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After the U.S. men's national team's dominant 4-1 win over Paraguay in its opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, all eyes have shifted to its second Group D game. The U.S. will face Australia on Friday, June 19 on FOX at 3 p.m. ET (stream on FOX One). The winner of this match would officially advance to the knockout stage, and a U.S. win, combined with a Paraguay win or draw against Trkiye, would clinch the group on Friday. So, who is the referee for this critical match? German official Felix Zwayer will officiate Fridays Group D showdown. He is one of UEFAs most experienced referees and a figure who has remained under the spotlight throughout his career. Zwayer has been a FIFA-listed referee for more than a decade and is currently ranked in UEFAs elite category. He referees for SC Charlottenburg through the Berlin Football Association and has worked some of the biggest matches in international soccer. While Fridays match will be Zwayers first World Cup assignment as the lead referee, he is no stranger to major tournaments. He previously served as a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Despite his extensive resume, Zwayers career has long been linked to a match-fixing scandal that rocked German soccer in 2005. The controversy centered around referee Robert Hoyzer, who admitted to accepting bribes to manipulate matches. According to reports, Zwayer assisted Hoyzer in one match and allegedly accepted a payment of 300 euros in connection with the scandal. He received a six-month suspension. The controversy resurfaced in 2021 following a heated Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. After Dortmund suffered a controversial loss, then-Dortmund star Jude Bellingham publicly referenced Zwayers past. "You give a referee that has match-fixed before the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?" Bellingham said after the game. Now, with the entire world watching, Zwayer will be the referee on Friday in Seattle as the United States look to make history.

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LONDON (AP) Tottenham confirmed the signing of Netherlands international Jan Paul van Hecke on Thursday from Brighton for a reported fee of 52 million pounds ($68 million).The 26-year-old Van Hecke, who is playing at the World Cup, will be reunited with coach Roberto De Zerbi, having played for him at Brighton.I already have a really strong connection with the head coach, who Im looking forward to working with again, Van Hecke said in the Premier League club's announcement.Tottenham described Van Hecke as passionate and imposing." The team said he signed a long-term contract without specifying the number of seasons.He is a strong, intelligent centre back who is brave in possession and plays with personality, De Zerbi said. Those are important qualities for the way I want our team to set up.Van Hecke made his World Cup debut on Sunday in the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Japan.After narrowly avoiding relegation, Tottenham has been bolstering its defensive ranks. Spurs signed Argentina center back Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth and left-back Andy Robertson from Liverpool on free transfers.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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An Uber driver taking American fans of Argentinas soccer team to a World Cup match was among four people injured in a series of shootings in Kansas City, Missouri, that also left one man dead, police said.A 22-year-old male suspect, described as armed and dangerous, remained at large Thursday. The five shootings occurred Tuesday between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m, in a 5-mile stretch of Kansas City, three of them on Interstates 70 and 670 as they cut through downtown. All of the shootings were at least 4 miles away from Arrowhead Stadium, where Argentina won its first match against Algeria.Two Argentina fans told Argentine outlet La Nacin that someone in a car came alongside and fired two shots at the Uber they were riding in, hitting the driver in the leg. They said they first thought the sound was a car tire popping until they saw the driver had been hit.They had to go to the police station to provide statements about what happened. Officers then took them to the stadium in patrol cars, they said. The driver's injuries were not life-threatening, police Capt. Jacob Becchina said.That shooting and two others on the interstates occurred while cars were traveling east, one of them from neighboring Kansas, police said. The others occurred further east on Truman Road, a major thoroughfare through the city.Police said three adults and a minor, a teenager, were injured, and all were hospitalized, though only one adult had life-threatening injuries, Becchina said.About 6:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of a vehicle crashing into a pole along Truman Road, east of the other shootings. The driver was taken to a hospital, and workers there discovered what appeared to be a gunshot wound while treating him. He died of his injuries.Victims all indicated they were driving down the highway or roadway when one or more shots were fired into their vehicles, Becchina said in an email. Becchina said detectives believe the non-fatal shootings occurred in close succession, from west to east, connected by the one suspect. Police later tracked the suspect to a home in the suburb of Independence, about 2 miles further east of where the fatal shooting victim was found, and a standoff ensued. But when police entered the home about 8 a.m. Wednesday, the suspect was not there. Officials across the state line in Kansas City, Kansas, also have a warrant out for the suspect over a June 11 incident involving an illegal discharge of a firearm, Nancy Chartrand, the spokesperson for its police department said.

Teboho Mokoena started the game with tears in his eyes and finished it with a smile on his face after converting a second-half penalty in South Africa's 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic on Thursday at the World Cup.Thapelo Masekos long range shot late in the match caught the hand of Czech opponent Pavel Sulc in the area.Mokoena, who was shown on camera with tears rolling down his cheeks during the pre-game national anthem, stepped up to the penalty spot and sent his shot low past Czech Republic goalkeeper Matej Kovar in the 83rd minute.The South Africa midfielder said he was overwhelmed before kick off, thinking about his late grandfather.I know, wherever he is, he would be proud of me," Mokoena said. "I just felt his presence in that moment. I thought if he was here, he would be proud of me because I know he believed in me when nobody believed in me.Michal Sadilek had given the Czechs the lead in the sixth minute at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Alexandr Sojka played in Sadilek and he slid a shot past goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. Both teams lost their opening matches, and both knew another setback would seriously hinder their chances of reaching the round of 32.South Africa faced some strong criticism following its 2-0 loss to World Cup co-host Mexico, which raised the prospect of the country extending its run of never having advanced to the knockout phase of a World Cup even as host in 2010.If we go on like that and if we can make another performance like today I think we have a chance to go in the second round, South Africa coach Hugo Broos said.South Africa will next face South Korea on Wednesday in Group A, but will be without Mokoena, who is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament.The Czechs lost to South Korea 2-1 in their opening match and will likely need to beat Mexico in their final game on Wednesday to advance.___Associated Press writer R.J. Rico contributed to this report.___James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson___AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup