Yorba Linda football powers past Foothill to claim share of Crestview League title

• October 27, 2023

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

TUSTIN — Yorba Linda took the field Thursday seeking to inject more drama into the Crestview League football race.

The Mustangs succeeded despite playing without its best all-around playmaker, Dylan Gardner.

The reigning CIF-SS Division 3 champion scored on its first seven possessions and streaked to a 45-29 victory against Foothill at Tustin High to earn a share of its third consecutive Crestview title.

Running back Chase Jones stayed hot with four rushing touchdowns while quarterback Holden Nagin threw two touchdowns to freshman wide receiver Troy Roberts.

Senior lineman Joshua Grethen helped lead the Mustangs’ defense with three sacks of Foothill quarterback Nicholas Miali, who tossed four TDs.

Yorba Linda (7-3, 2-1), ranked 16th in Orange County, rebounded from a 34-33 overtime loss to Villa Park last week to hand No. 21 Foothill (6-4, 2-1) its first defeat in the league.

Foothill beat Villa Park (22-21) and Brea Olinda (55-0) earlier to claim a share of the league title.

Villa Park (8-1, 1-1) can earn a share of the championship with a triumph at Brea Olinda (5-4, 0-2) on Friday but won’t claim an automatic playoff berth. That’s because Yorba Linda and Foothill won a coin flip for the league’s two automatic playoff berths.

Villa Park will need to secure an at-large berth.

“It’s just the cream on the top,” Yorba Linda outside linebacker/safety Jake Ridenour said of the results of the coin flip. “That (win) was mainly a team effort. Our line kicked their butts all game long. Chase Jones ran (wild). … And it’s big going into CIF.”

Gardner, the reigning Crestview player of the year, didn’t play due to injury, Yorba Linda coach Jeff Bailey said.

The Mustangs received several step-up performances, including one from Ridenour.

He contributed big plays on offense, defense and special teams.

At the end of the first half, Ridenour made a jarring tackle on a fourth-down stop at the Mustangs 37. Two runs by Nagin set up a 32-yard field goal on the final play by Bradley Staveley, who gave Yorba Linda a 31-14 lead.

Late in the first quarter, Ridenour intercepted a pass at the Foothill 47. Holden turned the takeaway into a 11-yard TD to Roberts, who helped ease the loss of Gardner at wide receiver.

Just moments earlier in the first, Ridenour took a screen pass as a fullback and broke a tackle near midfield for a 74-yard reception the Foothill 6. That led to a 1-yard TD run by Jones, who finished with 104 yards on 24 carries.

Sophomore Owen Smith intercepted another pass early in the second half that Yorba Linda turned into a 4-yard scoring run by Jones, who was coming off 306 yards and four TDs against Villa Park.

Yorba Linda senior Jake Winners also stepped up at wide receiver with three receptions for 90 yards, including a tone-setting 57-yard gain that led to an early score.

“We had to battle our butts off in this league,” Bailey said. “Both Foothill and Villa were tremendous, hard games.”

The CIF Southern Section is scheduled to announced the playoff pairings Sunday at 10 a.m.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

House Republicans find a Speaker, but at what cost?

• October 27, 2023

Although it took far too long – over three weeks – the United States House of Representatives is finally functioning again. Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the little-known vice chair of the GOP conference, managed to win on his first floor vote.

It is a welcome development for the country and for Washington’s ability to govern. Unfortunately, the selection does not guarantee that the United States will be able to swiftly come to the aid of its close allies, including Israel, as well as fund its own government and sustain domestic strength.

After conservative firebrand Jim Jordan’s third failed attempt at becoming Speaker of the House of Representatives last week, the Republican conference dropped him as their nominee.

This led to a new open nominating process that started with nine candidates from across the Republican spectrum and ended with moderate-leaning Majority Whip Tom Emmer as the nominee.

However, within four hours, his bid was shot down by the MAGA wing of the party and he never made it to the House floor. Right-wing representatives were following the lead of former President Donald Trump who signaled he was against Emmer and even made calls to House members expressing his opposition.

