ORLANDO, Fla. – Kansas volleyball moved to 3-0 on the season after a three-set sweep over the Albany Great Danes on Friday inside The Venue at UCF.

After KU cruised to a 25-16 win in set one, the second set did not come as easy. The Jayhawks found themselves down 23-20 but managed to rally off five-straight points to win the set and take a two-set lead.

Looking to complete their second-straight sweep, the Jayhawks once again found themselves in a tight battle that went down to the wire. After having a 21-15 lead, Albany fought their way back to tie the set at 22. The back-and-forth affair continued until KU was able to put together two-consecutive points behind a kill by Rachel Hickman and a setting error on Albany to capture the set and match victory, 29-27.

Hickman led the charge on the night, finishing with a team-high 11 kills on 28 attack attempts, while senior Allie Nelson tallied a team-high 16 digs.

Next up for the Jayhawks is SEC opponent South Carolina in the second game of the UCF Challenge. The match is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. (CT) in The Venue at UCF.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bianca Andreescu knew this would happen, because she knows all about Serena Williams. Looked up to her. Dreamed of playing her.

Andreescu knew Williams would not go quietly. Knew Williams would not make things easy. And so as a big lead in the U.S. Open final dwindled Saturday, as she stuffed fingers in her ears to drown out the decibels from the delirious thousands filling Arthur Ashe Stadium, Andreescu knew she needed to be just as bold, and hit just as big, as she did earlier in the match — and as Williams has done for years.

Displaying the same brand of in-your-face tennis Williams seemed to invent, replete with strong serves, gutsy groundstrokes and “Come on!” cries, the 19-year-old Andreescu regained the upper hand and pulled out a 6-3, 7-5 victory at Flushing Meadows to win her first Grand Slam title and keep Williams from collecting a record-tying 24th.

“I’m sure I’m not the only person that’s looked up to her. She’s an inspiration to many, many people, not only athletes. What she’s done off the court, too. She’s truly a champion. Above all, she’s very kind-hearted. She came up to me in the locker room, she said some really nice things, which I’ll cherish for a really, really long time,” Andreescu said about the 37-year-old Williams.

“I’ve really strived to be like her,” Andreescu said. “Who knows? Maybe I can be even better.”

That’s quite a heady goal.

Still, this was certainly a good place to start.

Andreescu is the first woman in the Open era, which began in 1968, to win the championship in New York in her tournament debut; a year ago, she couldn’t even make it into the field, because she lost in the first round of qualifying. She is the first woman since Monica Seles in 1990 to lift the trophy in only her fourth Grand Slam tournament. She is the first player from Canada to win a Grand Slam singles title.

This is the second year in a row that Williams has lost in the final at Flushing Meadows. This one had none of the controversy of 2018, when she got into an extended argument with the chair umpire while being beaten by Naomi Osaka.

Williams has now been the runner-up at four of the seven majors she has entered since returning to the tour after having a baby two years ago. The American remains stuck on 23 Grand Slam singles titles, one shy of Margaret Court’s mark for the most in history.

“I’m not necessarily chasing a record. I’m just trying to win Grand Slams. It’s definitely frustrating, you know,” Williams said.

She gave credit to Andreescu for playing well, but also said: “I honestly didn’t play my best today. I could have played better. That’s the only solace that I can take right now.”

Williams double-faulted eight times in all, including three times on break point, part of her 33 unforced errors, nearly double Andreescu’s total of 17.

There were other ways in which Williams was not at her best, seemingly unsure of herself, including one odd-looking check-swing on a backhand in the second set that then let Andreescu put a shot away to go up 4-1.

Soon, Andreescu held a match point while serving at 5-1, 40-30. Williams erased that by snapping a forehand return winner off a 105 mph serve.

That launched a four-game run for Williams, who broke Andreescu again to make it 5-all.

“It was expected. She’s a champion. That’s what champions do. She’s done that many, many times throughout her career,” said Andreescu, perhaps aware that Williams has a winning record even when dropping the opening set of Grand Slam matches. “But I just tried to stay as composed as I could. It’s hard to just block everything out, but I think I did a pretty good job at that.”

Sure did. She steeled herself against Williams, against any nerves, against a loud bunch of spectators and took the last two games.

