Shohei Ohtani announces the birth of his child in grand style.

The Japanese professional baseball player, who rarely misses games, popped up online with an explanation as to why he was missing in action at the Dodgers game versus the Baltimore Orioles, and this adorable tiny human should take the blame.

Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, who is a former professional basketball player, tied the knot in 2024 in a private, family-only wedding.

Shohei Ohtani And Mamiko Tanaka Are Now Parents Of Two Kids

Congratulations to Shohei Ohtani and his wife Mamiko on the birth of their second child! ❤️

(via shoheiohtani/IG) pic.twitter.com/5cVCRCyi8E

— MLB (@MLB) June 20, 2026

The baseball player shared the news on Saturday, June 20, that he and Tanaka have welcomed their second baby together. Ohtani disclosed the good news in an Instagram post of a baby swaddled in a blue blanket, although they kept the name and gender a top secret.

He described his excitement at the new development in his family, while thanking everyone who has been a part of their parenthood journey. Fans had rightfully noticed his absence in the squad for the Los Angeles Dodgers game against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, June 19.

However, the team officially announced that he was away from the team on paternity leave but is expected to be back with the squad during the weekend. 

The Baseball Star’s Celebratory Post Earned Thousands Of Congratulatory Responses

The 31-year-old’s heartwarming post received equally heartwarming reactions in the comments from their friends and loved ones. “Both babies born on the 19th? Baby girl on April 19, 2025, and baby boy on June 19, 2026. Soooo cute,” one person wrote.

Another set of commenters wished the couple a lifetime of happiness as they continue their voyage together with their new bundle of joy. It was all love in the comment section with over 15,000 fans and followers expressing their sincere good wishes for the latest parents.

Ohtani and Tanaka met for the first time at a training facility in Japan between 2020 and 2021. The duo got engaged in 2023 and tied the knot in 2024. Throughout the duration of their relationship, Ohtani and Tanaka kept things under wraps, with the baseball star hiding the former basketballer’s identity for a while.

Shohei Ohtani’s History Of Injuries And Career Pauses

Aside from the birth of his child causing him to miss the game, Ohtani was also absent in a few appearances due to personal matters and precautionary rest. Earlier in the month, the player’s inflamed knee caused him to be dropped from the lineup against the Chicago White Sox.

He also missed games against the San Francisco Giants during a slump in the middle of May. Ohtani also suffered an injury in 2019, prompting left knee surgery to correct a congenital bipartite patella condition.

In 2020, the athlete was forced to shut down his pitching duties after just 2 starts in 2020, although that season was shortened due to the pandemic. Ohtani ended his pitching season in August 2023 after suffering from a second UCL tear and an oblique strain. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers Star Made A Big Property Purchase In 2024

More than two years ago, the MLB star moved into a high-class Los Angeles area where he purchased a modern mansion in La Cañada Flintridge for nearly $8 million. As stated by The Blast, Ohtani’s big buy comes after he signed a major ten-year $700 million contract with the L.A. Dodgers five months ago. 

It can be argued that the baseball player purchased the home for comfort’s sake, as it is located about 13 miles from Dodger Stadium, giving him about 20 minutes to get to the location.

The seller, comedian Adam Carolla, initially listed the property last summer for $8.99 million, but an October price reduction lowered it to $8.35 million. 

The comedian reportedly bought the property for $7.327 million in 2018, and he opted to dispose of the home after his divorce from Lynette Paradise. The three-story home, built in 2023, boasts five bedrooms and nearly 7 bathrooms with a primary suite completed with a balcony and spa tub.

Shohei Ohtani Pulled A Triple On His Baseball MVP Honors  

The father-of-two proved in 2024 that his designated position as hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers is no fluke when he became the first full-time designated hitter to be unanimously voted as the National League’s Most Valuable Player.

As reported by The Blast, he received the coveted award in November 2024, adding to the previous two he won while playing for the Los Angeles Angels as a pitcher and a hitter.

The baseball player joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only player to earn MVP in both the AL and NL. Ohtani also becomes the first player to win the award unanimously three times.

During the athlete’s first season with the Dodgers, he became the first big leaguer to clinch 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

Congratulations to Shohei Ohtani on the birth of his second child!

The Shohei Ohtani Makes Rare Move Of Missing A Dodgers’ Game As His Family Grows first appeared on The Blast

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — One is barely old enough to drive a car. The other is just old enough to drink alcohol. Neither were born when Retief Goosen won here in 2004. But on Saturday at the 2026 U.S. Open, amateurs Miles Russell and Jackson Koivun shared a tee time during the third round at Shinnecock Hills.

They were standing on side of the tee box on the opening hole (Russell is a left-hander so positions on the left), as I watched them getting ready to take on the wind of Saturday morning and couldn’t believe just how young the pair were. Russell, the No. 1 ranked junior golfer in the world, is 17, Koivun, the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, his elder at 21. Combined, they are the same age as Jason Day (38).

But this is the U.S. Open and both made the cut for the weekend at three over par. If there were nerves, they don’t show. Koivun dropped his ball down on the first tee, no tee, and hit a crisp 3-wood down the middle of the fairway.

With pro bags, college scorecard holders and high school faces, the pair strolled together on the front nine at Shinnecock, not talking a lot and already conducting themselves like professionals. Koivun is set to make his pro debut later this month, and has a PGA Tour card locked up through 2027.

His super power? Ask anyone that watched him play at Auburn the last three years and they’ll tell you it’s his putter. He showed it off early, holing a 20-footer for birdie on the fourth. However, 210-yard bunker shots are tricky, even for All-Americans. The 21-year-old topped his second shot on the sixth hole, barely trickling into a hazard and finishing the hole with a double bogey.

As both players stood on the tee at the infamous seventh hole, a lady in the crowd commented on Russell (only a junior in high school), gushing as she said, “he’s so cute.” The redan par 3 probably didn’t look as attractive to Russell, his shot landing in the middle of the green but released out some 50 feet from the hole.

The confidence of youth was on show on the ninth hole. Russell’s approach from the rough was barely a scorecard-width from the edge of the green, 60 feet from the pin. The members watching from the clubhouse no doubt expected the 17-year-old to do what they would, pull putter and pray your ball comes to rest near the hole. But this is a golfer many tab as a future superstar. Out came the sand wedge, a crisp strike followed but checked up, and Russell wasn’t able to save par. Maybe when the U.S. Open returns here in 2036, Russell, then 27, will opt for a different approach.

I left the pair to battle the elements on the back nine but did so knowing I’d no doubt see them again soon. Perhaps paired together at a Ryder Cup.

MORE GOLF DIGEST U.S. OPEN COVERAGE

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Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov fought to a majority draw in their first meeting. | Getty/UFC


Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov have a little bit of unfinished business to handle.

The light heavyweights will square off in a rematch at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1, the promotion recently announced. Blachowicz and Guskov initially battled to a majority draw at UFC 325 this past December. A rematch was slated for UFC 328 on May 9, but Blachowicz was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.

UFC Belgrade — also known as UFC Fight Night 283 — takes place at Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, and is headlined by a welterweight showdown pitting Uros Medic against Daniel Rodriguez. The card will air in its entirety on Paramount+.

A Difficult Road

A former light heavyweight champion, Blachowicz is just 1-3-2 in his last six Octagon appearances dating back to October 2021. However, the 43-year-old Pole has squared off against only the division’s best during that stretch, dropping fights to the likes of Carlos Ulberg, Alex Pereira and Glover Teixeira while earning draws against Magomed Ankalaev and Guskov.

Prior to facing Blachowicz, Guskov had compiled a four-fight finishing streak in UFC competition, besting Zac Pauga, Ryan Spann, Billy Elekana and Nikita Krylov in succession. The 33-year-old Uzebkistan native has finished all 18 of his professional triumphs inside the distance.

The Carolina Hurricanes are celebrating their second Stanley Cup win in franchise history Saturday.

The Hurricanes beat the Las Vegas Golden Knights to be the NHL’s top team.

It will run through Downtown Raleigh and go past the North Carolina State Capitol.

Players and coaches are expected to speak at the end of the parade.

You can watch the full stream here.

Merab Dvalishvili believes all fighters deserve respect. | Getty/UFC


Merab Dvalishvili believes fighters shouldn’t be disrespected regardless of wins and losses. 

Dvalishvili (21-5) recently lashed out on social media against “s—t talk” toward fighters. While Dvalishvili didn’t clarify the target of his rant, he issued an open challenge to talk trash to his face.

“You disrespect the dedication and hard work to the sport that every fighter puts in when you talk s--t,” Dvalishvili wrote on X. “Win or lose we are all warriors and deserve respect. F--k anyone talking what they don’t know - come say it to my face.”

You disrespect the dedication and hardwork to the sport that every fighter puts in when you talk sh!t. Win or lose we are all warriors and deserve respect. F*^k anyone talking what they don’t know - come say it to my face.— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) June 19, 2026

Standing Up for Friend?

Dvalishvili’s comments come in the aftermath of his close friend and fellow Georgian Ilia Topuria’s (17-1) lightweight title loss against Justin Gaethje at UFC White House earlier this month. Topuria appeared supremely confident leading up to his title defense against Gaethje at the White House. “El Matador” had repeatedly predicted a first-round knockout win, even celebrating with a party a day before the fight. However, Gaethje bloodied up Topuria, forcing his corner to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round.

Ronda Rousey and Jake Paul are mocking the viewership numbers for UFC White House card. 

The UFC hosted a one-of-a-kind event at the White House earlier this month. Billed as UFC Freedom 250, the card featured two of the promotion’s biggest stars in Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira, alongside other big names like Justin Gaethje, Sean O’Malley and Ciryl Gane. The event had 7 million average viewership in the United States. 

Despite the magnitude of the card, it failed to beat the viewership numbers for Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" last month, which reportedly did 9.3 million in the U.S. MVP co-founder, Jake Paul, has now declared himself the biggest MMA promoter.

“As a boxing promoter it feels good waking up today being the biggest MMA promoter,” Paul wrote on X.

As a boxing promoter it feels good waking up today being the biggest MMA promoter— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) June 19, 2026

Rousey Targets UFC Exec

The MVP MMA card featured former UFC champions Ronda Rousey (13-2) and Francis Ngannou (19-3). Rousey defeated Gina Carano in just 17 seconds, via an armbar submission. Rousey was vocally critical of the UFC in the lead-up to her return on the MVP MMA card. “Rowdy” yet again slammed UFC executive Hunter Campbell, who has been her primary target.

“Lmao! Kiss my ass Hunter Campbell,” Rousey wrote.

Lmao! Kiss my ass Hunter Campbell 😜 https://t.co/fzkJTgqnyg— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) June 19, 2026

The United States of America are hosting the majority of games at the 2026 World Cup.

The USMNT have enjoyed a prolific start to the tournament as one of the hosts, securing two wins from their first two games to guarantee themselves a place in the Round of 32.

While America are flying on the pitch, English pundit Alan Shearer has questioned the lack of atmosphere as well as not many USA fans being around for their country’s games.

Alan Shearer questions why there were ‘hardly any USA fans around’ for their game

When speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, which is streaming on Netflix throughout the tournament, Shearer said he thought it was ‘strange’ there was not really much of an atmosphere, and he saw more fans from other nations during a day when the US were playing.

He stated: “Yeah, it’s really strange here in Houston.

“During the game here today with USA, I was expecting a great atmosphere but it was really flat, all I can see is Dutch shirts and Sweden shirts, there were hardly any USA fans around.”

Football, or soccer as it is mainly known in America, is not one of the leading sports in the country, with focus instead put on the NFL, NBA and more.

That may go some way to explaining why the people from the USA are not creating atmospheres like other countries’ fans.

Scottish supporters loved their time in Boston earlier this week, while there are countless social media posts showing other nations enjoying themselves at the World Cup.

Argentina fans took over Arrowhead Stadium after Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria.

Elsewhere, we have seen England fans celebrating their first win of the summer using a Donald Trump banner.

But perhaps the USA fans may come alive once they are playing knockout football and there is more on the line.

Read more:

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith received a frosty welcome from New York Knicks fans Friday night as he joined star players Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart for a live taping of their Roomates Show podcast at Madison Square Garden.

Introduced as a surprise guest, the 58-year-old sports pundit was met with a chorus of boos from the crowd, likely because of previous comments he made about the championship-winning players.

Smith criticized Villanova’s 2016 NCAA championship-winning team, saying, “Villanova doesn’t have a real NBA prospect on the squad.” At the time, the roster featured future NBA players Brunson, Hart and Mikal Bridges — all of whom were on the Knicks’ winning squad this season.

Then in 2022, when the Knicks signed Brunson, now 29, the commentator slammed the move. “I’m tired y’all… JALEN BRUNSON ISN’T THE ANSWER,” he argued. “You creating this cap space to get Jalen Brunson? Is he KD? Is he Kawhi Leonard?… You’re selling New York on Jalen Brunson?”

Trying to diffuse the rowdy MSG audience, Smith quipped: “They don’t know that boos are cheers.”

Once the room had settled, Hart confronted Smith over his resurfaced remarks. “We are now sitting here with this golden trophy there to your right,” the shooting guard, 31, said of the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. “Can you sit here and admit you were wrong?”

“I’m a grown-ass man. I was beyond wrong,” the ESPN host admitted. “I’m apologizing to this brother on national television; I’m apologizing to you; I’m apologizing to the entire Knicks organization. Let me be very, very clear: I have never been more happy to be wrong in my life.”

The Bronx native later claimed that he “came out of the womb a Knicks fan,” which was met with more disapproval from the crowd.

“So, I apologize for being wrong,” Smith continued. “But let me be very clear: if it means another championship, I would do it again.”

Last Saturday, the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in the fifth game of the 2026 NBA Finals, bringing an end to a 53-year championship drought.

Brunson, who set a finals record with 45 points in the win, was crowned the 2026 Finals MVP.

“I have no words,” an emotional Brunson told ESPN during the on-court celebration. “It’s everything I ever dreamed of.”

He said of his team: “I’m in awe. I don’t know. Whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to come back and do something about it.”

The Knicks returned home to massive city-wide celebrations, which culminated in a ticker tape parade Thursday. The event drew an estimated 2 million people, who lined the streets as the team traveled aboard a float from Battery Park to City Hall, where they were awarded the keys to the city.

Zabit Magomedsharipov is set to return to action after nearly seven years. 

Magomedsharipov (18-1) is set to face Raul Rosas Jr. in a no-gi grappling match at ACBJJ 21 on July 5 in Moscow, Russia. The matchup will be in the 70 kg (154 pounds) weight category. 

UFC Past and Present Collide

Magomedsharipov is considered to be one of the biggest “what ifs” in MMA history. The exceptionally well-rounded featherweight prospect won four bonuses in his six UFC wins. Magomedsharipov last competed in 2019, when he beat Calvin Kattar via a unanimous decision in a “Fight of the Night” clash. Magomedsharipov then surprisingly retired in 2022 to pursue a career in medicine. 

Meanwhile, Rosas Jr. is currently riding a five-fight winning streak in the UFC. The 21-year-old is coming off his biggest career win against Rob Font. 

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The USMNT have turned a strong Group D start into a knockout path that suddenly makes a World Cup semifinal feel realistic.

Nothing is locked in beyond first place in the group.

Still, the first look at the bracket is exactly why beating Australia mattered so much.

USMNT’s potential World Cup path opens after Group D win

The current snapshot has the USA lined up with a route that would avoid many of the tournament’s biggest names until the final four.

As things stand, the USA’s path to the semifinal is Bosnia in the Round of 32, then New Zealand or Czechia in the Round of 16, before a quarterfinal against Congo DR, Ghana, Austria or Uruguay.

That is the reward for beating Australia 2-0 in Seattle and watching Paraguay’s win over Turkey confirm the Americans as Group D winners with a game to spare.

It also places them, for now, away from Germany, Brazil, the Netherlands, Norway, Morocco, and several other heavy hitters sitting elsewhere in the bracket picture.

The caution is obvious. Groups E through L still have to play their second games, and every team in the tournament still has one final group match left after that.

That means the standings can move quickly. A goal difference swing, a surprise third-place qualifier, or a favorite slipping to second could change the route before the Round of 32 field locks.

USMNT’s potential World Cup path makes a medal game believable

The door is open enough to take seriously.

The USA has not reached a World Cup semifinal since 1930, so any talk of a medal game should come with perspective. This still requires three knockout wins, pressure handling, and probably one opponent with more tournament pedigree.

But the setup is far friendlier than a path through Brazil, Germany, or the Netherlands before the semifinals. Bosnia would be a manageable opening assignment, and New Zealand or Czechia would give the USA a real chance to dictate the tempo in the next round.

The quarterfinal is where the run would become real. Uruguay would be the most dangerous name from that projected pool, while Ghana, Austria, or Congo DR would still bring enough pace and physicality to punish any sloppy night.

Home soil matters here. The USA has already beaten Paraguay and Australia, controlled long spells without Christian Pulisic against the Socceroos, and generated the kind of stadium energy that can tilt knockout moments. They’re also guaranteed to play all knockout games until the semis in the West Coast (San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles), which is perfect given where their training base is.

The bracket can still move before it hardens. For the first time in this tournament, though, a USMNT semifinal run sounds like more than patriotic hope.

Read more:

CBS Sports is heading into the 2026 NFL season with presumably two open slots in its fourth broadcast booth.

ESPN re-signed Jason McCourty to a new multi-year exclusive deal on Thursday, pulling him away from the CBS booth he shared last season with play-by-play man Andrew Catalon, analyst Charles Davis, and sideline reporter A.J. Ross.

Davis is gone too, heading to college football full-time after being named Gary Danielson’s successor as CBS’s lead Big Ten analyst alongside Brad Nessler and Jenny Dell.

That leaves Catalon and Ross as the only returning pieces of a booth that has now cycled through three different analyst combinations in as many years.

Catalon spent the 2024 season working alongside McCourty, Tiki Barber, and Ross before Barber departed for WFAN to cover the New York Giants. Davis filled that vacancy last season, but only because he had been bumped from CBS’s No. 2 broadcast team — where he had worked alongside Ian Eagle — after J.J. Watt was brought in to take that analyst role for the 2025 season. CBS had already set the plan for Davis’s future in March 2025, when the network announced that Danielson — the longest-tenured lead college football analyst on any network — would retire after the season, with Davis as his replacement.

CBS, for its part, has been more focused on filling out its studio. Russell Wilson retired from playing to join The NFL Today, choosing CBS over a contract offer from the New York Jets, and Kyle Long was promoted to the main desk after years of working his way up through CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. The two join James Brown, Bill Cowher, and Nate Burleson on an NFL Today set that looks considerably different from the one it had a year ago, replacing Matt Ryan and Watt, whom the network originally chose not to replace.

There was perhaps a world where Long could have slotted into the fourth booth as part of a three-man team before his NFL Today promotion took him off the table. So the most logical internal candidate to step in would seem to be Logan Ryan, who spent last season working CBS games across both the NFL and college football.

Ryan shadowed Jim Nantz and Tony Romo for an entire week ahead of the Patriots-Buccaneers game in November, sitting in on production meetings and learning how CBS’s top team prepares, before Nantz brought him into the broadcast midway through the fourth quarter. It might not be the last we see of him in an NFL booth.

The post CBS Sports will need a new NFL booth appeared first on Awful Announcing.

The Iranian football team began their World Cup campaign under the shadow of a war with the United States. They soon became collateral damage in the conflict with strict conditions on their visas to the US and other difficulties. Now, as a peace deal emerges between the US and Iran, experts have asked what this could mean for Team Melli – as the Iranian squad is known – in the tournament.

Although World Cup hosts have been at war with other nations at the time of tournaments, and Argentina was also in the midst of the Dirty War during the 1978 tournament, there has not been a single case of an organiser being embroiled in a conflict with another participant, as is the case with the US and Iran.

The US and Israel launched a war on Iran in February 28. Although a temporary ceasefire suspended much of the most intense fighting on April 8 and a peace agreement was signed this week, tensions between the two countries remain high and have spilled over into the supposedly apolitical World Cup.

This bubble burst in March when US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the Iran squad was welcome to the US but he “[did not] believe it ⁠is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety”.

Iran’s football team has been held hostage to the US’s immigration whims right up till the start of the tournament. Players were granted visas for the US — where they play all their group stage matches — just 10 days before their opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles – and have had to leave the country for their base camp in Mexico after finishing their games. Iranian-American political analyst and journalist Negar Mortazavi has described this as “extra animosity” towards Team Melli.

Whether the team would even be allowed into the country remained unknown as FIFA President Gianni Infantino appeared unable to secure any guarantees from Trump about the Iranian team’s visa situation.

Out of a rightful abundance of caution, manager Amir Ghalenoei’s side switched the team’s base camp from Arizona, US, to Tijuana, Mexico, at the last minute. The US doubled down on Tuesday and said the team had to depart within hours of the full-time whistle being blown. They had arrived just one day prior to kickoff.

As a hurried memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran began to materialise on Wednesday night, questions arose on its ramifications for Team Melli.

Can the peace deal really impact Iran’s football team in the US?

While neither side has released a physical copy of the memorandum of understanding, nor are World Cup-specific arrangements expected to be written in, experts hope that the agreement translates to more amicable treatment for the Iranian football team in the US.

“With a peace deal, things can change,” Mortazavi said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

“We can see President Trump’s rhetoric on Iran has dramatically changed over the past few days, and he’s suddenly talking about better relationships with Iran from a political and economic standpoint, and that can certainly extend to sports,” she continued.

The shift from threats to diplomacy sprouted last week when Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that “our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had”. “Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly.”

Mortazavi said that despite the World Cup’s stance on steering clear from politics, the US’s treatment of Iran’s team was a testament to how politics can impact the sport.

“I expect a US peace deal to open the door for better relations and hopefully have a positive impact on the situation of the team and remove some of the hurdles if the US can extend some goodwill gestures to the team,” she said.

A slight thawing of relations ahead of the peace deal announcement came as the US on Tuesday quickly reissued a multiple-entry visa for Iran winger Mehdi Torabi after his visa expired following the game with New Zealand.

However, political scholar Niki Akhavan cautioned that Trump might renege on the deal due to the immense pressure he faces from Republican anti-Iran hardliners, pro-Israel groups and Democrats for giving Iran “too much” in the peace deal.

“But, in the best-case scenario, issuing a multiple-entry visa for Torabi may be a good indication of some kind of flexibility on the US’s part to actually adhere to its responsibilities as a host nation,” Akhavan told Al Jazeera.

“The comments Trump has made today on Iran are friendly comments, we might see better treatment of the Iran team, which has been unfairly treated the most. It’s a sign of them softening their unreasonable stance towards Iran.”

Akhavan’s caution stood true as tensions at the World Cup reignited after the solitary goodwill gesture of Torabi’s visa renewal.

Iran announced on Thursday that it would lodge a complaint with FIFA after its football federation claimed its request to enter the US two days before their match against Belgium on Sunday was declined.

“Despite having submitted its preparation schedule for the tournament well in advance, Iran’s national football team has once again encountered restrictions imposed by the organisers, affecting the implementation of its technical staff’s plans,” a spokesperson for the federation said.

Part of the host nation’s responsibilities include each team’s safety, and, Akhavan argues that the US’s decisions regarding Iran’s logistics at the World Cup have been discriminatory and have deliberately attempted to hurt the team.

The logistical barriers were compounded when Iran’s World Cup ticket allotment for fans was withdrawn just before the tournament began. Additionally, several members of the squad’s technical staff were denied entry to the US, even though all football players were allowed.

“You’re actively disadvantaging a team; the whole idea is that everybody is level on the playing field, and the US’s actions thus far have been counter to that,” Akhavan said.

