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		<title>Latest Sports News from FOX Sports</title>
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			<title>Latest Sports News from FOX Sports</title>
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			<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 04:56:28 -0400</pubDate>
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					<![CDATA[The Ohio State Of The World Cup? Each Semifinalist As A College Football Powerhouse]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/world-cup-college-football-france-ohio-state-spain-georgia-england-texas-argentina-alabama</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/world-cup-college-football-france-ohio-state-spain-georgia-england-texas-argentina-alabama</guid>
				<category>soccer</category>
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				    <![CDATA[Comparing the final four World Cup teams standing to some of college football's top programs? Let's do it.]]>
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				<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:53:37 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[Somehow, yes, it's true: for the first time in World Cup history, the four remaining teams are also the top four teams in FIFA's rankings. The tournament has been around since 1930, and even with an expanded 48-team field designed to create more unpredictability, the final four is as chalk as it gets. No. 1 France plays No. 3 Spain in Dallas on Tuesday, while No. 2 Argentina faces No. 4 England in Atlanta on Wednesday. No matter who wins, we’ll be rewarded with a dream final. That got us thinking: while there aren't perfect like-for-like comparisons in college football, there are enough similarities that these four World Cup semifinalists resemble some recent College Football Playoff teams. Here’s our best run at it: France is Ohio State: Les Bleus have two World Cup titles, winning on home soil in 1998 and then 20 years later in Russia in 2018. This marks France's eighth World Cup semifinal appearance. Four years ago, it finished as runner-up after losing to Argentina in the greatest final in tournament history, an epic match decided by a penalty shootout. France regularly produces world-class talent, and its players star for Europe's biggest clubs. Its attack is powered by a three-headed monster of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, while an elite defense has conceded few goals throughout this summer’s tournament. The program also has had stability under manager Didier Deschamps, who has been in charge since 2012 (though 2026 will be his final World Cup with the squad). Ohio State always attracts the top recruiting classes and consistently develops top NFL talent. The Buckeyes won the national championship in 2024, and are tied for the most CFP appearances since the inaugural four-team field in 2014. And, like France, they enter nearly every season as a legitimate contender. Expectations aren't just high – they're championship or bust. Argentina is Alabama (during the Nick Saban years): Argentina is the gold standard of international soccer, much like Alabama was during the Nick Saban era. La Albiceleste has been the sport’s most dominant force over the past five years, winning the 2021 and 2024 Copa América titles while sandwiching a World Cup trophy in 2022 behind Lionel Messi. The Argentines refuse to be beaten. They thrive in pressure moments – as has been particularly evident throughout the knockout rounds at this World Cup – and that’s because of the championship mentality that’s deeply ingrained in the program’s culture. That's what made Alabama a dynasty under Saban. The Crimson Tide didn't just stockpile elite talent – they expected to win every game and often did. Like Argentina, they were the measuring stick by which every other team compared themselves. The fan bases share similarities, too. They're loud, passionate and unwavering, and love to dance and sing. They’re confident, too, which is a byproduct of their team’s success. Spain is Georgia: This comparison is more about where the programs are right now than their all-time history. Spain and Georgia are some of the hottest teams in their respective sports. They’re ruthless, relentless and seemingly have an endless pipeline of talent. When a star moves on, another rises from Spain’s academy system or Georgia’s top-ranked recruiting class. Spain are the reigning European champions and have looked like the best team in the world for a while. They have Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Mikel Oyarzabal, but their defense has been dominant at this World Cup. La Roja have conceded just one goal – in their quarterfinal against Belgium – thanks to a backline anchored by center backs Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsí, with Unai Simon providing steadiness in goal. Georgia won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, and Spain is hoping to lift the World Cup trophy after most recently winning the 2024 Euros. The Bulldogs may be more known for their size and physicality, while La Roja overwhelms opponents with technical ability and flair, but both programs have become dominant forces that reload every year. England is Texas: Both England and Texas enter every season – or every major tournament – thinking this is their time. It’s always "it's coming home" and "we’re back." And yet, the Three Lions haven’t won a World Cup in 60 years, while the Longhorns haven’t claimed a national title since the 2005 season. There’s so much hope – and rightfully so – but also so much heartbreak and disappointment. These programs are defined by their rich history, tradition and brands. They dominate headlines whether they’re winning or not, and every loss becomes a national conversation. They have long-time, wide-spread and loyal supporters who are anxious for their team to regain their place at the top. And they have mega stars like Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane for England and Arch Manning at Texas. However, both teams have shown signs that they might be over the hump. England has reached four World Cup semifinals, including in two of the last three tournaments. Texas has made it to consecutive CFP semifinals, though it missed out last season. Both teams appear poised to change the narrative, with the Three Lions looking like they could defeat Argentina and make it to the World Cup final, and the Longhorns re-establishing themselves as annual championship contenders.]]>
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					<![CDATA[England-Argentina Is A Rivalry Rooted In Ghosts, Thorns And Legends]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/argentina-england-world-cup-rivalry-messi-kane-maradona</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/argentina-england-world-cup-rivalry-messi-kane-maradona</guid>
				<category>soccer</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[England against Argentina stands above any other rivalry for its history, past legends and newly discovered saviors.]]>