“Things just start slipping away. You can feel that Serena is finding a little bit of rhythm. She’s finding herself. She’s getting more solid. The crowd is roaring, just getting into it. It’s very easy to say from the sideline, ‘Stay focused, blah, blah, blah.’ But this is overwhelming. There’s no other word,” said Andreescu’s coach, Sylvain Bruneau. “So for her to be able to just, like, reset at 5-all when it’s now anybody’s match, that’s pretty special, I think. Very, very special. It shows a lot.”

She is 34-4 in 2019, 8-0 against top-10 opponents, and without a loss in a completed match since March 1. Andreescu missed a chunk of time in that span with a shoulder injury, which clearly is no longer hindering her.

Andreescu took it to Williams, figuratively and literally. Andreescu produced the kind of power Williams is more accustomed to dishing out than dealing with from the other side of the net. One shot went right at Williams, who leaped to avoid the ball at the baseline.

And Andreescu was fearless, always pushing, always aggressive.

“We’re really similar,” Williams said, “in terms of we both are fighters and we both are really intense.”

Talk about a compliment.

Andreescu agreed. To a point.

“We like to keep the points short with our aggressive game style. We like to use our serve to our advantage,” Andreescu said. “I think we fight really, really hard.”

“But at the same time,” she said, “I want to make a name for myself.”

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State announced a $105 million capital improvement project Saturday that includes a large renovation of Bill Snyder Family Stadium and additional projects to help other athletic programs.

The school already has raised $69 million for the work, which will begin in May.

The biggest projects involve the football program. The stadium will get new south end zone suites along with a new indoor practice facility, and outdoor practice fields will be built next door.

Kansas State will also build a new $17.5 million volleyball arena and a $13 million training center for its Olympic sports programs. Both of those facilities will be located near the football stadium and Bramlage Coliseum, consolidating the Wildcats’ athletic programs on one campus.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Randy Moss. Josh Gordon. And now Antonio Brown.

A dozen years after Bill Belichick took a chance on Moss when the talented but troubled diva had worn out his welcome in Oakland, the Patriots picked up Brown on Saturday hours after he was released by the Raiders without ever playing a game for them.

Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmed to The Associated Press that the four-time All-Pro receiver has agreed to terms with New England, going from the NFL’s cellar to the defending Super Bowl champions despite talking and tweeting his way out of two teams in one offseason.

Brown had been scheduled to earn up to $50 million from Oakland over the three-year deal. Instead, the Patriots guaranteed him $9 million this season, with the potential to earn as much as $15 million.

If Brown can behave, he would make up for the loss of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who retired at the age of 29. After the signing was reported, New England became the oddsmakers’ favorite to win the Super Bowl.

A Patriots spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The deal was first reported by ESPN, and it became Instagram official minutes later when Brown posted a photoshopped picture of himself in a Patriots uniform . The post was soon liked by New England receiver Julian Edelman, who already was sharing quarterback Tom Brady’s attention with one troublemaking receiver, Josh Gordon.

But Belichick has a history of gambling on other teams’ problems — or at least bringing them in at little cost — to give them a second, third or fourth chance.

In 2007, the Patriots acquired Moss after both Minnesota and Oakland tired of his attitude. He caught an NFL-record 23 touchdown passes in his first season and gave New England three straight seasons of 1,000 receiving yards to rehabilitate a career that landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Belichick also took a chance in 2004 on running back Corey Dillon, who had fallen out of favor in Cincinnati; he ran for 1,635 yards and helped New England win its third Super Bowl in four seasons. (Some other moves, like Albert Haynesworth, didn’t work out.)

Gordon dragged Cleveland through a series of suspensions before the Browns traded him to the Patriots last September. Belichick was rewarded with 40 catches for 720 yards and three touchdowns before Gordon was suspended Dec. 20 for violating the league’s drug policy.

New England opens the season against the Steelers on Sunday night, when the Patriots will raise their sixth Super Bowl championship banner. Brown is not eligible to be officially signed until Monday, but even his presence on the Patriots’ sideline adds a new wrinkle to his tumultuous tenure in Pittsburgh.

A four-time All-Pro who caught 837 passes over nine seasons with the Steelers, the team tired of Brown’s antics and traded him to Oakland in March. But he never made it onto the field in a Raiders uniform.

Instead of providing them with a marquee star in their final season in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas, Brown gave them months of headaches, from a bizarre foot injury to a fight over his helmet to the blowups this week that ended his career there before it began.

The Raiders granted the disgruntled but talented receiver his Saturday morning, two days before their season opener.