“I can only hope that one impact of this agreement is that they [the US] will adhere to their responsibilities [as host nation] and we’ll see some changes.

“Because this is unfair to these young men; this is their dream and they’re representing their people.”

Akhavan also emphasised that FIFA could have pushed the US to fulfil its responsibilities as a host nation and transcend the war and politics.

“Hopefully, now that there is an agreement, [Infantino] can use that as motivation to make peace part of the agenda of the World Cup. There’s a lot of empty gestures towards peace by Infantino and FIFA with the armbands and the FIFA peace prize,” Akhavan said, referring to Trump being the recipient of FIFA’s inaugural accolade in December.

“Let’s see if they can actually put some of that into material reality in terms of the Iranian team.”

Jacques Villeneuve has responded to Lewis Hamilton’s comments from the Montreal weekend, after the seven-time world champion claimed that his father Gilles was 'far better' than his son as a driver.

Last month, the Briton admitted he was not particularly familiar with Gilles Villeneuve’s career, but described the Canadian as one of the sport’s great drivers, praising his ability to control a car on the limit. Hamilton also stated that, in his view, Gilles was a significantly better driver than his son Jacques.

"I personally didn’t really know a lot about him, to be honest. Obviously knew about Niki, more so because I got to spend a lot of time with him, and obviously I had to learn and watch him when I was growing up. Whilst reading up on some of the great drivers that have been here, all I really knew is that he was a great driver. He seemed to be, from some of the videos, a driver that really was at the edge of his seat, really being able to balance the car as it’s moving, which was pretty cool to see. And obviously far better than his son."

It was that final remark, albeit delivered with a smile, that prompted a response from the 1997 world champion. Speaking on Sky F1 alongside Nico Rosberg, Villeneuve labelled Hamilton’s comment as stupid and admitted he was surprised by it, insisting he could not recall ever criticising the Briton and suggesting the remark may have stemmed from the pair’s time together at Mercedes.

Photo: Race Pictures

“He did make a stupid comment in Montreal, where he said at least my dad is better than me. I was like: ‘Why would he say that?’ I don’t remember criticising him, so I don’t think that was about me, no. It must have been about you from the time you were together. Come on.”

Villeneuve fires back at Hamilton doubters

Despite their brief verbal disagreement, Villeneuve offered a strong defence of Hamilton, rejecting the idea that the seven-time world champion should have considered retirement during his difficult start to life at Ferrari. The Canadian argued that many fans and commentators focus too heavily on preserving a driver's legacy, wanting to remember champions only at their peak rather than accepting the natural ups and downs that come with a long career.

Villeneuve pointed out that Hamilton was never struggling at the very back of the grid and remained fully committed to the challenge of helping rebuild one of Formula 1's biggest teams. He also highlighted the sacrifices required to remain competitive at the highest level, praising Hamilton for refusing to give up despite the setbacks and for taking decisive action when things were not working as intended.

Photo: Race Pictures

According to the 1997 world champion, Hamilton's decision to make changes around him and continue pushing for solutions ultimately paid off, proving that talent does not simply disappear overnight. Villeneuve concluded that success at the top level is determined by a driver's willingness to keep learning, adapting and questioning themselves, qualities he believes Hamilton has continued to demonstrate throughout his Ferrari journey.

The Toronto Marlies are Calder Cup champions for the second time in eight years.

It should be noted that once the Calder Cup got in to Easton Cowan's hands Friday night after their 4-3 win and 4-1 series victory over the Chicago Wolves, the first player he handed it to was Toronto Marlies teammate and rookie defenseman Ben Danford.

The symbolism in that should not be overlooked.

That's because Cowan and Danford are the Toronto Maple Leafs' top prospects, but you'd have to think that goalie Artur Akhtyamov is probably rising the charts after taking the Jack Butterfield Trophy as MVP of the playoffs.

Does this mean the big team will follow it up with a championship of their own? Not necessarily, but having guys who have won at this level is always a good thing.

Doing so as the seventh-placed team in the Eastern Conference says even more about their playoff success as well.

Watch the video blog above for the full story from Coca-Cola Coliseum.

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Freddy, the German fan who has become a viral World Cup sensation, received a last-minute lifeline after a canceled flight threatened to make him miss Germany’s clash in Canada.

Freddy has quickly become one of the most followed fan stories of the tournament, turning his trip into a travel diary across North America.

But when his connecting flight in Dallas was canceled, that feel-good journey suddenly became a race against the clock.

Freddy Germany fan gets Airshare rescue before Canada trip

In an Airshare post, the private aviation company replied to Freddy’s travel crisis before Germany’s World Cup match in Canada.

Airshare wrote: “Missing the Germany match is not an option. We’ll get you to Canada! Check your DMs.”

That came after Freddy posted the problem that had put his trip in danger. He said: “Our connecting flight from Dallas to Canada has been canceled due to weather. They rebooked us on a flight tomorrow evening. We‘re gonna miss the Germany match💔”

Freddy, who posts as @FreddyLA7, has gone viral during the World Cup by sharing his journey across the United States and Canada while following Germany.

His posts about American food stops, road-trip culture and wide-eyed travel reactions have made him a fan favorite far beyond German soccer circles.

Germany vs Ivory Coast gives Freddy trip real World Cup stakes

The match he was trying to reach was Germany vs Ivory Coast at BMO Field in Toronto.

Germany went into that game top of Group E after a 7-1 opening win over Curaçao. Ivory Coast had also won their first match, making the Toronto clash a genuine fight for control of the group.

That is why missing the game would have hurt. Freddy was not just trying to catch any match, he was chasing a fixture that could push Germany closer to the knockout stage.

The offer alone became part of his World Cup story. What could have been a trip-ending setback turned into another viral moment.

Read more:

Thousands of England fans travelled across the pond to Texas this week to watch their team in action against Croatia.

The Three Lions’ World Cup group-stage campaign began with a meeting against the Kockasti at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

England won the tie 4-2 after a shaky first half, and spirits are high among the fanbase, who have been speaking about their time in the USA so far, with one supporter revealing he has been left surprised by how much you sweat in Texas.

England fan surprised by how much he’s sweated in Texas

TheBlaze recently conducted a number of interviews on the street with European fans to get their verdict on the US.

The majority of the fans interviewed were from England, with one sharing: “We’ve given everything to be here. House mortgage, car payments, and we’re here.”

Another was asked: “Is there anything about Texas in particular that’s surprised you?”

To which he simply replied: “How much you sweat.”

A third England fan who made the trip to North America said: “The US is fantastic,” while the women in the US also earned a compliment from one travelling fan.

Meanwhile, the food in America has been praised by another supporter already this week, who was quick to mention just how good the beef he had tried in the BBQ was.

But England’s time in Texas is coming to an end, and they will now make the journey over to Boston to watch Thomas Tuchel’s team in action against Ghana on Tuesday.

Following that tie, they will go head-to-head with Panama at the New York New Jersey Stadium on June 27.

England are expected to advance past the group stage and qualify for the Round of 32, so they will be playing at the Atlanta Stadium in the knockout phase as long as they are able to top Group L.

Read more:

The knockout bracket in the FIFA World Cup 2026 is starting to take shape.

It begins with the round of 32, which runs from June 28 to July 3.

What is the format and criteria for qualification, and which teams have progressed or been eliminated?

What is the format of the World Cup knockouts?

The top two teams in each of the 12 groups, along with the eight best third-place finishers, advance to knockouts.

The knockout phase begins with the round of 32, introduced for the first time at a World Cup after the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams.

Then comes the round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and a playoff for third place. The final is on July 19.

The stage-wise breakdown of the tournament’s schedule is:

• Group stage: June 11 to June 27
• Round of 32: June 28 to July 3
• Round of 16: July 4-7
• Quarterfinals: July 9-11
• Semifinals: July 14-15
• Bronze medal match: July 18
• Final: July 19

What are the rules change for the tie-breaker criteria at the 2026 World Cup?

Fifa is using head-to-head records instead of goal difference as the primary tiebreaker for teams level on points for the first time at a World Cup.

Haiti and Turkiye have been eliminated because they are unable to catch the third-placed teams in their respective groups because of they lost to those teams.

Tie-breaker criteria for World Cup groups

According to FIFA’s rules for the tournament, if two or more teams in the same group are equal on points after the group stage ends, the following criteria, in the order below, will be applied to determine the ranking:

Step one

• Greatest number of points gained in the group matches.
• Superior goal difference in the group matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head).
• Greatest number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned (head-to-head).

If the teams are still tied, the criteria below applies:

Step two

• Superior goal difference across all group matches.
• Greatest number of goals scored across all group matches.
• Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained.

If the teams somehow still cannot be separated, then the following criteria below applies:

Step three

• The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA world rankings.

The criteria for the eight best‑ranked teams

The eight best teams among those ranked third will be determined as follows:

• Greatest number of points gained in all group matches.
• Goal difference resulting from all group matches.
• Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches.
• Highest team conduct score (players and team officials) relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained in all group matches.
• The two or more teams still equal on points shall be ranked according to the most recent published edition of the FIFA world rankings.

Which teams have reached the World Cup round of 32?

(As of June 20, 07:00 GMT)

⚽️ Mexico (Group A) 

The cohosts were the first to qualify for the knockouts, after taking top spot in Group A with a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday, June 18. The Mexicans started their campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa in a chaotic tournament opener.

⚽️ USA (Group D)

The United States were the second team to punch their ticket to the knockouts, thanks to their 2-0 win over Australia in Group D on Friday, June 19. The USA thumped Paraguay 4-1 to kick off their campaign.

Which teams have been knocked out of the World Cup 2026?

⚽️ Haiti (Group C)

Haiti became the first team to be sent home packing from the World Cup after suffering a 3-0 loss to Brazil on Friday, June 19. Playing in their first tournament since 1974, they also lost 1-0 to Scotland in their first game.

⚽️ Turkiye (Group D)

Turkiye soon followed suit, bowing out of the tournament after a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Paraguay later on Friday. They also suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Australia in the first group match – their first appearance at the tournament after 24 years.

By Rosalba O'Brien

NEW YORK, June 20 (Reuters) - Ahead of the World Cup, many international fans were sceptical of the idea of the U.S. as co-hosts for soccer's biggest tournament. There were worries over visa access, high costs, gun violence, a lack of local interest in the sport and more.

While those worries have not been entirely ‌dispelled, as the tournament has got under way social media has been flooded with posts from fans visiting the country for the first time and discovering something more positive - ‌a distinctive culture of 24-hour retail, free soda refills, chicken wings dipped in ranch dressing and a warm welcome from Americans.

"I met these two gorgeous girls from Boston. It was her birthday, she was having cocktails. I bought her another ​one and they kept saying 'welcome to Boston, Massachusetts!'," said "Tartan Army" Scottish fan Gail Nicholl, in a Boston pub ahead of her team's first game against Haiti. "They loved us, we loved them ... Everyone is so friendly, so nice."

"Something new for me is how friendly and outgoing everyone is," said a Swiss fan from Zurich on a Reddit forum replete with praise from visiting tourists.

Whether such positive press can restore a reputation battered by an often confrontational government that has proudly proclaimed 'America First' and angered allies including Canada, Britain, Germany and more remains to be seen.

But, say sports analytics experts, it can make a real difference.

"The front porch ‌of your house is the first thing a visitor experiences before ⁠they ever step inside," said Darin White, founder of Samford University's Sports Industry Program in Alabama and a former soccer coach.

"Sports serves that same function for cities, states, and countries. It is often the first meaningful, emotionally charged encounter someone has with a place they might otherwise never have thought much ⁠about."

Research has consistently indicated that hosting a major sports event can genuinely shift long-held stereotypes, he added.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

What is particularly interesting about the 2026 World Cup is that it is exposing international visitors to places outside those normally frequented by tourists - not just New York, Los Angeles and Orlando, but Kansas City, Atlanta and Houston.

In Kansas City, Argentines - for whom eating "asado" barbecue is almost as central to the culture as soccer - ​gathered ​to try the local "dry rub" version of grilled meat.

"The Argentinean barbecue is my favourite. But this one is really ​good," said visiting Argentina supporter Cristian Gastes.

In Dallas, Germany fan Maximilian Kirch from Duesseldorf ‌also tried barbecue - and showed off his new Texan cowboy hat. "Of course I'm wanting to experience more of it," he said.

"There is something distinct about the warmth you encounter when you get off the beaten path," said White.

"The fan from Morocco who got help finding their gate in Dallas, or the family from Germany who got directions from a stranger in Seattle, those moments do not make headlines. But they are doing real work on Brand USA."

Some of the concerns raised ahead of the tournament still linger. The heat, particularly in places like Miami, is tough on players and fans, and the final is still a month further into summer away.

Although soccer's world governing body FIFA says attendance at matches has been strong, high ticket and travel prices have already dissuaded many from ‌making the trip.

And visa restrictions or denials have left some fans watching on TV at home.

Citizens of four ​participating countries - Iran, Haiti, Ivory Coast and Senegal - have faced partial or total bans on entry to the United States.

Iran ​and Haiti both have significant American diasporas to cheer them on - although some feel conflicted ​by that prospect. But Ivory Coast and Senegal have only small U.S. communities.

Enter the Americans.

"I'm in the bloodiest of the nosebleeds but I hope they can ‌hear me down there on the pitch," said Brooklyn resident Jessica Ambres, wearing ​a Senegal shirt at the France v Senegal match ​this week in New Jersey. She felt a connection to the African diaspora as a Black American, she added.

In stadiums across the country, Americans streamed in, not just to support the U.S. or their countries of ancestry, but to cheer on the underdogs and those without significant fan bases.

U.S. politicians and business owners hope the warmth will be remembered once the ​final whistle is blown.

"I hope that the Tartan Army will keep ‌coming back to Boston," said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. "Of course, have a wonderful time during the games now, but we'd love to see you any season, any year. ​This is your home."

(Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien in New York; additional reporting by Eric Cox in Boston, Sebastian Rocandio and Iain Axon in Kansas City, Malgorzata Wojtunik ​and Manuel Ausloos in Dallas and Amy Tennery in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Editing by Ken Ferris)

The Los Angeles Angels seemed to be on their way to a much-needed, loud victory against the Athletics on Friday night. An offensive barrage after back-to-back low-scoring losses is exactly what they needed — until it didn’t matter when the lead was lost.

With 12 outs to go, the Angels held what looked like a comfortable seven-run lead. Their bats were scorching, having hit five home runs as a team. Five decent innings from José Soriano against a red-hot Athletics offense even felt like a positive. 

But in the end, in all-too-familiar fashion, the Angels found a way to lose the game.

The Athletics stormed back to score eight unanswered runs, scoring in each of the final five frames to secure the comeback and win, 12-11. Even on their last breath, the Angels’ bullpen could not prevent a dramatic blown save.   

With the Athletics down 11-9 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Jonah Heim stepped to the plate looking to extend the game against Angels’ reliever Sam Bachman. In heroic fashion, he did exactly that, launching a game-tying, two-run homer to knot the game at 11 apiece. 

After clawing their way back with a hit parade of their own, all momentum owned by the Angels had been halted and lost completely. A shaky relief appearance from Kirby Yates in the 10th led to a walk-off walk by Nick Kurtz, sealing the comeback.

It was a deafening way to lose. It was also the first such loss of its kind. 

The Angels are the first team to lose a game in which they hit five home runs, have a seven-run inning and own a seven-run lead. 

Ultimately, 11 unanswered runs and numerous bright spots from their offense without Mike Trout was not enough. It spoiled what would have been a big bounce-back win for the Angels, but instead set them back further towards the bottom of the division.

After the Athletics jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings, Los Angeles got to starter Jeffrey Springs loudly, as he allowed six earned runs in the fourth inning and was unable to get out of the frame. The Angels hit three home runs in the inning off the bats of Denzer Guzman, Jose Siri and Zach Neto. 

Logan O’Hoppe continued his tear with a three-run shot in the next frame, which was followed by a Nolan Schanuel long ball in the sixth inning for the Angels’ fifth homer of the day.

In total, five Angels relievers combined to allow seven earned runs over 4 ⅓ innings in the implosion. What initially seemed like a game full of bright spots instead became an exposure of the Angels’ flaws, many of which they hope to address as they try to salvage the four-game set in Sacramento. 

Argentine TV host Florencia Pena has resigned mid-World Cup after falsely claiming that Lionel Messi's father, Jorge, had passed away after the soccer icon appeared emotional following the first of his three goals against Algeria.

Pena made the assertion before the Messi family issued a statement confirming that Jorge is experiencing a "health situation," alleging the Inter Miami star was "going to have to leave" Argentina's World Cup defense. "I don't want to break bad news, but Messi's father just died," Pena stated on Luzu TV's El Show del Verano. "Right in the middle of the World Cup, he's going to have to leave," she added.

Later on Thursday, Pena issued a statement apologizing for the error, saying she was "deeply ashamed" of what had transpired. Meanwhile, Australians have already made their sentiments clear on Donald Trump ahead of the USA match.

• Ex-England star labels Ronaldinho's 2002 World Cup brilliance 'just beautiful football'

• Iran to file an official FIFA complaint over 'inconsistent' World Cup treatment

Pena also announced her exit from Luzu TV. "I apologize to the Messi family for the awful moment I imagine they are going through," she said. "I am deeply ashamed to have been the vehicle for this pain."

"I must clarify that this false information was provided to me during the live broadcast, as verified by the production team of the show, and I trusted it.

"Even so, I take responsibility for being part of the mistake, and that's why I decided to step aside and end my participation in Luzu. I apologize again from the heart; I was wrong."

Luzu TV also issued a statement apologizing to its viewers for their former presenter's on-air error.

The network expressed remorse over broadcasting unverified reports. "We deeply regret the incident that occurred on air during the program. For our channel, broadcasting sensitive information without proper prior verification is unacceptable," they said.

"Consequently, Luzu TV management has decided to part ways with all those responsible, and Florencia Pena has decided to step aside. We reaffirm our commitment to responsible, respectful, and rigorous communication."

The Messi family released a statement on Thursday, confirming that Messi's father, Jorge, is dealing with a "health situation," following the legendary No. 10's visible distress during the Algeria game.

"Jorge is going through a health situation," the Messi family said in a statement. "He is currently under medical observation, recovering and progressing favorably within his current condition," the statement continued.

"At times like these, we ask for responsibility, prudence and humanity," the family concluded. "A person's health and the peace of mind of their loved ones should not be the subject of speculation or irresponsible media interest."

Argentina's next World Cup fixture is set for June 22 against Austria at the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium.

The defending champions currently lead Group J, level on points but one goal ahead of Austria. Victory would guarantee Argentina's progression to the knockout rounds of the competition.

That said, a draw could also be sufficient, as the top eight third-place finishers will advance.

Elsewhere, a World Cup coach was caught on the sideline making a startling remark following Ismael Kone's injury.

LOS ANGELES — Dalton Rushing spent most of Friday night searching for answers.

By the time the ninth inning arrived, Rushing had already struck out three times. His latest at-bat included an ugly 0-2 swing decision that only added to what was shaping up to be a frustrating evening.

Then the game found him one more time.

And Rushing delivered.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, runners on first and second, and the Dodgers trailing the Orioles by one run, Rushing lined a single into right field. Alex Call raced home to tie the game, sending Dodger Stadium into a frenzy. Moments later, the throw from Orioles right fielder Leody Taveras skipped away from catcher Samuel Basallo, allowing Ryan Ward to score the winning run as the Dodgers completed a stunning 6-5 comeback victory.

For Rushing, it was the first walk-off moment of his young major league career.

"First one as a Dodger, it was pretty special," Rushing said. "It was good to give Freddie a night from being the guy in the middle for a change."

The Dodgers clubhouse celebrated another comeback victory, but few appreciated the moment more than Dave Roberts, who watched his catcher completely flip the narrative of his night.

"The game's on the line and it's your spot," Roberts said. "For him to flush it all and flip his entire game and help us win a game, was huge."

The walk-off capped a remarkable turnaround for both Rushing and the Dodgers.

Just an inning earlier, it appeared the Orioles had control.

After leading 3-0 through five innings, the Dodgers watched Baltimore erase the deficit in the sixth inning on back-to-back home runs. Gunnar Henderson launched a two-run shot to right before Pete Alonso followed with a game-tying blast moments later.

An inning later, Baltimore struck again.

Will Klein inherited traffic on the bases and couldn't escape trouble. After a walk loaded the bases, Jeremiah Jackson punched a two-run single through the right side against the shift, giving the Orioles a 5-3 lead and silencing much of the crowd.

For a team that had squandered a golden opportunity earlier in the game, loading the bases with nobody out in the third inning and failing to score, the comeback seemed unlikely.

Then Mookie Betts stepped to the plate.

On his bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium, Betts delivered the spark the Dodgers desperately needed. With one out in the ninth inning, he crushed a solo home run to left-center field, cutting the deficit to 5-4.

The homer was the 299th of Betts' career and continued what has been an encouraging stretch for the former MVP. Over his last seven games, Betts is hitting .357/.379/.643, and on Friday he finished 3-for-5.

The blast changed the atmosphere instantly. Suddenly, the Dodgers believed.

Call kept the inning alive. Ward followed. And eventually the game landed in Rushing's hands.

A few pitches after falling behind 0-2, Rushing battled back and shot a line drive into right field. The Dodgers had their 49th win of the season.

"We're just stacking wins," Roberts said.

Lost amid the late-game drama was another encouraging start from Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki looked dominant for much of the night, carrying a shutout into the sixth inning before Henderson and Alonso connected on consecutive home runs. Sasaki finished with 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, three runs, one walk and striking out six on 90 pitches.

"I was making my pitches really well," Sasaki said. "I was executing my pitches really good, so I was able to do what I wanted to do."

Despite the pair of home runs, Roberts was impressed.

"He was fantastic," Roberts said.

The Dodgers had built their early lead behind timely offense. Kyle Tucker, leading off in place of Shohei Ohtani, who is on paternity leave, started the first inning with a walk. Betts followed with a bloop double before Max Muncy delivered a two-run single to right field.

An inning later, Alex Freeland scored on one of the stranger plays of the season. Andy Pages doubled into left field and Freeland found himself caught between stopping at third and continuing home. After a brief moment of confusion, third base coach Dino Ebel waved him in, and Freeland slid across the plate safely following an unsuccessful Orioles challenge.

Those runs appeared enough for most of the night.

Until they weren't. Until Betts launched No. 299. Until Rushing got one more chance.

Baseball has a way of testing young players. Sometimes it gives them failure after failure before offering an opportunity to respond.

Friday night, Rushing got that opportunity. One swing erased three strikeouts. One swing erased a frustrating night.

One swing delivered his first walk-off as a Dodger and another comeback victory for a team that continues to find ways to win.

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Paraguay defeats the Turkiye, 1-0, at the Levi’s Stadium onJune 19th, 2026 and The Sporting Tribune's John Panganiban was there to capture the following TST Images:

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Official World Cup soccer balls at a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Turkiye, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Turkiye fans during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Turkiye fans during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Paraguay fans during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Turkiye, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Paraguay fans during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Turkiye, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Gustavo Gomez (15) of Paraguay kicks the ball during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Matias Galarza (23) of Paraguay celebrates after a goal during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Miguel Almiron (19) of Paraguay during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Julio Enciso (19) of Paraguay gets past their opponent during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Gustavo Gomez (15) of Paraguay upset with the referee during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Matias Galarza (23) of Paraguay during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Miguel Almiron (19) of Paraguay fights for the ball during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Merih Demiral (3) of Turkiye kicks the ball during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Abdulkerim Bardakci (14) of Turkiye during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Mert Muldur (18) of Turkiye during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Arda Guler (8) of Turkiye kicks the ball during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Baris Alper Yilmaz (21) of Turkiye fights for the ball during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Arda Guler (8) of Turkiye kicks the ball during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Merih Demiral (3) of Turkiye kicks the ball during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

John Panganiban-The Sporting Tribune

Baris Alper Yilmaz (21) of Turkiye hypes up the crowd during a 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Paraguay, Friday June 19th, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif.

