Coach Jesse Marsch looks forward to first game in charge on Canadian soil

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall returned to the field for practice on Monday for the first time since he was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery nine days before the season opener.

The 49ers opened a window for Pearsall to begin practicing with the team while he remains on the non-football injury list. The team has three weeks to decide when to activate him, and coach Kyle Shanahan said last week there is no timeline for when Pearsall will be ready to play in games.

“I saw him warming up and I started smiling because I know how big of a factor he can be for the team,” rookie guard Dominick Puni said. “But more importantly for his health and everything, it was awesome to see him out there after going what he went through.”

Just the presence of Pearsall was a lift for the 49ers after what transpired on Aug. 31. Pearsall was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco’s Union Square area and was hospitalized overnight. He avoided damage to any organs and nerves and was back working out at the team facility the following week.

Pearsall could be seen dancing around the field during the brief portion of practice that was open to the media and broke down the team huddle before and after the session.

Fellow rookie receiver Jacob Cowing said he noticed from the first time he met Pearsall in January while preparing for the combine that he had the “it factor” and that only has been reinforced these last few months.

“All the adversity that has kind of been thrown at him in the past few months, just for him to overcome everything against him, to fight and to grind and to get back into shape,” Cowing said. “It’s a great feeling for everyone to see him put the helmet back on, put that the jersey back on, and then to go out there and be part of that team and go out there and have some fun.”

Pearsall, who was drafted in the first round in April, missed the majority of training camp practices with injuries to his hamstring and shoulder but was on track to be ready for the opener before the shooting.

He began his college career at Arizona State and transferred to Florida for his final two seasons. He had 65 catches for 965 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Gators and finished his college career with 159 catches for 2,420 yards and 14 TDs.

NOTES: RB Jordan Mason wore a blue noncontact jersey after spraining the AC joint in his left shoulder last Thursday night in a game at Seattle. The 49ers are hopeful he can play this week when San Francisco hosts Kansas City in a Super Bowl rematch. … S Malik Mustapha (ankle) and DT Jordan Elliott (knee) were working on the side. … CB Charvarius Ward (knee), LB Fred Warner (ankle), TE George Kittle (ribs) and LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf) all were in uniform to start practice.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos homered as the New York Mets stopped the Los Angeles Dodgers’ record-tying post-season scoreless streak in a 7-3 victory on Monday, tying the National League Championship Series at a game apiece.

Lindor added to his storybook season with a leadoff homer in the first inning against Ryan Brasier. Viento delivered during New York’s five-run second, connecting for a grand slam against Landon Knack.

Before Lindor went deep, Los Angeles had a string of 33 consecutive scoreless innings. Jack Flaherty led the Dodgers to a 9-0 victory in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday night.

Sean Manaea opened Game 2 with four shutout innings for New York. He was charged with three runs, two earned, and two hits in five-plus innings. Closer Edwin Diaz earned a four-out save.

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and two walks. He remains hitless with the bases empty in his first post-season.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday in New York.

The Mets jumped all over the Dodgers after flopping in the series opener.

Lindor fouled off four consecutive pitches from Brasier before sending a 395-foot shot to right for his leadoff homer.

Knack took over for L.A. in the second and gave up a leadoff single to Starling Marte and then walked Jesse Winker. One out later, Tyrone Taylor doubled to left, scoring Marte.

After Francisco Alvarez popped to shortstop, Lindor was intentionally walked to load the bases. Vientos sent a 391-foot shot to centre for the third grand slam in Mets playoff history. That extended the lead to 6-0 and silenced the sellout crowd of 52,926.

It was the Mets’ second slam of the playoffs. Lindor hit a go-ahead slam in Game 4 of the NL Division Series against Philadelphia. Edgardo Alfonzo had the club’s first playoff slam in 1999.

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The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

VANCOUVER – Christine Sinclair is saying goodbye — again.

The Canadian soccer legend will play her final game at BC Place on Tuesday when her Portland Thorns take on the Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite FC as part of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.

