LAFC 2023 RECORD AND FINISH: 14-10-10, 3rd in the West, fell to Columbus in the MLS Cup final. COACH: Steve Cherundolo. KEY PLAYERS: Denis Bouanga, Hugo Loris, Eduard Atuesta. OUTLOOK: LAFC played the most games of any MLS team last season, reaching the finals of the CONCACAF Champions League and the MLS Cup playoffs. LAFC fell 2-1 to the Columbus …

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. Northwestern State Demons (8-18, 6-7 Southland) at Texas A&M-CC Islanders (15-10, 8-4 Southland) Corpus Christi, Texas; Monday, 8 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Islanders -10.5; over/under is 139.5 …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka put away Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-4 and set up a second-round matchup with Elena Rybakina at the Dubai Championships on Monday. The top four women — Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Rybakina — are reunited for the first time since the Australian Open. All of …

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Under a new era of conservative leadership, Louisiana’s GOP-dominated Legislature will gather Monday for a special legislative session that could reshape the state’s criminal justice system and the public safety sector. Among the more than two dozen bills filed ahead of session is legislation that proposes expanding methods to carry out death row executions, restricting …

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand will compete in the women’s football tournament at the Paris Olympic Games after beating the Solomon Islands 11-1 in the final of the Oceania qualifying tournament Monday in Apia, Samoa. Hannah Wilkinson, who scored the first goal of the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia last year, was one of four …

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. William & Mary Tribe (8-18, 3-10 CAA) at Charleston (SC) Cougars (19-7, 10-3 CAA) Charleston, South Carolina; Monday, 8 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cougars -17.5; over/under is …

It was a bruising opening weekend for Sacramento State’s Matt Masciangelo. The Hornets’ junior left fielder was hit by pitch on eight of his first nine plate appearances against Loyola Marymount. “I’ll take it — any way I can get on base for the team,” Masciangelo said. “After a certain point, it’s kind of crazy how it’s all transpiring.” The …

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Tuesday FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG at VILLANOVA 6½ Butler at MICHIGAN STATE 9½ Iowa at TEXAS A&M 9½ Arkansas at FLORIDA STATE 4½ Boston College at DAVIDSON 6½ Fordham at DUQUESNE 8½ Saint Louis at OHIO 2½ Kent State at BUFFALO 1½ Eastern Michigan at TOLEDO 1½ Akron UCF 2½ at WEST VIRGINIA at NC STATE 5½ Syracuse Miami …

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Authorities in Rwanda on Monday rejected U.S. calls for the withdrawal of troops and missile systems from eastern Congo, saying they are defending Rwandan territory as Congo carries out a “dramatic military build-up” near the border. Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry in a statement spoke of threats to Rwandan national security stemming from the presence in Congo of …

CIUDAD DEL CABO, Sudáfrica (AP) — ¿A qué huele? Las autoridades de Ciudad del Cabo abrieron una investigación el lunes luego de que un olor nauseabundo se extendió por la ciudad sudafricana. Funcionarios municipales revisaron las instalaciones de aguas residuales en busca de filtraciones y desplegaron un equipo de salubridad ambiental antes de descubrir la fuente del hedor: Un barco …