0:09
Belgium take strength from ‘millions and millions’ of new fans before Spain clash
Rudi Garcia, the Belgium coach, is feeling the energy of millions and millions of new fans after Donald Trump's high-profile intervention on behalf of Folarin Balogun. The direct red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina was put on hold, but that didn't stop Belgium from defeating the USA 4-1 in the last 16. Garcia says his team is taking incredible strength from this unexpected boost in support, especially with the quarter-final against Spain on the horizon.
Garcia is confident in his team, despite the outside noise saying they're going home. He's got a secret weapon on the bench: Romelu Lukaku, who he claims opponents quake in their boots when he's introduced. Garcia has spoken to Balogun, telling him not to blame himself for Trump's lobbying or Fifa's decision.
The Belgium football federation even poked fun at Trump's dance on social media, with players celebrating the win by parodying it. Garcia is looking forward to the Spain match, and his team's newfound momentum is giving him hope. With Lukaku waiting in the wings, Garcia believes his team can pull off an upset.
1:32
Rams will give replica Super Bowl LXVI rings to fans who attend Week 6 game vs. Cardinals
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It's the five-year anniversary of the first championship the Rams have won while based in L.A. During the 2026 season, they'll be commemorating the Super Bowl win by giving their fans a special gift.
The Rams announced on Thursday that the first 60,000 who enter SoFi Stadium for the Week 6 game against the Cardinals will receive a "limited-edition replica Championship ring with a special feature!"
The Cardinals game was likely hand-picked for one important reason — it's the 2026 Rams home game that is likely to have the highest concentration of Rams fans.
It's been one of the basic realities of returning to the market the Rams (and Raiders) abandoned for 20 years. A full generation of Angelenos came of age with no geographic connection to any NFL team. They were able to pick whichever team they wanted to follow.
Now, when those teams come to town, the local fans of that team are just as likely to show up for the game as the Rams fans are.
Enter the Cardinals. Of the eight teams that will play the Rams at SoFi Stadium this season (Giants, Bills, Cardinals, Chargers, Packers, Chiefs, Cowboys, and Seahawks), the Arizona game will be the one at which the fewest fans of the other team will show up.
It helps that the Cardinals aren't expected to be very good. Even if they somehow run the table for the first five weeks (Chargers, Seahawks, 49ers, Giants, Lions), it's unlikely that Cardinals fans will overrun the building the way that, say, 49ers fans do.
So, yes, if the goal is to ensure that the replica Rams rings end up on the fingers of Rams fans, Week 6 was the best occasion for the giveaway.
On the markets — Kalshi traders have been actively repricing this story in the last day.
3:38
Conor McGregor slams Max Holloway’s glasses to ground in intense UFC 329 staredown
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway's tension is reaching a boiling point. Their first staredown after the UFC 329 press conference nearly turned physical, with McGregor and Holloway needing to be separated by security. McGregor made a bold statement by grabbing Holloway's sunglasses and slamming them to the ground, a clear sign of disrespect. Holloway didn't back down, and the two fighters went forehead to forehead before being pulled apart. The drama didn't end there, as Holloway asked for another staredown and McGregor responded by slapping Holloway's hands, finally leading to their separation.
4:28
Conor McGregor serenades crowd with his rendition of Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ ahead of UFC 329
Conor McGregor was in high spirits at the UFC 329 pre-fight press conference, showing off his singing voice with an impromptu rendition of Oasis' 'Wonderwall'. The former two-division champion is making his return to action after a five-year hiatus and was asked about the bigger comeback - his fight or Oasis' potential reunion tour in 2025. McGregor expressed his admiration for the band, mentioning that brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher have attended UFC events in the past.
McGregor even took it a step further, belting out his own version of 'Wonderwall' to a crowd of fans. While he might not be a rock 'n' roll icon, he certainly had a blast singing on stage. McGregor playfully teased Paddy Pimblett for not joining in with backup vocals, joking that he needed some help from his fellow fighter.
5:31
Conor McGregor scoffs at Max Holloway predicting trilogy after UFC 329: ‘I forecast Holloway’s retirement on Saturday night’
Conor McGregor isn't buying what Max Holloway's selling. Holloway thinks they'll have a trilogy after this fight, but McGregor's convinced he's just looking for a big payday before retiring. McGregor finds Holloway's comments disrespectful, and he's predicting a knockout on Saturday night.
