It’s official: Justin Bieber is set to perform at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19. 

“The FIFA World Cup brings the world together in a way nothing else can,” Bieber said in a statement to FIFA. “I’m grateful to be part of this Halftime Show, and even more grateful knowing it’s already helping expand access to education for children around the world.”

Ahead of his World Cup final performance, Bieber was in attendance at Los Angeles Stadium for USA’s opening ceremony before their group stage game against Paraguay. 

(Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

–>

The show marks the first time in tournament history that the title game will host a halftime performance, which already includes performers like BTS, Madonna and Shakira. Additionally, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay are set to perform.

Bieber is coming off a memorable career milestone when he headlined Coachella and claimed the informal title of “Bieberchella” from fans. Prior to Coachella, Bieber also performed at the 2026 Grammy’s. 

The quarterfinals stage is set and kicks off on Thursday, starting with France vs. Morocco at Miami Stadium at Boston Stadium at 4 p.m. ET.

Source

Remember the coronation that never quite happened?

A few years ago, Kylian Mbappé was the consensus heir. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would eventually ride off, and the kid from Bondy — a World Cup winner as a teenager, the first teenager to score in a final since Pelé — would inherit the throne. In 2022, he nearly took it by force: a Golden Boot, a hat trick in the final, one of the great individual World Cups ever played. Argentina lifted the trophy anyway, and the narrative moved on without him.

Four years later, it’s time to move it back.

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

–>

Mbappé, at 27, is the best player in the world right now, and the 2026 World Cup is making his case game by game. Seven goals in five matches — braces against Senegal and Iraq, another against Sweden, the winner from the spot in a street fight with Paraguay. He became France’s all-time leading scorer along the way, passed Ronaldo and Miroslav Klose on the World Cup scoring charts, and now sits on 19 tournament goals, one behind Messi’s all-time record.

Nobody in history has scored more World Cup knockout goals. Nobody has scored more World Cup winners. He leads a France team that looks like the most complete side in the tournament — and he hasn’t even needed to be great every night for Les Bleus to win all five.

Kylian Mbappé Scores Brace vs Sweden 🇫🇷 His Third in 2026 FIFA World Cup™

–>

Yes, Messi is having a magical farewell, and Erling Haaland is dragging Norway into places Norway has never been. But Messi is 39, playing his last dance. Ronaldo just exited his final World Cup in the round of 16. And Haaland, for all his ruthlessness, is a specialist — the greatest penalty-box predator alive, and proudly nothing else.

Mbappé is the full package. World-class pace that still breaks defensive lines in a dead sprint. The technical ability to beat a man off either side. He can live on the left touchline or through the middle. And he is a clinical finisher through and through. Strikers usually get one or two of those gifts. He got the whole package.

So why did some stop saying it? Blame the noise in Madrid. Real Madrid’s season was a soap opera—no trophies, a manager under siege, and Mbappé cast as one of the villains, jeered inside his own stadium in May. Lost in the drama: he won the Pichichi again. His numbers never dipped, but the love did.

(Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images)

–>

Now he’s found it, and it shows. Watch him this summer — laughing through hydration breaks, sprinting to embrace Didier Deschamps after scoring against Sweden days after the coach buried his mother, playing with the joy of a man who spent a year being told he was the problem and is now, indisputably, the solution. The smile is back. So is the terror he inspires.

Thursday brings Morocco in Boston, a rematch of the 2022 semifinal, and perhaps Messi waiting at the end — the ghost of Lusail, four years later, in New York. You could not script it better.

And here’s the kicker: for all he’s done, Mbappé has never won a Ballon d’Or. Win this World Cup as the star of the show — the record within reach, the Golden Boot in play, the best team in the field — and that conversation ends in about four seconds.

In 2022, he did everything except lift the trophy. In 2026, he might do everything, period. The throne’s been sitting empty long enough.

Source

Dave Roberts knows the drill. 

As he gets set to lead the National League All-Star team for the fifth time since 2018, the Dodgers manager understands how the next week will look leading into the game and when he needs to start preparing his lineup and pitching decisions. 

