Shemaine Campbelle finishes unbeaten on 90 as West Indies chase down 163 to beat defending champions New Zealand by seven wickets in Southampton in their opening match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

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The United States could hardly have asked for a better start to its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. In front of a packed home crowd, following a star-studded opening ceremony and months of growing anticipation, the USMNT dismantled Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles. Yet beyond the scoreline, the performance offered something even more significant: evidence that Mauricio Pochettino’s project is beginning to take shape.

For much of the past two decades, the United States has been viewed as a team capable of reaching knockout rounds but rarely one expected to challenge football’s traditional powers. Under Pochettino, that perception may finally be changing.

A Team Playing With Purpose

The result itself was impressive, but the manner of victory stood out even more. The United States overwhelmed Paraguay during a breathtaking first half, scoring three times while dominating possession and pressing relentlessly. Their intensity, movement and attacking confidence reflected a side that knew exactly what it wanted to do.

Under previous managers, the USMNT often relied on athleticism and organisation. Under Pochettino, there appears to be a clearer footballing identity.

The Argentine has introduced a more aggressive style built around high pressing, quick transitions and proactive possession. Against Paraguay, the visitors struggled to cope with the speed and energy of the American attack.

“The players have embraced the challenge of playing on the front foot,” Pochettino said after the match. “We want to be brave, we want to attack, and we want to compete with the best teams in the world.”

Building Belief Ahead of a Home World Cup

When Mauricio Pochettino arrived as USMNT head coach in September 2024, he inherited a team that had already undergone a significant tactical evolution under Gregg Berhalter. The former manager had moved the United States away from the more reactive style seen during Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure and established a possession-oriented approach built around positional play, structured pressing and ball control.

Under Berhalter, the team increased its average possession figures considerably while also becoming more defensively secure. His tactical adjustments, including the use of a fluid 3-4-3 shape in possession, helped create numerical advantages across the pitch and reduced the number of goals conceded.

Rather than dismantling that foundation, Pochettino chose to refine it. The Argentine introduced greater verticality, intensity and attacking freedom while retaining many of the positional principles that had already been established within the squad.

His philosophy is centred around aggressive movement, tactical flexibility and constant adaptation depending on the phase of play. Early reports suggested the transition was demanding, with players required to combine high physical output with sophisticated positional rotations. Over time, however, the squad has become increasingly comfortable within the system.

Defensively, the United States typically operates in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 structure. The team generally adopts a mid-block, allowing it to remain compact without retreating too deep or pressing excessively high. This setup focuses on protecting central areas and forcing opponents toward the flanks, where pressing triggers can be activated more effectively.

In possession, the shape often transforms into a 3-2-5 system. This structure allows the United States to create overloads in advanced areas, stretch opposition defences and sustain pressure in the attacking third.

What makes Pochettino’s version particularly effective is its reliance on player profiles. The system is carefully designed to maximise the individual strengths of key personnel, enabling the team to combine tactical organisation with attacking freedom.

That confidence was visible throughout the opening match. Despite the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd and carrying the expectations of a host nation, the United States looked composed and fearless.

“This tournament is about believing in ourselves,” Pochettino said. “If you don’t believe you can compete with the biggest teams, you have already lost before stepping onto the pitch.”

The victory has also injected fresh excitement into a fanbase that had shown mixed levels of enthusiasm before the tournament began. A convincing opening win not only earned three points but also gave supporters a reason to dream.

A Golden Generation Taking Shape

Pochettino has inherited arguably the most talented player pool in American football history. Several key players now compete regularly in Europe’s top leagues, bringing valuable experience from elite environments.

Against Paraguay, that quality was evident. Christian Pulisic orchestrated attacks before being withdrawn as a precaution, while Folarin Balogun delivered a clinical display in front of goal. Gio Reyna added the finishing touch with a spectacular late strike that underlined the attacking depth available to the squad. The challenge for Pochettino has been turning individual talent into a cohesive unit. Against Paraguay, the signs were encouraging.

Why This Performance Matters?