McGregor's not just talking trash - he's got a plan to dismantle Holloway. He's saying he can knock him out inside 10 seconds, and that he's got the skills to take him down quickly. McGregor's also calling out Holloway's boxing skills, saying they're abysmal and that he's never impressed by Holloway's performances in the octagon.
McGregor's confident he's got this fight in the bag, and he's promising to meet Holloway in the middle and throw down if the action makes it that far. He's expecting a lot of interesting headlines after this fight, but he's got one of his own: "The Mac is back, well and truly."
6:45
‘Gutted’: Australian medal hope Kaylee McKeown forced out of Commonwealth Games
Kaylee McKeown, Australia's top swim medal hope, is out of the Commonwealth Games due to glandular fever. She's gutted, folks, because this illness is going to prevent her from defending her four titles. McKeown's Commonwealth Games career is effectively over after a tough battle with glandular fever. We're talking about a swim champion here, someone who's been dominating the sport, and now she's facing a tough road to recovery. The Australian team just took a huge hit with McKeown's withdrawal. She was set to compete in Glasgow in just 13 days, but now her focus will be on getting back to full health.
7:35
Brian Schottenheimer would have remained with Cowboys if not hired as head coach
So here's the deal, buddy. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a history of hiring assistant coaches himself, even when there's a head coach in place. He did it with Jason Garrett back in 2007, and he's done it a few other times since. So when Brian Schottenheimer was in the running for the head coaching job in 2025, Jones basically guaranteed him a spot as OC, no matter what happened.
Schottenheimer himself said that he had an agreement with Jones and his son Stephen to stay on as OC if he didn't get the head coaching job. And get this, he really wanted to be the head coach, but he was willing to stick around as OC. The Cowboys did end up hiring him as head coach, and it didn't exactly work out - they went 7-9-1 in his first season. But the point is, Jones made it clear that Schottenheimer was part of the team, and he was going to stay on in some capacity.
It's worth noting that the Cowboys didn't exactly go after the hottest young OCs in the league that offseason. They bypassed guys like Ben Johnson and Liam Coen to interview Leslie Frazier, Robert Saleh, and Kellen Moore. Moore was probably looking to call his own plays, and Saleh and Frazier are defensive coordinators, so it's not like they were looking for an OC. But in the end, they went with Schottenheimer, and it's clear that Jones had a lot of faith in him.
9:14
Bella Mir: DWCS spot ‘most likely’ set for this summer
It looks like Bella Mir is going to have a very busy next few months.
Mir, the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and one of the brightest prospects in combat sports, is undefeated in MMA, but has also been competing at a very high level in the wrestling world, as well as making moves for UFC BJJ.
With the upcoming season of Dana White’s Contender Series on the horizon, rumors have been circulating in the MMA space that Mir is going to compete this summer. On the red carpet prior to Wednesday’s 17th Annual World MMA Awards, Mir was asked if discussions are going on, and if she’ll be a part of it.
“Yes, yes there is,” Mir told MMA Fighting. “I’m just excited to get it going. Hopefully I can get something [announced] soon, but there’s discussions going on.
“Most likely [I’ll be competing]. Yeah.”
With Mir doing so well in wrestling including a chance to make the U.S. team for World Championships with a finals match scheduled against Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blaydes in the near future, there are different combat paths the 23-year-old can take. But if she were to earn a UFC contract from White and the UFC matchmakers this summer, Mir says it will all go according to plan.
“This was always the plan,” Mir said. “I think my plan is just always taking every opportunity thrown at me [whether] it happens to be MMA or wrestling or whatever it is.
“This actually is like perfectly timed for me because I made the U23 World Team for wrestling and that’s for the end of October, so I’ll have just [enough] amount of time to train after and get ready for that. And obviously also train for Final X because Kennedy [Blaydes] pulled out for injury. So I also have that going on and then hopefully UFC BJJ title fight coming too. So, yeah, I’m always busy.”
It’s been about a year since Mir locked up a first-round submission victory for Fury FC in her most recent mixed martial arts bout.
While she remains busy, Mir seems like a perfect fit to make her return to an upcoming RAF card, and was asked if there are talks about that happening some time in 2026.
