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Good morning! Put a shot on goal today.
At least one.
Coming up: Goodbyes: Please dont leave, World Cup For 80 minutes, I thought an incredible World Cup would end with a docile whimper.
An uber-talented Spain team choked the life out of the game, dominating possession while failing to finish.
At the end of 90 minutes, Spain had 15 shots.
Argentina had zero.
Advertisement But the final minutes of regulation and the first minutes of extra time reclaimed the Cups brilliant reputation.
A red card on Enzo Fernandez made things spicy.
Ferran Torres goal in the 106th minute felt cathartic for everyone involved, because a ball had finally found the net.
Argentinas late charge made the games final moments ripe with tension.
Spain 1, Argentina 0.
Spain is a mens World Cup champion for the second time.
Argentina is denied a second straight World Cup title.
Lionel Messi might be done with international soccer.
His teammates started a fight after the game, too.
President Trump got booed.
But yesterday felt like more than a championship game.
It was a goodbye to a moment in time, like each World Cup, but this was on American soil.
For a month, this country fell in love with soccer.
More on that in a moment.
We will have plenty of time to process the entire Cup, but Id like to reflect for a moment this morning with the tournament officially behind us.
In no particular order, my four favorite things: 1.
The underdogs Argentina may have prevailed, but Sidny Lopes Cabrals goal for Cape Verde to level a knockout game against the defending Cup champions was an incredible moment.
We can also add Curacaos first goal against Germany and DR Congos impressive draw against Portugal to this list.
2.
Kylian Mbappe His brilliance in this Cup did not lead France to a title, but he will go home with the Golden Boot.
Mbappe is still just 27 years old and is the leading goal scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals.
Weve talked about this plenty, and it still doesnt feel like enough.
He could theoretically play two more World Cups.
As Felipe Cardenas wrote Saturday, his greatness is cemented.
3.
Goooooooooooooooooool Fox broadcast this World Cup for an English-speaking audience, but Telemundo secured the Spanish-language rights and arguably stole the show for speakers of both languages.
We received dozens of emails from readers saying they preferred watching on Telemundo, even if they couldnt understand most of the commentary.
The goal calls were irresistible.
We have a fun graphic of the best goals of this World Cup, judged by how long the GOOOOOOOOOL call was.
Advertisement 4.
The USMNT performance Yes, it ended poorly against Belgium, mired in international strife.
But it felt like a true welcome to the international soccer stage on multiple levels.
This American team played like no other before it, scoring goals at will and winning multiple World Cup games.
It bears repeating that Mauricio Pochettino, who began his USMNT tenure with this World Cup, is the winningest Cup coach in this countrys history after one go-round.
That means something.
Heres the Americans road ahead.
Which brings me to my last point: you.
I have been asked, in both media interviews and conversations with friends, if I think this is the time when soccer really takes off in America.
The answer to that is more complex than yes or no, and I have plenty of thoughts on it, but I want to see where you all stand first.
So, our World Cup Exit Pulse Poll: What level of soccer fan are you now? - Im all in, and Ive been all in.
- Im newly in love.
- I like it, but IDK if Ill last.
- Im out, see yall next time.
Drop a comment below or head to your inbox to vote in the poll.
Well run the answers tomorrow.
Until then, soak in the emotions of this World Cup in GIF form.
And get ready for the Womens World Cup next year.
Time to hop across the Atlantic: Quick Majors: A speedy, gritty Open win Ryan Fox is a relatively unknown golfer.
He entered this weeks Open Championship ranked No.
56 in the world.
A good player, but not a household name.
What he did at Royal Birkdale over the weekend should change that: - Fox entered the third round eight shots back of the lead, with odds around 150-to-1 to win.
No one considered Fox a threat.
A Saturday 62, combined with a 68 yesterday, sealed his first major victory.
Fox now holds the biggest comebacks from his first-round position (tied for 85th) and second-round position (tied for 52nd).
- What golf fans love most about Fox: his pace, which is quick.
Fox wasted no time hovering over shots, a problem many of his colleagues face.
On No.
18, Fox had a birdie putt to win the whole tournament by a shot.
It took him just 22 seconds from the time Sam Burns picked his ball out of the hole to when Foxs ball found the cup.
Gabby Herzig wrote a great story on his legendary pace.
- Fox became the third man from New Zealand to win a major championship.
Incredibly, he had never finished in the top 10 of a major before this week, either.
Hes just the second player ever to do that at his age (39) or older.
Read more great stats from the Open here.
Fox beat back big names to win, too, and Ill remember Scottie Schefflers strange birdie on No.
17 for a while.
Lets keep moving: News to Know Vingegaard abandons Tour Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard is out of this years race after a nasty fall on the final descent of stage 15 yesterday, where he sustained a broken collarbone.
His departure all but ended any thought of a competitive finish, as Vingegaard was the only one in theoretical striking distance of Tadej Pogacar heading into the final week.
And it was an overall bad day for Vingegaard, who got woken up at 2 a.m.
for a random drug test.
Advertisement Dort headlines three-team trade The Thunder traded defensive stalwart Lu Dort to the Hawks in a three-team deal that sends Zacharie Risaccher, the 2024 No.
1 pick in the NBA Draft, to the Mavericks.
Oklahoma City received a boatload of second-round picks and, most importantly, salary relief that puts them under the dreaded second apron for next season.
See trade grades here.
Skattebo: Im fine Giants running back Cam Skattebo went viral Saturday night after attempting key word a backflip on stage at Fanatics Fest.
Skattebo, notably, fractured his fibula last season.
Its not the first time his off-field activities have come under fire, and heres what he said in response: Im just gonna keep being me.
If they wanna say Im braindead and I dont have no brain, then who cares? F it.
Heres the backflip, by the way: I cant even imagine John Harbaughs reaction to seeing this LOL pic.twitter.com/hCfiCvwCxV WyattzWorld (@WyattzWorId) July 18, 2026 More news: - Boxer Hannah Rapp, just 26, died after being struck by a vehicle while riding her bike.
More in our full story.
- The Sox are hot: Boston has won 13 straight after yesterdays win over Tampa Bay, which marks the second-longest winning streak in team history.
- Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and his family are OK after an attempted burglary at their home yesterday.
See our report.
- Angel Reese thanked Tempo coach Sandy Brondello for apologizing after Brondello called Reese a protected species over the weekend.
Watch Guide MLB: Dodgers at Phillies 7:10 p.m.
ET on ESPN L.A.
is light-years ahead in the NL West (11 1/2 games) and is more concerned with Shohei Ohtanis pitching future.
Philly, meanwhile, is just three games back in the NL East and needs a good second half to keep pace.
These are two of the most talented lineups in all of baseball, too.
Good game.
WNBA: Aces at Tempo 8 p.m.
ET on Peacock and NBC Sports Network Im still intrigued by Toronto, one of the leagues better stories this year, but the Tempo have disappointed of late (and will be without their coach here because of the above incident).
Las Vegas needs to keep winning in order to stay afloat with Golden State and Minnesota surging atop the W standings.
Still worth a look.
Pulse Picks A final World Cup thought for today: The breakout TV star of this Cup has been Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
But as Andrew Marchand writes, it was host Rebecca Lowe who made it happen.
As the NHL talks expansion, Shayna Goldman took it a step further and imagined what a mock expansion draft would look like in 2027.
Fascinating.
Advertisement As we slowly turn our eyes toward NFL training camp, our staff picked one player on each team with the most on the line this year.
I was surprised by some of these names.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The story behind Josh Kerrs record-breaking mile run.
I still cant believe the time.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our piece on Argentinas scrap after the World Cup final.