MLS commissioner says season will resume in home markets
With the MLS is Back tournament winding down, Major League Soccer will turn its attention toward resuming the regular season, commissioner Don Garber said in a televised halftime interview during Wednesday night’s first semifinal.
The schedule is expected to be more local to limit excessive travel. Garber said games will be played in front of fans “where we can.”
“Fifty-one games in 35 days and delivery for our fans, getting our players on the field, having our media partners and our sponsors being able to reengage, getting back that momentum that we had in the launch of the 25th season, that’s the thing that has us all feeling pretty good,” Garber said. “We will get back to our markets. We’ll be announcing their schedule soon. We’re going to be able to play with fans where we can.”
The MLS is Back tournament concludes Tuesday with the championship game between Orlando City FC and Portland. Orlando City beat Minnesota 3-1 on Thursday.
NHL
VEGAS DOMINATES ST. LOUIS, ONE WIN FROM WEST’S TOP SEED >> Mark Stone scored the go-ahead goal on a deflection with under 7 minutes left, and the Vegas Golden Knights took a big step toward clinching the top seed in the Western Conference by beating the St. Louis Blues 6-4 in roundrobin play Edmonton, Alberta.
Vegas would be the West’s No. 1 seed with a win against Colorado on Saturday. Despite leading the conference when the NHL season was shut down in March, defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis can finish no higher than third and needs to beat Dallas on Sunday to avoid the No. 4 seed.
BOESER, PETTERSSON HELP CANUCKS TOP WILD >> Brock Boeser and Elias Petterson each had a power-play goal and an assist, Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves for his first postseason shutout, and the Vancouver Canucks beat the Minnesota Wild 3-0 to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five qualifier series in Edmonton, Alberta.
The Canucks moved within one game of advancing to the first round in their first appearance in the playoffs since 2015.
LAUGHTON SCORES TWICE TO KEEP FLYERS ROLLING >> Scott Laughton had two goals and an assist to help the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Toronto. The Flyers won nine straight games before losing the final one before the COVID-19 shutdown. The Flyers have resumed the season with wins over Boston and the Capitals in the NHL’s playoff seeding round and can’t finish any worse than second in the Eastern Conference.
College athletics
HOFFPAUIR DEATH RULED ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE >> Zach Hoffpauir, a former football and baseball player at Stanford, died in May of an accidental drug overdose, according to a report citing county medical examiner records in his native Arizona. Phoenix NBC affiliate KPNX broke the news Thursday.
Hoffpauir was 26 when he died this spring, just months after being named a defensive backs coach at Northern Colorado.
The medical examiner’s report cited “fentanyl toxicity” as Hoffpauir’s cause of death, according to the KPNX report, noting that it was ruled an accident.
Golf
COMING OFF VICTORY, KANG TIES FOR LEAD IN MARATHON CLASSIC >> Fresh off her victory on Sunday, Danielle Kang opened with a 7-under 64 to share the lead in the Marathon Classic with Lydia Ko. Kang , who moved to No. 2 in the world last week by winning, played bogey-free at Highland Meadows in Sylvania, Ohio.
Women’s college basketball
TEXAS TECH FIRES COACH ONE DAY AFTER REPORT OF ABUSE >> Texas Tech fired women’s basketball coach Marlene Stollings on Thursday, a day after a scathing newspaper report alleging a culture of abuse in her program.
Athletic director Kirby Hocutt announced the firing in a one-sentence statement. He plans to address the decision today.
Players made claims of abuse over the past two years in season-ending exit interviews that were obtained through an open records request by The Intercollegiate, an investigative media outlet for college sports. The details were published by USA Today.
College football
NOTRE DAME OPENS ACC PLAY AGAINST DUKE, WON’T PLAY NAVY >> Notre Dame opens its season as an Atlantic Coast Conference football member against visiting Duke on Sept. 12 and won’t face Navy for the first time in more than nine decades as part of the ACC’s reconfigured schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The league on Thursday released the schedule featuring the Fighting Irish, who are giving up their coveted football independence and competing for the ACC title this season. The ACC had announced plans last week for a 10-game league slate with one nonconference game and its championship game played either Dec. 12 or 19. UNHAPPY VALLEY: NO FANS AT PENN STATE GAMES >> Penn State said that fans will not be allowed at 106,572seat Beaver Stadium this fall for Nittany Lions football games due to the coronavirus.
It is the second-largest stadium in the United States behind Michigan Stadium (107,601). Penn State is scheduled to open the season at home against Northwestern on Sept. 5. CLEMSON NO. 1 IN PRESEASON COACHES POLL >> Clemson gained the No. 1 preseason ranking in the Amway Coaches Poll, released Thursday, for the second year in a row. The Tigers, who lost the College Football Playoff championship game to LSU in January, gained 38 of the 65 first-place votes.
Second is Ohio State. The remaining first place votes went to No. 3 Alabama and No. 5 LSU. Georgia garnered the No. 4 spot. Oregon, voted No. 9, earned the highest Pac-12 ranking.
Tennis
EX-CHAMPS MURRAY, CLIJSTERS GAIN U.S. OPEN WILD-CARD SPOTS >> Former U.S. Open champions Andy Murray and Kim Clijsters are among 16 players to receive wild-card entries into the 2020 tournament, scheduled to begin Aug. 31.
Murray, the 2012 champion, is returning from injury, while three-time winner Clijsters is in the midst of a comeback from retirement. Atherton’s CiCi Bellis received one of the wild cards into the women’s draw.