Le slectionneur de l'quipe d'Angleterre tait trs chafouin contre le protocole d'avant-match.

Canada has won its first match at a World Cup, and it was chaotic. Six goals were scored, two players were red carded, and one player stretchered off.

World Cup hero Vozinha stunned Spain and captured global attention, but his Rs 40 lakh market value sparked a heated debate in India. Why are several Indian players valued at two or three times more? Former internationals Robin Singh and Mehtab Hossain explain the economics, inflation and hidden forces shaping Indian football.

When the United States men's national team defeated Paraguay 4-1 in its World Cup opener, it was the teams best performance since its 5-1 win over Uruguay in November. When only looking at competitive games, one would have to go back years to find a performance as strong. The puzzling aspect of the U.S. team is that it looked far from ready to compete in March, when it played poorly in losses to Belgium and Portugal. So, what changed? Why was the team able to play much better soccer now than in March? What has Mauricio Pochettino done differently? Well, for starters, we cant get too far ahead of ourselves as it was just one very good game, specifically one half, into this tournament. In the World Cup, just because a team starts off well doesnt guarantee anything. Just ask Saudi Arabia in 2022 after its win over Argentina in its first game. That being said, there is a lot of excitement, optimism and energy surrounding the U.S. team right now, and that is a good thing. And here is specifically where the team appears to be much better than three months ago. 1. Tyler Adams Is Back There is a very good argument that Tyler Adams is the most essential player to the U.S. teams success. He has no proven backup, and if he is not on the field, the U.S. team must change its entire tactical approach. Adams was not on the March roster due to injury and was immediately noticeable. What Adams does is shield the backline, cover tons of ground defensively and doesnt make many mistakes with the ball. His passing is typically not very ambitious, but he does provide the players in front of him with a lot of comfort. Throughout his career, Adams has dealt with injuries, but he has a good habit of getting healthy at the right time. He was injured for the March friendlies, but he finished the season very strongly at AFC Bournemouth, helping the team to its first qualification for a European tournament. And he arrived at the World Cup camp in great form. Against Paraguay, Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic earned much of the attention, but Adams played a big part in why Paraguay struggled to get the ball into the final third. The statistics back it up. Adams won seven of 10 ground duels, had two interceptions, added four clearances and drew three fouls. Adams had 80 touches and made few mistakes. One of the mistakes he made was picking up a yellow card, and Pochettino must manage that. The likely scenario is that Adams starts against Australia and if the U.S. secures at least a point and Adams does pick up another card, Adams is rested against Trkiye to avoid a situation where he would be suspended for the first knockout game. Under the current World Cup rules, card accumulations are wiped clean after the group stage, but suspensions carry over. But this World Cup is yet another indication of how important Adams is to the USMNT. Unfortunately, the team is likely to miss him in an upcoming game. 2. Tim Ream's And Chris Richards' Passing The passing out of the backline was critical in breaking down Paraguays midfield. Chris Richards was 83/83 in his passing, while Tim Ream was more effective in his passing from distance. The 38-year-old captain has 102 touches and many of the teams dangerous possessions began with him. Ream and Richards have been playing together as a central defense pairing whenever healthy since Pochettino was hired. At the 2025 Gold Cup, the pairing was established, but current tactics we see at the World Cup were introduced in the fall. Now 38, Ream can get exposed when he must cover a lot of space as he has lost a step. But the team plays differently with the ball than it does without the ball. In possession, the U.S. team has a three-man backline with wing backs pushed way up the field to almost make it a 3-2-5 formation, and this gives a player like Ream targets up the field. But without the ball, the U.S. team shifts to a 4-2-3-1 formation that is difficult to break down and provides help for Ream on defense. The fullbacks come back, and Adams sits in front, thereby giving Ream less space to defend. These tactics take time to develop and instill chemistry, but having the team together for weeks before the World Cup opener might have been a difference maker. 3. Alex Freemans Continued Growth Exactly one year ago, Alex Freeman was less than halfway into his first season as a starter for Orlando City. Now in June 2026, Freeman is at Villarreal and is a World Cup starter. His development in 12 months has been phenomenal. At the Gold Cup in 2025, Freeman was a straight right back in a 4-3-3 formation. Now he plays the hybrid defensive position that makes everything click. In possession, he is a central defender who occasionally can move forward, which is something he does well. Then, in defense, he is a traditional right back that is effectively able to defend top wingers. Of course, Freeman has an elite level of athleticism, but his "soccer brain" is growing just as quickly. Against Paraguay, he looked fully ready to play his sophisticated role at the highest level. 4. Sergio Dest As A Winger Sergio Dest plays as a fullback for PSV Eindhoven, where he has featured on both sides of the ball. But in the Eredivisie, PSV typically has a lot more talent than most of its opponents. When preparing for the World Cup, Pochettino must consider that the U.S. team will often be going against teams that are equal or superior in talent. With that, Pochettino has moved Dest into a role where he has few defensive responsibilities and more attacking freedom. That was immediately apparent in the tune-up friendly win over Senegal. Dest is explosive with his dribble, he has a great shot, and he is effective running towards goal. At times, he can be a defensive liability. This role allows Dest to play to his strengths, and he has developed solid chemistry with Freeman behind him. 5. Weston McKennie's And Malik Tillmans Roles Typically, Malik Tillman has been seen as a playmaking No. 10 or occasionally as a winger for the U.S. team. Weston McKennie is the most versatile player on the team who has shifted around to various positions. In the tune-up friendlies and now in the first game of the World Cup, Tillman has been playing deeper than he ever has with the team (alongside or just in front of Adams), while McKennie has the advanced playmaking position where Tillman used to play. It has been a very successful tactical adjustment from Pochettino, and it gives the team a better link between offense and defense in Tillman, and it puts McKennie closer to goal where he has been better with Juventus. 6. Getting Folarin Balogun The Ball With Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright on the team, Pochettino has the best striker trio the U.S. team has ever brought to a World Cup. Pepi and Balogun both came into this World Cup on the heels of seasons where they each scored 19 goals for their clubs, with both having scored in the Champions League. Both Balogun and Pepi have different skillsets and different profiles. Pepi is smart in the box, reacts to plays very well, and offers a solid aerial threat. Balogun, meanwhile, is elite at running behind defensive lines and making runs into the box to take passes with ball at his feet. Baloguns style often depends on chemistry with his teammates, where they read his runs and know how to get him the ball in dangerous positions. That chemistry takes a while to develop and that was a major factor in why Balogun did not fully get going at Monaco until this season. With the U.S. team, that chemistry seems to only now just be coming into fruition. The two goals he scored against Paraguay came from great passes from Christian Pulisic and Tillman. It might be that only now the U.S. team is learning how to play with Balogun in the same way that it took Monaco a similar amount of time.