“When I played here last for Canada, I thought that was going to be my last game here in Vancouver. But thanks to this new tournament, I obviously get to bring my teammates up here,” Sinclair said Monday. “I’m excited to show the Whitecaps what we’re capable of.”

More than 48,000 fans packed BC Place last December as Sinclair played her final game with Canada — a 1-0 win over Australia in a friendly.

A significantly smaller crowd is expected for Tuesday’s game where the Thorns — a National Women’s Soccer League club who are currently battling for a playoff spot — take on the Whitecaps, an academy team composed mainly of teenage players.

The game’s profile got a boost last month when the 41-year-old Sinclair announced she will retire from professional soccer at the end of the season.

“Obviously for me, it’s a special feeling to play in front of my family, having played my entire career down in the U.S.,” she said. “They haven’t had that many opportunities to come watch me play, so whenever we get to play here, it’s always special.”

Hailing from Burnaby, B.C., Sinclair is one of Canada’s most revered athletes.

She ended her international career last year as the world’s top scorer in both men’s and women’s soccer with 190 goals. Her time with the national squad included appearing in six Women’s World Cups — and goals in five — an Olympic title in Tokyo, and bronze at both the 2016 Games in Rio and 2012 Games in London.

Her post-playing career includes a role as part-owner of the new professional women’s team, Vancouver Rise FC. The club is one of the founding teams in the Northern Super League, which is set to kick off its inaugural season in April.

“The impact that Christine has had on Canadian soccer and women in this country — not just in the soccer community, but I think in the sports community — she’s been an icon on and off the pitch,” said Whitecaps coach Katie Collar.

“Her ability to set records and to still be the humble person that she is, I think she’s a great role model and great icon for a lot of these players that are coming through.”

One of those up-and-coming players is Whitecaps forward Kaylee Hunter. The 16-year-old didn’t think facing her idol would ever be a reality.

“This is kind of a dream come true experience,” Hunter said.

Hunter remembers watching Sinclair take the field at BC Place during a friendly on Team Canada’s celebration tour after the national squad won Olympic gold in Tokyo.

“I just remember watching them out on the field and just thinking, ‘I want to be down there someday,'” she said. “Watching these players growing up, it really just made me fall in love with the game.”

Now in her 11th NWSL season, Sinclair continues to be an offensive force.

She scored her third goal of the season Friday, helping Portland to a 2-0 victory over the Orlando Pride. It was her 80th goal across all competitions, ranking her second on the NWSL’s career list.

The Thorns come to Vancouver with a 2-1-0 record in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup and hunting for a spot in May’s semifinals.

The squad won’t go easy on the Whitecaps, said Thorns head coach Rob Gale.

“It’s about us and our performance, building towards the post-season and trying to be better each and every game,” he said. “So for us, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is. We’re prepared the same way, with the same diligence and we put a team out on the field that we hope can win the football match.”

That’s just fine by Collar.

“I think just the fact that they’re coming in and not taking us lightly, I think that’s an important piece that shows they respect what we’ve done, and they respect the process that we’ve gone through in this tournament,” the coach said.

The Whitecaps finished their League1 B.C. campaign atop the standings with a 10-0-2 record and went on to beat Hamilton in the League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship.

The national title came with a spot in the Champions Cup, a 10-team tournament featuring the top women’s clubs from North and Central America and the Caribbean. The winner of the tournament will represent CONCACAF at the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2026.

Vancouver has gone 1-2-0 in group play, including a 2-0 loss to the San Diego Wave on Oct. 1 where the ‘Caps held the NWSL side off the scoreboard for the entire first half.

It’s a performance the Whitecaps can take a lot of confidence from, Collar said.

Heading into Tuesday’s game, she wants her team to replicate that defence and add in some of the offensive play they showcased over the League1 B.C. season.

“Each game we’ve learned different things and each game we’ve got better playing at this level,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2024.