The Sports Report: U.S. women’s soccer ignores the players that could help it win

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

From Bill Plaschke: Nayelli Barahona, 19, is the best female soccer player to ever spread the beautiful game across this cluttered downtown Los Angeles pitch behind John Liechty Middle School.

She has the sort of speed and creativity that was missing from the U.S. women’s national team during its recent World Cup debacle. She is precisely the sort of player who, if she entered the national program at a young age, could have grown into a force capable of picking up the U.S. women’s fallen torch.

But allegedly nobody from the U.S. Soccer Federation ever formally scouted her. Nobody with any national team influence ever ventured into Pico-Union to watch her fly.

She played for the greatly empowering but largely ignored Downtown Los Angeles Soccer Club, where the rosters are 95% Latina, 100% economically challenged and 0% on anybody’s radar.

“Our kids never have a chance, nobody from U.S. soccer has ever come to see them, it’s like their demographics almost don’t exist,” says club president Mick Muhlfriedel. “There is a big black hole in the middle of Southern California soccer, and we are that hole.”

During Barahona’s early teen years, a time when most soccer prospects are identified and sent to exclusive clubs by economically comfortable parents, she didn’t have the money or connections to even be noticed. By the time she was ready to go to college, her national team window had closed and there were no local scholarships available.

She now coaches Downtown 8-year-olds for free. And she didn’t watch any of the American World Cup games, because, even though she was born and raised here, America is no longer her team.

“Nobody on the team comes from my background, their stars don’t really look and play like me,” said the American-born daughter of Salvadoran immigrants. “This is my country, but that’s not my team.”

When the women’s World Cup began, the U.S. team bragged about its newfound diversity.

However, when it came down to crunch time, the face of the U.S. team had barely changed. Of the seven women who attempted penalty kicks in the loss to Sweden, six were white.

“It looked like an old-timers game out there, and they played like it throughout the tournament,” said Muhlfriedel. “They need to broaden their search for players. They need to include all of the country, not just the white and wealthy.”

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Schedule, results
All times Pacific

QUARTERFINALS

Thursday
Spain 2, Netherlands 1

Friday
Japan vs. Sweden, 12:30 a.m., Fox

Saturday
Australia vs. France, 12 a.m., Fox
England vs. Colombia, 3:30 a.m., Fox

SEMIFINALS

Tuesday
Spain vs. Japan or Sweden, 1 a.m., Fox

Wednesday
Other quarterfinals winners, 3 a.m., Fox

THIRD-PLACE GAME

Saturday, Aug. 19
1 a.m., Fox

FINAL
Sunday, Aug. 20
3 a.m., Fox

DODGERS

From Mike DiGiovanna: Clayton Kershaw has a history of downplaying injuries — it’s simply not in his DNA to acknowledge a possible weakness — so the Dodgers left-hander was entirely in character when he minimized the severity of a “cranky” shoulder that forced him from a June 27 game at Colorado after throwing just 79 pitches over six one-hit, shutout innings.

“For right now, I don’t think it’s too serious,” Kershaw said on that steamy, 90-degree evening in high-altitude Coors Field. “I don’t think I’ll miss a start.”

Six frustration-filled weeks, countless games of catch, several bullpen sessions and two simulated games later, Kershaw finally returned to a big-league mound Thursday night and picked up right about where he left off, giving up one run and three hits, striking out four and walking none in five solid innings against the Rockies in Dodger Stadium.

Recently acquired left-hander Ryan Yarbrough replaced Kershaw and blanked the Rockies on one hit with four strikeouts for three innings, and the Dodgers rallied for a 2-1 victory on Max Muncy’s solo home run in the seventh inning and bases-loaded walk in the eighth.

Brusdar Graterol retired the side in order in the ninth for his fifth save, as the Dodgers (68-46) extended their winning streak to five and won for the ninth time in 10 games.

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The Dodgers are retiring Fernando Valenzuela’s number. Does he have a path to Cooperstown?

The Giants are contenders this year. They figure to contend for Shohei Ohtani, too

Dodgers box score

All MLB box scores

NL WEST STANDINGS

Dodgers, 68-46
San Francisco, 62-53, 6.5 GB
Arizona, 57-58, 11.5 GB
San Diego, 55-60, 13.5 GB
Colorado, 45-70, 23.5 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

Philadelphia, 64-52
San Francisco, 62-53
Miami, 60-56

Chicago, 59-56, 0.5 GB
Cincinnati, 60-57, 0.5 GB
Arizona, 57-58, 2.5 GB
San Diego, 55-60, 4.5 GB
New York, 52-62, 7 GB
Pittsburgh, 52-63, 7.5 GB

For full standings, go here

ANGELS

All MLB box scores

AL WEST STANDINGS
Texas, 68-47
Houston, 66-50, 2.5 GB
Seattle, 62-52, 5.5 GB
Angels, 58-58, 10.5 GB
Oakland, 33-82, 35 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

Tampa Bay, 69-48
Houston, 66-50
Toronto, 65-52

Seattle, 62-52, 1.5 GB
Boston, 60-55, 4 GB
New York, 59-56, 5 GB
Angels, 58-58, 6.5 GB
Cleveland, 56-60, 8.5 GB

For full standings, go here

USC FOOTBALL

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Dennis Simmons chuckles at first. There’s not much else the USC outside receivers coach can say about a five-star prospect like Zachariah Branch.