“We just exhausted everything,” coach Jon Gruden. “We tried every way possible to make it work. All I’m going to say is, it’s disappointing.”

Brown asked for the release after he was upset about his latest team fine over an outburst during practice at general manager Mike Mayock. That fine allowed the Raiders to void more than $29 million in guarantees over the next two years in Brown’s contract if he wasn’t on the team.

The Raiders traded two mid-round draft picks to Pittsburgh for the game’s most prolific receiver and gave him a three-year contract worth $50.1 million that now is void; Brown could still file a grievance to recover the guaranteed money.

The moves on Saturday follow a week in which Brown posted a letter on social media detailing $54,000 in fines for missing team activities. (ESPN reported that he would be fined $215,073 for conduct detrimental to the team.)

Brown was banished for one day, then returned to the team and apologized in a meeting and in a brief public statement. Gruden said the plan was for Brown to play in the opener Monday night against Denver, but that changed after Brown requested and was granted his release.

“It’s been crazy,” Oakland receiver Tyrell Williams said. “We feel how everybody else feels. It’s been wild, it’s been crazy, it’s been unexpected. But we’re going to go out there and play regardless. He made that decision. We’re going to go out there and play how we’re going to play.”

The Raiders had been counting on Brown to spark an offense that lacked playmakers a year ago. Brown had 686 catches and 9,145 yards receiving the past six seasons in Pittsburgh, the best marks ever for a receiver in a six-year span.

But now they must move on without him.

“It’s been an emotional thing for me,” Gruden said. “I was very hopeful about what he could bring here. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen. He’s a good guy. He’s misunderstood by a lot of people but he’s a good guy, a great player and I hope he gets what he’s looking for.”

___

AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State totaled more than 500 offensive yards in consecutive games for the first time in school history on Saturday after dismantling Bowling Green 52-0.

The Wildcats look to dominate to start the season after outscoring Nicholls and Bowling Green 111-14 combined.

“I challenged the guys this week to improve upon week one and in particular this morning to get the fight started quickly and jump on them from the start,” head coach Chris Klieman said. “I was so pleased.”

The Wildcats did just that, holding their opponent scoreless in the first half for the second straight week.

It was an offensive mismatch as Malik Knowles had 99 receiving yards and two touchdown catches and Skylar Thompson threw for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Knowles missed a few catches last week, but made up for those against the Falcons

“It was relieving, that was my main focus throughout the week to make sure that didn’t happen again,” Knowles said.

James Gilbert led the Wildcats’ ground game for the second straight game with 103 rushing yards and found the end zone twice. Jordan Brown, Harry Trotter and Joe Ervin also provided rushing touchdowns. Kansas State has scored 10 rushing touchdowns in two games.

The Wildcats played many freshmen, including Ervin and Jacardia Wright, who combined for 22 carries, 87 yards and a touchdown.

“Our plan all along was to play a bunch of freshman no matter what the score was just to see how they would react under live fire,” Klieman said. “We’ll look at the film, but I was glad to see some guys playing and we’ll see how much they play moving forward.”

The Falcons never got their offense going, totaling 140 yards with just five first downs.

Darius Wade threw for 79 yards on eight completions for Bowling Green and Davon Jones had 47 rushing yards. The Kansas State defense stifled the Falcons, whose offense was on the field for just 44 plays and a little over 17 minutes.

“He (Darius) did not play as well as we hoped,” head coach Scot Loeffler said. “The way that he was at times his rhythm and tempo were there. We need other people around him to play better.”

The Wildcats marched down the field to start the game, but only got a field goal, then scored TDs on their next five possessions.

“They did not do anything we did not prepare for,” Loeffler said. “They just did it better and more efficient.”

Kansas State was able to rest its starters for most of the second half, which could give the Wildcats fresher legs for their first road game next week at Mississippi State.

The Wildcats will look to get revenge on the Bulldogs after a 31-10 loss last season.

“This is just the beginning, game two, playing good, but we’re not where we want to be,” KSU defensive end Reggie Walker said. “It just all makes us hungry.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Bowling Green: The Falcons were overmatched and couldn’t stop the Kansas State offense in the first half.

Kansas State: For the second straight week, the Wildcats looked about as good as they could. Kleiman has found his quarterback in Thompson, but they’ll face their first true test against an SEC foe next week.

