Members phkrause Posted July 1 Author Members Posted July 1 ⚽️ U.S. heads for the knockouts Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The pressure ratchets up significantly for the U.S. men's soccer team tonight in its quest to make a historic World Cup run on American soil, Axios' Bob Gee writes. The U.S. faces Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Calif., in the round of 32 (8 p.m. ET, Fox). 🇧🇦 Bosnia is the lowest-ranked European team in the tournament. It's on par with Australia, a team the U.S. beat 2-0 during the group stage. 😱 Yes, but: The Americans have lost to the last 10 European opponents they've faced — a streak dating back to a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the first knockout round of the last World Cup. One big plus: USMNT's star attacker Christian Pulisic, hobbled earlier with a calf injury, says he's good to go tonight. Go deeper. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 1 Author Members Posted July 1 👋 Good morning! How is it already July? Wheeling and dealing: There was a flurry of moves on Tuesday as NBA free agency officially got underway. Follow along with all the action on our live tracker. In today's edition: LeBron's leaving L.A., Kawhi's returning to Toronto, the USMNT's knockout round journey begins, Mbappé and Haaland strike again, Serena's comeback falls short, the Liberty win the Cup, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Kawhi returns to Canada: The Raptors are bringing Kawhi Leonard back for a second stint in Toronto, sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, four draft picks and a pick-swap to the Clippers for the player who led them to their first and only title back in 2019. 🎾 Shelton stunned: No. 4 Ben Shelton, the top-ranked American man at Wimbledon, is out after his first match, losing Tuesday's five-set marathon to Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen. ⚾️ Caminero joins Derby: Rays 3B Junior Caminero is the first player to confirm his participation in the eight-player Home Run Derby, coming July 13 in Philadelphia. The young star is historically hot right now, hitting eight homers in his last seven games. ⚖️ Trans ban upheld: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld state laws in West Virginia and Idaho that ban transgender individuals from competing in women's sports. SCOTUS also unanimously ruled that transgender bans in sports are not a violation of Title IX. ⚾️ Benches clear in Boston: The Red Sox and Nationals brawled on Tuesday at Fenway Park after some post-strikeout chirping in the fourth inning between Sox 1B Willson Contreras and Nats pitcher Cade Cavalli led to the benches clearing. Contreras was ejected, while Cavalli remained in the game and had the last laugh with a career-high 13 Ks in an 8-1 win. 🏀 KING JAMES THE END OF AN ERA (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) LeBron James will indeed return for a 24th NBA season. But for the first time since 2018 he won't be playing for the Lakers, informing the team on Tuesday that his next — and, let's be honest, final — chapter will not be with the Purple and Gold. Thanks, but no thanks: The Lakers, who already have Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves signed to max deals, reportedly told James they wanted him back. Instead, the 41-year-old has opted for unrestricted free agency, where he'll be making a "happiness-led decision," according to ESPN's Shams Charania. "Wherever he lands … it will not be driven by money." Closing the book on Hollywood: The King had already cemented his legacy as one of the greatest to ever play the game even before joining the Lakers in 2018. Then he put together an eight-year run in L.A. — from his age-34 to age-41 seasons — that would have been Hall of Fame worthy on its own merits. He averaged 25.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.9 assists before closing out his time in Los Angeles with a 23-7-7 across 10 postseason games as the best player and first option on a team that won a playoff series. And again, he did that at 41. He won the 2020 NBA Championship and Finals MVP, broke the league's all-time scoring record, made seven All-NBA teams and had three top-10 MVP finishes. He had more triple-doubles as a Laker (52) than all but 11 other players in NBA history have had, period. Oh yea, and he stuck around long enough to play alongside his son Bronny, making them the first father-son duo ever to play in the NBA together. What a treat it's been watching him these last eight years; what a treat it will be to keep watching him at least one more. Where will he land? Not since 2010's "Decision" has LeBron's future been so uncertain. We had an inkling in 2014 that he'd return to Cleveland, and all signs pointed to the Lakers in 2018. How about now? The Warriors appear to be the favorites to land his services (-500 at DraftKings), and though their combined age might limit their success, I can think of worse things than watching a reunion of Steph and LeBron's romp through the 2024 Olympics. The Cavaliers, of course, would make a ton of sense, and trail only Golden State among his most likely landing spots (+300). A retirement tour back where it all began on a team that's already a serious title contender? Why not. A return to Miami (+1000) alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo? A trip to San Antonio (+2000) alongside Victor Wembanyama? A box-office-breaking journey to join the defending champions (+3000) in the Big Apple? All plausible enough. We'll just have to wait and see. Go deeper: The LeBron James era is over for the Lakers — and it'll be a tough act to follow (Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo Sports) ⚽️ ROUND OF 32 CHARTING THE USMNT'S WORLD CUP PATH (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) The USMNT's knockout round journey begins tonight against Bosnia and Herzegovina (8pm ET, Fox). And though the Stars and Stripes have rarely succeeded in World Cup elimination games, American soccer has evolved beyond treating a group stage escape as a moral victory. So how far could they go? And what, exactly, might their path to the promised land look like? Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports: The United States has won exactly one (1) knockout match in all of World Cup history. Think about that for a second. While Brazil and Argentina and Germany and France are stacking up titles, America spends every fourth year getting spanked the moment it ventures out of the warm confines of the group stage. Every World Cup, we tell ourselves it's going to be different, and every World Cup, we're sent off to bed hours before the big kids. This year, though, it's really going to be different. The USMNT is coming into the knockout stage riding two victories and a loss with a built-in excuse (we were resting our best, of course). With the apparently elusive combination of talented players and a manager who knows how to get the best out of them , the United States is as well-positioned as any in World Cup history to make a deep run. How deep? Well, now that's the real question, isn't it? Mbappé is unstoppable right now. (Al Bello/Getty Images) Tuesday scoreboard: France, Norway and Mexico advanced on Tuesday, joining Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, and Morocco in the Round of 16. France 3, Sweden 0: Kylian Mbappé lengthened his prolific goalscoring résumé, adding a brace in a decisive win over Sweden. He now owns the record for most knockout-round goals in World Cup history (nine), and though his six goals this tournament are level with Lionel Messi, Mbappé's two assists give him the Golden Boot advantage... for now. Norway 2, Ivory Coast 1: Erling Haaland (who else?) scored an 86th-minute winner — his fifth goal of the tournament — to send Norway through, while team captain Martin Ødegaard became the first player since 2010 to record an assist in three straight World Cup matches. Mexico 2, Ecuador 0: El Tri remained perfect, rattling off their fourth consecutive shutout win — and first knockout stage victory in 40 years — thanks to first-half goals from Julián Quiñones and Raul Jiménez. Next up is a date with the winner of today's England-DR Congo match at Estadio Azteca, which carries one of the best home-field advantages in the sport. 🎾 WIMBLEDON SERENA'S COMEBACK WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND PROBABLY IMPOSSIBLE (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images) It isn't terribly surprising that Serena Williams' first singles match in four years ended in defeat, falling in three sets on Tuesday to 20-year-old Maya Joint. But it was thrilling to watch as she tried to beat the impossible; and because she's Serena, she nearly pulled it off. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: After 2 hours, 22 minutes of tennis that both breathed life into Williams' comeback and exposed how much more limited she is four years after we last saw her on a singles court, it was hard to tell whether this was the beginning of a new chapter or an attempt to author a different end. Maya Joint, who is so young at age 20 that she wasn't even born for Williams' first two Wimbledon titles, seemed slightly shocked and significantly relieved when Williams' final groundstroke landed long of the baseline to finally give her a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 victory. But the reality of what unfolded Tuesday wasn't surprising at all. Williams, as expected, can still hit aces and can still trade shots from the middle of the court. What she can't do, at least not with the effectiveness necessary to compete consistently against the best players in the world, is make multiple direction changes within a point. She can't go for winners to shorten points without making a multitude of errors. She can't hold up physically deep into a third set against an opponent with younger legs. Such is Williams' aura on a tennis court, however, that the mind wonders: Would she have been able to do those things if she had a series of matches under her belt rather than jumping back into singles competition at Wimbledon? Is she really that far away from being able to win matches at the highest level? With a little more fitness, a little more competition, would she round back into the kind of form that carried her to Grand Slam semifinals in 2020 and 2021? It might be best for Serena to let the mystery be. 💯 DOLLARS AND CENTS BIG NUMBERS (Mike Lawrence/NBAE via Getty Images) Today's edition of Big Numbers features exclusively monetary values. What can I say, Yahoo Sports Biz has rubbed off on me. 🏀 $500,000 The Liberty won their second Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday, beating the Aces, 93-85, to claim the lion's share of the $500,000 prize pool awarded for the WNBA's sixth annual in-season tournament. New York is now the first two-time Cup winner, and they also get a small measure of revenge for Vegas' victory over them in the 2023 WNBA Finals. Payouts: Each member of the Liberty takes home $30,000 and each member of the Aces gets $10,000. New York's Breanna Stewart earned an additional $10,000 for winning MVP after dropping 25 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, and the remaining $10,000 will be donated to a charity of the Liberty's choosing. ⚾️ $1.19M Happy Bobby Bonilla Day! Today, as with every July 1 from 2011 through 2035, former 16-year MLB veteran Bobby Bonilla will receive a check from the Mets for $1,193,248.20. It's part of a deferred payment plan the two sides agreed upon in 1999, transforming the $5.9 million left on his contract into a ~$30 million payout broken into 25 annual installments. And get this: It's not his only such payment! He also receives $500,000 annually (2004-28) from the Orioles. All jokes aside: It's easy to consider Bonilla as little more than a meme, but he was once a legitimately good player, making six All-Star teams while smacking 287 career home runs with an .829 lifetime OPS. His peak came with the Pirates from 1988-91, when he averaged 4.5 WAR per season, won three Silver Sluggers and twice finished in the top three for NL MVP. 