San Diego FC spoils Son Heung-min's LAFC home debut with a 2-1 victory

San Diego FC spoils Son Heung-min's LAFC home debut with a 2-1 victory

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hirving Lozano and Anders Dreyer scored, and San Diego FC spoiled the home debut of Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min with a 2-1 victory Sunday night. After Dreyer got the tiebreaking goal in the 66th minute, Western Conference-leading San Diego held on against a barrage of LAFC chances to extend its unbeaten streak to six matches in MLS play. Denis Bouanga scored in the first half for LAFC, but the French star and Son both failed to convert golden scoring chances in the final minutes of expansion San Diego's first trip 120 miles north to BMO Stadium. CJ Dos Santos made three saves for the visitors, including a diving stop on Son in second-half injury time. Son was given a hero's welcome in his first match in Los Angeles, taking the field nearly four weeks afterLAFC announced the landmark signingof the South Korean star following his decade at Tottenham. Son played his first three matches on the road for LAFC, scoring a goal and immediately energizing the offense while his new club went unbeaten. The sellout crowd serenaded Son from the moment he stepped on the field for warmups in Los Angeles, which has the world's largest Korean population outside Korea. With thousands of fans wearing his jerseys for club and country, Son repeatedly waved to those cheering him on, and he exhorted the crowd into a frenzy right before kickoff. Bouanga put LAFC ahead in the 15th minute with a beautiful chip volley into San Diego's net off an excellent pass from teenager David Martínez. Bouanga's goal was his 15th of the season, all in his last 19 matches. But Lozano answered in the 33rd minute with a strike from the middle of the box for his ninth MLS goal. The Mexican national team star celebrated by taunting the famously raucous North End supporters' section. Dreyer put San Diego ahead with a individual effort by the Danish star, slipping behind LAFC's back line to collect Jeppe Tverskov's pass and juking two defenders before firing a left-footed shot for his 14th goal. LAFC controlled play for long stretches, but couldn't even it. Son hit a screamer toward the far top corner in the 45th minute, but Dos Santos made a superb leaping save. Hugo Lloris' long pass put Son in a one-on-one break in the 74th minute, but he couldn't get a shot off. Son then hit the post in the 78th minute with a shot from the top of the box. Bouanga got alone on the keeper in the 82nd minute, but waited too long to take a shot. Son's hard shot in the 92nd minute was saved by a diving Dos Santos. ___ AP soccer:https://apnews.com/soccer

byAlpha World

in

August 31, 2025

San Diego FC spoils Son Heung-min's LAFC home debut with a 2-1 victory

San Diego FC spoils Son Heung-min's LAFC home debut with a 2-1 victory LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hirving Lozano and Anders Dreyer scored, and S...

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Jessica Pegula, Barbora Krejcikova advance to U.S. Open quarterfinals

