Leo Messi and MLS champs Inter Miami get trounced 3-0 by Denis Bouanga and LAFC in season opener

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami got off to a rough start in their MLS Cup title defense when David Martínez, Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz scored in Los Angeles FC's 3-0 victory Saturday night.

Inter Miami LAFC Soccer

Son Heung-min set up Martínez's opening goal for LAFC, which emphasized its status as a primary threatto Miami's crownduring a lively MLS season opener between two of the league's marquee clubs.

"This game is always special because Messi played, and we have some (desire) to want to beat Miami because Messi is there," Bouanga said. "Every player, the mentality is so high for this game. It's high for all games, but maybe this game is more high than another mentality."

The matchup drew 75,673 fans — the second-largest crowd in MLS history — to the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which is next-door to LAFC's home BMO Stadium. The huge crowd celebrated a convincing win for the home team and still enjoyed a good look at Messi, who played the full match despite dealing with a strained hamstring this month.

"This game would have sold out five times at BMO, but we wanted to do something special," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. "This is a seminal year in the history of our sport and a big moment in the history of our league, so why not go into this historic stadium, bring Miami here, our champion, and have them play against LAFC?"

Bouanga exchanged jerseys with Messi after the matchbecause the LAFC star's son demanded it, he said with a grin.

Messi's every move was greeted with cheers and boos by the California fans, but he didn't manage a shot on target. The superstar is clearly working out his dynamic with his new teammates after the Herons lost Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to retirement.

Messi put a shot just over Hugo Lloris' bar in first-half injury time, and he never managed to link up with new forward Germán Berterame under pressure from LAFC's impressive defense. Dayne St. Clair, Miami's elite new goalkeeper, also made a positioning mistake in his debut that greatly simplified Bouanga's goal.

"They put us (under) a lot of pressure, but we defended really well," LAFC head coach Dos Santos said. "I don't think we conceded big chances. There were these half-chances, but overall … I think that part of our game today, A-plus. The part of (our) possession, B. We can be much better, and we want to be much better, but our guys were a team."

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Dos Santos won in his debut asthe third head coach in club history. The former Vancouver head coach and longtime LAFC assistant led his team to a 6-1 win over Real España earlier this week in its CONCACAF Champions Cup opener in Honduras.

LAFC went ahead in the 38th minute when Son controlled the ball in traffic and slotted a perfect pass to Martínez,who found the far bottom corner in stride. The 20-year-old Martínez has started his MLS career slowly, but LAFC remains confident the Venezuelan forward will be a star.

"We need to push him in the field because he has strong quality, but now he has changed (his) mentality, too," Bouanga said of Martínez. "Last year is not the same to this year, and he knows."

Bouanga had a hat trick in CONCACAF Champions Cup play earlier this week, and he added his first MLS goal of the season in the 73rd minute. The Frenchman who finished second to Messi in the Golden Boot race last season converted on a long pass from Timothy Tillman, adroitly heading it over the charging St. Clair beforebanging it home.

LAFC added a third goal in second-half injury time when Ordaz converted a pass from Bouanga.

LAFC improved to 4-2-0 against the Herons in the clubs' history. LAFC also remained unbeaten in its season openers, improving to 9-0-0.

Up next

Inter Miami: At Orlando on Sunday, March 1.

LAFC: Host Real España in the second leg of CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/soccer

byDaniel Coleman

in

February 22, 2026

Leo Messi and MLS champs Inter Miami get trounced 3-0 by Denis Bouanga and LAFC in season opener

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami got off to a rough start in their MLS Cup title defense when David Martín...

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No. 3 Duke outlasts No. 1 Michigan in much-anticipated slugfest

Cameron Boozer scored 18 points and No. 3 Duke held on to beat No. 1 Michigan 68-63 in a much-anticipated, high-intensity nonconference showdown Saturday night in Washington, D.C.

Isaiah Evans racked up 14 points, Caleb Foster provided 12 points and Patrick Ngongba II turned in 11 points for Duke (25-2). Boozer grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, part of the Blue Devils 13-rebound advantage on the boards (41-28), and also distributed a game-high seven assists.