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				<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:33:22 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[Rivalries in football often exist for singular reasons. It's not that they're simplistic, but rather, we understand why they are there. Like Liverpool's rivalry with Everton or the Superclásico between Boca Juniors and River Plate, local derbies are disputed and contested based on a turf war that has placed them close together but in reality, ever so apart. They are neighbors who detest each other and nothing will ever change that. It's different on the international stage, where impactful cultural and political moments in history create rivalries so fierce that it lives carries through generations. Take the Clásico del Pacífico between Chile and Peru, which stemmed from a war in the 1800s, as an example. As my father taught me at a very early age, Peruvians say the word "Chalaca" instead of "Chilena" to describe a bicycle kick, as Perú refuses to believe that a Spanish-born Chilean invented the acrobatic move, and credit it to Afro-Peruvians from a time that was never recorded. But I digress. My point is that rivalries in the beautiful game usually have a connecting tissue that lives on in the mindset of every supporter, where history and geography paint a picture of a fierce battle on the pitch. Nonetheless, there is one rivalry that is so deep it stands above others. It's both delicate and purposeful, as it derives from war, social and cultural animosity from two continents and ways of life, but at the same time — but that also has given us some of the most memorable, dramatic moments in World Cup football. It is a rivalry made of thorns, rooted in years of rancor where stars also look to rise out of ferocious moments of action. This is Argentina and England. A match like no other. After Argentina’s victory over Switzerland and England’s win over Norway, both will meet on Wednesday in Atlanta for what should be a majestic semifinal where the past meets present. The fact that, amazingly, this will also be Lionel Messi’s first ever encounter against the Three Lions is probably a secondary headline. This, after all, is a match of ghosts, originated in 1962 but one that grew in animosity as the years went by and four years later, in 1966, that’s when the fire was founded. It was the last and only time England won the World Cup. The hosts came out victorious against Argentina in the quarterfinal, but it was a match of complete physicality where Argentina’s captain Antonio Rattín (sadly passed away this month at the age of 89) was sent off in the first half for two offenses in the space of three minutes. This match was so fierce that England manager Alf Ramsey decided to call the opponents "animals" and did not want his players to swap shirts at the end of the match. It was also a fixture that essentially introduced the yellow and red cards, knowing too well something had to be done to tone down the heat. Good luck with that. At the 1986 World Cup in México came the arrival of the legendary Diego Maradona, but most notably, this was now a quarterfinal between both sides that followed the Falklands War — something so deeply impactful to both sides, but for Argentina — this was the fall of a military government, which prompted a new democracy in 1983. A relationship made out of war, something more impactful and catastrophic than anything we could ever imagine now played the role of protagonist. As a result, the match in 1986 brought with it the eternal memory of the Hand of God, where in the 51st minute, still scoreless, the 5-foot-5 Maradona beat out England’s stopper Peter Shilton and used his hand to punch the ball out of Shilton’s reach and into the net. Despite aggressive complaints from England, the goal stood, which proceeded for Maradona to score a second goal four minutes later, which is one of the greatest works of art you will ever see on the pitch. Maradona and Argentina would end up winning the World Cup and the star would later in life acknowledge that it was an intentional handball but most importantly, it wasn’t just a goal he celebrated — but a piece of symbolic revenge over the fallen soldiers from the Falklands. This would only make him an even bigger icon and hero to Argentinians, and a despised rival in England. After this moment of history at the World Cup, it’s fair to say that something remained imprinted with both nations. This was now a rivalry that goes beyond football. It was a matter of life and death. Perhaps it means different things to each other, but the cauldron of fire continued to grow and that’s when — 12 years later — David Beckham entered the narrative. In 1998, at the World Cup in France, the golden boy of England and the Three Lions faced Argentina in the round of 16. I remember this match so vividly. I was at boarding school and my friends and I escaped to a local pub and watched it, hiding behind the pack of adults screaming at the television as Beckham kicked-out at Diego Simeone after a clash and was consequently sent off in the 48th minute. It was a moment of madness, beautifully performed by Simeone, crushing the hearts of England fans who had already seen an 18-year-old Michael Owen score one of the greatest goals in English football history. But that was before the red card. We can only remember the post-mortem and how it vilified Beckham and placed a dent in the evolution of England as it lost on penalties. For Argentina? Once again, it was revenge. Redemption. Historical atonement. But four years later in Japan, in the group stage at the 2002 World Cup, Beckham would get his sense of salvation after a scored penalty, which consequently came as a result of a foul by Mauricio Pochettino on the aforementioned Owen. Beckham sealed the spot kick and the Three Lions would secure the victory. A win in the round of 16 against Denmark would follow, before eventually losing to Ronaldinho’s audacious free-kick and Brazil’s magical team in the quarterfinal stage. And so here we are. 24 years later. The rivalry returns at the grandest of stages, and, despite the fact that many young people don’t even have a memory of this conflict, it is fair to say they will know by Wednesday. Argentina fans — and the team — have resuscitated their call to arms in a song as La Cuarta Estrella ("The Fourth Star") has become synonymous with this team. The song states: Por Malvinas, por El Diego ("For the Falkland Islands, for Diego"),Por la última de Leo ("For Leo’s last one"),Argentina quiero verte bicampeón ("Argentina, I want to see you back-to-back champion"). There might be an argument to be made about the fact that this rivalry means more for Argentina than England. For the losses and the pain, the makeup thread of the country and what history has done — or rather undone — to them. And there’s the team itself, who carries emotion on its sleeve and kills it itself for victory. But I think this England side is also equally charged. Full of fire and venom. It is a team that has already faced incredible hostility and extreme conditions. From defeating Mexico at the Azteca to enduring hot and humid conditions in Miami against Erling Haaland's Norway. So they understand the challenge. They know the assignment and the stakes of the moment. Most importantly, they are aware of Argentina that despite showing a few vulnerabilities during this World Cup, is still the defending champion for a reason. Lionel Scaloni is attempting to quiet down the fixture and historical connotations of the rivalry, but he knows too well that this won’t happen. Then there’s Messi himself, who is ready to face England at international level for the first time ever. The greatest player the game has ever seen, carrying his country on his shoulders, with Diego Maradona, Rattín and other gone heroes watching from above. As he keeps