Greetings sports fans all over LA and wherever you may be. We had an amazing weekend of sports in LA and around the country. In fact, it was so big it took two days of sorting out all the madness to compress it all right here! It’s hard to figure a place to begin, but I am a gentleman. So, in other words, ladies first.
ANGEL CITY FC SOARS IN SEASON OPENER
After a disappointing season last season, not many people gave Angel City FC much hope for this season. However, Angel City was firing on all cylinders for an impressive 4-0 win over Chicago Stars FC. Kennedy Fuller scored the first goal, followed by Evelyn Shores, Ary Borges, and Maiara Niehues. It was a dominate performance for the Angel City squad, who possessed the ball for 59.6% of the time.
Fuller credited the performance to the work of manager Alexander Straus. This is Straus’ first full season as the Angel City boss, as his tenure began in the middle of the season last year. Fuller said, “He was able to have these eight weeks to really hone in on, we had lots of meetings on exactly what he wanted. Our meetings were very long, and our trainings were very long. So, we were really, really able to focus on exactly what he wanted. I’m hoping ya’ll can see that on the field.”
It was also a big game that saw the return of Savy King for the first time in over 10 months when she came on as a substitute. The 21-year-old had not played since May 9, 2025, when she suffered a cardiac event on the field during a game against the Utah Royals that required her to get open heart surgery. King jogged onto the field in the 63rd minute to a rousing ovation from the home crowd.
“I was super nervous, honestly. But when I got on the pitch I was thinking, ‘I’ve been here before and I’m ready for this,'” King said after the match. “The last 10 months have been crazy for me. A lot of hard work. A lot of perseverance. A lot of blood, sweat and tears that people didn’t see. But I felt as ready as I would ever be in that moment, and I didn’t want to let that fear and me being afraid to play again stop me from what I wanted to do.”
THE NCAA TOURNAMENT FIELD IS SET!
Before Conan O’Brien was hilariously chased by kids onto the stage of the Academy Awards, we finally got to see who was dancing in the big NCAA tournament. In what I feel is was a slap in the face to the women, the women’s tournament draw was during the Oscars themselves. Nevertheless, the quality of competition has improved greatly over the last few years, giving us some of the best basketball (both men and women) I’ve ever seen. The undefeated Huskies of UConn continue their title defense as the overall No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament. Even after losing Paige Bueckers in last year’s draft, the Huskies still have plenty of weapons, including Buecker’s girlfriend Azzi Fudd (who’s shooting 44.6% from the 3-point line).
However, the Huskies have to watch themselves. The other No. 1 seeds don’t intend to just hand them the title. This includes the powerhouse Gamecocks of South Carolina, the Texas Longhorns, and the hometown UCLA Bruins. The Bruins probably have the best chance of upsetting UConn. They swept the regular season and conference tournament title while also going undefeated against all Big Ten opponents. Led by senior Lauren Betts, a Bruins and Huskies matchup would definitely benefit women’s sports as a thrilling battle.
On the men’s side, things are a little less clear. Of the four No. 1 seeds and four No. 2 seeds, five lost their last game before the tournament draw. What that means is that the prize for the men’s side of the tournament is very much up for grabs. Duke is the overall No. 1 seed, but they are not as much of a slam dunk as the UConn women. Duke’s starting center and point guard didn’t play in the ACC tournament, and it doesn’t look like they’ll play in the opening rounds.
Another storyline to watch is how the Crimson Tide of Alabama gets through the tournament without one of their best players. Star guard Aden Holloway was arrested Monday morning and will face two felony drug charges. Tuscaloosa County police spokesperson Stephanie Taylor said Holloway was arrested Monday morning and transported to the county jail after agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a residence near Alabama’s campus and “recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash.” In the wake of his arrest, Holloway is no longer with the team, the university announced, and that he has been “removed from campus.” Just when you thought March couldn’t get any more maddening.
BASEBALL ON THE HORIZON
As the World Baseball Classic slowly reaches its finale, it will soon be time for the MLB season to begin. For the local LA fans, it’s the words that Vin Scully famously coined: “It’s time for Dodger baseball!” The two-time defending World Series Champion Dodgers are gearing up for yet another title defense. It was announced that 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the Dodgers’ opening day starter. This will be his second season as the opening day starter, as he was the starter last year when the Dodgers started the season in Tokyo.
In the Inland Empire, many Dodger fans are also getting excited for the Dodgers’ new minor league team, the Ontario Tower Buzzers. Hype has been building since last year’s big reveal party and through the winter. This last weekend, their “neighbors” uptown, the Ontario Reign hockey team (the minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings), held a special Tower Buzzers night. Social media videos have shown the Tower Buzzer’s mascot, Maverick, hanging out with his new buddy, Reign mascot Kingston. The Tower Buzzer’s home opener of their inaugural season is April 2, while the Dodgers’ home opener is March 26.
