Испани болон Аргентины шигшээ багууд дэлхийн аварга шалгаруулах тэмцээний аваргын төлөө Медоулендс цэнгэлдэхэд тулалдана.
Дэлхийн аваргын хүрэл медалийн төлөөх тоглолт сонирхолтой өрнөж, Англи 6:4-ийн харьцаатай Францыг буулган авлаа. Тоглолтын эхний хагаст Англи 4:0-ийн харьцаатай тэргүүлж эхэлсэн ч хоёр баг хамгаалалтын алдаатай тоглолт үзүүлснээр гоолын бороо орсон юм. Жүүд Беллингхэм тоглолтын 98 дахь минутад гоол оруулж ялалтыг баталгаажуулсан бол Килиан Мбаппе хоёр гоол оруулснаар “Алтан шаахай”-ны төлөөх өрсөлдөөнд Лионель Мессигээс хоёр гоолоор илүү гарч ирлээ.
Тэмцээний хүрээнд АНУ-ын хөлбөмбөгийн хөгжил, тоглогчдын бэлтгэл болон “төлбөртэй тоглолт” (pay-to-play) тогтолцооны асуудлууд олны анхаарлыг татсаар байна. Мөн Испанийн шигшээ багийн амжилт Каталоны хөгжөөн дэмжигчдийн дунд хэрхэн хүлээж авч буй нь томоохон сэдэв болж байна. Түүнчлэн, Колумбын домогт тоглогч Андрес Эскобарын эмгэнэлт түүх түүний гэр бүл болон хөлбөмбөгийн ертөнцөд гүн ул мөр үлдээснийг дурсав.
Бусад спортын үйл явдлуудаас дурдвал, Жош Керр нэг миль гүйлтийн дэлхийн дээд амжилтыг 27 жилийн дараа шинэчлэн тогтоолоо. Мөн Чикаго Блэкхокс багийн од Коннор Бедард таван жилийн гэрээг 15 сая ам.долларын дундаж үнэлгээтэйгээр сунгасан нь NHL-ийн түүхэн дэх хамгийн өндөр цалинтай тоглогчдын нэг болголоо. Олриэс баг Кайл Брэдиштэй 90 сая ам.долларын гэрээ байгуулж, бүрэлдэхүүнээ бэхжүүлсэн байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.
Good morning! Make time today for the biggest sporting event in the world. Inside:
The Final: 3 Stories before the World Cup final
Today, at 3 p.m. ET in the Meadowlands, Argentina and Spain will play for the World Cup. Here isperhaps the world’s beefiest FAQon the matchup. Here isThe Athletic’sbig batch of panelist predictions. And here is amega-preview that zeroes in on the tactical matchupbut also makes some time to discuss the work of 16th-century Iberian explorers.
This morning, I am wistful that the spectacle is ending.This has been an awesome showcase of American community, with our own USMNT support and other countries’diasporas springing up exalting watch partiesall over the place. My favorite World Cup moment was probably the night I wore a bunch of Mexico fans’ micheladas as perfume as El Tri scored three second-half goals against Czechia. I was at a watch party at a swap meet near L.A., surrounded by a few thousand happy Mexican-Americans. (Thanks to my pal Hector Diaz, a son of Mexican immigrants, for the invite.) I hope you had a similar night in some bar, plaza or stadium.This World Cup was an occasion to see so many people happy.
I’ve also gotten to read a lot of good writing. We have thrown hundreds of soccer links into your inbox this summer, but today, I’m sharing a small set of my favoriteAthleticstories. If you have the time, sit with them for a few minutes this morning and feel the soccer wash over you.
The tragic death of Andrés Escobar, as told by his brother: ‘After 32 years, I still cry for him’ —by Felipe Cardenas, July 1
And, in the Medellín neighborhood of Belén, local children play football on two full-sized pitches overlooked by a statue of Andrés. They never saw him play but his name and likeness are why the Unidad Deportiva de Belén Andrés Escobar, a sports and recreation center, exists for aspiring athletes.
“The greatest legacy he could have left,” Santiago says, “is the legacy of being an impeccable human being first. The etiquette, the values, the principles. That’s the biggest legacy Andrés left us. Being a good person. Andrés is still alive in our hearts. Andrés hasn’t gone, we haven’t let him go.”
Having seen ESPN’s “30 for 30” about him, I was somewhat familiar with the story of the Colombia footballing legend. This piece still took me for a ride.
U.S. soccer’s ‘pay-to-play’ problem: The lightning-rod issue explained in a World Cup context —by Henry Bushnell, June 9
“This is a sport,” Byer says, “that unfortunately takes a ridiculous amount of time to become good at it.” He argues that the “golden age” for skill acquisition and “ball mastery” is the first six or so years of a child’s life, at which point they must have the “building blocks” to join a team and benefit from coaching.