delivering in this last dance, now comes the biggest, most emotionally charged battle of all: a match against England. It does not escape me to remember that he is also facing his Inter Miami boss as David Beckham will be watching from the stands. Prior to the match, I am sure they will wish each other well and remember the similarities both nations share. It’s the same commonalities mutually loved by Argentina and England. From Oasis to The Beatles, the warmth of loyalty in football itself and the appreciation for beauty and battle in the game. The shared respect is as potent as the historical enmities that have brought us here in the first place. But know this. On Wednesday, in Atlanta, when both stare at each other on the pitch, and prepare to fight for every ball, every tackle and every effort towards victory, Argentina and England will remind us why football is so much more valuable than highlights on social media, or glamorous shots of celebrities attending a fixture at the luxury of a suite. England against Argentina is about love and hate, fallen heroes and newly discovered saviors. It is about the present but also the past, both eternally connected to the memories of pain and sacrifice. This is a fixture where you appreciate what you have, thanks to the guardians who brought you to this moment. But this is also a match of fierce competition, with the hope that you carry the identity of your nation at the tip of your heart, running through your veins and never forgetting that this rivalry can only exist because you have each other.]]>
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					<![CDATA[Are Bellingham And Tuchel On The Same Page? FOX Analysts Downplay Comments]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/bellingham-tuchel-same-page-fox-analysts-downplay-comments</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/bellingham-tuchel-same-page-fox-analysts-downplay-comments</guid>
				<category>soccer</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham had differing views of England's win over Norway, but it shouldn't be a long-term issue.]]>
				</description>
				<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:41:25 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[England's win over Norway didn't come without post-match controversy for the Three Lions. Star midfielder Jude Bellingham scored twice to give England a 2-1 win in extra time that sent them to the World Cup semifinals for the fourth time ever. After the match, during an on-field interview, head coach Thomas Tuchel pointed out that his team could have been much better. "We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today," Tuchel said in a post-match interview on FOX Sports. "The result is fantastic. We’re in the last four. It’s amazing, but not happy with the performance ... in every sense." Bellingham, who scored both of England's goals to bring his tally for the tournament up to six, seemed to disagree with his coach's critique after England prevailed in the heat and humidity of South Florida, with temperatures reaching 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) at the start of warmups. "Well, whatever," Bellingham said, shaking his head. "It's difficult out there. It's a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players out there who put in a great shift." "Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those conditions," Bellingham said, mentioning the top talent of Norway, incuding Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa, and Alexander Sørloth. "I think it would probably catch you a little off-guard," former World Cup defender Walk Zimmerman told us for the comments and Bellingham's response. "That’s the kind of thing that would fly, I think, at the club level when you’re playing game in, game out. For a knockout tournament, I think the most important thing is that you can say we didn’t play well, then you immediately acknowledge, ‘We won, we’re moving on. We’re going to enjoy this today and look at what we can do better.’" Former U.S. men's national team coach and FOX Sports analyst Bob Bradley downplayed the impact of Tuchel's comments, which struck a chord with Bellingham. "I don't think it's anything," Bradley said, calling the comments "postgame emotions." "Tuchel, like a lot of us, is never satisfied and always demanding," Bradley told us. "Bellingham represents the players and the effort against a good team." Thierry Henry also seemed confused by the line of questioning from the interviewer in FOX's postgame. "I didn't understand the questions," Henry said. "The guy is telling you it was all effort and mentality – and you're asking about mentality. He was talkinga bout the technical aspect of the game. […] He wasn't happy with the speed, he wasn't happy about it. That's why he changed stuff right away. You don't even need to ask that question. If he's changing stuff, it's because he's not happy with what's on the field." Tuchel clarified in his news conference that he was "proud and happy" with how his squad has overcome adversity, but added, "I'm also a football coach and I also have demands. ... I think we can play faster. I think we can play more clinically." Bellingham added, "The game is split into loads of different facets. Some of it is technical, tactical. For me, the biggest one is psychological and how you can manage setbacks, how you can manage adversity. This team showed yet again that they can do it, and that’s a really valuable skill and trait to have." Former U.S. national team midfielder and FOX Sports analyst Sacha Kljestan believes the comments won't affect England as it approaches a semifinal matchup with reigning champion Argentina. "I don’t think it's a very big deal," Kljestan told us. "He was clearly exhausted after putting in a huge effort. Maybe after watching the game back, he will see that England was a little sloppy on the day.  He has a right to say what he said, and I don’t think it should be a big thing." "Ultimately, I think it’s a non-story, honestly," Zimmerman added. "That’s going to be totally fine in the locker room. Neither of them are going to be thinking twice about it." Alexi Lalas appreciated Tuchel's approach as well, noting that it's more about perception than any sort of "bristling" between media and coach on the most recent episode of State Of The Union. "Tuchel's response was as German as I've seen him in this moment, and I think it was by design," Lalas said. "I think Thomas Tuchel recognizes that in order for this England team to get over this hump and do things we haven't seen before, he has to treat not just the team but the extended team, the fanbase, in a different way. Because in that moment you'd expect Thomas Tuchel or most coaches to extoll the virtues of what they just say, ‘hey it’s a hard fought game.' […] He's zigging while everyone else is zagging. I'm here for it." On Bellingham's comments, Lalas had more to say. "I also love the fact that Jude Bellingham in this moment recognized that, ‘well that’s my coach saying this, but we are going to celebrate this and sing while you're winning.'" "This team is endearing," Lalas added. Next up for England is a semifinal round matchup against Argentina on Wednesday, July 15 in Atlanta (3 p.m. ET on FOX and streaming on FOX One). It's the latest in a long history between Argentina and England, one built on ghosts, thorns and legends. "Thomas Tuchel can rain all day long on the parade," Lalas continued. "And I think it's done strategically, and I think it's smart, but I also like the fact that there was pushback from his players that this was not easy." The Associated Press contributed to this report.]]>
