Oct 30, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) chants “Go Spurs Go” along with fans after a victory over the Miami Heat at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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From the show

World Cup Debrief

Reading time
1 min

After a disastrous start at the World Cup, Bafana Bafana have qualified for the knockout stage for the first time. The team beat South Korea 1-0 in their last group stage game to reach the Round of 32. Meanwhile superstar Neymar came in as a substitute for Brazil to the delight of fans. The team took the top spot in Group C by beating Scotland 3-0.

The Vikings’ EDGE3 opening is creating some consternation.

Consider, for instance, what former Vikings GM Jeff Diamond had to say: “Bo Richter, Tyler Batty, and Chaz Chambliss are all former undrafted players who may develop into decent players but at this point, they’re not going to strike fear in QBs and OCs around the league. Golday seems to be the player of potential promise as the rotational player at the position on the current roster but we’re talking about a rookie who is unproven in the NFL.”

And then Dustin Baker dug into the upcoming battle that’s going to take place at training camp: “All eyes are on the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback battle in Eagan between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy because that’s just how the sport works. It’s all about the quarterback. Yet, the ‘other’ competition should turn heads, too — at OLB3.”

Curiously absent from these discussions is the ongoing presence of linebacker Eric Wilson.

The Vikings’ EDGE3 is Under Contract: LB Eric Wilson

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings had a deficit at corner. Much consternation circulated online. The team’s coaching staff, however, didn’t appear to share the widespread concern.

Most of the 2025 season involved leaning on Byron Murphy Jr. alongside Isaiah Rodgers. Seeing those two work through a season with great health was fortuitous. CB3 Jeff Okudah missed most of the season and CB4 Dwight McGlothern had the odd assignment of being on the roster but being avoided at all costs. Veteran corner Fabian Moreau got worked into the mix when there was a need for more corner talent.

The real key, though, was the ample depth at safety. Boasting all of Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, and Jay Ward allowed the Vikings to fill the needed jobs within the secondary. Brian Flores, never bound by what a certain player is “supposed” to do based on position, borrowed from safety to fill a deficit at corner.

As things stand, the best guess is that something similar will occur within the front seven. There’s a shortage at edge rusher? No problem, just snag somebody from the linebackers.

The Vikings’ edge rusher crew is being led by Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner, both of whom have the capacity to be excellent. Ty Ingram-Dawkins is getting work at edge rusher. Presumably, he’ll be leaned on as a jumbo option to clog running lanes more than chase down the passer (but that’s just speculation based on having a larger build).

What has too often been missing within the calculus has been the depth at linebacker.

All of Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, Jake Golday, and Ivan Pace are looking to come back in 2026. Even more promising for the Vikings is that all will demand playing time. A formation that sees Cashman alongside Golday as the off-ball linebackers while Wilson functions along the edge won’t be surprising.

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Consider the edge rusher snaps for the Minnesota Vikings for the 2025 season (courtesy of PFF):

• Dallas Turner: 662 Snaps
• Andrew Van Ginkel: 538 Snaps
• Jonathan Greenard: 528 Snaps
• Eric Wilson: 336 Snaps

Already, Eric Wilson has been leaned on to play a reasonably large role at edge. What appears to be occurring is that he’s getting bumped up from securing the Vikings’ EDGE4 job to being the Vikings’ EDGE3 for the upcoming season.

After all, nothing substantial has been done to address the position, meaning there needs to be at least some level of belief in the talent already on the roster. Even better, there’s too much talent at off-ball linebacker. Shuffling guys around is a way of keeping talent that deserves to be on the field actually on the field.

The NFL is a place that truly does allow actions to speak louder than words. Doing nothing — not signing a well-known EDGE3 — tells us something. Conversely, doing something — such as re-signing Eric Wilson for a reasonably meaty three-year contract — tells us something, as well. The Minnesota Vikings must have confidence in his capacity to continue doing what he did in 2025.

Eric Wilson, 31, stands at 6’1″ and 230 pounds. He has mostly been an off-ball linebacker but Flores leaned into the defender’s brains, aggression, and explosiveness to add edge rusher to his list of responsibilities. He tossed up a career-high 6.5 sacks last season.