Ismael Saibari put Morocco ahead against Scotland inside 71 seconds and matched a World Cup record held by Mohamed Salah.

The early goal set the tone for a game that quickly became difficult for Scotland, giving Morocco control of the Group C contest.

It also put Saibari into rare company among African players at the World Cup, despite it being only his second appearance on the biggest stage.

Ismael Saibari equals Mohamed Salah World Cup record for Morocco

According to OptaJoe, Saibari became only the second African player to score in each of his first two World Cup appearances, after Mohamed Salah.

Salah scored against Russia and Saudi Arabia at the 2018 World Cup. Saibari has now joined him after scoring against Brazil and Scotland.

The lack of other names on that list makes the achievement sharper. Opta placed Saibari directly beside Salah, with no other African player above or between them.

His goal in Foxborough was a clean, ruthless finish. Brahim Diaz lifted a pass over the Scottish back line, Saibari timed his run and fired past Angus Gunn.

It was also the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup at that stage. More importantly for Morocco, it changed the game before Scotland had settled.

Scotland vs Morocco result puts Group C pressure on Steve Clarke

Morocco won 1-0 at Foxborough, with Saibari’s early strike proving enough to separate the sides.

The midfielder played 84 minutes and contributed more than the goal. Operating in an advanced role, he pressed high, linked play well and helped protect Morocco’s lead before being substituted late.

Scotland saw more of the ball after halftime and had penalty appeals, but they struggled to create clear chances. Morocco were stronger in duels and managed the game well.

The result moved Morocco to four points from two games, following their opening draw with Brazil. Scotland stayed on three points after their win over Haiti.

That sets up a tense final round of group fixtures. Morocco face Haiti with a place in the knockouts within reach, while Scotland must take something from Brazil to stay in control.

Saibari’s record will draw the headlines, but the impact of his early goal could matter even more in shaping Group C.

Read more:

LOS ANGELES, - The Big3 had an open practice for all teams on June 19, 2026 at St. Bernard High School in Los Angeles and The Sporting Tribune's Robert Talamantes was there to capture the following TST Images.

Robert Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Detroit Amplifiers Guard Nasir Core was warming up before the start of his teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Robert Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Riot Center threw down a vicious dunk during his teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Robert Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Riot coach Nick Young was running the teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Robert Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Riot Center Dwight Howard was going against his teammate in the post during his teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Robert Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Riot coach Nick Young was getting interviewed after his teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Robert Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Miami 305 guard Mario Chalmers was getting shots up during his teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Robert T Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Houston Rig Hands center Isaiah Austin was shooting elbow jumpers during his teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Robert Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Miami 305 coach Michael Cooper was getting interviewed after his teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Robert Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Riot Center Dwight Howard went up and finished with a dunk during his teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Robert Talamantes - The Sporting Tribune

Miami 305 Forward Michael Beasley wasting his shoes before the start of his teams practice on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California

Check in to GOLF’s Tour Confidential every Sunday night for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport. This week, with the U.S. Open at Shinnecock, we’ll hit one key topic each night.

After Day 2 of the U.S. Open, Wyndham Clark remains atop the leaderboard, racing out to a four-stroke lead through 36 holes, while major winners like Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas are firmly in the hunt. At the opposite end of the leaderboard, stars such as Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka all failed to survive the four-over cut. As we head into the weekend, what has surprised you most at Shinnecock thus far?

Jessica Marksbury, senior editor (@jess_marksbury): I’ll take the low-hanging fruit here. I did not expect Wyndham Clark to hold a four-shot lead at the 36-hole mark. But maybe I should have given him more credit! He is, after all, a recent champion, after winning the 2023 edition in Los Angeles. And he’s been trending of late, with a win, a solo third and a T11 in his last three starts. So given those stats, his lead really shouldn’t be all that surprising — but Wyndham doesn’t strike me as a player who will consistently contend on the biggest stages. If he notches another U.S. Open win this weekend though, that will make a huge statement.

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): Harry Higgs, but not so much for his play, though it is surprising considering his recent form (six PGA Tour starts this season and six missed cuts, and four missed cuts in nine starts on the Korn Ferry Tour). I’m not sure I’ve heard a more honest and open press conference afterward. He talked about being confident. He talked about quitting. He talked about forgetting his pants. Do yourself a favor and listen to it.  

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): Watching someone take it that deep into red at Shinnecock – where only three players have ever finished under par in a U.S. Open — was unexpected for sure. But maybe more surprising was watching Jon Rahm implode on Friday. I did not have him ballooning to a 78 on my bingo card, especially after he played his opening round a full 10 shots better.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): This may sound silly to say about someone who is leading a tournament by four at the halfway point, but I think Wyndham’s score is slightly better than his actual play has been. He got a couple of good breaks with some wayward drives (it seems the bigger misses are less penalized than the thick rough right off the fairway) and he drained some long putts. That said, you gotta put the ball in the hole. And he’s done it the best so far. Another surprise? Besides Tom Kim having his best week of his season out of nowhere (he’s T2) it has to be Jon Rahm missing the cut. I heard lots of buzz surrounding him this week and now he’s leaving early after shooting 10 shots higher on Friday.

Zephyr Melton, associate game-improvement editor (@zephyrmelton): How about the fact that 10(!) players are under par through two rounds? In the four previous U.S. Opens at Shinnecock, only three players total broke par. I expect the course to firm up and play tougher over the weekend, but I don’t know that anyone thought we’d see this much red on the board at the halfway point.

The post What’s the biggest U.S. Open surprise after 36 holes at Shinnecock? appeared first on Golf.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts' (50) son warming up for first pitch before an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy (13) warming up before an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts (50) celebrating an out at second base during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) pitching during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Freddie Freeman (5) waiting for a pitch during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Trey Gibson (43) pitching during an MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts (50) celebrating hitting a double during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy (13) celebrating a hit during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages (44) upset about striking out during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Alex Freeland (76) running bases during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Alex Freeland (76) slides into home safely during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts (50) celebrates a hit during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Alex Freeland (76) upset after striking out during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) smiles after a batter is tagged out at second during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker (23) is tagged out at second during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Freddie Freeman (5) hits a foul ball during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Freddie Freeman (5) hits a foul ball during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Freddie Freeman (5) celebrating in the dugout with Andy Pages during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts (50) celebrates a run in the dugout during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Alex Freeland (76) reacts to a review calling him safe at home plate during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) returns to the dugout sullenly after being relieved during an MLB baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on June 19th, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

SEATTLE (AP) — Ranger Suarez carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and the Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Friday night.

Suarez (3-3) struck out five and walked three in 6 2/3 innings. His no-hit bid ended with Josh Naylor's one-out double in the seventh.

The 30-year-old lefty earned his first win since April 27 against Toronto.

Caleb Durbin put the Red Sox ahead with a second-inning solo homer, his fifth of the year. Durbin had his second three-hit game this season, with his first coming against Tampa Bay on June 10.

Ceddanne Rafaela scored on a wild pitch in the seventh, and Marcelo Mayer drove in two more runs with a bases-loaded single.

Carlos Narváez added a sacrifice fly before Seattle finally escaped the inning on a diving catch by Dominic Canzone in right field.

Suarez issued a two-out walk that loaded the bases in the seventh on his final pitch of the night, but Justin Slaten ended the threat by striking out pinch-hitter J.P. Crawford to preserve a 5-0 lead.

Mayer added one more insurance run with a ninth-inning RBI double. The Mariners got on the board thanks to Julio Rodríguez's two-run homer in the ninth.

Seattle starter Bryce Miller (3-1) struck out seven in five innings. He allowed three hits and one run.

Luis Castillo, who has started in all but three of his 258 career appearances, gave up five runs in four innings of relief as the Mariners revived their “piggyback” rotation.

Up next

Red Sox LHP Connelly Early (5-5, 3.81 ERA) starts opposite Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock (5-3, 3.28) on Saturday night.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was kicked out of UFC 250 when he was caught sneaking into the event.

The fighter was caught after jumping into a ring at the event. He was quickly removed by security and then escorted out.

Though he wasn’t arrested, Strickland claims that he could be facing a disorderly conduct charge. “I may have been charged with disorderly conduct. I don’t know what that is but it sounds cool,” Strickland said on Instagram. “Anyways, I just want to thank you fans. I can’t thank you guys enough. After being banned, you guys riding, supporting me, it means a lot to me.”

In another post, Strickland showed a photo of when he was being removed from President Trump’s highly hyped event. “Sorry you guys,” Strickland wrote. “We almost made it! Promise one day, we will set up a circle and box. Thanks for your support.”

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President Trump’s Ultimate Fighting Championship event is the culmination of nearly a year of planning that began last July. At an Iowa rally last July, the president told the attendees, "Every one of our national park battlefields and historic sites is going to have special events in honor of America 250. "We’re going to have a UFC fight — think of this — on the grounds of the White House."

It made sense because President Trump frequently attends UFC events and is close with UFC CEO Dana White.

Since its unveiling, the event garnered an intense amount of controversy as well as a legal challenge — but still continued to be built anyway.

Last month, at an event in the White House, Trump spoke about the uniqueness of the event while hyping it up. "It's never gonna happen again. Never happened before," he said. "And it's all of the best fighters."

Initial estimates for attendees were set at 125,000 guests attending, per ABC News, and an additional 75,000 people reportedly requested tickets. The scheduled events will reportedly cost more than $60 million — costs that will be covered by the UFC.

Though the fights are happening as planned, there were questions of whether the event would even happen due to predicted thunderstorms in the Washington D.C. area.

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Native American youth baseball players from across the Southwest and beyond are gathering at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick this weekend for the Na7ive Na7ions 16U National Baseball Tournament, an event that blends elite athletic competition with Indigenous culture, community, and youth development.

The four-day tournament features 11 teams representing Tribal and Indigenous communities competing for a national championship and a berth in the prestigious Babe Ruth World Series.

Hosted at the same complex used by Major League Baseball teams during Spring Training, the tournament aims to elevate the visibility of Indigenous athletes while bringing together families, Tribal leaders, Native-owned businesses, artists, and community organizations.

“Na7ive Na7ions was created to ensure Native youth have access to the same opportunities as any other athlete while celebrating who they are and where they come from,” said DJ Carrasco, founder and executive director of Na7ive Na7ions. “This event is about much more than baseball. It is about representation, visibility, culture, and creating opportunities that many Native youth have not had access to before.”

Carrasco, a former Major League Baseball pitcher, founded the organization after spending more than 15 years in professional baseball. Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 26th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft, he played professionally from 1997 through 2012, including stints with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, and New York Mets.

Today, he has redirected that experience toward creating opportunities for Indigenous youth through sports.

“Growing up, I rarely saw Native players represented in professional baseball,” Carrasco said. “Native Nations is about changing that narrative. We want Native youth to know they belong in this game, can compete at the highest levels, and never have to leave their culture behind to pursue their dreams.”

The tournament extends beyond the baseball diamond by intentionally incorporating Native culture and community into the event. Throughout the weekend, attendees can support Native-owned vendors, artists, food businesses, jewelers, and entrepreneurs, creating an atmosphere that reflects the diverse communities represented by participating teams.

Na7ive Na7ions also emphasizes youth wellness through its HomePlate initiative, which integrates healthy snacks, hydration stations, wellness education, leadership development, and lifestyle resources into tournament programming.

“We’re not just developing athletes; we’re helping to develop healthy, confident young people,” Carrasco said. “HomePlate reflects our belief that athletic success, wellness, culture, and community are interconnected.”

Families who attended last year’s inaugural tournament described it as more than a sporting event, emphasizing its sense of community and accessibility.

“It was the first time his grandpa was able to see his grandson play because Na7ive Na7ions made it affordable,” one family shared.

Another attendee reflected on the atmosphere, saying, “We felt like we were on the rez, a big community with our own food, jewelry, and energy.”

Those experiences align with the organization’s broader mission of ensuring Indigenous athletes have access to the same opportunities, exposure, and resources as their peers while remaining connected to their cultures, families, and communities.

Na7ive Na7ions also works to remove barriers for athletes from Tribal and rural communities by creating opportunities for free-agent players and coaches who may not have access to a complete team roster, helping ensure talented Indigenous youth have a pathway to compete at the national level.

The post Na7ive Na7ions Baseball Tournament Brings Indigenous Youth Athletes Together for National Competition appeared first on Native News Online.

Former England star Danny Murphy has highlighted the differences between the USMNT fans in Seattle and Los Angeles.

The USA played their opening World Cup match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles last week.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team then faced Australia in their second group-stage game, winning 2-0 at Seattle’s Lumen Field.

Murphy has explained why the supporters in Seattle were much more impressive than those in Los Angeles.

Danny Murphy spots key difference between USMNT fans in Seattle and Los Angeles

Everyone knows that football is not as popular in the United States as several other sports, such as basketball.

As a result, many fans were concerned that the atmosphere at the USMNT may not give them a significant home advantage.

This was not an issue in Los Angeles, as the USA beat Paraguay 4-1, but Murphy was not overly impressed by the crowd.

However, the noise inside Lumen Field for the Australia game on Friday was deafening from start to finish.

Murphy claimed there was more “excitement” in the stadium because the USA fans now have more “belief.”

“This is a step up from the opening game that we did in LA,” Murphy said on the BBC. “There’s more excitement. There’s more energy. There’s a belief that they can go far. They’re just so excited.

“It’s a far cry from what I anticipated. And the team deserve credit because they’re the ones who have created it in many ways with their performance on the pitch.

“Yes, you can question the opposition, but they’ve been brave. They’ve been on the front foot. They’ve been creative. They’ve made things happen. They’ve scored goals. Now they’ve set themselves a high bar.”

Who could blame the USA for dreaming about going all the way after two superb performances so far?

Their final group match against Turkey should be a good barometer of where they are at ahead of the knockout rounds.

But whatever happens in that game, Pochettino’s side will be optimistic that a quarter-final push is on the cards.

Read more:

SEATTLE — Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber made one thing clear Friday: MLS wants the Vancouver Whitecaps to remain in Vancouver.

Whether that happens may ultimately determine how quickly Las Vegas enters the league.

Speaking before the United States' 2-0 victory over Australia in the FIFA World Cup at Lumen Field, Garber repeatedly stressed that MLS is committed to finding a long-term solution in Vancouver while acknowledging that Las Vegas remains an attractive market as questions continue to swirl about the Whitecaps' future.

The comments come amid reports that Las Vegas businessman Grant Gustavson is leading an investor group that has submitted a formal offer to purchase the Whitecaps and relocate the club to Southern Nevada. According to ESPN, the proposal includes plans for a soccer-specific stadium and a temporary venue until a permanent home is completed.

Garber did not directly address the reported bid but acknowledged that Las Vegas remains firmly on MLS' radar.

"I think we've got a great, passionate, well-heeled owner that has an option on an unbelievably attractive piece of land," Garber said. "He represents a young, new era of MLS team ownership. I'd like to see us be able to make a deal, get a deal done there."

Garber did not identify the ownership group. However, his comments arrive as Las Vegas continues its rapid transformation into a major-league sports destination after landing franchises in the NFL, NHL, WNBA and Major League Baseball with the Athletics moving into their new stadium in 2028. The NBA is in the midst of talking tp prospective ownership groups for an expansion franchise that could land there by 2028 as well.  

For now, however, the commissioner's focus remains on Vancouver.

"We're committed to keeping the team there if we have a viable stadium project, which we don't have now," Garber said. "I'd love to find a solution."

Garber spent time in Vancouver on Thursday during Canada's World Cup match and met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, British Columbia Premier David Eby and local stakeholders involved in efforts to secure the club's future.

He said he left more encouraged than he was several months ago.

"I'm a little more hopeful," Garber said. "The corporate community that's not been very supportive of the club is now recognizing what soccer and what the Whitecaps actually mean to the city."

The commissioner said the Whitecaps' biggest challenge remains their stadium situation at BC Place, where the club lacks the level of control MLS teams typically enjoy.

"We are a very relevant club that doesn't have a good business model," Garber said. "You can't be sustainable with an old stadium that doesn't have a good connection with the team."

He later described the current arrangement as untenable.

"We've got to get a lease where we're not working the entire MLS schedule around the dates that we get from BC Place," Garber said. "Imagine the NFL having one stadium telling them, 'Here are your 18 days.' It's unsustainable."

Garber pointed to the successful effort to keep the Columbus Crew in Ohio as proof that a solution can be found if political leaders, business executives and ownership groups align behind a common goal.

"We want to keep the team there," Garber said. "But we can't do that unless political influencers and their entities put together something that will allow Vancouver to not be at the bottom of the list."

He also acknowledged that time is becoming a factor.

"Time is an enemy to any deal," Garber said. "The longer it waits, the more people get distracted, they lose interest and move on."

While the Vancouver-Las Vegas dynamic generated some of the most notable news from Garber's media session, the commissioner spent much of his time reflecting on what he believes is a watershed moment for soccer in North America.

Nearly three decades after taking over MLS, Garber said the 2026 World Cup is validating the league's long-term vision.

"When I took this job almost 28 years ago, I had this thought that if we could turn this country into a soccer nation that really believes and cares and is emotionally connected to the sport, then decades later we would have achieved something special," Garber said.

Garber has traveled extensively during the opening week of the tournament and said the scenes he has witnessed across North America have exceeded even his expectations.

"I've been telling everybody since we got this bid in 2018 that this country is going to show the rest of the world how we believe in the sport," Garber said. "To see crowds and crowds and crowds of people, whether it's a U.S. game or it's a Brazil game or it's a Canada match, is emotionally pleasing."

He credited MLS clubs with helping build the soccer culture now on display throughout the World Cup, singling out the Seattle Sounders for their role in transforming perceptions of professional soccer in the United States.

"MLS isn't what it is without the Sounders," Garber said. "Seattle was the boost that showed the world that MLS can be a popular, viable and meaningful soccer team in the United States."

Garber also expressed optimism about the United States men's national team's performance under Mauricio Pochettino. Entering Friday's match against Australia, the Americans had already generated significant excitement following their convincing World Cup-opening victory over Paraguay.

"I hope our team continues to lift up our country," Garber said.

One moment that particularly resonated with him came when he encountered members of the Boston Red Sox wearing U.S. Soccer apparel while arriving at his hotel.

"Think about that," Garber said. "Why would a baseball team support a soccer team? That's what we have going on here now. That's what the World Cup did."

For MLS, Garber said the challenge after the tournament will not be attracting people to soccer but converting World Cup fans into supporters of local clubs.

"We don't have to build a market," Garber said. "The market's there. It's up to us to convert it."

Whether that future ultimately includes a revitalized Whitecaps franchise in Vancouver, a new club in Las Vegas or some combination of both could become one of MLS' biggest post-World Cup storylines. For now, Garber insists Vancouver remains the priority. But his comments made clear that Las Vegas is waiting in the wings if a solution north of the border cannot be found.

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Wyndham Clark keeps leaving his mark on Shinnecock Hills. He finished off the lowest opening round in a U.S. Open on this fearsome course Friday morning, and then he delivered two big birdie putts and set the 36-hole standard and build a four-shot lead going into the weekend.

With so much chaos and cringing around him, Clark played a steady hand — a far cry from where he was at the U.S. Open last year when he missed the cut and smashed up a locker at storied Oakmont.

His last act was a 35-foot birdie putt down the slope on the 18th green that dropped for a 1-under 69. That put him at 7-under 133, one shot better than Phil Mickelson and Shigeki Maruyama at the halfway point in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills.

And he thinks he could be better.

“I really felt like I could be in double digits (under par),” Clark said. “But you know, the great thing about that is I didn’t feel like I had my best, and I still am leading as of right now. Hopefully, I can bring my A-game on the weekend.”

Xander Schauffele, with the best U.S. Open record of anyone without a U.S. Open title over the last 10 years, had a 66 to finish at 137 along with Matt Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. Open champion who birdied two of his last three holes to salvage a 70.

They were joined at 137 in the afternoon, when the course began to dry, by Sam Stevens (69) and Tom Kim (67).

Scottie Scheffler still has the career Grand Slam in his sights. He missed only two fairways and hit his last 10 greens for a 68 that left him the group at 140, along with Rory McIlroy (71) who was closing in on Clark until starting the back nine with three straight bogeys.

Both feel they are right in the thick of it, though so much depends on Clark and what the USGA has in mind for a Shinnecock course that only figures to get drier, faster and scarier over the next two days.

“If there’s a course where you feel like you still have a chance if you’re seven back going into the weekend like I am, it’s definitely this one,” McIlroy said.

It’s a better chance than Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, the two biggest stars from LIV Golf who missed the cut. DeChambeau left early from his third straight major.

The shocker was Rahm, a runner-up at the PGA Championship last month. He didn’t make a bogey until his 21st hole. But he shot 41 on the back nine for a 78 to match his highest score in a U.S. Open, also at Shinnecock Hills in 2018.

The cut came at 4-over 144.

The 10 players who remained under par was one short of the record for Shinnecock in 2004. That was the year the field averaged 78.7 in the final round.

The most remarkable day belonged to Joaquin Niemann. He made a 9 on No. 6 — his 15th and final hole of the fog-delayed first round that was halted by darkness — only for it to become an 11 when the USGA penalized two shots for bad behavior.

Niemann hit two drives off the property, chopped his way up the fairway and finally lost it by heaving his club. The majors are cracking down on behavior this year — the Masters was the first to use the policy this year — and the USGA deemed it serious enough to skip the warning and go straight to the harsh two-shot penalty.

Niemann headed out for his second round, made five birdies in six holes and shot 65 to make it to the weekend at 3-over 143. It was the first time in 97 years at the U.S. Open someone made 10 or worse in a U.S. Open and still make the cut.

“All the frustration that came inside me and had my club in my hand, and I couldn’t resist to throw it away,” Niemann said. “There was no people, obviously. No one there. I’m not proud of it, but yeah, sometimes all the expectation of trying to play well and things doesn’t go your way, you get frustrated. And that was me there.”

Collin Morikawa also shot 65 to match Niemann for the low score Friday, only his performance put him in sixth place, five shots behind. Justin Thomas and Sam Burns, who played in the final group at the U.S. Open last year, were in the group of players at 139.

The wind wasn’t as strong as Thursday, and while the course was still relatively soft by U.S. Open standards — greens were being sprayed in the early morning — the sun was out and test was getting a little bit tougher.

It was a long day for Clark and the other finishers because they had to return at 6:35 a.m. to resume the first round — 10 hours after they walked off the course.

Clark finished with two pars for a 64, the lowest start ever for a U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, and had a two-shot lead. He doubled that, and no one could catch him.

He was on a heater coming into Shinnecock Hills, winning The CJ Cup Byron Nelson with a 60 in the final round, contending in the Memorial and the Canadian Open the last two weeks. Frustration peaked a year ago at Oakmont and in the months that followed. Now, he appears to be more comfortable with each day.

“Momentum is a huge thing in golf, and I feel like I have it right now,” Clark said.

Schauffele has seven top 10s in his nine U.S. Open appearances, a Californian who keeps his cool even amid a tough test.

“It’s a brutal week,” Schauffele said. “Everyone watching at home wants to see guys shooting in the 80s and doing crazy things. I get it. You know, it’s once a year you get to see some carnage, and it’s at a U.S. Open. Try to embrace it as much as you can.”

