The Sports Report: Big changes could be on the way for U.S. women’s soccer team

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Kevin Baxter in Melbourne, Australia: Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe tried to smile through tears. Alex Morgan struggled to keep her composure. Sophia Smith didn’t even try at all, instead being whisked past reporters to avoid questions about the earliest Women’s World Cup exit in U.S. Soccer history.

In the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s penalty-kick loss to Sweden in the round of 16, a result determined by an electronic sensor and a video replay, it was hard to find perspective in the pain. What will happen in the future was set aside to mourn in the present.

“I’m just going to take these next few days to process what just happened,” Morgan said.

“It’s tough,” added defender Crystal Dunn. “This was not the way we obviously wanted to go out.”

The U.S. didn’t lose in either Australia or New Zealand. But it didn’t win either, playing to three straight draws before being eliminated on penalty kicks in the round of 16. It remains unbeaten in its last 21 World Cup games, but it won’t play again in the tournament for another four years.

That the end came against Sweden, the American superwomen’s kryptonite, was no surprise. The Swedes beat them in the Tokyo Olympics, eliminated them on penalty kicks in the Rio Olympics and beat them again in the group stage of the 2011 World Cup.

“It’s hard,” said Ertz, who played every minute of her third World Cup “to kind of think about moving on.”

Yet that process has already begun. Players began booking flights home Monday while the federation considered the fate of coach Vlatko Andonovski, whose own departure could be announced later this week.

“As we always do after a major tournament, we will conduct a review to identify areas of improvement and determine our next steps,” U.S. Soccer said in a statement.

It’s unlikely Andonovski survives that review.

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Schedule, results
All times Pacific

ROUND OF 16
Aug. 4
Spain 5, Switzerland 1

Aug. 5
Japan 3, Norway 1
Netherlands 2, South Africa 0

Sunday
Sweden 0, United States 0
Sweden wins on penalty kicks, 5-4

Monday
England 0, Nigeria 0
England wins on penalty kicks, 4-2

Australia 2, Denmark 0

Tuesday
Colombia vs. Jamaica, 1 a.m., FS1
France vs. Morocco, 4 a.m., FS1

Quarterfinals

Thursday
Spain vs. Netherlands, 6 p.m., Fox

Friday
Japan vs. Sweden, 13:20 a.m., Fox

Saturday
Australia vs. Colombia or Jamaica, 12 a.m., Fox
England vs. Japan or Sweden, 3:30 a.m., Fox

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: The Dodgers’ rotation has needed a lot of rescuing lately.

Their starting pitchers will set dangerous early fires, threatening to blow up a game by struggling out of the gate.

But then the club’s high-powered lineup will swoop in to save them, dousing the flames with a stream of sudden offense.

It’s an exceedingly concerning habit, one likely to leave the Dodgers burned in the long run if it remains unaddressed.

For now, though, their streaking bats are compensating for their problematic pitching, saving the day again in the Dodgers’ 13-7 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday.

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Dodgers box score

All MLB box scores

NL WEST STANDINGS

Dodgers, 65-46
San Francisco, 62-51, 4 GB
Arizona, 57-56, 9 GB
San Diego, 55-58, 11 GB
Colorado, 44-68, 21.5 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

San Francisco, 62-51
Philadelphia, 61-51
Cincinnati, 60-55

Chicago, 58-55, 1 GB
Miami, 58-56, 1.5 GB
Arizona, 57-56, 2 GB
San Diego, 55-58, 4 GB
New York, 51-61, 7.5 GB
Pittsburgh, 51-61, 7.5 GB

For full standings, go here

ANGELS

From Annika Johnson: Even after mounting a sixth-inning rally, the Angels fell 8-3 to the San Francisco Giants for their seventh consecutive loss Monday night. This marks their longest slump of the season.

Patrick Sandoval gave up an RBI single to Patrick Bailey in the fourth inning. Sandoval (6-9) pitched five scoreless innings, giving up two runs and five hits while walking one and striking out eight. But the Giants closing offense sealed their win.

The Angels took a 2-1 lead in the sixth. Shohei Ohtani led off the inning with a double on a ground ball to right field. Two outs later, he scored on a single from C.J Cron, who then made it home on a single from Mickey Moniak.

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Angels box score

All MLB box scores

AL WEST STANDINGS

Texas, 67-46
Houston, 64-49, 3 GB
Seattle, 60-52, 6.5 GB
Angels, 56-58, 11.5 GB
Oakland, 32-81, 35 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

Tampa Bay, 68-46
Houston, 64-49
Toronto, 64-50

Seattle, 60-52, 3 GB
Boston, 58-54, 5 GB
New York, 58-55, 5.5 GB
Angels, 56-58, 8 GB
Cleveland, 54-59, 9.5 GB

For full standings, go here

NFL

From Steve Henson: Long ago and far away from his present employment in Chicago, Marcedes Lewis shined amid a deep and talented UCLA freshman class, a massive tight end from nearby Long Beach Poly High with adroit receiving skills and the blocking ability of a blindside tackle.

Nobody, however, could have predicted that 21 years later, he’d still be playing football.