JUST KEEPS WINNING

Klieman has won 23 consecutive games, dating to when he was head coach at North Dakota State. His last loss came to South Dakota State in 2017.

RENOVATIONS COMING

Kansas State Athletics announced a $105 million renovation project, in which part will be for Bill Snyder Family Stadium’s south end zone. Construction will begin in May 2020 and be completed by the start of the 2021 football season.

UP NEXT

Bowling Green hosts Louisiana Tech next Saturday.

Kansas State has its first road game of the season at Mississippi State on Saturday.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Frazier capped Pittsburgh’s six-run seventh inning with a two-run triple, and the Pirates rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4. Last-place Pittsburgh scored each of its runs in the seventh with two outs. Josh Bell hit a two-run single off Andrew Miller. After run-scoring hits by pinch hitter Melky Cabrera and José Osuna, Frazier made it 7-4 when he tripled high off the 21-foot wall in right field.

MIAMI (AP) — Jorge Lopez pitched six innings of four-hit ball and Hunter Dozier homered, leading the Kansas City Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. Whit Merrifield and Ryan O’Hearn each had two hits and an RBI for the Royals, who have won five of six. Ian Kennedy earned his 27th save.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs signed Tyreek Hill to a three-year, $54 million contract extension on Friday, locking up the playmaking wide receiver whose off-the-field issues left his future in the NFL in question just a couple months ago. The deal includes a $5.8 million signing bonus and $35.2 million in guarantees, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Chiefs do not disclose the terms of contracts.

National Headlines

NEW YORK (AP) _ Second seed Rafael Nadal and No. 5 Daniil Medvedev  have advanced to tomorrow’s U.S. Open men’s final Nadal knocked off Matteo Berrettini, 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 after Medvedev defeated Grigor Dimitrov, 7-6, 6-4, 6-3. Nadal will be seeking his fourth U.S. Open title and 19th Grand Slam.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) _ Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden said star receiver Antonio Brown is back with the team and is expected to play the season opener. A run-in with general manager Mike Mayock had put Brown in jeopardy of being suspended. Brown had posted a letter earlier Wednesday from Mayock detailing nearly $54,000 in fines for missing a practice and walkthrough.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ Hank Bachmeier threw for 282 yards and a touchdown to help 24th-ranked Boise State get a 14-7 victory against Marshall. George Holani finished with 103 yards on 22 carries, the first running back to eclipse the 100-yard mark against Marshall in two years. The Broncos snapped Marshall’s streak of 19 victories when the Thundering Herd score first.

Friday Scores

INTERLEAGUE
Final Kansas City 3 Miami 0

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 4 Oakland 4 (Bot 10th, 2nd game)
Final Tampa Bay 5 Toronto 0
Final Texas 7 Baltimore 6
Final Boston 6 N-Y Yankees 1
Final L-A Angels 5 Chi White Sox 4
Final Oakland 7 Detroit 3 (1st game)
Final Houston 7 Seattle 4
Final Cleveland 6 Minnesota 2 (11 Innings)

NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco 5 L-A Dodgers 3 (Bot 9th)
Final Pittsburgh 9 St. Louis 4
Final Atlanta 4 Washington 3
Final N-Y Mets 5 Philadelphia 4
Final Milwaukee 7 Chi Cubs 1
Final Arizona 7 Cincinnati 5
Final Colorado 3 San Diego 2

TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (24)Boise St. 14 Marshall 7

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION)
HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Usually when the Hutchinson Community College volleyball team meet, there’s plenty at stake.

Saturday’s first of two regular-season matchups between the Blue Dragons and Saints is no different. The winner claims at least a share of the early Jayhawk West lead. But there is something added as the Saints are the No. 1 team in this week’s NJCAA Rankings.

Saturday’s match will begin at 2 p.m. at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. The match will be streamed like on the Blue Dragon Sports Network.

After starting the season 1-3, the Blue Dragons climbed back to .500 with 3-0 victories over Dodge City and Garden City last Friday and last Monday.

A pair of freshmen have led the way so far for the Blue Dragons. Camila Espejo is hitting .539 with 21 kills on 39 swings in her last two matches. Freshman Katelyn Elstun is hitting .483 in her last two matches with 17 kills.

The Blue Dragons are hitting .232 as a team with 11.19 kills per set. The Dragons are also averaging 1.60 blocks, 1.86 aces and 12.43 digs per set.