🥍 $100M The Premier Lacrosse League announced on Tuesday that it has closed a $100 million Series E funding round led by Ares Management and Joe Tsai, owner of the Nets and Liberty. It's the largest capital raise in the history of professional lacrosse, and will help the sport prepare for what should be a major inflection point at the 2028 Summer Games, when it returns as an official Olympic event for the first time since 1908. What they're saying: "This is a critical window of opportunity for our company, and lacrosse," PLL co-founder and president Paul Rabil told Yahoo Sports. "This capital will help accelerate that run." Specifically, these funds will be used to expand media distribution and original storytelling while also growing sponsorship and commercial partnerships, with the goal of eventually cracking $100 million in annual revenue. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, JULY 1 (Yahoo Sports) ⚽️ World Cup, Round of 32 The USMNT begins its knockout-round journey tonight in Santa Clara (8pm ET, Fox), where the Americans face Bosnia and Herzegovina with the daunting task of winning their first match against a European opponent in five years — a streak of 10 consecutive losses. Elsewhere: England take on DR Congo in Atlanta (12pm, Fox) hoping to avoid another devastating exit. Then it's Belgium vs. Senegal in Seattle (4pm, FS1), whose winner will advance to face the winner of USA-Bosnia. More to watch: 🎾 Wimbledon: Day 3 (6am, ESPN/ESPN+) … The second round gets underway with matches for No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (8am), No. 1 Jannik Sinner (8:30am), No. 7 Coco Gauff (9:10am), No. 7 Novak Djokovic (11:20am), and more. ⚾️ MLB: Reds at Brewers (8pm, ESPN) … The first-place Brewers (52-31) host the last-place Reds (39-45). Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏆 FILL IN THE BLANKS WORLD CUP TRIVIA (Yahoo Sports) Just eight nations have won the World Cup, including two who've one exactly once. Question: Can you name those two one-time winners missing from the graphic above? Hint: One this century, one last. Answer at the bottom. 🏟️ WORLD CUP VENUES HASTA LUEGO, MONTERREY (Hector Vivas/Getty Images) Monterrey Stadium hosted its fourth and final match of the World Cup on Monday, as fans bade farewell to the iconically picturesque venue in northeastern Mexico. The Steel Giant: Nicknamed El Gigante de Acero ("The Steel Giant"), the 11-year-old venue is famous for its stunning views of the Cerro de la Silla, a natural monument that is part of the foothills system of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range. Looking ahead: With Monterrey's slate now complete, and Guadalajara's ending last week, just three non-U.S. venues have any matches left in this World Cup. Toronto's BMO Field hosts one more (July 2), Vancouver's BC Place hosts two more (July 2, July 7), and Mexico City's Estadio Azteca hosts one more (July 5). Trivia answer: England (1966) and Spain (2010) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 2 Author Members Posted July 2 👋 Good morning! It's a great day to have a great day. Programming note: We'll be off tomorrow and Monday for the holiday. Have a great weekend, and we'll see you back here on Tuesday morning. Happy Fourth! In today's edition: The USMNT's victory for the ages, Jaylen Brown blockbuster, Swanson and Caminero can't stop hitting homers, the Tour de France is here, MLB power rankings, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 NBA blockbuster: The Celtics are trading superstar Jaylen Brown to the 76ers in a blockbuster for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks. The deal comes days after Brown, coming off the best season of his career, was mentioned as a major part of Boston's potential package for Giannis Antetokounmpo. More offseason updates. ⚾️ Dansby strikes again: Dansby Swanson's hot streak continued in a big way on Wednesday, as the Cubs SS smacked 3 home runs and had 8 RBI in Chicago's 23-3 blowout win over the Padres. How's this for turning your season around: In his first 70 games, the slumping Swanson had 7 HR and 28 RBI; in 13 games since, he has 9 HR (!) and 29 RBI (!!). ⚾️ So does Caminero: Rays 3B Junior Caminero, 22, homered in his sixth straight game on Wednesday, breaking Ken Griffey Jr.'s record as the youngest player to do so in MLB's modern era (since 1900). If he goes yard in his next two games, he'll tie the longest HR streak ever. 🎾 Gauff survives, Andreeva falls: No. 7 Coco Gauff rallied in the third set to avoid an upset and reach the third round at Wimbledon. No. 5 Mirra Andreeva wasn't so lucky, as last month's French Open champion was stunned by Barbora Krejčíková on Center Court. 🏈 Buckeyes land another Harrison: Five-star WR Jett Harrison, the Class of 2028's No. 1 overall recruit in the Rivals300, has committed to Ohio State. The rising junior at St. Joe's Prep (Pa.) is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and brother of Cardinals WR Marvin Jr., who also went to Ohio State. 🇺🇸 SURVIVE AND ADVANCE THE USMNT IS BUILT DIFFERENT (Maja Hitij/FIFA via Getty Images) The USMNT's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, their first World Cup knockout victory in 24 years (and only their second ever), wasn't unexpected given they entered the match as heavy favorites. But the blueprint of that victory proved the simple maxim that "in football, all is possible if you believe." ICYMI: The Americans took a 1-0 lead late in the first half on Folarin Balogun's third goal of the tournament, and continued dominating until the 64th minute when VAR intervention saddled Balogun with a controversial red card. Down a man for 26 minutes and stoppage time, they could have folded; instead, they fought. Malik Tillman's 82nd-minute free kick doubled the lead, sent the crowd in Santa Clara into a frenzy and confirmed their spot in the Round of 16. Balogun will miss the next game — the U.S. can't appeal his red card after all — but the Stars and Stripes' confidence will be buoyed by its 10-man performance in his absence. Home of the brave: This team's talent level is a cut above prior cycles, to be sure, but it's their bravery and belief that have emerged to propel them into the Round of 16. Steven Goff, Yahoo Sports: There are moments and remnants from the 2-0 U.S. victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday that will undoubtedly stand the test of time. Folarin Balogun's goal and red card — the first such combination at a World Cup since Zinedine Zidane 20 years ago. Malik Tillman's bloody sock — the result of an opponent stepping on and cutting through his shoe. U.S. bravery — on display during a shorthanded 26 minutes, plus another 10 of stoppage time. Tillman's immaculate free kick — a stunner by the team's shy, soft-spoken midfielder that triggered a roar still echoing across Northern California. Mauricio Pochettino's singing voice — prompted by the USA's celebratory song, "Country Roads," booming over the loudspeakers again after another victory. But before any of these things can be explained, perspective is necessary. The Americans have won a World Cup knockout match for the first time in 24 years and the second time in their unremarkable history. They will now head to Seattle and play in the Round of 16 on Monday against Belgium, which toyed with them in Atlanta in March, 5-2. They have won three matches in a single World Cup. While that is common for the powerhouses of soccer, sometimes in the group stage alone, the U.S. had never before accomplished that. Heck, before this summer, it had won nine World Cup matches in its history. In other words, this is not a normal World Cup for the U.S. Then again, this is not a normal U.S. team. The momentum that took hold in the first two matches and paused for an inconsequential Group D finale last week is accelerating again. "For us, it's about keep dreaming, keep working really hard and competing, and all is possible," Pochettino said. "In football, all is possible, if you believe.” England celebrate their victory with a wall of supporters. (Joosep Martinson/FIFA via Getty Images) Wednesday scoreboard: England and Belgium advanced alongside the U.S., as the Round of 16 continues to take shape. England 2, DR Congo 1: Just as a familiar dread began to envelop England's World Cup hopes, Harry Kane reminded the world why he's among its very best players. Two goals in 11 minutes reversed a 1-0 DR Congo lead that lingered into the late stages of the second half, elevating Kane to within one goal of the lead on the star-studded Golden Boot charts. Belgium 3, Senegal 2: Facing a 2-0 deficit with 85 minutes played, Belgium roared to life with two goals in three minutes to force extra time. Then Belgian captain Youri Tielemans converted a controversial penalty in the waning moments of the extra period, completing the tournament's most improbable comeback to date. Sweet revenge: The U.S. and Belgium will meet in a rematch of the 2014 Round-of-16 thriller that saw the Americans bow out in extra time despite Tim Howard's record-breaking 16-save performance. Still stings like yesterday… 🚴 TOUR DE FRANCE CYCLING'S GREATEST MODERN RIVALRY TAKES CENTER STAGE Vingegaard (L) and Pogačar sprint to the Stage 11 finish line during the 2024 Tour. (Dario Belingheri/Getty Images) The Tour de France, which begins on Saturday, is shaping up to be a duel for the ages as Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard — by far the world's best riders, who are both in peak form but have yet to square off this year — prepare to chase history in the crown jewel of cycling. The defending champion: Slovenia's Pogačar, 27, has won two straight Tours de France and four of the last six. With a fifth victory this summer, he'd match Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Induraín for the most ever. His 2026 season has been nearly flawless, winning six of the seven races he's entered including three of cycling's Monuments, the sport's most prestigious one-day races. His only loss was at the Paris-Roubaix, which featured a sprint to the finish so close he was actually credited with the same official time as the winner. "Tadej is just the best cyclist we've ever seen," former pro Tejay van Garderen said on a recent podcast. "Jonas is not capable of what Tadej Pogačar is capable of." The challenger: Denmark's Vingegaard, 29, has two yellow jerseys himself, sandwiching his two wins (2022-23) between Pogačar's four (2020-21, 2024-25). And he, like Pogačar, has been on a tear this year, though he's focused on a different style of race. The Dane has won all three events he's entered, prioritizing stage races over one-day races in hopes of winning the Giro d'Italia. When he accomplished that feat in May, he became just the eighth man to capture all three Grand Tours, something not even Pogačar has done. Now he has a chance to make even more history: After winning the Vuelta a España in September and the Giro earlier this year, he can join Merckx (1972-73), Hinault (1982-83) and Chris Froome (2017-18) as the only riders to hold all three Grand Tours simultaneously. Go deeper: A rivalry for the ages: Tadej Pogačar vs Jonas Vingegaard (Escape Collective) ⚾️ 1-30 MLB POWER RANKINGS: THE SOX AND FISH ARE SURGING (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) NL teams occupy four of the top five spots in our latest MLB power rankings, in which Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman explores the league through the lens of the upcoming trade deadline. Two particularly