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PGA Tour: Weekend at Cromwell

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CROMWELL – What was the song of the day on Friday at the 2025 Travelers Championship?

“Who’s peekin’ out from under a stairway

Callin’ a name that’s lighter than air?

Who’s bendin’ down to give me a rainbow?

Everyone knows it’s Windy.”

With apologies to The Association (music group of the ‘60s), yes, it was quite windy on Friday, especially when Scottie Scheffler was on the course.

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Scheffler remains T-1st along with scorching hot Justin Thomas (64) and veteran Tommy Fleetwood (65), who each dodged the windy conditions to post big time scores to roll into contention for the $4m first place prize this weekend at beautiful TPC River Highlands.

Thomas carded five consecutive birdies (Nos. 11-15) en route to his (64), his ninth consecutive round in the 60s at TPC River Highlands. It’s his 15th career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR and second this season (RBC Heritage/Won) and he’s batting .500, 7-for-14 in converting to victory to date.

Thomas’ 4-under (31) tied his lowest back-nine score at this event (fifth time) and he’s a remarkable 34-under in his last nine rounds at Travelers Championship.

Tommy Fleetwood is the only player with multiple eagles through 36 holes (Nos. 13 and 15/R2). Friday marked his seventh career stroke-play round on TOUR with multiple eagles (most recent: 2023 U.S. Open/R4)

Fleetwood’s is a cumulative 6-under on holes No. 13 and 15 combined through 36 holes.

General Notes:

First-round co-leader Austin Eckroat (T5/-7) made his fourth start at the Travelers Championship (T47/2021, T24/2023, T27/2024). He made his PGA TOUR debut at the 2021 Travelers Championship on a sponsor exemption.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (T9/-5) was 3-over through four holes en route to carding a 1-over (71). McIlroy has finished in the Top-20 in five previous starts at the Travelers Championship (best: T7/2023).

Popular 13-time PGA TOUR winner Jason Day’s (4th/-8) is on track for his best result in 10 appearances at Travelers Championship is T8/2019. His best finish in 11 starts this season was a T3/American Express.

The 70.686 scoring average Friday marked the highest single-round scoring average at Travelers Championship since 2017 (70.824/R2).

Si Woo Kim withdrew during the second round with a back injury.

The Travelers | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

 

T1 Justin Thomas 67 64 131 (-9)

T1 Scottie Scheffler 62 69 131 (-9)

T1 Tommy Fleetwood 66 65 131 (-9)

4 Jason Day 66 66 132 (-8)

Eckroat, Scheffler Lead after 18

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CROMWELL – (Staff Report from PGA Tour Brunch) – Austin Eckroat posted a (62) in his morning round and Scottie Scheffler posted a (62) in the more difficult afternoon round. Today, the tee times will be reversed and we’ll see who is atop the leaderboard come Saturday morning at the 2025 Travelers Championship, held at the TPC River Highlands – just outside of the Hartford, Connecticut city lines.

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Eckroat recorded his bogey-free 8-under (62), a career-low round with the previous best round being (63s), most recently at 2024 World Wide Technology Championship/R4). He played alongside Byeong Hun An in a 9:20am tee-time as the 72 player field marched out in pairs.

Ekroat holds his second career 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR but finished T8th at the 2023 RSM Classic. This weekend, he’s making his fourth start at the Travelers Championship (T47/2021, T24/2023, T27/2024). TPC River Highlands is where he made his PGA TOUR debut at the 2021 Travelers Championship on a sponsor exemption.

Scheffler, the World No. 1, carded his second-lowest opening-round score of the season (61/THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson). This is his sixth career 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR but only his second this season (THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson/Won). He’s 2-for-5 to date in converted an 18-hole lead to victory.

Scheffler, of course, is the reigning FedEx Cup Champion and he leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (4.194). He owns two Top-10 finishes in five career starts at the Travelers Championship (T4/2023, Won/2024).

On Friday, Scheffler tees-off at 10:35am with last week’s U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun while Eckroat and An go off at 12:30pm.

The last first-round leader to go on to win The Travelers was Jordan Spieth in 2017.

General Notes:

TPC River Highlands installed a new stone wall along a pond at No. 15-16-17 holes. The added yardage came from new tee box on No. 3 which added 15 yards to the Par-4.

Jordan Spieth was forced to WD after 12 holes of Thursday’s opening round. He was suffering from neck tightness that progressed through the day.