Seward County has yet to drop a set in six matches this season, going 4-0 at the New Mexico Military Classic. The Saints have Jayhawk West wins over Butler and Independence so far.

Seward County is hitting .367 with 12.89 kills per set. The offense is led by sophomore setter Laura De Pra, who is averaging nearly 13 assists per set. Sophomore outside hitter Yanlis Feliz is hitting .412wiwth 4.17 kills per set.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -For the first time in the 88-year history of Hutchinson Community College football, the Blue Dragons go into a game ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA Rankings.

The only team of the NJCAA Preseason Top 6 to not suffer a loss, the 2-0 Blue Dragons begin a three-game September gauntlet of ranked teams on Saturday with No. 7 Iowa Western.

Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Lewis Central High School’s Titan Stadium in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The Blue Dragons enter this key non-conference matchup coming off a 31-21 victory over Independence last Saturday at Gowans Stadium. The Dragons raced out to a 17-0 halftime lead, but withstood two major Pirate third-quarter advances to win their Jayhawk Conference opener.

Sophomore quarterback Mark Wright, who was named the KJCCC Offensive Player of the Week, accounted for 354 total yards against the Pirates. He threw four touchdown passes and rushed for 160 yards on 27 carries to become the first Blue Dragon quarterback to rush for 100 yards in a game since Bryant Johnson in 2008.

Defensively, the Blue Dragons forced four Independence turnovers.

Iowa Western, the preseason No. 2 team in the NJCAA Rankings, suffered a 28-26 loss to Iowa Central last Saturday in Fort Dodge. The Reivers trailed 28-20 midway through the fourth quarter, but completed an 11-play, 80 scoring drive with 2:54 to play. The Reivers’ two-point conversion attempt missed. IWCC never got the ball back.

Before this week’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking, the highest Blue Dragon football has ever reached in the NJCAA rankings was No. 2 in 2010. That ranking lasted four weeks.

Saturday’s meeting with Iowa Western marks the fourth time in the seven-game series that both teams are ranked in the NJCAA Top 20. Last season, the Reivers were No. 2 and Hutch was No. 11. In 2014, IWCC was No. 2 and the Blue Dragons were No. 4.

The Blue Dragons look for their first-ever win in Council Bluffs. Two years ago, the Dragons thought it has taken the lead in the final seconds. B.J. Emmons scored a touchdown, but it was wiped out by a penalty and with the 10-second runoff, the Dragons never got another chance to score in a 27-21 loss. Last season at Gowans Stadium, the Blue Dragons fell to Iowa Western 33-24.

Blue Dragon head coach Rion Rhoades continues to inch closer to 100 career wins as a KJCCC head coach. Now 98-53, last week’s win over Independence moved Rhoades – who is in his 13th season with the Blue Dragons after a one-year stint at Fort Scott – into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time KJCCC Coaching Wins list, breaking a tie with former Blue Dragon head coach John Matous. Next on the KJCCC list is another former Hutchinson coach, Charles Sesher is third with 115 victories.

Information Box

BLUE DRAGON FOOTBALL

No. 1 Hutchinson (2-0) at No. 7 Iowa Western (1-1) When: Saturday, September 7, 2019 Where: Titan Field, Lewis Central HS, Council Bluffs, IA Kickoff: 1 p.m. Live Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) – Glen Grunwald (PBP); Daren Dunn (color), 12:30 p.m. Live video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 12:50 p.m. Live Stats: BlueDragonSports.com Twitter: @bluedragonsport

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The soccer gap between Mexico and the United States is far wider than the Rio Grande that separates the nations.

Exactly a year before the start of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, Mexico handed the Americans their most one-sided loss in the rivalry since 2009.

Javier Hernández scored after U.S. newcomer Sergiño Dest was nutmegged in the 21st minute, and Érick Gutiérrez and Uriel Antuna added late goals in a 3-0 exhibition win Friday night.

“We still play with fear against them, and that is what I can’t really live with,” U.S. star Christian Pulisic said. “That needs to change.”

Mexico took control after an even first 20 minutes.

Gutiérrez made it 2-0 in the 78th, a minute after entering, when goalkeeper Zack Steffen tried to play a backpass short to Alfredo Morales, who allowed Héctor Herrera to poke the ball to Gutiérrez for an open 18-yard shot that resulted in his first international goal. Antuna added an 82nd-minute goal on a counterattack after Hirving Lozano dribbled by Morales, who returned to the U.S. team for the first time since May 2016.

