A pair of early goals from Pep Biel and Ashley Westwood lifted Charlotte FC to a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening in Harrison, N.J.

The victory completes a season sweep for Charlotte (7-6-4, 25 points), who beat the Red Bulls (6-7-4, 22 points) 6-1 on March 21. The match extends Charlotte’s four-game unbeaten streak going into August.

The result also means the Red Bulls have gone 17 matches without a clean sheet. New York has lost its first two matches since returning from the international break in July. The loss puts them on the edge of the playoff picture as New York continues to battle for a postseason berth.

Charlotte keeper Kristijan Kahlina ended the game with five saves, while New York’s Ethan Horvath saved one shot.

Charlotte struck first in the seventh minute when Liel Abada burst down the left wing past his marker. Abada laid the ball off to Biel at the top of the box, who slotted his shot into the bottom right corner to give Charlotte an early advantage. The goal was Biel’s eighth of the season, a team high.

Charlotte doubled its lead just five minutes later when Vargas found open room down the right wing on a counter-attack. Instead of dribbling to the baseline, Vargas cut inside with his left foot and found Ashley Westwood waiting outside the penalty box. Westwood cleanly sent his shot past Horvath to put Charlotte up 2-0.

New York’s best chance of the game came after an unforced error in the 64th minute, when Kahlina mishit a pass in front of his own net as Emil Forsberg closed him down. Kahlina did enough to toe Forsberg’s shot away and preserve Charlotte’s lead, but the pressure from New York’s attack remained.

Despite outshooting Charlotte 23-4 and holding 64% of the possession, New York failed to translate its chances into goals. Most of New York’s shots came from far away, and when they got close enough to have a clear look at goal, Charlotte’s compact defense quickly hustled them off the ball.

Red Bulls midfielder Anis Mehmeti received a second yellow card for dissent two minutes into stoppage time, capping off an exasperating night for New York. Mehmeti, who looked visibly frustrated while disagreeing with a call, will miss New York’s Aug. 1 game against Orlando City.

–Field Level Media

Austin Wells and Jasson Dominguez homered and Ryan Weathers worked into the sixth as the visiting New York Yankees topped the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 on Saturday.

Cody Bellinger knocked in the go-ahead run for New York, which has won five of its last six games. Weathers (4-7) allowed one run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out seven.

Philadelphia got two scoreless innings out of opener Tim Mayza before 32-year-old Brian Keller made his major league debut, allowing one run over three innings. In all, seven pitchers took the mound for the Phillies, who fell to 2-6 since the All-Star break.

Philadelphia opened the scoring with a first-inning run against Weathers. The left-hander hit leadoff hitter Trea Turner with a pitch and then allowed a double to Kyle Schwarber, setting the stage for Bryce Harper’s sacrifice fly.

Weathers rebounded to retire the next two batters with Schwarber on third.

Wells tied it with a two-out, opposite-field homer against Keller in the third.

The Phillies had two baserunners in both the third and fourth innings against Weathers. A double play derailed their third-inning rally, while Weathers struck out Derek Hill to conclude the fourth.

In the fifth, Weathers mowed down the top of the Philadelphia order, striking out Turner and Schwarber before Harper grounded out on the first pitch.

Kyle Backhus (1-1), called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Lehigh Valley,, relieved Keller to start the sixth. He walked Wells to open the frame, but then struck out two straight hitters before giving way to Seth Johnson. The right-hander allowed two consecutive singles, including Bellinger’s go-ahead hit to center.

Weathers and Angel Chivilli each gave up a single in the sixth, but Chivilli retired Bryson Stott with the tying run on third.

It did not stay a one-run game for long, however, as Dominguez launched a long homer against Jose Alvarado to open the seventh.

New York right-hander Paul Blackburn cruised through the seventh and eighth innings, and David Bednar came on for the ninth and worked a 1-2-3 inning for his 20th save.

–Field Level Media

The WNBA announced on Saturday that it will launch a centralized replay center for the start of the 2027 season.

The league already uses replay, but shifting to a centralized system aims to speed up and enhance the review process.

A state-of-the-art replay center in Secaucus, N.J., has been used by the NBA since 2014. The WNBA will now use the same facility as its centralized hub for all reviewable game situations. The center will give on-court officials quick access to multiple camera angles and guidance from officials in New Jersey to make fast and accurate calls.

“As the WNBA continues its extraordinary growth, we’re committed to investing in every aspect of the game, including the technology and resources that support players, teams, and officials,” head of WNBA league operations Bethany Donaphin said. “Leveraging the NBA’s state-of-the-art replay center is an important step in the continued evolution of our game.

“It allows us to enhance the consistency and efficiency of replay reviews while embracing innovations that strengthen the competition and deliver the best possible experience for all our stakeholders.”

The league previously formed an officiating task force during the offseason to improve officiating, a move that has received more attention in recent weeks due to specific on-court incidents.

Perhaps most notoriously, Phoenix Mercury star Alyssa Thomas was handed a one-game suspension for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area” of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a game in June. No foul was called on the play, and Thomas and the Mercury were dissatisfied with the punishment process afterward, while the Fever were angry about the lack of a call.

Fever coach Stephanie White was upset after the contest that Thomas wasn’t called for a foul.

“You’ve got to call it,” White said at the time. “It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful.”

Current officials are set to rotate as staff for the center.

–Field Level Media