One result does not make a World Cup campaign. Tougher tests await against stronger opposition, and Pochettino himself has cautioned against reading too much into a single performance.

However, opening matches often set the tone for an entire tournament. The United States needed a statement. They got one. More importantly, they showcased the characteristics that Pochettino has spent nearly two years trying to instill: confidence, intensity, tactical clarity and ambition.

The road ahead remains long, but if the Paraguay performance is any indication, the United States may be evolving from World Cup hosts into genuine contenders. And at the centre of that transformation stands Mauricio Pochettino.

Errol Spence Jr has been given further motivation to defeat Tim Tszyu, knowing a potentially more lucrative opportunity could be presented to the winner of their upcoming showdown.

The two former world champions will square off in Australia on July 25, with Tszyu claiming a home advantage as he looks to re-join the world scene.

In order to do so, the 31-year-old must defeat a credible opponent and prove that, despite losing three of his last six fights, he remains one of the world’s top super-welterweights.

Ideally, he would be facing Spence at 154lbs but, given his opponent’s three-year layoff, Tszyu ultimately agreed to meet at a catchweight of 158lbs.

Prior to his lengthy hiatus, Spence lost his WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight titles to Terence Crawford, who defeated his rival with a surprisingly one-sided ninth-round stoppage.

Even before losing to ‘Bud’, though, many felt ‘The Truth’ would be better suited to 154lbs, where he plans to make his mark after triumphing over Tszyu.

If such a plan materialises, then Spence could find himself in a domestic dustup with Jermell Charlo, who has not fought since his unanimous decision defeat to Canelo Alvarez in September 2023.

According to Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger, Charlo could equally face Tszyu if the Australian emerges victorious against Spence.

“I’m told he’s going to be lined up for the winner of [Spence-Tszyu]. Obviously, nothing’s done yet. What I’m told is that, behind the scenes, Charlo is being lined up for that fight, which will be at 154[lbs].”

Prior to facing Canelo at 168lbs, Charlo became the undisputed super-welterweight champion by dethroning Brian Castano with a 10th-round stoppage in 2022, just under a year after they boxed to a controversial draw.

The 36-year-old achieved this ambition while training under the tutelage of Derrick James, who is also the former head coach of Spence.

Trainer J D Hayes has indicated that the emerging stayer Simurgh is straightforward to train and is expected to continue his progression through various racing classes.

Having achieved three wins from his six starts to date, including his last two consecutive outings, Simurgh is set to aim for an extension of his winning streak in the Sportsbet Same Race Multi Handicap (2400m) at Sandown on Saturday.

Simurgh, an Irish-bred four-year-old, joined the Lindsay Park stable of Ben, Will, and J D Hayes following a debut Australian campaign that saw him record one win and a minor placing from three starts in Ireland for Eddie and Patrick Harty.

After finishing second over 1600m at Pakenham on his initial Australian start, Simurgh has since gone on to secure victories over 2000m at Caulfield on May 9 and May 30.

In his most recent race, Simurgh raced prominently near the leaders to defeat Skippers Canyon, an opponent he will face again on Saturday, and will carry an additional 3kg for that win.

Ben Allen has been booked to ride Simurgh on Saturday, taking over from Craig Williams, who partnered the gelding in his last two successful performances.

J D Hayes stated that Simurgh is progressing well through the grades and shows considerable promise as a stayer.

“We’re just taking him through his grades to boost his rating, but he’s got a great future ahead of him,” Hayes said. “Hopefully we can ever so slightly raise the bar again with him and hopefully he can go along with it.”

Hayes mentioned that the stable is uncertain about the full potential of the gelding this campaign but has seen no indication of his form declining during training.

“He’ll tell us. He’s a very easy horse to pick in the mornings,” Hayes commented.

A potential trip north to the Sunshine Coast for the Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) on July 4 is under consideration, provided Simurgh wins on Saturday.

“It will be a thought, but we need to get through Saturday first,” Hayes added. “He needs to win to see whether he can take a trip to the warmer weather.”

