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Charlotte FC edges Union after late exchange of goals

MLS: Philadelphia Union at Charlotte FCApr 4, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte FC forward Kerwin Vargas (18) tries to maintain control of the ball challenged by Philadelphia Union midfielder Jovan Lukic (4) during the first half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Wilfried Zaha scored in the 80th minute Saturday night to break a draw and Charlotte FC kept the visiting Philadelphia Union winless with a 2-1 victory.

Running unmarked down the left side, Zaha received a pretty centering pass from Pep Biel and wired a shot into the far right corner past diving goalie Andre Blake. That enabled Charlotte to improve to 3-1-2, good for 11 points and a tie for third in the Eastern table with Inter Miami.

Charlotte is 3-0-1 in its last four matches and has outscored its foes 11-3 in that span.

Danley Jean-Jacques tallied his first goal of the year and only Philadelphia’s fourth in six fixtures to pull his team level in the 78th minute. Jean-Jacques finished off a pretty passing sequence that saw Nathan Harriel hit Cavan Sullivan with a long pass that Sullivan flicked to Jean-Jacques right in front of the goal.

But the Union completely lost their defensive shape on Zaha’s game-winner and fell to 0-6-0 despite controlling play for most of the second half. They finished with a 17-9 advantage in total shots after managing only two shots in the first half.

Blake finished with three saves for Philadelphia, while Charlotte goalie Kristjian Kahlina came up with two stops. The Union’s best chance to equalize after Zaha’s goal came in the 86th minute but Sullivan’s header sailed wide left.

The main storyline prior to kickoff was what Philadelphia’s response would be in the face of its nightmarish start, a 180-degree turn from its fortunes last year, when it earned the Supporters’ Shield for finishing with the league’s best regular season record.

The Union spent most of the first 45 minutes in a defensive shell. Charlotte possessed the ball at a clip of close to 65% and finally made all that time with the ball pay off in the 30th minute.

Jumping on a loose ball near the top of the box, Ashley Westwood lasered a shot into the left corner for his first goal of the year. That allowed Charlotte to head for the break with a 1-0 advantage.

–Field Level Media

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Kevin McGonigle, Tigers pile up hits to down A's

Jul 31, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) hits a sacrifice fly during the fourth inning of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn ImagesJul 31, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) hits a sacrifice fly during the fourth inning of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Kevin McGonigle, Gleyber Torres and Max Clark each homered and drove in two runs apiece as the Detroit Tigers notched an 8-6 victory over the Athletics on Saturday night at West Sacramento, Calif.

McGonigle had three hits on a night in which the Tigers reportedly dealt two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers for three prospects ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.

Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson each had two hits and one RBI, and Clark, Torres and Eduardo Valencia also had two hits apiece as the Tigers beat the Athletics for the second straight night. Detroit has outscored the A’s 21-7.

Framber Valdez (6-7) allowed two runs and nine hits over seven innings for the Tigers. The left-hander struck out six and walked two.

Henry Bolte had three hits, including a three-run homer, and Tommy White also had three safeties for the Athletics, who have dropped seven of eight games and 28 of 35.

White and Lawrence Butler singled to start the eighth and Kyle Finnegan retired Jeff McNeil on a flyball before Bolte crushed his three-run blast to center to pull the Athletics within 8-5.

Kenley Jansen allowed a run in the ninth while recording his 13rd save. He allowed a leadoff double to Tyler Soderstrom and struck out the next two batters. Soderstrom, who had moved to third on a wild pitch, scored easily on McNeil’s bunt single before Bolte flew out to left to end it.

Athletics All-Star Nick Kurtz sat out due to his right thumb injury flaring up.

Jack Perkins (2-7) of the A’s was roughed up for six runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out a career-high nine and walked one.

Detroit moved ahead in the fifth as McGonigle hit a single and Torres followed with a two-run blast to right-center to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.

The Tigers added two in the sixth as Torkelson singled and Clark followed with a two-run shot to right-center. Clark, Detroit’s top prospect, is 5-for-9 with a homer after two big league games.

Torkelson hit an RBI single in the seventh to give the Tigers a 7-2 lead. McGonigle’s run-scoring in the eighth made it a six-run margin.

McGonigle hit the third pitch of the game the opposite way and over the wall in left.

Later in the inning, Keith stroked an RBI single to make it 2-0.

The Athletics got a run back in the third when Jacob Wilson singled, White reached on a two-out infield single and Butler singled in Wilson from third.