So, he’s in no rush. 

“I probably really start thinking about the starting pitcher the Thursday or Friday before the All-Star Game,” Roberts told me on Tuesday, one week ahead of the game in Philadelphia. “It’s who’s going to be available. From that bucket, who deserves it? And then the hometown pitcher, starter, has got to have some weight. Then, try to bake it all in to see what’s the right decision.”

Cristopher Sánchez would be a logical hometown choice to start, even after the Phillies starter saw his ERA jump from 2.00 to 2.62 with a clunker this week in Kansas City. Atlanta Braves veteran Chris Sale and Cincinnati Reds breakout Chase Burns are also among the top NL arms available to Roberts. 

The best pitcher in the National League this year, however, will not be an option. 

Milwaukee Brewers star Jacob Misiorowski, who leads all qualified MLB starters in ERA (1.64) and strikeouts (167) among a litany of categories, was ruled out of the All-Star Game since he’s scheduled to start Sunday. Fellow National League All-Star pitchers Paul Skenes, who is slated to start against Misiorowski on Sunday, and Max Meyer were also ruled out for the same reason. Replacing that trio of pitchers is Philadelphia starter Jesús Luzardo, Pittsburgh starter Braxton Ashcraft and St. Louis reliever Riley O’Brien. 

There are sure to be more changes ahead in the coming days, which is why Roberts is taking his time before solidifying his choices. He said he gets the roster updates at the same time as everyone else, and he doesn’t get a say in the choices, so he knows there’s no rush. 

Soon, Roberts and his coaching staff will be fielding calls from other NL managers and pitching coaches to discuss the workloads of the players on the NL All-Star roster. Those conversations haven’t happened yet, but they’re likely to take place over the weekend. Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior and Major League Baseball also help facilitate those discussions. 

“There’s a lot of bait-and-switching going on,” Roberts told me. “Pitchers want the All-Star nod, but when they get it and get their bonus, they don’t want to pitch. That’s something we’re very mindful of. Then it puts more stress and potential in harm’s way of other guys that are going to pitch. So, that’s something we’re still trying to get a handle on.” 

Roberts invited Phillies manager Don Mattingly and Cardinals manager Oli Marmol to be honorary coaches on his All-Star coaching staff this year. 

The Phillies have turned their season around since Don Mattingly took over as interim manager in late April. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

–>

Mattingly managed the Dodgers from 2011-15, right before Roberts took over, and was in the opposing dugout in last year’s World Series as the Toronto Blue Jays’ bench coach. Roberts thought it made sense to have the hometown manager joining him for the game, but his decision to include Mattingly went beyond that.

“I’ve never spent time with Donnie,” Roberts said. “For me to be able to have an opportunity to spend time with him I thought was great. And Oli, I just think he’s been an organizational guy as a player, as a manager, and we developed a bond, a friendship, and it’s an opportunity for me to spend some time with him.”

Roberts said he has gotten to know Marmol much better over the last five years. Marmol has been the Cardinals’ manager since 2022 and has been with the organization for the past 20 years, starting as a minor-league player before working his way up as a manager through the system. He remained on board as the Cardinals’ skipper this year after Chaim Bloom took over as president of baseball operations, signing a two-year contract extension in March despite coming off three seasons without a playoff appearance. The 2026 Cardinals, one of the surprise stories of the first half, are contending for a playoff spot. 

“We have conversations when we play each other, and he wanted to pick my brain about some things, and I wanted to pick his brain,” Roberts told me. “I think, for me, all the scrutiny that he was going through, I loved the way that he responded and how he remained steadfast managing the ballclub with all the uncertainty, the noise, outside of it. I respected that.”

While Mattingly is a National League manager now — after a 9-19 start, the Phillies have gone 42-22 since Mattingly took over as interim manager — he’ll have plenty of connections in the opposing dugout at the All-Star Game after spending three seasons on Toronto’s coaching staff. Blue Jays skipper John Schneider, of course, will be managing the American League team. 

Roberts’ advice for the first-timer? 

