Latest news with #Inglewood
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Americans need to focus on making World Cup 2026 a growth experience
Landon Donovan can't be sure he would have played international soccer had the World Cup not come to Pasadena in 1994, but he can say with certainty he wasn't aware what international soccer was until then. 'I went to one game,' said Donovan, who was a 12-year-old prodigy the first time the World Cup was played in the U.S. 'And I knew nothing — and I mean nothing — about soccer on the global scale. It opened my eyes because there was no soccer on TV, no internet. I didn't know anything about it.' Eight years after watching Romania eliminate Argentina at the Rose Bowl, Donovan was scoring the U.S. team's final goal in the 2002 World Cup, helping the Americans reach the quarterfinals for the only time in the modern era. The tournament will be back in the U.S. in less than 11 months, with the U.S. playing two of its three group games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. And Donovan is certain some of the people watching will be kids who, like him, will be inspired by their first up-close look at the global game. 'There's millions of kids who maybe played a little bit, or thought about playing, or play a lot and go to a World Cup game. It changes their life forever,' he said. 'Millions' might be a bit of a stretch, but the sentiment is well-taken. And it's not just one Donovan experienced himself, but a transformation he saw take place at the 2015 Women's World Cup final in Vancouver as well. Read more: Commentary: 2026 FIFA World Cup dress rehearsal exposes the big problem of extreme heat 'I was watching these little girls in front of me just completely fall in love with the game right in front of my eyes,' he said. 'That's part of the reason why I'm critical or passionate about our team. It's because I understand what the opportunity is.' The criticism and passion Donovan is referencing are comments he made last month on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast he does with former USMNT teammate Tim Howard. In discussing the decision of players such as Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah to pass up this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, the last major tournament before next year's World Cup, Donovan said their choice to take a 'vacation' angered him. The comments seemed hypocritical since Donovan took his own well-chronicled sabbatical from the game in 2013, missing some World Cup qualifiers. And in his case the break helped, with Donovan returning to the national team that summer to get a career-high 24 points (on eight goals and eight assists) in 10 games, only one of which the U.S. lost. Pulisic said he needed both a mental and physical break after playing a career-high 3,650 minutes in all competitions for AC Milan last season and appearing in 118 games for club and country in the last 22 months. Donovan believes in and supports that idea, he clarified in a phone interview last week. It was the timing he didn't like. 'That's his decision and only he gets to make that decision,' Donovan said. 'So my criticism was never with him or anyone taking a break. It was choosing when to take the break and from which team they were taking the break.' 'It was at the expense of the national team growing this summer,' he added. When Donovan took his respite he missed five games with the national team as well as training camp and five games with the Galaxy, which cost him the armband as captain and, he says, $1 million in salary. Pulisic, he argued, could have done the same, splitting his break between his club and the national team. 'So it was never about taking a break. The break is justified,' Donovan said. 'It's about prioritizing the national team.' Read more: News Analysis: U.S. lost the Gold Cup final to Mexico, but Mauricio Pochettino still earned a win The idea of AC Milan giving Pulisic time off is a nonstarter, however. The American is the fifth-best-paid player at the club, earning a reported $5.8 million a season, and he was the team leader in goals and assists last season. With Milan chasing a European tournament berth down the stretch, there was no time for rest so Pulisic started 12 games in the final 7½ weeks. He was on fumes when the final whistle sounded. So Donovan's comments seemed influenced more by wisdom and jealously than reality. Wisdom because, at 43, he knows that playing for the national team is an honor that doesn't last forever and when it's over you regret the games you missed more than you celebrate the ones you played. And jealousy because for all that Donovan accomplished — he retired as the national team's all-time leader in goals, assists and starts and the MLS record-holder in goals, assists and championships — he never played a World Cup game at home. Pulisic, who turns 27 next month, will get that chance. 'That would have been incredible to play a World Cup in your prime in your home country. And knowing two of the games are in L.A., that is literally a dream come true,' he said. 'There is a massive opportunity to build this thing and get this country behind our team. I just don't want this opportunity to get wasted.' The last World Cup in the U.S. ended with the country forming a top-tier professional league in MLS, soccer becoming a top-five sport in the U.S., and the U.S. Soccer Foundation getting the funding needed to help grow soccer at the grassroots level. It also inspired a youthful Landon Donovan to become the greatest player in the country's history. As a result, the tournament will return to a country with a soccer culture far advanced from 1994. 'There's a massive, massive wealth of talent here,' said Donovan, who speaks from experience after spending part of last week at a 'dream team' tryout organized by Spanish club Real Madrid and Abbott, a global leader in the healthcare industry. 'Some of those kids out there — 17, 18 years old — technically are better than guys I played with.' The top 11 players from five tryout camps will go to Spain to train at Real Madrid's complex. The fact that the richest club in the world came to the U.S. to scout players, Donovan said, is more evidence of soccer's growth in this country, which he believes makes next summer even more important. 'We're at a point where we're doing a lot of things well,' Donovan said. 'The one area where we are still struggling is in our development. It was eye-opening to watch some of these kids because I think we're missing out still on a lot of these players.' Next summer's World Cup can close that gap, provided we don't waste the opportunity. ⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week's episode of the 'Corner of the Galaxy' podcast. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Police seek witnesses to crash on State Highway 3 in Taranaki