The root of the MAGA hostility towards Emmer’s nomination was his vote to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral college victory. Some GOP members also singled out Emmer for supporting same-sex marriage, and in an appalling exchange a colleague even questioned his Christian faith.

After Emmer’s withdrawal on Tuesday, the Republican conference miraculously coalesced around the lesser known Mike Johnson – a deeply conservative member and mentee of Jordan who was backed by the far-right of the party – and he was elected speaker on Wednesday afternoon without losing a single Republican vote on the floor.

While it is undoubtedly positive that the American people finally have a Speaker of the House again, the Republican Party is playing with fire by choosing someone with little leadership experience and a rigid hard-right track record. Democrats are not innocent either, as their decision to join the motion to vacate on Kevin McCarthy led to an extreme conservative gaining the speaker’s gavel

Johnson is extremely conservative on social issues, as he voted against federal protections for same-sex marriage and has repeatedly supported and co-sponsored national abortion ban bills. In fact, he is the first former chair of the deeply conservative Republican Study Committee to become speaker.

Furthermore, Johnson was a prominent election denier in 2020 and the legal architect of the Electoral College objections that were denied by the Supreme Court.

It is clear that Trump and his MAGA acolytes got exactly what they wanted, as one of their own is now the most powerful Republican in Washington. If their victory could not be any more clear, Rep. Matt Gaetz emphasized it with glee on Steve Bannon’s podcast, “If you don’t think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement and where the power in the Republican Party truly lies, then you’re not paying attention.”

House Democrats are already seeking to paint Johnson as “Jim Jordan in a suit.” Make no mistake, Johnson’s extreme positions along with his lack of fundraising skill compared to his predecessor will hurt congressional Republicans’ electoral chances in 2024. While former Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised over $100 million for Republicans during the 2022 election cycle, Speaker Johnson has raised just $553,013 total this cycle.

This dynamic will certainly create challenges for Republican congressmen from moderate districts in California who benefitted from McCarthy’s robust political operation. Along with losing out on fundraising opportunities, Johnson’s extreme right-wing social positions will not play well in these swing districts.

There is also some doubt over whether Johnson will be on the side of public opinion on upcoming legislation to strengthen our allies and ensure we avoid a government shutdown that could have catastrophic economic consequences.

Johnson voted against the current continuing resolution, which has reached its halfway mark, and he has been one of the staunchest opponents to sending aid to Ukraine.

It is clear the American people want Congress to support our allies as they battle terrorism and authoritarianism, and Johnson and the GOP must show voters they can be trusted. A poll this week from The Economist/YouGov found 61% of registered voters think the U.S. should maintain or increase military aid to Ukraine and 83% of registered voters think the U.S. should maintain or increase military aid to Israel.

While President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries line up behind a supplemental bill that will send military aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, as well as new funding to help secure the southern border, there is significant opposition among House Republicans to additional spending, especially for Ukraine.

Related Articles

The ultra conservative Johnson mirrors the right flank of his caucus on these issues, but to pass real solutions to the pressing challenges facing Congress he must find a middle ground that Democrats and Senate Republicans can accept. Otherwise, moderate Republicans will be forced to go around him and work closely with their Democratic counterparts.

The first big test for Speaker Johnson is in less than a month when he will either let the government close down or work on a bipartisan basis to keep America as a functioning democracy at a crucial moment for our allies. Positively, Johnson seems to be moving towards the middle in his new leadership role, as he has proposed a second continuing resolution that would last through January, albeit with little detail about the spending numbers.

In order to have a successful speakership and meet the needs of the United States at this critical inflection point, it would be wise for Johnson to moderate his views and seek productive compromise with centrist Republicans and Democrats. Speaker Johnson must put policy over politics to bolster our allies and protect our economy.

Douglas Schoen is a longtime Democratic political consultant.