Jessica Pegula, Barbora Krejcikova advance to U.S. Open quarterfinals

Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula is making another deep run at the U.S. Open and she claimed her spot in the quarterfinals Sunday with an easy 6-1, 6-2 victory over fellow American Ann Li in New York. Pegula converted 6 of 9 break points and needed just 54 minutes to subdue Li, who committed 19 unforced errors while playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time. Pegula next will face two-time Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. Krejcikova staved off eight match points while rallying to a 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3 victory over upstart Taylor Townsend. Krejcikova held a 43-37 edge in winners while needing three hours and four minutes to finish off Townsend, who was vying to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event for the first time. Townsend dominated the first set and had a chance to close the deal in straight sets. She was leading 6-3 in a second-set tiebreaker before letting three straight match points get away. The two women traded big hits and missed shots throughout the 25-minute tiebreaker before Krejcikova finished off the 98-minute set with a slam. Seven of Townsend's squandered match points came in the second-set tiebreaker. Krejcikova broke Townsend's service to make it 4-2 and 5-3 in the third set before finishing off a scintillating victory that disappointed the pro-American crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium. "I'm totally enjoying this crowd. Even though it's not for me, it's fine," Krejcikova said in her on-court interview. "I love the atmosphere. I love when they're cheering. They're making the match huge. It's for the Americans. It's not for me. "I wish we had a tournament in Czech Republic and there were a lot of fans rooting for me. Maybe in a different life. Not now. I'm just enjoying. I'm having fun on court. I'm so happy I can be here. It's a huge privilege that I can play in front of such a nice crowd on Armstrong." Krejcikova's impressive showing snuffed out the dreams of the 29-year-old Townsend, a No. 1 doubles player who is enjoying the top singles run of her career. "It just stings because I literally gave everything," Townsend said. "She came up with some really, really great tennis in moments where she was down, and I thought I had it." Townsend lost in the first round of the other three majors this year before winning her first three matches at the Billie Jean King Center. She swept No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia on Friday, two days after beating No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in straight sets and being on the receiving end of some disparaging comments about her lack of sportsmanship. Pegula, a 2024 finalist, is more used to being on the big stage in New York. "I've obviously kind of earned that right over the years," the 31-year-old Pegula said of playing in Ashe. "When I was younger, I never hit on Ashe, I never played on Ashe. I was always on another court, Court 17 or maybe Grandstand if I was lucky. That's definitely changed. "Specifically here being an American, I have played a lot there now. Maybe against someone that hasn't gotten a lot of reps on that court, I think it is a little bit like a home-court advantage." This marks the third time Pegula has advanced to at least the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. She lost to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in last season's title match and also reached the quarters in 2022. Pegula has won just one of three matchups against Krejcikova. Pegula's victory came in the 2023 Australian Open round of 16. On Sunday, Pegula outclassed the 25-year-old Li and was highly effective at the net by winning 12 of 15 points. "It's a part of my game I can use as a weapon," Pegula said. "We've definitely worked on that a lot. They're really happy when I can finish a point with an overhead or a volley at the net." Pegula won the first three games of the match while sailing through the first set. It was more of the same in the second as she won four of the first five games before finishing off the match. Later Sunday, top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus cruised past Spain's Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-4, posting more winners (26-9) and never having to save a break point. She advanced to the quarterfinals without dropping a set and will remain the top-ranked player after the tournament. The Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova knocked off ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Russia 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in one hour, 51 minutes. Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon winner, had the edge in aces (13-5) and won 5 of 7 break-point opportunities, to 3 of 6 for Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion who had more winners (40-29) and unforced errors (38-15). --Field Level Media

byAlpha World

in

August 31, 2025

Jessica Pegula, Barbora Krejcikova advance to U.S. Open quarterfinals

Jessica Pegula, Barbora Krejcikova advance to U.S. Open quarterfinals Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula is making another deep run at the U.S. Op...

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Xi and Putin stand shoulder to shoulder as China casts itself as an alternative global leader

Xi and Putin stand shoulder to shoulder as China casts itself as an alternative global leader