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Alan Cawley criticized Canada head coach Jesse Marsch for his post-match reaction following their 6-0 World Cup win over Qatar in Vancouver.

Cawley’s issue was not with the celebration itself, but the tone, given Qatar finished the match with just nine men.

While he acknowledged the result was historic for Canada, Cawley felt more restraint would have been appropriate.

Alan Cawley unimpressed by Jesse Marsch reaction after Canada win

Speaking in a TSN clip, former Irish soccer player Alan Cawley questioned the way Marsch handled Canada’s win over Qatar.

Canada had just claimed their first men’s World Cup victory, with Jonathan David scoring a hat trick in a dominant performance. Cawley, though, felt the reaction was over the top.

“Have a bit of class and decorum of what you’ve just beaten. And in terms of, it’s only the second group game of the tournament. So just put a lid on it. Cool the jets a little bit.”

Cawley also drew a comparison to Marsch’s time at Leeds United, suggesting this was not a new pattern of behavior.

“He’s doing a rallying call every press conference. He does. It was the same at Leeds. It was the same everywhere. That’s the way he carries on, but it’s nonsense. It’s absolute nonsense.”

To some, Marsch’s public calls for belief and unity can help shape identity. In this case, Cawley saw it as excessive given the circumstances.

He did give credit to Marsch for the result, but did not hold back on his wider point. “Even if you listen to some of the stuff that’s coming out of his mouth, it’s ridiculous. So in fairness, as I said, I’m praising him on one hand, but just have a bit of class.”

Jesse Marsch Canada closing in on World Cup knockout stage

Despite the criticism, there is no denying the progress Canada have made under Marsch.

The win put them top of Group B on goal difference, with four points from two matches and seven goals scored. Only Switzerland remain in the group stage.

Marsch has brought energy and aggression to Canada’s approach, and that identity was clear in the way they dismantled Qatar, even if the opposition was weakened.

Cawley’s comments reflect a divide in how Marsch is viewed. For some, his passion drives the team forward. For others, it can feel performative.

The next match could shift the conversation. Another win would back Marsch’s methods. A slip-up might give critics like Cawley more to talk about.

Read more:

Oscar Collazo isn't defending his titles Saturday night. He's not even fighting in his own division.

After visa problems took out both Joey Canoy and a proposed Mexican replacement, Luis Castillo, this week, late addition Neider Valdez Aguilar wasn't ranked highly enough for either the WBA or WBO to sanction a true 105-pound title fight. Rather than pull the plug on the entire card, promoters restructured the bout at flyweight, 112 pounds, two divisions above where Collazo has spent his entire reign as champion.

It's the first time since his third pro fight in 2021 that Collazo has stepped outside minimumweight. The WBO slapped its International flyweight title on the bout to give it some sanctioning weight, though that's a secondary belt, not a genuine world championship. The WBA didn't bother.

Both fighters weighed in comfortably under the 112-pound limit Friday, Collazo at 110.5, Valdez at 111.25.

The real motivation here isn't championship stakes. It's making sure a seven-fight card and its undercard fighters still get paid after a week of visa chaos nearly blew the whole thing up.

For Collazo, that means risking an unbeaten record against a bigger man in a weight class he's barely touched in his career, for a fight that, on paper, means nothing for his championship reign. Valdez, for his part, gets the look of a live underdog with a size advantage and nothing to lose.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani will miss Friday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles as he’s been placed on paternity leave.

He’s expecting his second child.

No word has been released about when he will be back in action.

The news was broken by Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, who added that it’s possible the team might night put him officially on the paternity list.

BREAKING: Shohei Ohtani is going on paternity leave, per @FabianArdaya ?

Ohtani was left out of the Dodgers lineup for their game tonight vs the Orioles. pic.twitter.com/MPZYXLbt6j

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) June 20, 2026

The late scratch of Ohtani from the lineup could be the cause of the delay regarding tonight’s lineup, which was not released this afternoon as it normally is.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

The San Diego Padres (38-35, 2nd in NL West) wrap up the last leg of a three-city, nine-game road trip with a series in Arlington against the Texas Rangers (35-39, 3rd in AL West).

After it appeared San Diego would cruise to a playoff appearance after a hot start, San Diego has fell flat and enters the series tied for the third and final wildcard spot in the National League with the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. A month ago today, San Diego led the NL West. Today, they come into Friday's contest 9.0 games behind the back-to-back World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Despite securing a 6-1 win with the help of Griffin Canning's first win of the season in Wednesday's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego failed to win a series for the fifth time in their last seven opportunities. An offense that ranks last in most major categories (AVG, OBP, SLG, wRC+) has resulted in the Friars dropping 15 of their last 22 games after starting the season 31-20.

It's not just the traditional numbers that are concerning. The Padres rank in the bottom 10 in both strikeout and walk rate, a combination that highlights the lineup's lack of discipline and persistent swing-and-miss tendencies. That lineup will be forced to find offense against a Texas pitching staff that ranks 10th in MLB in ERA (3.92).

The positive for San Diego? Its bullpen continues to be among the best in bullpen, featuring superstar closer Mason Miller who returns from the bereavement list after missing the previous three games. In 30.0 innings this season, the 27-year-old flamethrower has posted a stellar ERA (0.90) and strikes out over 50% of the batters he faces. Southpaw Wandy Peralta and RHP Bradgley Rodriguez have each provided stability for manager Craig Stammen, allowing just four homers in 69.1 combined innings pitched.

The Rangers comes into the three-game set losing five of their last six games, including being swept by the Minnesota Twins in a series in which they were outscored 25-7. Similar to San Diego's issues, the recent slide can be attributed to an offense struggling to consistently score runs in bunches. In each of their last five losses, Texas has failed to score more than three runs a game. After 74 games, only one Ranger has more than 10 home runs (Jake Burger, 12). 

Additionally, the San Diego pitching staff will face a Texas lineup without shortstop Corey Seager, who was placed on the 7-day injured list with a concussion on Monday. Third baseman Josh Jung has been one of the few bright spots in the Texas order, batting .301 with 30 RBI this season. 

Although Texas features a future Hall of Fame starter named Jacob, the team's strength come from its two in the bullpen. Veteran relievers Jacob Latz and Jakob Junis have dominated with both owning an ERA under 2.00. Latz, 30, is in the midst of a career season, pairing a nearly eight-point increase in strikeout rate with a walk rate that has been cut nearly in half from last year, helping him record 12 saves. In his first year with Texas, Junis has allowed just six earned runs across 29.1 innings.

Pitching Matchups

Friday, June 19: RHP Randy Vasquez (6-4, 3.63 ERA) vs. RHP Jacob DeGrom (5-4, 3.17 ERA)

June has not been so kind to Vasquez, who owns an ERA north of five in three starts this month. The starter from the Dominican Republic has allowed a home run in each of his last five starts, including three in his last start in May against the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite his recent struggles with the long ball, Vasquez could be in line for a bounce-back outing against a Texas lineup that lacks power and owns a sub-.700 OPS against right-handed pitching. On the other side, DeGrom has been terrific in June, posting a 1.06 ERA and K/9 of 10.06 in 17 innings. He will look to continue this hot stretch against a Padres lineup that is hitting just .217 against right-handed pitching. Manny Machado, who is tied with Dansby Swanson for the lowest average among qualified players at .177, is 6-20 with a walk in his career against DeGrom.

Saturday, June 20: RHP Walker Buehler (4-3, 4.14 ERA) vs. RHP athan Eovaldi (6-7, 4.23 ERA)

Similar to Monday's game against St. Louis, Saturday's pitching matchup features two former Red Sox as Buehler looks to build off three consecutive starts in which he has allowed one run or less. The two-time World Series champion has struggled on the road, carrying an ERA of 5.40 and opponent batting average of .292 away from Petco Park. Eovaldi, also a two-time champion, looks to even his record in his 15th start this season. 

Sunday, June 21: RHP Lucas Giolito (2-2, 4.56 ERA) vs. LHP MacKenzie Gore (4-6, 4.27 ERA)

For the first time in his career, Giolito had the opener role utilized prior to a start in Monday's 3-0 loss to St. Louis. After entering in the second, the veteran fired five innings, allowing all three runs and striking out two. Control has been a major concern for Giolito, who owns more walks than strikeouts. Similar to Buehler, Gore has struggled in June, allowing four runs or more in two of his three starts. 

Injury Report

San Diego: SP Matt Waldron 15-day IL (forearm), C Freddy Fermin 7-day IL (concussion), Nick Pivetta 60-day IL (forearm), C Luis Campusano 10-day IL (toe), DH Miguel Andujar 10-day IL (hamstring), 2B Jake Cronenworth 7-day IL (concussion)

Texas: SS Corey Seager 7-day IL (concussion), CF Evan Carter 10-day IL (oblique), RP Jalen Beeks 15-day IL (back), C Danny Jansen 10-day IL (forearm/elbow), RP Chris Martin 15-day IL (shoulder)

NFL great Marshawn Lynch added another surprising entry to his growing photography portfolio on Friday, serving as a credentialed photographer at the USMNT’s World Cup group stage match against Australia at Lumen Field.

Back in familiar territory, the former Seattle Seahawks star was spotted before kick-off wearing a green photographer’s bib and holding a camera on the sidelines, a far cry from his usual role as the centre of attention on the pitch.

Lynch photographed the United States claimed a 2-0 win over Australia in Group D, a result that secured their spot in the Round of 32 on home soil. Australia’s Cameron Burgess gifted the host nation the opening goal when he poked the ball into his own net in the 11th minute.

The US doubled their lead through Alex Freeman just before half-time.

The US secured back-to-back wins at a World Cup tournament for the first time since 1930, and will be confirmed as group winners if Turkey fail to beat Paraguay.

This is not the first time Lynch has been behind the camera for a big sporting occasion. He’s already worked as a credentialed photographer at a Seahawks game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle’s Super Bowl 60 win, the Canelo-Crawford fight, and the Daytona 500.

He’s not the only big name in sport to step behind the lens recently. Simone Biles was seen photographing a Chicago Bears game in December, while Caitlin Clark held credentials for an Indiana Pacers game against the Los Angeles Lakers in March.

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Even after winning the national championship, Curt Cignetti isn’t changing his philosophy in recruiting. But he also knows how important NIL is in the process, which is why the Indiana coach said schools have to “be smart.”

Cignetti told Rich Eisen that the Hoosiers have developed a bigger profile on the recruiting trail and can bring more prospects to Bloomington as a result. The program still looks for traits such as toughness, character and toughness, though, even with more access to higher-rated prospects.

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However, Cignetti said it’s important to keep pace with the times as the NIL and rev-share eras evolve. it comes down to finding the balance between making a splash on the trail and retaining key pieces already on the roster.

“Yeah, there are more guys we can get in on and get on campus. But you’ve got to be smart, too, because the market’s always changing and this high school market is out there,” Cignetti said on The Rich Eisen Show. “So you really can’t go all the way with everybody you’d like to because you’ve got to be able to keep the good players and add a few guys in the portal where you’ve got critical needs.”

Curt Cignetti: ‘I don’t deal with agents anymore’

When asked if anyone has ever come into his office asking for more money, Curt Cignetti said it has “never” happened on his watch. After all, many of the athletes have agents, and he made it clear he’s not part of those conversations. He leaves those to his recruiting staffers and noted talks about NIL dollars don’t happen during the season.

“The time for negotiation is when the season’s over,” Cignetti said. “The high school deal, when you’re recruiting, you’ve got agents calling your guy.

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“I don’t deal with agents anymore. I let our people deal with them and they come to me. It’s like anything else. How bad do you want it?”

After winning the national championship, Cignetti and Indiana once again reloaded in the transfer portal. The Hoosiers brought in the No. 1-ranked transfer class, according to the On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings, headlined by former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover.

Additionally, IU’s 2026 recruiting class comes in as the nation’s No. 30 overall group, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. That includes seven four-stars on the way to Bloomington.

American sports attention has been split recently. The NBA Finals and UFC Freedom 250 both competed with the World Cup for a short spell, making soccer only one part of a crowded national conversation.

That situation is changing. The USMNT have played well, already secured a knockout-stage place and given casual soccer fans a clear reason to stay involved as the tournament grows.

That momentum now aligns with a new move in New York City, as Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a Telemundo partnership designed to bring World Cup matches directly to public sidewalks.

Zohran Mamdani announces free World Cup screenings on LinkNYC kiosks

Mamdani announced that five World Cup matches will be shown on 200 LinkNYC kiosks across New York City, with Spanish-language coverage from Telemundo.

The plan includes four Friday matches and the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium. The first listed game was this Friday’s United States vs Australia.

Mamdani framed the idea as a way to make the tournament feel accessible beyond stadiums.

He claimed New York is a city of sidewalks as much as stadiums, and that fans should not need a ticket to MetLife to feel connected to the world’s game.

Mamdani’s World Cup project continues his close sports bond

The announcement also fits Mamdani’s increasingly visible connection to sport.

This week, he was deeply involved in the New York Knicks’ NBA championship parade, underlining how closely he has tied himself to the city’s sporting moments.

He was also spotted several times at Madison Square Garden during the Knicks’ title campaign.

Now the World Cup gives him another platform. With the USMNT winning and New York hosting the final, the LinkNYC project seems to arrive at the right moment.

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This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.

Recently departed Seattle Kraken president of hockey operations Ron Francis is coming back to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.

Last season, Francis, 63, was moved up to president of hockey operations after spending six years as the Seattle Kraken’s first franchise general manager. However, rumors of diverging opinions on key matters between him and general manager Jason Botterill persisted, and in April, Francis announced he would step down as president.

Friday, the Penguins announced Francis would rejoin the organization as Special Advisor, Hockey Operations to president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas. With the Penguins, Francis won two Stanley Cups (1991, 1992) as a player and served as captain following Mario Lemieux’s retirement for the 1997-98 season.

Francis played for the Penguins from 1991 through the ’98 season.

According to the Penguins’ press release, Francis will be involved in improving the organization’s front office operations.

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SEATTLE – No Christian Pulisic? No problem.

The United States men’s national team’s dream start to this home FIFA World Cup threatened to be a nightmare, as the star forward was out with a calf injury and Ricardo Pepi in his place. However, relentless possession and pressure earned another own goal in favor of the U.S. and a video-assisted insurance marker for Alex Freeman in a 2-0 win over Australia on Friday afternoon at Lumen Field.

The United States (2-0-0, 6 points) clinched a spot in the knockout rounds and leads Group D, with a chance to win the group with a Paraguay win over Turkiye or draw in Santa Clara tonight.

“If someone said before the tournament, two games and you'd be through to the knockouts, I think we all would’ve took it,” Folarin Balogun said. “So, we're delighted.”

The Americans close group play against Türkiye (0-0-1, 0 points) on Thursday back in Los Angeles, and at the same time, Australia (1-0-1, 3 points) will kick off against Paraguay (0-0-1, 0 points) in Santa Clara.

Without Pulisic, Pepi and Balogun pushed forward as a pair of strikers. While Pepi came off in the 74th minute, he and Balogun pressed the stout Australian backline all match long, and Balogun put in his second Man of the Match performance in his first two World Cup games.

“The coach (Mauricio Pochettino), he's always given us different ideas to attack. So to play with Pepi today wasn't a shock,” Balogun said. “It wasn't a plan B because CP was out. It didn't feel like that to me. It just felt like another solution to win the game, and also Australia play a back five. So two strikers to occupy the center backs is also a good idea. I think that's credit to the boss, and you can see today it worked.”

The United States dominated possession throughout the first half (57% to 35%), but unlike the opener Paraguay, where the USMNT let the horses ride, Australia’s defensive posture forced the U.S. to break the game through quick passing and even quicker give-and-go bursts.

However, just like Paraguay, the Stars and Stripes got a little help to break through.

Antonee “Jedi” Robinson sprung Balogun down the left wing, and Balogun turned the corner on the Aussie defense into the box. Balogun looked to feed crashing Pepi, but the hard-tracking defense of Cameron Burgess got their first, with the ball deflecting off the stuttering toe of Burgess’ boot for the opening own goal, 1-0, in the 11th minute.

The U.S. is the first team in World Cup history to receive own goals in consecutive matches. It was the fifth World Cup own goal all-time in favor of the U.S., which is second to France’s six in tournament history.

“The ball just got played into the channel from Jedi, and I want to be dangerous,” Balogun said. “I want to create opportunities and there might not always be myself that scores, but if I can force an error that gives us the lead, then for me it's like a goal as well. It was a special start to the game to give us the momentum and then I think we carried that out.”

With the Americans continuing to look forward with attempts to dice through the Australian blockade, the Socceroos continued to meet the U.S. at every pass, getting into the Americans trying to force turnovers and counter the other direction.

The physical flashpoints as the two tried to push play in opposite directions eventually came back to bite the physical Aussies with a yellow card to Jordan Bos in the 16th minute and another to Alessandro Circati in the 32nd minute.

Australia had a moment of offensive form just before the hydration break, Alex Freeman tracked back for a sliding break-up of an Aussie cross. Weston McKennie broke up the ensuing corner kick, and Chris Richards took care of a second immediately after.

Despite the USMNT’s hold of the ball, Australia’s structure kept hold of the game’s pace and tension. The Americans routinely would work their way into the box, but without anything to show for it, there was the danger of one wrong ball springing this for the Socceroos.

The U.S. desperately needed insurance, and finally got it just before stoppage time.

Malik Tillman battled along the end line and was pulled down for a well-earned free kick just outside the right side of the box–a miniature corner kick. Robinson played it to Sergino Dest at the top of the box, who drilled the ball off an Aussie defender high into the air.

Freeman followed the ball to the goal and headed it in for the double-up strike, but the linesman had his flag raised. Freeman was deemed offside when Dest struck the ball… or was he?

The video assistant referee called down to the head referee, and upon review, Freeman was onside for a good goal and a 2-0 lead into halftime.

Freeman took after his former NFL playing father, Antonio Freeman, by taking a physical hit minutes before and coming back to strike.

“Obviously, I got hit in the head pretty hard (in the 38th minute), but I was able to get up and to continue playing,” Freeman said. “Sergino took a shot, and for me, it was to be able to kind of get the rebound in any way I can. I was able to put it in the back of the net… VAR took a really long time. I was very anxious to see whether it was a goal or not, and then when it was a goal, I looked back and I saw my teammates running at me, I was like, ‘oh, Lord,’ and I had to run (away to celebrate).”

Antonio Freeman had scored against the Seahawks in this stadium during his playing days, which made for a special moment when Alex Freeman got on the board playing his football for the United States.

“I think for me that is a full circle family moment,” Alex said. “I think for me it just shows how great the family tree is, and I think that just shows how he can be great, but I can be great in my own way as well. I think that just shows how amazing it is to have a dad who's successful and that can mentor me to be able to be ready for moments like these.”

The United States wasn’t nearly as dangerous in the second half, with just a few scattered corner kicks to their name and a long run by Balogun, and as the game wore on, Australia became bolder and bolder earning their own fair share of the possession.

Richards was brilliant in turning away several Australian forays into the box in the 73rd-75th minutes.

Australia was at its most dangerous into the 85th minute, with feeds into the box, deflected shots and a loose ball into a humongous sliding block by Tyler Adams.

The Americans defensive back line had not been tested much at all through the first 160 minutes of this tournament, but Richards, Ream and company earned their stars on Friday.

Yellow cards flew in the 89th minute, as the feistiness, frustration–and a bit of U.S. time wasting– began to boil over. Balogun earned his first of the tournament and the USMNT’s second of the game following a booking for Robinson in the 56th minute. Australian captain Harry Souttar and Jacob Italiano both were booked.

Richards took the Americans’ third yellow with a run-in in stoppage time, as the referee attempted to keep a lid on things through the final whistle.

All in all, six total yellow cards were handed out against teams that carried just one–Adams picked up one against Paraguay–into the match.

“It was an extremely tough game. Very physical. A lot of challenges,” Balogun said. “I think the ref done his best to try and contain it, but as you can see, this is a World Cup. It's expected for the passion to sometimes spill over, but I think we kept our cool and a really professional performance from us.”

Now, the rest of the day’s fate falls into the hands of Turkiye and Paraguay. If Turkiye loses or draws, it would be unable to match the United States and earn the group tiebreaker with a second group win next week against the Americans.

If the U.S. clinches the group tonight, it would open the door to rest a handful of players that picked up yellow cards–which are expunged after the group stage and every round of three games in the tournament–or those with nagging injuries like Pulisic.

However, that’s not up to the USMNT today, and the players still have they’re still dreaming of the ultimate prize.

“For me growing up, history is always–the winners are remembered, you know?” Balogun said. “I'm aware the country's supporting us, and the country’s proud of us in each game. We are doing things, but for me, I'm just focused on the prize.”

Folarin Balogun is developing into the next superstar of American soccer at the 2026 World Cup.

Balogun scored twice in the USMNT’s 4-1 victory over Paraguay in their first game of the tournament last week.

The striker has now delivered again in their second match against Australia, in the absence of Christian Pulisic.

Pulisic has been the USA’s biggest star for almost a decade, but he missed the Australia game with a calf injury.

Thankfully for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, Balogun created a goal with his best impression of the AC Milan winger.

What Christian Pulisic said about Folarin Balogun

Balogun made an excellent run into the box from the left wing in the 11th minute—Pulisic’s trademark move.

He attempted to pass the ball to Ricardo Pepi, but Australia defender Cameron Burgess kicked the ball into his own net.

It may not have been as satisfying as a goal, but Balogun can be proud of another great performance for the USA.

The former Arsenal striker is even rivalling Pulisic as the USMNT’s best player under Pochettino.

However, there is no rivalry between the two USA stars; instead, Pulisic has been complimentary about Balogun.

“The kid’s insane,” Pulisic said, via USA Today. “Yeah, he’s lethal right now in front of goal. We’re really lucky to have him and [hope he] keeps going like this.”

USA supporters will be incredibly optimistic about the Turkey game, as they should have both Balogun and Pulisic up front.

They can even start dreaming of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002.

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Meadowlark Media’s Mike Fuentes announced his departure from the company on Friday.

In a post on X, Fuentes wrote that he was “no longer working with the Dan Le Batard Show and Meadowlark Media in any capacity,” adding, “Will share more when I’m ready.”

The video producer and occasional on-air talent joined Meadowlark in May 2022, according to his LinkedIn page. Fuentes worked on the flagship Dan Le Batard Show and Mystery Crate, which featured the show’s producers giving behind-the-scenes insights. Most recently, Fuentes was the lead producer for Dave Dameshek’s Football America.

Fuentes’ brother, Gino, also works as a producer for Meadowlark.

After Le Batard Show fans circulated an off-color video thumbnail that had been replaced on the company’s YouTube channel early Friday as a potential cause of Fuentes’ departure, Fuentes clarified that he played no role in the graphic.

“I have not been the lead producer of Mystery Crate for some time,” he wrote on X. “I was only asked to stay on as a talent and for assistance wherever the new producers needed it. Anything else beyond that, I was not aware of and did not come across my desk.”

I have not been the lead producer of Mystery Crate for some time. I was only asked to stay on as a talent and for assistance wherever the new producers needed it. Anything else beyond that, I was not aware of and did not come across my desk.

Have a good weekend.

— Mike Fuentes (@mikefountains) June 19, 2026

Fuentes also clarified that his departure officially went through the prior day, June 18.

Both Fuentes and Meadowlark declined comment.

Earlier in the week, Meadowlark founder Dan Le Batard announced that the name of his longtime co-host, Jon “Stugotz” Weiner, would be removed from the show’s title after months of largely unexplained tensions between the two hosts. Fuentes contributed to Stugotz’s podcast before the latter left Meadowlark a year ago.

