LAFC wins MLS Cup, McCarthy is unlikely MVP

From Philadelphia to L.A., the unpredictable hero journey for MLS Cup Final MVP John McCarthy.

Good morning and welcome to The Morning Column presented by The Sporting Tribune. Please subscribe if you haven’t done so already. It’s free and will be delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. OK, let’s get to it!

1. LAFC wins MLS Cup, John McCarthy is unlikely MVP

The most unlikely hero of the 2022 MLS Cup Final was pitted against the team and coach who gave him his first start in professional soccer, and he came out the victor. The Sporting Tribune’s Chandrima Chatterjee has the incredible story of LAFC’s incredible hero.

John McCarthy, while standing next to his MLS Final MVP award, after he helped LAFC lift their first MLS Cup in an epic final that is one for the history books, openly admits, “I cried a lot.”

Everything about this edition of the MLS Cup Final played out unscripted and unpredictably, but the secondary goalkeeper for LAFC, in particular, was ready for anything. Born and raised in the city of brotherly love, McCarthy’s roots in Philly run deep.

---

2. F1 looking forward to Las Vegas   

In a town which will be hosting the Super Bowl and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in the next couple of years, perhaps the biggest event Las Vegas has ever seen is a year away. The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp has more on F1 coming to Las Vegas.

If you haven’t made your plans already to attend the Heineken Silver Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, you either better hit Powerball or be so well connected you’ll be able to find your way in. This endeavor, which is expected to generate over a billion dollars in revenue and attract several hundred thousand racing fans, is set for a three-year run beginning Nov. 16-18, 2023. The course, 3.8 miles long which will partially run down the famed Las Vegas Strip, has 17 turns and will be run at night, instead of the day. It should make for an amazing visual for the millions who will opt to watch the race on television.

---

3. Cameron Dicker kicks the Chargers to victory over the Falcons

The Chargers had to overcome some crucial injuries to get past the Atlanta Falcons, and they did, winning 20-17. The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez has more on a Chargers team that leaned on the arm and decision-making of quarterback Justin Herbert and running back Austin Ekeler.

There has been a lot of negative talk about the Chargers quarterback lately. What is forgotten is that he is missing Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, one of the better duos in the NFL. Allen has missed the equivalent of seven football games (played one half versus Raiders and one half versus the Seahawks). Guys haven't stepped up at times.

After those two, there is a notable drop-off at the position, so he has tried to win games with the pieces given to him. On Sunday, he was able to pass the ball around and was patient with Josh Palmer, Michael Bandy, and DeAndre Carter.

---

4. Lakers lose after Cavs dominate in second half

The Lakers lost their second straight game at home and are now 2-7 after 9 games after the young up-and-coming Cleveland Cavaliers beat them, 114-100. The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde with the latest on the Lakers’ unraveling season:

It looked very promising early for L.A. as they got off to a 21-9 start. But Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were on all game. While the Lakers had a better defensive effort in the first half than their previous contest, the Cavs were able to get to the line a ton. They would outscore the Lakers at the line for the whole game, 32-12. It didn’t help that the Lakers only shot .571 from the stripe (12 for 21).

---

5. Ducks still searching for first regulation win

The Ducks started off the weekend with their second win over the San Jose Sharks in the span of one week. Both wins came in the shootout and both came with backup Anthony Stolarz in net. In fact, Stolarz set a new career high in saves (48) in Saturday night's 5-4 win. The Sporting Tribune’s Derek Lee with more:

He threw five scoreless innings, only allowing three baserunners and striking out four. Three of his four strikeouts were of the looking variety, which is a testament to how well his stuff was working and fooling opposing batters. His command was also sharper than it’s been at times this fall, throwing 73% of his pitches for strikes and only issuing one walk.

---

6. Tom Brady leads Buccaneers over Rams in final seconds

Tom Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 100,000 yards — counting playoff games — and led a last-minute drive Sunday to pace the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 16-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams. More from The Sporting Tribune:

Brady drove Tampa Bay (4-5) 60 yards in 35 seconds with no timeouts, finding rookie tight end Cade Otton for a 1-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining. Otton’s 28-yard catch over the middle on the drive’s first play pushed the Bucs into Los Angeles territory and a pass interference call in the end zone set up a first-and-goal. Brady completed 36 of 58 passes for 280 yards as the Buccaneers won for just the second time in seven games and moved into a tie with Atlanta for first place in the NFC South. Matthew Stafford connected on just 13 of 27 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown for the Rams (3-5), who now trail Seattle by 2 1/2 games in the NFC West. Los Angeles has been outscored 71-10 in the fourth quarter this year.

---

7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports

Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:

---

8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick  

Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:

Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Clippers: $14

---

9. On the Air presented by Pirnia Law

Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region:

7:15 p.m. – Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz – Spectrum SportsNet  

7:30 p.m. – Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Clippers – Bally Sports SoCal

---

10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune 

On Friday’s show, the crew talked about the Lakers potentially turning the season around and if Kawhi Leonard will ever be his old self again with The Sporting Tribune’s Michael Duarte.

Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Fan in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher.

Thank you for reading. Please click below to subscribe to The Morning Column presented by The Sporting Tribune. It’s totally free and will be delivered to your inbox every morning.

That’s it for today. Talk to you all tomorrow!