Deadspin | CONCACAF Champions Cup: Late free-kick goal gives LAFC semifinal edge 
Nov 1, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles FC logo soccer balls at the LAFC HQ store at Banc of California Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Nkosi Tafari’s free kick from the left flank in second-half stoppage time lifted host Los Angeles FC to a 2-1 win over Toluca FC on Wednesday in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal series.
The two-leg, total-goal series will conclude May 6 at Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico.
Just after the regulation 90 minutes expired, Tafari sent his free kick through a crowded penalty area and saw it sneak inside the near post despite the dive of Toluca goalie Luis Garcia.
LAFC’s Timothy Tillman opened the scoring in the 51st minute. Son Heung-Min laid the ball off to him at the top of the 18-yard box. Tillman chested the ball down and sent a right-footed half-volley inside the left post.
Jesus Angulo curled in a long-range goal in the 73rd minute as Toluca pulled even. His 18-yard, right-footed effort beat Los Angeles goalie Hugo Lloris inside the right post.
LAFC are two-time CONCACAF Champions Cup runners-up (2020, 2023), but they have yet to win the continental competition. Toluca won the event in 1968 and 2003 and has been runner-up three times.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #CONCACAF #Champions #Cup #Late #freekick #goal #LAFC #semifinal #edge
Nov 1, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles FC logo soccer balls at the LAFC HQ store at Banc of California Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Nkosi Tafari’s free kick from the left flank in second-half stoppage time lifted host Los Angeles FC to a 2-1 win over Toluca FC on Wednesday in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal series.
The two-leg, total-goal series will conclude May 6 at Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico.
Just after the regulation 90 minutes expired, Tafari sent his free kick through a crowded penalty area and saw it sneak inside the near post despite the dive of Toluca goalie Luis Garcia.
LAFC’s Timothy Tillman opened the scoring in the 51st minute. Son Heung-Min laid the ball off to him at the top of the 18-yard box. Tillman chested the ball down and sent a right-footed half-volley inside the left post.
Jesus Angulo curled in a long-range goal in the 73rd minute as Toluca pulled even. His 18-yard, right-footed effort beat Los Angeles goalie Hugo Lloris inside the right post.
LAFC are two-time CONCACAF Champions Cup runners-up (2020, 2023), but they have yet to win the continental competition. Toluca won the event in 1968 and 2003 and has been runner-up three times.
–Field Level Media
![Deadspin | PIF to no longer financially back LIV Golf [US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 5, 2026; Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA; Bryson DeChambeau in action during the second round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Reuters via Imagn Images Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund confirmed Wednesday it will no longer finance LIV Golf, according to the Wall Street Journal. The league will notify its players and staff by Thursday. Reports of PIF pulling its funding have been rampant for weeks. The Telegraph reported LIV officials were summoned to an emergency meeting in New York last week, and a tournament scheduled for June in Louisiana was postponed. In a statement issued to Field Level Media, the league said it planned to move the tournament to the fall to avoid “the peak summer heat and the crowded global sports calendar.” Last Wednesday, ESPN obtained an email LIV CEO Scott O’Neil sent to staff claiming the 2026 season will continue “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.” He made no mention of LIV’s future beyond 2026, however. Founded in 2021, LIV Golf made its debut in June 2022 and used lavish, guaranteed contracts to lure dozens of stars like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau away from the PGA. PIF has provided LIV with more than $5 billion, but the league has reportedly lost millions of dollars per year. Earlier this month, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF’s governor and LIV’s main financial backer, shared a plan for the kingdom to cut back on international investments and focus on more domestic projects. DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Rahm reportedly turned down the opportunity to return to the PGA Tour earlier this year. According to MSN.com, some LIV players have reached out to the DP World Tour. “At the moment, we’re in the mode of just listening because we don’t know any more than anyone else does”, DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings told MSN. “But we’ll listen and we’ll make sure that we’re fully informed before we make the decisions that we need to do. But for sure, there are people who are concerned and we will be having conversations with them at the right time.” PIF and the PGA Tour signed a Framework Agreement on June 6, 2023, throwing out the lawsuit LIV filed that accused the PGA of being a monopoly. But a deal to work together never came to fruition, despite the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump. LIV has seven more events scheduled for this year, including May 7-10 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #PIF #longer #financially #LIV #Golf](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28164487.jpg "Deadspin | PIF to no longer financially back LIV Golf [US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 5, 2026; Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA; Bryson DeChambeau in action during the second round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Reuters via Imagn Images Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund confirmed Wednesday it will no longer finance LIV Golf, according to the Wall Street Journal. The league will notify its players and staff by Thursday. Reports of PIF pulling its funding have been rampant for weeks. The Telegraph reported LIV officials were summoned to an emergency meeting in New York last week, and a tournament scheduled for June in Louisiana was postponed. In a statement issued to Field Level Media, the league said it planned to move the tournament to the fall to avoid “the peak summer heat and the crowded global sports calendar.” Last Wednesday, ESPN obtained an email LIV CEO Scott O’Neil sent to staff claiming the 2026 season will continue “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.” He made no mention of LIV’s future beyond 2026, however. Founded in 2021, LIV Golf made its debut in June 2022 and used lavish, guaranteed contracts to lure dozens of stars like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau away from the PGA. PIF has provided LIV with more than $5 