In 2026, Misiorowski has found his command and -- against all odds -- improved his fastball

Fever tie brutal WNBA record in nightmare loss to Dream originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.There are some records you want.The one the Indiana Fever tied during Thursday night's loss to the Atlanta Dream does not qualify as one of those.The Fever are now tied for the WNBA's record for most times in a season losing while scoring at least 100 points.On Thursday night, the loss was 108-101.It's the third time the Fever have scored at least 100 points and lost. It's taken just 15 games to get that mark.The Fever have tied a WNBA record for most losses in a season when scoring 100+ points (3).They're only 15 games into the season. pic.twitter.com/kgVKkZx7Kx The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 19, 2026The bad defense has been a narrative around the Fever all season.They've previously spoken about not being able to install varied schemes yet as players work to get up to speed.It's a bit weird, though, because very few players are different with the Fever this season from last season, and Stephanie White is still the head coach.Regardless, it's a nightmare to be dealing with this right now. The Fever are 9-6, but if they had a better defense, they'd be really rolling.The Dream shot 54% from the floor on Thursday night, along with 39% from 3-point range. It's going to be tough for Indiana to win games when they give up marks like that.They'll be hoping they don't set this record outright for a while, but at this rate, it may be soon.

A lawyer for Phil Mickelson says the six-time major winner resigned from a country club near San Diego where he was accused of inappropriate contact with a female employee.

Geelong coach Chris Scott has described the AFLs concussion return-to-play timeframe as a furphy while making clear he wants no involvement in discussions surrounding Tom Stewarts recovery from a head knock.

The World Cup was rocked by more violence on Thursday, when, minutes before Mexico's Group A clash against South Korea, chaos erupted as fans attempted to break into fan parks.

Canadas historic first World Cup victory was overshadowed by a gruesome injury to midfielder Ismal Kon.Kon injured his left leg when Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo tackled him from behind in the second half, sending the 24-year-old to the ground. Kon grimaced and players rushed to his aid, calling for help from the sidelines.Madibo was sent off for the tackle on Kon, who was protectively surrounded by his teammates while he was treated on the field before he was stretchered off. I saw his leg. I saw that something wasnt right, Canada captain Stephen Eustquio said. He was among one of the first players to reach Kon.Kon was whisked to a local hospital were he was preparing for surgery while surrounded by family, Canada coach Jesse Marsch said. He said the injury happened right in front of the bench, and you could hear the bones snap."Everybody was crushed when it happened, but we had to find a way to stay focused, we knew that Ismal wanted us to finish the job," Marsch said. "Theres a lot of thoughts that go through our heads right now, were all thinking about him, but were all very proud of what we are.Marsch added that Madibo personally apologized to Kon. Madibo's red card left Qatar to play with nine men, after teammate Homam Ahmed was sent off in the first half. Fewer than 10 minutes later, Kons replacement, Nathan Saliba, scored Canadas fourth goal in the 6-0 win and held up Kons jersey in an emotional tribute.Canada striker Jonathan David, who scored a hat trick, questioned the need for the tackle on Kon.If theres a play where you cannot win the ball, theres no point, he said. Its just to hurt people.The details of Kons injury have not yet been disclosed. His lower left leg looked visibly broken in photos after the incident.Were going to miss (Kon), Eustquio said. He has that X factor that our team really needs.__Connor Joyce and Drew Renner are students in the University of Georgias Carmical Sports Media Institute.