SOUNDERS SCORE LATE TO WIN
Gustav Svensson scored off a corner kick in the final moments of second-half stoppage time, and the host Seattle Sounders beat Minnesota United 3-2 on Monday night to advance to the MLS Cup final.
Seattle scored three times in the final 15 minutes of regulation and stoppage time to stun Minnesota and claim the Western Conference championship for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
Seattle will travel to Columbus to face the Crew in the MLS Cup final on Saturday.
Will Bruin scored in the 75th minute to pull Seattle within 2-1 and set the stage for the wild final moments when the Sounders scored twice off corner kicks. Raul Ruidiaz had a fortunate bounce fall at his feet before he beat goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair to pull the Sounders even at 2-2 just before the end of the 90 minutes.
Seattle continued to press for a winner and nearly got it from Ruidiaz only to see his shot hit the outside of the post. But Svensson came through by rising above on the final corner kick and giving the Sounders the victory.
More soccer
Toronto attacking midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo has been named Major League Soccer’s 2020 Most Valuable Player. Pozuelo had nine goals and 10 assists during the coronavirus-shortened regular season, even while the Reds played part of the year in Connecticut because of travel restrictions in Canada. Pozuelo’s 10 assists were tied for the league lead with Houston’s Darwin Quintero and Seattle’s Nicolas Lodeiro. He had four goals and two assists during September, earning league Player of the Month honors.
After missing out on the 2018 World Cup, Italy has been handed a challenging path to the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The four-time world champion was drawn in a qualifying group with Switzerland, which has made it to the last three World Cups and was the highest-ranked team outside of the top seeds. Italy’s failure in the 2018 playoffs cost FIFA around $100 million in lost television revenue. Only the first-placed teams qualify automatically.
NBA
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green and No. 2 overall draft pick James Wiseman are sidelined with the coronavirus.
College football
Louisiana-Monroe coach Matt Viator is leaving the program with one game left in what has been a winless season. Athletics Director Scott McDonald said that he and Viator, who has a 19-39 record at ULM, “mutually agreed” on the move.
• Michigan’s team resumed limited workouts, taking a step toward possibly playing No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday. The Wolverines paused in-person activities last week after a COVID-19 outbreak within the program.
Death
Fred Akers, the former University of Texas football coach, died at his home in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, from complications of dementia, surrounded by his family, his daughter Lesli told The Associated Press. He was 82.
He coached the Longhorns’ first Heisman Trophy winner, Earl Campbell, and won like few others at Texas, amassing an 86-31-2 record in 10 seasons.
College basketball
Coach Tara VanDerveer and Stanford are the new No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The
Cardinal ascended to the top spot after previous No. 1 South Carolina lost at home to then-No. 8 North Carolina State. Stanford received 24 of the 30 first-place votes from a national media panel.
• Jacob Gilyard made a 3pointer with 19.5 seconds left and No. 19 Richmond (3-0) beat visiting Wofford (2-1) 7772 in a game that was arranged only two days earlier.
• Miles Norris had 10 points and four blocks as host UC Santa Barbara (2-0) got past Loyola Marymount (2-3) 69-58.
Also
Marco Odermatt fulfilled his potential by becoming the first Swiss skier to win a men’s World Cup giant slalom in nearly 10 years. Holding onto a first-run lead, he beat American racer Tommy Ford by 0.73 seconds in Italy.
• The political leader of Australia’s Queensland state has re-affirmed her commitment to a bid to host the 2032 Olympics around Brisbane. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed after a meeting with International Olympic Committee Vice President John Coates that she’d convene a 2032 taskforce early next year.