Can the Spurs send the series back to Madison Square Garden? Or will the Knicks celebrate their first title in 53 years?

United States' Folarin Balogun (20) and Paraguay' Gustavo Gomez (15) vie for the ball during the FIFA World Cup Group D soccer match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Friday, June 12, 2026. Ringo ChiuAssociated PressWhen Folarin Balogun decided in 2023 to switch allegiances from England, where he grew up competing for youth teams on the international level, to the United States, it was for this very reason: a chance to stand out for the home team at the most-watched sporting event on the planet.After scoring a pair of goalsa one-timer off a beautiful Christian Pulisic pass, and a stunning 62 mph left-footed fastball from eight feet out, drilled into the top corner of the netin the first half of Team USAs rousing 4-1 win over Paraguay in its World Cup opener on Friday night, the 24-year-old striker was the toast of the 70,492 charged fans in Los Angeles Stadium, as well as millions of Americans who combusted in their homes and at watch parties in Minneapolis;Columbus, Ohio; and elsewhere across the country.Read more: 'I Plan on Scoring Goals.' How Christian Pulisic Is Facing the World Cup PressureBaloguns second goal put the U.S. up 3-0 before the break. It was a real statement, says Balogun. Its a dream. Its a dreamy night.Forgive American soccer nuts for dreaming pretty big themselves. The U.S. men have never before scored four goals in a World Cup game. Before Baloguns brace on Friday, the last American man to score more than one goal in a World Cup game was Bert Patenaude, who had a hat trick, against Paraguay, in 1930 (the Americans reached their only World Cup semifinal that year). And Paraguay is no pushover.La Albirroja beat both Argentina and Brazil in World Cup qualifying.George Lucas, Tom Cruise, Hilary Duff, David Beckham, Katy Perry, and Jamie Foxx were among the celebrities in the stands Friday. Since the last U.S. World Cup, in 1994, soccer has grown into a mainstream spectator sport: This was the largest crowd to watch the U.S. mens team play since 94. Why shouldn't the sports ascendance spark a memorable moment? Americas 250th birthday, the USMNT clicking: Its shaping up to be a fun summer.When we walked out and heard the national anthem, seeing the crowd and people singing along, I got goosebumps, says American midfielderWeston McKennie. The accumulation of all the work that your team puts in, and all the guys, all the paths that they took to be here in this moment together, I think that was the turning point for us.The team looked inspired, and cohesive, from the start. The opening salvo, a Paraguay own-goal that resulted from the fancy attacking footwork of the teams two brightest international lights, Pulisic, of AC Milan, and McKennie, of Juventus, happened within the first seven minutes of the game. American players came out with flair, an approach they need to continue in their second game against Australia in Seattle on June 19. Pulisic split a double team. Malik Tillman tried a back-heel pass, because why not? Former U.S. standout Alexi Lalas, often a tough critic of the mens team, on Fox Sports called the first 45 minutes plus stoppage time the greatest half of group play from a mens team at a World Cup in history.There's a lot of people here that maybe have never come out to support us, says McKennie. But hopefully today, with this performance, they can connect with us. We want to be relatable. They can see the joy that we have when we play.The game wasnt all roses. Before the World Cup, Pulisic grew frustrated with all the talk about his goal-scoring slump, for both club and country. Such bad questions, Pulisic told TIME in an April interview about this drought. I'm not concerned about it, man. Pulisic did score a goal in a World Cup tune-up game against Senegal in late May, but more importantly, on Friday night, showed how he can shape a game with his playmaking. Pulisic came out blazing, but got kicked in the calf and sat out the second half. When he finished the first half, he could not walk, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said afterward. Were hopeful the next game hell be available.That potential setback shouldnt overshadow the teams accomplishment, or its promise. Defender Chris Richards, the reigning U.S. Soccer mens player of the year, returned to action from a May ankle injury: All he did was complete all 83 of his passes, the most passes with 100% accuracy by any player in a World Cup match since 1966, according to ESPN Insights. Remember Gio Reyna, whose alleged lack of effort nearly got him sent home by former coach Gregg Berhalter at the last World Cup, and led to a stunning public feud between the Reyna and Berhalter families? Reyna, a reserve on Friday, chipped a shot into the net right before the final whistle, making his case for a super sub role. He deserves it, says Pulisic, of Reynas goal. We see stuff from him like that every day." Reyna announced after the game that he and his wife were expecting their first child.Meanwhile, Baloguns effort has fans praising birthright citizenship. His mother, seven months pregnant with him, was deemed unfit to fly back to London from a family visit in New York City. So she gave birth in Brooklyn before the family returned to England.After one nights work in Southern California, hes already tied for fifth for most career World Cup goals in USMNT history.Why not us? says Balogun.