intriguing teams? The surprisingly contending White Sox and Marlins. Back from the dead: Chicago (No. 8 in our rankings) and Miami (No. 14) haven't exactly blown the doors off the competition in recent years, but both are giving fans real reason to cheer as the season's second half gets underway. The South Siders (45-40) are in first place — I repeat, the South Siders are in first place — thanks to an exciting young ballclub that has one of the league's best offenses. Yes, they get the benefit of playing in the dismal AL Central; but for a team that won just 60 games last year, and just 41 (!) the year before, it's a stunning turnaround any way you slice it. The Fish (46-41) play in the much tougher NL, but that didn't stop them from just putting up their best month in franchise history. They went an MLB-best 20-6 in June — powered by an MLB-best 3.01 ERA — to become the first team ever to enter a month at least eight games below .500 and leave it at least six games above .500. Buyers or sellers? Chicago and Miami's success thus far doesn't necessarily make them buyers at the Aug. 3 deadline, at least not in the traditional sense. But if they continue surging through July, their front offices could consider rewarding their burgeoning young cores with some additional support rather than merely subtracting veterans on expiring contracts. (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Yahoo Sports) ⚽️ World Cup, Knockouts We've got 12 elimination games between now and Monday, spanning the end of the Round of 32 and the start of the Round of 16. Not a bad way to spend the holiday weekend. Thursday (R32): Spain vs. Austria in Los Angeles (3pm ET, Fox); Portugal vs. Croatia in Toronto (7pm, Fox); Switzerland vs. Algeria in Vancouver (11pm, FS1) Friday (R32): Australia vs. Egypt in Dallas (2pm, Fox); Argentina vs. Cape Verde in Miami (6pm, Fox); Colombia vs. Ghana in Kansas City (9:30pm, Fox) Saturday (R16): Canada vs. Morocco in Houston (1pm, Fox); Paraguay vs. France in Philadelphia (5pm, Fox) Sunday (R16): Brazil vs. Norway in East Rutherford (4pm, Fox); Mexico vs. England in Mexico City (8pm, Fox) And lastly: While Monday's early game hasn't been determined yet, the USMNT faces Belgium in primetime (8pm, Fox) for a spot in the quarterfinals. Cannot wait. 🚴 Tour de France The 113th Tour de France begins on Saturday (10am, Peacock/NBCSN), when 184 riders will embark on a 21-stage race throughout France (and Spain) that features more than 54,000 meters of vertical climbs, the third-most in the last 20 years. Historic start: Saturday's Grand Départ is in Barcelona, marking the first time the race has begun there. And the first stage is a team time trial, which hasn't featured at the Tour de France since 2019 and hasn't opened the race since 1971. 🎾 Wimbledon, Days 4-9 The second round concludes today at the All England Club, but by the time we're back in your inbox on Tuesday morning the quarterfinals will be set, with matches airing all weekend on ESPN and ESPN+. Who to watch: No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, last year's runner-up, faces fellow American Sofia Kenin shortly (8:15am) and defending champion No. 3 Iga Świątek plays her second-round match soon thereafter (8:30am). Third-round action begins tomorrow with No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 7 Novak Djokovic, No. 7 Coco Gauff and more. ⚾️ "Star-Spangled Sunday" All 30 MLB teams will play nationally-broadcast games on Sunday in a special presentation by NBC Sports, with all games streaming on Peacock and a select few airing on linear TV. Headliners: The Mets and Braves get things started in Atlanta (12:30pm, NBC) and the Dodgers host the Padres in the standard "Sunday Night Baseball" slot (7:20pm, NBC). The Mariners also host the Blue Jays (5pm, NBCSN) in a rematch of last year's ALCS. More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Wings at Sun (Thu. 8pm, Prime); Lynx at Liberty (Fri. 7:30pm, ION); Valkyries at Dream (Sat. 1pm, CBS); Fever at Aces (Sun. 7pm, ESPN) ⚽️ NWSL: Angel City vs. Orlando (Fri. 10pm, Prime); San Diego vs. Gotham (Sat. 8:45pm, ION); Boston vs. Bay FC (Sun. 12pm, ESPN) … The league returns from its month-long pause. 🏎️ F1: British Grand Prix (Sun. 10am, Apple) … Mercedes, which has won seven of the first eight races, will look to continue its dominant run as the season nears its halfway point. ⛳️ PGA: John Deere Classic (Thu-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS) … 21-year-old Jackson Koivun, fresh off one of the greatest collegiate careers of all time, makes his professional debut at TPC Deere Run in Illinois. ⛳️ PGA Champions: U.S. Senior Open (Thu-Sun, Golf/Peacock/NBC) … Stewart Cink enters the year's third major — at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio — having already won the first two. Plus: 🏀 NBA Summer League begins (Thu-Sun, Prime/ESPN); 🏁 NASCAR at Chicagoland Speedway (Sun. 6pm, TNT) and IndyCar at Mid-Ohio (Sun. 12:30pm, Fox); 🏀 BIG3 Week 3 in Miami (Sun. 1pm, CBS); 🏈 IFL Week 17 (Sun-Mon, Yahoo Sports) Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 2007 DRAFT NBA TRIVIA Horford and Conley during a game in 2019. (Christopher Evans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images) Al Horford and Mike Conley, the 3rd and 4th picks of the 2007 NBA Draft, have both recently signed on for a 20th season. Question: Who were the top two picks in that draft? Hint: One is still active, the other was Conley's college teammate. Answer at the bottom. ⚽️ WHO YA GOT? WORLD CUP: MAKE YOUR PICKS! The Round of 16 in the world's biggest soccer tournament is almost here! Pick your winners for each game in 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em from Yahoo Sports and FOX One. How to play: Make picks each round, earn points for correct predictions and climb the leaderboard. You can play solo against the field, create a private group with friends to compete for bragging rights, or join a public group to play with other fans. 🏎️ START YOUR ENGINES YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV (Apple) This weekend's Formula 1 Pirelli British Grand Prix 2026 continues our season-long partnership with Apple TV for F1 coverage. Tune in: Tomorrow's practice (7:30am ET) and sprint qualifying (11:30am), as well as Saturday's race qualifying (11am), will air for free on Yahoo Sports, while Sunday's race (10am) will stream on Apple TV, the new U.S. home of Formula 1. Trivia answer: Greg Oden (No. 1 to Portland) and Kevin Durant (No. 2 to Seattle) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 3 Author Members Posted July 3 > Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reportedly getting married in Madison Square Garden tonight (More, w/live updates) | Poll finds 70% of Americans care "not at all" about the wedding while more than 20% care at least "a little" (More) > Ex-pop star Gary Glitter is charged with sexual offenses that allegedly occurred from 1978 to 1981; he is serving a 16-year sentence for 2015 convictions (More) | Prosecutors can access Tiger Woods' hospital records in Florida DUI case (More) > Mikel Oyarzabal scores twice as Spain beats Austria 3-0, advancing to the Round of 16 (More) | Australia takes on Egypt at 2 pm ET, Argentina clashes with Cape Verde at 6 pm ET, and Colombia plays Ghana at 9:30 pm ET (More, w/schedule) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 8 Author Members Posted July 8 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: The USMNT's unceremonious exit, Wimbledon quarterfinalists, MLB All-Stars, a historic and star-studded Golden Boot race, DPD (Dollars Per Dog), and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚽️ ELIMINATED END OF THE ROAD FOR THE USMNT (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Despite showering in the glory of topping the group and winning a knockout game in front of an adoring and electric home crowd, the U.S. journey ends in the same place as it did in its last three attempts: the Round of 16. Red, white, and bruised: A calamitous American defensive performance, married with a mostly toothless attack, granted Belgium a 4-1 win on Monday in Seattle, sending the Red Devils into the quarterfinals and relegating the red-card drama of the previous 36 hours to a historical footnote. There was exactly one highlight for the Stars and Stripes, as Malik Tillman's 31st-minute free kick tied the game at one goal apiece and made him the first player in over 40 years to score on two direct free kicks in a single World Cup. But the joy was (extremely) short lived. Belgium regained the lead two minutes later on a goal that, like their first one, exposed more about the Americans' deficiencies than Belgium's talent. The third goal, on a disastrous sequence by goalkeeper Matt Freese, effectively ended the game before the fourth put it on ice. What they're saying: "We were not the same team that during the tournament showed quality — a very bad day," said coach Mauricio Pochettino. "It was unlike any other performances we've had this summer, to be honest," added left back Antonee Robinson. "It's hard to say where it went wrong." Complicated legacy: At its best, this American contingent reached heights of quality rarely seen in U.S. Soccer history. And yet, the ultimate result was unchanged, underscoring the size of the gap that they've only partially closed to date. This USMNT rallied a nation behind their footballing cause with bravery; but, in their unceremonious exit, failed to show the same swashbuckling confidence that previously suggested times had changed. Unlike the gallant underdog effort of a 2014 USMNT woefully deficient in talent against a superior Belgium side, this was a game that, based on form, appeared tantalizingly winnable. That the U.S. never came close to doing so leaves a bitter aftertaste from an otherwise sweet experience. The result also exposed a simple truth, succinctly stated by Yahoo Sports' Steven Goff: "The U.S. is a good team, but it's not a really good team." Take me home: The next time the U.S. is eligible to host the World Cup is in 2038, 12 long years away. Perhaps a new generation will rise, inspired by this one, to lift the trophy on American soil. Like many before them, though, the legacy of this USMNT awaits definition by those who will follow in a trail they helped to blaze. (Yahoo Sports) More from Monday: Spain have yet to concede a goal in this year's tournament, as a stoppage time winner from Mikel Merino clinched a 1-0 victory over Portugal and a place in the quarterfinals for La Roja. They'll join France, Morocco, Belgium, Norway, and England, with the two remaining spots to be decided in today's Round-of-16 action. Siuuu you later: Portugal's defeat ended 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo's accomplished but ultimately unfulfilled World Cup career. Though Ronaldo never captured the elusive title that finally found his chief rival in 2022, he recorded his share of history, appearing in six World Cups and scoring in all of them. Happy trails, CR7… 🎾 WIMBLEDON AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) The quarterfinals are (nearly) set at the All England Club, where nine men and eight women remain in contention for the Wimbledon Championships. Men: No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. Jan-Lennard Struff; No. 3 Félix Auger-Aliassime vs. No. 7 Novak Djokovic; No. 9 Flavio Cobolli vs. Arthur Fery*; No. 6 Taylor Fritz vs. No. 2 Alexander Zverev or No. 13 Jiri Lehecka (Zverev was up two sets when play was suspended on Monday due to darkness). Women: No. 4 Jess Pegula vs. No. 7 Coco Gauff; No. 10 Karolína Muchová vs. No. 14 Naomi Osaka; No. 12 Marta Kostyuk vs. No. 13 Jasmine Paolini; No. 9 Linda Nosková vs. No. 25 Elise Mertens. Goliaths bare their teeth: As you can see above, just two unseeded players are still alive, both on the men's side (Struff and Fery). Indeed, this is the first time since 2007 that all eight women's quarterfinalists are seeded. Having said that, one of those women did pull off a pretty major upset… Naomi Osaka reacts after clinching her biggest victory in years. