25 h. ago The US men’s national team aren’t just underachievers; they’re unlikeable | Beau Dure

As the 2026 World Cup approaches, the USMNT lack the charisma, underdog charm and striking victories of their predecessorsImagine the 1980 Miracle on Ice, but with the USA on the other side.In this scenario, the US men’s hockey team aren’t a scrappy band of outmatched amateurs playing for the country perceived as the good guys in the cold war. The opponents aren’t an aloof, brutally effective Soviet Union team expected to steamroll their way to a gold medal just as their military were attempting to steamroll their way through Afghanistan. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Gymnastics’ embrace of Russians highlights neutrality’s blurred lines

FIG’s endorsement of Angelina Melnikova raises eyebrows, as does its president’s hug for propagandist Nikita NagornyyUpon his arrival in Moscow this month, Morinari Watanabe, the president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), made a curious decision. As he emerged for meetings, Watanabe was greeted by the gymnast Nikita Nagornyy. The pair embraced in a warm hug before the cameras.Across his decade on the Russian men’s national team, Nagornyy established himself as one of the great gymnasts of his generation. A former world all-around champion, he led Russia to the men’s team gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. His eponymous triple back pike remains an audacious athletic feat. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Nations League losses and sparse crowds have US momentum at low ebb

SoFi Stadium will host the US for two of its World Cup group games, but it was barren for their two lackluster gamesMauricio Pochettino looked sullen. Occasionally, he would shake his head in despair. Mostly, he just looked on with a frown.The United States men’s national team manager understood that there would be a lot of recriminations to go around. Following a second competitive loss in four days in the Concacaf Nations League finals, it was hard to pinpoint where, exactly, to lay the blame for a dispiriting international window for the USA. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Tuchel and Kane take aim at Euros campaign before England v Albania: football – live

Scathing assessment of Euros displays under SouthgateFootball Daily | Football Weekly Extra | And email LukeOn the eve of what turned out to be his first loss in a competitive match in charge of the United States men’s national team and the end of his honeymoon with his newish employers, Mauricio Pochettino said something accidentally prescient.“Football is about timing and it’s about form and the situation of the player,” he said to a room of reporters ahead of the US’s 1-0 loss to Panama. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Mauricio Pochettino’s US honeymoon is over, but it’s not time to panic

That the US was once again bested by Panama showed that this is still a flawed team with ample chance to improveOn the eve of what turned out to be his first loss in a competitive match in charge of the United States men’s national team and the end of his honeymoon with his newish employers, Mauricio Pochettino said something accidentally prescient.“Football is about timing and it’s about form and the situation of the player,” he said to a room of reporters ahead of the US’s 1-0 loss to Panama. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Canada’s Alistair Johnston: ‘Our country is under threat, under attack’

The Celtic defender’s star has risen alongside his country’s soccer fortunes as they prepare for a potential Nations League clash with the USThe style and system Jesse Marsch has moulded for the Canadian men’s national team is predicated on pressure; hemming in and harrying opponents until they are deprived of options. It is lovingly labelled the ‘maplepress,’ and it turns out its principles also apply to wedding planning.Alistair Johnston, one of the spiritual leaders of Marsch’s rapid Canadian revolution over these past 10 months, will tie the knot this summer. When his fiancée Peyton Pesavento looked for time, she was immediately hemmed in. “I only had one date that I could give her in the next two calendar years!” the Celtic defender says with a smile. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Mauricio Pochettino: ‘In five or 10 years the US can be No 1 in the world’

Argentinian reveals the challenges of managing the US men’s national side, that he was never in consideration for the England job and how he would love a return to SpursPressure? It comes with the territory for Mauricio Pochettino, what with his territory these days being the United States and the job of managing the men’s national team. For a World Cup. That the US will largely host next year. And yet Pochettino felt the dial turn a little further on the Friday before last when he watched a clip of Donald Trump hosting Gianni Infantino at the White House.“Can the US win?” Trump asked his presidential counterpart at Fifa. To which, for a man as obsequious as Infantino, there was only one reply. Pochettino smiles. “Gianni said yes, but I was disappointed with this answer,” he says. “He should say: ‘You need to ask your great coach, Pochettino.’ Because for sure, he can give a better opinion.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Dangerous heat is a real threat for the 2026 World Cup. Are teams ready?

Experts warn that cooling breaks and later kickoff times may be needed to cope with scorching temperatures when North America hosts the tournamentOver the course of a playing career that wound through Spain, Mexico and the sunbaked fields of Major League Soccer’s summers, American midfielder Tab Ramos was never hotter than at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.The day before the United States men’s national team opened its tournament against Switzerland in the Pontiac Silverdome, it had been 99F (37C) in Michigan. By the 11.30am kickoff on matchday, the temperature reached 90F (32C) again. Worse still, the Silverdome was an NFL stadium designed for winter – to keep heat in, rather than out. The first World Cup match played indoors was conducted in a dome without air conditioning. On the field, the temperature reached 106F (41C). The grass laid over the artificial turf had been watered so eagerly that, with the sun beating down on the stadium’s fabric roof, the air turned soupy ...

Events