There are 71 players remaining in the field and there is no cut at this Signature Event.

The Travelers Championship is the last of eight Signature Events during the 2025 PGA TOUR Season. It has a $20m purse and the winner pockets $4m.

The Travelers | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

T1 Austin Eckroat 62 (-8)

T1 Scottie Scheffler 62 (-8)

T3 Wyndham Clark 64 (-6)

T3 Rory Mcllroy 64 (-6)

T3 Keegan Bradley 64 (-6)

Sports Biz: Devers, FSG, Yanks and Cape

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By JAMES GUMINA, (Special to Digital Sports Desk)

As a young person in an age of limitless information, there are always a lot of things on my mind, mostly sports-related, and often focused on what’s happening off the field. From marketing campaigns to broadcasts to business strategy, it’s a lot to process. So, to clear some space, here are a few things from this week that have stuck with me more than most. Whether you’re in the business, a media nerd, or someone who can’t stop thinking about how the game is packaged, I hope something here sticks with you, too.

Red Sox Trade Rafael Devers to San Francisco

As an avid Red Sox fan, the only thing on my mind for much of the past week has been the Rafael Devers trade debacle. I was just as stunned when I found out the news on Sunday night as I was about the Luka trade, except this was my favorite player leaving my favorite team. Thousands of words have already been written on the locker-room aspect of this trade, so I won’t delve into those rumors here. But the transaction, and the reaction to it, show some of the unique things about baseball’s changing ownership structure. Strictly from a baseball perspective, Devers, who commands over a 250 million dollar price tag, was traded in what essentially was a salary dump. The Red Sox got some interesting players back, but none of the Giants’ best players or prospects were included in the deal; a fact that vastly increased the Boston fan outrage. The number one asset going back to Boston was financial flexibility. Most production and valuation models have the Devers contract as a net negative over the course of the deal, so the Red Sox were put in the unique position of having only a few teams aggressive enough to take it on. Thus, they were left with a bad return.

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This newfound flexibility comes at an interesting time for Red Sox ownership group and Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which recently completed one of the largest transfer buyouts in Premier League history. At the same time, they’re preparing a bid for a La Liga team and are in the process of offloading a stake in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fenway Sports Group’s history tells a tale of how sports ownership is being transformed from a luxury status symbol to a piece of an investment portfolio. In the days after buying the Red Sox, FSG rapidly increased spending and was frequently bidding for top players in search of winning championships. In recent years, however, the Red Sox have floundered and shifted away from investing in top dollar signings. As FSG has begun to expand its portfolio, the Red Sox have faded from prized possession to revenue driver. Teams across the country are increasingly viewed as solid investments. With private equity money flooding into ownership groups, operations are being reshaped, often at the expense of fans, as clubs cut costs and trade stars like Rafael Devers, just two years into a ten-year deal. It may be boosting the team’s bottom line, but it’s harming fans and making the product less enjoyable. I wonder if this callous attitude will damage fan trust and turn people off the product in the long term. Time will tell, but for now I will be tuning into more Giants games.

Yankee Stadium

On Tuesday, I went to Yankee Stadium to watch them play the Angels. After Joon Lee’s piece on rising sports prices in the New York Times this week, I have been thinking about how rising costs have reshaped community building around sports. I found the atmosphere at Yankee Stadium to be enjoyable. But after spending a substantial amount of time this summer with USL League One team Westchester SC, I found the contrast to be remarkable. At Yankee Stadium no one was talking with one another, whereas it seems like people are constantly making new friends at the WSC games. The piped-in sound effects at Yankee Stadium make it hard to hear yourself think, let alone strike up a conversation with the person next to you, again, a totally different vibe than any smaller scale team or league. Thinking back on my favorite sports memories, many revolve around Cape Cod League baseball and its free tickets, another example of community-first sports. Aside from the obvious note of lowering prices, stadiums would do better to let the game breathe, get rid of artificial noise, and allow for community to be formed in the stands. After all, that is what sports are all about.

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Stray Thoughts: Former NFL star Jimmy Graham taking to the ocean, Club World Cup struggles, J.J. Spraun’s improbable win, Boston Marathon qualifying changed.

Yes, ‘Cers

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Indiana’s Obi Toppin scored 20 off the bench to lead a balanced offensive effort as the Indiana Pacers evened the NBA Finals with a 108-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 on Thursday in the heartland.