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					<![CDATA[From Birmingham To The World Cup: How Jude Bellingham Became An England Hero]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/from-birmingham-world-cup-how-jude-bellingham-became-england-hero</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/from-birmingham-world-cup-how-jude-bellingham-became-england-hero</guid>
				<category>soccer</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[Jude Bellingham, the young boy who got his start at Birmingham City, is now on top of the football world with Real Madrid and the England national team.]]>
				</description>
				<pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 20:16:37 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[Jude Bellingham, the young boy who got his start at Birmingham City, is now on top of the football world with Real Madrid and the England national team. Bellingham is the all-around midfielder everyone wants on their roster. He has the ability to always be in the right place at the right time with late runs into the box to score goals; he has the ball-carrying ability of a No. 8; and he has the work rate and defensive capabilities to do the dirty work in midfield as well. A true jack of all trades in the middle of the pitch, Bellingham has become the type of player every manager appreciates because of how many different ways he can impact a game. Now in his second World Cup, Bellingham has already scored six goals, including a brace against Norway in the quarterfinals and a brace against Mexico in the round of 16. Both performances were pivotal in England’s progression to the semifinals. Every time England has needed him most, Bellingham has come up with a big moment. He has been one of the most clutch performers at this World Cup, and whenever England has needed a moment of magic, Bellingham has answered the call. Here is a look back at how Bellingham became England's superstar midfielder. Birmingham Beginnings Bellingham’s rise started at Birmingham City, where he came through the academy before making his professional debut at just 16 years old in August 2019. In his breakout 2019-20 season, Bellingham made 44 appearances across all competitions and became Birmingham City’s youngest-ever player and youngest-ever goalscorer. It did not take long for him to rise up the ranks as one of the best young prospects in England. After just one first-team season at Birmingham, Bellingham earned a move to Borussia Dortmund. Birmingham later retired his No. 22 shirt, a rare gesture for such a young player, but one that showed how highly the club viewed what he had already done and what he was going on to become. Dazzling At Dortmund Bellingham had the chance to make a safer Premier League move, as many Championship players would have done. Instead, he chose the riskier path, but the one that could potentially pay off the most: going abroad to Germany. He made the move to Borussia Dortmund, a talent factory that has developed many young players into stars. For Bellingham, it turned out to be a brilliant decision. Rather than taking the move that may have looked more pleasing initially, he chose the club that could help shape him into the player he wanted to become. Dortmund paid a record fee for a 17-year-old to sign him in July 2020, and Bellingham spent three seasons in Germany. During that time, he won the DFB-Pokal, became one of the faces of the club and was named Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2022-23. He also came painfully close to winning the Bundesliga title in his final season, only for Dortmund to lose out on the final matchday in heartbreaking fashion. But even without that league title, his three years at Dortmund opened the door for him to make the move to a European giant. Moving To Madrid Bellingham joined Real Madrid in July 2023, and his debut season could not have gotten off to a much better start. He registered 23 goals and 13 assists across all competitions in his first season and helped Real Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League. That Champions League triumph came against his former club Borussia Dortmund, with Bellingham assisting Vinícius Júnior’s goal in the final. In that Champions League campaign, Bellingham had four goals and five assists, showing that his move to Madrid did not just put him on a bigger stage — it elevated him into one of the defining players in world football. Bellingham again showed guts and ambition by choosing Real Madrid when Premier League clubs were calling his name. As an English player, it would have been easy to return home and become the face of a major Premier League club. Instead, he chose the uncomfortable path again, moving to Spain to play for one of the biggest clubs in football. That has been the theme of Bellingham’s career. He is not the typical English player. He has shown multiple times that he is willing to take the unique path away from English football, develop abroad in different countries and sharpen his craft elsewhere. That started with Dortmund. Then came the ultimate move to Real Madrid, where he became just the sixth English player to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham, Steve McManaman, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate. Trent Alexander-Arnold has since joined him at Real Madrid, but Bellingham helped reopen that pathway for English players at the Bernabéu. Bellingham has shown he is willing to do the uncomfortable things to get to the very top, and now he is there. If he can help England win this World Cup, he can truly say he has completed football at just 23 years old. He has won trophies in multiple countries, won the Champions League, become a star for Real Madrid and now has England on the brink of a World Cup final. His legacy already looks strong. But if England goes all the way, it will reach a completely different level.]]>
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					<![CDATA[The Best Players Remaining At The 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ranked]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/best-players-remaining-2026-fifa-world-cup-ranked</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/best-players-remaining-2026-fifa-world-cup-ranked</guid>
				<category>soccer</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[The stars are still out and shining as we get deeper into the 2026 FIFA World Cup.]]>
				</description>
