THE HOT CORNER

1 PRO SOCCER: Cristian Arango and Diego Palacios scored three minutes apart in the second half as Los Angeles FC pulled away for a 2-0 home victory over the New York Red Bulls on Sunday. Mlsleading LAFC improved to 10-3-3 with its fourth shutout of the season and capped a momentous weekend. Co-president/gm John Thorrington confirmed after Sunday’s match that the club signed Welsh forward Gareth Bale and reached a contract extension with Carlos Vela. Bale, 32, is expected to move stateside in the next two weeks after spending most of the past nine years with Real Madrid, La Liga’s first-place team. New York (7-5-5) started 5-2-1 on the road but has dropped three straight away from home — without scoring.

2 PRO SOCCER: Cory Burke’s goal lifted the Philadelphia Union to a 2-1 home victory over New York City FC on Sunday. Burke’s game-winner came in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. The Union (7-1-8) took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Mikael Uhre in the ninth minute. The lead held until the 89th minute when Valentin Castellanos converted a penalty kick for NYCFC (8-4-3). The victory gives Philadelphia sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with 29 points to 27 for NYCFC.

3 WOMEN’S SOCCER: Ballon d’or winner Alexia Putellas of Barcelona will lead Spain’s squad at the European Championship next month, the highlight of a 23-player list announced Monday.

4 PRO BASEBALL: Billionaire David Blitzer officially joined the Cleveland Guardians as a minority owner and will eventually take control of the club. Blitzer also has stakes in the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.

5 PRO FOOTBALL: Five-time All-pro linebacker Luke Kuechly is returning to the Carolina Panthers as a member of its radio broadcast team this season.