Yaxel Lendeborg posted 16 of his 21 points in the first half for Michigan (25-2), which had an 11-game win streak snapped. Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 13 points and Aday Mara notched 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting through foul trouble, but the Wolverines ended at 40% from the field, including 6-for-25 from 3-point range (24%).

Earlier in the day, the NCAA Tournament selection committee's bracket preview listed Michigan and Duke, respectively, as the top two overall seeds. Attendance was announced at 20,537, making it the largest turnout for a neutral-site game this season.

Michigan had cut an eight-point deficit to 61-58 with 2:18 left when Boozer drained a 3-pointer. But Elliot Cadeau countered for the Wolverines with a three of his own with 1:39 left.

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Boozer scored on a short jumper on the next Duke possession. Cadeau's two free throws came with 51 seconds to play.

Duke milked some clock, but when Ngongba II missed a shot, he grabbed the rebound. So instead of the Wolverines having possession with a chance to pull even, Evans sank two free throws at the 14-second mark.

Duke overcame 11 turnovers to push its winning streak to four games since a three-point loss at North Carolina and may be the new No. 1 team come Monday with No. 2 Houston also losing on Saturday.

Duke held a 35-33 halftime lead. Neither team held a lead of more than five points in the first 20 minutes. An Evans 3-pointer early in the second half stretched the margin to 41-35.

Michigan shot 3-for-13 on 3s in the first half and Duke was 4-for-12. The Wolverines, aided by making nine of their first 11 shots, were at 51.9% from the field in the first half.

--Field Level Media

byDaniel Coleman

in

February 22, 2026

No. 3 Duke outlasts No. 1 Michigan in much-anticipated slugfest

Cameron Boozer scored 18 points and No. 3 Duke held on to beat No. 1 Michigan 68-63 in a much-anticipated, high-intens...

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No. 4 Arizona defeats No. 2 Houston, takes Big 12 lead

Reserve Anthony Dell'Orso matched his season high of 22 points to lead No. 4 Arizona to a 73-66 victory Saturday at No. 2 Houston, handing the Cougars their first home loss of the season and second since they joined the Big 12 in 2023-24.

The Wildcats (25-2, 12-2 Big 12) took sole possession of the conference lead with the win over Houston (23-4, 11-3), which has lost two straight after a six-game winning streak.

Arizona managed to win despite freshman starting forward Koa Peat (lower-leg muscle strain) sitting out and frontcourt starters Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas fouling out.

Jaden Bradley had 17 points and four assists with only one turnover in 37 minutes.

Arizona had only five turnovers while Houston had 12, allowing the Wildcats to outscore the Cougars 16-3 in points off turnovers.

Ivan Kharchenkov added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats.

Kingston Flemings led Houston with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Emanuel Sharp had 14 points but shot 2 of 11 from the field. Chris Cenac Jr. posted 10 points and 13 rebounds.

A 12-0 run by Arizona, fueled by four points each from Brayden Burries and Dell'Orso, put the Wildcats ahead 60-50 with 5:30 left.

Bradley made a jumper and then converted two free throws on the next possession to give the Wildcats a 65-57 lead with 1:10 left.

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Dell'Orso went down with a sprained ankle shortly thereafter but was able to return.

After Houston's Joseph Tugler made a dunk, Bradley was fouled and made both free throws to put Arizona ahead 67-59 with 49 seconds remaining.

Flemings was then fouled by Krivas, who fouled out, and made both free throws.

Burries made two free throws before Tugler made another dunk to cut the lead to 69-63 with 37 seconds to play.

After Burries made one of two free throws, Uzan drilled a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 70-66 with 10.3 seconds left.

Bradley converted 1 of 2 free throws, and after a failed 3-pointer by Flemings, Kharchenkov made two free throws with 1.6 seconds left to seal the win.

Arizona led the entire first half after getting off to a 9-2 lead less than four minutes in.

A 3-pointer by Dell'Orso with 4:38 left in the half put Arizona ahead 32-22.

