Sounders seeking 3rd title in 5 years, facing Crew in MLS Cup
Having played in three of the previous four MLS Cup finals, the Seattle Sounders know what to expect on this stage.
The Sounders will attempt to win their third title in the past five seasons on Saturday night when they face the Columbus Crew in Ohio. An unpredictable season that began in late February will end with two of the most consistent teams through all the chaos playing for the title.
Along the way, Seattle and Columbus navigated a three-month league stoppage, a tournament in Florida, the restart of games in home markets and finally the playoffs.
It’s been a season defined by the COVID-19 pandemic and all the changes and hardships caused by the virus. Even the final match of the year will be impacted by COVID-19 as Columbus will play without starting midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Pedro Santos after both tested positive this week.
HIHA SFNES NFW OHHIDIALS TO KAITI EURINI ACUSF INVFSTIIATION >> FIFA will send an emergency management team to run soccer in Haiti, saying it believed the top official it banned for life for sexually abusing players is still running the sport and intimidating witnesses.
Yves Jean-Bart was expelled from soccer last month after a FIFA ethics committee investigation confirmed claims by female national team players of systematic sexual abuse since 2014.
Golf
SKICUNO LFAES WOMFN’S OPFN >> Hinako Shibuno can do without the “Cinderella” nickname, just not the smile. That was bright
as ever as the Japanese star posted a 4-under 67 and opened a three- shot lead going into the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open.
Shibuno’s lone mistake on a damp, soft day at Champions Golf Club was a three-putt bogey on the par-3 16th at the Jackrabbit course. Her objective was to avoid dropping more shots by being overly aggressive. She wound up with a 10-foot birdie putt to restore her lead over Arizona State sophomore Linn Grant of Sweden.
RFFE SKOOTS 8- UNEFR , TAKFS 2- STROKF LFAE IN EUCAI >> Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed shot an 8-under 64 to take a two- stroke lead after the second round of the European Tour’s season-ending World Tour Championship.
Reed, looking to become the first American to win what was formally known as the Order of Merit title, made nine birdies to take the lead at 10 under at Ju
meirah Golf Estates.
Matt Fitzpatrick is two strokes behind after backto-back rounds of 68. The Englishman, the projected No. 2 in the Race to Dubai rankings, mixed seven birdies with three bogeys. NA-O’KAIR SKOOT 16-UNEFR 56 IN SDRAMCLF TO LFAE QCF SKOOTOUT >> Kevin Na and Sean O’Hair teamed to shoot a 16-under 56 in the scramble format to take the first-round lead in the QBE Shootout.
Na and O’Hair had two eagles and 12 birdies on the Tiburon Golf Club’s Gold Course. O’Hair won the unofficial PGA Tour event in 2012 with Kenny Perry and 2017 with Steve Stricker.
MLB
HAN TO IIVF MFMORACILIA CADK TO JOKNNY CFNDK >> The winning bidder on over $1 million worth of memorabilia from a recent auction of Johnny Bench’s personal collection is returning the items to the Hall of
Fame catcher, with whom he’s been friends since 1967.
Businessman Alan Horwitz, a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers who sits courtside at home games wearing his Sixth Man jersey, successfully bid for Bench’s 1975 and ‘ 76 World Series rings last month. He also bought the catcher’s 1970 and ‘ 72 NL MVP awards, 1968 NL rookie of the year award, 1969 All-Star Game bat and several of Bench’s 10 Gold Glove awards. PKILLIFSKIRFEOMCROWSKI TO LFAE CASFCALL OPS >> Dave Dombrowski wants to win again sooner rather than later.
The longtime executive moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in September as a consultant for Music City Baseball but found out this week that expansion won’t be entertained for more than a year at least. So he finalized a deal Friday to become the Philadelphia Phillies’ president of baseball operations.