Minnesota United at San Diego FC

When: 9:30 p.m. (CDT) Saturday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: KSTP-AM, 1500
Weather: 68 degrees, cloudy, 4 mph east wind
Betting line: San Diego minus-115; draw plus-280; MNUFC plus-280

Form: First-place San Diego (17-7-5, 56 points) extended its lead in the Western Conference with a 2-1 road win over Los Angeles FC on Aug. 31. Second-place MNUFC (14-6-9, 51 points) fell off the pace with a 1-1 home draw with Portland on Aug. 30.

Quote: “This is now undeniably the decisive game of the year, certainly in terms of the Western Conference, Supporters Shield standings,” Loons head coach Eric Ramsay said.

Recent matchup: San Diego beat Minnesota 4-2 in St. Paul on June 14, but poor goalkeeping from Loons rookie Wessel Speel and a late fourth goal from San Diego made it more lop-sided than it actually was on the field.

Stats: San Diego is No. 2 in MLS with 59.7% possession; Minnesota is dead last at 39.6. In their June match, S.D. had the ball for 66%.

RELATED: Rising soccer leader returns home to St. Paul for MLS match against Loons

Quote: “As a natural who is interested in strategy, tactics, playing styles, it’s a really interesting game from that perspective,” Ramsay said. “I’ve certainly enjoyed watching snippets of that game back because I feel like it’s a real chess match in that sense.”

Update: New MNUFC players Dominik Fitz and Nectarios Triantis have made the West Coast trip with the Loons. Fitz is more likely to make MLS debut than Triantis because Fitz was able to train with United for one week, while Triantis just obtained his work visa in Canada midweek.

Scouting report: Anders Dreyer is an MVP candidate for a reason (14 goals, 16 primary assists). The Dane had two goals and an assist in the win at Allianz Field and will need to be circled in pen for the Loons’ defense.

Context: After San Diego, the Loons host a U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Austin FC on Wednesday. It’s full throttle for Minnesota, but the different nature of the games (Austin is a more defensive team like the Loons) will call for slightly different mix of players, Ramsay said.

Prediction: United has been better on the road than at home this season and the same goes for San Diego, but Minnesota has yet to figure out life without Tani Oluwaseyi. Loons lose 2-1.

Related Articles

New Loons playmaker Dominik Fitz will soon get shot at unlocking defenses

Loons and Anthony Markanich agree to new MLS contract

Loons clinch MLS Cup Playoff spot with 1-1 draw with Portland

Loons fans send message: ‘End gun violence’ after mass shooting in Minneapolis

Loons vs. Portland Timbers: Keys to the match, storylines and a prediction

What to know when the Vikings host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night:

Vikings at Falcons
When: 7:20 p.m. Sunday
Where: U.S. Bank Stadium
TV: NBC
Radio: KFAN
Line: Vikings -3.5
Over/Under: 44.5

Keys for the Vikings

— As much as young quarterback J.J. McCarthy struggled at times in his NFL debut, head coach Kevin O’Connell seemed more concerned with the stretches of sloppiness from the offense as a whole. On that note, the Vikings need to show more discipline against the Falcons, especially considering the benefits of taking an early lead amid what’s expected to be rowdy crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium. If the Vikings can gain the upper hand shortly after the opening kickoff, it will open up the playbook for defensive coordinator Brian Flores to potentially make life miserable for the Falcons.

Keys for the Falcons

— The best way for the Falcons to take control would be to get McCarthy off his spot with hopes of forcing a turnover. That would give young quarterback Michael Penix Jr. a chance to get on schedule without having to worry about falling into a shootout. Though the Falcons are talented enough to put up a lot of points with their skill position players, they don’t want to give the Vikings too many chances to force a turnover of their own.

Related Articles

How the Skol Chant became synonymous with the Vikings

The Loop NFL Picks: Week 2

What makes a great punt returner? We called Marcus Sherels to find out

J.J. McCarthy misses Vikings practice to be at birth of his son

Vikings place Blake Cashman and Ty Chandler on injured reserve

DANE MIZUTANI

Vikings 24, Falcons 17: It took J.J. McCarthy roughly 45 minutes of game time to find his rhythm in his NFL debut. The hostile road environnement at Soldier Field contributed to that. He should be more comfortable from the onset at U.S. Bank Stadium.