“I think, hopefully — can’t say yet — but hopefully I can be on one of their cards soon,” Mir said. “I hope I can make that official coming up.”
11:54
‘Dan Patrick Show’ producer refutes Alexi Lalas’ claim about ‘free soccer’
The voice of American soccer, Alexi Lalas, appears to have no interest in reducing youth soccer costs to improve the talent pipeline for the USMNT.
After another tough World Cup exit, the conversation around the growth of the sport turned again toward the price of youth participation. Lalas, debating with his followers on X, went to bat repeatedly this week in favor of a free market in the sport, even arguing that allowing club soccer to price some children out will make the country’s soccer culture “proudly unique.”
In a response on social media, longtime Dan Patrick Show producer Seton O’Connor offered a thorough example from Spain, where his son has competed in the youth system.
“The answer is right in front of Alexi Lalas’ face and he somehow never sees it,” O’Connor said in a video. “With the USMNT crashing out of the World Cup, people are talking again about fixing youth soccer in the United States, so the conversation has turned to free academies. Alexi Lalas usually replies with, ‘Who’s going to pay for all this free soccer?'”
The answer is right in front of @AlexiLalas and somehow he doesn’t see it pic.twitter.com/tP5dwDoeAo
— Seton O’Connor (@HiMyNameIsSeton) July 8, 2026
The model put forth by O’Connor is CF Damm in Barcelona, run by the Damm brewing company. Damm, which O’Connor said was similar in size to that of the parent company of Samuel Adams beers, funds and operates its own football club, dedicated solely to the development of Spanish soccer talent.
Players recruited to CF Damm compete in the top division of Spanish youth soccer, where phenoms like Spanish national team star Lamine Yamal still play.
O’Connor suggested that rather than running out the tired “no such things as free lunch” arguments that Lalas relies on, the conversation should shift toward asking why no major American corporation values something like youth sports development.
“Now let’s think about American companies. Apple, Google, Amazon, Nike, Tesla, SpaceX, their resources dwarf Damm’s. And several of them have also benefitted from stuff like government contracts and tax incentives and other forms of public support over the years,” O’Connor explained.
“So if public policy can be used to support already-successful companies keep growing, why couldn’t some of that success be reinvested into developing the next generation of American soccer players? Just a portion, just a small piece of it. Damm already proves that the model works. Why are we asking who’s going to pay for all this free soccer rather than asking, ‘Why hasn’t a single American company stepped up that youth soccer is a cause worth backing?'”
O’Connor then imagined what spending power would be possible if these huge companies moved even a portion of their advertising for this year’s World Cup to giving resources to kids who want to play soccer.
Because much of Lalas’ argument online revolved around a capitalist belief that companies should have the right to “sell” soccer at whatever price the market will pay and that executives and coaches in the system deserve to be paid whatever they are worth in that market, O’Connor tried to speak that language in his final point:
“Why do companies think that buying 30 seconds of advertising creates more value than building the next generation of players? I feel like that’s something that a proud American and a proud capitalist who also loves soccer, like Alexi Lalas, could speak to.”
Strangely, Lalas reposted O’Connor’s take on X without any added context or rebuttal, as if to endorse the idea — despite the fact that it runs completely counter to his take.
Perhaps this is just further proof that, while Lalas clearly has firmly held beliefs, his mission, above all, is to troll rather than to spread these beliefs or convince others of his perspectives.
The post ‘Dan Patrick Show’ producer refutes Alexi Lalas’ claim about ‘free soccer’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.
16:30
Didier Deschamps hails ‘exemplary’ Kylian Mbappé as France reach World Cup semi-finals
Mbappé misses penalty but scores in win against Morocco
‘There’s no problem, he never hesitates,’ says France coach
Didier Deschamps saluted the mentality of his players after France beat Morocco 2-0 in Thursday’s World Cup quarter-final. “That’s three semi-finals in a row,” he said. “That’s already good. But even though it seems logical and natural for us to be here you still have to achieve it.”
Is there a secret? “My credit goes to the players but maybe I do my job well,” Deschamps said. “This is a human venture we are sharing. The only truth is the one on the pitch but the human aspect is extremely important. It’s not copy and paste. It’s never the same situation or conditions. The most important thing in my life has always been the jersey and it’s good to see this group feel the same way.”
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