Fuentes joins a growing list of public exits from Meadowlark in that span, including Stugotz, co-founder John Skipper, and on-air personalities Billy Gil, Charlotte Wilder, Lucy Rohden, and Howard Bryant. Former cast member Jessica Smetana remains in a reduced role.

The post ‘Dan Le Batard Show’ producer Mike Fuentes announces departure appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Iran will submit a formal complaint to FIFA regarding the "inconsistent" treatment it claims to have endured in comparison with other nations at the World Cup, with the national squad receiving only restricted access in the United States.

Multiple controversies have emerged in the buildup to the World Cup, but Iran's involvement and their treatment have been central to the turmoil. Several members of the Iranian staff were refused visas to enter the U.S., and the squad was compelled to move its base to Mexico from Arizona.

A FIFA council member has already criticized the handling of Iran, intensifying pressure on President Gianni Infantino. Now, Iran has confirmed it will submit a formal complaint, as per The Mirror US.

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The complicated situation involving Iran originates from the continuing tensions with the U.S. and Israel, but it has resulted in warnings ahead of the World Cup. U.S. President Donald Trump even cautioned against the Iranian national squad from competing.

Following visa difficulties and relocating their base camp south of the border, the Iranian national squad must now travel one day prior to World Cup fixtures in the U.S., and leave on the same day. Due to this, Iran has claimed unjust treatment.

Head coach Amir Ghalenoei stated they are the "most oppressed" squad at the tournament following a 2-2 tie against New Zealand in the opening fixture. The Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) has now opted to file a formal complaint.

The FFIRI released a statement declaring that the restrictions they face are "inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams' preparation processes."

The statement continued, "Consequently, the federation will formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with FIFA through the appropriate channels."

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Following the opening 2-2 draw, Infantino paid a visit to the Iranian locker room in Los Angeles.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, however, has stood behind the current restrictions, claiming that Iran had agreed to the conditions set out ahead of the World Cup. "The Iranian national football team agreed to these terms," a DHS spokesperson told the BBC.

"The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match. They'll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match. And they'll be able to do that again in Los Angeles, and they'll be able to do it again in Seattle, and then if they qualify for the next round, for the Round of 32, they'll be able to do that again."

Iran is scheduled to take on Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 before rounding out the group stage against Egypt in Seattle on June 27. The Iranian federation is pushing for additional preparation time to give the squad a competitive edge, rather than contending with a grueling travel schedule.

Iran stated that the team "needed to arrive in each host city two days before every match and return to its base camp the day after the game in order to achieve optimal technical and physical preparation." That request was rejected ahead of their game against New Zealand, and the situation remains unchanged.

The FFIRI stated: "The same situation has now been repeated ahead of Iran's second match against Belgium. Given that the game will be played at 12:00 p.m. local time in Los Angeles, the Football Federation of Iran requested that the team be allowed to travel to Los Angeles two days before the match.

"The aim was to provide sufficient time for players to adapt to the match conditions, complete their final training session, and finalize preparations. Despite the technical reasons presented by the federation, the request was once again denied."

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Joaquin Niemann is grateful that he’ll be playing on the weekend at the 2026 U.S. Open, an outcome that seemed highly unlikely given what transpired during his first round at Shinnecock Hills.

When the 27-year-old Argentine signed for an eight-over 78 Friday morning, his opening 18 holes having spill over a day after play was called for darkness Thursday, it included a two-shot penalty that the USGA assessed him for throwing a club during the round, an act that was deemed to be “serious misconduct” of the Rules of Golf.

Niemann was quickly back on the course for his second round, in which he proceeded to make seven birdies and post a five-under 65 to get him to a three-over total that put him one shot inside the cutline.

“I’m not proud of it,” Niemann said on Friday afternoon of the incident that got him penalized, “but yeah, I mean, sometimes, you know, all the expectation of trying to play well and things doesn’t go your way, you get frustrated, and that was me there.”

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According to the USGA, Niemann was penalized for throwing a club on the sixth hole (his 15th hole of the first round). It was shortly before play was called for darkness on Thursday, and Niemann had hit two drives out of bounds on the hole. His fifth shot off the tee then found the fescue.

Niemann then asked a rules official about getting relief from what he believed were fire ants near his ball. A rules official denied his request. Niemann then hit his sixth shot with a sand wedge into the fairway.

According to a report by The Athletic, a U.S. Open volunteer on the scene said that Niemann was upset and “kicked the flag that had been marking the ball, kicked the grass, and chucked his club at least 50 yards.” Tour cast shows then that Niemann played a sixth shot into the fairway and then lists penalty for his seventh and eighth shots.

“I saw a lot of ants there, and I was just asking the referee if they were fire ants, and like, he say, no. To be honest, I was pretty … I wasn't angry asking him. I was pretty normal, pretty chill, because I knew I needed to keep going and try to shoot the less possible.

“After that shot, I hit it, I lay up, and the whole frustration went inside me. I think they blew the horn already. I'm not sure if they did or not, but after I hit that shot, yeah, I was … like all the frustration that came inside me and had my club in my hand, and I couldn't resist to throw it away.”

Niemann said he looked around and that no people were around where he threw the club.

Niemann didn’t finish the hole until Friday morning, which is when he learned about the two-stroke penalty. In the brief time between when he finished the first round and started his second, Niemann reportedly was in tears over the penalty.

After the second round, Niemann and several members of his team met with USGA officials to see if there was any way of overturning the penalty. According to the USGA, there is no formal appeal for this ruling and while sometimes second opinions are allowed, in this instance the ruling was made by all the key decision makers.

“That was a misbehave from my part,” Niemann said. “I felt like a little bit extra penalized with two-shot penalty, but I think it is what it is. I think I'm going to learn from it. It definitely kind of helped me a little bit to have a better round today.”

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The USMNT has made a bright start to their World Cup campaign under Mauricio Pochettino. A 4-1 win over Paraguay changed the mood around the team, and the early signs against Australia only added to that optimism.

Previous doubts about Pochettino’s work have faded quickly. The United States look sharper, braver and more coherent than many expected before the tournament began.

There is no denying, though, that their opponents have given them some help, and that became part of history just 11 minutes into the Australia match.

USMNT becomes first World Cup team to benefit from back-to-back own goals

The United States became the first team ever to benefit from an own goal in two consecutive FIFA World Cup matches, according to Opta.

Both own goals also opened the scoring. Against Paraguay, Damián Bobadilla turned the ball into his own net in the seventh minute, setting the tone for a 4-1 USMNT win.

Against Australia, Cameron Burgess did the same after 11 minutes, giving Pochettino’s side another early lead.

There was even a similarity in how the goals arrived. Both plays were generated from the left side of the American attack, where the USMNT has looked dangerous across the opening stretch of the tournament.

Still, the record should not be used to dismiss the performances. Own goals can be fortunate, but they usually come from pressure, movement and defenders being forced into difficult situations.

That is what the United States have done well. They have played with tempo, attacked with conviction and made opponents uncomfortable.

The own goals have eased pressure, but they have not created a false picture. Pochettino’s team have started this World Cup campaign with genuine authority. That is a fact.

Read more:

Morocco has been an ascending soccer power, particularly after a run to the semifinals in the 2022 World Cup. The team has improved so much that its 1-1 draw against powerhouse Brazil in its 2026 World Cup opener was a slight disappointment.

What you need to know: Scotland and Morocco vie for control of Group C at Boston Stadium

“We didn’t come to the U.S. to just play against Brazil,” Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi said. “We came in to go even farther than we did in Qatar in 2022.”

Scotland has put itself in a good position to advance to the knockout round for the first time after a 1-0 win over Haiti in its opener, but Morocco should be a considerably tougher opponent.

“Against difficult opponents, we have to be very good,” Scotland coach Steve Clarke said. “We’re a little more comfortable as underdogs. ... Sometimes Scotland prefers it that way.”

Scotland vs. Morocco marks the third game to be played at Boston Stadium in Foxborough since Saturday. The game airs on Boston 25 News/Fox at 6 p.m. Before that, fans can watch Team USA take on Australia at 3 p.m.

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Follow below for live updates leading up to, during, and after the match:

2:50 p.m.

Team USA will be without star Christian Pulisic, as it battles Australia with a trip to the knockout round on the line. Watch the game live on Boston 25 at 3 p.m., followed by Scotland vs. Morocco at Boston Stadium at 6 p.m.

2 p.m.

Boston 25 Sports director Butch Stearns and Boston 25 Soccer Analyst Julian Cardillo react to Team USA’s Christian Pulisic news and look ahead to Scotland vs. Morocco at Boston Stadium tonight.

12:50 p.m.

The first match-day Commuter Rail train carrying thousands of fans has arrived at Boston Stadium.

First train arrived at Foxboro !!! pic.twitter.com/0qzIi5Rt9o

— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) June 19, 2026

11:50 a.m.

The Tartan Army has been unleashed and is heading to Foxborough.

Scotland !!! pic.twitter.com/PAmqehWaGw

— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) June 19, 2026

11:30 a.m.

Massachusetts State Police share some match-day reminders for fans.

⚽ Match Day reminder: Celebrate proudly, but leave fireworks, flares, smoke devices, and pyrotechnics at home.
🚫 Fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts and are not allowed at World Cup matches, fan events, celebrations, transportation areas, or public spaces.#MatchReadyMApic.twitter.com/zVV3HFp0Hd

— Massachusetts State Police (@MassStatePolice) June 19, 2026

11:15 a.m.

Scotland and Morocco fans are lined up outside South Station, waiting for MBTA Commuter Rail trains to start rolling to Foxborough Station.

Pre boarding South Station pic.twitter.com/UaATzPgquD

— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) June 19, 2026

11 a.m.

MassDOT announces that the HOV lane on the Southeast Expressway will open at 1 p.m. to accommodate World Cup traffic.

Travel Advisory: Today, Friday, June 19, the I-93 southbound (Southeast Expressway) HOV lane will open early at 1:00 p.m., for #WorldCup2026 Travel. pic.twitter.com/30QkHkcvKq

— Mass. Transportation (@MassDOT) June 19, 2026

10:45 a.m.

Boston 25 Soccer Analyst Julian Cardillo shares his thoughts on the Scotland-Morocco match, including key players fans need to keep an eye on.

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10:30 a.m.

Morocco is getting in some pre-match reps in Foxborough.

Morocco getting reps in Foxborough 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/agW5qeoEyU

— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) June 19, 2026

10 a.m.

Lauren Walsh, the newest member of the Boston 25 News team, has World Cup fans covered from Boston Stadium.

8:45 a.m.

Harvard Men’s Soccer Coach Josh Shappiro shares his prediction for Scotland vs. Morocco.

8:30 a.m.

One Tartan Army fan is going viral during the World Cup, turning Dunkin runs and Walmart trips into must-see moments — and even drawing hundreds to Boston Common.

7 a.m.

Boston 25 Chief Meteorologist recaps yesterday’s stormy weather and shares her match-day forecast.

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6:30 a.m.

Scotland’s Tartan Army visits the Bewitched statue in Salem.

Scotland’s Tartan Army visited the Bewitched Statue in Salem. #boston@witchcitypic.twitter.com/6Y44D90eL2

— Stanley Forman (@sjforman138) June 19, 2026

6 a.m.

Team Scotland in Foxborough to “take care of business.”

“We’re here to take care of business.”#SCOMAR | #FIFAWorldCuppic.twitter.com/5lSXikDC5l

— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 19, 2026

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

For the first time in its inaugural season as the exclusive U.S. home of Formula 1, Apple TV is making a complete race weekend available to anyone who wants to watch.

The streamer announced its making the entire Austrian Grand Prix weekend free to U.S. viewers starting Friday, June 26, through Sunday’s race on June 28. That means all five sessions — two practice rounds Friday, a third Saturday morning, qualifying Saturday afternoon, and the Grand Prix on Sunday — are available in the Apple TV app without a subscription.

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A post shared by Apple TV (@appletv)

Apple signed a five-year, $750 million deal to take F1’s U.S. rights from ESPN, which had held them since 2018. ESPN had the ability to match Apple’s offer but declined. It was a consequential decision to walk away from, given that ESPN had just set a record 1.3 million viewers per race in its final F1 season, with 16 of 24 races setting individual viewership highs. F1 had grown 135% during its time on ESPN, from 554,000 viewers per race at the start of the partnership.

Apple TV accounts for less than half a percent of all television viewing in the United States, and its estimated domestic subscriber base of 18.7 million is a considerably smaller pool than the 60 million cable and satellite households ESPN could reach. After the Australian Grand Prix opener, Apple told The Hollywood Reporter that viewership had topped ESPN’s numbers from a year prior, but declined to release any data to support the assertion.

While Apple hasn’t offered much transparency into how many people are watching, F1 executives have been more vocal about what they believe the move to streaming solves. Chief media rights officer Ian Holmes has argued that housing every session on one platform improves discoverability for fans.

“If it’s on ESPNEWS and then the next session is on ESPN College and then ESPN3, it doesn’t help discoverability,” Holmes told Sports Business Journal earlier this year. “Whereas having it all housed effectively on a single page definitely increases the knowledge of exactly what content is available.”

That page, next weekend, is free. And with it comes access to the full suite of features Apple has touted since acquiring the rights. Apple’s broadcast runs in 4K Dolby Vision with 5.1 audio, multiview support for up to four simultaneous feeds, onboard cameras, live telemetry, and a choice between F1 TV and Sky Sports presentations.

The post Apple TV is making an entire F1 race weekend free for the first time appeared first on Awful Announcing.

The Los Angeles Dodgers seem to be the team in MLB that can offer exactly what the Detroit Tigers want for Tarik Skubal.

In a major reveal on Thursday afternoon, an off day for the Dodgers, insider Jon Heyman reported that the Tigers are looking for controllable pitching and position players close to the big leagues.

While not exactly some kind of breaking news, considering most teams who reasonably ask for this when targeting an ace pitcher, this is the first clear notion of what the franchise is looking for if they deal Skubal.

Rather than targeting the highest-upside players, the Tigers seemingly want players who will not take too long to be ready to contribute.

The Dodgers have one of the best farm systems in baseball, with top-end talent capable of offering a prospect package, and they are also uniquely equipped with budding major-league talent and minor-league players close to the show.

Who can the Dodgers offer?

Cost-controlled pitchers: Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, River Ryan, and Jackson Ferris

Nearly ready position players: James Tibbs III, Zach Ehrhard, Ryan Ward, Mike Sirota, and Josue De Paula

Out of these two groups, the Dodgers can put together a great package for Skubal that includes both of what the Tigers want.

In fact, the Dodgers can lay out these options for the Tigers and give them the pick of the litter. The least likely to be moved in a Skubal deal is clearly De Paula, who is the real gem of the Dodgers system and has broken into the top tier of prospect evaluation.

A combination of Wrobleski and Tibbs would generate some serious consideration from Detroit, who would get a quality starter that can get outs, along with Tibbs, one of the hottest minor league players in baseball.

Then, it might take one more player to get it done if a true bidding war does ensue, but even just a Wrobleski/Sheehan + Tibbs should get the Dodgers close.

Why the Dodgers can get the trade done

The Brewers are the only team that can legitimately compete for Skubal if the Dodgers push hard for him, but trading for an expensive rental who would demand top dollar goes against their DNA — see no further than the Freddy Peralta deal.

For this reason, along with the Dodgers’ resources, LA is the team lined up for Skubal.

Flags have become another unlikely controversy at a World Cup already marked by criticism over ticket prices, food costs and hydration breaks. FIFA’s rules around supporter displays are now drawing extra attention.

There had already been debate around the pre-revolutionary Iran flag, with FIFA’s ban upheld after a late hearing in Los Angeles. Now the talking point has shifted to a customised England flag linked to Barrow AFC.

England beat Croatia 4-2 last Wednesday, but one group of supporters could not show their flag during the game. The reason, according to a BBC report, was the submarine included in the design.

England supporters told Barrow AFC flag could not be displayed

Barrow fans had added the club badge and a submarine silhouette to a St George’s flag.

The image was chosen for a reason. Barrow-in-Furness has a long history of shipbuilding and submarines, and the vessel is closely tied to the town’s identity.

But FIFA rejected the application related to the flag because images of military or weaponry are not allowed under its policy.

The entity later told the group the flag could be approved if the submarine imagery was covered and the application resubmitted.

The episode became the subject of jokes on Barrow’s official X account, as the club posted their badge with the submarine symbol censored and stated: “In order to make sure our supporter John Little can represent the Bluebirds over in Boston properly, we’d like to unveil our new *temporary club badge for the duration of the World Cup…”

“FIFA, let us know if the Arrow has to go too,” the England team message concluded.

Read more:

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — For the last three years, and even after the chaos and volatility we saw at Shinnecock on Friday, it's tempting to view Dustin Johnson as a figure of the past. Figures of the past live on in stories, and everyone who has spent time around Dustin Johnson, even if it's only peripherally or for a short time, has a favorite DJ story. Here's mine:

It was 2014, I wanted to profile him for a book I was working on, and his agent David Winkle arranged for me to walk with him for an hour on Wednesday at the Colonial pro-am. He surprised me the entire time—he was engaging and thoughtful, occasionally crass but never dismissive the way I thought he might be. At one point, he barked at his brother and caddie AJ, who was still relatively new on his bag and resting under the shade of a pecan tree, to get him the yardage. The moment I'll never forget, though, came when one of the pro-am players came by with a yellow flag.

"Is this kosher?" he asked, holding the flag out for Johnson to sign. Johnson signed it without much acknowledgement, but it apparently wasn't good enough for the man.

"Will you sign it, 'To Steve'?" he asked.

Johnson took the flag back, looked at it—everything he does happens at his own slow rhythm—and wrote the words "All the best" above his signature.

I found this very funny, though I suppressed it, but you could see the man's heart sink. The dilemma passed over his face, and he mustered up the courage to ask again.

"But can you sign it 'To Steve'?"

DJ, now slightly annoyed, took the flag back again. He took a long look and then made up his mind.

"Well, they already got their name here," he said, laying a large finger on the flag.

I peeked over—he was pointing at the signature of another player, who had written "To Steve."

The man looked at him, wondering if this was some kind of joke, but DJ just stared back with those dead eyes. The man, of course, cracked first.

"Yeah," he said. "That's awesome."

And he walked away with a story that I'm sure he never told.

*****

Warren Little

On Friday at Shinnecock, Johnson's name appeared on the leaderboard in second place. He's 41 years old for the next three days, and this was a return to form that was hard to see coming unless you paid close attention to his last two outings on LIV—fourth in Korea, T-5 in Andalucia. He did the bulk of his damage late on Thursday, with four straight birdies to start his back nine (Shinnecock's front), then came back Friday morning to make two more birdies to finish his first round. There wasn't much break before he teed off for Round 2, and he stayed even through 10 holes. At four under, he was the nearest chaser to his white-hot playing partner Wyndham Clark.

We barely had time to process this renaissance, though, before the ship took water. A double at 11, two more bogeys at 12 and 13, and then the true disaster: A quad at 15 that included one bunker-to-bunker gaffe, a chunked follow-up that stayed in the sand, and a skulled bunker shot that ran off the green. Shinnecock is the kind of course where you can hit three shots from two different bunkers on the same hole, and though he recovered to make birdie on 16 and make the cut, he had dropped from solo second to T-53, from a single shot off the lead to ten, and it felt like his moment had passed.

Even so ...

... in some ways he was the most interesting man on the course. Even now, past his prime and perhaps pat his interest in playing elite golf, there's an aura around DJ that very few other plays can match. It's his size and power, his obvious athleticism, that grim Clint Eastwood demeanor, and the slow, almost predatory way he moves. There's a sense that he's pure id, which is a polite way of acknowledging the perception that he's not very smart. I don't agree with that, although his interviews can be painfully dull and he doesn't seem to take great pleasure in ruminating, or sometimes even talking. But those qualities almost make his brand stronger, and when you combine that with a celebrity wife, a couple majors, and the pure alpha energy, he's a perpetually fascinating figure for galleries. I dare you to look away.

He's one of those apostates whose reputation has been hurt the least by going to LIV, probably because unlike a Graeme McDowell or Jon Rahm, you never expected him to care about (or even consider) any of the ethical problems with the Saudi regime, and so you could never accuse him of playing the hypocrite. But the move still took a toll; he put together a decent year of major performances after the defection, including two top-10s, but in his last 11 tries, he's missed six cuts and never finished inside the top 20. He hasn't even won on LIV in two years, and it all prompted a chicken-or-egg style question:

Did he sign with LIV because he stopped caring about golf, or did he stop caring about golf because he signed with LIV?

That may be too glib, too nonspecific, but either way, you can't call it—whatever it is—any kind of tragedy. He's in the late stages of his career, he won two majors, he has a lot of money, and if anyone seems capable of contentment after the hurricane of a dynamic career, it's him.

But this all sounds very conclusive, very fatalistic, and after his round, Johnson didn't sound like someone who thought of himself in the past tense. Around 20 reporters gathered around him by the flash area—a testament to his ongoing appeal—and he seemed mostly at ease despite his 77.

Christian Petersen

" I felt like I played really solid today," he said. "Hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in."

Recapping his own around, it was mostly a story of a punishing wind and a few unfortunate rocks.

"The first one on 15," he remembered, "the rock got in between the face and kicked it. I mean, it went five yards further left than it should have ... it came out and hooked. And then the next one, it hit a rock and it popped it straight up, and so it came out shorter. And then on the third one, I hit a rock and it went into the ball."

"Sounds like a lot of rocks," one reporter observed.

"Yeah," he said, "it's tough.  It' the ones that you can't see. Obviously the big ones that are sitting on top of you, you can move them, but I had where I could see them but they were in the sand."

On his recent form, he spoke about returning to the original lofts on his clubs just before Korea, where he just had an instinct to bend them back. But while he spoke about the present, the most interesting elements of his biography came to mind; the pedigree that included a grandfather drafted by the Lakers and a father who starred in high school football; the teenage hustler who won money against grown men at his club in Columbia, S.C., after he finished his shift on the maintenance crew; the dark turn when he became involved on the fringes of a theft and murder investigation; the rebirth under a "hardass" coach at Coastal Carolina; the quick rise on the PGA Tour; the heartbreaks at majors until the breakthrough at Oakmont, followed five years later by the COVID Masters; the wild rumors, the wild suspension, the wild marriage, and the disappearing act that took the wild away.

There's more salt with the pepper in his beard these days, but nothing else about him feels particularly old or lost, and his natural talent is still obvious at a glance. Nevertheless, the events of the last few years have made DJ seem like golf's forgotten man. He made us remember him again on Friday, even if it didn't last very long, and all things considered, it was a good memory, and maybe even a poignant one—a reminder of the small pleasures we've lost in the torrents of history that still sweep a divided sport through its most turbulent decade.

DJ, take us back.

MORE GOLF DIGEST U.S. OPEN COVERAGE

U.S. Open 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions How to watch the 2026 U.S. Open First and second round tee times at Shinnecock Hills Power Rankings: Every player in the U.S. Open field, ranked Here’s the record prize money payout for each golfer at the U.S. Open Video: Every hole at Shinnecock Hills Why can't the USGA get Shinnecock Hills right? Our interactive guide explains What’s a ‘good’ shot at Shinnecock? The difference between our editos and tour average Breaking down Scottie Scheffler’s chances to complete the career Grand Slam Every chip shot you’ll see at Shinnecock Hills, explained

Adrien Rabiot has slammed the playing surface at MetLife Stadium, with the French midfielder questioning whether he could even describe it as 'a pitch.'

