Alexi Lalas doesn't want to hear U.S. players citing pressure ahead of playing in a World Cup at home and says Christian Pulisic, the top American, is never going to be the leader.Cry me a river, OK, when it comes to the pressure. Bunch of whiners, that theyre whining about the pressure, Lalas said Thursday at a Fox event to promote its World Cup coverage.Lalas, 55, played for the U.S. when it hosted the 1994 World Cup and has been Fox's top soccer analyst since late 2014.American players, hoping to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, haven't complained about pressure but have said it exists.Theres pressure, I feel it. Yes, its there, but its nothing that I cant handle, Pulisic said in March. Im going to, yeah, attack it head on. We are as a team. I dont need to do it by myself.Allow me to grumpy old man a little bit here, Lalas said. This is a generation that has been given absolutely everything both on and off the field in terms of resources, in terms of opportunities, in terms of pathways. And I dont think that Im being unrealistic. I dont think Im being unfair by saying that we should expect more from this group. We should expect this team to win this group.Lalas expects a turnaround from Pulisic, who hasn't scored in 18 Serie A matches for AC Milan since Dec. 28 and a career-worst eight straight U.S. games since November 2024. Lalas said Pulisic, a 27-year-old with 32 international goals, is well on his way to becoming the best male American soccer player in history.Hes a fascinating player in terms of his talent. Hes a frustrating player in terms of his personality, Lalas said. Hes going through a period right now from a football perspective where its not going well and so this is going to test my form-is-fallacy theory. I have to believe that when that door closes behind him and he's on that plane, that he will feel a sense of relief and I think you will a sense a comfort coming to a team and, obviously, a country, that wants him to do well, that believes that he can do well.Hes never going to be the leader that people want him to be, Lalas added, and thats OK because I think theres others that can do that, but he needs to be the star that this team needs.Lalas said the U.S. should win in the new round of 32 and reach the round of 16, where the Americans were knocked out in 2010, 2014 and 2018. With home-field advantage, Lalas said the team could then hope to advance to kind of rarefied air.Whether youre a Christian Pulisic or whether you are a Weston McKinnie or whether your are a Diego Luna or an emerging player, this is the platform for your brand, Lalas said. If you star this summer, and this team does well this summer you will be remembered forever.Lalas spoke alongside fellow retired stars Stu Holden and Carli Lloyd of the U.S. and Javier Chicharito Hernndez of Mexico along with studio hosts Rob Stone and Rebecca Lowe and Fox vice president of production Zac Kenworthy. Fox's main network will televise 70 games of the expanded tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19, and 34 will be on FS1.Hernndez predicted England will win the title if not Mexico, while Holden and Lloyd said France. Stone went for Spain, Kenworthy with Portugal and Lowe went with England.Lalas said he was rooting for anybody but England, especially because it was the 250th anniversary of American independence.You think that they are insufferable now? Can you imagine if they came over and won that World Cup and its coming home through our country? he said. As much as it pains me to say, they are very, very good, and the soccer gods have a wicked sense of humor.Stone said the quarterfinals likely were a U.S. ceiling put perhaps home-crowd patriotism could lift the Americans to a semifinal.I would love a Miracle on Ice moment, he said. I think thats just too far and too soon.Retired Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovi, a Fox analyst for the first time, joined by video and chastised his colleagues for a lack of boldness in their U.S. predictions.You dont have the courage to say U.S. is going to win the World Cup, he said. I hear you: Yeah, if they win the group, if they go to the next stage, if theyre lucky. Oh, show some courage and say: Were going to win it.Mexico and Canada are co-hosts of the tournament, and Hernndez said El Tri players also face pressure.They say I think we can win a tournament, they all call us crazy, he said. But then the first game happens, and they expect you to play (as if) you are going to win the tournament.___AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Alexi Lalas doesn't want to hear U.S. players citing pressure ahead of playing in a World Cup at home and says Christian Pulisic, the top American, is never going to be the leader.Cry me a river, OK, when it comes to the pressure. Bunch of whiners, that theyre whining about the pressure, Lalas said Thursday at a Fox event to promote its World Cup coverage.Lalas, 55, played for the U.S. when it hosted the 1994 World Cup and has been Fox's top soccer analyst since late 2014.American players, hoping to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, haven't complained about pressure but have said it exists.Theres pressure, I feel it. Yes, its there, but its nothing that I cant handle, Pulisic said in March. Im going to, yeah, attack it head on. We are as a team. I dont need to do it by myself.Allow me to grumpy old man a little bit here, Lalas said. This is a generation that has been given absolutely everything both on and off the field in terms of resources, in terms of opportunities, in terms of pathways. And I dont think that Im being unrealistic. I dont think Im being unfair by saying that we should expect more from this group. We should expect this team to win this group.Lalas expects a turnaround from Pulisic, who hasn't scored in 18 Serie A matches for AC Milan since Dec. 28 and a career-worst eight straight U.S. games since November 2024. Lalas said Pulisic, a 27-year-old with 32 international goals, is well on his way to becoming the best male American soccer player in history.Hes a fascinating player in terms of his talent. Hes a frustrating player in terms of his personality, Lalas said. Hes going through a period right now from a football perspective where its not going well and so this is going to test my form-is-fallacy theory. I have to believe that when that door closes behind him and he's on that plane, that he will feel a sense of relief and I think you will a sense a comfort coming to a team and, obviously, a country, that wants him to do well, that believes that he can do well.Hes never going to be the leader that people want him to be, Lalas added, and thats OK because I think theres others that can do that, but he needs to be the star that this team needs.Lalas said the U.S. should win in the new round of 32 and reach the round of 16, where the Americans were knocked out in 2010, 2014 and 2018. With home-field advantage, Lalas said the team could then hope to advance to kind of rarefied air.Whether youre a Christian Pulisic or whether you are a Weston McKinnie or whether your are a Diego Luna or an emerging player, this is the platform for your brand, Lalas said. If you star this summer, and this team does well this summer you will be remembered forever.Lalas spoke alongside fellow retired stars Stu Holden and Carli Lloyd of the U.S. and Javier Chicharito Hernndez of Mexico along with studio hosts Rob Stone and Rebecca Lowe and Fox vice president of production Zac Kenworthy. Fox's main network will televise 70 games of the expanded tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19, and 34 will be on FS1.Hernndez predicted England will win the title if not Mexico, while Holden and Lloyd said France. Stone went for Spain, Kenworthy with Portugal and Lowe went with England.Lalas said he was rooting for anybody but England, especially because it was the 250th anniversary of American independence.You think that they are insufferable now? Can you imagine if they came over and won that World Cup and its coming home through our country? he said. As much as it pains me to say, they are very, very good, and the soccer gods have a wicked sense of humor.Stone said the quarterfinals likely were a U.S. ceiling put perhaps home-crowd patriotism could lift the Americans to a semifinal.I would love a Miracle on Ice moment, he said. I think thats just too far and too soon.Retired Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovi, a Fox analyst for the first time, joined by video and chastised his colleagues for a lack of boldness in their U.S. predictions.You dont have the courage to say U.S. is going to win the World Cup, he said. I hear you: Yeah, if they win the group, if they go to the next stage, if theyre lucky. Oh, show some courage and say: Were going to win it.Mexico and Canada are co-hosts of the tournament, and Hernndez said El Tri players also face pressure.They say I think we can win a tournament, they all call us crazy, he said. But then the first game happens, and they expect you to play (as if) you are going to win the tournament.___AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Two years ago Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were England's future. Now, they cannot even get into the squad amid fierce rivalry for the number 10 role.