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) Here comes Osaka: Osaka stunned top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets on Sunday to reach her first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal, earning her first win over a world No. 1 since 2019. It was probably her biggest victory since coming back from maternity leave at the start of the 2024 season, and it came with an added measure of revenge, too. Sabalenka had eliminated Osaka in the Round of 16 three times this year, including last month at Roland Garros, before she finally flipped the script on Sunday with her own Round of 16 victory over the Belarusian. And today the four-time major champion will get a chance for a little more revenge, facing the 10th-seeded Muchová less than two weeks after the Czech defeated her via walkover in the final at Bad Homburg. The other side: Sabalenka's loss snapped not only her streak of reaching 14 straight major quarterfinals, but also her arguably even more impressive streak of winning at least one set in 121 consecutive Grand Slam matches. That is by far the best mark by any player this century, man or woman (Roger Federer is second, at 99). Speaking of Federer… The Swiss legend's record for the most matches won by a man at Wimbledon (105) was broken on Sunday by Djokovic (106). If the Serb can win three more, he'll equal Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles and, of course, break a tie with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slams ever won (25). *Hometown hero: Fery, a 23-year-old Wimbledon local, is the first British wildcard (man or woman) to reach the quarterfinal of any major in the Open Era. The world No. 114 has already guaranteed himself a payout ($480K) worth more than half of his career earnings to date ($868K). ⚾️ MIDSUMMER CLASSIC MLB ALL-STAR ROSTERS REVEALED (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) The rosters for the 96th MLB All-Star Game were revealed on Saturday ahead of the Midsummer Classic, which will take place at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park a week from today. AL starters: C Shea Langeliers (ATH), 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.* (TOR), 2B Ernie Clement (TOR), 3B Junior Caminero (TB), SS Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), OF Mike Trout (LAA), OF Aaron Judge (NYY), OF Byron Buxton (MIN), DH Yordan Alvarez (HOU) NL starters: C Drake Baldwin (ATL), 1B Freddie Freeman (LAD), 2B Ozzie Albies (ATL), 3B Max Muncy (LAD), SS CJ Abrams (WSH), OF Brandon Marsh (PHI), OF Juan Soto (NYM), OF Andy Pages (LAD), DH Shohei Ohtani (LAD) Notes: The reserves and pitchers were also announced on Saturday, yielding a crop of 65 All-Stars who got the nod for next week's game. Team-by-team breakdown: The Dodgers, Braves and Phillies led the way with five All-Stars each, followed by the Yankees (4), Rays (4), Blue Jays (4), Guardians (3) and Tigers (3). Ten other teams had two All-Stars, and 12 had just one apiece. Most appearances: Trout leads all players with 12 All-Star nods, followed by Freeman (10), Chris Sale (10), Aroldis Chapman (9), Bryce Harper (9) and Judge (8). Fewest appearances: There are 26 first-timers, including five starters (Langeliers, Clement, Baldwin, Marsh, Pages) and four rookies (Detroit INF Kevin McGonigle, Cincinnati INF Sal Stewart and Cleveland's LHP Parker Messick and 2B Travis Bazzana). Bryce's "Legendary"status: Harper's selection came via commissioner Rob Manfred's "Legend Pick." The host team's most famous player didn't otherwise earn the spot, but was certainly deserving, as he's top 10 in the NL in HR (20), RBI (57), BB (57) and OPS (.895). *Vladdy sits out: Vlad Jr., voted as a starter despite being mired in a career-worst season (4 HR, .693 OPS), has opted to skip the game to recuperate from a lower back issue. A's 1B Nick Kurtz, crushing the ball to the tune of 20 HR and a .928 OPS, will replace him as a starter. (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) Further reading: Contreras, Turang and Wheeler headline All-Snub Team (Jordan Shusterman, Yahoo Sports) 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring his first of two goals in Sunday’s victory over Brazil. (Al Bello/Getty Images) ⚽️ 7 goals Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappé and Norway's Erling Haaland are tied for the lead with seven goals apiece at the 2026 World Cup, marking the first time in the tournament's history that three different players have scored at least seven goals. And all three have at least one game left to add to their tallies! Embarrassment of riches: What a treat this World Cup has been, giving us a Golden Boot race led by arguably the three best players in the world, all of whom have led their teams deep into the tournament. And it's not just the trio above: English superstar Harry Kane is right behind them with six goals, and France's Ousmane Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, has four. ⛳️ 5 wins Just three golfers have won at least five times on the PGA Tour since the start of 2024: Scottie Scheffler (14 wins), Rory McIlroy (6) and Chris Gotterup, whose fifth victory came on Sunday at the John Deere Classic, where he overcame a five-stroke deficit with a scorching 9-under 62 to finish one stroke ahead (-20) of Max Homa (-19). Rapid rise: The 26-year-old Maryland native turned pro in 2022 and earned his first win in 2024, but he was still ranked just 191st at the end of that year. In the past 12 months he's leveled up in a huge way with 10 top-five finishes and four wins — including three this year — to climb to No. 7 in the world. Next up, he'll look to defend his Scottish Open title this weekend. Chapman salutes the dugout after breaking the record. (William Liang/AP Photo) ⚾️ 1,364 strikeouts Aroldis Chapman fanned his 1,364th career batter on Friday, breaking a tie with Hoyt Wilhelm for the most strikeouts by a reliever in MLB history. Boston's 38-year-old closer has continued the career resurgence that saw him finish seventh for the Cy Young last season, as he's currently sporting a 2.36 ERA with 18 saves (in 20 chances) for the Sox. Speaking of dominant southpaws: Atlanta's Chris Sale made some history of his own over the weekend, becoming the 10th pitcher to strike out at least 500 batters with three different teams (White Sox, Red Sox). The other nine: Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Bert Blyleven, Gaylord Perry, Curt Schilling, Dennis Eckersley, Zack Greinke, A.J. Burnett and Gerrit Cole. 🏊♀️ 2:01.65 Summer McIntosh broke the longest-standing individual world record in women's swimming on Sunday at the Canadian trials, posting a time of 2:01.65 in the 200m butterfly to eclipse the previous record of 2:01.81 set by China's Liu Zige back in 2009. The 19-year-old superstar, a four-time medalist at the 2024 Olympics, now holds four long-course world records. End of an era: This was the last women's record standing from swimming's short-lived "super-suit" era in the late-2000s, when high-tech polyurethane swimsuits yielded a surge of record-breaking performances before being banned in 2009. Consider this: 98% of all swimming medals won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — and 23 of the 25 world records broken there — were by athletes wearing those super suits. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, JULY 7 Messi has scored in a World Cup record eight consecutive games. Will he make it nine today against Egypt? (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images) ⚽️ World Cup, Round of 16 The quarterfinals will be set this evening after Argentina takes on Egypt in Atlanta (12pm ET, Fox) and Switzerland faces Colombia in Vancouver (4pm, Fox). Fresh blood: Argentina — the defending and three-time champion — is the only team playing today that has made regular trips to the World Cup quarterfinals. Egypt has never reached the last eight, Colombia has reached once (2014) and Switzerland hasn't been there since 1954. 🎾 Wimbledon, Quarterfinals The quarterfinals begin today at the All England Club, where No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Jan-Lennard Struff get things started on Court 1 (8am, ESPN2) and No. 4 Jess Pegula takes on No. 7 Coco Gauff in an all-American clash on Center Court (8:30am, ESPN). Up next: No. 10 Karolína Muchová and No. 14 Naomi Osaka play on Court 1 following the Sinner-Struff match, and No. 3 Félix Auger-Aliassime faces No. 7 Novak Djokovic on Center Court following the Pegula-Gauff match. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Rays (6:40pm, TBS) … Tampa (52-36) has taken a 3-game lead over New York (50-40) atop the AL East as the Yankees have lost nine of their last 11. 🏀 WNBA: Wings at Liberty (8pm, ESPN) … Fourth-place Dallas and fifth-place New York have the same 13-8 record. 🚴 Tour de France: Stage 4 (7:10am, NBCSN/Peacock) … The first stage to both start and end in France will go 113 miles from Carcassone to Foix on the southern tip of the country. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. ⚾ ALL-STARS MLB TRIVIA Trout rounds the bases after hitting a home run last month. (Melina Pizano/Getty Images) Mike Trout is just the third player in American League history to be elected as an All-Star starter by the fans at least 11 times. Question: Can you name the other two? Hint: Orioles, Royals Answer at the bottom. 🌭 DOLLARS PER DOG CHESTNUT KEEPS THE CROWN (Anna Connors/AP Photo) Joey Chestnut won his record-extending 18th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4 in Brooklyn's Coney Island, consuming 66 dogs to retain the Mustard Belt by a healthy margin — perhaps the only healthy thing about the event. Full belly, full wallet: Chestnut earned $10,000 for the victory, or $151 per dog. That only slightly outpaced his career DPD (dollars per dog) of $149, earned after pocketing $180,000 and consuming 1,206.5 hot dogs across his 18 victories. This story originally appeared in Monday's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz. Subscribe here to receive our new newsletter in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Trivia answer: Cal Ripken Jr. (17 fan-vote elections) and George Brett (11) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted Thursday at 01:10 AM Author Members Posted Thursday at 01:10 AM 👋 Good morning! After 27 consecutive days of World Cup action, the tournament has reached its first off day. Just eight teams, and eight games, remain. In today's edition: Argentina's historic comeback, why the USMNT isn't a contender yet, Djokovic and Ohtani do Djokovic and Ohtani things, jock stocks, the Yahoo Sports Lacrosse Hub, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Mitchell gets the max: The Cavaliers are signing Donovan Mitchell to a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension that includes a player option for the 2030-31 season, keeping the seven-time All-Star in Cleveland through his mid-30's. ⚽️ Historic viewership: 30 million people tuned in on Fox for the USMNT's loss to Belgium on Monday, making it the most-watched soccer telecast in American history. ⚾️ Rice joins the Derby: Yankees 1B Ben Rice has joined Rays 3B Junior Caminero as the second player to commit to next week's Home Run Derby. Rice is in the midst of a breakout season, with his 26 HR and .941 OPS both ranking second in the AL. 🏈 Kneeland had CTE: Former Cowboys DE Marshawn Kneeland, who died by suicide last fall at the age of 24, has been diagnosed with CTE by researchers at the Boston University CTE Center. "Unfortunately, I was not surprised to find CTE in [his brain]," said the director of the CTE Center. "We have found this progressive brain disease in nearly half of the athletes we've studied who have died before the age of 30." 