JOHN SHIPLEY

Vikings 23, Falcons 18: Rising rookies take the stage, with the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy bolstered by a come-back Monday night win and the birth of his first child. Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr., meanwhile, will be getting advice about winning a nationally televised night game from Kirk Cousins.

CHARLEY WALTERS

Vikings 30, Falcons 24: Quarterbacks drafted in 2024, J.J. McCarthy (No. 10 overall) of the Vikings and Michael Penix Jr. (No. 8) by the Falcons, will be on the big stage for comparison. Ex-Viking Kirk Cousins and his guaranteed $27.5 million will get to compare, too, from the Atlanta sideline.

JACE FREDERICK

Falcons 28, Vikings 24: Another week, another battle of second-year quarterbacks. But Michael Penix Jr. is significantly better than Caleb Williams. Minnesota’s pass rush needs to get home to get Atlanta’s signal caller out of rhythm.

Related Articles

How the Skol Chant became synonymous with the Vikings

The Loop NFL Picks: Week 2

What makes a great punt returner? We called Marcus Sherels to find out

J.J. McCarthy misses Vikings practice to be at birth of his son

Vikings place Blake Cashman and Ty Chandler on injured reserve

By TRÂN NGUYỄN, Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California state lawmakers have passed legislation that would ban most law enforcement officers from covering their faces while carrying out operations, a response to recent immigration raids in Los Angeles.

But even if the governor signs the measure into law, it’s unclear whether the state could enforce it on the federal agents who have been carrying out those raids.

It is the first such bill to be approved by a state legislature, though Democrats in Congress and lawmakers in several states, including Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, have introduced similar proposals calling for mask bans for law enforcement officers.

California’s legislation, approved in the Democratic-controlled Legislature on Thursday, is among a number of bills state lawmakers were considering this year in response to the immigration raids.

The bill would prohibit neck gator, ski masks and other facial covering for local and federal officers, including immigration enforcement agents, while they conduct official business. It makes exceptions for undercover agents, medical masks such as N95 respirators or tactical gear.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has about a month to decide whether to sign it into law. The Democratic governor has criticized federal agents’ use of masks while making arrests but in July also questioned the state’s authority over federal agents. His office said Friday it does not typically comment on pending legislation.

Proponents of the bill said the proposal is necessary, especially after the Supreme Court earlier this week ruled that the federal administration can resume the sweeping immigration operations for now in Los Angeles.

Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, vice chair of the Latino caucus, said the decision is “effectively allowing federal agents stop suspects based solely on their race, language, or job.”

“How is anyone supposed to reasonably believe that they are law enforcement officers and not masked individuals trying to kidnap you?” he said prior to the vote. “Imagine the absolute fear of being pulled over at gunpoint by a group of masked individuals.”

Supporters also cited an opinion from constitutional law expert Erwin Chemerinsky at the University of California, Berkeley to defend the proposal. A state cannot directly regulate the federal government, he wrote in an opinion piece for the Sacramento Bee, but that does not mean federal employees do not have to follow state rules “unless doing so would significantly interfere with the performance of their duties. For example, while on the job, federal employees must stop at red lights.”

“ICE agents have never before worn masks when apprehending people, and that never has posed a problem. Nor have other officers of local, state and federal law enforcement faced dangers from the public because they don’t wear masks in the streets,” he wrote.

Related Articles

Across the US, cities combine art, shade and education to help people beat the heat

Lawsuit says US held West African migrants in straitjackets for 16 hours on flight to Ghana

Man arrested in Charlie Kirk’s killing had no known criminal history, had become ‘more political’

ICE officer fatally shoots suspect after being dragged by car near Chicago, officials say

Florida Everglades detainees continue to face obstacles to meet with lawyers, court papers allege

Republican lawmakers and law enforcement agencies said the legislation would only make the job more dangerous for officers.

“Bad guys wear masks because they don’t want to get caught. Good guys wear masks because they don’t want to get killed,” said state Republican Sen. Kelly Seyarto on Thursday.

The increase in high-profile immigration enforcement was already contentious between those opposed to the actions of Trump’s administration and those in support of them. The sight of masked agents carrying it out is creating a whole new level of conflict, in a way that has no real comparison in the U.S. history of policing.

Trump administration officials have consistently defended the practice, saying that immigration agents have faced strident and increasing harassment in public and online as they have gone about their enforcement in service of Trump’s drive toward mass deportation, and hiding their identities is for their and their families’ safety.

Democrats and others, including several state attorneys general, have pushed back, saying the use of face masks generates public fear and should be halted.