The 2026 World Cup is now fully underway, with Thursday's action witnessing Jesse Marsch's Canada demolish Qatar 6-0 in commanding style. Yet the match, which was attended by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, was overshadowed by a devastating injury to Canada's Ismael Kone, who was stretchered off following a challenge by Assim Madibo.

Meanwhile, during France's tournament opener, they overcame a lackluster first-half showing to beat Senegal 3-1 at MetLife Stadium, with Kylian Mbappe netting twice to give Didier Deschamps' team a perfect beginning. Nevertheless, Rabiot, who featured for the full 90 minutes against Senegal, expressed frustration with the playing conditions France encountered in New Jersey.

• FIFA World Cup referee under investigation for alleged 'white supremacy' gesture
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"The pitch, I don't even know if you can call it that," said Rabiot of the MetLife Stadium pitch, via The Mirror US. "It felt more like an artificial surface-quite hard and quite rigid."

Because of FIFA regulations, the venue, which hosts the New York Giants and New York Jets, was required to lay a temporary grass field, something NFL players have long advocated for. "Annoying," said Giants lineman Jermaine Eluemunor when asked about the soccer stars getting to play on grass instead of turf. "It's nice playing on grass," he added.

Rabiot is not the only player to have taken aim at the pitch at MetLife Stadium. "In the second half, with the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly," said Vinicius Junior following Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco. "The game becomes very sluggish, and we can't get into our rhythm."

France head coach Didier Deschamps has also weighed in with his own sharp criticism of the MetLife surface.

To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE

"It's different," Deschamps said of the pitch when asked about it following France's opening game win. "You have to get used to it. The fact there's a concrete slab underneath means the grass fibers are very short. The bounce is different and the turf changes depending on how much it's watered."

He continued: "Some players had already played the Club World Cup here. If there isn't a good thickness of soil, it's different. The players weren't going to put in screw-in studs because there isn't much depth. Since we don't train on it, it's complicated. I warned them, but it's different from what they're used to."

In response to the mounting backlash directed at MetLife Stadium and FIFA, the governing body issued a statement asserting it had devoted "more than five years" of research to guaranteeing the tournament's playing surfaces meet the highest possible standards.

"The pitches at all 16 FIFA World Cup 2026 stadiums remain in excellent condition from both a playability and player safety perspective," a statement read.

"While there have been comments regarding the visual appearance of certain areas of the playing surface at NYNJ Stadium, FIFA's Turf Management Team's assessment is that every pitch is healthy and performing as intended for elite competition.

"Variations in the appearance of some surfaces, whether on television or in person, do not necessarily reflect the quality, health or playability of the pitch.

"FIFA's pitch management teams undertake extensive testing and monitoring before every match, including assessments of moisture levels, firmness and overall playing conditions."

Welcome back to the IJF World Tour, and to one of it’s most revered stops, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The Steppe Arena was the host of the first tournament offering LA Olympic qualification points, so many of the world's biggest judo stars were in action.

At -48 kg,KOGA Wakana took on ZHUANG Wenna in the final. An ouchi-gari for yuko proved the slightest of differences in a close battle and saw KOGA take the win.

International Judo Federation Education and Coaching Director, Mr Mohammed MERIDJA was on hand to award the medals.

The -60kg final was high calibre, World number one Balabay AGHAYEV, and Current world champion NAGAYAMA Ryuju.

A yuko score from the Azeri was enough to earn him the gold!

He was awarded his medal by Vice President of the Mongolian Judo Association, Mr Turbold BOLDBAATAR.

At -52kg, Olympic and five time World champion, ABE Uta looked to be right at her very best, dispatching every fighter in her path to the final.

With her opponent there unable to compete. ABE claimed a record breaking 12th Grand slam gold medal… the most by any woman.

She was awarded her medal by Referee Director of the International Judo Federation, Ms Tina TRSTENJAK.

Current -66kg world champion TAKEOKA Takeshi looked supreme all day. A strong Waza-ari score in the final saw him best Ramazan ABDULAEV.

The medals were awarded by Chair of the Mongolian State Committee of Physical Culture and Sports, Mr Bilegt ERDENESAIKHAN.

In the -57kg final, OMORI Akari caught Sarah Leonie CYSIQUE with an opportune sacrifice technique to score and take a fourth title on the day for Japan.

She was awarded the gold by Referee Supervisor of the International Judo Federation, Mr Mathieu BATAILLE.

Sukhbat BYAMBASUREN gave the home crowd reason to celebrate, taking a hard earned bronze medal for the hosts.

Join us tomorrow for the middle-weights and more big judo stars!

Olivia Miles has looked comfortable in the WNBA almost from the moment she stepped on the floor. Against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 17, the Minnesota Lynx rookie showed exactly why.

Miles scored a career-high 31 points in Minnesota's 99-83 victory, putting together another standout performance in what has quickly become an impressive rookie campaign. Twenty-four of her points came in the first half, including 17 in the second quarter, when she took control of the game and helped the Lynx build a lead the Sparks could never fully erase.

The game was still within reach midway through the second quarter when Miles began putting on a show. She attacked the paint with confidence, using her crafty ballhandling and creativity to maneuver around defenders and create scoring opportunities seemingly at will. Whether she was finishing around the basket or setting up teammates, Miles looked like anything but a rookie.

Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts could only tip her cap afterward.

"She's good," Roberts said matter-of-factly. "She's talented and, what I said pregame, she's super skilled. So we were trying to mix things up. We didn't execute it exactly how we'd hoped to all the time. But you have to just tip your hat to her. She's a great player with a lot of skill. Her ball-handling and vision is what separates her."

Although Miles' rise has been one of the early stories of the WNBA season, she admitted even she has been surprised by how quickly everything has come together.

"I'm more so surprised with just the ability to be me so early on, which is a credit to my environment," Miles said. "Cheryl has been amazing, my teammates have been amazing. They wanted me to be really comfortable. I always knew what I could do as a player and had that confidence. I thought I'd make an impact, just not this quick, for sure."

Miles credits much of her success to the relationships she has built with Minnesota's veteran core.

"I think I'm getting their trust and respect because I've taken the time to build relationships with them and allowed them to know me as a person," she said. "It's allowed them to trust me easier."

Her confidence stems from something that has followed her throughout her basketball career: an innate feel for the game.

"My IQ and the way that I play translate either way," Miles said. "When you have a feel for the game, I've been able to play at any level. I understand the game, and I think that's translating."

That confidence has also been nurtured by Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, who Miles said has allowed her to grow into herself rather than force her into a mold.

"She kind of lets me be me," Miles said. "That's kind of the best thing I've learned from her. Obviously, be smart and stay within the structure, but be me."

On a night when the Lynx offense was firing on all cylinders, it was the rookie guard who stole the spotlight. And if Miles' career-high performance against the Sparks was any indication, she is only beginning to scratch the surface of what she can become.

When Dustin Johnson finished his first round on Friday morning, he was 4 under. Ten holes through his second round, he was still 4 under. But then Shinnecock got some payback.

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Johnson found two bunkers at the tricky par-3 11th and made double. Then he made back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13. After a par at 14, Johnson made an absolute mess of the 15th, eventually making a quadruple-bogey eight. All of a sudden, just an hour after being tied for second, he was on cut watch.

U.S. Open:How to Watch | Tee Times

While it was a bit of a surprise to see DJ around the lead through 28 holes, he did come into the week of back-to-back top-five finishes on LIV—not like that means much. Data Golf projects the U.S. Open cut will come in at 4 under, and after a birdie at the par-5 16th, Johnson just needs to get it in the house to make it to the weekend. He hasn’t made the cut in this event since Los Angeles Country Club in 2023.

The 2026 World Cup has turned out to be an awesome experience because of all of the different countries and cultures coming to North America and having a wonderful time. But in the case of the BBC, they may have taken some creative liberties when it comes to celebrating the city of Houston.

Houston has a lot going for it. The city is the fifth most-populous metropolitan area in the country. Its port on the Gulf of Mexico drives international and global trade. It’s the center of American space travel. It’s one of the most diverse cities in America. And for the 2026 World Cup, it’s serving as one of the host cities for the tournament.

One thing Houston does not have is mountains.

Houston sits on the Gulf Coastal Plain and rests at just 105 feet above sea level. Nobody is going to confuse it with Denver anytime soon.

However, when the BBC was at halftime of the Portugal vs Democratic Republic of the Congo game that was taking place in the city, they showcased a green screen backdrop of the Houston skyline. Except for some unknown reason, they added mountains in the background to try to dress it up a little bit in what may have been some kind of stroke of AI or CGI genius.

.@BBC adding mountains to the green screen background of Houston is one of the most dubious things I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/3AltHaHwLR

— Reed Wilburn, MD, MS (@drwilburnmd) June 17, 2026

The pro sports teams in Houston had some fun with the BBC’s geographical error with both the Dynamo and the Rockets making light of their newfound mountain scenery.

You just can’t beat this view https://t.co/s374v1svtypic.twitter.com/21vKwVTE6n

— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) June 18, 2026

Just another beautiful day in the Houston Alps https://t.co/7mTko482Hspic.twitter.com/Me0zn03MN2

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) June 18, 2026

We’ve seen some creative liberties or oversights in B-roll footage around sports telecasts happen before, but never quite to this level. But if the BBC is going to give Houston a nice desert mountain range they should just go all the way with it. Let’s see some beautiful waterfalls in New York, a Kansas City tropical paradise, and a view of Los Angeles that has no traffic to speak of.

The post BBC somehow gives Houston glorious mountain range appeared first on Awful Announcing.

The UFC octagon is back in Las Vegas for Saturday's UFC Fight Night 279 event at the Meta Apex. A flyweight rematch between former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Manel Kape and former UFC flyweight championship challenger Kyoji Horiguchi headlines the fight card. The winner will likely put himself in position for the next shot at champion Joshua Van.

The first fighter is expected on the scales last noon ET.

UFC Vegas 119 Official Weigh-In Results

MAIN CARD (Paramount+, 8 p.m. ET)

• Manel Kape () vs. Kyoji Horiguchi ()
• Ion Cutelaba () vs. Navajo Stirling ()
• Hyder Amil () vs. Christian Rodriguez ()
• Melsik Baghdasaryan () vs. Murtazali Magomedov ()
• Andre Fili () vs. Vinicius Oliveira ()

PRELIMINARY CARD (Paramount+, 5 p.m. ET)

• Kevin Borjas () vs. Andre Lima ()
• Bia Mesquita () vs. Melissa Mullins ()
• Allan Nascimento () vs. Mitch Raposo ()
• Michael Aswell () vs. Gaston Bolanos ()
• Karol Rosa () vs. Luana Santos ()
• Levan Chokheli () vs. Leon Shahbazyan ()
• Shane Collins () vs. Otari Tanzilovi ()

Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone is set to undergo surgery following a severe injury suffered during Thursday's game against Qatar. Medical assessments confirm he has fractured both his fibula and tibia.

Kone was stretchered off the field after a challenge by Assim Madibo, who was shown a red card for the incident. The Canadian player was visibly distressed in the immediate aftermath of the collision, while Madibo looked distraught by what had transpired in the World Cup group game.

Tensions flared between both squads and their technical areas as medical personnel treated Kone. Despite concern spreading throughout the stadium, the 24-year-old was able to gesture to fans as he departed the playing surface, via The Mirror US.

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Following the match, Jesse Marsch confirmed that Kone was at the hospital with his mother, Suzanne, preparing for surgery. The former Leeds United boss also revealed that Madibo came to the locker room to apologize for his challenge.

"I saw his leg. I saw that something wasn't right," said Canada captain Stephen Eustaquio, who was among the first teammates to reach him. "We're going to miss (Kone). He has that X factor that our team really needs."

Hat-trick scorer Jonathan David questioned the justification for the tackle that injured Kone. "If there's a play where you cannot win the ball, there's no point," he said. "It's just to hurt people."

Marsch heaped praise on Kone following Canada's win and voiced his belief in the player's future prospects. He said: "Ismael is such a great kid.

To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE

"He's so imperfect but that's why you love him. He can do great things and the next moment he loses concentration. He embodies a lot of what the team is. It's a huge loss for us.

"He'll be fine, we'll get him good doctors. He's got a big future and he's a big part of everything we'll do."

Despite the unfortunate injury, Canada dominated in their 6-0 win over Qatar. Following their fourth goal, scored by Kone's replacement Nathan Saliba, the team paid tribute to their stricken teammate.

Saliba retrieved a jersey bearing his teammate's name and number after a breathtaking free kick, raising it aloft to a thunderous reception from the sold-out home crowd.

Who: Germany vs Ivory Coast
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match
Where: Toronto Stadium, Toronto, Canada
When: Saturday, 4pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Keep up with all updates on Al Jazeera Sport

One of the most mouthwatering matches in the second round of games in the World Cup 2026 group stage sees four-time champions Germany facing a talented Ivory Coast outfit in Toronto on Saturday evening.

Both sides made a winning start to their Group E campaign, in very different ways, as Die Mannschaft overcame an early scare against Curacao to romp to a 7-1 win, while The Elephants eventually pipped Ecuador 1-0 with a last-gasp goal, after the South Americans had hit the woodwork three times.

Germany under the radar?

After disappointing group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022, Germany came into this tournament somewhat under the radar, with the perennial powerhouse ranked only seventh-favourites to lift their fifth World Cup.

While they turned on the style thanks to young stars like Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz to pile on the goals against Curacao – the smallest nation by size and population ever to have taken part in a World Cup – and the goals have flowed in 10 straight wins, this will be a far stiffer test.

Curacao caused the German defence a few problems, especially in the opening half-hour, and it’s their pivotal central-defensive pairing of Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck, playing in front of 40-year-old keeper Manuel Neuer, that will ultimately decide how deep the Germans can go in this tournament.

Dynamic Arsenal attacking midfielder Kai Havertz continued his recent goalscoring run for club and country with a double for Germany in the opening game, but he will likely find the Ivory Coast defence a harder challenge than that posed by Curacao’s backline.

By winning their group opener, Germany did what they couldn’t in 2018 and 2022 and appear certain to progress to a first knockout match since the 2014 World Cup Final. Whether they advance as group winners, or limp through in the minor places, might well come down to the result in Toronto.

A win against Ivory Coast would secure direct top-two qualification to the Round of 32 and would likely be enough to top Group E should Ecuador fail to beat Curacao four hours later in Kansas City.

In an alternate scenario, even with a German victory against Ivory Coast, Ecuador – if they can beat both Curacao and then the Germans in Thursday’s group finale – would make things very interesting, with the potential for three teams – Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador – to be locked on six points and tiebreakers needed to separate them.

It matters because the team finishing first will play a third-placed qualifier, while the runner-up will face the team finishing second in the group featuring France, Norway, Senegal and Iraq, and the team qualifying third would face a group winner, potentially England or Mexico.

Matchday 4 ✔️#FIFAWorldCup

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 15, 2026

Pivotal match as Ivory Coast seek history

The Elephants might have ridden their luck, but ending Ecuador’s 19-match unbeaten streak across nearly two years in their opening game caught the eye of their fan base and will have raised expectations.

Amad Diallo’s last-minute winner ensured Ivory Coast have now won a game at all four World Cups for which they have qualified, and they can reach the knockout stages for the first time, if they defeat Germany.

In fact, they can seal top spot in Group E should they beat Die Mannschaft and Ecuador fail to beat Curacao in the other group game later on Saturday evening.

A draw against Germany would make for an intriguing group finale on Thursday night, as it would likely leave all three teams in with a chance of finishing first going into the final game, with Ivory Coast potentially needing to beat Curacao by more than six goals to ensure supremacy on goal difference.

How does the group stage work?

Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curacao are in Group E.

They will play each other once in the initial stage of the tournament. The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – will proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time.

Head-to-head

This will be just the second meeting between Germany and Ivory Coast.

The previous game was a friendly in November 2009, which saw Lukas Podolski score twice, including a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw.

Form guide:

(Last five games, latest match first)

Germany: W-W-W-W-W

Ivory Coast: W-W-W-W-L

Germany’s thumping win over Curacao last Sunday means they have won 10 straight games going back to September 2025 and have scored two or more goals in nine of those matches.

They have, however, struggled at the opposite end of the pitch, conceding goals in seven straight World Cup matches, their longest run since 1970, and their last clean sheet came in the 2014 final against Argentina in Brazil.

Ivory Coast go in search of a fifth straight victory, and confidence is high after both the Ecuador triumph last Sunday, which followed their 2-1 win against world number-three France in their final warm-up game in Paris on June 4.

Their last defeat came in the AFCON quarterfinal against Egypt in January.

5 - Last night for @equipenatciv vs Ecuador, Yan Diomande became the first player Opta has on record since 1966 to create 5+ chances (5), make 5+ tackles (5), win 10+ duels (11) and have 10+ touches in the opposition’s box (12) in a FIFA World Cup match.

🇨🇮 Star. pic.twitter.com/F98Hg8NvV1

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2026

Team news: Germany

Coach Julian Nagelsmann might well keep faith with the same XI that eventually put Curacao to the sword, but if he does, it might be tough on Deniz Undav.

The Stuttgart forward came off the bench to replace Jamal Musiala with 26 minutes to go and scored and provided two assists as Germany picked up their biggest win since the 2014 semifinal against Brazil. The versatile Undav has scored seven times and added four assists in just 10 appearances for Die Mannschaft.

Team news: Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae likely has more decisions to make.

Elye Wahi started the win over Ecuador up front before being replaced just before the hour by Ange-Yoan Bonny.

He was initially denied entry into Canada for this match due to visa complications. He was linked to a sports betting scandal while playing for Nice in Ligue 1 last month, but has since been authorised to travel and could yet be involved.

Bonny and unused subs from the first game, Oumar Diakite and Evann Guessand, are alternative options in attack.

Diallo came off the bench to win it, and the Manchester United attacking midfielder will be pushing to start, which might mean a switch of flanks for teenage starlet Yan Diomande, who stole the show on the right against Ecuador and will be eager to put on a show against the nation in which he plays for RB Leipzig.

Germany predicted XI:

Neuer (goalkeeper); Kimmich, Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Pavlovic, Nmecha; Sane, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz.

Ivory Coast predicted XI:

Y. Fofana (goalkeeper); Doue, Singo, Agbadou, Konan; Diallo, Kessie, S. Fofana, Diomande; Bonny, Toure.

You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules.

Joe Rogan overshot his estimates for the viewership numbers for the UFC Freedom 250 event that took place on the White House lawn over the weekend — by more than 100 million.

During the Thursday, June 17 episode of his popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, the host and UFC commentator offered an estimate on the total viewership of the event, which required a subscription to Paramount+ to watch live, that put it well over even the Super Bowl.

“It is one of the most-watched sporting events in the history of the world,” Rogan alleged. “I don’t know what the total overall views are as of now, but I know that it was like well over, I think, it was 150 million by just by Monday.”

Rogan went on to state that they can expect another “50 or 60 million” as people stream the broadcast later.

However, the numbers were significantly less than what Rogan boasted. On average, there were 8.2 million viewers across the U.S. and Latin America, according to Variety. At its peak, the event reached 17 million total viewers, referring to people who tuned in for at least a minute at any point in the broadcast.

While those numbers are a far cry from Rogan’s estimated 150 million, the event was indeed a definitive success, with Paramount+ noting it marks the biggest live exclusive event for the platform ever.

Still, Rogan’s claims that it was “one of the most-watched sporting events in history” at more than 150 million viewers is false. To put it in perspective, the 2025 Super Bowl LIX made TV viewership history, and it only had an estimated 127.7 million viewers, per Nielsen. In addition, getting 150 million Paramount+ subscribers watching would have been difficult, as The Wrap reported in February 2026 that it only had 79 million total subscribers.

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This story Joe Rogan Overshoots UFC Freedom 250 Viewership Estimates by More Than 100 Million first appeared on National Enquirer. Follow National Enquirer on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.

One week of the World Cup is officially in the books. And for all the complaints over hydration breaks, Fox’s coverage of the event, or whether other networks are giving the tournament requisite attention, one thing remains abundantly clear. The World Cup is a viewership event like no other.

Through the first weekend, Fox’s viewership is up 152% versus its Group Stage average for 2022 in Qatar. Telemundo, the Spanish-language broadcaster, is up an even more eye-watering 234%. Unsurprisingly, both are on record pace.

The data would seem to indicate that viewers are still quite happy finding the World Cup on good, old-fashioned linear television. Sure, these numbers include streaming viewership on Fox One and Peacock, respectively, but by-and large, World Cup viewers are watching on linear television.

Next year, no such option will be available. The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will stream exclusively on Netflix in the United States. It’ll be the first major global sporting event to air exclusively on streaming in this country, and could very well be a sign of things to come as we look towards who will broadcast the 2030 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

It’s worth examining the differing economic models at play here between streamers and traditional broadcasters, because that could very well determine where that 2030 tournament goes.

The World Cup is a unique property in the context of other live sporting events, most of which occur on an annual, or at least biannual in the case of the Olympics, basis. That’s an important distinction. Traditional broadcasters like Fox, NBC, or ESPN are still largely in the business of distribution fees. Since the advent of cable and satellite bundles, the overarching economics of these networks can be boiled down to one question: How much is your content worth to viewers? That question determines the per-subscriber fee distributors like DirecTV, Comcast, or Fubo are willing to pay networks. It’s why NFL programming, far and away the most popular content left on television, is borderline existential for legacy broadcasters.

However, the quadrennial nature of the World Cup makes it a difficult bargaining chip for networks during distribution negotiations. Most major distribution deals are done on a three-year cycle. So for Fox, it’s possible that there have been distribution agreements in the past where the network wasn’t able to leverage its World Cup rights at all, or at least had to extend the deal’s term to ensure the value of the event was included, perhaps at a discount. But it’s not simply the cycle disparity that creates issues, it’s the difficulty of valuating an event that only happens once every four years, in different parts of the globe, broadcast to an audience that is historically soccer-agnostic.

The value of a World Cup varies greatly based on where it’s played, and the time zones the American audience will be dealing with. Obviously, one held in North America, with the United States having a guaranteed spot in the tournament as a host country, is going to be a much easier sell to distributors than, say, the 2018 tournament in Russia, where the United States failed to qualify. Location, of course, can be accounted for during distribution negotiations. Those are known far in advance. Whether the United States will be participating? At least back when the field was 32 teams, rather than 48, that was far from a guarantee. That downside risk, at least previously, made the World Cup far more challenging for networks to leverage during distribution negotiations than a surefire annual property like the NFL or college football.

There’s no such calculus for a streamer, whose business fortunes are determined by selling subscriptions directly to the consumer, rather than through a middleman distributor. In that way, purchasing a sports property like the World Cup is similar to producing a handful of big-budget feature films. You hope that the subscriptions generated from the event make the rights fee worthwhile. What you don’t have to do is convince DirecTV that it should pay you more for a five-week-long sporting event that’s 28 months away.

Fox is paying a reported $485 million for this year’s World Cup, a price that some experts say is two- or three-times under market value, thanks to the no-bid contract FIFA awarded the network on account of moving the 2022 Qatar World Cup to autumn. It’s safe to assume, then, that when FIFA goes to market with the 2030 World Cup, it’s expecting upwards of $1 billion for the rights.

The question becomes, does the quadrennial event drive more than $1 billion in incremental distribution revenue for legacy broadcast networks? Maybe, but it’s a tough sell, particularly when the majority of that event will be played in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

Of course, this is a bit of an oversimplification. The World Cup also drives plenty of ad revenue and streaming subscriptions for legacy broadcasters. But at a time when these same broadcasters are tightening content spends in preparation for an expected increase in price of NFL rights, the World Cup might fall firmly in the “nice to have” rather than “must have” category. Between the volatility in value and the fact that it’s simply hard to capitalize on an event that happens in only one of every 48 months, the World Cup just seems to make more sense for a streamer.

