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LA Galaxy wins record 6th MLS CupOdia Director Bobby Islam And Actor Manoj Mishra Clash Outside Dcp’s Office Over Film Title DisputePresident-elect on Saturday raged against any U.S. military involvement in Syria—and took a potshot at former President Barack Obama—as rebels broached the outskirts of the country’s capital city. The Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, has been engaged in a 13-year war effort to suppress uprisings from within the country that were first sparked by discontent with the authoritarian leader’s tenure. With the conflict seemingly in Damascus, America’s president-elect offered his first detailed public remarks on the situation in a characteristically emphatic . Trump noted that Russia, a longtime ally of Syria, seemed incapable of stopping a “literal march through Syria” because they are “so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers.” Trump himself has long drawn concern over his and President Valdimir Putin. He argued in his post that Assad being overthrown—and the prospect of Russia ceasing operations in Syria—could benefit the European giant. “It may actually be the best thing that can happen to them,” he wrote, suggesting that Russia was only involved in Syria because of Obama’s , when the then-president failed to follow through on his insinuation that the U.S. would intervene if Assad used chemical weapons. Russia to Assad in 2015 after the Syrian leader’s forces were stretched thin by a civil war. “There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia, other than to make Obama look really stupid,” Trump wrote. “In any event, Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT,” he added. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” Although President ’s administration has indicated they are keeping a close eye on the situation in Syria, the U.S. is not backing the rebel offensive and gave no indication of offering military support to the effort, according to the AP. The U.S. currently has around 900 troops in Syria to support Kurdish allies as a preventative measure against a resurgence of the Islamic State, per the AP.

LOS ANGELES — Until he sustained a season-ending knee injury last week in the Western Conference final, Galaxy playmaker Riqui Puig was having a tremendous season. So I heard. I watched Puig play only twice this year, once in the Galaxy's season-opening 1-1 draw with Inter Miami and a second time in his team's Fourth of July defeat to LAFC at the Rose Bowl. Outside of short highlight clips on social media, I never saw the former Barcelona prospect, not even when he assisted on the goal that sent the Galaxy to the MLS Cup final. That wasn't a reflection of my interest. Some of my friends will make fun of me for publicly admitting this, but I like Major League Soccer. I covered the league in my first job out of college and have casually kept up with it since. I take my children to a couple of games a year. My 11-year-old son owns Galaxy and LAFC hats but no Dodgers or Lakers merchandise. People are also reading... When flipping through channels in the past, if presented with the choice of, say, college football or MLS, I usually watched MLS. But not this year. While the MLS Cup final between the Galaxy and New York Red Bulls will be shown on Fox and Fox Deportes, the majority of games are now exclusively behind a paywall, courtesy of the league's broadcasting deal with Apple. MLS Season Pass subscriptions were reasonably priced — $79 for the entire season for Apple TV+ subscribers, $99 for non-subscribers — but I was already paying for DirecTV Stream, Netflix, Amazon Prime, PlayStation Plus and who knows what else. MLS became a casualty in my household, as well as in many others, and the possibility of being out of sight and out of mind should be a concern for a league that is looking to expand its audience. Which isn't to say the league made a mistake. This was a gamble MLS had to take. Now in the second year of a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with Apple, MLS did what Major League Baseball is talking about doing, which is to centralize its broadcasting rights and sell them to a digital platform. Regional sports networks have been decimated by cord cutting, making traditional economic models unsustainable. The move to Apple not only increased the league's broadcast revenues — previous deals with ESPN, Fox and Univision were worth a combined $90 million annually, according to multiple reports — but also introduced a measure of uniformity in the league. The quality of the broadcasts are better than they were under regional sports networks. Viewers know where to watch games and when, as every one of them is on Season Pass and most of them are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. local time either on Wednesday or Saturday. "That's been fueling our growth and driving our fan engagement," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Friday at his annual state of the league address. Apple and MLS declined to reveal the number of League Pass subscribers, but the league provided polling figures that indicated 94% of viewers offered positive or neutral reviews of League Pass. The average viewing time for a game is about 65 minutes for a 90-minute game, according to Garber. In other words, the League Pass is well-liked — by the people who have it. The challenge now is to increase that audience. The launch of League Pass last year coincided with the arrival of Lionel Messi, which presumably resulted in a wave of subscriptions. But the league can't count on the appearance of the next Messi; there is only one of him. MLS pointed to how its fans watch sports on streaming devices or recorded television than any other U.S. sports league, as well as how 71% of its fans are under the age of 45. The league also pointed to how it effectively drew more viewers to the Apple broadcast of Inter Miami's postseason opener with a livestream of a "Messi Cam' on TikTok, indicating further collaborations with wide-reaching entities could be in its future. Garber mentioned how Season Pass is available in other countries. The commissioner also made note of how Apple places games every week in front of its paywall. "What we have, really, is a communication problem," Garber said. "This is new, and we've got to work with Apple, we've got to work with our clubs and we've got to work with our partners to get more exposure to what we think is a great product." The greatest benefit to the league could be Apple's vested interest in improving the on-field product. MLS insiders said Apple has not only encouraged teams to sign more high-profile players but also pushed the league to switch to a fall-to-spring calendar more commonplace in other parts of the world, reasoning that doing so would simplify the process of buying and selling players. The on-field product is what matters. The on-field product is why MLS continues to face competition for viewers from overseas leagues. The on-field product is why the league hasn't succeeded in converting every soccer fan into a MLS fan. And ultimately, if casual viewers such as myself are to pay to watch the Galaxy or LAFC on a screen of some kind, the on-field product will be why. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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LA Galaxy wins record 6th MLS CupArgentina's Racing wins its first Copa Sudamericana championship by beating Brazil's Cruzeiro 3-1LA Galaxy win record 6th MLS CupNone