🇷🇺 Russia ban lifted: The IOC has provisionally lifted its three-year-old ban on the Russian Olympic Committee, paving the way for Russian athletes to compete at the 2028 Games under their own flag. ⚽️ SURVIVE AND ADVANCE THE INEVITABILITY OF LEO MESSI (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Facing a 2-0 deficit to Egypt in the waning minutes on Tuesday in Atlanta, Lionel Messi's World Cup career looked as though it might come to a stunning, sudden end. But Messi had other plans, engineering a historic comeback to remind the entire footballing world that he isn't going anywhere just yet. Argentina 3, Egypt 2: The defending champions rattled off three goals in the span of 14 frenzied minutes, becoming the first team in World Cup history to win in regular time despite trailing by at least two goals in the 75th minute or later. First came a Cristian Romero header in the 79th minute, served on a platter by a perfect cross from Messi, whose ninth career World Cup assist broke a tie with Diego Maradona for the most ever. Naturally. Four minutes later Messi scored the equalizer himself on a venomous volley, giving him a record-extending nine consecutive World Cup games with a goal and vaulting him back to the top of the Golden Boot race with eight in this tournament. Safe to say this one made up for his missed penalty in the first half. And finally the game-winner, a 92nd-minute Enzo Fernández header that broke the short-lived deadlock and completed a comeback that even Tom Brady conceded might've been better than the Patriots' 28-3 Super Bowl reversal. Hey, he said it, not us. United under Leo: National pride is typically enough to unite a World Cup squad, but at this stage, that pride is table stakes. Argentina is fueled by an additional source of motivation. "I told [Messi] on the pitch to enjoy it because he deserved it," Lautaro Martínez said in Spanish after the match. "I told him we would keep giving everything, for ourselves, but above all for him, because this is his last World Cup and he has given us so much." Bottom line: Argentina had never won a World Cup match when trailing at half or by two goals. But what was close to becoming a tearful goodbye instead became an emotional celebration for Messi, whose dreams of leading an Argentine repeat live on thanks to what would surely be dubbed "The Miracle at Mercedes"... if not for FIFA's clean venue policies. (Luke Hales/Getty Images) Meanwhile, in Vancouver: Switzerland and Colombia played to a 0-0 stalemate over 120 minutes before the Swiss emerged victorious in penalties, punching their ticket to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954. They'll join Argentina, Norway, England, Spain, Belgium, France and Morocco in the last eight, which kicks off tomorrow. 🇺🇸 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT WHY THE U.S. STILL ISN'T A WORLD CUP CONTENDER (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) The USMNT's magical start to the World Cup came crashing down in Monday's ugly loss to Belgium, and while the old argument that "our best athletes play other sports" is fun on the surface, it belies the fundamental issue holding the U.S. back from being true contenders on the sport's biggest stage. What they're saying: "Our youth soccer in this country is a disaster," former U.S. star Landon Donovan told 'The Rich Eisen Show' last month. "All these youth clubs charge you crazy fees. It's all about winning. The kids get left behind because the clubs want to make money, the coaches want to make money. They want to win and the kids don't develop." Indeed, the annual cost to play elite youth soccer in the United States can reach upwards of $15,000, pricing out plenty of talented youngsters who might otherwise thrive in the beautiful game, if only they could afford to pursue it. Compare that to how it works in most other countries — namely the ones who routinely dominate the tournament the Americans just stumbled out of — where top clubs foot the bill themselves, and it's not hard to connect the dots on where the competitive gap is born. Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports: There's little doubt that the U.S. soccer talent pool would be deeper if LeBron James grew up dreaming to become a center back or if Tyreek Hill was using his speed and acceleration to run onto through balls or stretch the field in counter-attacks. The majority of elite NBA, NFL and MLB players never played high-level soccer as kids. Even those who did, like Odell Beckham Jr. or Nolan Arenado, eventually quit to specialize in other sports. And yet ask those in soccer circles if siphoning talent away from other sports would transform the USMNT into a global power, and the question will inspire plenty of eye rolls. They are quick to point out that skill is the most important quality in soccer, that many global superstars rely on ball control and technical ability rather than speed and strength. At 5-foot-7 and less than 150 pounds, Lionel Messi has been known since childhood as "La Pulga," which in Spanish means "the flea." Croatian playmaker Luka Modrić is only an inch taller than Messi. Spanish phenom Lamine Yamal is 5-10. So are French superstars Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé. For every 6-foot-5 Erling Haaland who dominates by overpowering opposing defenders and winning balls in the air, there are many others who use their decision making and mastery with the ball at their feet to help their teams win. "I just don’t think it's as simple as if we had 10 LeBrons playing soccer, we'd automatically be a better soccer country," former U.S. men's national team defender and current Portland Thorns general manager Jeff Agoos told Yahoo Sports prior to the World Cup. "Soccer is such a skilled sport. It's really hard to control a soccer ball, and it takes a lot of time to learn that skill. I don't think it's always about being bigger, faster, stronger." To Agoos and many others, U.S. Soccer's biggest issue isn't insufficient athleticism. It's how the athletes who do want to pursue soccer have been developed. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) 🎾 8 straight semifinals Novak Djokovic outlasted third-seeded Félix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set thriller on Tuesday to reach his eighth straight Wimbledon semifinal, breaking a tie with Roger Federer for the longest such streak ever. It's also his record-extending 55th major semifinal (Federer is next, with 46). The 39-year-old will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner on Friday for a spot in the final. More from the All England Club: Coco Gauff defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula to reach her first Wimbledon semifinal, becoming the youngest woman (22) to reach the last four at every Grand Slam since Maria Sharapova in 2007. No. 10 Karolína Muchová (over No. 14 Naomi Osaka) also reached her first Wimbledon semifinal, while No. 2 Alexander Zverev (over No. 13 Jiri Lehecka) reached his first Wimbledon quarterfinal. ⚾️ 300 home runs Shohei Ohtani blasted his 300th career home run on Tuesday in his 1,101st game (with at least one plate appearance), becoming the fifth-fastest player in MLB history to reach the milestone. Only Aaron Judge (955 games), Ralph Kiner (1,087), Ryan Howard (1,093) and Juan González (1,096) got there faster. Becoming legendary: "There is a minor but critical distinction between being the greatest of all time and being the best to ever do it," writes Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz. "Ohtani is, undeniably, the latter. … [But] home run No. 300 is a reminder that he is crossing over into legend status before our eyes, [providing] an opportunity to appreciate not just what he's doing but also what he has already done." Tolbert is doused after the Royals' victory on Monday. (Amy Kontras/Getty Images) ⚾️ 21st team The Royals pulled off one of the rarest feats in baseball in Monday's 15-1 rout of the Phillies, becoming the 21st team in MLB history to score a run in every single inning. Among the sport's standard rarities, only 20-strikeout games (5) and unassisted triple plays (15) have happened less often, while four-homer games are equally rare (21) and perfect games (24) are slightly more common. And, for their encore… Kansas City followed that up with another slugfest on Tuesday, beating the Mets 16-12 behind, among other things, Tyler Tolbert's second straight 5-for-5 performance. The second baseman, who also went 2-for-2 in the Royals' previous game, has now gotten a hit in an MLB record-tying 12 consecutive plate appearances. 🏀 19 in a row UConn grads Breanna Stewart (Liberty), Paige Bueckers (Wings) and Gabby Williams (Valkyries) were all named starters for this year's WNBA All-Star Game, marking the 19th consecutive edition of the exhibition to feature a former Husky in the starting lineup. The other starters: Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell (Fever), Natasha Howard and Olivia Miles (Lynx), A'ja Wilson (Aces) and Jessica Shepard (Wings). Reserves: The 12 reserves for the July 25 game in Chicago were announced on Tuesday: Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray (Dream), Nneka Ogwumike and Kelsey Plum (Sparks), Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen (Mystics), Marina Mabrey (Tempo), Courtney Williams (Lynx), Jackie Young (Aces), Jonquel Jones (Liberty) and Dominique Malonga (Storm). 📈 TICKER TALK JOCK STOCKS: WINNERS AND LOSERS These publicly-traded teams are all significantly outperforming the S&P 500. (Yahoo Finance Alphaspace) The sports and sports-adjacent universe of publicly traded equities is a diverse set of businesses experiencing the present economic moment in very different ways. In this edition of Jock Stocks, we unpack the performance from the first half of 2026, revealing the year's winners and losers at the midway point. 🏟️ Winner: Sports Franchises The institutional interest in sports team ownership has extended into the equity market, as three of the premier publicly traded teams are off to red-hot starts: Madison Square Garden Sports (MSGS: +55.4%), Manchester United (MANU: +44.0%), and the Atlanta Braves (BATRA: +32.5%) have all substantially outperformed the broader market. The Knicks and United both enjoyed successful and commercially lucrative seasons, further bolstering their equity performance. ⛳️ Winner: Golf Two of the first half's biggest gainers were Callaway Golf (CALY: +61.0%) and Acushnet Holdings (GOLF: +48.5%). Callaway has solidified its balance sheet and pure-play business following the TopGolf sale, while Titleist has launched successful new products and capably defended and reinforced its premium brand status. On a macro level, rounds played in the U.S. were up over 5% in Q1, and golf remains well suited to a K-shaped economy, in which affluent consumers continue to spend. Sports gambling stocks have not had a good year. (Yahoo Finance Alphaspace) 🎰 Loser: Sports Gambling From sportsbooks like DraftKings (DKNG: -26.7%) and Flutter (FLUT: -52.5%) to data companies like Genius (GENI: -45.0%) and Sportradar (SRAD: -37.0%), 2026 has been unkind to stocks with sports gambling exposure. The emergence and growth of the prediction markets industry, anchored by Kalshi and Polymarket, have weighed on shares, as have unfavorable outcomes and concerns about plateauing domestic growth. 