If so, the World Cup Final one month from today could mark the end of an era.

This originally appeared in the Friday edition of  The A Block, Awful Announcing’s daily newsletter with the latest sports media news, commentary, and analysis. Sign up here and be the first to know everything you need to know about the sports media world.

The post Will this be the last World Cup on TV? appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Michael Kay wants to make it very clear that he and former YES Network announcing partner John Flaherty remain on very good terms.

“I had never had friction with John Flaherty in my life, ever,” the Yankees play-by -play announcer said on Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Kay Show. “That was not anything that I wanted nor anything that I was comfortable with.”

Flaherty’s contract wasn’t renewed after the 2025 season following a 20-year stint with YES, and some conspiratorial viewers seemed to think Kay had something to do with it.

“I love John Flaherty,” Kay said. “I thought that John Flaherty was one of the most valuable people that we had at the network.”

The ESPN New York host added that he believes the rumors of his disdain for Flaherty stem from a 2024 YES broadcast of a Yankees-Cubs game, which sounded incredibly awkward to many viewers.

Extremely uncomfortable moment during the Yankees and Cubs broadcast on YES network as @RealMichaelKay and John Flaherty come off like bitter passive aggressive ex lovers…

What the hell was this?

Def looking forward to hearing about this on Kay’s show. pic.twitter.com/uf04G0J0A2

— Frank Pellegrino (@FrankP614) September 6, 2024

“You weren’t very talkative on the bus this morning to the field, but as I was driving here, I was thinking it would be great to get a place that’s close so you could walk back and forth,” Flaherty said to Kay during the 2024 broadcast. “I know you mentioned Don Zimmer living in the apartments out in center field. But I just had a lot of time to think on the team bus today, because it was very quiet.”

“So you’d rather me be chatty? I wasn’t feeling great,” replied Kay.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time, right? You don’t work road trips anymore when I’m on the road,” Flaherty chirped back. “So I thought we would catch up, and it quickly was evident that you weren’t in the mood, so I gathered my thoughts about how it would be nice to live close to Wrigley and walk back and forth to the park.”

“Interesting narrative that you’re putting together, because I’ve been told by executives that you prefer to work with [Ryan] Ruocco,” replied Kay. “That’s why you two guys are matched up all the time. That’s just what I heard, I don’t know if there’s any truth to it.”

“I just put together that the road trips you don’t want to go on are the ones where I end up working with Ryan Ruocco, because you don’t want to work the games on the road,” Flaherty responded.

The incident caused so much consternation that Yankees GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone both asked about the awkward interaction afterward.

During the next day’s broadcast, Kay and Flaherty pushed back against the narrative that they hated each other, saying they bicker all the time and like each other very much, and eventually hugging it out in the booth.

Michael Kay and John Flaherty address Friday’s exchange on Saturday’s YES Network broadcast at Wrigley Field.

Meredith Marakovits adds, “Guys, you would not believe the chatter in the (Yankees) clubhouse today about the two of you.”

Kay: “Are you serious?” https://t.co/CoTWMrIgnUpic.twitter.com/FreBqEpxOW

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 7, 2024

Even though they made it clear that there were no hard feelings, the presumption that the two have real animosity apparently lingers.

Kay wanted to make it abundantly clear this week that he and Flaherty remain close, even though their working relationship is now over.

“We’re still absolute friends,” Kay said.

The post Michael Kay clears air on John Flaherty’s YES Network exit: ‘We’re still absolute friends’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.

June 19 (UPI) -- While Royal Ascot was hosting some of the season's most epic battles this week, American racing prepared for a weekend that features the Grade III Ohio Derby at Thistledown and the Grade II Chicago Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Here's the scoop ...

Royal Ascot

Trainer Aidan O'Brien notched his 100th Royal Ascot victory in Thursday's Group 1 Gold Cup as 4-year-old Scandinavia caught 8-year-old pacesetting favorite and defending champion Trawlerman in the final strides to win by a head. Even the losing camp admitted the race was a classic thriller.

O'Brien typically downplayed his achievement. MV Magnier, one of the Coolmore partners who own the winner, had it in less humble perspective: "It is incredible -- for Aidan to get 100 winners here and win the Gold Cup. The king and queen are here. It is a very big deal."

It also was a very big deal for Scandinavia's sire, Justify. He also sired the first- and second-place finishers in Thursday's Chesham Stakes for 2-year-olds. As Justify stands at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky for $200,000, it was a remarkable day for the organization all around.

While the 2 1/2-mile Gold Cup thrilled with a tight finish, Wednesday's featured Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes got the job done with an electric performance by Godolphin's superb Ombudsman.

The race billed itself as a showdown involving that one, the 1-2 finishers in last October's Arc d'Triomphe, Daryz and Minnie Hauk, and possibly Irish Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Almaqam.

Almaqam didn't fire, but with a furlong to go, it looked like a free-for-all involving the others -- until, that is, jockey William Buick gave Ombudsman his cue and he quickly drew off to win by 4 lengths. Minnie Hauk was second, Daryz third.

"The filly ran great. The Arc winner ran great. And probably the horse who won in Ireland [Almaqam] might not have run his race today," winning trainer John Gosden said. "But, overall, I thought it was one of the great performances of Ombudsman's career."

Buick added, "Today, he pleasantly surprised me a little with how well he did it and the feel he gave me. He was exceptional. It's very rare for a horse to do what he did."

The race was a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Turf, but Gosden dashed any hopes Ombudsman might turn up on Halloween at Keeneland. "He's too good for a mile and a-half," he said.

The opening day feature, the Group 1 St James's Palace for 3-year-olds, ended in another nail-biter, with Guineas winner Bow Echo remaining undefeated by edging Guineas runner-up Gstaad by a short head.

"I think that was the first time Bow Echo got into a proper battle," winning trainer George Boughey said. "And, I think we'll see a better horse now that he's been in a scrap like that. He has done everything we've hoped. It's fine margins in this game. Luckily, he was on the right side of it.

Friday's Group 1 affairs are the Commonwealth Cup for 3-year-olds going 6 furlongs with a filly, Venetian Sun, taking on colts as the favorite in a field of 22 and the Coronation Cup for 3-year-old fillies with Coolmore stars Precise and True Love facing off.

Saturday could be International Day with Japanese star Satono Reve challenging Australians Joliestar and Overpass in the sole Group 1, the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at 6 furlongs.

Overpass finished third as the favorite in the Group 1 King Charles II Stakes on Day 1. Joliestar, the better fancied of the two, has waited in the wings to put her three-race win streak on the line.

Gather at the bandstand for a sing-along and see ya next year.

Back in North America

The 3-year-olds

The long string of post-Derby derbies moves to Thistledown, near Cleveland, for Saturday's $500,000 Grade III Ohio Derby, which drew a pretty nice field.

Among the hopefuls are Kentucky Derby third and Preakness fourth Ocelli, who remains a maiden after eight starts, and Chip Honcho, who was third in the Preakness. The favorite is Desert Gate, an Omaha Beach colt who won the Texas Derby by 6 1/4 lengths on Memorial Day. Nice race.

Churchill Downs

Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Chicago Stakes at Churchill Downs drew a field of eight fillies and mares to go 7 furlongs out of the backstretch chute.

The morning-line favorite is the Brad Cox-trained Eclatant, a 4-year-old Into Mischief filly looking to extend a two-race win streak that includes the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland on April 4.

The main competition looks like the Bob Baffert-trained Usha. The 4-year-old daughter of Tiz the Law finished third in the Grade I Derby City Distaff on Derby Day and returned to win the Grade III Winning Colors on Memorial Day, three weeks later. Foie Gras and Lotsandlotsofcandy are tasty options.

Thistledown

The Ohio track supports the derby with Saturday's $250,000 Lady Jacqueline for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles. A field of nine is in from as far afield as California, Maryland and Kentucky.

Elsewhere

Monmouth Park, Laurel Park and Gulfstream Park have $100,000 stakes events Saturday. Aqueduct's feature is the Spectacular Bid Division of the New York Stallion Stakes.

The Texas Tech-Brendan Sorsby gambling scandal came to an unceremonious conclusion with Sorsby opting to leave college football entirely. After fighting tooth and nail for months to overturn his gambling probe-related ban from the NCAA, Sorsby ultimately applied to the NFL’s supplemental draft, ending a lengthy legal and PR battle.

As the quarterback turns his attention to the NFL, his agent, Ron Slavin, is making his feelings clear about the media’s overarching reaction to the saga.

“Everybody loves to have an opinion. I’m so tired of watching people get on TV and blab their mouth when they have no idea what they’re talking about,” Slavin said on Shan & RJ. “Unfortunately, it’s not just in Brendan’s situation; it’s in most situations.

“Unless you’re Brendan or Brendan’s family or myself and my team, nobody really knows what happened. The opinions out there were, you would have thought this kid committed major crimes and did the horrible things. The reality is, as an 18 year old, he made some bad decisions from his dorm room when he wasn’t traveling with the team in Indiana.”

Slavin pointed toward the widespread prevalence of gambling advertisements as leaving young people susceptible to the pitfalls of betting.

“The predatory world of gambling, where you turn 18 and deposit $5 you get a free $100. Every single show on TV, every single radio show, everything is sponsored by a gambling site. So, it’s a scary world we’re living in. These kids have all been raised now with phones in their hands. So, it’s real easy to get on an app and place a bet.”

Slavin isn’t alone in this feeling. Colin Cowherd echoed his sentiment, saying on his podcast that “Sorsby’s a college kid who grew up in the first gambling generation. Of course, this was going to happen.” Pardon the Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon also called out the hypocrisy. Still, regardless of whether the media’s or the NCAA’s ties to gambling are a part of the cause, athletes betting on their teams and compromising the integrity of games is a symptom that has to be treated.

Sorsby’s situation has cast doubt on the NCAA’s ability to proactively do so moving forward, but if efforts to get things under control don’t start soon, Sorsby is bound to be case-zero, rather than a one-off.

The post Brendan Sorsby’s agent slams media: ‘Nobody really knows what happened’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.

The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will see a historic milestone in FIFA’s history reached.

The tournament is now in full swing, and the group-stage matches are coming thick and fast.

On June 20, Japan and Tunisia are set to face off in a Group F clash, and that game will be the 1,000th World Cup tie in FIFA’s history.

Referee gifted a special shirt to mark 1,000th FIFA game

FIFA have appointed Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs to take charge of the 1,000th match.

Ahead of the tie, the organisation have presented the official with a special Adidas match shirt that features gold sleeve stripes and a ‘Match 1000’ patch to mark the historic moment.

FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina has also commented on the milestone.

In a statement on the organisation’s website, he said: “We selected the referee that we think is the best referee for this match. And of course, by coincidence, he is also appointed for the 1,000th match.

“So, for him, it is something extra, something special on top. Refereeing a FIFA World Cup match is always a huge privilege, it’s a great honour.

“Certainly, becoming part of the history of football – part of the history of the FIFA World Cup, being appointed to and being on the field of play to officiate the match number 1,000 is definitely something extra.

“We decided to create a special match kit to celebrate this match and it’s a nice one with some golden details; stripes and a patch with the trophy and the number 1,000 on it.”

FIFA’s first World Cup took place all the way back in 1930 and saw Uruguay emerge as the winners.

During that tournament, the first two matches were played at the same time. One saw France beat Mexico 4-1 and the other saw the USA beat Belgium 3-0.

Read more:

LONDON (AP) — Nos. 9 and 11 batters Matthew Fisher and Sonny Baker frustrated New Zealand and reduced England's deficit on the third morning of The Oval test on Friday.

New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry claimed a five-wicket haul thanks to three sharp catches in the first 35 minutes. England was 238-9 then and New Zealand would have expected to be batting long before lunch.

But Fisher, in his second test, and Baker, on debut, with no test runs between them, stubbornly refused to follow the script. Their every run was cheered on by a packed, sun-baked crowd.

Fisher led with 48 of their 53 runs together but Baker resisted 35 deliveries for his 4. On the 36th, Baker edged Kyle Jamieson to second slip five minutes before lunch and England's first innings was finally over at 291, trailing New Zealand by, still, a healthy 100 runs.

When the last pair of Fisher and Baker started together, England was 153 behind. To that point, New Zealand had exceeded expectations.

Jordan Cox added five runs to his overnight 22 then was out trying to casually flick Henry past Tom Latham at midwicket. As England's last senior batter, Cox's soft dismissal seemed to be a serious blow to getting close to New Zealand's total.

Only the England tail was left.

Jofra Archer was out to an incredible catch by wicketkeeper Tom Blundell up at the stumps, and Josh Tongue was caught on a second attempt, one-handed, by Nathan Smith falling backwards.

Henry, New Zealand's senior seamer, was reduced by back spasms to a spectator in the first test at Lord's but roared back here with his seventh test 5-for, and sixth 5-for in his last 12 tests.

Fisher almost ran himself and Baker out early in their stand but settled. His sixth boundary brought up his fifty off 77 balls and drew the crowd to their feet 10 minutes before lunch. He was stranded there when Baker gave Jamieson his first wicket of the innings.

___

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

Morocco is set to take the field in Foxborough for the first time, and excitement is already building across Massachusetts — especially in the North Shore city of Revere, where a large Moroccan community is preparing to cheer on its team together.

A watch party is planned on Shirley Avenue starting at 3 p.m. for fans who don’t have tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup match against Scotland but still want to be part of the atmosphere.

In the lead-up to the game, crowds have already gathered around Boston, including a group that met outside City Hall Plaza earlier this week to celebrate and show support for Morocco.

Many told Boston 25 they planned to either head to the official Boston Fan Fest or join community watch parties, such as the one in Revere.

At a local Moroccan bakery, one Revere man who moved to Massachusetts in 2019 said the World Cup has sparked pride and brought people together.

“Morocco is doing well this World Cup. The first game was great for us, even if it was like a tie,” Khlid said. “There is a lot of community, like the Moroccan community, in Revere. And a lot of Moroccans are coming from Morocco too.”

Watch party details

• Location: Shirley Avenue, Revere
• Start time: 3 p.m.
• End time: 9 p.m.

With kickoff in Foxborough set for later in the evening, organizers say the watch party will give fans a chance to celebrate their team — and their culture — in a community setting.

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Iran is set to lodge an official complaint with FIFA over travel restrictions that the country’s soccer team is facing at the 2026 World Cup.

Amir Ghalenoei, the head coach of Iran’s team, has said his players are “the most oppressed” at the tournament.

The Iran team is allowed to fly into the U.S. one day before their matches, and must leave the country on the same day under the conditions of their visas.

On Friday, the Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) said: “The football federation of Iran believes that such restrictions are inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams’ preparation processes.

“Consequently, the federation will formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with FIFA through the appropriate channels.”

Iran’s involvement in the World Cup was plagued with uncertainty this year amid the conflict with the U.S. But President Donald Trump and President Masoud Pezeshkian signed an initial peace deal aimed at ending the war this week.

Newsweek contacted FIFA for comment outside of normal business hours.

This is a developing story. More to follow.

With the 2026 World Cup taking place in North America, the debate around whether the sport should be called football or soccer is raging once more.

The modern version of football was popularised in Europe, and on that continent, it is called by its original name.

Only some nations refer to the sport as soccer, one of which is the United States. Now, former USMNT player Alexi Lalas has explained he will never change his mind and call it football.

Alexi Lalas will not call football soccer

The ex-player, who made 96 appearances for the USA in the 90s, responded to a tweet from a fan talking about why he still calls it soccer.

The fan stated: “Alexi we need to talk about you continuing to call the sport ‘soccer’ cmon man.. you could bridge the gap. Even the US players call it ‘football’ in overseas interviews out of respect.”

However, Lalas was unmoved by the comment and said it is ‘cringe’ to start saying football if you previously grew up referring to the sport as soccer.

He stated: “Yeah… that’s not gonna happen. I call it soccer. I own it proudly. I never apologize for it.

“If you grew up calling it soccer and changed out of insecurity or some misguided belief it makes you more authentic/credible… it doesn’t. It’s cringe. It makes you look like a weak poser.”

In the US, football is, of course, used to refer to American football and the NFL, which is a different sport altogether.

There would perhaps be some confusion if everyone in the country started to call both sports football. But that does seem unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Read more:

Knicks ownerJames Dolan reportedly had a verbal clash with NYC MayorZohran Mamdani last week. The tense interaction occurred when the duo met at City Hall to conclude the Knicks’ championship parade. They spoke at the ticker-tape parade and rally at City Hall on Thursday.

James Dolan seemingly takes swipe at Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani seemingly clashed with the Knicks’ owner, James Dolan, after the latter said in an interview that the New York City mayor is not a real fan of the team. During his speech at City Hall, Mamdani praised the Knicks’ history with a shout-out to the team’s former player, Charles Oakley, who has been publicly in a legal battle with Dolan.

Following Mamdani’s speech, Dolan seemingly took a jab at the NYC mayor. “I don’t need your vote,” the Knicks owner told the crowd. “I don’t need to quote to you what happened. If you’re real Knicks fans, you know it already,” he added.

Mamdani then went on to issue keys to the city to several staff members and players, including Dolan. However, the MSG Network CEO appeared to avoid a photo op with Mamdani. The pair did shake hands at the time.

The report comes just days after Dolan confirmed that the New York Knicks have accepted an invitation to the White House following their recent NBA Championship victory. Speaking with WFAN New York on Wednesday, the Knicks owner said, “We just did receive an invitation from [the] White House, which we accepted. We still have to figure out the details.”

Dolan also spoke about his friendship with Donald Trump during the interview. “I invited the President to come down for the game,” he said, adding, “He is a friend. I’ve known him for 30 years, and I’m very proud to bring the team to the White House.”

The President attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, where he was booed by the crowd.

The post Knicks Owner Seemingly Calls Out NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared first on Mandatory.

Tens of thousands of soccer fans poured into downtown Atlanta for the city’s second FIFA World Cup match between South Africa and Czechia. The match ended with a 1-1 tie.

The weather put an early end to celebrations outside the stadium and at nearby Centennial Olympic Park where FIFA Fan Fest closed early.

But as Channel 2’s Bryan Mims reports, the weather didn’t stop fans from taking in what Atlanta has to offer.

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SOUTH AFRICA AND CZECHIA FANS TAKE IN ATLANTA

It’s been years since both South Africa and Czechia competed in the FIFA World Cup. That’s what makes the trip to Atlanta so special, so memorable for fans.

“It feels wonderful being here, in a different continent, different environment. Just being here with the boys away from home and understanding that they’ve got the support and we are with them,” Xolani Radebe told Mims.

Radebe flew here from Pretoria, South Africa, to shout for his team making their first World Cup appearance in 16 years.

Fiona Nomthandazo, a native of South Africa now living in Cincinnati, drove eight hours to be here for the match.

“It’s a beautiful city. But too much traffic!” she told Mims.

Czechia fans traveled, too, for their country’s first World Cup appearance in 20 years.

Marcela Houbova grew up in the Czech Republic but now lives in Las Vegas. She’s here with her Czech friends who flew in from all across the country.

“We’re already here and the effort we made to come over here, it’s gonna be, it’s good,” Houbova said.

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NO RAINING ON ATLANTA RESTAURANTS AND BARS PARADE

Even before noon, bartenders were scooping ice, filling shakers and pouring pints. Well before noon.

After all, it was 5 p.m. in Johannesburg. And in Prague. South Africa and Czechia happen to be in the same time zone.

At The Irish Exit bar, which opened mere days ago, the crowd would just as soon raise a toast to the weather. Owner Pierce White expected a full house before and after the match, especially with Fan Fast closing early.

His wife Claire says add rain to the crush of soccer fans, and the bar is standing room only.

“As long as we can take care of people, I think that’s the underlying principle of any Irish pub and Irish hospitality,” Claire White said.

Just up the street at The Center bar at the old CNN Center, the bartenders had a lull as the match began. But they, too, braced for a flood of fans.

“Rain is always good. Because right when it started raining, it makes everybody run inside,” bartender Destiny Lester said.

The next match Atlanta will host is between Spain and Saudi Arabia on Sunday. There is a chance for rain again.

The second week and second matchday of the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by North America has kicked off after weeks one offered fans around the world a glimpse into the participating teams’ forms and fuelling early predictions over who has what it takes to bring the coveted title home.

The first seven days have seen all 48 nations who qualified for this expanded edition of the global tournament take to the pitch, producing a mix of expected, exciting, lacklustre and disappointing results – depending on which nation you support.

The eight teams making up Groups A and B took to the pitch late on Thursday and early into Friday morning as the fight to clinch vital points has begun.

In FIFA’s newly expanded format including 48 instead of the usual 32 teams, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups will earn a ticket to the knockout rounds, in addition to eight of the best third place finishers – reviewed by points – from all the groups.

Here is an overview of all the action Day 8 of the tournament had to offer:

Czechia v South Africa

Both teams were seeking their first points in the World Cup after suffering losses in their opening fixtures last week and ranking third and fourth in Group A.

Czechia looked determined to fight its way into the knockout stages, after midfielder Michal Sadilek opened the scoring really early into the match, converting a chance from inside the box with a beautifully placed bottom right corner finish to beat South African keeper Ronwen Williams.

The Czech team then shifted tactically into a low block for the majority of the match in an effort to protect their marginal lead over South Africa, playing only in their first World Cup since hosting the tournament back in 2010, while also looking to capitalise on any openings with counter-attacking play.

The match seemed to be heading their way and going according to plan, but an attempt by South Africa’s Thapelo Maseko to curl a top corner shot into the far left from outside the box, was blocked by Czechia’s Pavel Sulc, who to his team’s disappointment, gave away a penalty in the dying minutes of the game after the referee pointed to the spot and called a handball.

Tebeho Mokoena, cool, calm and collected as ever ran up to the ball and placed it into the bottom left corner, beating keeper Matej Kovar who jumped in the opposite direction, equalising for his team in the 83rd minute and earning his side their first point.

Switzerland v Bosnia

Bosnia, who earned their qualification ticket by upsetting European heavyweights Italy opened Group B’s second matchday fixtures, where they took on Switzerland. Both teams had been winless at that stage and looking to secure their first three points at the tournament, after drawing their opening matches.

Switzerland had chances early on to take the lead but failed to capitalise. Swiss forward Dan Ndoye executed a spectacular overhead kick early in the first half which almost found its way to the back of the net and would’ve been a sure contender for goal of the tournament.

The match however remained goalless for well over an hour and seemed to be headed towards a draw. Many fans were pictured in the stadiums leaving their seats early, expecting the final 20 minutes of regular time to be much like the previous 70, but in a dramatic and unanticipated way, it was anything but.

Switzerland was able to open the scoring in the 74th minute. A cross into the box was not cleared well by Bosnia, with the ball falling just outside the 6-yard box, gifted on a platter to striker Johan Manzambi who took it on the volley and placed it in the top right corner.

It was 10 minutes later, roughly five minutes after Bosnia suffered a red card and went a man down, that play really opened for Switzerland who were able to pounce on the newly open spaces, and a quick attack left Ruben Vargas unmarked in the box, who was fed the ball for an easy tap-in.

Six minutes later, Swiss fans were treated to another almost identical goal, where the flanks were utilised to create gaps in the centre. A quick ball fed to Manzambi in the 90th resulted in a third goal for the red shirts, who found themselves 3-0 in a matter of 16 minutes.

Bosnia showed heart however and were able to pull a goal back, after Ermin Mahmic scored a screamer off a cleared corner kick. A poor corner was headed out of harm’s way by Swiss defences, landing to unmarked Mahmic on the edge of the box who fired an unstoppable volley into the top right corner to make it 3-1.