The Cougars went on an 8-2 run and took their first lead at 44-42 on a 3-pointer by Uzan with 14:16 left in regulation.

--Field Level Media

byDaniel Coleman

in

February 22, 2026

No. 4 Arizona defeats No. 2 Houston, takes Big 12 lead

Reserve Anthony Dell'Orso matched his season high of 22 points to lead No. 4 Arizona to a 73-66 victory Saturday a...

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Why adults pursuing career growth or personal interests are the 'new majority' student

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Interested in starting a business, learning aboutartificial intelligenceor exploring a new hobby? There's a class for that.

Millions of U.S. adults enroll in credit and non-credit college courses to earn professional certificates, learn new skills or to pursue academic degrees. Some older students are seeking career advancement, higher pay andjob security, while others want to explore their personal interests ortry new things.

"They might have kids, they might be working full-time, they might be older non-traditional students," said Eric Deschamps, the director of continuing education at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. But returning to school "opens doors to education for students that might not have those doors open to them otherwise."

Older students, many of whom bring years of work and life experience to their studies, often are juggling courses with full-time jobs, caregiving and other family responsibilities. It is a challenging balancing act but can also sharpen priorities and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Here's what experts have to say about returning to school, what to consider beforehand and how to balance coursework with work and personal commitments.

Why more people want to continue learning

UCLA Extension, the continuing education division of the University of California, Los Angeles, offers more than 90 certificate and specialization programs, frominterior design, early childhood education and accounting to photography, paralegal studies and music production. Individual courses cover a wide range of topics, including retirement planning, writing novels, the business of athletes and artists, and the ancientJapanese art of ikebana, or flower arranging.

About 33,500 students — nearly half of them older than 35 — were enrolled during the last academic year. UCLA reported a full-time enrollment of about 32,600 degree-seeking undergraduate students during the same period.

"I prefer calling our (adult) learners not only continuous, but the new majority student. These are learners who tend to already be employed, often supporting a family, looking for up-skilling or sometimes a career change," Traci Fordham, UCLA's interim associate dean for academic programs and learning innovation, said.

Higher education experts say some adults take classes for professional development as economic concerns, technological advances and other workforce changes create a sense of job insecurity.

"A great example of that is artificial intelligence. These new technologies are coming out pretty quickly and for folks that got a degree, even just 5 or 10 years ago, their knowledge might be a little bit outdated," Deschamps said.

What to ask yourself before returning to school

Adults interested in becoming students again may want to assess their time and budgets, and weigh the potential benefits and consequences, including the financial impact, the potential for burnout and rewards of education that may take a while materialize, academic advisors say.

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Deschamps suggests asking where you want to be in 5 or 10 years and how the training and knowledge received through an additional class or certificate can help get you there. For example, if you want to start a microbrewery, learning to brew your own beer or launching a business will help. If a promotion or career change is the goal, training for a new job, refreshing skills or understanding a different industry may help show you are qualified.

Schools like UCLA and Northern Arizona University are working to make continuing education courses accessible by keeping the cost low in comparison to degree-track classes and offering financial assistance. A variety of learning environments usually are offered — in-person and online classes, accelerated and self-paced instruction — to help adults integrate schoolwork with their home and work lives.

Katie Swavely, assistant director for academic advising and student success at UCLA, started at community college before transferring to UCLA to study anthropology. She said it took her 10 years after graduating to go back for her master's degree in counseling with a focus on academic advising. Swavely completed that degree in 2020 and credits access to the program through employer-sponsoredtuition assistancefrom her job at the time.

"I felt like in so many ways I didn't really know who I was or what I wanted to do other than just pay the bills and survive," said Swavely, who is married and has two children. "It was hard. And I thought about quitting many times. We had to budget to the extreme and find additional ways to make it work."

She added: "There are questions of how are we going to make it work and do we have the money. As a parent, sacrifices are there all the time. You make those judgment calls every day. But making sure that you're investing in yourself. There's always gonna be reasons why it's not today, not this month, not this year, but it's also OK to just jump in and go for it and see how it works out."