“Enjoy every bit of it,” Roberts said. “The manager’s speech to the players is something that is always memorable. Sometimes you feel maybe a little pressure, but it’s exciting. Try to get everybody in there. And be mindful of the pitching. You never want to run out of pitching.”

Things haven’t gone so well for John Schneider and the Blue Jays this season, so managing the AL All-Star team should be a great respite. (Photo by Chris Coduto/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

–>

That’s something Roberts remembered well from his first experience as an All-Star manager in 2018, when the game at Nationals Park went to extra innings. 

“It’s a balancing act,” Roberts said. “But at the end of the day, it’s an exhibition, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Ohtani Unlikely To Pitch, But Likely To Hit, In All-Star Game

Shohei Ohtani is still lined up to make his scheduled pitching start Friday, a week after feeling tightness in his right biceps on a swing. 

Ohtani said his removal from the game late last Friday — the Dodgers pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning — was precautionary and that he had dealt with a similar issue earlier this season and was able to play through it. Ohtani was held out of the lineup Saturday but returned on Sunday and then homered in each of his first two games against the Rockies on Monday and Tuesday this week, joining the 300-homer club in the process. 

Immediately after Ohtani’s biceps issue arose, Roberts said the idea of skipping Ohtani’s last pitching start of the first half should be on the table. Now, though, that’s not the plan. 

“As he goes through the next couple days, if he doesn’t feel great, we’ll pivot, and we’re prepared to pivot,” Roberts said. “But as we sit here, I don’t see that changing.”

Roberts reiterated Tuesday that he doesn’t expect Ohtani to pitch in the All-Star Game or to compete in the Home Run Derby, but he does see him taking “an at-bat or two” in the game. 

“He understands the responsibility he has,” Roberts said. “So, I do think that there’s a middle for what’s best for him, what potentially could be downside, but also what’s best for the game.”

Could The Dodgers Get Another Starting Pitcher In?

Justin Wrobleski was among the biggest All-Star snubs when the initial rosters were announced last weekend, and that remained the case after his latest start Tuesday. Wrobleski lowered his ERA to 2.69 on the year while striking out nine Rockies and holding them to one run in his third straight start of seven innings. 

The Dodgers’ sixth starter is 10-2 with a 2.69 ERA that ranks eighth among qualified NL starters. 

“Obviously it’s disappointing,” Wrobleski said of the snub. “You want to be an All-Star. It’s something that, regardless of the year, whenever, it’s always a big deal. It’s something I wanted to do. It’s frustrating to not get that nod. But like I said before, it’s just more reason to try and keep getting better. Hopefully, I can gain the respect of players and everybody else and maybe be in there next year.”

He might not have to wait that long. 

Changes are still being made, and if Yoshinobu Yamamoto — who is starting Saturday for the Dodgers — is unable to pitch in the All-Star Game three days later, Wrobleski would make for a logical replacement. 

Justin Wrobleski is having a breakout season for the Dodgers, and it could lead to an All-Star nod as a replacement. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

–>

Wrobleski said he would still love to get the call and would also like to know where he’s going to be spending his All-Star break. His manager has already lobbied for him to make the team, and because Wrobleski made his last start of the first half on Tuesday, he would be available to pitch in the All-Star Game if he got the nod. 

“We run a six-man rotation, and I just don’t want him to get dinged for not making a couple more starts that he potentially could have had,” Roberts said. “It’s about winning, the ERA is stellar, innings per outing, and so I just think that he’s performed enough to earn that opportunity.”

“That means a lot, obviously,” Wrobleski said of Roberts’ support. “He has given me this opportunity to kind of be a starter in the major leagues when maybe some other teams would’ve given up on me.”

How to Watch the 2026 MLB All-Star Game

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 14, with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, live from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Watch the MLB All-Star Game on FOX One for live and on-demand streaming.

Source

Rafael Márquez is taking the reins of the Mexican national team. The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) announced Wednesday that the former Barcelona star will succeed Javier Aguirre as head coach leading up to the 2030 World Cup.

