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France and Paraguay will meet on July 4 in Philadelphias last World Cup game Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and the rest of Les Bleus' stars are coming back to town.
Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and the rest of Les Bleus' stars are coming back to town.
Kylian Mbappe and France are coming back to Philadelphia for the city's last game of this World Cup, a round of 16 game against Paraguay on July 4.on Monday.
But the other half of the equation has delivered, as the city already saw in the group stage.
France will return to town as the favorite to win it all, with its superstar attacking core firing on all cylinders.down on Sweden in the Meadowlands on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to match Lionel Messis six goals in the tournament to date, and between them Bradley Barcola struck his second goal of the summer.Paraguay upsets Germany on penalty kicks to book a ticket to Philadelphias July 4 game This was the team that looked much more like the one that rode a stingy defense to its first World Cup berth in 16 years,Paraguays roster has many familiar faces to fans of MLS.
Miguel Almiron , Andres Cubas , and Braian Ojeda play in the league now, and three others that used to: Matias Galarza , Diego Gomez , and Alejandro Kaku Romero Gamarra .Its easy to say the matchup is offense vs.
defense, but France is also plenty stingy.
Theyve allowed just two goals in four games so far, one each to.
Thats what manager Didier Deschamps has always demanded in his 14-year tenure, just as he did as a player: the midfield anchor and captain of Frances 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euros champions.
Sometimes over the years, it has felt like that approach has stifled Frances constellation of stars.But the results have ultimately come: Euros runner-up in 2016, World Cup champions in 2018, UEFA Nations League champions in 2021, and runners-up to Lionel Messis Argentina in 2022s all-time classic final.
This time, this team is all in for Deschamps final tournament on the bench.Even Mbappe, often criticized for not playing enough defense at his club, Spains Real Madrid, is doing his part.to attend to that, returned in time for Tuesdays contest, and when Mbappe opened the scoring, he ran over to give his manager a big hug.
Deschamps looked just as thrilled, no matter how much of Mbappes sweat landed on his suit on a hot day.Now France is aiming squarely at becoming just the third team in mens World Cup history to make three straight finals.
Brazil did it in 1994, 98, and 02, winning the first and third ; and Germany did it in 1982, 86, and 90, winning the last of them.
The world is watching and waiting to see how far this team goes.Philadelphia has already had a front-row seat once, the 3-0 win overwhere Mbappe scored a spectacular strike and Dembele scored his first major-tournament goal after many years of trying.
Now it gets a second turn.
The Bay Areas famed rallying cry rings true with the USMNT in town for the World Cup: Just win, babyagain, with the heat dome expected to crack that day and send the sky exploding.Its just a question of what time, and whether it happens early enough to pass on by kickoff.
With that big caveat on the table, the countdown is on.
Clashes between European and South American teams have defined World Cups for generations, and this one will add another chapter to the history.In this World Cup, underdogs are stealing the spotlight, the U.S.
men are on a roll, and Philadelphia has not only welcomed the world but has given visitors a crash course on just how real the curse of the Rocky Statue can be.
Join Jonathan Tannenwald, the Inquirer's soccer writer, and host Lisa Carlin, analyst for CBS Sports Golazo, as they dissect the matches, the moments, and more as Philly has its moment in soccer's brightest spotlight.Watch ourI'm The Inquirer's soccer reporter, covering the Union, the U.S.
men's and women's national teams, MLS, the NWSL, and Philadelphia's place in the world's game.
I also cover college basketball and the WNBA, as Philadelphia pursues an expansion team.