Simurgh is currently the $3.60 favourite in the betting for Saturday’s race, with Straand Deal, another lightly raced emerging stayer, listed at $3.90.

Explore Australian betting sites for the best odds on Saturday’s feature race.

Official lineups of Brazil – Morocco

Brazil : Alisson – Ibañez, Marquinhos (c), Gabriel, Douglas Santos – Guimarães, Casemiro, Paqueta – Raphinha, Igor Thiago, Vinicius.

Morocco : Bounou – Hakimi (c), Diop, Riad, Mazraoui – Bouaddi, El Aynaoui – Brahim Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss – Saibari.

The World Cup 2026‘s first heavyweight clash will take place at MetLife stadium, the future venue of the final. It will pit Morocco, Africa’s finalists, against Brazil, five-time world champions.

Read moreWorld Cup 2026 – Schedule

This is the first major test for each coach in their World Cup debut. Brazil’s Carlo Ancelotti can rely on stars like FC Barcelona‘s Raphinha, runner-up in the 2024 Ballon d’Or, and Vinicius Junior, but not yet on Neymar who will miss the entire group stage.

On the Moroccan side, Mohamed Ouahbi must manage without OM’s central defender Nayef Aguerd and Betis Seville’s winger Abde Ezzalzouli.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

Back in March, the Vikings’ trenches lost a pair of well-paid veterans. Minnesota said goodbye to both of Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen since neither lived up to their deals. At the time, the d-line boasted no sure replacement other than Jalen Redmond, who had already been established as a starter.

Since that time, the Vikings have made several moves to reinforce the trenches. Opting for Caleb Banks in the 1st Round means pushing the chips into the middle of the table in the hope of hitting the jackpot. Opting for Domonique Orange in the 3rd Round means going for a more modest payoff since he looks like an early-down run stuffer. Other pickups — Eric Johnson, Smith Vilbert, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Monkell Goodwine, and so on — have involved lesser-known talents. Where does that leave Levi Drake Rodriguez?

The Vikings’ Trenches
Watch for Levi Drake Rodriguez as a Starter in 2026

Very few offer the effort that Rodriguez offers. He’s reminiscent of a 3rd-line energy forward, a gritty player who isn’t the flashiest but who helps his team regardless.

Consider what Lance Zierlein had to say in his scouting report leading into the 2024 NFL Draft: “Rodriguez plays with a big heart and a steady motor, but he lacks NFL size and skill inside. He gives good effort on each snap but spends too much time staying attached to blockers instead of finding quick routes around them. He has decent length for his size, but he doesn’t do enough damage with his hands and lacks the short-area foot quickness teams will look for from a smaller player. Rodriguez has been a productive player, but the step up in competition feels like it could be too big for him.”

Watching Rodriguez at the Vikings’ minicamp brought out a lot of the positives that Zierlein identified.

In the third-year defender, the Vikings boast somebody with a promising motor. He moves with violent urgency, the sort of effort that can’t be taught. Rather, there’s an intensity inside of Rodriguez that manifests itself in the physicality of his swim/rip moves, the way he fires out of his three-point stance, and in his desire to swat the ball out of the passer’s hands (if only the June practice version, such as a coach or bag with a ball).

In sixteen games last year (two starts), Levi Drake Rodriguez had 43 tackles. The stat sheet also shows 2 sacks, 5 quarterback hits, and 8 tackles for loss. Remember that his workload was reasonably beefy, coming in at 461 defensive snaps and 85 snaps on special teams.

As a rookie, Rodriguez picked up a 75.0 PFF grade. The problem with that assessment is that it factored in a very small workload: 6 snaps on defense. In 2025, Rodriguez got hit with a 57.8 grade, suggesting he offered below average football.

Already, Rodriguez is a success story.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gets a ton of criticism for his draft failures but the DT isn’t among them. Getting chosen at No. 232 (the 7th) means facing long odds just to make the team, much less play a meaningful role. The simple fact that he’s playing early in his career and doing reasonably well is evidence that the pick was more than worth it.