The Americans, still trying to rebound from their failure to reach last year’s World Cup, lost to Mexico by three goals for the first time since a 5-0 defeat in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. El Tri beat the U.S. 1-0 two months ago in the latest Gold Cup final and has won four of the last six meetings, with one draw.

“You guys are going to think I’m crazy, I’m happier about this game than I am about the Gold Cup final,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “In the Gold Cup final, I felt like all we did was play the ball long and that was our only solution. And now at least we tried to play in the way that we’re envisioning.”

Berhalter used just five starters from the Gold Cup final and Mexico coach Tata Martinez two as many of his regulars returned. Berhalter pointed to better possession and passing accuracy, but still the Americans were outshot 10-6 and Berhalter admitted the attack “kind of stalled” in the final third.

“We have to go and play like we’re good enough to be out there, be confident and play without thinking twice about it,” Pulisic said. “That’s how it needs to be, and that’s just not where we’re at right now.”

Steffen, who played under Berhalter in Columbus, believes in the coach’s build-from-the-back system.

“We’re going to eat goals, but it’s a process,” Steffen said. “You could definitely see where we need to improve and come together more and really trust one another and be brave and just be fearless.”

Morales hit a post in the 80th minute, and when the U.S. was awarded a penalty kick, Pulisic handed the ball to 19-year-old Josh Sargent. The forward’s 88th-minute attempt was stopped by Jonathan Orozco, who dived to his right.

“Christian felt very confident in myself,” Sargent said. “I was unfortunate not to make that one, but it happens and I look forward to the next one.”

Dest, an 18-year-old who has gained playing time for Ajax this season, started at left back and became the third American born in the 2000s to play for the national team after Tim Weah and Sargent.

“He lacked a little bit of aggressiveness going forward when Christian was coming inside. But overall pleased with his performance,” Berhalter said.

Dest can switch to the Netherlands if he doesn’t play a competitive match for the U.S. He had a curling 25-yard shot in the 14th minute that was punched away.

Jesús Corona created the first goal when he dribbled past Pulisic, played the ball through the legs of Dest, then took a touch and made an open cross to an unmarked Hernández. Chicharito’s diving header from 8 yards was his 52nd international goal.

“It was a great action from him,” Dest said. “I don’t think I played a bad game or something, but it was just that moment was crucial. I have to learn from it.”

INJURIES

U.S. defender John Brooks did not dress because of a tight right groin and Morales left in the 90th minute after hurting his right leg. He was limping after the game and was scheduled for an MRI Saturday.

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW

In addition to Brooks and Morales, four other players will miss Tuesday’s exhibition against Uruguay in St. Louis and return to their clubs: Pulisic, Steffen, midfielder Weston McKennie and backup goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

ANOTHER DEBUT

Defender Miles Robinson made his U.S. debut in the 58th minute.

HOSPITALIZED

Mexican midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro had surgery Friday night following appendicitis.

ROAD TRIP

Martino is 11-0 since taking over this year as Mexico’s coach — with all the matches played in the U.S. His 14th game will be his first at home, a Nations League match versus Panama on Oct. 16.

SEATS

The game drew 47,960 to MetLife Stadium, where the upper deck was closed. The total was up from 32,469 for last September’s friendly at the venue against Brazil but down from 78,936 for a 2011 match against Argentina and 77,223 for a 2010 friendly against Brazil.

HONORING HOWARD

Goalkeeper Tim Howard, who is retiring at the end of the MLS season, was honored by the U.S. Soccer Federation before the game, part of a new program to acknowledge men and women who made at least 100 international appearances and were on the rosters for two senior world championships, including World Cups and Olympics. The 40-year-old, who made 121 appearances, does not want to coach but would like to be in management. Of the open U.S. men’s general manager position vacated when Earnie Stewart was promoted, he said: “I want to stay in the game at a very high level,” Howard said. “For my country, anything.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams lost her temper and then lost the match when she played for last year’s U.S. Open championship.

She gets another chance Saturday night, again seeking a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title when she faces 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu.

The 37-year-old Williams has lost all three major finals she has reached since returning from giving birth, including to Naomi Osaka in Flushing Meadows last year. That match is best remembered for Williams’ arguments with chair umpire Carlos Ramos.

She remains one behind Margaret Court’s record for most Grand Slam trophies and seeks her seventh at the U.S. Open, 20 years after winning her first.