Márquez, 47, served as Aguirre’s assistant from August 2024 until Mexico’s recent 3-2 round of 16 loss to England. While a succession plan had been in place since 2024, rumors had circulated that the FMF might look elsewhere.

“The appointment of Rafael Márquez is part of an orderly transition designed to ensure continuity … strengthen development, and tackle upcoming commitments,” the FMF stated.

While El Tri has no immediate fixtures scheduled, Márquez is expected to make his managerial debut during the FIFA international window in late September and early October.

“I am happy with the growth shown by Rafa,” Aguirre said of his successor. “I spoke with Rafa because we are both prominent figures in Mexican soccer — I knew him as a player and a teammate — and he is more than qualified.”

The FMF also expressed its gratitude to Aguirre. While Mexico’s campaign ended in the round of 16 — the stage where they have been eliminated in eight of the last nine World Cups — the team showed marked improvement after failing to advance past the group stage at Qatar 2022.

“He leaves behind a solid legacy of hard work, identity, and competitiveness that strengthens the foundation for the national team’s next chapter,” the FMF stated regarding Aguirre, who just concluded his third World Cup cycle as Mexico’s manager.

Márquez steps into the role with one of the most decorated resumes in Mexican football history. As a player, he featured in five World Cups, won the 1999 Confederations Cup, and claimed Gold Cup titles in 2003 and 2011.

In Europe, he played for Monaco before a legendary stint at Barcelona, where he won two Champions League trophies and four La Liga titles. Domestically, he began and ended his career with Atlas and won back-to-back Liga MX titles with León.

Márquez transitioned to coaching in Real Alcalá’s youth ranks before successfully managing Barça Atlètic, Barcelona’s reserve team, where he was in charge for 82 matches over two seasons, recording 40 wins, 21 draws and 21 losses.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Source

Lionel Messi, the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer, was among 29 players selected to represent Major League Soccer on Wednesday against the LIGA MX All-Stars on July 29 at the MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Messi has 12 goals and eight assists in 14 matches this season for Inter Miami CF.

Messi is among 13 World Cup players selected to the MLS All-Star roster.

Among the others include Cape Verde defender Steven Moreira from the Columbus Crew and four players from the United States team, including NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese, Charlotte FC, center back Tim Ream, Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.

It’s unclear if Messi plans to play in the All-Star game after sitting out last year’s exhibition match, which led to a one-game suspension that Inter Miami FC Jorge Mas owner called “draconian.”

Messi, the leading scorer at this year’s World Cup, helped defending-champion Argentina rally from a two-goal deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday.

Argentina faces Switzerland on Saturday in the quarterfinals. The World Cup final is July 19.

Here is the complete MLS roster for the All-Star game:

GOALKEEPERS (3)

— Maxime Crepeau, Orlando City

— Matt Freese, New York City FC

— Brian Schwake, Nashville SC

DEFENDERS (10)

— Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew

— Lucas Herrington, Colorado Rapids

— Richie Laryea, Toronto FC

— Anthony Markanich, Minnesota United FC

— Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Chicago Fire FC

— Steven Moreira, Columbus Crew

— Daniel Munie, San Jose Earthquakes

— Andy Najar, Nashville SC

— Jackson Ragen, Seattle Sounders FC

— Tim Ream, Charlotte FC

MIDFIELDERS (9)

— Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

— Pep Biel, Charlotte FC

— Rodrigo De Paul, Inter Miami CF

— Evander, FC Cincinnati

— Carles Gil, New England Revolution

— Zavier Gozo, Real Salt Lake

— Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC

— Thomas Müller, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

— Ashley Westwood, Charlotte FC

FORWARDS (7)

— Hugo Cuypers, Chicago Fire FC

— Anders Dreyer, San Diego FC

— Julian Hall, New York Red Bulls

— Son Heung-min, LAFC

— Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF

— Petar Musa, FC Dallas

— Sam Surridge, Nashville SC

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Source

The NCAA wants to know what the University of Cincinnati knew about former quarterback Brendan Sorsby and his gambling issues during his two seasons with the program.