​ Orange County Register 

LeBron James fuels Lakers’ late rally to beat Suns in home opener

• October 27, 2023

LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach Darvin Ham knew there could be pitfalls in his team’s home opener with their opponent, the Phoenix Suns, not having two of their top three players in Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

Although the Suns would be a different team without two of their stars, Ham knew they couldn’t be underestimated.

“I mean, they’re still pros,” Ham said. “They have a lot of firepower still over there. This is not going to be a cakewalk by any means. We have to go out and make sure we take care of our business, and that starts with bringing energy and effort.”

Ham added: “It has to be about maximum effort, maximum effort on both sides of the ball. It’s as simple as that.”

The Lakers (1-1) heard Ham’s message and did just enough of what was required to pull out the win, beating the Suns, 100-95, Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. Anthony Davis had 30 points and 13 rebounds, LeBron James scored 10 of his 21 points while playing the entire fourth quarter, and the Lakers blew past their short-handed opponent in the final minutes with a dominant fourth quarter.

Despite a slow start in which the Lakers allowed 12 second-chance points in the first quarter that led to an early 30-18 deficit, they still had a shot to secure their first victory of the season.

Trailing 84-72 at the end of the third quarter, the Lakers locked in defensively for the final period. The Suns missed 13 of their next 14 shots and committed 10 turnovers in the next 10 minutes.

An Austin Reaves steal led to a James layup in transition to give the Lakers an 89-87 lead with 3:43 remaining, the Lakers’ first lead since the middle of the second quarter.

Kevin Durant, who finished with 39 points and 11 rebounds, hit back-to-back shots to tie the score at 91 with 1:30 remaining.

But James made sure the Lakers weren’t going to start another season 0-2.

Related Articles

He made a layup with 1:11 left for a 93-91 lead. After forcing a Durant miss on a 3-point attempt, James again methodically brought the ball up the floor for a pick-and-roll with Davis, driving into the paint while using his body to shield the ball from Jusuf Nurkic to make another layup for the deciding bucket.

Davis (who also had three blocked shots, three steals and two assists) sealed the victory with four free throws with the Suns fouling late. James added nine assists and eight rebounds to his point total in 35 minutes. The Lakers outscored the Suns 28-11 in the fourth.

Booker, who played in the Suns’ season-opening victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, sat because of left foot soreness. Beal has missed the first two games of the season because of lower back tightness.

The Lakers get a couple of days off from gameplay before traveling to Sacramento for a matchup against the Kings on Sunday night at Golden 1 Center.

More to come on this story.

“We gotta keep putting it together one game at a time.” Anthony Davis speaks with @LakersReporter about guarding Kevin Durant and transitioning into the new offense. pic.twitter.com/ICtIAiKQSX

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 27, 2023

LeBron James and Kevin Durant dueled off in a #KiaTipOff23 thriller, with the Lakers coming out on top

LeBron: 21 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST, 2 BLK, 2 STL
KD: 39 PTS, 11 REB pic.twitter.com/yZXUwdXjXG

— NBA (@NBA) October 27, 2023

“OH, WHAT A FAKE BY RUSSELL!”

DLo with the TOUGH bucket in transition! pic.twitter.com/UzvzN3rxck

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 27, 2023

LeBron KD

Mutual respect between two of the best from this generation. pic.twitter.com/23Cb1dTovz

— NBA (@NBA) October 27, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Alex Morgan misses PK and USWNT settles for scoreless draw against Colombia

• October 27, 2023

SANDY, Utah — Alex Morgan missed a penalty shot at the end of the first half and the United States settled for a scoreless draw with Colombia in an exhibition game on Thursday night.

Morgan’s attempt in the 44th minute bounced back off the post and she tried to score off the rebound, but the ball sailed over the goal.

The game, played in chilly temperatures in the mid-30s, was the first of two matches against Colombia. The second is set for Sunday in San Diego.

“We knew Colombia was going to be a tough matchup,” defender Emily Sonnett said. “We want to be more clinical in the final third. I think overall a good performance and there’s definitely things to tighten up.”