Best guess is that Rodriguez will work alongside Redmond and Orange in Week 1. Doing so will mean having a true anchor in the middle of the DL — Big Citrus — to stifle the run while Rodriguez and Redmond get tasked with creating penetration.

Banks, in theory, could be out there, but it’s hard to feel too confident given that he’s still not getting into practice. Banks has the potential to transform the Vikings’ trenches. He can’t do so, though, unless he’s healthy enough to play. The other issue: he’s missing a lot of development time. Oh, and Minnesota tends to take things very slow with injuries. Quite possibly, an opening is there for somebody else.

Levi Drake Rodriguez is 25. He stands at 6’2″ and weighs roughly 310 pounds. Look for him to be out there for the opening snap of the Week 1 Packers game.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Alex Fitzpatrick’s rise to the PGA Tour was well documented and fast.

The younger brother of 2022 U.S. Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick went from winless DP World Tour pro to PGA Tour winner and full-fledged member in the span of four weeks, thanks to his win at the Zurich Classic with Matt.

That put him straight into the field for back-to-back Signature Events in Miami and Charlotte. He didn’t have to keep playing on the DP Tour to try and earn his PGA Tour membership for 2027 and he definitely doesn’t have to go to Q-School.

In fact, Fitzpatrick is exempt on the PGA Tour through the end of 2028 now.

After such a whirlwind promotion, was the pressure on to perform after his brother helped get him PGA Tour membership?

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stotlz asked Fitzpatrick that very question.

“You know, I felt like there was a little bit of pressure to go out and show my game is good enough. Like every golfer, I wanna be on the PGA Tour and I felt like my game belonged there. So I, that’s why when you asked about sinking in it, I guess it took, it didn’t take as long as I thought.”

Fitzpatrick left little doubt that he belonged with the game’s best players. He finished T9 in Miami and held the 54-hole lead at the Truist Championship before finishing solo fourth.

After a made cut at the PGA Championship, he kept his run of fine play going last week at the Memorial with a T6 showing.

“I don’t know if that’s because maybe I feel so comfortable out here now,” Fitzpatrick continued. “But yeah, I was super happy with how I played the two weeks. And, you know, even going into Sunday in Charlotte, like I felt really comfortable. I didn’t really feel any pressure to go out and win. You know, I don’t think many people expected me to be in the last group on Sunday. So, but I also felt like my game is in a really good spot and I felt like I had a good chance to win.”

To hear more from Fitzpatrick, check out the entire episode on YouTube.

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The Vegas Golden Knights are headed back home for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, but they’ll be hoping to force a Game 7 back in Raleigh.

However, things just got a lot tougher with news that forward William Karlsson will not be in the team’s lineup on Sunday.

Karlsson exited Game 5 after taking a heavy hit from Carolina defenseman Sean Walker. The 33-year-old Swede initially returned to the bench, but after being evaluated by the team’s medical staff, he headed to the locker room and did not return.

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On Saturday, Vegas head coach John Tortorella revealed that Karlsson will not be ready for Game 6, which is a big loss for the team.

After Vegas’ Game 5 loss, Tortorella even pointed to that moment as a turning point in the game.

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Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson has been ruled out of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)

“When we lose Bill, it kind of screws things up,” he said, per Sportsnet. “We lost momentum when we went back-to-back in penalties. It was about the same time that we lost Bill. We’ve got to find a way.”

“Wild Bill,” as he’s known, is one of just four players who were on Vegas’ inaugural roster in 2017. Obviously, he’s a big part of the locker room, and while injuries kept him out of all but 14 games during the regular season, he’s got 9 points (3G, 6A) with a +/- rating of 10.

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William Karlsson is one of just four players left from the team’s inaugural season. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)

It remains to be seen who will replace Karlsson, but whoever it is will need to come up big.

The other piece of news from Tortorella is that Vegas will stick with goaltender Carter Hart in Game 6. He has allowed four or more goals in every game this series, leading to speculation that the Golden Knights might want to try backup Adin Hill — who backstopped them to a Stanley Cup in 2023 — to try to force a Game 7.