As an avid book lover, Swavely now wants to take a book editing course and hopes to continue her education and enroll in that through the university soon.

Overcoming barriers to returning at any age

Some experts say one of the main barriers to returning to school is psychological. There might be concerns that their writing skills are rusty and that they don't know enough math or technology, bringing up feelings of uncertainty or failure.

"I think this is tied to access. Many of our learners, not all of them, haven't imagined themselves in any kind of higher education, post-secondary education environment," Fordham said.

Swavely said it was important for her to build a support network and take advantage of the counseling and advising options that were available to her as a student.

She encourages adults who are furthering their educations to spend time "finding your community." Having people around who helped build up her confidence at home and during classes got her through graduate school, Swavely said. She also suggests setting boundaries and giving yourself grace when you need need help.

"The biggest piece of advice is for people to realize you're never too old to learn," she said.

byDaniel Coleman

in

February 22, 2026

Why adults pursuing career growth or personal interests are the 'new majority' student

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Interested in starting a business, learning aboutartificial intelligenceor exploring a new hobby?...

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How much snow? Snow accumulation forecast by state, region

Snow from late January's catastrophic winter storm may finally be melting for many, buta brewing nor'easter is expected to dump inches of fresh snowon parts of the East Coast.

The storm's path and severity has been in flux as meteorologists monitored its approach closely, but the forecast was more clear on Feb. 21. The nor'easter is expected to bring heavy snow and high winds from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast on Feb. 22 and into Feb. 23, the National Weather Service said.

Some areas in the path of the storm are even under blizzard warnings, with conditions expected to make travel hazardous and cause some power outages, the weather service said. The heaviest snowfall and most severe storm impacts will be felt along the coast, where up to 20 inches could fall in some states, the weather service said. Wind gusts from 40 to 70 mph are expected from coastal New Jersey into southern New England.

"This will be a dangerous and incredibly disruptive winter storm," said AccuWeather Director of Forecasting Operations Carl Erickson.

Here's how much snow you could see in your state:

Snow covers the ground in northwest Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. These photos captured the winter storm's aftermath from the sky.

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Mesmerizing drone photos taken after winter storm show power of nature

Snow covers the ground in northwest Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. These photos captured thewinter storm's aftermathfrom the sky.

New England

Blizzard conditions are especially likely in areas from New Jersey into southeastern New England, the weather service said. The weather service in Boston said that total snowfall accumulation could reach between 10 and 20 inches across eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Snowfall rates of 2 inches per hour are expected.

Areas in the western part of Massachusetts and into Connecticut have greater uncertainty in their snowfall totals, the weather service in Bostonsaid, but could see anywhere from 4 to 8 inches inland and 8 to 12 inches closer to the coast.

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The city of Boston could see 8 to 12 inches, AccuWeather predicted.

Mid-Atlantic

Major Mid-Atlantic cities including New York City and Philadelphia are expected to get 6 to 10 inches of snow, according to AccuWeather. The weather service office serving Philadelphia and Mount Holly, New Jersey, puts its estimate between 8 and 18 inches for New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania, including the Philadelphia metro area.

Parts of Delaware are also at risk for blizzard conditions, and could see 12 to 18 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

The Washington, D.C., region could see 1 to 3 inches, while Baltimore could get 3 to 6 inches, AccuWeather reported.

Map shows snow, winter weather forecast for your state

Snowfall totals depend on storm's path

Snowfall totals can be impacted by even slight changes to the storm's expected path, forecasters said.

The storm's path will particularly impact areas more inland from the coast, Erickson said. If the center of the storm comes closer to the coast, the heavy snow and wind will spread further inland. If it stays further offshore, the inland areas may see less snow, but the coast will still feel strong impacts.

"A small wobble in the storm track can make a big difference," Erickson said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Snow accumulation forecast by state, region as nor'easter approaches

byDaniel Coleman

in

February 22, 2026

How much snow? Snow accumulation forecast by state, region

Snow from late January's catastrophic winter storm may finally be melting for many, buta brewing nor'easter is ex...

Read More