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has cast his country as a force for global economic stability and pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to support its partners, at a time when President Donald Trump wages a global tariff war and has decimated foreign aid under his "America First" policy. Xi's comments came during an address on Monday that is the centerpiece of a two-day summit orchestrated to play-up China's global leadership and its close and enduring partnership with Russia, as the two neighbors seek to rebalance global power in their favor at the expense of the US and its allies. "We should leverage the strength of our mega-sized markets and economic complementarity between member states and improve trade and investment facilitation," Xi told world leaders in the Chinese port city of Tianjin for a summit of the Beijing- and Moscow-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The Chinese leader pledged 2 billion yuan ($280 million) in grants to SCO member states this year, and to set up a SCO Development Bank to provide "stronger underpinnings" for security and economic cooperation among the bloc. Without naming the United States, Xi vowed to oppose "hegemonism," "Cold War mentality" and "bullying practices" in an address to political heavyweights from across the world, including Russian President Vladimir Putin,Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiand Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Those phrases are often deployed by Xi to criticize what he sees as a world order led by the US and its Western allies. The summit is a showcase for closer ties between China and Russia, as well as the friendship struck up over the years by their two autocratic leaders. The deep personal rapport between the two men was on show Sunday evening, when Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a welcome banquet for attending leaders. Footage released by Russian state news agency RIA showed Xi and Putin gesturing animatedly and smiling as they chatted at the event, showing a different side of the typically restrained Chinese leader – and his warm and relaxed demeanor with his Russian counterpart. The pair then walked shoulder to shoulder together after posing for a photo alongside other gathered leaders, with Xi gesturing for Putin to walk with him past the others, footage released by the Kremlin showed. The SCO summit is also the leaders' first opportunity to meet since Putin's summit with Trump in Alaska earlier this month – and comes as Putin resists Western pressure to end his onslaught in Ukraine. Just last week, Moscow's forces carried out their second largest aerial attack to date on Ukraine. Observers say that Xi sees the gathering – and a massive military parade that he'll host on Wednesday in Beijing, expected to be attended by Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong Un as well as some two dozen other leaders – as a critically timed diplomatic push. As Trump alarms nations with his global trade war and withdraws from international organizations and foreign aid, Beijing views the US as undermining the international order it worked to build – and sees an opportunity to ramp its own vision as an alternative. Chinese officials touted this year's SCO as the largest yet, saying ahead of the event that 20 leaders from across Asia and the Middle East would join. In addition to Russia, China and India, SCO members include Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byAlpha World

in

August 31, 2025

Xi and Putin stand shoulder to shoulder as China casts itself as an alternative global leader

Xi and Putin stand shoulder to shoulder as China casts itself as an alternative global leader Chinese leader Xi Jinping has cast his country...

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Back to school: markets brace for September risks

Back to school: markets brace for September risks

By Paolo Laudani, Alessandro Parodi and Canan Sevgili (Reuters) -A summer trading lull looks set to come to a halt with September risks stacking up hard and fast. U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and French political turmoil provide a glimpse of what's to come in a month that historically brings notable market swings as investors reassess portfolios. "My big concern is that when liquidity comes back after the summer, we see some big market moves," said St. James's Place CIO Justin Onuekwusi. 1/ TROUBLE AT THE FED U.S. jobs numbers have become contentious after July data prompted Trump to fire the Bureau of Labor Statistics chief. So, August's reading, due on September 5, and the Fed's September 16–17 meeting come at a time when investors are already concerned about tension between Trump and the central bank. Fed chief Jerome Powell, whom Trump has pressured to cut rates, signalled a September move in his Jackson Hole speech, but also warned about sticky inflation. Markets price in a roughly 85% chance of a rate cut this month, but questions about the Fed's independence have heightened uncertainty over the rate outlook and its ability to control inflation. "This latest political drama reignites concerns about the independence of the Fed, and by extension undermines confidence in the U.S. as the global benchmark for transparent and rules-based capital markets," said Swissquote Bank senior analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya. 2/ NO CONFIDENCE French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is expected to lose a September 8 confidence vote over government budget-cut plans, highlighting risks to European shares, French banks and long-term French bonds, yields of which are near their highest since 2011. If the minority government falls, President Emmanuel Macron could install a new premier or dissolve parliament and hold new legislative elections, leaving budget issues unresolved for longer and raising French ratings downgrade risks. Fitch Ratings updates its view on France on September 12, followed by DBRS on the 19th, and Scope on the 26th. "If France fails, there will be a domino effect, and we will have to question the sustainability of the performance of European markets," said Stephane Ekolo, global equity strategist at broker Tradition. 3/ DON'T FORGET GEOPOLITICS After last month's Alaska summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, investors are assessing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. In a sign of fading peace hopes, Ukraine's bonds have given back nearly half of the price gains made ahead of the August meeting. Supercharged European defence stocks remain popular as Europe commits to higher defence spending. Also watch Brent crude oil prices, sensitive to headlines and supply disruptions as Russia and Ukraine step up attacks on each other's energy infrastructure. A punitive 25% tariff, imposed by Trump on imports from India due to its purchases of Russian oil, has been added to a prior 25% tariff on many goods. But positive developments could benefit energy-sensitive stocks and firms that could play a role in Ukraine's reconstruction such as materials group Holcim. 4/ TARIFF ANGST Tariff-driven headline risk has fallen since April's "Liberation Day" market turmoil. The U.S. has agreed preliminary trade deals with Britain, the European Union, among others, but Trump has increased the heat on other big economies such as India, meaning tariff risks could still cause pain. Traders are also watching to see if a recent U.S./China temporary tariff extension will become permanent or if Trump will again upend global supply chains with a fresh wave of prohibitively high duties on Chinese imports. 5/ BEWARE Investors warn record high stock markets reflect complacency and are a reason for caution. September is a historically weak month for shares. The MSCI World Index has dropped by nearly 4% on average each September since 2020. While August has historically been strong for U.S. equities, September is the only month with negative average returns. 6/ UNEASE IN BOND LAND Finally, pay attention to bond markets given rising government borrowing and the sustainability of public finances. The United States, Japan and Germany all sell long-dated bonds in the first half of September in the next test of investor appetite. Japan's 30-year bond yields, up almost 100 basis points so far this year, are at record highs, while those in Europe are near multi-year peaks. (Reporting by Paolo Laudani, Mirac Dereli, Vera Dvorakova, Alessandro Parodi and Canan Sevgili in Gdansk and Joice Alves in London, additional reporting by Marc Jones in London; Editing by Dhara Ranasinghe and Kirsten Donovan)