“From a talent standpoint,” Simmons said, pausing to find the words, “he’s different.”

Simmons proceeded to tick off the boxes. Branch has strength. He can run after the catch. He has an “elite catch radius,” even in a 5-foot-10 frame.

“He brings it all,” Simmons said.

The Las Vegas native is bringing a healthy dose of competition into USC’s crowded receiver room, where fellow freshmen Ja’Kobi Lane and Duce Robinson are among those fighting for playing time at one of USC’s deepest positions.

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HORSE RACING

From John Cherwa: The Stronach Group, which upended California racing a few weeks ago by announcing it was closing Golden Gate Fields, threw another stunner into the horse racing landscape when its chief racing executive suggested it may move the Preakness Stakes to four weeks after the Kentucky Derby.

Currently, the Preakness is two weeks after the Derby and the Belmont Stakes follows three weeks after that. Because of the short two-week turnaround, most horses that run in the Kentucky Derby, except the winner, tend to skip the Preakness and point to the Belmont.

Aidan Butler, chief executive of 1/ST Racing, said the move should be made in the interest of horse safety.

“We have discussed it internally and believe it’s in the best interests of horses and horse safety to move the race four weeks after the Kentucky Derby,” Butler told the Thoroughbred Daily News, which first reported it on Wednesday night. “This would give horses more time to recover between races to be able to run in the Preakness. Horse safety is more important than tradition. [The New York Racing Assn.] is aware and considering how this would impact the Belmont. Stay tuned.”

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THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1919 — Green Bay Packers football club founded by George Calhoun and Curly Lambeau - named after sponsor Indian Packing Company.

1929 — Babe Ruth is the first MLB player to hit 500 home runs.

1974 — Lee Trevino beats Jack Nicklaus by one stroke to capture the PGA Championship.

1984 — Carl Lewis duplicates Jesse Owens′ 1936 feat, winning his 4th Olympic gold medal as part of the US 4 x 100m relay team; world record (37.83).

1984 — Britain’s Sebastian Coe sets an Olympic record in the 1,500 meter with a 3:32.53 winning time.

1985 — Hubert Green beats defending champion Lee Trevino by two strokes to take the PGA Championship.

1986 — Bob Tway’s bunker shot on the final hole gives him the PGA Championship over Greg Norman.

1991 — John Daly, the last alternate to make the field, wins the 73rd PGA Championship with a 1-under 71 to finish three strokes ahead of Bruce Lietzke.

1996 — Mark Brooks makes a 5-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Kenny Perry to win the PGA Championship.

2002 — Karrie Webb’s latest comeback establishes a new standard of excellence on the LPGA Tour: the Super Slam — winning the four tournaments currently regarded as majors as well as the du Maurier, which lost its major status in 2000 after 21 years. Webb shoots a 6-under 66, rallying from three strokes behind to the first three-time winner in the Women’s British Open.

2008 — The US 4 x 100m freestyle replay team of Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones & Jason Lezak beats France by 8 seconds to win gold and smash world record at the Beijing Olympics.

2012 — Usain Bolt is a perfect 3 for 3 at the London Olympics — three events, three victories — just like Beijing four years ago. Almost even with the last U.S. runner when he gets the baton for the anchor leg of the 4x100 meters, Bolt steadily pulls away down the stretch to cap his perfect Summer Games by leading Jamaica to victory in a world-record 36.84 seconds. Allyson Felix wins her third gold medal, giving the United States a 20-meter lead after the second leg of the 4x400-meter relay. DeeDee Trotter, Felix, Francena McCorory and Sanya Richards-Ross bring home the victory for the Americans’ fifth straight Olympic title in the event.

2012 — Candace Parker scores 21 points and the heavily favored U.S. women’s basketball team wins a fifth straight Olympic gold medal with an 86-50 victory over France.

2013 — Jason Dufner wins his first major title with a two-stroke victory over Jim Furyk at the PGA Championship.

2016 — Michael Phelps wins his fourth gold medal of the Rio Olympics and 22nd overall with a victory in the 200-meter individual medley. It was the 13th individual gold and 26 medals overall.

2016 — Simone Biles soars to the all-around title in women’s gymnastics at the Rio Olympics. Her total of 62.198 is well clear of silver medalist and “Final Five” teammate Aly Raisman and Russian bronze medalist Aliya Mustafina.

—Compiled by the Associated Press