Vikings training camp begins on July 26th.

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

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Earlier this week, Argentina’s Lionel Messi added the new title of World Cup Goals King to his CV.

By the end of the tournament, it could be Kylian Mbappe holding that honor. Down the line, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior are young enough to get in the mix. And if everything goes right, the teenage Lamine Yamal has the time and talent to obliterate them all.

This is an amazing era for elite international goal-scorers. But maybe even more exciting, the convergence of those talents could be symbolic of a World Cup that is ushering in a new era of international competition, one that comes closer to the increasingly attack-oriented model that defines the modern club game.

Under the influence of rapidly improving data, modern soccer at the highest levels has become predicated on pressure and transition.

For sure, it’s not the aesthetic preference of every soccer critic.

Listen closely enough, and you’ll hear the cries of someone in Brazil whining that Carlo Ancelotti’s Selecao rejected the Jogo Bonito in favor of a modern devotion to backpressing that proved critical in their emphatic 3-0 win over Scotland on Wednesday night.

But for the average neutral, it’s hard to deny how much more compelling the club game has become as a result of data that shows the benefits of a higher octane approach.

You can see this in the UEFA Champions League, where goals per game have risen from 2.65 in 2015-16 to 3.45 in 2025-26.

Or you can see it in which teams are and aren’t succeeding at the international level.

Arguably, no side has fallen further than Italy, a nation whose footballing identity is most irrationally opposed to the ongoing tactical revolution.

Similarly, teams like Ecuador and Paraguay, who rode cynical tactics to success in South American qualifying, have so far been exposed by teams with more time to build attacking chemistry.

Yes, some teams have still succeeded out of a low block. But the Ghanas and Cape Verdes of the world have only done so when they could muster at least some threat of a vertical counterattack.

And now, with many of the same managers who orchestrated that rise in attacking play now coaching at this World Cup, goals are up here as well. If the rate of roughly 3.0 goals per game continues, it would be the highest scoring edition since 17-year-old Pele and Brazil dazzled their way to their first championship in Sweden in 1958.

The greatest attacking players are also staying great longer.

At 41, Ronaldo may come with baggage, but he’s still the best finisher on his Portugal team. At 32, Harry Kane’s career is only middle-aged when it would’ve been considered in its twilight era a generation ago.

And the engrossing all-time scoring chase is only possible because Messi is still playing at age 39, and arguably better at a World Cup than he ever has before.

There’s still a lot of time for this World Cup to go sideways. The knockout stages have a way of bringing out the worst conservative instincts in coaches. Oppressive summer weather could become more of a factor as June turns to July, and as more of the kickoffs fall before sunset to appease European TV audiences.

And there’s always the danger for off-the-field controversies to grow louder once the competitive field shrinks.

But on the evidence so far, this tournament has shown that the future of the game on the field is arguably the brightest it’s ever been. And whether it’s Messi or Mbappe who finishes on top of the all-time World Cup scoring chart this summer, you get the sense neither one will stay there for all that long.

4 Pines Park will play host to Saturday’s
Round 17 NRL game between Manly Sea Eagles and
Melbourne Storm. The game kicks off at 7:35 pm with Manly Sea Eagles heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Manly Sea Eagles vs.
Melbourne Storm
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Saturday June 27, 2026 at 7:35 pm

Where: 4 Pines Park

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Manly Sea Eagles vs Melbourne Storm Odds

Manly Sea Eagles vs Melbourne Storm Preview

Manly returns to 4 Pines Park on Saturday night for a crucial clash against a Melbourne side beginning to find its rhythm.

The Storm’s improvement has been built on defence, with Craig Bellamy’s side showing far greater resilience and composure than it did earlier in the season. That defensive steel has helped Melbourne remain firmly in the finals hunt despite periods of inconsistency.

Manly enters the contest as favourite but faces questions around personnel changes in the backline. The Sea Eagles remain one of the competition’s most dangerous attacking teams at home, though Melbourne’s ability to apply pressure could force errors.

These clubs have developed a fierce rivalry over the years and little is expected to separate them again. With both sides chasing top-eight security, the result could have major implications later in the season.