The Finals will go to a winner-take-all seventh game for the first time since 2016.

Game 7 is Sunday in Oklahoma City.

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There was little drama Thursday, as Indiana jumped ahead in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead.

Andrew Nembhard added 17 points while Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds to move the Pacers within one win of their first NBA title. Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a calf injury, had 14 points and five assists, and T.J. McConnell contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Indiana forced 21 turnovers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but had a playoff career-worst eight turnovers and just two assists. Jalen Williams, who scored 40 points in Game 5, finished with just 16 points.

Trailing by 30 entering the final quarter, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault pulled his starters, opting to save them for Game 7.

Oklahoma City shot just 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc — 1-for-11 in the first half.

The Pacers took control in the second quarter, turning the tables on the Thunder.

Oklahoma City won Games 4 and 5 the same way it had plenty of others this season — by turning up the pressure on defense and using that to fuel its offense.

Over the final eight-minutes plus before halftime, Indiana’s defense led the way on a 30-9 run to go into halftime with a 64-42 lead.

The Pacers scored 11 of their 36 second-quarter points off the Thunder’s seven turnovers.

Haliburton, who had struggled early in games for much of the series even before straining his right calf early in Game 5, helped set the defensive tone for Indiana.

In the final minute of the half, Haliburton elevated near the sideline for a steal off a Williams’ pass, then quickly fired to Siakam as he was falling out of bounds.

Siakam finished off the play with an emphatic dunk to stretch the lead to 20, then grabbed a rebound off a Chet Holmgren miss on the other end and buried an 18-footer just before the buzzer to send the Pacers into the locker room with a commanding lead.

Indiana, which committed 23 turnovers in Game 5, had just two first-half turnovers on Thursday.

The Pacers were slow-to-get-started on offense, going nearly four minutes into the game without a field goal and missing their first eight field goals while falling behind 10-2.

But it didn’t take long for Indiana to close the gap, scoring eight consecutive points to tie the game less than a minute after hitting its first field goal.

Moments later, the Pacers took the lead for the first time and what proved to be for good.

After going without a field goal in Game 5, Haliburton missed his first four shots Thursday before taking a quick feed from Myles Turner off an offensive rebound and burying a 3-pointer with just more than four minutes remaining in the first quarter to put Indiana up 24-17.

The Pacers continued to stretch their lead in the third, holding Oklahoma City to just 18 points.

Indiana’s James Johnson was ejected in the final minute after an altercation with Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Joe.

–Field Level Media

Low Scores Expected at Travelers

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CROMWELL – The Travelers Championship’s defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, is also the World No. 1, reigning FedExCup Champion and 16-time PGA TOUR winner. Scheffler is in search of his fourth victory of the season (THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, PGA Championship, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday).

Scheffler posted 65 or better in all four rounds en route to victory in 2024 (65-64-64-65).

New England favorite son, Keegan Bradley won the 2023 Travelers Championship and is making his 15th career appearance this week. He owns three Top-10s (T8/2017, T2/2019, Won/2023 at TPC River Highlands.

As a Signature Event, the tournament grants four sponsor exemptions to PGA TOUR members:

  • Luke Clanton: PGA TOUR rookie owns two Top-25 finishes in six starts this season
  • Rickie Fowler: Four top-25s in seven career starts at the Travelers Championship (T13/2010, T13/2013, T13/2023, T20/2024)
  • Tom Kim: Making third consecutive appearance in the Travelers Championship; T38/2023, lost in playoff-P2/2024)
  • Gary Woodland: Four-time PGA TOUR winner making his seventh career start in the Travelers Championship with his best finish being a T20 in 2015

All prior Signature Event winners this season are in the field: Hideki Matsuyama (The Sentry), Rory McIlroy (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am), Ludvig Åberg (The Genesis Invitational), Russell Henley (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard), Justin Thomas (RBC Heritage), Sepp Straka (Truist Championship), Scottie Scheffler (the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday).

World No. 3 Xander Schauffele has 66 consecutive made cuts on TOUR, the longest active streak and sixth-longest streak in TOUR history (Tiger Woods/142, Byron Nelson/113, Jack Nicklaus/105, Hale Irwin/86, Dow Finsterwald/72).