According to reports by multiple media outlets, the NCAA has sent an official letter of inquiry to the school regarding Sorsby, who was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA in April after he placed thousands of impermissible sports bets over the past four years.

Sorsby spent two seasons each at Indiana and Cincinnati before transferring to Texas Tech earlier this offseason. Texas Tech has since cut ties with Sorsby.

Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield, who was Sorsby’s coach during his two seasons with the Bearcats, declined to comment on reports about the letter of inquiry at Wednesday’s Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas.

Yahoo Sports was first to disclose the existence of the letter and ESPN also reported that Cincinnati had received it, with both citing anonymous sources.

A Cincinnati spokesperson declined to say if the school had received an inquiry from the NCAA.

“We have had continuous conversations with the NCAA since the initial reports related to impermissible sports wagering began,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Associated Press. “As we have stated before, we do not believe any athletics official or staff member was aware of any impermissible sports wagering.”

The NCAA declared Sorsby ineligible for making bets worth at least $90,000 during his college career, igniting a legal battle.

Sorsby made at least 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman there in 2022, but none of those bets came on games in he played. He acknowledged placing at least 165 impermissible bets on college and professional sports totaling at least $38,000 in 2024, including three wagers on Cincinnati men’s basketball made on a FanDuel account he shared with a friend. He provided more than $60,000 to the friend to deposit in the shared account between December 2023 and June 2025.

Sorsby’s stock soared after he transferred from Indiana to Cincinnati in 2024. He threw for 5,613 yards with 45 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in two seasons with the Bearcats.

He was considered the top prospect in the transfer portal before he chose Texas Tech for his final year of college eligibility.

After he was banned by the NCAA, Sorsby sued and was granted an injunction that gave him the right to play, but he later dropped his unprecedented legal battle.

Sorsby applied for the NFL’s supplemental draft, but NFL decided not to have one. The league sent a memo to all 32 teams last week informing them that Sorsby will not seek legal action against the league after it denied his petition to enter the supplemental draft.

He is planning to enter the NFL draft next year.

“I accept 100% responsibility for my actions,” Sorsby posted on Instagram last week. “I did not have control of my gambling problem and it took getting caught to realize that, but it was truly the best thing that could have happened to me.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

Source

Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said it has been business as usual in the football operation through the turmoil surrounding the Brendan Sorsby gambling saga.

The 54-year-old Texas native credited the school’s leadership and boosters when asked at Big 12 media days on Tuesday how he has managed an offseason he couldn’t have imagined in his younger coaching days.

“We’ve all been in this together,” McGuire said. “I have good mentors, and I have a very strong football team. If you would walk into that building from right now, or even January, any point of this saga, the football side of it, you wouldn’t think that anything was wrong, different.”

McGuire again defended the school’s support of Sorsby, including the plan to let him play even after the Cincinnati transfer admitted he placed bets on Indiana games when he was a freshman with the Hoosiers.

Sorsby played the past two seasons with the Bearcats before joining the defending Big 12 champion Red Raiders on a lucrative deal for his name, image and likeness.

The QB ultimately abandoned a legal effort to regain his eligibility after the NCAA suspended him for gambling, and has said he will wait until next year to enter the NFL draft.

Texas Tech, which went 12-2 last season, stood behind Sorsby when he went to rehab over his gambling and after he sued the NCAA to regain his eligibility.

“I’m not going to ever change that I’m going have my players’ backs,” McGuire said. “It’s really easy to tell a mom or a dad that you’re going to be there to help their son grow into the man they’re supposed to be, and then all of a sudden, whenever adversity hits, or something like the situation we had, that you turn your back on them.”

McGuire said he talked to Sorsby in the past couple of days, and Sorsby is working out in the Dallas area, where he played in high school. McGuire said he expects Sorsby to make occasional trips to Lubbock and that he will have access to the school’s athletic facilities.

“My biggest thing why I want to be there is because I have addicts in my family,” the coach said. “Some of them are no longer with us. But the biggest thing for me right now is he continues to get help so there’s no relapse and he can be the person and the player that he’s meant to be.”

