{"id":894207,"date":"2026-06-26T13:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T13:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/894207\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T13:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T13:34:23","slug":"usmnt-turn-page-to-world-cup-knockout-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/894207\/","title":{"rendered":"USMNT turn page to World Cup knockout round"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u26bd Five things to know Friday <\/p>\n

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  1. The USMNT closed group play with a gut-wrenching loss.<\/strong> It has no bearing on the bigger World Cup picture as the Americans are still moving on to the Round of 32 as Group D champions. But it was a tough 3-2 defeat<\/a> at the hands of T\u00fcrkiye nonetheless. The decisive goal came in the final minute and was a sour finish to an up-and-down outing<\/a> for the United States, which received goals early in both halves from Auston Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter<\/a>. Those goals gave the USMNT eight for the tournament, which is the most by an American team in a single World Cup — and they are only three games deep. Up next is the Round of 32 matchup with Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.<\/li>\n
  2. The Hornets dealt LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves in a shocking trade.<\/strong> Things moved quickly in Charlotte’s head-turning pursuit of a trade partner, and it found one in Minnesota, which was willing to part with a bevy of future draft picks in exchange for Ball. This could prove to be a win-win deal, as our trade grades suggest<\/a>. In order for the Timberwolves to capitalize on this addition, Ball needs to stay healthy and prove himself as a winner<\/a>. On paper, Anthony Edwards benefits greatly from the deal<\/a> as he is now flanked by the best backcourt partner of his career. But can two ball-dominant guards thrive in the same system? As for the Hornets, they’re playing the long game<\/a> and choosing to build around Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller rather than Ball. They need to ace the draft in the coming years for this to age well.<\/li>\n
  3. There is a new WNBA single-game scoring co-champion.<\/strong> The league witnessed one of its greatest individual performances on Thursday when Marina Mabrey tied the scoring record with 53 points<\/a> in the Tempo’s 125-97 win over the Sparks. She is the third player to log 53 points in a game, following A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage, and she also matched the 3-point record with nine conversions from beyond the arc. The first All-Star selection of Mabrey’s career is on the horizon as she now leads the WNBA in 3-pointers with 64 and ranks fourth in scoring.<\/li>\n
  4. Shohei Ohtani and Ernie Clement are MLB All-Star Game starters.<\/strong> Phase 1 of All-Star voting is complete, and as the top vote-getters in the National League and American League, respectively, Ohtani and Clement are guaranteed spots in their teams’ starting lineups. Check out the top two finishers at every position, plus the top six outfielders<\/a>, who moved on to the second round of voting. That next phase runs from June 29 through July 2 and will determine the rest of the starting position players.<\/li>\n
  5. Alyssa Thomas received a one-game suspension for her incident with Caitlin Clark.<\/strong> While she was not called for a foul in the moment, the WNBA retroactively assessed a flagrant-2 foul<\/a> against Thomas for pushing her fist into Clark’s neck in the Mercury’s 111-109 win over the Fever on Thursday. Clark was on the receiving end of what coach Stephanie White called “two cheap shots” and left the game with a back injury after those incidents. She will aim to return for Saturday’s game against the Sparks, which you can watch at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \ud83c\udfc8 Do not miss this: Top 100 NFL players of 2026
    \n Getty Images<\/p>\n

    The reigning NFL MVP is not the best player in the league heading into the 2026 season, according to Pete Prisco. While he is still extremely high on Matthew Stafford<\/strong> as he gears up for his age-38 campaign, Prisco slightly prefers the sport’s biggest defensive star at the top of his annual top-100 player rankings<\/a>. <\/p>\n

    Myles Garrett<\/strong> cemented himself among the all-time legends when he broke the NFL single-season sack record last year. The former Browns<\/strong> superstar — now a member of the Rams<\/strong> following this summer’s biggest blockbuster trade — took the crown as the biggest game-changer the league has to offer. <\/p>\n

    Prisco:<\/strong> “Trading away a Defensive Player of the Year the season after he won the award had never happened before this deal. But it works for the Rams. They are all in this year, so they made the move to get Garrett by giving up a haul. That tells you his value. It speaks to why he sits atop my list of the NFL’s best 100 players.” <\/p>\n

    That also makes it three Rams inside the top 10. Los Angeles is the Super Bowl favorite for a reason. Putting this trio on the same roster is a surefire way to give yourself a shot at the Lombardi Trophy. <\/p>\n

    1. DE Myles Garrett<\/strong> (Last year: 2) <\/p>\n

    2. QB Matthew Stafford<\/strong> (NR) <\/p>\n

    9. WR Puka Nacua<\/strong> (63) <\/p>\n

    Also, now that we’re just 75 days out from the season opener, I’ll share with you Prisco’s 75th-favorite player. It’s 49ers<\/strong> quarterback Brock Purdy<\/strong>, who, despite playing just nine games last year due to injuries, climbed back into the top 100. <\/p>\n

    \ud83c\udfc0 NBA Rookie of the Year predictions
    \n Getty Images<\/p>\n

    Each of the top three picks in the NBA Draft had a strong case to be the No. 1 overall selection. One of them, however, does not own a clear path to the Rookie of the Year award. Not a single one of our NBA experts picked<\/a> Darryn Peterson<\/strong>\u00a0because he won’t accrue the stats necessary to earn the honor, given the amount of talent in Utah. That leaves AJ Dybantsa<\/strong> and Cameron Boozer<\/strong> as the clear favorites. <\/p>\n

    That doesn’t mean it’s a lock that one of those two will win, though. These three other newcomers have +1500 odds or better<\/a> to secure some early-career hardware: <\/p>\n