International players have won 15 of 27 events this season: Hideki Matsuyama/Japan, Nick Taylor/Canada, Sepp Straka/Austria/(twice), Rory McIlroy/Northern Ireland/(3x), Thomas Detry/Belgium, Ludvig Åberg/Sweden, Karl Vilips/Australia, Viktor Hovland/Norway, Min Woo Lee/Australia, Garrick Higgo/South Africa, Ryan Fox/New Zealand/(twice).

Lakers for Sale: Pricetag = $10B

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – For the first time since 1979, the Los Angeles Lakers will not have the Buss family as a majority owner. According to ESPN, the Buss family has entered into an agreement to sell majority ownership of the franchise to Mark Walter, CEO of diversified holding company TWG Global. The Lakers’ sale will be for a reported $10 billion.

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While Walter, who has been a stakeholder in the Lakers in 2021, will own the majority stake, Jeanie Buss will reportedly continue to serve in her role as the team’s governor.

One of the franchise’s all-time greats, Magic Johnson, said the team’s fans should be thrilled by the sale.

“Laker fans should be estatic. A few things I can tell you about Mark — he is driven by winning, excellence, and doing everything the right way. AND he will put in the resources needed to win! I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike – they are competitive people, have big hearts, love to give back, and both prefer to be behind the scenes. This makes all the sense in the world. I am so so SO happy and excited for @Lakers fans all over the world!”

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Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, a deal that also included the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the Los Angeles Forum. At the time, the Lakers were valued at $67.5 million. The Lakers won 11 of their 17 NBA championships under Buss family ownership.

The team’s ownership was passed on to Buss’ children when he died in 2013, with Jeanie taking over the responsibilities as team governor.

Walter will now step in as majority owner, although exact details of the agreement were not yet reported. That said, ESPN and The Athletic reported that the valuation of the deal is in the neighborhood of $10 billion — which would be the largest sale of a professional sports franchise in the world.

The Boston Celtics were sold for $6.1 billion earlier this year, the previous high for an NBA franchise.

Walter has investments in several other professional sports organizations, including the Los Angeles Dodgers of MLB, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and professional soccer.

–Field Level Media

Jalen Rose Wins Impact Award

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SPRINGFIELD – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and popular rap star, film producer and actor, entrepreneur, and co-founder of the BIG3 basketball league, Ice Cube, have announced that former player, TV analyst, and philanthropist Jalen Rose will be honored with the 2025 Ice Cube Impact Award.

“It’s truly an honor to be recognized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame with the Ice Cube Impact Award,” said Jalen Rose. “Cube is family, and we share an unwavering dedication to giving back to the communities that raised us. Basketball created opportunities for us in different ways and has allowed both of us to make a lasting impact beyond the court. I’m grateful for this recognition and proud to be celebrated in the Hall’s museum.”

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Rose’s impact extends well beyond the basketball court through his unwavering commitment to education and community development in his hometown of Detroit. In 2011, he founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA), an open-enrollment, tuition-free public charter high school focused on academic excellence and family. JRLA prides itself on being a 9-16 model, to and through college, and offers AP courses, college tours, summer programs, and dual enrollment opportunities. Rose remains hands-on as the president of the Board of Directors and is actively fundraising to bridge the funding gap, raise dollars for college scholarships, and support a $20 million capital campaign to expand the school. Jalen also has a scholarship endowment at the University of Michigan.

Beyond education, Jalen serves as a volunteer Board Member for the National Basketball Players Association Foundation and partners with New Era Detroit, a community organization that focuses on community engagement, resource distribution, and safety initiatives. His dedication to Detroit and beyond is reflected in the time, resources, and leadership he continues to invest in the city where he was raised.

“Throughout his entire career, Jalen has consistently been a force for good,” said Ice Cube, who was recognized last year with the inaugural award. “Not only does he give back to his communities through fundraising, education, and, most importantly, through basketball, but he leads by example, championing the exact values this award was created to celebrate. His impact can be felt deeply in Detroit, and his commitment to building up the next generation is inspiring. I could not be more honored that we have named Jalen Rose this year’s Ice Cube Impact Award recipient and thank him for his tireless dedication to lifting up communities through the beautiful game of basketball.”