The United States will play just two more games this year, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Frisco, Texas, in early December. Both matches are against China.

Colombia, ranked No. 22 in the world, advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup for the first time this summer. Las Cafeteras were finally stopped by England, 2-1.

The United States was eliminated in the Round of 16 on penalty kicks after a scoreless draw with Sweden, the earliest World Cup exit ever for the Americans. Soon after the disappointing finish, Coach Vlatko Andonovski stepped down.

Since then, the Americans have been led by interim coach Twila Kilgore, who was an assistant under Andonovski. The Americans, ranked No. 3, are expected to name a permanent head coach by the end of the year as the team prepares for the Paris Olympics next summer.

The game marked the return of defender Becky Sauerbrunn to the team after she missed the World Cup because of an injury. She started on the bench but came in at the start of the second half.

“It’s been a tough year for me, and so to be able to get minutes on the field with this team, it’s a good day for me. So I’m really happy about that,” Sauerbrunn said. “Of course, it would have been great if it had been a win as well, but obviously we’ve got things we’ve got to work on.”

Sophia Smith was a late substitute. The reigning U.S. Soccer Player of the Year had not played for the United States since the World Cup because of a knee injury and was on limited minutes.

Smith came close to a goal in the final moments of stoppage time, but Colombia goalkeeper Natalia Girlaldo made the stop.

Jaedyn Shaw, 18, made her first appearance for the senior national team as a late-game substitute.

Colombia, which has also qualified for the Olympics, had not played since the World Cup. Linda Caicedo, the team’s 18-year-old forward who plays professionally for Real Madrid, started against the Americans. Catalina Usme, who scored two goals during the World Cup, was unavailable because of an injury.

The Colombians were playing the two friendlies under Angela Marsiglia, their new head coach after the post-World Cup departure of Nelson Abadía.

​ Orange County Register 

Josh Allen, Bills start fast, hold off Buccaneers

• October 27, 2023

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another – shrugging off aggravating an injury to his throwing shoulder – and the Buffalo Bills hung on to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-18, on Thursday night.

After a week of questions about his “low-energy” approach and Buffalo’s slow-starting offense, Allen came through for the Bills (5-3), throwing for 324 yards on 31-of-40 passing. He had been listed on the Bills’ report with a right shoulder injury and was checked in the blue medical tent in the second quarter, but remained in the game.

Gabriel Davis had a career-best nine catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, and rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid scored his first career touchdown on a 22-yard catch.

Buffalo’s defense limited the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield-led attack to less than 200 yards of offense through three quarters and 302 overall. And Bills punter Sam Martin contributed by landing three punts inside Tampa Bay’s 10-yard line.

Mayfield tried to rally Tampa Bay (3-4) late. He threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans, followed by a 2-point conversion to Cade Otton, to get the Buccaneers within six with 2:44 remaining. But it took Tampa Bay 17 plays and 7:21 to march 92 yards for that score.

The game ended when Mayfield’s Hail Mary attempt from his own 45 fell between several players in the end zone. The Buccaneers have lost three straight and four of five since opening 2-0.

Buffalo built a 17-10 lead at halftime and never trailed. That was seven more points than the Bills had combined for in the first halves of their previous three games, two of which they lost.

Having a lead took the pressure off a defense missing three key starters.

Mayfield finished 25 of 42 for 237 yards and two touchdowns, including a 3-yarder to Chris Godwin, who was the closest to Mayfield’s final throw when it fell to the turf untouched. Running back Rachaad White led the Bucs with seven catches for 70 yards and had nine carries for 39 yards.

Tampa Bay’s defense was missing both starting defensive tackles. Vita Vea was ruled out with a groin injury, and Logan Hall hurt his groin during pre-game warmups.

Allen took advantage, topping 300 yards for the 23rd time in his career.

His touchdown run was the 43rd of his career, matching Steve Young for second-most all-time among quarterbacks. And he now has 199 combined passing and rushing touchdowns, tying Hall of Famer Dan Marino for second among quarterbacks in their first six seasons.