It was veteran Swiss player, who formerly starred for top club sides Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen, who scored a penalty in the 7th minute of added time to push his nation towards their first win of the tournament, sitting on par with Canada at four points a peace.

Canada v Qatar

Canada produced the tournament’s second goal-studded display, after Germany pummelled first-timers Curacao 7-1 last week, securing their first win of the World Cup they co-host with the United States and Mexico.

Scoring opened early for Canada who managed to gain the lead in the 16th minute after Qatari keeper Mahmud Abunada failed to hold on to the ball after an initial shot on goal, giving the ball back to Cyle Larin who tapped it in.

Just over 10 minutes later, Canada’s forward Jonathan David grabbed his first goal of the fixture, who scored a stunning bottom right corner volley in the 29th minute just inside the box.

A Qatari team in shambles was set to further spiral after defender Homam Ahmed was given a red card in the 33rd minute, leaving his team two goals trailing and a man down. Canada was ruthless with their opportunities and David managed to bag one more goal in the 3rd minute of the first half’s stoppage time, to enter the halftime break with a healthy 3-0 advantage and an almost guaranteed three points.

The reigning Asian champions, playing in only their second World Cup since hosting the last edition in 2022, were in for more sorrow after midfielder Assim Madibo was also shown a red card in the 53rd minute, leaving the team at a serious disadvantage and a mountain to climb.

Canada was once more quick to utilise the open spaces and opened the second half scoring with a stunning free kick goal in the 64th curled around the defensive wall and into the bottom right corner, just minutes after being substituted into the game, and drawing an applause from Prime Minister Mark Carney who was watching the game from the stands.

Just 10 minutes later the crimson shirts conceded once more after Qatar’s Mohammed Manai in an attempt to clear the ball off the goal line, shanked it into his own net, giving Canada a ruthless 5-0 lead.

The maple leaves were not finished yet as New York-born striker Jonathan David sought to complete his first World Cup hat trick, and was able to successfully execute, with clever movement inside the box making space for himself to receive and beating the keeper with ease in the 92nd minute.

The win propelled Canada to the top of Group B, ahead of Switzerland, leading their European competition on goal difference, who they face next week in matchday three for a top of the table clash.

Mexico v South Korea

Co-hosts Mexico became the first nation to book their ticket to the World Cup knockout stage after defeating South Korea 1-0 in their second match and leading Group A with six points.

The team that opened the tournament last week with a 2-0 over South Africa was able to marginally edge its way past South Korea led by Tottenham Hotspurs legend Son Heung-min, after Luis Romo scored the fixture’s only goal in the 50th minute on home soil at Estadio Guadalajara.

They now prepare to face Czechia next week for their group stage match and have the advantage of being able to rest key players ahead of the knockout stages, while the rest of the group competes fiercely for points to book their qualifying tickets.

TheKnicks parade brought out Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Mariska Hargitay, Zohran Mamdani, and more stars. New York City turned out in full force this week as the celebration rolled through Manhattan. From actors to lawmakers, the turnout showed how closely basketball is tied to the city’s identity.

Knicks parade attended by celebs like Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, and more

From actors to public figures, the New York Knicks parade drew a star-studded crowd who joined the festivities on the streets of Manhattan to celebrate the NBA team’s first championship title in 53 years.

Celebrities like Timothée Chalamet, Martha Stewart, Edie Falco, and more supported the New York Knicks throughout the entire postseason. On Thursday, June 18, they walked through lower Manhattan for the NBA champions’ ticker-tape celebration (via PEOPLE).

The New York Knicks parade kicked off in Battery Park City. Knicks stars Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns boarded buses to head up Broadway while fans cheered from the streets. It wrapped at City Hall, where Brunson, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and other speakers were set to address the crowd. The 34-year-old mayor joined fans at bars across the city to cheer for the Knicks during their championship push.

Meanwhile, lifestyle writer Martha Stewart made it to lower Manhattan. Other VIPs included Mariska Hargitay, who attended with her 18-year-old son. New York Knicks superfans Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet attended every Finals game, so they weren’t going to miss the parade.

Rapper Fat Joe appeared on his own parade vehicle, jamming to “Lean Back.” Mary J. Blige joined him on the float, along with Wu-Tang Clan and Jadakiss. Spike Lee, a Knicks season ticket holder since the ’80s, also showed up for the team’s first championship parade. Courtside mainstay Tracy Morgan was seen celebrating in a Knicks chain. The event closed with a live performance of “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys, as fans and Karl-Anthony Towns sang along from the stage.

The post Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Zohran Mamdani & More Celebrate at Knicks Parade appeared first on Mandatory.

Supporters poured out of Guadalajara's Estadio Akron waving flags and singing after the final whistle, while thousands gathered at fan zones in Monterrey and Mexico City. The win guarantees Mexico a place in the last 32 and confirms the hosts as Group A leaders with six points from two matches, an important milestone for a team playing in front of home crowds.

The decisive moment came in the 50th minute when midfielder Luis Romo capitalised on a defensive mistake involving South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu and defender Lee Gi-hyuk. Romo calmly converted into an empty net to score the only goal of the match. South Korea nearly levelled in the 87th minute, but goalkeeper Raúl Rangel produced a crucial save to preserve the lead.

The qualification marks a significant turnaround for Mexico after its group-stage exit in 2022. With one match remaining against the Czech Republic in Mexico City, supporters are increasingly hopeful the national team can enjoy its strongest World Cup campaign in decades.

Iran’s 2026 World Cup team will lodge a complaint with FIFA claiming they are being subjected to travel restrictions during the tournament in North America, the Iranian football federation spokesperson said on Thursday.

“Despite having submitted its preparation schedule for the tournament well in advance, Iran’s national football team has once again encountered restrictions imposed by the organisers, affecting the implementation of its technical staff’s plans,” the spokesperson said, according to AFP news agency.

Iran wanted to fly from their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, to the United States two days before their next group match against Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday. But the Iranian federation claims its request was turned down.

“Given that the game will be played at 12pm local time in Los Angeles, the football federation of Iran requested that the team be allowed to travel to Los Angeles two days before the match,” the spokesman said.

“The aim was to provide sufficient time for players to adapt to the match conditions, complete their final training session, and finalise preparations.

“Despite the technical reasons presented by the federation, the request was once again denied.”

 

After Iran’s first World Cup game on Monday – in which they drew 2-2 with New Zealand in a politically charged encounter – US officials said that the team will have to leave the country within hours of the full-time whistle at their World Cup group games in Los Angeles and Seattle.

The response from the World Cup 2026 cohost nation came on Tuesday following criticism of its handling of the Iranian team’s visas and stay in the US after their first game.

The Iranian delegation left the US hours after the match in LA ended at about 8pm local time (03:00 GMT) and returned to their base camp in Mexico, prompting criticism of the US handling of their visas, as the team did not get a day to recover at their hotel.

‘Match day minus one,’ says US government

The US administration has pushed back against the Iranian claims.

Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said on Monday that Iran had been informed in advance that they would be allowed to come into the US only on the day before the game.

“The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match,” Giuliani told CBS News.

“They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match. And they’ll be able to do that again in Los Angeles.”

He added that the procedure would be the same for Iran’s final group game against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Iran, who are in Group G, kicked off their campaign this week in North America after months of uncertainty over the team’s participation in the World Cup amid the US-Israel war on Iran.

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — As TV cannot do justice to the peaks and valleys of Augusta National, neither can it capture Shinnecock Hills — not as it played on Thursday, with a heavy wind coming off the Atlantic, over beachfront mansions and across Sunrise Highway, before sweeping across the old William Flynn course here. The Thursday round of this 126th U.S. Open was all set up for another USGA Shinny set-up screwball comedy, except it never happened. The opposite. The players . . . liked it.

They liked the speed of the greens, the hint of moisture they retained all day and into the night. (Play ended at 8:25 p.m. with 50 players still on the course.) They liked the width of the fairways (often 50 yards wide!), the first-round pin positions (no holes on weird knobs!), the tee positions (no surprises!). They liked player parking (almost on the 10th tee), the food in player hospitality (beef tenderloin and fresh pizza to go), the purse ($22 million!). There was a lot to like and nothing to dis.

“The USGA did a great job,” Keegan Bradley, last year’s U.S. Ryder Cup captain down the road at Bethpage Black. Bradley shot 70, even par.

A great job!

When was the last time anybody swaddled in Tourwear said those words?

Certainly not in 2004 and 2018, the last two times the U.S. Open was played here. At those Opens, nothing like that was said, not even by Retief Goosen, the ’04 winner, not even by Brooks Koepka, the winner in ’18.

“The conditions were tough,” Koepka said Thursday afternoon after shooting 73 in the first round of his 13th U.S. Open. He’s won the event twice. “It’s weird how soft the greens are. It’s odd. It’s not what I remember. I understand why they’re soft. I get that. [I’m] not complaining.”

Not complaining!

Rory McIlroy started on the 10th hole, his tee time delayed by two hours, on account of fog brought on by a shifting wind, Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and with it a dramatic increase in humidity. (In a day, this sand-splashed South Fork of Long Island went from late spring to mid-summer.) McIlroy was two under through three holes and but finished with two bogeys, on 8 and 9, for a 69. And even after that rough finish McIlroy was not moaning.

“It’s a challenging course already and then you put 30 mile-per-hour winds on it,” McIlroy said. “I think they were prudent with the course setup.”

Prudent!

News

That U.S. Open fan who appeared to grab Rory McIlroy's ball? There's a plot twist

By: Alan Bastable

McIlroy’s day was certainly made more pleasant by having two Ryder Cup teammates, and lovely gents, as playing partners, Tommy Fleetwood, who shot 70, and Ludvig Åberg, who shot 69. Play was brutally, absurdly slow. It took the threesome, all fast players, nearly five hours and 40 minutes to play.) At least, starting as they did at 9:52 a.m., they knew they would complete their first round.

McIlroy & Mates were announced at the 10th tee by David Jacobsen, a veteran USGA volunteer and the winner last year of the organization’s prestigious Joe Dey Award. Jacobsen is the kid brother of Peter Jacobsen, the veteran Tour player and broadcaster, and the players, one after another, got a warm greeting from the starter. It may sound like nothing. It’s not. The players are playing in the U.S. Open. They’re tense. They don’t want to see a starter who is nervously looking at his watch every half-minute. A little chill goes a long way.

Jacobsen was at his post, ready for the day’s first group, well before 6:30 a.m., a cold fog all around him. Ten hours later, his workday was over. But in the final hour of his workday, he called the names of a bunch of former U.S. Open winners, including Dustin Johnson, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Gary Woodland, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm. Those guys caught the day in a gorgeous, golden late-day light, but the wind was not abating. There was sand in air and sometimes in their eyes. Flagsticks were shaking. Over the course of the day, and now and again, a hat went flying. The standard bearers were angling their scoreboards on considered angles, to slice through the wind. There were few spectators left on the course, at this witching hour. They were spent. The players were spent. The caddies were spent. A LIRR diesel train whistled on by.

It takes hundreds of crew members and USGA officials employees working long days to get these events — and this event — to a Sunday-night trophy presentation without getting called out for this or that or some other thing. On Thursday, Mother Nature had her mercurial say, and the USGA knew how to handle her.

Three more days.

Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com

The post Something's missing at this U.S. Open: cursin’, kvetchin’ and complaints appeared first on Golf.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s role in Portugal’s World Cup squad is facing renewed scrutiny following another debate over whether he is being carried through matches.

The latest criticism came after Portugal’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their 2026 World Cup opener, a match where Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes but struggled to make any real impact in attack.

Now 41, Ronaldo remains one of the game’s biggest names. But questions are growing over whether his presence is helping Portugal, or forcing one of the tournament’s most talented squads to adapt around him.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s role questioned after World Cup draw

Speaking on goodbadfootball’s podcast, former Manchester United player Paul Scholes said: “Yeah, for a 40, 41 year old to be playing centre forward, I just don’t get it.”

The criticism continued: “I think you might get away with it at the centre half, you might do in a team that keeps the ball, but as a centre forward of the 40, I think it’s a little bit selfish that he’s actually.”

Nicky Butt summed up why the conversation around Ronaldo is so complicated: “You know what he’s like.”

The point was not that Ronaldo lacks greatness. It was that his competitive drive, which made him a legend, can also make it harder for Portugal to move on tactically.

Portugal performance makes Ronaldo question harder to avoid

Against DR Congo in Houston, Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes, failed to score and did not register a shot on target. Portugal led early through Joao Neves, but Yoane Wissa equalized before halftime and the game ended 1-1.

Roberto Martinez defended keeping Ronaldo on, saying there was no sense in taking out the best goal scorer in world football when Portugal needed a goal.

That is exactly why this is such a big story. Ronaldo now plays club soccer for Al-Nassr and can still finish chances, but Portugal also have Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leao and Goncalo Ramos in a squad built for speed and movement.

The ex-United debate therefore cuts beyond one poor match. It asks whether Ronaldo’s final World Cup chapter is still about Portugal’s best XI, or about making room for a legend who refuses to step back.

Read more:

ATLANTA (AP) — Bina Ramroop broke down in tears when she realized she wasn't going to get the World Cup tickets she had bought for her grandson's 13th birthday.

As thousands poured into Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday to see Spain face Cape Verde in what turned out to be a remarkable scoreless draw, Ramroop stood outside, increasingly stressed as she went back and forth for hours between StubHub representatives on the phone and FIFA representatives in the ticket booth. Each blamed the other.

No one could figure out why the tickets Ramroop bought months ago on StubHub for $485 apiece couldn't be transferred from the original seller to the FIFA ticketing app. StubHub offered her a refund and, as Ramroop heard the crowd roar for the start of the match, she knew she had no choice but to give up and take the offer.

“I didn’t want a refund, I didn’t want my money back,” Ramroop said. “I wanted to go to the game.”

The World Cup has delivered thrills on the pitch, but fans have flooded social media with complaints about tickets that never arrived, orders that were canceled at the last minute and hours they spent trying to sort out problems between FIFA’s ticketing system and outside resale platforms. The vast majority seem to be about industry titan StubHub, but people who bought through competitors such as SeatGeek and Vivid Seats have also reported issues. Interviews with fans and industry experts show that some cases stem from technical glitches in the transfer process, while others could involve sellers who never had tickets to deliver in the first place, though StubHub denies such sales happen on its platform.

A grandmother's disappointment

FIFA has urged fans to buy resale tickets through its own marketplace, where it slaps a 30% surcharge on every resold ticket — 15% each from the buyer and seller. But many fans bought through other resale sites, either out of habit or because those sites have lower prices or are easier to navigate.

Ramroop didn't realize she was taking a risk when she bought through StubHub, which she had used in the past without issues.

As she and her grandson Elijah Gomes took the long, lonely train ride back to the Atlanta suburbs, Elijah followed the score on his phone. The match had ended scoreless, and he tried to cheer up his devastated grandmother by telling her they hadn't missed much after all (Cape Verdeans would beg to differ ).

“He’s telling me, ‘Grandma, it’s OK, Grandma.’ And he’s trying to console me,” Ramroop said the next day.

She was hardly alone. An Associated Press journalist witnessed more than a dozen frustrated fans at the match who said they were stuck in similar situations.

StubHub blamed FIFA for the transfer problems that buyers like Ramroop have experienced. In a statement, it said FIFA has “poor technology infrastructure,” enacted last-minute transfer restrictions and didn't launch its new ticketing app until a few weeks before the tournament. The company also called out organizers that “take anti-competitive actions” that limit where fans can buy and sell tickets.

Asked about the technical issues, FIFA on Wednesday reiterated that sales through its official site are guaranteed to go through.

An industry's longstanding problem

Industry observers say the problems appear to stem from more than one cause. For some, it may indeed be technical glitches — an issue that StubHub says is “very, very rare” and one that it is hard at work to solve. For others, they say it's likely a more longstanding scourge: speculative sellers.

Scott Friedman, an industry veteran and co-founder of a consultancy called the Ticket Talk Network, said some sellers list tickets before they actually have them, betting that prices will fall closer to the event so they can buy the tickets at a better price later. But because World Cup ticket prices have surged since the tournament began, those sellers have been forced to either buy expensive tickets to fulfill their orders or cancel and accept penalties from resale platforms. StubHub's penalties are typically 200% of the ticket price, Friedman said.

“This is not new at all,” said Friedman, pointing to other high-profile events where frustrated fans were left empty-handed, including Taylor Swift's Eras tour. “This has been going on, but it’s making global news because it’s the World Cup.”

StubHub says it requires sellers to prove they have tickets before they list them.

But regardless of the reason for the canceled sales, Friedman said “StubHub should fill every single order to make sure fans get in the biggest global sporting event that happens every four years.”

That’s what many fans say they expected when they purchased through StubHub.

StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee promises replacement tickets or a refund if tickets fail to arrive. But the policy repeatedly says those remedies are provided at StubHub’s “sole discretion,” meaning the company can choose a refund instead of securing replacement seats.

“That is pretty explicit language,” said Michael McCann, a sports law expert at the University of New Hampshire. McCann noted that a buyer could try to challenge the language under state consumer protection laws, but it would be an uphill battle.

A father's regrets

Pape Ndaw is crestfallen that the high school graduation gift he got for his son — tickets for them to see the Netherlands and Japan near their home city of Dallas — never arrived.

He bought the tickets for about $550 apiece in December. Then, two days before the June 14 match, he received an email from StubHub telling him, “The seller can’t deliver your original tickets.”

Ndaw accepted store credit rather than a refund, thinking he would use the funds to quickly get replacements, only to then realize that the cheapest last-minute tickets were going for more than $1,500 each. Not only were they not going to get to go to the game, but Ndaw said StubHub rejected his belated request for a refund instead of store credit.

Breaking the news to his soccer-obsessed son was brutal, Ndaw said.

“It was a disastrous thing,” he said. “He had told all his friends that he was going to that game. He literally cried. I mean, he is a 17-year-old kid, but he cried.”

A family's attempt to make the best of it

Others fared somewhat better.

Patrick O’Neil of Pittsboro, North Carolina, traveled to Atlanta with his wife, son and relatives after purchasing five tickets through StubHub for the Spain-Cape Verde match. Two tickets transferred successfully, but three never arrived.

O’Neil’s 15-year-old son and his uncle ended up using the two tickets, while O’Neil, his wife and another relative watched from a nearby bar.

After local media caught wind of their ordeal, O’Neil said StubHub contacted the family and offered tickets to another game. Since the family had already bought tickets to one, though, he and his wife asked the company to instead give the seats to local nonprofit Soccer in the Streets so they could go to people who otherwise might not be able to attend a match.

“StubHub is not evil, but they’re part of the whole system that makes it really hard for just normal kids and people who might want to see a match get to go,” O'Neil said.

On Thursday, a StubHub representative confirmed to the AP that the company would honor the O’Neils’ request and send tickets to the nonprofit.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Bruno Fernandes’ latest Instagram post has become a pressure point for Cristiano Ronaldo fans after Portugal’s frustrating start to the World Cup.

Portugal opened with a 1-1 draw against DR Congo, and Ronaldo’s quiet night quickly shifted attention toward the service around him.

Fernandes, one of Portugal’s main creators, then found his comments filled with supporters urging him to do more for the 41-year-old forward. One long message, in particular, started spreading quickly.

Cristiano Ronaldo fan sends emotional message to Bruno Fernandes

The viral reaction was highlighted by The Touchline on X, which noted that Bruno’s post had received more than 20,000 comments from Portugal fans.

The comment asked Fernandes and Portugal’s players to remember Ronaldo’s history with the national team, beginning with his tears as a 19-year-old after the Euro 2004 final defeat and later after Portugal’s 2006 World Cup semifinal loss to France.

The fan wrote, “Before you step onto that pitch remember who opened the door for all of you,” before calling Ronaldo the player who “made an entire generation dream.”

The message then turned into a direct plea to the current Portugal squad, telling them to “fight for him,” “create chances for him” and “pass him the ball.” It ended by arguing that Ronaldo had carried Portugal for more than 20 years, and that this time his teammates must carry the fight for him.

Bruno Fernandes’ pressure rises after Portugal draw

The timing of the comment explains why it travelled so quickly, because Portugal’s opening draw left fans frustrated with how little Ronaldo received in the areas where he can still decide matches.

Portugal led early through Joao Neves against DR Congo, but Roberto Martinez’s side could not turn possession into control. Yoane Wissa equalized, and Ronaldo finished the match without a goal on a night that brought fresh scrutiny of Portugal’s attack.

Fernandes is central to that discussion because he is expected to link Portugal’s midfield with Ronaldo. When the service looks slow, forced or disconnected, the criticism naturally falls on the player most associated with final passes and chance creation.

The emotional tone of the viral comment also reflects Ronaldo’s larger World Cup situation. At 41, he is likely playing on the tournament’s biggest stage for the final time, and the one major trophy missing from his international career remains the World Cup.

That does not mean Portugal’s attack should become one-dimensional. But the reaction under Fernandes’ post shows how many Ronaldo fans believe the team owes him one final push, and they are making that demand directly to the player they see as best placed to provide it.

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Argentina’s World Cup defense has already produced a Lionel Messi hat-trick, but the champions’ early control has shown up in the data as well as the scoreline.

Lionel Scaloni’s side opened with a 3-0 win over Algeria, giving Argentina the kind of calm start every title holder wants.

Messi took the headlines with all three goals, yet Argentina’s passing under pressure may say just as much about why they remain so difficult to unsettle. The first round of fixtures left Argentina top of one telling World Cup category.

Argentina lead World Cup in passing under pressure

OptaJoe highlighted the stat on X, showing how cleanly Argentina have moved the ball even when opponents have tried to close them down.

“Argentina have completed 89 percent of their passes under high-intensity pressure at this FIFA World Cup, the highest accuracy of any team,” OptaJoe revealed on X.

The number points to the same composure that has defined Argentina under Scaloni. They are not just keeping possession when the game slows down; they are still finding teammates when the pressure comes quickly.

That matters for a team built around Messi’s moments but protected by structure behind him. Argentina can absorb pressure, play through crowded spaces and still move the ball into areas where Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and the rest of the attack can take over.

Lionel Messi’s hat-trick showed Argentina’s World Cup threat

Argentina’s opening win over Algeria gave the defending champions three points, a clean sheet and another reminder that Messi is still shaping World Cup games at 39.

Messi scored in the 17th, 60th and 76th minutes of the 3-0 win, taking his career World Cup total to 16 goals. The hat-trick placed him level with Miroslav Klose at the top of the men’s all-time World Cup scoring list.

The performance also underlined how Argentina can win in more than one way. Messi’s finishing gave them the margin, but the team’s control under pressure helped keep Algeria from turning the game into something chaotic.

That blend is why Argentina still look like a serious threat in 2026. They have the star power to decide games and the passing security to stop opponents from dragging them away from their rhythm.

One match does not define a title defense, but Argentina’s first showing was exactly the kind of start that makes the rest of the field take notice. The champions looked calm, clinical, and difficult to disrupt.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – On Sunday. Porter-Guard boys basketball coach John Pearson will celebrate fathers day with daughter Elise/ This fall, father and daughter will share the same Cyclone varsity sideline.

JP looked on inside the Wendell Center as Elise conducted practice Thursday afternoon. The former Cyclone standout herself, Elise was recently named the new head varsity coach of the girls program.

After graduating from the College of Charleston like her dad, Elise has been helping JP behind the scenes while coaching the jv girls.

She wants to play more fast paced than her dad but will still employ some of the same schemes. John thinks they both have a similar demeaner on the sidelines where everything is under control.

Now there’s a same surname on the Cyclone varsity sideline.

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