WORLD CUP
U.S. prepares for second game
UNDATED (AP) β The U.S. World Cup team doesn’t play again until this Sunday when it meets Portugal, which was soundly beaten by Germany 4-0 on Monday. The U.S. will square off with the heavily favored Germans a week from this Thursday.
U.S. fans are still celebrating Monday’s big 2-1 win over Ghana, the nation that eliminated the U.S. from the last two World Cups. The winning goal by John Brooks, a header, came in the 86th minute. The Americans got off to a quick start with a goal by Clint Dempsey just 29 seconds into the game. It was the fifth-fastest goal in World Cup history and the fastest by a U.S. player.
The win may have been costly though as forward Jozy Altidore(JOH’-zee AL’-tah-dohr) was carried off on a stretcher after his left hamstring gave out in the 21st minute. He awaits tests that will determine whether he can return for this World Cup.
Among today’s matches, host Brazil is playing Mexico. Each team won its opening contest last week. The Mexicans have won seven of the last 15 matches against Brazil. And Mexico won the 2012 Olympic gold medal, beating Brazil in the final.
The early match has Algeria playing Belgium, while South Korea and Russia meet in the day’s final match.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Tanaka looks for win No. 11
UNDATED (AP) β Baseball could have its first 11-game winner of the season tonight and the man standing at the threshold was the biggest free agent catch of the off season. The Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka enters tonight’s home game with Toronto with a record of 10-1 with a league-leading earned run average of 2.02. In the Blue Jays Tanaka faces a real test as they lead the Majors with 92 home runs and are third in baseball with 334 runs scored. In the American League East, the Jays lead with a record of 41-30 while the Yankees are in second with 35 wins and 33 defeats. They are 4 Β½ games back in the standings.
Kansas City remains the hottest team in baseball with an eight-game winning streak. The Royals are back in Detroit tonight and with a win would move past the Tigers in the American league Central and take over first-place. The Royals start the night a half-game back of the struggling Tigers, who are an American League-worst 9-18 since May 18.
The longest current losing streak is four and two teams share the futility. Washington has dropped four in a row to fall a half-game back of first-place Atlanta in the National League East, while Chicago’s White Sox are tied for last in the A.L. Central, five games back of the Tigers. Tonight the Nationals are home to Houston while the Sox are hosting San Francisco.
The rest of the schedule tonight has San Diego at Seattle, Cleveland home to the Angels, Baltimore at Tampa Bay, the Red Sox hosting the Twins, Texas at Oakland, the Reds at Pittsburgh, Miami at home to the Cubs, the Phillies in Atlanta, New York’s Mets entertaining St. Louis, Arizona hosting Milwaukee and Colorado in L.A. to play the Dodgers.
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Texas Tech or Mississippi to head home with a loss
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) β Today’s games at the College World Series feature Texas Tech against Mississippi in the first game this afternoon with TCU playing Virginia in the nightcap.
The loser of the first game is eliminated while the winner advances against the loser of the second game.
Record wise Tech is 45-20 while Ole Miss is 46-20, TCU is 48-16 and Virginia 50-14.
