Second MLS title for German-born Gressel
Columbus Crew has won the championship of the US soccer league Major League Soccer (MLS) for the third time after 2008 and 2020. On Saturday (local time), head coach Wilfried Nancy’s team won the final against Los Angeles FC 2-1 (2-0). The team from Los Angeles, coached by former Hanover player Steven Cherundolo, missed out on becoming the fourth team in MLS history to defend their title.
Cucho Hernandez (33rd minute) with a penalty and Yaw Yeboah (37th) scored within four minutes for Columbus in the first half, Denis Bouanga only managed the next goal for Los Angeles in the 74th minute.
For Columbus, German-born midfielder Julian Gressel came on as a substitute in the 85th minute. The 29-year-old moved to the USA in 2013 and attended college, and made his debut for the US national team at the beginning of this year. For Gressel it is the second US championship after 2018.
Midfielder Timothy Tillman (24) was in the starting line-up for Los Angeles. The former German youth international moved to the USA this summer from second division club SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
Stützle wins German duel in the NHL
Tim Stützle won the duel between two German national ice hockey players in the NHL on Saturday (local time) against his national team colleague Moritz Seider. Stützle’s Ottawa Senators won 5-1 (1-1, 3-0, 1-0) over the Detroit Red Wings in the North American Ice Hockey League.
Stützle marked the end of a strong middle third and took the lead 4-1 shortly before the third break. The guests scored three goals in that half. The 21-year-old striker scored his sixth goal of the season. Despite their eleventh win of the season, the Senators remain the weakest team in the Eastern Conference.
Lukas Reichel also achieved success with his team on Saturday (local time), the Chicago Blackhawks won 3-1 (2-0, 1-0, 0-1) at home against the St. Louis Blues. Reichel did not contribute to a goal in his twelve minutes on the ice. For the first time this season, Chicago has won two games in a row, but remains in the bottom of the Western Conference table.
JJ Peterka and the Buffalo Sabers suffered a 2:3 (0:0, 0:2, 2:0) home defeat after a penalty shootout against the Montreal Canadiens. The Munich native missed his attempt in the penalty shootout. Philipp Grubauer also suffered a home defeat with the Seattle Kraken, losing 3:4 (0:2, 2:0, 1:1) to the Tampa Bay Lightning after overtime. Grubauer stopped twelve of the 14 shots on goal, but had to be substituted after the second period due to an injury.
LA Lakers win new NBA Cup tournament
The Los Angeles Lakers have won their first title of the NBA season. On Saturday (local time) superstar LeBron James’ team won the final of the newly introduced North American Basketball League cup tournament in Las Vegas with 126:109 (65:60) against the Indiana Pacers. Each player on the winning team receives $500,000 in prize money.
For the Lakers, Anthony Davis excelled with 41 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks, and the center put up 14 points in the final quarter alone. When the Pacers had cut the lead to 99:105, Davis scored ten points in a row, eliminating any doubts about success.
“He just dominated. “That was a dominant performance from Shaquille O’Neal,” said LeBron James of his teammate’s performance, comparing Davis to former Lakers player and four-time NBA champion O’Neal, who was sitting in the hall. “When we are on the field together, we know what we are capable of. We’ve shared so many great moments,” James continued. James also had a good game with 24 points and eleven rebounds, and the 38-year-old was named the cup tournament’s most valuable player.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton had 20 points and eleven assists. Thanks to Haliburton, the team from Indianapolis surprisingly made it into the final, but ultimately had too little to offer against the Lakers and was consistently behind from the second quarter onwards.
The NBA reintroduced the cup tournament this season to add more excitement to the current phase of the season. All 30 teams in the North American Basketball League took part in the so-called In-Season Tournament, with a group phase followed by a knockout round. Except for the final, all games also count towards the regular season.
NBA: Franz Wagner excels – Schröder loses
Basketball world champion Franz Wagner led the Orlando Magic back to success in the NBA with a strong performance. The Berliner was the best scorer of the game with 27 points in the clear 123:91 win against the Detroit Pistons. After two defeats in a row, Orlando achieved its 15th win of the season. Brother Moritz Wagner remained pale with four points and five rebounds.
After a series of nine wins in a row (a franchise record), the Magic are in a strong position in tied second place in the Eastern Conference. Things look different with the Toronto Raptors around national team captain Dennis Schröder.
The Canadians lost at the Charlotte Hornets 116-119, suffering their third defeat in a row and their fifth in their last six games. Schröder disappointed with only seven points.
Things went better for the Los Angeles Clippers, where German center Daniel Theis did not play due to illness. Led by superstar Kawhi Leonard (41 points), the Californians achieved their eleventh win of the season after ten defeats with a 117:103 win over the Utah Jazz.
Isaiah Hartenstein (five points) lost with the New York Knicks to record champions Boston Celtics 123:133. The San Antonio Spurs suffered their 16th defeat in a row at 112:121 against the Chicago Bulls despite a furious double-double from young star Victor Wembanyama (21 points, 20 rebounds) – a negative franchise record.
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