The Ice Cube Impact Award was created in 2024 to recognize individuals making substantial contributions to their communities through basketball. As the eponymous recipient, Ice Cube was honored with the inaugural award for his creation of the BIG3 basketball league alongside Jeff Kwatinetz in 2017. The league plays the premier global version of professionalized 3-on-3 basketball and is committed to increasing the opportunity, entertainment, diversity, and growth of the 3-on-3 game. The Ice Cube Impact Award is permanently housed in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s museum and recognizes honorees through a dedicated exhibit and in-depth storytelling.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see Ice Cube and the Hall of Fame come together for something this impactful,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “Ice Cube’s influence goes way beyond entertainment—he’s a cultural icon who’s using his platform to uplift communities through education and philanthropy. This partnership represents a modern, meaningful opportunity for the Hall to celebrate not just basketball excellence, but the power of the game to drive real change. Jalen Rose is a remarkable selection for the Ice Cube Impact Award, embodying the values this honor was created to recognize.”

The Ice Cube Impact Award will be presented to Jalen Rose at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame during Enshrinement Weekend festivities on Saturday, September 6, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Reinhart’s Four Goals Clinch The Cup

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SUNRISE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Florida’s Sam Reinhart scored four goals to help the Florida Panthers clinch their second straight Stanley Cup Final with a 5-1 victory against the visiting Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 on Tuesday night in South Florida.

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Reinhart scored on all four shots he took to become the first player with four goals in a Stanley Cup Final since Montreal’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard in 1957. Reinhart finished with seven goals in the last four games of the series.

Matthew Tkachuk also scored for the Panthers, who are the third team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions in the past 10 years.

Sergei Bobrovsky came within 4:42 of his fourth shutout of the 2025 playoffs before Vasily Podkolzin scored for the Oilers. Bobrovsky finished with 28 saves.

Stuart Skinner made 20 saves for the Oilers, who also lost to the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final last season.

A team from Canada has not won the Cup since 1993.

The Panthers scored the first goal for the fifth straight game.

Edmonton was outshooting Florida 5-0 when Reinhart stole the puck from defenseman Evan Bouchard at his own blue line. He then juked past Mattias Ekholm at the top of the right circle before scoring over Skinner’s glove for a 1-0 lead at 4:36.

The Panthers added to their lead in the final minute of the opening period. Eetu Luostarinen pulled up above the right circle in the Edmonton zone off a rush and waited for Tkachuk, who had just jumped onto the ice.

After receiving Luostarinen’s pass, Tkachuk brought the puck to the high slot before hitting the top right corner of the net with a wrist shot, giving Florida a 2-0 lead with 47 seconds left in the period.

Florida outscored the Oilers 13-4 in the opening period during the series.

Florida made it 3-0 at 17:31 of the second.

Carter Verhaeghe took a wrist shot from along the boards and above the right circle that hit Skinner in the chest. The rebound came out diagonally to Aleksander Barkov cutting through the left circle, and his feed to Reinhart cutting to the opposite post went off his left skate blade and into the Edmonton net.

The Oilers pulled Skinner with about seven minutes left and Reinhart scored into the empty net for a 4-0 lead with 6:24 remaining, giving him the first playoff hat trick in Panthers history.

He wasn’t finished, as Edmonton pulled Skinner again and Reinhart scored into the empty net to make it 5-0 with 5:05 left.

–Field Level Media

Sox Turn to Crochet in Rubber Game

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SEATTLE – (Wire Service Report) – Thanks to batterymates Cal Raleigh and Bryan Woo, the Seattle Mariners will have a chance to win their three-game series against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

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Raleigh hit his major-league-leading 27th homer of the season, a grand slam, and added a two-run double while Woo pitched seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball as the Mariners leveled the series with an 8-0 victory against the Red Sox on Tuesday night.

The series’ decisive game is set for Wednesday afternoon, when Red Sox ace left-hander Garrett Crochet (6-4, 2.24 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo (4-4, 3.29).

Raleigh snapped out of a 4-for-27 slump when he singled in the first inning, then belted a slam against Walker Buehler in a five-run second inning. He doubled home two more runs in a three-run fourth.

The homer moved Raleigh above the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the top spot in the majors.

“What can you say about Cal … he’s been incredible,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “And caught a shutout to boot.”

Woo, who was 0-3 in his previous four starts, gave up only a leadoff single to rookie Marcelo Mayer in the fifth. He walked two and fanned six while again pitching at least six innings, something he has done in all 14 of his starts this season.