For a brief moment, things looked grim for Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders against Kansas on Saturday. Sanders extended a play outside of the pocket but his pass fell incomplete. However, after releasing the ball Sanders was drilled in his knees by Kansas defensive end Dean Miller. The hit did not generate a roughing the passer flag but Colorado was called for an illegal man downfield. After the hit, fans took to social media to voice their displeasure with the hit, which was dubbed as dirty by many. "Dean Miller of Kansas just had one of the dirtiest plays on a QB I've seen in a while. Straight up targeted Shedeur's knees after he had thrown the ball smh," one fan said . "Shedeur is lucky that wasn't as bad as it looked." "I’m no fan of Shedeur, but how the hell is Dean Miller still in this game?" another said . Sanders was slow to get off the turf but didn't miss a play. In fact, he completed his next three passes, including a 19-yard throw to Drelon Miller for a touchdown. © Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images "How freakin’ tough is Shedeur Sanders?!" NFL analyst Todd McShay said . Sanders has a near-perfect first half, connecting on 12-of-13 passes for 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also added two carries for 23 yards, which led the Buffaloes at the break. Sanders is expected to be among the top prospects in the NFL Draft next April. Colorado and Sanders are seeking a spot in the Big 12 title game. Related: Colorado Coach Issues Warning to Kansas QB Jalon DanielsThe Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, has donated 1,000 motorcycles to the Kano State Police Command to enhance its operations and strengthen security efforts in the state. The handover ceremony took place on Saturday at the State Police Command headquarters in Bompai, Kano. The motorcycles are expected to aid officers in reaching remote areas and responding to emergencies more efficiently. Speaking at the event, Senator Barau, who represents Kano North, commended the police for their dedication to safeguarding Kano State. “You constantly risk your lives to ensure our continued safety. Therefore, it is our duty to assist you with the necessary tools to make your jobs easier,” he said. The Senator also announced plans to distribute additional motorcycles across other senatorial zones in the coming months. “We have provided enough motorcycles to cater to the needs of the Kano North zone, and the rest have been handed over to the headquarters. In the months ahead, we will bring more motorcycles for Kano Central and South senatorial zones,” he pledged. He urged private citizens to play their part in supporting the Police Force, regardless of political affiliations, emphasising that community safety is a shared responsibility.

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