				<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2026 22:55:28 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[If you're looking for an epic Golden Boot race, we've got you. If you want the defending champs and a GOAT trying to outrun Father Time, it's there too. And if you want pure starpower, fear not: the 2026 World Cup has already delivered. An eye-popping 38 players out of our Top 100 are still in action at this point heading into what should be historic semifinals. And as the action tightens up, the best of the best will clash while the stakes get even higher. France has 13 Top 100 players. Spain has double digits still in action. England's best match up with anybody. And Argentina has, well, Messi (along with other superstars of its own). Get caught up on which stars are still in action as we get closer to seeing who will lift the World Cup trophy. *The rankings reflected are from our pre-tournament Top 100. Age: 23Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Age: 28Club team: Manchester United (England) Age: 28Club team: Inter Milan (Italy) Age: 29Club team: Real Sociedad (Spain) Age: 27Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 29Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 30Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Age: 25Club team: Manchester City (England) Age: 26Club team: Chelsea (England) Age: 27Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Age: 27Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Age: 27Club team: Liverpool (England) Age: 30Club team: AC Milan (Italy) Age: 25Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 19Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Age: 26Club team: Liverpool (England) Age: 25Club team: Chelsea (England) Age: 23Club team: Athletic Club Bilbao (Spain) Age: 27Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 27Club team: Chelsea (England) Age: 33Club team: Aston Villa (England) Age: 35Club team: Fenerbahçe (Türkiye) Age: 22Club team: Manchester City (England) Age: 20Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Age: 24Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 28Club team: Inter Milan (Italy) Age: 26Club team: Real Madrid (Spain) Age: 27Club team: Arsenal (England) Age: 22Club team: Real Madrid (Spain) Age: 39Club team: Inter Miami (USA) Age: 29Club team: Manchester City (England) Age: 26Club team: Atlético Madrid (Spain) Age: 23Club team: Barcelona (Spain) Age: 24Club team: Bayern Munich (Germany) Age: 28Club team: Paris Saint-Germain (France) Age: 32Club team: Bayern Munich (Germany) Age: 27Club team: Real Madrid (Spain) Age: 18Club team: Barcelona (Spain)]]>
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					<![CDATA[How INDYCAR Drivers Quickly Bounce Back From In-Race Mistakes At 200 MPH]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/motor/indycar-analysis-james-hinchcliffe-mistakes-heat-silly-season</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/motor/indycar-analysis-james-hinchcliffe-mistakes-heat-silly-season</guid>
				<category>motor</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[INDYCAR racing is definitely a physical sport, but as James Hinchcliffe explains, the mental component is just as important.]]>
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				<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 07:00:04 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[In Driver's Eye with James Hinchcliffe, the six-time INDYCAR winner will bring you inside the mind of a racer while breaking down the nuts and bolts of the sport for fans. I've spent a lot of time in this column diving deep into how physically tough motorsports can be. But this sport is just as much, if not even more, a mental contest for drivers at 200 miles an hour. The yips aren't common. You don't just forget how to drive a race car quickly. So when a driver experiences a dip in form, it sometimes can be the result of not being in the right place mentally. In the same way, a golfer doesn’t forget how to swing, and a pitcher doesn’t forget how to throw. But sometimes, the space between your ears gets foggy, and it can affect your performance. Just like any sport, INDYCAR drivers have to contend with mistakes in the moment. If you make a mistake and crash out of a race, you have plenty of time to digest what happened, learn from it and eventually move on. When you make a mistake but your race continues, that time isn’t a luxury you have. And unlike hockey, when you can process a mistake over a shift change, or football, when you’re on the bench as the other side takes the field, racing offers no breaks — literal ones aside. So you have to be able to manage the situation in real time. At real speeds. Most drivers are perfectionists and are hyper-competitive. They don’t like making mistakes, and they don’t like losing. They get frustrated when either of those things happen. But when you make a mistake in a race, and you haven't totaled your car and ruined your day, getting over it has to be instantaneous. If you can’t do that, it tends to snowball. I worked with a mental coach for years, and one of the big things we worked on together was how to get through these exact scenarios. Usually, when a driver lets a single mistake fester, they make more. Driving angry can often make you drive slower. You start trying too hard to overcome the mistake, and it leads to more mistakes, which leads to driving harder, which leads to… well, you see where this is going. Many drivers work with mental coaches to address this. They have different exercises that drivers can do to try and practice this skill. And it is a skill. And it certainly is not the type of work that can be accomplished in a day. It takes lots of time dedicated to this one mental aspect of the sport to master it. One of the biggest challenges with making a mistake on track is the responsibility you feel towards the team. Every driver is acutely aware of the hours and hours that go into preparing and running a successful INDYCAR weekend. When you make a mistake that costs your team a result, you feel terrible for that group. But as we say all the time, racing is a team sport, and teams support each other. Usually, the most supportive group that you will face is your mechanics and engineers. They will throw their arms around you and say, "We’ll get ‘em next time." The fact of the matter is: every member of that team will make a mistake at some point, and you all have to lift each other up when that happens. For drivers, one of the challenges is that the mistakes are very public. They are on TV and easily identifiable. If a pit member drops a wheel nut on a stop, for example, that’s a mistake that’s noticed but more quickly looked over — and often the person isn’t identified. If an engineer makes a mistake on setup, people may never know. So whether the mistake was big or small, public or hidden, the most important part for any member of that team is to learn from it, let it go, and move on to the next race, pit stop or lap. SOUND LIKE AN INDYCAR EXPERT: SURVIVING THE HEAT Having covered the pure physicality of INDYCAR racing, this past weekend at Mid-Ohio brought to the forefront another factor that can exponentially increase the toll on the body: the heat. Mid-O was a stifling scene on Sunday, and an all-green race — no caution periods to even catch your breath for a few minutes — meant it was as hard a day as the drivers will likely face this year. Physical track, hot conditions, no cautions. And it can get up to 120, 130 degrees inside a cockpit. Knowing that we race in the Midwest in the summer, these hot and humid days have to be expected. So drivers will include an element of heat acclimation into their training. This can come in several different forms. If a driver lives in a warm and humid climate — I am looking at all the Florida residents in the field! — then you can get outside and run or cycle to get your body acclimated to that sort of strain. If you live in milder climates, especially in the winter, that’s not an option, so you have to get creative. One way to do that is to bring your training to a hot climate. It’s not uncommon to set up a bike trainer in a small room with a heater pumping and getting the temperature up into the 90s. Saunas work too. A long, steady ride in those conditions can make the body