分类： sports

The 202X FIFA World Cup continues its group stage slate this Friday, June 19, with four compelling matches spanning four U.S. host cities, packed with underdog ambition, star injury suspense, and redemption narratives that have soccer fans across the globe tuning in. From a U.S. men’s national team seeking to build on a stunning opening win to five-time champions Brazil looking to bounce back from a lackluster draw, the day’s action delivers no shortage of storylines to follow.

Kicking off the day at 3 p.m. EDT in Seattle, the United States will face Australia, coming off a breakout opening performance that has sent fan expectations skyrocketing. The Americans delivered a 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay last time out, with Folarin Balogun notching a brace and Gio Reyna adding a third goal – a result that far outstripped even the most optimistic projections for the side. Star winger Christian Pulisic served as the catalyst for the team’s three first-half goals in that match, but was pulled at halftime after suffering a calf strain in pre-tournament training that has kept him sidelined from full team workouts for four straight days.

Pulisic, who wears a compression sleeve on his injured left calf, joined his teammates for a pre-match warmup huddle Thursday before completing individual fitness work in the gym, leaving his availability for the Australia match in question heading into kickoff. Midfielder Weston McKennie noted that the AC Milan attacker is desperate to take the field and that both the player and team medical staff are working overtime to get him fit, but would not speculate on a final call for the match. Australia, for its part, enters the contest with its own momentum after a polished 2-0 win over Turkey in its opener, with goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe. The Socceroos are making their sixth consecutive World Cup appearance, and will look to pull off an upset against the host nation in front of a raucous Seattle crowd.

The second match of the day, kicking off at 6 p.m. EDT in Foxborough, Massachusetts, sees Scotland face off against North African powerhouse Morocco. For Morocco, the match comes on the heels of a 1-1 draw with Brazil – a result that felt underwhelming for a side that has rapidly emerged as one of men’s soccer’s most dangerous underdogs after its historic semifinal run at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi made clear that the team’s ambitions go far beyond holding elite sides to draws, saying “We didn’t come to the U.S. to just play against Brazil. We came in to go even farther than we did in Qatar in 2022.”

Scotland, by contrast, enters with confidence after a 1-0 opening win over Haiti that put the side in position to reach the knockout round for the first time in modern history. Head coach Steve Clarke acknowledged that Morocco is a far stiffer test than his side’s first opponent, but embraced the underdog label that Scotland will carry into the match: “Against difficult opponents we have to be very good. We’re a little more comfortable as underdogs. … Sometimes Scotland prefers it that way.”

The night’s third match, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT in Philadelphia, sees Brazil take on Haiti, as the five-time World Cup champions look to rebound from a flat, uninspiring 1-1 draw with Morocco in their opening fixture. Brazil struggled out of the gate against Morocco, with early jitters leaving the side outplayed until a 32nd-minute equalizer from Vinícius Júnior salvaged a share of the points. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged the team’s rocky start, saying “We were a bit anxious at the beginning. Nerves were all over the place.”

Even without star Neymar, who is sidelined with his own calf injury, Brazil carries a massive talent gap over Haiti, and will face mounting pressure to deliver a dominant win to reassert their status as legitimate title contenders – a title they have not claimed since 2002. For Haitian fans, the match carries mixed emotions, as the small Caribbean nation has long held deep affection for Brazilian soccer culture.

Closing out the day’s action at 11 p.m. EDT in Santa Clara, California, Turkey and Paraguay will face off in a critical must-win match for both sides, who sit at the bottom of Group D after opening round losses. Paraguay’s fan base has already expressed frustration with the side following its 4-1 lopsided loss to the United States. Striker Mauricio scored the team’s only goal in that defeat, and will be counted on to deliver another clinical performance to get his side’s first points of the tournament. Turkey, making its first World Cup appearance in 24 years, dominated possession against Australia in its opener – holding 72% of the ball and outshooting the Socceroos 30-9 – but failed to find the back of the net, leaving the side desperate for a first win to keep its knockout stage hopes alive.

All four matches will be broadcast across Fox, Telemundo, and Peacock, with the final Turkey-Paraguay fixture airing on FS1. The day’s action continues a packed group stage that has already delivered its share of upsets and surprises, with more expected as teams fight to secure their spots in the knockout round.

SEATTLE — Uncertainty hangs over the availability of star American winger Christian Pulisic for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s critical second World Cup matchup against Australia on Friday, after the AC Milan attacker completed his fourth consecutive day of separate training Thursday while managing a nagging left calf injury.

The 27-year-old, widely regarded as the most accomplished player in the current U.S. squad, got the start in last week’s opening 4-1 blowout victory over Paraguay. But he was forced to exit at halftime, having developed unexpected stiffness from the injury he first sustained during a team training session. In the days leading up to Thursday’s session, Pulisic had already skipped full group workouts at the team’s Orange County base, and he did not join his teammates for on-pitch work Thursday morning at the University of Washington’s Husky Soccer Stadium.