GIO Stadium will play host to Sunday’s
Round 17 NRL game between Canberra Raiders and
St. George Illawarra Dragons. The game kicks off at 2:00 pm with Canberra Raiders heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Canberra Raiders vs.
St. George Illawarra Dragons
game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Sunday June 28, 2026 at 2:00 pm

Where: GIO Stadium

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Canberra Raiders vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Odds

Canberra Raiders vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Preview

Canberra will look to strengthen its finals credentials when it hosts St George Illawarra at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Raiders remain one of the competition’s success stories this season, but there have been signs the demands of a long campaign are beginning to test some of the club’s younger players. The return of Ethan Strange to his preferred side of the field provided a boost to the attack last week.

The Dragons continue to rely on effort and defensive resolve. While points have been difficult to come by at times, Shane Flanagan’s side has regularly remained competitive through strong field position and disciplined football.

Canberra has won four of its past five meetings against St George Illawarra, but the Dragons have consistently shown an ability to keep contests tighter than many expect.

On Saturday, Jaron Ennis attempts to become a unified world champion in a second division as he collides with Puerto Rico’s WBA and WBO ruler Xander Zayas.

Ennis was elevated to IBF welterweight champion in late 2023 and defended that belt against both David Avanesyan and Karen Chukhadzhian, before a brutal beatdown of then WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis saw him add another strap to his collection.

The Philadelphian then decided to move up to 154lbs and made a statement upon his divisional debut, when he dispatched of Portugal’s Uisma Lima in the opening round of their October clash to claim the WBA Interim title.

Since then, Ennis was once again been linked to a long-awaited scrap with fellow super-welterweight knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr, but he instead signed to challenge for Zayas’ throne because of Ortiz’s ongoing dispute with Golden Boy Promotions.

In an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Ennis revealed that, if he overcomes Zayas, Ortiz is not necessarily his next target, with his attention purely on whoever is in possession of the belts.

“We are not looking past Xander Zayas at all, but if I am victorious on Saturday and I bring home these two belts, it [my next goal] is undisputed. If we can get the next champion in the ring, whether that is [Sebastian] Fundora or [Josh] Kelly, it could be Ortiz.

“My goal right now is just to clean out this whole division one by one.”

It is believed that Fundora may soon be ordered to face Ortiz, who holds the WBC Interim title, whilst Josh Kelly is expected to defend his IBF super-welterweight world title against Caoimhin Agyarko on Anthony Joshua’s undercard next month.

One of the hottest names in the NBA is on the move to a contender.

The Charlotte Hornets reportedly traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, teaming the third overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft with the first overall pick that year in Anthony Edwards.

Ball, the 2020-21 Rookie of the Year, has become one of the best guards in the league, averaging 20.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, although injuries have hampered him. He played in just 105 games from the start of the 2022-23 season through the 2024-25 campaign.

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Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves interacts with LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets during the third quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 22, 2024. The Hornets defeated the Timberwolves 128-125. (David Berding/Getty Images)

The Hornets have not been able to break their playoff drought, which has been in place since the 2015-16 season, and opted to trade Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks.

The T-Wolves have made the playoffs for five straight seasons, including appearances in the Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025, so it makes sense to bring in Ball to help out Edwards, who dropped a career-high 28.8 points per game this past season.

LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets passes the ball during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 24, 2023. (David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images)

KNICKS FAN’S TRASH CAN GRAB ENDS WITH FINES, FIRING AND WALK OF SHAME RETURN TRIP FOR JPMORGAN CHASE EXEC

And perhaps because of Ball’s durability concerns, Charlotte added to an already rich collection of draft assets that includes six first-round picks and eight second-rounders over the next three offseasons. They just selected Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson with the 14th and 18th selections earlier this week and took former Duke star Kon Knueppel with the fourth selection last year.

In 2023, Ball signed a five-year, $260 million contract extension and said he felt the team was on the path to success.

“I think it’s just a great position and I think we are all going the right way now,” he said at the time.

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball dribbles the ball upcourt against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 19, 2026. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)

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That evidently was not the case, but on a personal note, Ball is now back on that path.

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