“He’s that stopper when we need a big game from our starter,” Raleigh said of Woo. “And he’s showing up every time — Mr. Consistent.”

As for Raleigh’s own accomplishments?

“It’s great, but you know, just trying to keep the head down,” Raleigh said. “The minute you look up and start to admire (it all), that’s when the game will come around and put you in your place.”

Despite winning six of their past seven games, the Red Sox haven’t scored more than four runs during any contest in that stretch. Their offensive output doesn’t figure to improve after trading disgruntled slugger Rafael Devers, a three-time All-Star, to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.

“(The lineup) feels good,” Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran said. “We won (2-0 Monday), and (Tuesday) was just one of those days where you run into a great pitcher and he does his thing.

“I don’t think anybody is thinking too much about (Devers). We’re just focused on the team we have now, and we’re going to keep rolling.”

Crochet didn’t get a decision on Friday against the New York Yankees in a game the host Red Sox won 2-1 in 10 innings. He allowed one run on four hits in 8 1/3 innings, with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Crochet, who had won his previous two starts, is 0-2 with a 4.96 ERA in five career appearances (three starts) vs. Seattle. He lost to the visiting Mariners on April 24 after permitting four runs on five hits and five walks with nine strikeouts in five innings.

Castillo is winless in four starts since May 19, though he is just 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA in that span. He didn’t get a decision in Seattle’s 7-2 victory against the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Friday despite allowing just two runs on three hits over six innings. He walked three and logged a season-high seven strikeouts.

Castillo is 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA in four lifetime starts against Boston.

–Field Level Media

SPORTS BIZ: Secret to a Great Summer

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By JAMES GUMINA

MOUNT VERNON, NY – One of the great opportunities of this  summer has been working as an intern for  Westchester SC at home games. For anyone not familiar, Westchester SC is a first year expansion club in USL League One that holds the record for quickest turnaround from franchise announcement to fielding a team on opening day, and it’s already one of the fastest growing professional clubs in the United States. They compete in USL League One, a professional league two tiers below MLS, as well as in multi-league tournaments like the Jägermeister Cup.

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Home games are played at Mount Vernon’s Memorial Field. Don’t let the number of multipurpose lines on the field fool you, the stadium and club are run extremely well and quite professionally. Easy entry, musical bands, numerous concession stands, and food trucks from across the local community make taking in Westchester games a great experience for the family.

In an era where going to see a pro sports game has become financially burdensome, local professional teams like this are a breath of fresh air. Ticket prices start at $15, and you can get a full, delicious meal and drinks from a food truck for under $20. Add in free parking, and you’ve got a proposition that’s hard to beat. This isn’t your local rec league. These are professional players, many with long careers in academies and clubs both in the U.S. and abroad.

WSC may be new to the league, but its roster is anything but inexperienced. The team pulled on local pipelines and talent to form a dynamic and competitive squad in its inaugural season. From MLS Veterans like Andrew Jean-Baptiste, to USL League one standouts like Steven Payne, to dynamic young goal scorers like JC Obregon, the roster spans experience levels and makes the product on the field a treat to watch.

From the way this team is run, you would have no idea it was a first year club. The stadium experience is smooth and seamless, with a European-style “Ultra” section, dubbed the 914th Infantry, leading chants and energizing the crowd.

I spent a long time in the stands prior to the recent game against AV Alta FC asking where people were from and what brought them to the stadium. As to where people were from, I heard just about every town within a 30 minute drive and a number of people who made the trip up from New York City. With free parking across the street and just a 15-minute walk from Metro-North train line, Westchester SC has drawn fans from across the region.

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Where there was a wide variety of answers to the first question, nearly everyone had the same answer to the second; community.

From members of the 914th infantry, to kids who had heard about the team from one of their friends at school, to family of the players and employees of the team, WSC has made strong inroads into the fabric of the local community. It’s a community of people that love sports, especially soccer, and with the New York City professional teams being hard physically and financially to access, Westchester SC can capitalize on the shortcomings of the more established teams and Westchester can better serve the fans.

Between all these facts, and the raucous 2,000+ person crowd against AV Alta FC, it was easy to forget that the team has only been in existence for closer to 10 months, rather than 10 years. This season is only the beginning for this franchise, and what a well executed start it has been. I look forward to attending more games over the course of the summer of 2025 and to watching the team grow, develop, and prosper within the Westchester community.