Pulisic did join the full squad for a pre-training huddle ahead of Thursday’s session, wearing a compression sleeve on his injured calf, before heading inside the facility to complete individual strength and conditioning work in the gym.

Ahead of the session, U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie told reporters he had limited insight into Pulisic’s recovery timeline, but shared that the star is pushing hard to be available for the Australia fixture. “I know he really wants to be in, and he’s doing everything that he can, and the staff is doing everything that they can as well,” McKennie said. “But, that’s also another question that’s better to ask him than me.”

Pulisic was a key playmaker in the opening win over Paraguay, creating an early own goal by the Paraguayan defense and notching an assist for Folarin Balogun’s first goal of the two he scored in the match. Losing their top attacking weapon would deal a significant blow to the U.S. side, which entered the Australia matchup riding a wave of momentum off its highest-scoring opening World Cup performance in modern history.

Despite the injury concern, the squad remains focused on capitalizing on the momentum built from the opening win, said midfielder Cristian Roldan. “What excites me is that the entire world, the entire nation is behind us,” Roldan said. “I think that they enjoyed watching us play, and at the end of the day what we want to do is inspire and motivate the next generation. … We have to build off it, and that’s the truth. We can’t just talk about it: we have to show out against Australia.”

If head coach Mauricio Pochettino rules Pulisic unfit to face the Socceroos, he has multiple attacking options to step into the starting role. The two most likely replacements are Leeds winger Brenden Aaronson, who notched four goals and five assists in the most recent club season, and Marseille forward Tim Weah, whose pace can change the dynamic of a game on either flank.

Other potential options include Gio Reyna, who scored the U.S.’s final goal against Paraguay and has shown dynamic playmaking ability off the wing. Sebastian Berhalter already replaced Pulisic at halftime in the Paraguay opener, while starting midfielder Malik Tillman turned in an impressive performance in Pulisic’s absence during that match.

McKennie added that the entire squad has rallied around Pulisic during his recovery, and that the star has remained in a strong mental state despite the setback. “I think mentally he’s great,” McKennie said. “I think it’s really hard for someone’s mental game to be messed up in these types of conditions in U.S. soccer, and all the guys around, we’re a big family. So, we’re always there to pick someone up if they’re down, and excel them even further if they’re not. So, I think he’s doing good mentally.”

On a sun-drenched Thursday morning at London’s iconic Oval cricket ground, New Zealand pulled off a stunning lower-order batting performance, headlined by Glenn Phillips’ first career test century, that pushed the Black Caps to a far higher first innings total than most analysts predicted against England.

Resuming day two at 291 for seven wickets – a position where New Zealand’s coaching staff privately targeted 350 runs as a strong outcome, with the tail exposed and England poised to take the new ball – the visitors compiled an overall total of 391 all out. Phillips was the final wicket to fall, finishing unbeaten? No, out for an even 100, capping a remarkable comeback for the lower order.

England’s chances of a swift wrap-up of the New Zealand innings were derailed by two key factors: an over-reliance on short-pitched bowling that failed to trouble the New Zealand batters, and the delayed return of their most potent fast bowler, Jofra Archer. Archer, playing his first test match since December, had delivered a blistering spell of eight consecutive overs on day one that left spectators breathless, but the effort left him fatigued heading into the second morning.

Archer did not appear until the 19th over of the morning, just before the lunch break. By the time he entered the attack, Phillips and tailender Kyle Jamieson had already turned the game on its head. The pair shared an 87-run partnership from just 96 balls, with 74 of those runs coming in 12 overs in the first hour of play that saw New Zealand sail past the 350 benchmark.

Jamieson, New Zealand’s 2.07-meter tall pace bowler, capitalized on a dropped catch when Ben Duckett, fumbling into bright sun with sunglasses perched on his cap, put him down at 15. Despite being hit twice on the helmet by short deliveries, Jamieson batted with remarkable confidence, growing his overnight score of 6 to 41 off 48 balls – his highest test score in six years of international cricket. He struck six new boundaries after play resumed, including two beautifully timed cover drives, before being bowled by part-time spinner Jacob Bethell, who finished with England’s best bowling figures of three wickets.

Phillips, who resumed the day on 49, brought up his half-century from just the second delivery of the morning with a top edge that cleared the wicketkeeper. With Archer resting on the sidelines, Phillips ruthlessly punished wayward short deliveries from England’s seamers Sonny Baker and Josh Tongue. He surpassed his previous highest test score of 87, set against Bangladesh in 2023, and brought up his milestone century off 133 deliveries, decorated with 18 boundaries, adding to his existing record of two centuries each in ODI and T20 international cricket.

In a moment of good sportsmanship, Phillips reached his hundred with two runs and a single off the returning Archer, who responded with a warm congratulatory tap on the back. Shortly after, Archer claimed the wickets of Matt Henry and Phillips to end the New Zealand innings. In the three overs remaining before lunch, England moved to 15 without loss, setting the stage for an absorbing second innings battle.