Follow all the action from Saturday's World Cup action, with features, news, video analysis and color from around the competition.

The British No1 was facing Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova in the last eight of the WTA 500 event at the west London club when the annual military spectacle interrupted them

Lewis Hamilton has called on England fans not to sing the Three Lions' famous song "It's Coming Home" too early.The F1 star, who refused to declare his loyalties to England before the World Cup, was asked about his predictions for the tournament.Hamilton said: "I don't have a prediction. I don't follow it that much, that closely to be honest. I will tune in every now and then. "I will always keep a close eye on what England is doing. I just hope they don't sing 'It's Coming Home' too early, because that's what we normally do.TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour Say"Sing it once we've got it, not before. It's a great song, but I'm looking forward to seeing the guys in yellow in Brazil. I love watching Brazil."Hamilton has spoken openly about his love for Brazil, which extends far beyond football, rooted deeply in his admiration for the legendary racing driver Ayrton Senna.The three-time world champion, who tragically lost his life in a crash in 1994, served as Hamilton's childhood hero."I just appreciate where they come from. Many of the players come from the streets where they play with no shoes, and there's something quite special about Brazilian culture," Hamilton remarked.LATEST SPORTS NEWSWorld Cup 2026 day three: US thump Paraguay while Canada draw, Scotland in action laterEngland World Cup chaos as balls and training kit stolen days before Croatia clash'The worst streaker in history of sport' gets taken out by security second after stepping on pitchThe British driver paid homage to Senna by waving the Brazilian flag following his victory at Interlagos in 2021, and received a race-worn helmet from the Senna family in 2017.Hamilton was bestowed with honorary Brazilian citizenship in 2022, having previously expressed his deep connection to the nation's people and energy.He also counts Brazilian football icon Neymar among his friends.Should Hamilton's two favoured nations meet during the tournament, the Ferrari star will at least have cause for celebration regardless of the outcome.His success with Ferrari has been improving as of late, achieving back-to-back P2 finishes, falling just behind youngster Kimi Antonelli.Hamilton remains upbeat with his current form, saying: "My goal coming to the team was to come in and observe, see if I can bring 20 years of experience, seven championships that I've won and experience and input that into an already great organisation and help them level up and that's what I'm trying to do."So, I'm leaving no stone unturned. I told you last year how much work I was doing in the background to try and help the team navigate and improve, and I'm finally starting to see the fruits of that."I think I went from a season in a car that I inherited that I had nothing to, no input to, to a car that I had input to."Hamilton continued: "When you're in a scenario where you know what's needed to improve and you shout it from the top of the mountain, and it doesn't get done necessarily because it can't be done immediately or it takes months to develop it's like banging your head against the wall."So it's nice to be in a period wherefor example, last year, one of the things I was like: 'Where is our innovation?'"Ferrari should be the innovators; they should be the ones that all the teams are trying to copy."This year, you see us arrive with innovative things that other people have followed, and there is a lot more innovation coming, which is really exciting."Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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Hakan Calhanoglu said he expects Turkey to dominate the group match because his team are more talented.