more comfortable for a two-hour race with four layers of Nomex — intense, flame-resistant fabric, essentially — in a tight cockpit. But as we’ve said, this game is as mental as it is physical, and when the body starts to overheat, your cognitive abilities start to falter. To combat this, some training combines heat with cognitive drills. Bringing an iPad with a purpose-built program designed to test memory, reaction time, hand-eye coordination and more into a sauna after a big workout can partially simulate the conditions of late in a race on a hot day. I've done this before — it works! There are things that drivers can do to survive the heat on race day too. Namely, hydration with a detailed plan that starts on a Thursday and is based on the projected weather on Sunday. Of course, there's race day hydration too. Drivers have a small Camelback that holds about a liter of fluid, making it easily accessible behind the wheel. And then there is the cool suit — a shirt with cooling coils running through it — which gets mixed reviews from drivers. The biggest concern with it being that if the system fails, as happened to Scott McLaughlin at Mid-Ohio, it actually makes you hotter. But some swear by it. I personally used a cool suit on hotter days, but I was always afraid of it failing — which, luckily, never happened to me. At the end of the day, it’s a tough sport that is sometimes run in tough conditions, so you have to train to be prepared for anything. 1 FOR THE ROAD In last week’s column, I talked of the impending move of one of the titans of the sport in Scott Dixon. Now, we know that he is, in fact, headed to McLaren, along with friend and former teammate Felix Rosenqvist to partner with Pato O’Ward. This left open two very attractive rides at Chip Ganassi Racing and Meyer Shank Racing. Christian Lundgaard — whose contract was not renewed to make way for Dixon — is clearly the hottest free agent on the market. He reminded the paddock that with a pole and second place on Sunday. But there are a few other names being thrown around that could make the next few weeks super fascinating from the silly season perspective. Rinus VeeKay has been in great form in the one and a half seasons since being dropped from ECR and running with smaller teams. Those great results in under-resourced programs have certainly made some team owners perk up with interest. Also in the running is the young rookie Caio Collett, who has been impressing with his ability to regularly out pace veteran teammate Santino Ferrucci at AJ Foyt Racing. Will these teams go for a known quantity in VeeKay, or risk the potential big upside of a promising rookie, or perhaps look to Europe or a sidelined veteran to fill the seats? The only sure thing about INDYCAR for 2027 is that the driver lineup will look very different! MORE DRIVER'S EYE:]]>
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					<![CDATA[2026 MLB All-Star Game Preview: 10 Storylines To Follow This Week In Philly]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/2026-mlb-all-star-game-preview-10-storylines-follow-week-philly</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/2026-mlb-all-star-game-preview-10-storylines-follow-week-philly</guid>
				<category>mlb</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[Here are 10 key storylines to monitor this week at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia.]]>
				</description>
				<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:42:40 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[This week’s All-Star festivities in Philadelphia will be a hometown showcase. The Phillies have two players — Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber — competing in the Home Run Derby on Monday. One day later, four more Phillies players — Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Brandon Marsh and Jhoan Duran — will be joining Schwarber and Harper at the All-Star Game. On the American League side, it will also be a return home for Mike Trout, the native of Millville, New Jersey, whose 12th All-Star Game will hold a special meaning. With All-Star week about to get going, here are 10 storylines to watch. Cease And Sanchez Get The Starts Rowan Kavner: There are two strong options for American League manager John Schneider. The Yankees’ Cam Schlittler leads AL pitchers in bWAR, ERA and WHIP, while Schneider’s Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease leads AL pitchers in fWAR, strikeouts, strikeout rate and opponents’ batting average. They’ve clearly been the top two pitchers in the AL. Cease has thrown 15 consecutive scoreless innings in his last two starts, having allowed just four hits and four walks while striking out 20. He will start the game for the AL. It’s a little more complicated in the National League. Jacob Misiorowski would have been the obvious choice in the middle of a historically overpowering season. He leads all qualified MLB starters in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ batting average. Shane Bieber (in the shortened 2020 season) and Gerrit Cole (in 2019) are the only qualified starters who have ever logged a strikeout rate higher than Misiorowski’s (39.6%) over the course of a full season. The only problem? Miz won’t be there. He has been replaced because he will be pitching on Sunday and unavailable for the All-Star Game. Paul Skenes might have made sense, but he will be facing off against Misiorowski on Sunday (and hasn’t had the first-half numbers of other top contenders). NL manager Dave Roberts told me last week that being the hometown pitcher "has got to have some weight" as he mulls his decision. If he chooses to go with a Phillies pitcher, there are two options: Sánchez and Luzardo. Sánchez would have been the clear choice until he coughed up nine runs in Kansas City on Monday. Despite that clunker, he gets the call. Atlanta’s Chris Sale, Cincinnati’s Chase Burns and Roberts’ World Series star Yoshinobu Yamamoto had to have been among the other top considerations. A Farewell To Justin Verlander Deesha Thosar: This week’s All-Star week festivities will double as a farewell stage for Verlander, giving his peers and fans a chance to celebrate his remarkable career. After announcing that he will retire following the season, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer will take one final All-Star bow as one of the sport’s most accomplished pitchers. Verlander is a throwback from a generation of pitchers that played the game with different priorities, including pitching deep into games, emphasizing durability and wins, and defining a legacy through consistency and longevity. It’s fair to question whether we will ever see anyone like him take the mound again. Few careers can match Verlander’s resume. The 43-year-old is a 10-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, a two-time World Series champion, and the 2011 AL MVP. The right-hander has spent over two decades overpowering hitters, presiding as the active leader in strikeouts (3,554), wins (266), complete games (26), games started (556) and innings pitched (3,571.1). Whatever MLB has in the works to honor Verlander in Philly, it’s certain to be a fitting tribute to one of baseball’s all-time greats. Hometown Stars In Home Run Derby Kavner: In 2018, the Nationals' Bryce Harper beat the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber in the finals to win the Home Run Derby. Eight years later, now Phillies teammates, they’ll face off again in front of