Without the injured Christian Pulisic, US beats Australia 2-0 to advance to World Cup knockout round
SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. national soccer team advanced to the knockout round at the World Cup without injured forward Christian Pulisic with a 2-0 victory over Australia. A deep U.S. roster overcame Pulisic’s absence to clinch a knockout berth after only two matches for the first time. Pulisic missed Friday’s match because of a calf injury. The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute after a run down the left sideline by Folarin Balogun led to an own-goal. Alex Freeman gave the Americans a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute. Freeman headed in a deflected shot for his first career World Cup goal.
Wyndham Clark builds 4-shot lead at US Open with lowest 36-hole score at Shinnecock
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Wyndham Clark has the lowest 36-hole score ever for a U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He finished off a 64 with two pars in the morning to complete the first round. He added a 69 in the second round and has a four-shot lead over four players. Xander Schauffele had a 66 and Matt Fitzpatrick had a 70 and were tied for second. Joining them in the afternoon were Sam Stevens and Tom Kim. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy were lurking seven shots back. Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut in his third straight major, and Jon Rahm also left early.
A year after smashing a locker, Wyndham Clark finds himself leading at another US Open
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — The smashed-up locker at Oakmont last year is as much a part of Wyndham Clark’s resume as the U.S. Open title he won two years before that. Clark says he's working hard to regain any fans he might have lost after that meltdown at last year's U.S. Open sullied his reputation. He enters the weekend at this year's U.S. Open at 7-under par, with a four-shot lead and in good position to win the title for the second time. The 2023 champion says golf, like life, is a product of peaks and valleys and doing the hard work it takes to get back on top again.
DeChambeau sputters and leads parade of former champions to miss cut at US Open
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Two ugly three-putts led to a pair of double bogeys early in the second round of the U.S. Open for Bryson DeChambeau and he never recovered. He shot 5-over 75 to finish at 145 and lead an all-star cast of former U.S. Open champions who missed the cut and are going home for the weekend. DeChambeau, the 2020 and ’24 champion, missed his third straight cut in a major. He joined 2017 and ’18 winner Brooks Koepka, 2021 winner Jon Rahm and defending champion J.J. Spaun on the sideline. Koepka's streak of 11 straight made cuts at the U.S. Open got snapped. It was the longest active streak.
Matheus Cunha scores 2 goals as Brazil eliminates Haiti from World Cup with 3-0 win
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — VinÃcius Júnior scored and assisted on one of Matheus Cunha’s two goals as five-time champion Brazil eliminated Haiti from the World Cup with a 3-0 victory. Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation that qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974, became the first team guaranteed not to reach the knockout round. Meanwhile, the Seleção got the decisive performance they needed. Cunha got the start and showed with every surf-and-slide goal celebration why he should have been in the starting lineup in Brazil’s listless 1-1 draw against Morocco.
Iran says it's being treated unfairly. Its World Cup travel schedule isn't unique
Iran says it unfairly is being asked to travel to World Cup matches on the day before games and return immediately after, but that schedule itself is not uncommon among teams. Team Melli made the 127-mile charter flight from Tijuana International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport the day before its opening 2-2 draw against New Zealand on Monday. Iran returned to Mexico right after the match. The team’s request to travel to LA two days before Sunday’s match against Belgium was also denied. It says it will lodge a complaint against FIFA. Many teams are traveling the day before matches.
Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suarez has no-hitter through 6 innings against Mariners
SEATTLE (AP) — Boston Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez has not allowed a hit through six innings Friday night against the Seattle Mariners.The 30-year-old lefty retired the first 10 batters he faced before walking Cal Raleigh. Suarez followed by striking out Julio RodrÃguez and getting Josh Naylor to line out to second base.Suarez has struck out five and walked one. He’s thrown 76 pitches, 46 for strikes.Suarez is in his first season with Boston after spending his first eight with Philadelphia. He went 12-8 in each of his last two seasons with the Phillies.
North Carolina going for 1st national title in baseball in CWS finals against surging Sooners
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — North Carolina will be going for its first national championship in baseball when it faces Oklahoma in the College World Series finals. The best-of-three series opens Saturday. Both teams went 3-0 in CWS bracket play. The Tar Heels have been a model of consistency. They have lost consecutive games just once this season and have been ranked no lower than No. 4 by D1Baseball.com the last two months. The Sooners lost six of nine series in Southeastern Conference play and finished 11th in the league. They are averaging 10.4 runs per game with 22 homers during their eight-game win streak.
Scotland fans have descended on Boston for the World Cup, and bars are struggling to keep up
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Scotland fans have brought a festive atmosphere to Boston during the World Cup. The Tartan Army, as they’re known, has filled bars and restaurants, boosting the local economy and challenging beer supplies. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey extended bar hours, and thousands of Scots have flocked to the area. Tennent’s Lager, Scotland’s top beer, has been in high demand, with bars like The Haven increasing orders to keep up. Boston’s Sam Adams taproom even ran out of its famed Boston Lager. The celebration has been compared to St. Patrick’s Day, with local politicians joining in the festivities.
Jing Yan shoots 66 at breezy Blythefield to take Meijer LPGA Classic lead
BELMONT, Mich. (AP) — Jing Yan shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to take the second-round lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic, the final event before the major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship next week at Hazeltine. Yan had a bogey-free afternoon round to get to 10 under in breezy conditions at Blythefield Country Club. The 30-year-old American is winless on the LPGA Tour. Lottie Woad of England and Cassie Porter of Australia were a stroke back. Woad shot 66, and Porter had a 68. First-round leader Yan Liu of China was 8 under with Minji Kang of South Korea. Liu had a 70, and Kang shot 68. Two-time winner Brooke Henderson was 5 under, following an opening 73 with a 66.