byAlpha World

in

August 31, 2025

Back to school: markets brace for September risks

Back to school: markets brace for September risks By Paolo Laudani, Alessandro Parodi and Canan Sevgili (Reuters) -A summer trading lull loo...

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Liverpool reportedly reaches deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle for record-breaking $176 million fee

Liverpool reportedly reaches deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle for record-breaking $176 million fee

Alexander Isak is headed to Liverpool. The club reached a £130 million deal ($176 million) to sign the Newcastle star on Sunday night, according toThe Athletic's David Ornstein. That deal would break the Premier League transfer record set earlier this summer when Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for $153 million. Sunday's deal took place just in time before Monday's transfer deadline. Isak made it clear that he wanteded out of Newcastle. He has not played in any of the club's first three Premier League games this season. Isak posted earlier this month that his relationship with Newcastle "can't continue," though Newcastle appeared to reject his requests to leave at every step. Isak missed the team's trip to Asia and didn't play in a preseason friendly, either. The striker has been training with Real Sociedad, his former club, since July and has been away from Newcastle. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Liverpool intially sent Newcastle a £110 million offer for Isak, which Newcastle rejected. Now, having raised the price, Liverpool secured their latest record-breaking addition. Isak has spent the past three seasons with Newcastle, which marked his first stint in the Premier League in his career. He had a career-high 23 goals and six assists in 34 matches last season. He's previously spent time with Real Sociedad in La Liga and Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Liverpool, fresh off its Premier League title last season, opened the year with three straight wins, including a 3-2 victory over Newcastle on Monday. The franchise has spent more than £250 million this offseason, bringing in other big names like Hugo Ekitike, Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni. It's unclear when Isak will make his debut with the club. Liverpool will be back in action Sept. 14 on the road against Burnley.

byAlpha World

in

August 31, 2025

Liverpool reportedly reaches deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle for record-breaking $176 million fee

Liverpool reportedly reaches deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle for record-breaking $176 million fee Alexander Isak is headed to Liv...

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