In the fourth, Bolte led off with a ground-rule double and moved to third on an infield out. He later scored on Wilson’s fielder’s choice.

–Field Level Media

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Timbers hand Sounders club-record sixth straight loss

Aug 1, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Timbers midfielder David Da Costa (10) controls the ball during the first half against Seattle Sounders FC defender Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (85) at Providence Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesAug 1, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Timbers midfielder David Da Costa (10) controls the ball during the first half against Seattle Sounders FC defender Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (85) at Providence Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Brandon Bye scored in the 82nd minute as the Portland Timbers rallied for a 2-1 victory against the visiting Seattle Sounders in a Cascadia Cup clash Saturday night.

Kevin Kelsy scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season for the Timbers (7-8-3, 24 points), who improved to 3-0-1 under interim coach Jack Cassidy. Goalkeeper James Pantemis made two saves.

Kalani Kossa-Rienzi scored for Seattle (7-7-3, 24 points), which suffered its franchise-record sixth straight defeat. Goalkeeper Andrew Thomas was credited with three saves.

The go-ahead goal came after Portland’s Cole Bassett passed to David Da Costa at the top left corner of the 18-yard box. Da Costa spun and sent a pass across the top of the penalty area to Bye, whose right-footed shot from 20 yards eluded a pair of defenders and a diving Thomas on its way into the lower left corner of the net.

The Sounders opened the scoring in the 27th minute. Paul Rothrock’s cross from the left wing for Osaze De Rosario was headed away from the top of the 6-yard box by Timbers defender Kamal Miller. The ball fell to Kossa-Rienzi and his left-footed shot from 18 yards out found the lower right corner of the net.

The Timbers tied it in the 41st minute after working the ball down the left wing. Kristoffer Velde’s cross from the edge of the penalty area was slightly deflected by Sounders defender Stuart Hawkins before glancing off Kelsy’s left thigh and into the net from close range. A video review determined Kelsy was just onside on the play.

Rusnak had a chance in the dying seconds of the half, but his shot from the top right of the 6-yard box sliced into the side netting.

Seattle’s Paul Arriola, getting the start at right back, had to come off in the seventh minute because of an apparent lower right leg injury and was replaced by Kossa-Rienzi.

–Field Level Media

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ATP roundup: Arthur Gea wins 1st ATP title in Los Cabos

Aug 1, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Taylor Fritz (USA) celebrates after his match against Brandon Nakashima (USA) (not pictured) in a men's singles semifinal on day six of the 2026 Mubadala DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesAug 1, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Taylor Fritz (USA) celebrates after his match against Brandon Nakashima (USA) (not pictured) in a men’s singles semifinal on day six of the 2026 Mubadala DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Frenchman Arthur Gea won his first ATP title and became the youngest man to win the Mifel Tennis Open with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Canada’s Denis Shapovalov Saturday evening in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Gea, 21, had just three tour-level victories to his name before winning five matches this week. After he saved four break points and came away with the lone break of the first set to go up 5-3, he bounced back from the only time he was broken by Shapovalov to break him right back, going up 4-3 and serving out the match.

“I didn’t know how I would win this week,” Gea said during the trophy presentation. “I was really happy every day to win one more match, one more, then one more. And I have finished with a trophy, so it was an amazing week.”

Shapovalov had a 2-1 edge in aces but also over twice as many double faults (9-4). Gea won just 8 of 31 return points on Shapovalov’s first serve (25.8%) but was much better on his second serve, winning 12 of 21 return points (57.1%).

Mubadala DC Open

No. 3 seed Taylor Fritz outlasted Brandon Nakashima for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory in an all-American battle to reach the final in Washington, where he will face Spanish teenage sensation Rafael Jodar.

Fritz (14 aces) and Nakashima (13) each were strong on their serve, with only seven combined break-point chances in the match. The difference, though, was that Fritz won 64.5% of his second-serve points and Nakashima won 50% of his second-serve points.

The victory advances Fritz to his first DC final and his fourth final of the season. Sebastian Korda (2024) is the only American man to win this event since Andy Roddick in 2007.

Jodar, 19, followed up his elimination of No. 2 seed Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals by advancing to his first career ATP 500 final with a 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo. Jodar had more double faults (seven) than aces (six) but saved the only break point he faced on his serve while converting the two he needed to win each of the final two sets.

–Field Level Media

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