Allen said on Tuesday he might be partially responsible for Buffalo’s slow-starting offense after consciously making the decision to rein in his emotions last month. Allen called it a “low positive” approach and acknowledged he might have gone too far in reducing his energy level.

The only thing subdued about Allen was his touchdown celebration following his 13-yard scoring run. Allen stood in the left corner of the end zone in front of a cheering crowd and casually walked up the sideline after being congratulated by several teammates.

On the play before his touchdown run, Allen was sacked along the sideline, and that hit is what sent him to the medical tent to have his shoulder evaluated. He returned in time for Buffalo’s next drive but threw an interception when his pass deflected off the fingers of Antoine Winfield Jr. and was caught by defensive lineman William Gholston.

The Buccaneers scored two plays later on Mayfield’s pass to Godwin to tie the score at 10-all.

Related Articles

Allen then led Buffalo on a nine-play, 75-yard drive, capped by the quarterback rolling to his right and throwing across his body to find Kincaid open over the middle.

Everything the offense appeared to lack over the past three weeks seemed to be corrected. The Bills changed their rhythm by going up-tempo at times to keep the Bucs off balance. And Allen attacked the middle of the field, something he was hesitant to do in his previous two outings.

UP NEXT

The Buccaneers play at Houston on Nov. 5.

The Bills travel to Cincinnati on Nov. 5. Last January on the road against the Bengals, Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field. The game was halted and eventually canceled. Hamlin has resumed playing but has only been active once this season.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Former Lakers coach Frank Vogel returns to Crypto.com Arena with ‘positive feelings’

• October 27, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers’ home opener against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night brought a familiar face back to the team’s home arena.

Frank Vogel, the Lakers’ head coach from 2019-22, was back on the sidelines at Crypto.com Arena, but this time as the new head coach for the Suns, who hired him in June to replace now-Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams.

“It’s great to see all the friendly faces and great to be back in this building,” Vogel said. “I have some great, great memories here. And became part of the Lakers’ championship legacy. Very fond memories here.”

Vogel was hired by the Lakers in May 2019, replacing Luke Walton at the head of the bench.

His tenure was met with immediate success, with Vogel leading the Lakers to the 2020 NBA title – the Lakers’ 17th NBA championship.

Vogel was fired after the team finished 33-49 in the 2021-22 regular season – his lone losing season with the Lakers.

He finished his Lakers tenure with a 127-98 record in the regular season, an 18-9 playoff record and the 2020 championship.

“I got all positive feelings,” Vogel said. “I’m grateful that they had me as their coach. The opportunity for them to hire me and give me the opportunity to (coach) their great players, this great franchise, that’s really the only thing that I’m carrying with me. The ability to become part of this incredible championship legacy is something that I’m very, very proud of – very, very prideful in. And I just have warm memories when I think of the Lakers.”

KOBE MURAL

The iconic downtown mural of deceased Lakers great Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, just a few blocks away from Crypto.com Arena will stay put for at least another year.

2K, the video game publisher, announced on Thursday that it reached an agreement to save the mural on the wall of the downtown Los Angeles Hardcore Fitness (400 W. Pico Blvd) that artist Sloe Motions painted in January 2020 after Kobe, Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas.

The Kobe and Gianna Bryant mural will remain in Downtown Los Angeles, for at least another year, after an agreement was made between NBA 2K and the landlord.

Thank you to the 90,000+ people who signed the petition to save this landmark in DTLA. pic.twitter.com/gqiF3yVQMj

— Kobe & Gianna Bryant Murals (@kobemurals) October 24, 2023

The mural was expected to be removed at the end of the year with the intent of turning the wall into advertising space, but the 2K team intervened and agreed to a one-year extension with the property owner.