📺 Loser: Media Many sports-involved media companies have endured a turbulent start to 2026, though their increasingly expensive sports-rights portfolios are not principally to blame. Some of the negative price action is event-driven, as in the case of Paramount Skydance (PSKY: -26.4%) and Fox (FOX: -27.9%), while persistent structural headwinds such as cord-cutting and streaming profitability have weighed on the category broadly. Disney (DIS: -15.4%) and Comcast (CMCSA: -12.3%) have also fared poorly, as has the recently spun-off Versant (VSNT: -20.0%). This story originally appeared in Monday's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz. Subscribe here to receive today's edition of our new newsletter when it hits inboxes a little later this morning. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 Fery celebrates his fourth-round victory. (James Fearn/Getty Images) 🎾 Wimbledon, Quarterfinals On Court 1, it's No. 9 Linda Nosková vs. No. 25 Elise Mertens (8am ET, ESPN2) followed by No. 2 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 6 Taylor Fritz. And on Centre Court, it's No. 12 Marta Kostyuk vs. No. 13 Jasmine Paolini (8:30am, ESPN) followed by No. 9 Flavio Cobolli vs. Arthur Fery. Last Brit standing: The Brits' home championship started very poorly when only four of 19 Britons made it out of the first round, with three of those four promptly losing their next match. Leave it to Fery — the 23-year-old wildcard who grew up in Wimbledon and had never before made it past the second round of a major — to be the last one standing. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Rays (6:40pm, Prime); Phillies at Reds (7pm, ESPN); Diamondbacks at Padres (10pm, ESPN) … Cincinnati right-hander Chase Burns (10-1, 2.40 ERA) is part of a loaded NL Cy Young race. 🏀 WNBA: Lynx at Sun (7:30pm, USA); Fever at Sparks (10pm, USA) … Minnesota (15-6) is tied for the league's best record, while Connecticut (5-16) has the worst. 🚴 Tour de France: Stage 5 (8am, NBCSN/Peacock) … The first flat stage, spanning 98 miles from Lannemezan to Pau, will give the sprinters an opportunity to shine. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 RAPTOR FOR LIFE NBA TRIVIA Lowry during the 2019 playoffs. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Kyle Lowry signed a one-day contract with the Raptors to officially end his 20-year career with the team where he became a star. Toronto also plans to retire his No. 7 jersey, making him the second player in franchise history to earn that honor. Question: Can you name the only other Raptor whose jersey was retired? Hint: No. 15 Answer at the bottom. 🥍 JUST LAUNCHED INTRODUCING THE YAHOO SPORTS LACROSSE HUB Lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S, and through a new partnership with Inside Lacrosse, Yahoo Sports will be able to cover it more thoroughly than ever before. Just launched: The Yahoo Sports website features a new hub dedicated to lacrosse, with in-depth coverage spanning the sport. Readers can expect: Content from Inside Lacrosse, the Premier Lacrosse League, the Women's Lacrosse League, The Lacrosse Network, and USA Lacrosse Magazine. Comprehensive coverage of high school, collegiate, and professional lacrosse, including breaking news, in-depth written stories, video analysis, game highlights, and more. And news from USA Lacrosse — the sport's official national governing body — to help fans get ready for lacrosse's long-awaited return to the Olympic Games in 2028. Trivia answer: Vince Carter Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted Friday at 10:15 PM Author Members Posted Friday at 10:15 PM 👋 Good morning! The World Cup quarterfinals are here. Stat du jour: Number of times an MLB pitcher was pulled after 6+ perfect innings in 115 seasons from 1901-2015: 0. Number of times in 10 seasons from 2016-25: 3. Number of times in the past four days: 2. The times, they are a-changin'. In today's edition: Fery's magical run continues, Verlander announces retirement plans, World Cup quarterfinal preview, checking in on the Tour de France, Reeve's historic victory, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ JV set to retire: Justin Verlander, 43, announced on Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the season, his 21st in the majors. The news came on the same day that the future Hall of Famer and Tigers pitcher was selected to his 10th All-Star Game as a "Legend Pick" by commissioner Rob Manfred. ⚾️ So close: Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease was three outs away from his second career no-hitter when a single by Giants OF Heliot Ramos ended his bid in the ninth. He still earned the win in a 10-0 victory with his third no-hit bid of 8+ innings, the most in MLB over the last five seasons. ⚽️ Record ratings: Upon closer inspection, Monday's USA-Belgium game (~42M viewers) was not in fact the most-watched soccer telecast in American history. That honor now belongs to Sunday's Mexico-England game, which drew nearly 45 million viewers across Fox and Telemundo. ⚾️ Derby field fills out: Royals RF Jac Caglianone and Red Sox 1B Willson Contreras have joined next week's Home Run Derby, whose eight-player field is now half full with Caglianone and Contreras joining Rays 3B Junior Caminero and Yankees 1B Ben Rice. ⚽️ MLS All-Stars: Lionel Messi, three wins from leading Argentina to a second straight World Cup title, headlined MLS' 29-player All-Star roster revealed Wednesday. They'll face a team of Liga MX All-Stars on July 29 in Charlotte. 🎾 WIMBLEDON THE FERY-TALE CONTINUES Fery falls to the court in celebration in front of an adoring home crowd. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images) The men's semifinals are set at Wimbledon, and while three of the players left standing are exactly who you'd expect them to be, the fourth is a young Brit named Arthur Fery, who is nothing short of the most unlikely semifinalist in the modern history of the sport. Odd man out: Fery — who upset No. 9 Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday to join No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Alexander Zverev and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals — is just the fourth men's wildcard to reach a major semifinal in the Open Era (since 1968). But unlike the first three, Fery's run truly came out of nowhere. First was Jimmy Connors (1991 U.S. Open), an eight-time Grand Slam champion who received a sort-of "lifetime achievement" wildcard at age 39 at the end of an all-time great career. Next was Henri Laconte (1992 French Open), a former top-five player who'd reached eight Grand Slam quarterfinals but had fallen down the rankings due to injury. Most recently was Goran Ivanišević (2001 Wimbledon), a former world No. 2 and three-time finalist at the All England Club in the twilight of his career. He ultimately ran the table, becoming the first men's wildcard ever to win a Grand Slam. And now we have Fery, a 23-year-old Wimbledon local who'd never so much as advanced beyond the third round of an ATP event. By the numbers: Fery — who was born in France but grew up about a mile away from the All England Club, where he's played since he was a child — entered the tournament ranked a career-high 114th. Now, regardless of where he finishes he'll climb to at least No. 36. The Stanford graduate won nearly as many matches during his dream run at Wimbledon (5) as he had in his entire ATP career before last week (6). In fact, he'd only played in 14 main-draw matches before, underscoring just how little experience he has at this level. In the same vein, by reaching the semifinals he's already guaranteed himself a payday of roughly $1.2 million, more than he's earned in his entire career to date ($883,618). It is worth noting, however, that he perhaps doesn't need the money the way so many other struggling tennis players do: His father, Loïc, is a multimillionaire hedge fund manager and president of Ligue 1 club FC Lorient. What's next: Fery will face Zverev tomorrow after the reigning French Open champion knocked No. 6 Taylor Fritz out in straight sets on Wednesday. And if he can pull off another upset he'll get the winner of Sinner and Djokovic in the final. Good luck, kid. ⚽️ WORLD CUP THE QUARTERFINALS ARE HERE, AND SO ARE THE STARS (Josh Heim/Yahoo Sports) After a solitary rest day that felt eternal, the quarterfinal stage of the World Cup has finally arrived. The global footballing behemoths have curtly dismissed the plucky underdogs, sent the host countries packing, and claimed their rightful seats at the big kid's table. All or nothing: It's no longer enough to fight for survival; this stage requires the game's best to wrest victory ruthlessly from the clutches of their opponent. The omnipresence of galactic stars — each performing at their very best — ensures there's no margin for error, and fans could scarcely ask for more big names to anchor the tournament down the stretch. Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappé, England's Harry Kane and Norway's Erling Haaland entered the World Cup as giants of the highest order, and have delivered to the tune of an astonishing 28 goals. That's 10% of all goals scored in the tournament. By four players. And still lurking is Lamine Yamal, the Spanish wunderkind who has yet to truly announce himself these last few weeks but is just one big game from joining that star-studded fray. Don't take it for granted: It's exceedingly rare that this many superstars make it so deep in the same tournament while simultaneously playing so flawlessly. Enjoy it. We're witnessing greatness. (Yahoo Sports) The road ahead: There are no easy draws left, just seismic clashes between teams that have already proven their mettle on the biggest stages in North America. France vs. Morocco (Thursday): The tournament's clear favorite faces its toughest test to date in 6th-ranked Morocco. France's star-studded attack will need to shake off the cobwebs from Paraguay's highly defensive approach in the prior round. Further raising the stakes in a game where the stakes need no raising, there are six French-born players in Morocco's squad. Belgium vs. Spain (Friday): Belgium were largely unconvincing in this tournament until they thoroughly humiliated the U.S. in an unfriendly environment. To win this one, they'll likely have to force Spain to do something it hasn't done all World Cup: concede a goal. Can Yamal and company find the back of the net sooner than they did against Portugal, when their 91st-minute strike clinched a 1-0 victory? England vs. Norway (Saturday): Norway enters as the lowest-ranked team in the quarterfinals, but the presence of Erling Haaland renders that standing an afterthought. If there's a goal to be had, the clinical Viking striker will find it. But the Norwegians face an England squad unrelenting in belief and urged along by their talismanic stars, Kane and Jude Bellingham. Argentina vs. Switzerland (Saturday): The Swiss may look like a final-eight underdog, but they face the reigning champions in formidable form, driven by the late-career apex of their captain, Granit Xhaka. Argentina have not beaten a team ranked higher than Switzerland in this tournament, and they would be tempting fate to wait too long for another moment of magic from Messi, however inevitable it might seem. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Tour de France) 🚴 5 stages down The Tour de France is nearly 25% of the way over, with five stages down and 16 to go entering the final Pyrenees stage today. Race favorites Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard aren't quite where you'd expect at this juncture, tied for fourth about eight minutes off the lead, but they'll likely begin making up that deficit during today's grueling climbs. And as for the leader? That would be Norway's Torstein Træen, who's completed an inspiring comeback after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022. He was back on his bike and cancer-free later that year, earned his first stage victory at a World Tour event in 2024, held the red jersey for four stages at the Vuelta a España in 2025, and is now the third Norwegian ever to don the yellow jersey. 