“But a majority of kids in America,” he explains, join a team around that age “to learn the basics,” without a mastery developed on their own. “So they’re already starting at a deficit,” Byer says. “In the strong football cultures, the start line is a mile ahead.”
Exhausted or confused by the deluge of competition explanations for why the U.S. isn’t better at men’s soccer? Same, but Henry’s story freed me from that chaos and brought clarity.
Is there World Cup support for Spain from Catalan fans of Barcelona? —by Laia Cervelló Herrero, July 6
“The very existence of the Spanish national team means that a Catalan one cannot exist,” he says. “Therefore, we don’t have a team at the World Cup. This means that this global and general exploitation of Catalonia by the Spanish state is also expressed in the sporting arena, an area where we are a world power, which causes frustration.”
In Vidal’s view, Barcelona’s importance to Spain’s golden age from 2008-2012 (when they won the World Cup and two European Championships), and their recent success at Euro 2024, is less a reason to get on board, more a reason to rail against injustice.
I had wondered before how the Spanish national team’s success was playing among Catalan fans who want their region to be independent. This story paints a vivid picture.
News to Know
Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
Burns surges to Open Championship lead
Sam Burns, the 29-year-old Louisianan who’s had several painful near-misses at majors, shot a 5-under 65 to take a two-shot lead heading into The Open Championship’s final round. Bryson DeChambeau kept himself in the tournament by firing a 1-under 69,a day after his two-shot penalty and associated theatricsbecame the championship’s biggest story. The day brought a fresh contender in the form of New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, whose 8-under 62 was three shots better than anyone else’s round. Around 10 guys still have a real shot, and NBC will take over the broadcast of the final round starting at 7 a.m. ET.Our Golf Briefing newsletterwill have more.
An extremely wacky third-place game
The World Cup final tends to be a nervy affair, often marked by cautious attacks and resolute defending. Third-place games … not so much. Players generallydo not even want to be there, and never has that been more apparent than in France’s attitude as England strolled to a 4-0 lead by halftime yesterday. But then something changed. Both teams continued to play Summer League-caliber defense, sure, but the action became breathless. Kylian Mbappe scored twice fora two-goal lead in the Golden Boot raceover Lionel Messi, and when Jude Bellingham finally clinched a 6-4 (!) win with this excellent goal in the 98th minute …
… I’m not sure it felt like itmeantsomething, but it was certainly very fun!Read more here.
More News
- The record for thefastest milehad stood for27 yearsuntilScotland’s Josh Kerrbroke it yesterday by nearly a half-second: 3:42.66. Amazing.Here’s how he did it.
- This just makes no sense:Cubs great Anthony Rizzogot his hands on a home run ball while sitting in the Wrigley Field bleachers —for the second time. (This time while he was holding a young child.)
- Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedardsigned a five-year extension that, at $15 million average annual value, makes him the third highest-paid player in theNHL.The story behind the deal here.
- Tempo coach Sandy Brondellowassuspended one gameby theWNBAafter callingDream forward Angel Reese a “protected species” after a collision with a Tempo player.
- The Oriolessigned starterKyle Bradish, fourth in 2023 Cy Young voting, to a five-year extension worth $90 million.Details here.
Watch Guide
📺World Cup Final: Spain vs. Argentina
3 p.m. ET on Fox
Lionel Messi in the World Cup,forthe World Cup, one last time. Probably.Follow our live coverage here.
📺MLB: Dodgers at Yankees
7:20 p.m. ET on ESPN
Congratulations to anyone who successfully transits from the World Cup game to the Bronx to watch Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.85 ERA) face Cam Schlittler (2.05).
Get tickets to games like this here.
Pulse Picks
Diario Sport / Joan Monfort
Most-shared stories onThe Athleticthis week:
I stepped out of my comfort zone and … made hummus for the first time.It was easy. And delicious. I’ll never go back to store-bought stuff. — Jacob Robinson
🎥 If you could get married at an NBA arena, where would it be?Our staff weighed in.
The story behind Erling Haaland’s taxidermied raccoon. Enough said. — Lauren Merola
The NWSL added a free-to-stream partner ahead of a crucial season.The deal was about more than games, as Asli Pelit explains.
Watch “Voicemails for Isabelle.” Also, eat breakfast burritos. — Sabreena Merchant
Jackson’s Sweet Potato chips, which you can also buy anywhere for 3-4 bucks for a big bag, are ridiculously good. Might even add them to a sandwich or a wrap. And note the ingredients. — Chris Sprow
Meet Paul Seixas,the boy king of the Tour de France. It won’t be this year, but he could soon become the host nation’s first winner in more than four decades.
We test a lot of overhyped stuff on Wirecutter’s kitchen team, but this cup is sort of magical:It can make a slushy in five minutes. After freezing it, you pour in your beverage of choice, and then wait for it to freeze and turn into sweet, slushy goodness. If you’re like me, it may have you slurping through 2 liters of Dr Pepper at an alarming pace. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. — Marilyn Ong
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday:DeChambeau’s penalty.
📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.
