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Good morning! Red cards, man.
Inside: - Big win, tough punishment for USMNT - Brown on the move - A baseball mystery Bittersweet? A perfect day marred by an iffy call There was so much to celebrate in USMNTs 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina last night.
The teams first knockout-round win since 2002.
The first time the U.S.
has won three matches in a World Cup, ever.
In general, the best mens U.S.
soccer has looked in the modern era.
And yet today, all we will talk about is a red card.
Quick recap before getting existential: - The soccer itself was brilliant.
After a slow start, American striker Folarin Balogun found the net in the 45th minute on a breathtaking bit of body control in the box.
Its his third goal in three games played thus far.
Hes a force.
Malik Tillman added the second goal on a beautiful free kick later in the match.
- But, in the 64th minute, Balogun drew a red card for this play: Was this worthy of a red card? pic.twitter.com/WfrIxMRNMD FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 2, 2026 - Which means hell miss the next match, and a FIFA official confirmed the Americans cannot appeal the card.
No Balogun against Belgium in the Round of 16.
Heres a full explainer on all of it.
For an unbiased expert opinion, I went to The Athletic FC writer Phil Hay for a ruling: It shouldnt have been a red.
The collision was clumsy and the leg on the defenders leg was a nasty impact, but watching it back, Im not convinced Balogun was even trying to stick a foot in like that, or to properly put his foot at all.
It looked like an awkward landing more than anything and his ban for the last 16 is a big price to pay.
Advertisement It is a brutal turn for the host country, and coach Mauricio Pochettino agreed.
Ricardo Pepi has backed up Balogun in this tournament, but it remains to be seen what Pochettino decides come Monday.
If anything, the crowd in Seattle should be boisterous.
Torrey Hart, who edits this very newsletter, was in attendance last night at Levis Stadium and gave me a quick review of the crowd: What struck me in this crowd of 70,000, even from literally the top row, is the visceral, collective reaction in moments that can slip by you on TV.
Things like hydration breaks and VAR reviews completely suck the life out of the place, but on the flip side, the palpable tension before Tillmans goal was very emotional.
But what I will probably remember most is being in the postgame chorus of fans and players singing Take Me Home, Country Roads and feeling an actual sense of closeness to this soccer movement.
So USMNT vibes are still good, mostly.
A quick recap on the other two matches yesterday, which were both fantastic: - England escaped a massive upset against DR Congo thanks to two late goals from Harry Kane.
The last one, a stunning strike in the 86th minute, is the shot heard round the World Cup.
- Belgium somehow topped them, coming back from down 2-0 in the 86th minute to win on a penalty kick in the final minute of extra time.
Heres a breakdown of how they match up against the Americans.
More action today, of course.
Lets move on to a stacked news section: News to Know Brown lands in Philly After weeks of speculation, the Celtics finally traded Jaylen Brown yesterday, shipping him to division rival Philadelphia in exchange for Paul George and picks.
It is a fascinating and confusing trade all at once.
The 76ers are rejuvenated, focused on another title run while Joel Embiid is still theoretically within his prime.
For Boston? They get an aging star, picks and financial flexibility.
Its easy to wonder how that fan base feels.
Two other items from the fallout: - Philadelphias next target: LeBron James.
- Mitchell Robinson, once a big problem for the Celtics, joined them yesterday.
The best NHL deals of the day It was also a busy day of NHL transactions, led by the Canadiens extension with star rookie Ivan Demidov, an eight-year deal worth $9.15 million a season.
Montreal now has a talented young core under contract into the 2030s.
- Elsewhere, Jacob Trouba signed a four-year deal in San Jose.
John Carlson inked a two-year contract in Tampa Bay, and Sergei Bobrovsky left Florida for Toronto, which is a ..
risk.
- Dom Luszczyszyn graded every deal today, which was handy, as there were so many transactions we couldnt fit here.
See them here.
Bucks land another Harrison Five-star wide receiver Jett Harrison, the son of NFL legend Marvin Harrison and younger brother of current NFL player Marvin Harrison Jr., committed to play at Ohio State yesterday.
As his bloodline suggests, the youngest of that crew is also supremely talented, rated the No.
2 receiver in the 2028 class.
Read the full scouting report here.
Advertisement More news: - Another noteworthy NBA deal: The Lakers traded for Jazz center Walker Kessler.
Its an interesting move post-James.
- Tim Hardaway Sr.
is happy his son, Tim Jr., signed with his former team, the Heat.
Dad wont let son wear his number though.
- The brother of Ravens defensive tackle Calais Campbell has been charged with murder in the death of their mother.
Read our full report.
- A former Titans scout was convicted of killing his girlfriend and unborn child.
More details here.
- Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli said he feels awful about his confrontation with Boston first baseman Willson Contreras.
See his comments.
- Meanwhile, the Padres set the franchise record for worst loss, falling 23-3 to the Cubs.
- Aaron Judge criticized the Yankees lack of focus.
Its a rare criticism.
- Fever coach Stephanie White denounced online hate against Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, who was suspended a game for a flagrant foul on Indiana star Caitlin Clark.
Read more.
Hmm : Wait, are the baseballs juiced? It is amazing how the smallest detail can affect an entire league.
Or at least we think.
Today, that minuscule outlier happens to be ..
yarn.
Its the subject of a fascinating story, published yesterday, by Eno Sarris and Evan Drellich.
The dueling (and possibly related) realities: - Many of MLBs baseballs used this season have been subject to a manufacturing error, which leaves the balls with a yellow discoloration.
Rawlings, who produces the baseballs, said this was due to excess oil in the yarn on the baseballs.
- Simultaneously, baseballs are flying farther than they have in years.
The key stat to focus on is drag, which measures how much a baseball slows down in the air.
Drag goes up, ball goes slower.
Drag goes down, ball goes far.
This month, drag is down to levels not seen since 2019, when MLB players hit so many home runs the league changed the ball.
So what gives? Both Rawlings and MLB claim the oily yarn has had no observable impact on the ball.
But according to The Athletics reporting, multiple players and coaches have noticed a major difference.
And the numbers behind the sudden upswing are persuasive.
Read all that in the full story.
Its worth a look today.
You can also watch Eno explain this further on the Rates & Barrels podcast.
Watch Guide Tennis: Wimbledon 6 a.m.
noon ET on ESPN networks Another full morning ahead from the All England Club with plenty of notables in action.
Defending womens champion Iga Swiatek and second-seeded Elena Rybakina play their second-round matches, while Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev and Frances Tiafoe anchor the mens side.
World Cup: Round of 32 3 p.m.
11 p.m.
ET on Fox, FS1 and Telemundo We have but two more days until the Round of 16 is set, with three more matches in tow today.
The only theoretical blowout is Spain-Austria, our 3 p.m.
appetizer.
At 7 p.m., Portugal-Croatia is our main dish, full of anxiety for the once-favored Portuguese, who have looked lifeless so far in this tourney.
Switzerland-Algeria is the FS1 game at 11 p.m., which figures to be close, and would face the winner of Colombia-Ghana in the next round.
Pulse Picks As we mentioned above, the Caitlin Clark foul saga continues to roil.
Brian Hamilton wrote a great column on the toxicity of the entire situation, saying we need to toss the 2026 WNBA season into an ice bath.
Read it here.
Ted Nguyen identified five NFL defenses that could break out in 2026.
Yes, the Cowboys are there.
Advertisement Despite all the seismic NBA moves so far, the East still goes through New York, as James L.
Edwards III writes.
The MLB All-Star Game is creeping up on us.
Ken Rosenthal predicted the rosters.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Guardians rookie Cooper Ingles funny oopsie.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The USMNT live blog.