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Police are asking witnesses to a crash on State Highway 3 in Taranaki at the weekend to get in touch. Emergency services were called to the intersection near King Road in Inglewood around 6.10pm on Saturday, after a car ploughed into a bank. Police said the driver suffered moderate injuries. Police wanted witnesses to the crash, or those with dashcam or CCTV footage, to come forward. Police can be contacted via 105 either over the phone or online, using reference number P063290271.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Country Icon George Strait, 73, Brings Out the 'Ultimate' Surprise Special Guest
Country Icon George Strait, 73, Brings Out the 'Ultimate' Surprise Special Guest originally appeared on Parade. just gave country fans an unforgettable surprise. While performing a concert at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., over the weekend, the country music icon shocked the crowd when he brought out a very special surprise guest: fellow country hitmaker . 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 Lambert, 41, uploaded a series of photos taken during her surprise performance to Instagram on Sunday, July 20, where she could be seen rocking out on stage alongside the 73-year-old country legend. While joining Strait on stage, the "Wranglers" songstress was, of course, dressed in her country best. Sporting a pair of blue jeans, a belt and a cowboy hat, Lambert was also repping a T-shirt with Strait's face on it. "How bout them cowgirls 🤠🩵" she captioned the pics, while her fans were still reeling over the very pleasant surprise. "The best surprise! 😍" one fan gushed in the Instagram comments, while someone else said the concert was "absolutely awesome." "As if The King wasn't enough last night, you made my night coming out to sing!!!" another fan wrote to Lambert. "the ultimate cowgirl 🤝 the king 🔥" one commenter wrote, while someone else dubbed the pair the "King & Queen of country!!!" "What an iconic show," the same user Icon George Strait, 73, Brings Out the 'Ultimate' Surprise Special Guest first appeared on Parade on Jul 21, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fans Were ‘Crying With Joy' Over Surprise Guest & Duet at Chris Stapleton Concert
Fans Were 'Crying With Joy' Over Surprise Guest & Duet at Chris Stapleton Concert originally appeared on Parade. Country music fans have been buzzing since Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton announced earlier this month that they'd be teaming up together for a duet, and over the weekend, some lucky fans got a chance to hear them sing it live together in a surprise performance. Chris Stapleton and fellow country music great performed together Saturday night at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California, and they welcomed a very special surprise guest on stage — Ms. Lambert herself. The "Mama's Broken Heart" singer shared some photos to Instagram on Monday of the show, and captioned it, "Our 1st time ever playing 'A Song to Sing' live." She also thanked Chris and his wife Morgane Stapleton for having her, and LA for the "warm welcome." Country music fans are HERE for this collab! Several who were reportedly there on Saturday commented on her post, with sentiments like, "What an amazing concert! You coming out on stage was the biggest surprise!" and, "So glad I got to be there! Just when I thought the day couldn't better you came out and I was crying with joy." Another fan added, "So glad I got to be there! Just when I thought the day couldn't better you came out and I was crying with joy," and someone else chimed in, "It was def a surprise seeing you come out! We went crazy!! Thank you for a great night!" 🎬 Miranda has been extremely busy lately — in addition to showing up onstage at major country music concerts and debuting new duets, she's also been busy working on a charity concert for the Texas flood victims. She revealed last week that she's teaming up with Parker McCollum, Kelly Clarkson, Cody Johnson, Ronnie Dunn, Lyle Lovett, and more for an event they're calling the Band Together Texas charity concert. All proceeds all proceeds will benefit the Community Foundation of Texas Hill Country and the Central Texas Community Foundation. Fans Were 'Crying With Joy' Over Surprise Guest & Duet at Chris Stapleton Concert first appeared on Parade on Jul 21, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
Uber driver allegedly kicks woman to the ground during collection in Perth: 'I was terrified'
Distressing footage has surfaced of a rideshare driver appearing to kick a female supermarket worker to the ground, prompting calls for stronger worker protections. The woman, aged in her 20s, was left 'terrified' by the incident, which unfolded in the carpark of a Coles supermarket in Inglewood, in Perth 's inner-city, on Tuesday last week. CCTV footage obtained by ABC News captured the moment the man appeared to walk past her nonchalantly before allegedly kicking her to the ground. She remained on the asphalt for a few moments before the man appeared to chase her out of view of the camera. Police allege the rideshare driver, a 27-year-old man from Beckenham, made verbal threats against the worker before physically assaulting her and driving away. He was charged with assaulting a retail worker who was performing their duties and making a threat to unlawfully do an act. The worker, who did not wish to be named, told the broadcaster the man kicked her after she asked him to separate the delivery orders. 'I was so scared, like, terrified,' she said. She said her employer contacted the rideshare platform and asked them to ban the 27-year-old from driving for them until an investigation into the incident was concluded. Her mother described the incident as 'shocking' and said it posed 'a real concern' for female safety. 'To be in that situation was quite clearly terrifying,' she said. She also raised concerns about information sharing between rideshare platforms, asking whether the driver in question could feasibly work for another service. It cast doubts on recent efforts to crack down on retail worker violence across the state, including a new 'assault retail worker' offence imposed in WA in July last year. Since, then 329 people have been charged with the new offence which increased the maximum penalty to seven years imprisonment, or three years and a fine of $36,000. 'Just like other Western Australians, retail workers have every right to feel safe in their workplace,' Police Minister Paul Papalia said at the time. 'These tougher penalties send a strong message that violent behaviour towards staff simply doing their job won't be tolerated.' The 27-year-old man is due to appear in Perth Magistrates Court next month.