billion, but the league has reportedly lost millions of dollars per year. Earlier this month, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF’s governor and LIV’s main financial backer, shared a plan for the kingdom to cut back on international investments and focus on more domestic projects. DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Rahm reportedly turned down the opportunity to return to the PGA Tour earlier this year. According to MSN.com, some LIV players have reached out to the DP World Tour. “At the moment, we’re in the mode of just listening because we don’t know any more than anyone else does”, DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings told MSN. “But we’ll listen and we’ll make sure that we’re fully informed before we make the decisions that we need to do. But for sure, there are people who are concerned and we will be having conversations with them at the right time.” PIF and the PGA Tour signed a Framework Agreement on June 6, 2023, throwing out the lawsuit LIV filed that accused the PGA of being a monopoly. But a deal to work together never came to fruition, despite the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump. LIV has seven more events scheduled for this year, including May 7-10 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #PIF #longer #financially #LIV #Golf")
![Deadspin | PIF to no longer financially back LIV Golf [US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 5, 2026; Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA; Bryson DeChambeau in action during the second round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Reuters via Imagn Images Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund confirmed Wednesday it will no longer finance LIV Golf, according to the Wall Street Journal. The league will notify its players and staff by Thursday. Reports of PIF pulling its funding have been rampant for weeks. The Telegraph reported LIV officials were summoned to an emergency meeting in New York last week, and a tournament scheduled for June in Louisiana was postponed. In a statement issued to Field Level Media, the league said it planned to move the tournament to the fall to avoid “the peak summer heat and the crowded global sports calendar.” Last Wednesday, ESPN obtained an email LIV CEO Scott O’Neil sent to staff claiming the 2026 season will continue “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.” He made no mention of LIV’s future beyond 2026, however. Founded in 2021, LIV Golf made its debut in June 2022 and used lavish, guaranteed contracts to lure dozens of stars like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau away from the PGA. PIF has provided LIV with more than $5 billion, but the league has reportedly lost millions of dollars per year. Earlier this month, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF’s governor and LIV’s main financial backer, shared a plan for the kingdom to cut back on international investments and focus on more domestic projects. DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Rahm reportedly turned down the opportunity to return to the PGA Tour earlier this year. According to MSN.com, some LIV players have reached out to the DP World Tour. “At the moment, we’re in the mode of just listening because we don’t know any more than anyone else does”, DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings told MSN. “But we’ll listen and we’ll make sure that we’re fully informed before we make the decisions that we need to do. But for sure, there are people who are concerned and we will be having conversations with them at the right time.” PIF and the PGA Tour signed a Framework Agreement on June 6, 2023, throwing out the lawsuit LIV filed that accused the PGA of being a monopoly. But a deal to work together never came to fruition, despite the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump. LIV has seven more events scheduled for this year, including May 7-10 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #PIF #longer #financially #LIV #Golf](https://i0.wp.com/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28164487.jpg?ssl=1 "Deadspin | PIF to no longer financially back LIV Golf [US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 5, 2026; Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA; Bryson DeChambeau in action during the second round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Reuters via Imagn Images Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund confirmed Wednesday it will no longer finance LIV Golf, according to the Wall Street Journal. The league will notify its players and staff by Thursday. Reports of PIF pulling its funding have been rampant for weeks. The Telegraph reported LIV officials were summoned to an emergency meeting in New York last week, and a tournament scheduled for June in Louisiana was postponed. In a statement issued to Field Level Media, the league said it planned to move the tournament to the fall to avoid “the peak summer heat and the crowded global sports calendar.” Last Wednesday, ESPN obtained an email LIV CEO Scott O’Neil sent to staff claiming the 2026 season will continue “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.” He made no mention of LIV’s future beyond 2026, however. Founded in 2021, LIV Golf made its debut in June 2022 and used lavish, guaranteed contracts to lure dozens of stars like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau away from the PGA. PIF has provided LIV with more than $5 billion, but the league has reportedly lost millions of dollars per year. Earlier this month, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF’s governor and LIV’s main financial backer, shared a plan for the kingdom to cut back on international investments and focus on more domestic projects. DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Rahm reportedly turned down the opportunity to return to the PGA Tour earlier this year. According to MSN.com, some LIV players have reached out to the DP World Tour. “At the moment, we’re in the mode of just listening because we don’t know any more than anyone else does”, DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings told MSN. “But we’ll listen and we’ll make sure that we’re fully informed before we make the decisions that we need to do. But for sure, there are people who are concerned and we will be having conversations with them at the right time.” PIF and the PGA Tour signed a Framework Agreement on June 6, 2023, throwing out the lawsuit LIV filed that accused the PGA of being a monopoly. But a deal to work together never came to fruition, despite the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump. LIV has seven more events scheduled for this year, including May 7-10 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #PIF #longer #financially #LIV #Golf")
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