Tight end Terrance Carter Jr. said he stayed in touch with Sorsby through the offseason after their relationship blossomed in just a few months together.

“When we found out he was going into rehab, I sent him a quick text, ‘I love you, bro,’” Carter said. “We still text a lot to this day. So I can say our relationship is strong. It’s more than just football for me. So just being there for my brother, that’s all I can do.”

Will Hammond Could End Up As Red Raiders’ Starting QB

Quarterback Will Hammond started twice and came off the bench once for an injured Behren Morton before tearing the ACL in his right knee last season.

McGuire said Hammond could be ready for the season opener Sept. 5 against Abilene Christian, but it’s possible the Red Raiders could wait until the third game Sept. 18 against Houston.

Without the knee injury, Hammond might have been the projected starter this season, and Carter said he was confident in the quarterbacks regardless of Sorsby’s status.

That’s not to say Sorsby’s former teammates were indifferent toward his fate.

“Coach McGuire always preaches about the ‘what’s next’ mentality,” center and captain Sheridan Wilson said. “This is just, unfortunately, just another ‘what’s next’ moment. It breaks my heart, obviously. It breaks a lot of people’s hearts because that’s a friend of ours. We’d love to have him on the team, but at the end of the day, we’re still chasing the Big 12 championship. We have to move on.”

While Texas Tech officials were widely criticized over the possibility of Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders after admitting to gambling on his team’s games at Indiana, McGuire said fellow coaches were supportive behind the scenes.

Some of the criticism came after Texas Tech posted a video in which president Lawrence Schovanec, athletic director Kirby Hocutt and McGuire tried to explain their reasons for supporting Sorsby.

“Some of the statements we made, we were making them to Red Raiders,” McGuire said. “I was not going to change the public opinion across the board. What we were trying to explain in any video or anything like that was to get our fan base and our boosters and our alumni to understand exactly what we were trying to do. We owed it to them. And really that’s the only people that we owed it to.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

Source

Christian Pulisic has become the target of many critics of the U.S. men’s soccer team following its round of 16 loss to Belgium at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, he has a pair of U.S. Soccer icons in his corner, too: Landon Donovan and Tim Howard. 

Both Donovan and Howard expressed some empathy for Pulisic after some of the criticism he’s received for his underwhelming play during the World Cup and his early departure from its elimination loss. But Donovan also pleaded with Pulisic to make some changes to how he conducts business and treats others off the pitch. 

“This is an opportunity to help and to change your life forever,” Donovan said on his podcast, “Unfiltered Soccer,” with Howard. “One of the biggest problems — I speak to people who are at U.S. Soccer. I speak to his sponsors. I speak to his teammates. I speak to the staff and the coaches. People are fed up with the way things are handled around him. 

“And it’s not necessarily him, but it’s his agents, his family, his hangers-on, the people who are influencing. People are fed up with it. They treat people poorly. They do things poorly. It’s always a ‘no’ whenever you wanna ask, ‘Can we do an interview?’ It’s always a, ‘No, you can’t get near him.’ He doesn’t say ‘hi’ to the commentators who do all the games all the time when they walk by. All the other guys come over and shake hands and say, ‘Hello.’ 

“There’s just this sense about him that you can’t get near him. And I actually don’t think it’s from him. I think it’s from I think it’s from the people around him. They need to stop, and he needs to man up and have a conversation with them and say, ‘Look guys, this is not helping me.’”

Donovan said that he went through something similar to what Pulisic is going through now when the USA was eliminated in group play at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with Donovan being viewed as the face of the team at the time.

“I have been in his shoes. … I know the feeling. The feeling is identical,” Donovan said. “I would just say this: It led me to therapy. It led me to take a look at my life and my career honestly for the first time. It allowed me to have massive, important conversations with people I love in my life about all things, not just soccer, and it changed my life forever, in a positive way.”