their hometown fans. It’s the first time since that 2018 Derby that two teammates will compete. (That year, it was Schwarber and Cubs teammate Javier Báez). Harper has tabbed Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel, one of his World Baseball Classic Team USA coaches, as his Derby pitcher. Ebel threw to Schwarber during last year’s All-Star Game swing-off, helping Schwarber launch three home runs on three pitches to earn MVP honors. Speaking Of That Swing-Off… Thosar: Could another Home Run Derby-style swing-off decide the All-Star Game? After last year's dramatic tiebreaker captivated fans, including Schwarber going a perfect 3-for-3 with three home runs, the possibility is back on the table in Philadelphia. Under MLB's All-Star rules, games tied after nine innings skip extra innings and move straight to a swing-off. Three manager-selected hitters from each league get three swings apiece, and the team that hits the most home runs after all rounds will claim the win. The format was introduced to avoid overworking pitchers while adding late-game drama. There's no way to predict another tie, but all the ingredients are there. There’s elite pitching, stacked lineups and every run will come at a premium, so another swing-off remains a real possibility. If it happens, who will be crowned the hero? Last year in Atlanta, after the NL and AL ended the ninth in a 6-6 tie, we got to see Brent Rooker vs. Kyle Stowers in round one, followed by Schwarber vs. Randy Arozarena in round two, and finally Jonathan Aranda vs. Pete Alonso in round three. The NL won the All-Star Game, 7-6, after the unprecedented swing-off. Trout To Start In Hometown All-Star Game Kavner: Trout’s 12th All-Star Game will be a particularly memorable one. Trout’s hometown of Millville, New Jersey, is less than 50 miles from Philadelphia, and the Angels superstar has thought about the possibility of playing in this All-Star Game since before the season began. "It would be huge," Trout told me two weeks ago, when he was still on the injured list with a hamstring strain. "It’d be special, for sure." Trout has returned from his hamstring strain — as he vowed to do — just in time. He’ll be starting in the outfield for an AL team that could use his pop with Aaron Judge injured. Which AL Rookie Will Step Up? Kavner: It’s a special year for rookie talent, and much of it will be on display on the American League roster. Munetaka Murakami returned from his hamstring injury just in time to be added to the American League roster after launching 20 homers in his first 57 big-league games. Kevin McGonigle is already one of the most valuable shortstops in the game at 21 years old. Cleveland has two AL Rookie of the Year contenders in the game in second baseman Travis Bazzana and pitcher Parker Messick. All of them have risen to the occasion in their first MLB season, and it will be fascinating to see who holds their own — or takes their game to another level — against the sport’s top competition. MLB Continues To Showcase International Stars Thosar: Is it the World Baseball Classic, or the All-Star Game? Just four months after another successful WBC, which ended with Venezuela beating the United States for its first-ever WBC title, the All-Star Game will continue to showcase baseball’s global reach. From Latin America to Asia to the land down under, Philly’s Midsummer Classic will feature plenty of stars whose baseball journeys began in different countries. There are 22 internationally born players earning spots on the All-Star rosters (33.8%), including 12 players in the NL and 10 in the AL. The list features players from Cuba (7); the Dominican Republic (5); Venezuela (4); Canada (2); Japan (2); Australia (1); and Curaçao (1). Guardians rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana, a native of Hornsby, Australia, will become just the fourth-ever native of Australia to make the All-Star Game, joining Grant Balfour (2013); Liam Hendriks (2019, 2021-22); and Dave Nilsson (1999). Diverse All-Star rosters represent the international talent pipeline that’s become essential to MLB’s grandest stages. Will This Week Be The Showcase Of Junior Caminero? Kavner: Caminero is one of the hottest hitters on the planet right now — he had 12 homers in his last 16 games entering the weekend before the break — and he’s out for revenge after falling just short of becoming the youngest player ever to win the Home Run Derby last year. Would anyone be surprised if he won the Derby and then took home All-Star MVP honors? At just 23 years old, the AL starting third baseman is quickly ascending into one of the league’s most promising superstars. The First-Time All-Stars To Watch Thosar: Some have been there, done that (looking at you, Trout, Freddie Freeman, Chris Sale, Juan Soto, Matt Olson, et al.). And then, some will have no idea what to expect and will be taking in the All-Star week festivities with fresh eyes. There is a record, eye-popping total of 29 players who will be making their All-Star Game debuts this year. Among that large group, there are several names worth keeping an eye on who could steal the show. Notable names making their first trip to the Midsummer Classic include Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease, Yankees first baseman Ben Rice and burgeoning star right-hander Schlitter, breakout Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker and local Phillies in Luzardo and outfielder Brandon Marsh rounding out the group of some of the game’s best players of the first half. "I don’t necessarily come into the season saying, ‘I really want to be on the All-Star team,’" Rice told me of whether it was his goal to be selected. "But you can only hope that if you do your best every day and stick to your process and the results follow, that maybe you’ll get the chance." Key Stars Will Be Absent. Who Will Capitalize? Thosar: We’ve been spoiled over the years with so many household names regularly appearing at MLB’s annual All-Star Game festivities, but this year, the Midsummer Classic will be missing some of its biggest headliners. Shohei Ohtani (left knee irritation), Judge (stress fracture in right rib), and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (elected not to play) are among the superstar absences, with aces Skenes and Misiorowski also unable to play in the All-Star Game because they’re both starting on Sunday. In addition, Byron Buxton is dealing with a right hip impingement, while Nick Kurtz will also miss the game due to a right thumb sprain. Still, these absences create opportunity. With a handful of marquee names sidelined or unavailable, the spotlight shifts to first-time All-Stars and underrated talents who are all eager to make a name for themselves. Keep an eye on All-Star Game replacements like first baseman Willson Contreras and Murakami to make the most of their chances. How to Watch the 2026 MLB All-Star Game The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 14, with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, live from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Watch the MLB All-Star Game on FOX One for live and on-demand streaming.]]>
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					<![CDATA[Could Lamine Yamal Be Benched For Spain vs. France World Cup Semifinal?]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/could-spains-lamine-yamal-benched-vs-france-semis</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/could-spains-lamine-yamal-benched-vs-france-semis</guid>