Lewis, 39, signed with the Bears, and if he breaks camp with them he’ll be the longest-tenured tight end in NFL history, snapping a tie of 17 years set by Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and former Cowboys great Jason Witten.

The man nicknamed “Big Dog” rattled off the reasons he remains relevant, including relishing his role as a locker-room leader, drawing inspiration from LeBron James, learning about a collaborative work environment while interning at Google, and perhaps most importantly, never having had a major surgery in 30 years of playing football.

“Part of it is showing people that it can be done,” Lewis said of his longevity. “Being able to have the singular focus to go out there and be your personal best every single day.”

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RAMS

From Gary Klein: The Rams added veteran depth to their secondary Monday by signing safety John Johnson, a key player in their run to their first Super Bowl appearance under coach Sean McVay five years ago.

Johnson, 27, has been a free agent since the Cleveland Browns released him in March.

Johnson is scheduled to take a physical Monday in Thousand Oaks. If he passes, he’s expected to rejoin the team for their final training camp practice Tuesday morning in Irvine, said a person not authorized to speak about the transaction publicly

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HORSE RACING

From John Cherwa: The spotlight on horse-racing fatalities, which is chipping away at the sport’s long-term viability, has now shifted to New York’s signature summer meeting at Saratoga Race Course, where two more horses died over the weekend, bringing the toll to seven in less than a month.

Undefeated 3-year-old filly Maple Leaf Mel fell yards from the finish line on Saturday in the Grade 1 Test Stakes in a gruesome scene played out before a full house and nationally televised audience on Fox. Then on Sunday, Ever Summer, running in an allowance race, fell and sustained life-threatening injuries and was euthanized on the track.

Maple Leaf Mel struggled to get up and then moved about with a broken right front leg that dangled. The filly was also euthanized on the track. Jockey Joel Rosario was banged up and needed stitches to his lip. He was off his mounts the rest of Saturday and Sunday. Irad Ortiz Jr., who was riding Ever Summer, returned to racing Sunday.

There have been seven racing or training deaths at Saratoga since the meet opened July 13. Using a similar time frame, since 2019 there has only been one fatality each in 2019, 2021 and 2022. There were none to that date in 2020.

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LITTLE LEAGUE

From Eric Sondheimer: Excitement is building for the memorable season experienced by the 11- and 12-year-olds from El Segundo Little League.

El Segundo has moved to within one win of advancing to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., after a 6-0 victory over Hawaii on Monday in San Bernardino.

El Segundo is 2-0 in the West Regional and earned a berth in Friday’s 6 p.m. championship game in San Bernardino. Hawaii will face Northern California in an elimination game Wednesday with the winner advancing to face El Segundo.

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1936 — At the Berlin Olympics, the United States finishes 1-2-3 in the men’s decathlon. Glenn Morris sets a world record with 7,900 points, followed by Robert Clark and Jack Parker.

1982 — Ray Floyd, who shot a record 63 in the opening round, wins the PGA championship by three shots over Lanny Wadkins.

1984 — Carl Lewis sets the Olympic record in the 200 meters with a 19.80 clocking.

1992 — The Dream Team picks up its gold medal and Carl Lewis anchors a world-record 400-meter relay, winning his eighth gold medal in three Olympics. The U.S. basketball team beats Croatia 117-85, with the 32-point margin of victory the smallest of the Games. In the 400, Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell and Lewis set a world record of 37.40 seconds. Steve Lewis anchors another world-record as the Americans won the 1,600 relay by nearly half the length of a football field. The team of Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Michael Johnson and Lewis ran the 1,600 in 2:55.74.

2006 — Roger Goodell is chosen as the NFL’s next commissioner. Favored for months to get the job, he is unanimously elected by the league’s 32 owners on the fifth ballot.

2010 — Sparks forward Tina Thompson scores 23 points to become the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader in a 92-83 loss to the San Antonio Silver Stars. She surpasses Lisa Leslie’s career total of 6,263 points. Thompson is the last of the original WNBA players.

2012 — Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings of the United States become the first three-time gold medalists in Olympic beach volleyball history. The duo beat Jennifer Kessy and April Ross 21-16, 21-16 in the all-American final, extending their Olympic winning streak to 21 matches.

2012 — Brittney Reese wins the long jump, becoming the first U.S. woman to win the Olympic long jump since Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1988. Caster Semenya makes her Olympic debut three years after being forced to undergo gender tests, finishing second in her 800 heat.

2015 — Katie Ledecky ends her world swimming championships in spectacular style, lowering her own world record by 3.61 seconds in the 800-meter freestyle for her fifth gold medal. The 18-year-old American completes a sweep of the 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyles in Kazan, Russia. She was the anchor leg on the victorious 4x200 free relay, too.

2021 — USA women’s basketball team wins it’s record extending 7th consecutive Olympic gold medal with 90-75 win over Japan in Tokyo; guards Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi each win their 5th straight gold.

2021 — USA Women’s volleyball defeats Brazil in straight sets to win the gold medal. It’s the first Olympic gold medal in USA Women’s volleyball history. The win would give the United States 39 gold medals breaking a tie with China on the final day of the Tokyo Olympics.

—Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally...

The gold medal ceremony for the Dream Team. Watch and listen here.