USMNT's ‘good’ loss, plus more Caitlin Clark drama

The Pulse Newsletter | This is The Athletics daily sports newsletter.

Good morning! Hit nine 3-pointers today.

Coming up: World Cupdate: USMNT loses, but thats fine Lets get this out of the way before any context: It was gutting, in the moment as an American, to watch Turkey score a game winner in the 98th minute last night against the U.S.

mens national team.

The U.S.

had a ton of positive momentum in the final minutes of the match, with Christian Pulisic and plenty of other starters on the pitch.

Advertisement Ultimately, as we discussed yesterday, the 3-2 loss didnt matter much.

The Americans are still the Group D winner.

They will still face Bosnia-Herzegovina next week in the round of 32, with a friendly path to the quarterfinals ahead.

A quick summary of everything that mattered last night: - Pulisic looked good after coming on in the 58th minute.

There was a visible shift when Pulisic entered, and the U.S.

after a listless end to the first half immediately felt like a different team.

Thats good for the future outlook.

- Sebastian Berhalter, son of former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, is the real winner here.

The 25-year-old subbed on in both of the early wins in this World Cup, but he played the full game last night.

He looked crisp on set pieces and scored this golazo: SEBASTIAN BERHALTER @FOXSports pic.twitter.com/74DwIsmZAa The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 26, 2026 The defensive back line may be a worry for this team going forward, but we should wait until they play at full strength for a complete judgment there.

Plenty more action tonight, too, as we race toward the round of 32, which starts Sunday.

Lets move on: Monitoring : A confusing NBA trade Welcome back to Monitoring after two weeks away.

Some things have happened since then.

Lets just get to it: A strange NBA blockbuster.

Just after send time yesterday morning, the Timberwolves made a puzzling splash by trading for Hornets star LaMelo Ball.

Minnesota stalwart Naz Reid is going to Charlotte in the deal, as are many picks.

Zach Harper wondered what these teams were doing while giving Minnesota a D+ for the deal.

I dont understand it either, but pairing Ball and Anthony Edwards does sound fun.

Caitlin Clarks disrespectful treatment.

Clark left Wednesdays game with an injury, but two cheap shots she endured that night, according to Fever coach Stephanie White, have rankled the league in the last 36 hours.

Three things from this: - Everyone is very, very mad ..

- Phoenixs Alyssa Thomas even earned a suspension from one incident ..

- and Sophie Cunningham somehow made a viral moment out of it all.

Hello, Baron.

There is never enough space to cover all things World Cup, but I must acknowledge the royal member of Swedens roster.

Gustaf Lagerbielke, a 26-year-old center back, comes from a line of nobility, particularly Counts, in his home country.

The guy wore his familys coat of arms on his shin guards growing up, which might be the coolest thing Ive read this week.

Turns out hes good, too.

Two of the best.

Were wrapping up 90s week over in college football, and I wanted to spotlight two stories, both focused on two of my favorite non-LSU characters in college football history.

- First is Ricky Williams, the electric Texas running back who was truly larger than life to a 6-year-old Chris.

He also became one of the more interesting people ever in the sport.

We have an oral history of his time at Texas, which I devoured.

- Second is Steve Spurrier, the man whose dominance as a coach at Florida made me loathe him when I was a child.

Those feelings changed to begrudged respect as a teen and outright admiration as an adult.

Sure, the accolades are great, but theres nothing better than reading a Spurrier quote.

And as Josh Kendall found out, Spurrier is still making sure no one will forget him.

Puppies.

Bud, Dew Drop and Bloom are three terrier/mixed breed puppies who visited USMNT camp one day before the teams 4-1 opening win against Paraguay.

It went over so well that players are asking for more dog visits.

Of course theyre cute, too.

Thanks for keeping watch with me.

Lets go to news: Advertisement News to Know Martins family sues Oakland The family of former NFL running back Doug Martin, who died in October, is suing the city of Oakland, Calif., alleging that Martin died at the hands of police.

Martins family also alleges the 36-year-old did not receive timely medical attention from paramedics.

Read our full story here.

Drafted, but going to college French basketball prospect Narcisse Ngoy reaffirmed his commitment to play at Auburn next season, despite being selected by the Hawks and later acquired by the Clippers during the NBA Draft on Tuesday.

Ngoy, 21, is perfectly eligible to play at Auburn, as he signed no contract nor declared for the draft.

He becomes a rare domestic draft-and-stash.

Mabrey ties scoring record Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey scored 53 points last night in a blowout win over the Los Angeles Sparks, which equals the WNBA record for points scored in a game.

Mabrey hit nine 3-pointers, the second time shes done that ..

and it also ties the league record for most 3-pointers in a game.

Read more on her night here and watch highlights.

More news: - Al Horford is back with the Warriors on a two-year deal at age 40.

Im convinced hell never retire.

- Welsh boxer Joe Cordina was ruled out of a world title fight due to visa issues entering the United States.