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LA 2028 Olympic soccer kicks off 4 days early, spreading matches across 7 US cities

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Men’s and women’s soccer at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will begin four days before the opening ceremony and be played in seven cities around the United States.

The early start, approved by the IOC, allows teams two extra rest days during the tournament compared to previous Olympics. The schedule also includes additional rest days after the group stage and quarterfinals, giving teams time to travel.

The matches will start on July 10, with the group stage and quarterfinals being played in New York, Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and St. Louis.

The knockout rounds will move to California, taking place in San Jose, San Diego and Pasadena, with the gold medal matches at the historic Rose Bowl. The stadium hosted the 1994 men’s World Cup final, the 1999 women’s World Cup final and the 1984 Olympic gold-medal match.

New York and Columbus will host nine men’s and women’s matches on July 10-11, July 13-14 and July 16-17, as well as a men’s quarterfinal on July 20. Nashville will also host nine matches, with group-stage games on the same dates and both men’s and women’s quarterfinals on July 20-21.

St. Louis will host eight matches on July 10-17, with a men’s quarterfinal on July 20.

San Jose will host seven matches, including women’s group-stage games on July 11, 14 and 17 and a quarterfinal on July 21.

San Diego will be the site of 11 matches, including women’s group-stage games, a women’s quarterfinal on July 21, men’s and women’s semifinals on July 24–25, and the bronze-medal matches on July 27–28.

The tournament ends at the Rose Bowl, which will host five matches, including a women’s quarterfinal on July 21, men’s and women’s semifinals on July 24–25 and the gold-medal matches on July 28–29.

The complete schedule will be released later this year.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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