Earthquakes upset FC Dallas, end a 12-game skid
Valeri Qazaishvili scored twice and the Earthquakes snapped a 12-game winless streak with a 3-1 upset victory over FC Dallas on Saturday in Frisco, Texas.
Qazaishvili opened the scoring in the 19th minute, hurdling Jesse Gonzalez after the goalkeeper came off his line but failed to stop Shea Salinas’s long ball. Qazaishvili then outmaneuvered defender Matt Hedges before finishing from near the end line.
The Quakes (3-12-7), in last place in the Western Conference, upended the first-place team in the West. Dallas had been unbeaten at home, and prior to this game, San Jose had only beaten one team, Minnesota United.
Qazaishvili capped the scoring in the 88th minute with a sliding finish of Chris Wondolowski’s low cross.
Jahmir Hyka gave San Jose a 2-1 lead in the 47th minute, settling Anibal Godoy’s chip pass and sending a low shot in that slipped under Gonzalez. ATLANTA UNITED’S MARTINEZ MAKING HISTORY >> Josef Martinez scored twice for Atlanta United in a 2-2 draw against Toronto FC, setting an MLS record with 45 goals in his first two seasons. Martinez passed Stern John (44, 1998-99) for most goals in his first two seasons. The Venezuelan striker has 26 goals this season, one short of the MLS record.
Motorsports
LOGANO BEATS RAIN, KESELOWSKI >> Joey Logano held off a late challenge from Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski to win the NASCAR Xfinity race at Watkins Glen International.
Logano started from pole in a road race that was redflagged for rain, forcing the drivers to briefly switch to rain tires. He beat AJ Allmendinger by 3.3 seconds. Justin Allgaier was third. It
was Logano’s third win in the series at The Glen and 30th overall, seventh on the career list.
Keselowski spun out trying to pass Logano with less than three laps to go and finished 10th.
Rookie Christopher Bell, who leads the points standings and was chasing a record-tying fourth consecutive win, finished ninth. HAMLIN TAKES NASCAR CUP POLE >> Denny Hamlin has been on the outside looking in as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and defending NASCAR Cup series champion Martin Truex Jr. have dominated the season.
The “Big 3” have won 16 of 21 races while Hamlin is winless, but he took a step toward changing his luck by winning the pole for today’s race at Watkins Glen International.
Hamlin traversed the 2.45-mile layout at 125.534 mph to take the top spot in the No. 11 Toyota, just ahead of Busch. It’s Hamlin’s 27th career pole in Cup.
Hamlin is mired in ninth in the standings, nearly 300 points behind Busch, and has been consistently running just outside the top 10.
“It’s way too soon for that,” Hamlin, who won at The Glen two years ago, said when asked if his effort was a step toward closing the gap with the three drivers at the top. “We’ve got to really get the train back on the tracks, so to speak, start running in the top five more consistently like we were doing early in the year.”
Chase Elliott will start third, followed by Truex and Kyle Larson. RETIRED ELLIOTT TO GET BACK BEHIND WHEEL >> NASCAR Hall of Fame member Bill Elliott is coming out of retirement. GMS Racing announced that the 62-year-old Elliott will drive the No. 23 Chevrolet at Road America in Wisconsin on Aug. 25. Elliott hasn’t competed in any of NASCAR’s national series since he drove in the July Cup race at Daytona in 2012. He hasn’t started a race in the Xfinity series since 2005.
NHL
VEGAS, HIGH-SCORING
KARLSSON INK ONE-YEAR DEAL >> The Vegas Golden Knights signed forward William Karlsson to a $5.25 million, one-year contract to avoid arbitration. Karlsson, who gets a significant raise from his previous $1 million salary, shattered career highs with 43 goals, 35 assists and 78 points last season, helping Vegas to the Stanley Cup final.
DUCKS, GIBSON AGREE ON
EIGHT-YEAR EXTENSION >> Goalie John Gibson agreed to an eight-year, $51.2 million contract extension with the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson has been a steady starter for the Ducks for the past three years. He set career highs last season with 31 victories and a .926 save percentage while playing in 60 games.
Horse racing
FILLY CLAIMS HAMBLETONIAN >> Atlanta became the 14th filly winner in Hambletonian history, taking the famed $1 million trotting race for 3-year-olds at the Meadowlands. Atlanta won by a length over 29-1 shot Mets Hall. The time was 1:50 4/5 for the mile. Atlanta, the 2-1 second choice, paid $6.40, $4.20 and $3.60.
Boxing
UNBEATEN ALVAREZ UPENDS KOVALEV>> Eleider Alvarez dropped Sergey Kovalev three times in a brutal seventh round and won the 175-pound championship by knockout in Atlantic City.
Alvarez (24-0) got the KO at 2:45 in the seventh to win the WBO light heavyweight title and ended Kovalev’s reign atop the division.
On the undercard, Dmitry Bivol unanimously outpointed Isaac Chilemba to retain the WBA version of the 175-pound title.
MMA
NEW UFC CHAMP >> Henry Cejudo topped longtime UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson via a split decision to claim the title. Johnson had been the UFC’s longest-reining champ, winning a record 11 straight title defenses.
Swimming
WORLD RECORDS SET >> British swimmer Adam Peaty improved his own world record in the 100-meter breaststroke to 57 seconds at the European Championships. The Olympic champion shaved 0.13 off his previous best mark. Peaty, who has the 14 fastest times in the discipline, is the only swimmer to beat the 58-second mark.
Russian swimmer Kliment Kolesnikov set a world record in the final of the men’s 50-meter backstroke at the European Championships. Kolesnikov finished in 24 seconds, topping the previous best mark set by Britain’s Liam Tancock (24.04) at the 2009 world championships.
Tennis
ZVEREZ BACK IN CITI FINAL >> Defending champ Alexander Zverev beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-4 to reach the finals at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. The topseeded German will face Alex de Minaur today after the unseeded Aussie beat Andrey Rublev 5-7, 7-6 (8), 6-4 in the other semifinal.
Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-2 to reach the women’s final. The 2004 U.S. Open and 2009 French Open winner will face Croatian Donna Vekic, who topped Zheng Saisai 7-5, 6-3. KLIZAN IS 6 FOR 6 >> Martin Klizan of Slovakia won his sixth ATP title in six finals when he beat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-2, 6-2 at the Generali Open.
FOGNINI TAKES TITLE IN MEXICO >> Second-seeded Fabio Fognini upset top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-2 to win the Mifel Open title. Fognini, the 31-year-old Italian ranked 15th in the world, won the hard-court event for his third title of the year.