Related Articles

“We know how much this beloved mural means to Los Angeles residents and the global basketball community at large,” Ronnie Singh, Head of Lifestyle & Content Marketing at 2K, said in a statement. “When we learned it was in danger of being removed, we worked together with the building to preserve the art. At 2K, we will always do our best to honor Kobe, Gianna and the Bryant family and help create spaces, both virtual and in real life, whether it be Kobe as our NBA 2K24 cover athlete or a local mural, so basketball fans across the globe can pay their respects to one of the best to ever do it.”

INJURY UPDATE

Forward Cam Reddish was available against the Suns after being listed as probable because of right foot soreness.

Forward Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel soreness) and rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (right patella contusion) weren’t available for the second consecutive game after missing Tuesday’s season-opening loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Hood-Schifino will be re-evaluated by team doctors on Nov. 3, the Lakers said, meaning he’ll likely miss at least the first five games.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said on Thursday that the team is evaluating Vanderbilt.

“We’re still going through the evaluation process and making sure we cross our t’s and dot our i’s,” Ham said. “Being that it’s early in the season, it’s no need to rush the process. So we’ll update you accordingly.”

​ Orange County Register 

Ducks stun Bruins as Mason McTavish’s OT goal caps wild comeback

• October 27, 2023

By BRENDAN McGAIR The Associated Press

BOSTON — Mason McTavish scored on a 2-on-1 break with 2:52 remaining in overtime as the Ducks rallied for a stunning 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

The Ducks erased a two-goal, third-period deficit and forced overtime on Troy Terry’s goal with 14.7 seconds left in regulation.

David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist, while Charlie McAvoy added three assists, but Boston surrendered a 3-1 lead and lost for the first time this season. Charlie Coyle and Matt Grzelcyk also scored for the Bruins, now 7-1 on the franchise’s centennial season.

Ducks goalie John Gibson made 30 saves, while Boston’s Linus Ullmark had 28.

The Ducks (3-4) jumped in front with five minutes left in the opening period with the help of a fortunate bounce. Defenseman Rako Gudas fired a rocket from just inside the blue line that deflected off the skate of Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm and past Ullmark. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery wanted the officials to review for possible goalie interference but the call on the ice stood.

The Ducks outshot the Bruins in the opening period (9-6) but only enjoyed a 1-0 lead after going 0 for 2 on the power play. The Ducks outshot Boston 32-30 overall.

After Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe was called for cross-checking, Coyle tied it early in the second period as he camped in front of Gibson and converted a feed from Pastrnak. The Bruins tallied the next goal as Grzelcyk fired from the right circle for the first goal of the season by a Boston defenseman.

The third of three unanswered goals scored by Boston in the second period was delivered by Pastrnak, who pounced on the loose puck after tracking down his own rebound at 16:40. The forward now has six goals in seven games.

The Ducks’ fifth and final power-play opportunity of regulation came with 3:59 remaining after Boston forward Patrick Brown – recalled from AHL Providence before Thursday’s game – was sent to the box for hooking. Still down two goals, the Ducks pulled Gibson for a 6-on-4 advantage and struck with 1:55 left as rookie Leo Carlsson crashed the net after Ullmark made several stops.

FOWLER MILESTONE

Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler appeared in his 900th career NHL game, the 14th defenseman since 2000 to reach 900 games prior to his 32nd birthday. Fowler is the first Ducks defenseman to reach the milestone and the fourth skater overall. He joins Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne as the only players in franchise history to play 900 games in a Ducks jersey.

Related Articles

Selected by the Ducks in the first round (12th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Fowler has more points, goals and assists than any defenseman in franchise history.

SUPPORT

A four-year college hockey player at the University of Maine, Montgomery took time before Thursday’s game to offer his condolences to the victims of the mass shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday night.

“I know how great the culture is in that state, and I know how great the people are. My heartfelt sympathies to everybody that’s impacted,” Montgomery said. “The Boston Bruins offer our sympathy and condolences to the victims and families that suffered.”

UP NEXT

The Ducks continue their four-game road trip on Saturday in Philadelphia.

More to come on this story.

