Hello everyone, but especially to…
THE UNITED STATES MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
When USA needed a goal, their biggest star stepped in. When he couldn’t continue, the rest of his team did the work. The United States are in the round of 16 thanks to Christian Pulisicit is objective and a solid defense in a 1-0 victory against Iran. The United States will face Netherlands Saturday.
The USMNT now has multiple shutouts in a single World Cup for only the second time.
- Pulisic scored his first career World Cup goal in the 38th minutewhen Weston McKennie sent a ball over the Iranian defense to Sergino Destwho headed the ball towards the goal for Pulisic to score as it crashed into the Iranian keeper. You can see the goal here.
- Pulisic was substituted for Brenden Aaronson at half time and went to the hospital for tests after feeling dizzy following the collision. He was diagnosed with a pelvic bruise and it’s day to day.
- USA then held on in the second half without Pulisic. Defenders Tyler Adams, Tim Ream, Cameron Carter Vickers and Walker Zimmermann made several key interventions in front of the rock-solid keeper Matt Turner.
It was the exact kind of nerve-wracking, nerve-wracking stuff that makes the World Cup so special. The United States needed to win to advance, while Iran only needed a draw. In the end, the Stars and Stripes held their ground and the manager Gregg Berhalter deserves a lot of credit, writes football expert Chuck Booth.
- Stand: “Berhalter made massive calls during this World Cup. Not only starting Zack Steffen and Ricardo Pepi off the team but also starting [Josh] Sargent, Rame and Turner. All three played a big part in why the team are in the last 16 right now, along with Carter-Vickers who was a surprise inclusion in the line-up against Iran. Until the job is done, Berhalter’s plan has been perfect during this World Cup and he’ll have more calls to make if Pulisic and Sargent can’t make it. “
Chuck also wrote about how good the american midfielder has been — and why it might be good for a long, long time. I strongly encourage you to check it out.
As for player ratingsPulisic led the way with an 8/10, and plenty of others got high marks as well.
Honorable mentions
Not so honorable mentions
College football playoff standings: Georgia, Michigan, TCU and USC are second-to-last in the top four 🏈
The penultimate college football playoff standings are hereand there are major changes after last week’s drama.
ohio state went from #2 to #5 after being crushed by Michiganand USC went from No. 6 to No. 4 thanks to the losses of the Buckeyes and USL, as well as their own victory over our Lady. Here is the new top 6:
Trojans are now a Pac-12 Championship game win Utah far from becoming the first Pac-12 team to make the playoffs since Washington in 2016-17. The Utes, however, are the only team to have beaten the Trojans this season – in a 43-42 thriller in mid-October.
NFL Power Rankings: Bengals rise, Cowboys return to top five 🏈
It’s amazing what two wins in five days – both against playoff-caliber teams – can do for you. Two weeks ago, the Cowboys had just suffered an upset defeat Packers it made us wonder if one of the most talented teams in the league could pull it all together in a cohesive way. Now, after a resounding victory against the vikings and a simple Thanksgiving victory over the giantsDallas is back at No. 5 from our Senior NFL Writer Pete Prisco’s Latest Power Rankings.
The Cowboys are behind Chiefs, Eagles, Dolphins and Invoices, which remained at No. 1-4, in that order. Also on the rise are bengals, who moved from 10th to eighth after a win at Tennessee. They have a huge opportunity this weekend to Chiefswrites Pete.
- Price: “The Bengals beat the Chiefs twice last season, the last time in Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game. … The Chiefs are the highest-ranked team in the league, which makes Sunday another proof game for the Bengals. Win it, and they’ll definitely be considered Super Bowl contenders again. Lose, and the early issues might be back in the spotlight. But at least they’ve shown that they could win against the Titans.
The Browns were the highest — from 25 to 17 — while the Titans went the other way, dropping from fifth to 10th.
England top of Group B; Netherlands, Senegal group A advance ⚽
The United States were not the only team to officially advance to the knockout stages on Tuesday. England beaten Wales3-0, to win Group B. It was a stark contrast to the Three Lions’ 0-0 draw against the United States, and Marcus Rashford led the way with a pair of goals and an 8/10 rating from James Benge.
- Benge: “It’s as if the fresh-faced superstar of 2016 has returned from a long hibernation; as has been the case at club level, Rashford seems to have fallen in love with his game all over again. His running, devastating trickery and finishing ferocious for his second goal was one of the best pieces of individual quality this tournament has seen.”
In Group A, the Netherlands have passed the stage already eliminated Qatar 2-0with goals of Cody Gakpo — which will be a handful for the USA — and Frankie de Jong. In the other Group A game, Senegal to beat Ecuador, 2-1with Kalidou Koulibaly provide the winner a few minutes after the Equator Moises Caicedo had canceled Ismaila Sarris the opener. England-Senegal should be a good round of 16.
Here are our picks for today’s action.
Tiger Woods speaks out on LIV Golf, Greg Norman 🏌
Getty Images
One day after withdraw from the Hero World Challenge due to plantar fasciitis in the right foot, Tiger Woods had a lot to say on a variety of topics on Tuesday, but his strongest words were recorded for LIV Golf.
- Woods said the first stage of peace talks between PGA Tour and LIV Golf would be remove LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.
- Another step, Woods said, would be the two leagues drop the legal battles between them.
- Woods’ words echo what Rory McIlroy said a few weeks ago.
The woods too spoke out strongly against the official world golf rankingsechoing Jon Rahmhis thoughts. Let our golf expert Kyle Porter Explain.
- Carry: “Rahm’s argument, in its most basic form, was that the OWGR should not reward the winner of the RSM Classic with 37 points and the winner of the DP World Tour Championship with only 22 points when the latter should defeat seven of the top 25 players in the world and The OWGR, on the other hand, structured its point system to reward beating the biggest fields rather than the smallest ones (the DP World Tour Championship only had 50 players while the RSM had 156).
Finally, the woods take stock of their own healthsaying in part “I can hit the golf ball and hit any shot you want, I just can’t walk.” Woods said he hopes to play in all four majors and “maybe one or two more” this season.
What we’re watching on Wednesday 📺
⚽ We watch the World Cup. Here is the program.
🏒 Sabers at Red Wings7 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 17 Duke at No. 25 Ohio State7:15 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Heat at the Celtics7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 No. 18 UNC to No. 10 Indiana9:15 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Oilers at Blackhawks9:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Trail Blazers at Lakers10:30 p.m. on NBA TV