🏀 380 wins Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve picked up her 380th career regular-season victory on Wednesday, breaking a tie with Mike Thibault to become the winningest coach in WNBA history. The four-time Coach of the Year also holds the record for most postseason wins (52), thanks largely to Minnesota's dynasty that won four titles in the 2010s. More history coming? The Lynx improved to 16-6 with the victory, a half-game ahead of the Aces and Valkyries for the league's best record. There's a lot of season left, but a fifth championship — all under Reeve — would break a tie with the Storm and now-defunct Comets for the most ever. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) ⛳️ 7 golfers Just seven LPGA golfers have ever achieved the Career Grand Slam; with a win at this weekend's Evian Championship — the fourth major of the season — world No. 1 Nelly Korda would become the eighth. The 27-year-old has already won the Chevron Championship, U.S. Women's Open and Women's PGA Championship, and despite there being five majors, only four are required for the Slam. But wait, there's more: A win this weekend would also make her just the 36th woman to earn a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame. The points-based membership requires 27 points for entry; Korda has 25, and major championships are worth two. Here's where I remind you that she's already won four times this year, including two of the first three majors. ⚾️ 10 RBI Pirates 1B Ryan O'Hearn mashed three home runs and had 10 RBIs in Tuesday's win over the Braves, making him just the 17th player in MLB's modern era (since 1900) with at least 10 RBIs in a game. The others: Shohei Ohtani (2024), Mark Reynolds (2018), Scooter Gennett (2017), Anthony Rendon (2017), Garret Anderson (2007), Alex Rodriguez (2005), Nomar Garciaparra (1999), Mark Whiten (1993), Fred Lynn (1975), Reggie Jackson (1969), Norm Zauchin (1955), Walker Cooper (1949), Rudy York (1946), Phil Weintraub (1944), Tony Lazzeri (1936), Jim Bottomley (1924). ⚾️ GO DEEPER GOOD READS: MLB EDITION (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) Jake Mintz: It's a weird year for the American League All-Stars MLB's balance of power has skewed heavily in the NL's favor this season — a discrepancy that will be on full display at next week's All-Star Game in Philadelphia, where the Senior Circuit's roster will be chock-full of stars while the AL scrambles to fill a void caused by injuries, underperformance and an interleague exodus. (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) Russell Dorsey: The man, the myth, the Miz: How Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski became MLB's most electric pitcher Milwaukee's flame-throwing righty has enjoyed a meteoric rise, going from a tantalizingly talented prospect to arguably the best pitcher in baseball in the past year. But the Miz's ascent to superstardom was far from a guarantee, and his road to becoming MLB's most electric hurler was anything but linear. (Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports) Mintz: Which player will the White Sox take with the No. 1 overall pick? The White Sox are on the clock with the first pick in Saturday's MLB Draft, and there are effectively three options for whom they'll select: UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech C Vahn Lackey and a high school SS from Texas named Grady Emerson. Let's run through this talented trio, highlight what makes each special and handicap their chances to be the first name called this weekend. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, JULY 9 (Yahoo Sports) ⚽️ World Cup, Quarterfinals The first semifinal spot will be booked today in Foxborough (4pm ET, Fox), where France and Morocco meet in a rematch of the semifinals from four years ago in Qatar. 20-20 vision? Kylian Mbappé has scored a stunning 19 goals in 19 career World Cup appearances, including seven this year alone. Will he make it an even 20 in 20 today? 🎾 Wimbledon, Semifinals The women take center stage — and Centre Court — today as the semifinals get underway at the All England Club. First up is No. 7 Coco Gauff vs. No. 10 Karolína Muchová (8:30am, ESPN), followed by No. 9 Linda Nosková vs. No. 12 Marta Kostyuk. Debutants: This is the first Wimbledon in the Open Era (since 1968) to feature four first-time Wimbledon semifinalists in the women's draw. ⛳️ Evian Championship The fourth LPGA major of the season is underway (6am, Golf) in Évian-les-Bains, France, where 132 women are competing for a $9.1 million purse. Flashback: Last year's tournament had as thrilling a conclusion as you could imagine, as Grace Kim forced a playoff with an eagle at the last, extended the playoff with a chip-in birdie — a shot so epic it was commemorated with a plaque — and won her first major with another eagle on the second playoff hole. More to watch: 🏀 NBA Summer League: Wizards vs. Jazz (9pm, ESPN) … Las Vegas Summer League action tips off with Washington's AJ Dybantsa and Utah's Darryn Peterson meeting in a matchup of the top two picks in last month's draft. ⛳️ PGA: Scottish Open (3:15am, ESPN+; 11am, Golf) … Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and defending champion Chris Gotterup headline the field at The Renaissance Club. 🏀 WNBA: Storm at Dream (8pm, Prime); Fever at Mercury (10pm, Prime) … Atlanta (12-9) could use a win in this get-right game against Seattle (6-17) after dropping five straight. 🚴 Tour de France: Stage 6 (6:25am, Peacock) … Riders will travel 116 miles through the Pyrenees from Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. ⚾ NO-NO'S MLB TRIVIA (Nic Antaya/Getty Images) Justin Verlander — who announced Wednesday that he'll be retiring at the end of the season — has thrown three career no-hitters, a total surpassed by just two other pitchers in MLB history. Question: Can you name them? Hint: A lefty and a righty. Answer at the bottom. ⚽️ WHO YA GOT? WORLD CUP: MAKE YOUR PICKS! The quarterfinals in the world's biggest soccer tournament begin today! Pick your winners for each game in 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em from Yahoo Sports and FOX One. How to play: Make picks each round, earn points for correct predictions and climb the leaderboard. You can play solo against the field, create a private group with friends to compete for bragging rights, or join a public group to play with other fans. Trivia answer: Nolan Ryan (7 no-hitters) and Sandy Koufax (4) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted Sunday at 08:27 PM Author Members Posted Sunday at 08:27 PM 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Mbappé strikes again, Wimbledon's all-Czech final, Pogačar's historic climb, Yahoo College Fantasy Football is here, why there are so few Messi's in Argentina, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Kawhi trade not yet completed: The Raptors' trade for Kawhi Leonard has still not been finalized, as it cannot be completed until the NBA's lengthy investigation into the Clippers ends. For the last 10 months, the league has been looking into accusations that the Clippers funneled money to Leonard as a way to circumvent the salary cap. ⚾️ Derby's almost full: Phillies 1B Bryce Harper and Cardinals RF Jordan Walker have joined the field for Monday's Home Run Derby, which has just two spots left. Harper has a chance to win the Derby at his home park for the second time, first doing so with the Nationals in 2018. 🏒 Carlsson's historic payday: The Ducks matched Leo Carlsson's five-year, $90 million offer sheet from the Flyers, making the 21-year-old center the highest-paid player in NHL history by AAV ($18M). For reference, that figure would rank as the 190th-highest AAV in NBA history. 🏀 UCLA lands top prospect: Serbian phenom Nikola Kusturica has agreed to a multiyear NIL deal worth upwards of $12 million to play at UCLA beginning this fall. The 17-year-old, still two years away from being eligible for the NBA, is considered an early contender to go No. 1 in the 2028 draft. 🏈 No. 44 forever: It took far longer than anyone expected, but the Commanders are finally retiring John Riggins' No. 44 jersey. The franchise's all-time leading rusher likely would have received this honor long ago if he hadn't called out former owner Daniel Snyder for being a "bad guy" with a "dark heart," but Snyder's exit opened the door for them to change tack. ⚽️ WORLD CUP LIBERTÉ, ÉGALITÉ, MBAPPÉ (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images) At every turn in this World Cup, the game's best players have seized the moment and delivered performances worthy of the colossal stage. On Thursday, Kylian Mbappé took his turn yet again, bringing France within arm's reach of the summit once more. France 2, Morocco 0: The tournament's presumptive favorites lived up to the billing in Foxborough, outshooting Morocco 22 to 5 en route to a comfortable 2-0 quarterfinal victory. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou's performance, which included a denial of Mbappé from the penalty spot, kept the game knotted for an hour, but that immovable object was no match for the unstoppable force that is Les Bleus. As with Lionel Messi before him, Mbappé's first-half missed penalty did little to shake his confidence, serving only as a warm-up for the more difficult act that followed; namely, his sublime strike through traffic that broke the deadlock in the 60th minute and gave him eight goals this tournament, vaulting him past Messi for the Golden Boot lead. Six minutes later, reigning Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé iced the game with an incisive run and a deft finish for his fifth goal of the tournament, assisted by none other than Mbappé. In any other World Cup, his tally would be among the best. In this one, it's an afterthought on his own team. Seriously, how stacked are France?! They don't call it the beautiful game for nothing. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images) The heir apparent: Though perhaps overshadowed by Messi's miracle-laden farewell tour, Mbappé's form is as prolific as this competition has ever seen. And while he's just 27, giving us eons yet to watch his greatness, let this be a warning: If you've ever lamented not knowing you're in the good old days until you've left them, we're there right now, and they're as good as it gets. Consider that Mbappé's second-half goal brought his career World Cup tally to an astonishing 20 goals in 20 matches. That would be remarkable against any foe, but to score with such consistency in the notoriously cagey environment of the World Cup is unfathomable. He may sit a goal behind Messi on the all-time chart now, but it's clear that — however this tournament ends — the Frenchman will one day stand alone at the top. And it's more than just volume, too, as 17 of his 20 goals have come in the second half, which is as remarkable as it is statistically improbable. With nine World Cup match winners (a record), Mbappé hasn’t padded stats in garbage time; he's pulled his nation by the scruff of its neck toward World Cup glory. Looking ahead: Mbappé and France are one win away from their third consecutive World Cup Final. Only Germany and Brazil have ever accomplished that feat, but Mbappé has never hesitated to lay siege to the history books. 