team that has been to the Western Conference Finals for consecutive years and is looking for the player who can put them over the top. Durant might be that guy, and he is Anthony Edwards' idol. Maybe the biggest challenge is logistics, with both teams over the second apron, this trade would take at least three and likely four or more teams to make work. Reports out of Minnesota say Jaden McDaniels and Naz Ried are off the table in any trade for Durant, so it would likely be Julius Randle (unless the Suns have interest in Rudy Gobert), an assortment of less expensive players, this year's No. 25 pick and/or another first, and a whole lot of players and picks going to other teams. Miami Heat: Durant to Miami is intriguing, but it's hard to see how this trade comes together. For it to work for Miami, it has to keep Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, and they'd prefer not to give up Kel'El Ware (if I'm the Suns, I demand he is in the deal). Who else on the Heat roster would the Suns want? Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic and some future firsts? Maybe Duncan Robinson. Again, it's just hard to see how this all comes together, but apparently the sides are talking.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Abbotsford Canucks: Travis Green knows 'it's not a race' for Manny Malhotra to run an NHL bench
Travis Green knows taking the time to reach an NHL career objective is comforting. Ten years ago, he guided the Utica Comets to the Calder Cup Finals, the first time an AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the championship series. The Comets fell in five games to the favoured Manchester Monarchs — three one-goal contests and two that required overtime — but the players and Green were much better for the experience. Green parlayed four seasons as Utica bench boss into head coach of the Canucks in 2017, transitioned to the New Jersey Devils, and is now at the helm of the vastly improved Ottawa Senators. The Abbotsford Canucks open their Calder Cup title quest Friday in Charlotte, N.C. with rookie head coach Manny Malhotra in the spotlight. He has been widely saluted for a seamless transition to the demanding position and has a confidant in Green to live in the career moment and not dwell on the future. Green knows you have to look before you leap. Timing should be everything for Malhotra. What would Green tell the 45-year-old Malhotra as he preps to face the Checkers in the AHL championship? Malhotra served as a Canucks assistant to Green for three seasons before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs in the same capacity. He was also a Canucks centre for 159 games over three NHL seasons. That's a pretty good book of work. Any advice, Travis? 'Doesn't look like he needs much right now,' Green chuckled Wednesday during an interview with Postmedia. 'Just keep doing what he's doing. He's obviously doing a hell of a job. I'm not giving him advice. He doesn't need it. I just sent him a note the other day to wish him luck and congratulate him on getting to the finals. 'I didn't know Manny before I got to Vancouver, but I consider him a good friend now. I'm happy and really proud of him.' That's where time can become a factor. Malhotra is the talk of the town as a hot NHL bench-boss prospect. He was a finalist here to replace the departed Rick Tocchet, but the Canucks pivoted to Adam Foote. That didn't stop speculation. As soon as Pete DeBoer was dismissed by the Dallas Stars on Friday, one betting site had Malhotra as a 3-to-1 favourite to supplant the veteran head coach. But the Stars have five key unrestricted free-agent forwards north of 30 years in age. The better bet would probably be a proven NHL bench boss to finally get Dallas over the hump and into the Stanley Cup Finals. Then again, if the Stars braintrust was curious about Malhotra, he was down the road in Cedar Park, Texas last week for three games against the parent club's AHL affiliate in the Western Conference final series. Green once thought he had a serious shot at a Anaheim Ducks vacancy, and an opening with the Colorado Avalanche, the summer before he signed in Vancouver. Patience paid off. He could have also leapt at assistant NHL posts long before leaving Utica. However, he stayed put for two more seasons after that Calder Cup Finals run in 2015. 'It's not a race,' stressed Green. 'I know that personally, and even going back to junior (Portland, WHL), I went there to learn to coach. It's much like making the NHL as a player. It take years of working on your craft. Same thing as coaching. Manny was a great hire by the Canucks. 'You're seeing between Ryan Johnson (Abbotsford general manager and Canucks AGM) and Manny two guys who will be a GM and coach in the (NHL) at one point.' Victoria native Spencer Carbery, 43, turned his second season running the Washington Capitals bench in 2024-25 into the Jack Adams Award. He was a unanimous winner as the league's top head coach over runner-up Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets. Green finished sixth. Carbery's acknowledgement came after doing predatory work as a Leafs assistant for two seasons and earlier running an AHL bench with the Hershey Bears for three seasons. The Capitals went 51-22-9 this season, improved by 20 points, and won a Stanley Cup playoff series for the first time since 2018. They finished second in goals per game (3.49) in the regular season after being ranked 28th last season (2.63). They were also tied for eighth in goals against per game (2.79) after tied for 16th in 2023-24 (3.07). Washington was fifth on the penalty kill (82.0 per cent), first in comeback wins (25), and tied for first in road points (53). 'A lot of (NHL) coaches have come through the AHL,' noted Green. 'Part of it is earning your stripes. The AHL is not always an easy place to coach. You've got injuries, call-ups, and some teams are just based on playing young guys. And, sometimes, your hands get tied a little bit, but for me, it was the greatest place to learn.' It's also where you have players on the way up the career ladder and some on the way down. 'You have to adjust your lines, the messages to your team, and rally them at certain moments,' added Green. 'You play a tough schedule and find way to have energy, even as coach, when you're tired. It challenges you in great ways and is such a good breeding ground for coaches.' Like Malhotra. bkuzma@ What you need to know about the Abbotsford Canucks' Calder Cup chase Abbotsford Canucks: Will Lockwood has Calder Cup incentive with red-hot Charlotte Checkers