Rot-Weiss Essen spielt in der Relegation gegen Greuther Frth. Trainer Uwe Koschinat hat es geschafft, den Klub umzukrempeln.[mehr]

SOUTH JORDAN, UT. - The Salt Lake Bees, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Angels, had the opportunity to partner with the Miracle League of Salt L... - PCL Salt Lake Bees

Alors qu'il est rgulirement tanc Madrid pour son manque d'implication dfensive, verra-t-on une version diffrente de Kylian Mbapp avec les Bleus lors de cette Coupe du monde 2026 ? Daniel Riolo veut penser que le capitaine des Bleus aura coeur de montrer un visage diffrent. Quitte forcer sa nature.

Barcelona winger Raphinha has opened up about his 2022 departure from Leeds United, revealing he turned down lucrative offers from London's premier clubs widely understood to be Chelsea and Arsenal to secure a move to the Camp Nou. In a new interview, the Brazil international labeled his choice as the greatest decision of his professional career. Snubbing London's heavyweights Raphinha has confirmed that his path to the Spotify Camp Nou was not without its hurdles, revealing that multiple London-based clubs were desperate to keep him in the Premier League. During the summer of 2022, the former Leeds talisman was at the center of a high-profile transfer tug-of-war involving some of the biggest names in English football. Speaking to TNT Sports Brasil, the 27-year-old reflected on the intense speculation that surrounded his future before he ultimately chose to join the Catalan giants. "I had offers from a Blue team and also a Red team from London, but the best decision of my career was signing for Barcelona," Raphinha revealed, likely alluding to interest from Chelsea and Arsenal. Decision Paid Off While the financial lures of the Premier League elite were significant, Raphinhas heart was set on following in the footsteps of legendary Brazilians like Ronaldinho and Neymar at Bara. Since making the switch, the winger has justified his decision by becoming a central figure in the squad, contributing to a period of sustained domestic success. The forward has navigated various challenges in Catalunya, including heavy competition for places and constant transfer rumors. However, he remains fully committed to the club. Admiring A Modern-Day Genius Beyond his past transfer dealings, the Barcelona star was asked to name the one modern player he holds the highest desire to share a pitch with, and named Bayern Munich's talismanic striker Harry Kane. Raphinha did not hold back in his admiration for the England captain, saying: "Yes, he has an excellent sense of positioning; he plays well and scores goals. I put him in the category of very great players. Hes close to genius, but geniuses are very rare at that level." Busy Summer Ahead For Bara Raphinha may well be welcoming a number of new faces to Camp Nou this summer. Barcelona have been linked with numerous forwards in what sporting director Deco has described as an "almost impossible task" to replace Robert Lewandowski, who is set to depart the Catalan club upon the expiration of his contract. Reportedly leading the shortlist to succeed the Polish striker at the Camp Nou are Chelsea forward Joo Pedro and Atltico Madrids Julin lvarez. 2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19). The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as well as the USA's opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).

Dwyane Wades Wife Gabrielle Union Celebrates The Abbey at 35 Years