LEO TO MAC-T DUCKS COMEBACK TO WIN IT@AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/RKKDF4qJsT

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) October 27, 2023

McTavish caught up with @AlysonLozoff after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime! @AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/EvdNu2pFR2

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) October 27, 2023

Coach Cronin shared his thoughts after the comeback W in his hometown @AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether | @AlysonLozoff pic.twitter.com/dhP27Y6W3a

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) October 27, 2023

2nd goal of the season for @LeoCarlsson7!@AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/RHgSFHtPFO

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) October 27, 2023

DUCKS TIE IT UP@AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/Q54AQmMQFt

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) October 27, 2023

Leo joins @AlysonLozoff after the OT thriller! @AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether | @LeoCarlsson7 pic.twitter.com/w2x3JVrnBt

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) October 27, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

LAFC players, coaches not fans of new MLS playoff format

• October 27, 2023

The 2022 MLS Cup playoffs produced the first final in 19 years between the top seeds from the opposing conferences.

And the instant classic that followed netted the Los Angeles Football Club its initial league trophy.

For last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners, collecting a rare double meant coming out ahead in three straight knockout games at home.

Capped by the thriller with the Philadelphia Union at BMO Stadium, that format could not have worked out better for the players, the league or anyone else involved, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo suggested after the 34-game MLS regular season concluded last weekend with a draw for the defending champions in Vancouver.

“So it makes perfect sense to go change everything,” Cherundolo noted, offering a wry smile.

LAFC’s path to becoming the first MLS champion to repeat since the Galaxy in 2014 will look significantly different than the journey the club took during Cherundolo’s impressive debut season – and not just because LAFC failed to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, a tough task up against the most demanding schedule in league history.

The postseason format that was announced prior to opening day in late February still deems winning three knockout games necessary in order to lift the Cup, but those will only come following the new best-of-three opening-round series.

Tying 1-1 in Vancouver clinched third place in the Western Conference for LAFC (14-10-10, 52 points), giving the team an advantage for the home-away-home series, unusual as that is in soccer, against the same opponent it faced in the regular-season finale.

If three games are needed to determine a winner against the sixth-seeded Whitecaps (12-10-12, 48 points), the first stage of the postseason would last as long as LAFC’s Cup-winning excursion from a year ago. And L.A. would face Vancouver seven times over 51 matches in all competitions.

LAFC captain Carlos Vela, who has qualified for the playoffs in five of his six seasons in Los Angeles, isn’t sure what the league was thinking by tacking on the opening series.

“We know how MLS playoffs are,” Vela prefaced. “So it’s a little bit crazy. A little bit wild.”

The Mexican star, who, at the age of 34, appeared in 44 matches this season, did not understand “the point of three games in the first round and after that three more games to win the championship.”

When a reporter hinted at money being the reason – that is, a few dozen more must-win games – Vela responded “everybody knows but can’t say nothing.”

Veteran MLS defender Ryan Hollingshead, a pro since 2014, is also unsure what to expect from a type of playoff competition that is typical in other North American sports.

“I have the understanding of aggregate and how to manage a game when it’s aggregate home and away,” said Hollingshead, who thinks LAFC’s depth and versatility could be a factor in its favor as it attempts to defeat the same team over and over.

Related Articles

Between the best-of-three and the subsequent round, there is a two-week international break, including competitive matches for Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who isn’t a fan of the new-look playoffs either.

“Does that belong in our sport? Best-of-three? Best-of-five? Best-of-seven? Does that belong to our sport?” Crepeau wondered. “Home-away games, I totally understand it. We’ve seen it for years overseas but to start to add on and add on and add on, does that really translate to our sport? I don’t know.

“Soon we’ll do a best-of-seven, you know? And the season will finish December 31st and the preseason will be January 5th.”

As it stands, the conference semifinals take place Nov. 25 and 26, the conference finals on Dec. 2 and 3, and the MLS Cup on Dec. 9.

“I think this group knows on a good day we can beat everybody,” Cherundolo said. “Now it’s just a matter of having one, two, three, four, five, six … six good days in a row.”

​ Orange County Register