🌎 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images) 🏴 London, England — No. 10 Karolína Muchová outlasted No. 7 Coco Gauff in a thrilling three-setter on Thursday, winning a tense tiebreak to advance to her first Wimbledon final. For Gauff, the defeat was just her third three-set loss in a Grand Slam since the 2023 U.S. Open (17-3). All-Czech final: No. 9 Linda Nosková cruised past No. 12 Marta Kostyuk in the other semifinal, ensuring a Czech woman comes out on top at the All England Club for the third time in four years (Markéta Vondroušová in 2023, Barbora Krejčíková in 2024). (Tim de Waele/Getty Images) 🇫🇷 Gavarnie-Gèdre, France — Well, that didn't take long. Four-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar turned an eight-minute deficit into a nearly three-minute lead with Thursday's historic and dominant ascent in the Pyrenees, climbing the iconic Col du Tourmalet in a record-smashing 42 minutes, 12 seconds to win Stage 6 and reclaim the yellow jersey. Moving on up: This was Pogačar’s 23rd career stage win at the Tour de France, moving the Slovenian into fifth on the all-time list. Only Great Britain's Mark Cavendish (35), Belgium's Eddy Merckx (34), France's Bernard Hinault (28) and France's André Leducq (25) have more. (Ryan Stetz/NBAE via Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada — AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson's first matchup since going 1-2 in the NBA Draft did not disappoint, as Dybantsa (27-7-2) and the Wizards outdueled Peterson (24-3-3) and the Jazz on Thursday's opening night of Las Vegas Summer League. Highlight of the night: Dybantsa laid down the hammer on Utah's Justin Harmon for his first poster as a professional. Rory tees off on the 12th hole. (Luke Walker/Getty Images) 🏴 North Berwick, Scotland — The Scottish Open was crowded at the top after Thursday's opening round, with 71 golfers finishing under par including a five-way tie for the lead at 5-under. One of those co-leaders? Rory McIlroy, who's made a habit of dominating here. 13 straight: McIlroy has now carded 13 consecutive rounds in the 60s at this tournament, which he won in 2023, finished T4 in 2024 and finished T2 last year. Those scores, in order from most to least recent: 65, 68, 66, 65, 68, 68, 67, 66, 65, 68, 67, 66, 64. Not bad! 🏈 BACK TO SCHOOL COLLEGE FANTASY FOOTBALL IS HERE! College football is more than just a version of the pro game. It has its own distinct style and culture — and its own massive following on Saturdays. Now, it's getting its own distinct Yahoo Fantasy sports experience. That's right: College Fantasy Football is now on Yahoo. The traditional fantasy football you know and love, designed for the college game. How it works: Like traditional fantasy football, Yahoo College Fantasy Football is a season-long game with head-to-head weekly matchups. Drafts, trades and waiver pickups work the same way, and the scoring system is similar. Player pool: Draftable players include those from all 68 teams in the Power 4 (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC), plus Notre Dame. New position added: In addition to drafting individual players and a defense, there's also now a roster spot for "Team Offense," rewarding team-level aggregate scoring. Expanded rosters: Whereas traditional fantasy football rosters have just 15 spots, the college game has 18. This reflects a sport that has more stars than ever thanks to the transfer portal creating new opportunities for playing time, NIL keeping talented upperclassmen in school and freshmen becoming increasingly game-ready. Prepare for Draft Day: Drafts open on Aug. 3, and scoring starts a month later when Week 1 kicks off on Sept. 3. Here are our Top 300 player rankings to help you prepare for your draft. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Yahoo Sports) ⚽️ World Cup, Quarterfinals Who will join France in the semifinals? Spain and Belgium take the field today in Los Angeles (3pm ET, Fox), followed by tomorrow's doubleheader of Norway vs. England in Miami (5pm, Fox) and Argentina vs. Switzerland in Kansas City (9pm, Fox). Who should you root for? Morocco is off the table, but for Americans searching for a rooting interest there are seven worthy bandwagons to jump on. There's Norway, if you're catching Haaland fever; or England, if you're ready for "it" to finally come home. And of course there's the simple duality of whether you love Lionel Messi (Argentina), or have gotten tired of his non-stop success (Switzerland). 🎾 Wimbledon Championships The men's semifinals begin soon, with No. 2 Alexander Zverev and local wildcard Arthur Fery taking the court first (8:30am, ESPN), followed by top-ranked Jannik Sinner vs. Novak Djokovic. Tomorrow (11am, ESPN) is the women's final — an all-Czech affair between No. 9 Linda Nosková and No. 10 Karolína Muchová — followed by the men's final on Sunday (11am, ESPN). Chasing 25: Djokovic is yet again just two wins away from his record-breaking 25th Grand Slam, which has eluded him since winning No. 24 three years ago despite this being his eighth major semifinal in that time. One problem? Five of those eight have come against Sinner, who's 5-1 against him in their last six meetings. ⛳️ Evian Championship The season's fourth LPGA major continues this weekend (Fri-Sun, Golf) at France's Evian Resort Golf Club, where Japan's Aki Iwai shot a scorching 8-under 63 on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead over the field. Korda struggles mightily: World No. 1 Nelly Korda, seeking the Career Grand Slam and a spot in the Hall of Fame, got off to a disastrous start with a 3-over 74, 11 shots off the lead and in danger of missing the cut. ⚾️ MLB, First-Half Finale This weekend marks the last set of games before the All-Star break, and you could do much worse than closing out the first half on Sunday with one of the best pitching matchups imaginable, as Paul Skenes' Pirates host Jacob Misiorowski's Brewers in Pittsburgh (12:15pm, Peacock). Plus… The MLB Draft is this weekend in Philadelphia, with Rounds 1-4 on Saturday (1pm NBC/Peacock/MLB) and Rounds 5-20 on Sunday (11:30am, MLB.com). To prepare for the proceedings, dive into our in-depth analysis of the Top 50 prospects, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman. 👊 UFC 329 Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon for the first time in five years on Saturday night in Las Vegas (9pm, Paramount+), where his welterweight bout against Max Holloway headlines a card that also includes fan favorite Paddy Pimblett and Olympic wrestling gold medalist Gable Steveson. Pre-fight reading: Conor McGregor isn't just fighting Max Holloway at UFC 329. He's fighting history (Ben Fowlkes, Uncrowned) More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Wings at Tempo (Fri. 7:30pm, ION); Liberty at Lynx (Sat. 1pm, ABC); Mercury at Aces (Sat. 6pm, NBCSN/Peacock); Sky at Wings (Sun. 7pm, ESPN) ⛳️ PGA: Scottish Open (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS) … Play continues at The Renaissance Club, where Rory McIlroy (-5) was among the five players tied for the first-round lead. ⚽️ NWSL: Orlando vs. Kansas City (Fri. 8pm, Prime); San Diego vs. Angel City (Sat. 8:45pm, ION); Seattle vs. Portland (Sun. 4pm, ESPN) … San Diego (9-4-1) and Portland (8-3-3) sit atop the standings. 🚴 Tour de France: Stages 7-9 (Fri-Sun, Peacock) … Riders will complete two more flat stages and a hilly stage before getting their first rest day on Monday. Plus: 🏀 NBA Summer League (Fri-Sun, ESPN/Prime); 🏁 NASCAR at EchoPark Speedway (Sun. 7pm, TNT); 🥍 PLL Week 8 in Chicago (Fri-Sat, ESPN+/ESPN2); 🏈 IFL Week 18 (Sat-Sun, Yahoo Sports); 🏀 BIG3 Week 4 in Los Angeles (Sat. 4pm, CBS) Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🎾 WIMBLEDON TENNIS TRIVIA Djoker takes on Jannik Sinner in the semifinals today. (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) Novak Djokovic's seven Wimbledon singles titles are tied for second among men in the Open Era, trailing only Roger Federer's eight. Question: Who is he tied with? Hint: His last win came in 2000. Answer at the bottom. 🇦🇷 NAMESAKE WHY THERE ARE SO FEW MESSI'S IN ARGENTINA A mural of Messi adorns a wall in his hometown of Rosario. (Marcelo Manera/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) There are more than 100,000 people from Argentina whose first name is Lionel, for obvious reasons. But just 11 are named Messi thanks to an obscure 1969 statute prohibiting the use of surnames as first names. Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports: While Argentine supporters have painted towering murals of Messi, written songs in his honor and tattooed his face, jersey and autograph on their bodies, there's one form of tribute that remains largely forbidden across the country. Argentine law still prohibits expecting parents from turning Messi's well-known surname into a first name. As of June 2025, there were just 11 Argentine citizens or legal foreign residents whose first name was Messi, all 19 years old or younger, according to the country's national registry of persons. That's far less than the 205 American citizens with the first name Messi. Or the roughly 265 people in France. Or the 363 Brazilians. Or the staggering 3,402 residents of Peru. Trivia answer: Pete Sampras Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted 1 hour ago Author Members Posted 1 hour ago America's soccer spectacle Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Skeptics spent months bracing for the World Cup to clash with a polarized, priced-out American public. The tournament answered with the largest U.S. viewing audiences in soccer history and diverse scenes of humanity finding harmony, Axios' Herb Scribner and Zachary Basu write. Ratings, attendance and buzz remain through the roof, even with all three host nations (USA, Canada, Mexico) knocked out. USA–Belgium's round of 16 face-off drew a final combined audience of 50.1 million viewers on Fox and Telemundo — the largest soccer audience ever recorded in the U.S. 46.7 million U.S. viewers watched England's Three Lions escape Mexico 3–2. 🧮 Stunning stat: Together, Fox says these were the most-watched non-NFL sports events in the U.S. since the 1994 Winter Olympics. Telemundo says that with Peacock's streaming viewers included, Mexico vs. England's total audience of 23.2 million made it the most-watched soccer match in Spanish-language media history. USA vs. Belgium last Monday drew 12.9 million making it the most-watched Spanish-language U.S. match. ⚽ The gameplay has lived up to the hype, offering nail-biters and nonstop theater. Things got Messi (pun intended) for defending champ Argentina, who scored a stunning comeback in the final moments against Egypt that drove the highest Google search traffic ever recorded. 🥅 France's Kylian Mbappé and Argentina's Lionel Messi are tied atop the Golden Boot race, awarded to the top scorer, with England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham within striking distance. Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates after a victory in Atlanta on Tuesday. Photo: Elsa/Getty Images 🤝 In host cities, the World Cup has turned into a festive cultural exchange and a moment of unity for a polarized U.S. public. Viral scenes of fans marveling at America's tailgates, ballparks, all-night diners and general abundance sparked an unlikely — and often humorous — moment of national pride. FIFA says 6,259,584 fans attended matches through the round of 16, filling 99.7% of seats with an average crowd of 65,204. 🥊 We may be successful hosts, but the U.S. national team's run ended in embarrassment. The loss was made even tougher by the Folarin Balogun red-card saga, after President Trump asked FIFA to review Balogun's suspension and FIFA cleared him to play. 👀 But the real test of America's soccer mania will come after the final whistle blows. Historically, U.S. interest in soccer has spiked hard during World Cups and faded quickly once the tournament ends. ⏳ In soccer historian Stephen Brandt's words, "It's fun while it lasts." But streaming's big names are betting this time is different, weighing bids up to $2 billion for combined English- and Spanish-language U.S. rights to the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
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