While Pulisic’s 2026 U.S. team went further than Donovan’s 2006 squad, the 27-year-old didn’t do a ton to contribute to the team’s success. He logged zero goals and an assist during the tournament, with a calf injury forcing him to miss parts of all three group matches. He departed Monday’s loss early in the second half due to an ankle injury, with his comment that he has “time to rest” to FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft particularly catching heat on social media. 

As Pulisic is dealing with some backlash, Howard said that he hopes the USA star isn’t on social media for a bit. But, like Donavan, Howard also suggested that Pulisic change his off-field approach. 

“Yeah, rubbed some people the wrong way,” Howard said of Pulisic’s post-match remarks. “I don’t envy Christian Pulisic right now. That’s a difficult place to be. I do, though, believe that the sort of perceived nonchalantness is not that he doesn’t care. I think he’s hurting. I think he’s aware. I think that’s his own defense mechanism. All I can is, I think it’s impossible for him to feel the way that he felt — being one of the leaders on that team and being the biggest name and the best player with his ankle hurt and getting crushed going out of a World Cup — I would find it almost impossible for him to give a legitimately nonchalant interview.

“So, there’s something else going on there.”

United States’ Best Moments 2026 FIFA World Cup™ 🇺🇸

–>

This isn’t the first time Donavan has pointed remarks toward Pulisic. He took multiple swipes at the AC Milan star for opting not to play for the USA in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup due to rest. 

But as Donovan acknowledged that he doesn’t have “a great relationship” with Pulisic, he hopes he’s able to change how he conducts himself off the pitch so he doesn’t alienate himself from the fans. 

“He has a big challenge ahead,” Donovan said. “I’m looking ahead to the next game, the next U.S. game in this country, what do you think that’s going to look like? Think about that, is he going to get booed when they announce him? Maybe. People are livid. It’s a long, winded way of saying, this can be a good moment in your life. A lot of things need to change, and I actually think it’s not him — it’s the people around him.” 

World Cup Related Stories

 

Source

The World Cup ended far sooner than anyone had hoped for the Americans. Following the United States’ 4-1 loss to Belgium, much of the attention centered on Christian Pulisic and whether the team’s biggest star delivered when it mattered most.

Pulisic’s urgency and passion came under scrutiny after his postgame comments were perceived by many as lacking emotion. His response even led some to question how much urgency and commitment he brought into what was arguably the biggest match of his career.

“I just totally twisted my ankle and my knee in one play,” Pulisic told reporters after the loss. “I mean, whatever. I have time to rest. It’s just an unfortunate way to finish.”

Pulisic suffered a twisted ankle and knee injury against Belgium, likely limiting his impact in Monday night’s loss. On Wednesday, he shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, thanking fans for their unwavering support of the United States throughout its World Cup run.

For a player expected to carry the team on his back, Pulisic’s overall energy and impact fell well short of the standard. Across four World Cup matches, he failed to score a goal, recording just two shots on target and one assist.

Pulisic’s focus will now return to AC Milan, where he will look to put the disappointment of the World Cup behind him and prepare for the upcoming Serie A season.

The United States, meanwhile, begins the long wait toward 2030. After falling short on home soil, the program will spend the next four years trying to turn promise into a breakthrough in Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

Source

“Bear Bets” are real wagers that Chris “The Bear” Fallica is actually making.

Is this one of the best World Cups of all time? 

That Argentina-Egypt match was about as good as it gets toward the end.

Here’s how I’m wagering on Match Day 28 — the first day of the quarterfinals.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

World Cup Best Bets — Thursday, July 9

France vs. Morocco

Morocco was poor in the first half against Canada but ultimately did enough in the second half to get through. A slow start here won’t treat it as kindly, as France will take full advantage. 

Give France a ton of credit for getting past a gross Paraguay squad, one that wasn’t even trying to score. Morocco is dangerous for sure, but France has so much skill and depth that it should take a first-half lead and then see it out. 

Losing leading scorer Ismael Saibari is a massive deal for Morocco and I can see something along the lines of 2-0 or 3-0 France’s way.

Fallica’s Picks:   France to Win by 2+ Goals (+160), France/France Halftime/Full-time (+130)

Source