WJPA Sports

SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. national soccer team advanced to the knockout round at the World Cup despite the absence of injured forward Christian Pulisic with a 2-0 victory over Australia. A deep U.S. roster overcame Pulisic’s absence to clinch a knockout berth after only two matches for the first time. Pulisic missed Friday’s match because of a calf injury. The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute after a run down the left sideline by Folarin Balogun led to an own-goal. Alex Freeman gave the Americans a 2-0 lead in the 43rd minute. Freeman headed in a deflected shot for his first career World Cup goal.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have acquired catcher Joey Bart from the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton. Atlanta made room for Bart on the 40-man roster by designating catcher Sandy León for assignment. The Pirates assigned Stratton to Triple-A Indianapolis. Bart was batting .259 with two homers, six RBIs and a .670 OPS in 21 games with Pittsburgh. He grew up in the Atlanta suburbs and played college ball in the city at Georgia Tech before being selected second overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2018 amateur draft. Stratton appeared in one game with the Braves this year and pitched a scoreless inning. He played for the Pirates from 2023-25 before getting traded to Atlanta last July.

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball owners proposed banning high school players from signing with major league teams, raising the age for international amateurs and slashing the money spent on signing bonuses in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday. The amateur draft for players residing in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico would be cut from 20 rounds to 12 beginning in 2027 under the proposal Major League Baseball made during a bargaining session with the players’ association. An identical 12-round draft would be started for international prospects, a proposal the union has rejected in the past.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — The USGA set up a different course at Shinnecock Hills to handle strong wind Thursday. When the wind subsided later, Wyndham Clark seemed to play a different U.S. Open. He took advantage of the gentler conditions, pulling away to reach 6-under par through 16 holes. He left in darkness with a four-shot lead over seven players, including Ryder Cowan and Dustin Johnson. Rory McIlroy thought he did well to shoot 69 in gusts over 30 mph. Scottie Scheffler battled all day, relying on his short game to salvage a 72. Clark will return Friday morning to complete the round.