				<category>soccer</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[Spain is onto the semifinals at the World Cup, but Alexi Lalas has not been convinced by its and Lamine Yamal's performances.]]>
				</description>
				<pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 20:09:49 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[Spain advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday, but its latest victory joined a list of unimpressive performances that it's had during this tournament. "I don't know if it's a great team," Alexi Lalas said on Friday's "State of the Union." "The rhythm and the beauty, for lack of a better word, that we've associated with them has not yet really found its way in this tournament. Spain narrowly beat Belgium 2-1 in their quarterfinals matchup on Friday, with goals from Fabián Ruiz and Mikel Merino, the latter of whom scored the 88th-minute match-winner. In the background of it all was Lamine Yamal, who went a fourth-straight match without recording a goal contribution. "Lamine Yamal, once again, was stymied," Lalas said. "That's a credit to Belgium, but he's yet to have a breakout type of game." Luis de la Fuente has continued to count on Yamal due to the 18-tear-old's unquestionable talent, but Yamal's teammates have put pressure on him with their performances off of the bench. "He plays on a team with plenty of talent, including the ability to make changes that come on and obviously affected the game here," Lalas said. But Spain's problems on offense go far beyond Yamal. The goal Spain gave up on Friday was the first it conceded all tournament, but Yamal and the Spanish attack have largely underwhelmed. Spain has scored 11 goals in six matches, but has scored two or fewer goals in four of its matches. Yamal has been front-and-center of those scoring struggles. He's only scored once in this tournament and has yet to record an assist, logging an xG (expected goals) of 1.54 and xA (expected assists) of 1.01. And even though Yamal won Man of the Match on Friday, he struggled to get quality touches in the box. Just two of his six shots were on target, too. Lalas didn't go as far as to say that Yamal should be benched against France. However, he implied that Spain got lucky with its win on Friday, considering that Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois departed the game in the 71st minute due to injury. "It's not just taking off a goalkeeper; it's taking off one of the great goalkeepers in the world," Lalas said. "And, as the soccer Gods would have it, it ultimately leads to the goal that Spain wins the game on. Spain goes on. What more can you say about this game?" As Lalas alluded to, Spain scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute when Mikel Merino buried a rebound opportunity after Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lemmens failed to corral a save. Still, Spain is in the semifinals for the first time since it won the World Cup in 2010. It's also going up against a France squad that it has fared well against in recent years, winning its last two matches against France. One of those matches was the semifinals at UEFA Euro 2024, and Yamal has won all five knockout stage matches against Kylian Mbappé in his career (including club). But as Yamal and Spain might feel confident ahead of Tuesday's semifinal, France has arguably looked like the best team of the tournament. Les Bleus have won their first six matches, outscoring their opponents by 14 goals so far. That's why Lalas believes Spain is an underdog to France in the semifinal. "Based on this tournament's performance, I wouldn't put it at 50/50, but I wouldn't put it out of the realm of possibility that Spain wins," Lalas said. "You can even hear them in the way they were talking after the game about what is to come. They certainly don't fear France, nor should they. They've matched up well against them. "But this particular version of Spain, in this particular moment, if you compare and contrast with what France is, I think the logical conclusion is that the favorite is France. So, I don't think it's a 50/50 proposition."]]>
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					<![CDATA[MLB All-Star Team Of The Century: The Greatest First-Half Performers Since 2000]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/mlb-all-star-team-of-the-century-best-first-half-players-since-2000</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/mlb-all-star-team-of-the-century-best-first-half-players-since-2000</guid>
				<category>mlb</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[In the spirit of the Midsummer Classic, we've put together a team of 26 players who amassed the greatest first-half résumés this century.]]>
				</description>
				<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 18:58:10 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[To celebrate the Midsummer Classic, we've built the All-Star team of the century, the ultimate 26-man roster based on first-half performance. We scoured the stats at every position to find the most impressive All-Star résumés since 2000. Some of the players who made our squad are household names you won't be surprised to see, but there are a few surprises along the way. (One of these players was the best at his position this century but didn't even make the roster for that year's Midsummer Classic!) Here's our 26-man roster, starting with a big name from last season behind the plate. All-Star Starting Nine By last season’s end, "Big Dumper" had set home run records for catchers and switch-hitters. His 60 dingers rank third all time on the American League single-season list, behind Aaron Judge (62 in 2022) and Roger Maris (61 in 1961). By the 2025 All-Star break, these were already all clear possibilities for Raleigh. He was slugging .634, with 38 home runs, 16 doubles, 10 steals, 82 RBI and 62 walks. On top of all that, he was catching every day and doing a fine job of it, too. Pujols was a safe guess for the Cardinals. The real question: which season? It’s tough to beat his 2009 campaign, when Pujols slashed an unreal .332/.456/.723 with 102 hits, 55 extra-base hits — including 32 homers — and enough plate appearances left over for 71 walks in 90 games. Pujols had plenty of first halves with the Cardinals that ranged from great to amazing, but none epitomized what he was capable of at his best better than his transcendent showing in 2009. Roberts was an underrated second baseman both before and after his 2005 breakout, maybe in part because he never quite reached those lofty heights again. His age-27 season — which featured his first of two career All-Star appearances — was fantastic, though, and difficult to replicate. In the first half of 2005, Roberts slashed .345/.416/.591 with 42 extra-base hits while going 18-for-23 on steal attempts and playing fantastic defense. By season's end, his glove alone was worth two wins above replacement, and his bat nearly six. His second half looked more like the Roberts the Orioles got for the rest of his career — still great, but nothing more than that. You’d think Cabrera’s Triple Crown 2012 season would be the pick here for the Tigers, but his first half of 2013 was even better. In fact, his entire 2013 was better. Cabrera won his second straight American League MVP after slashing .348/.442/.636 with a 190 OPS+ — the 15th-best OPS+ of the century, and 11th-best for players not named Barry Bonds. Cabrera's first half did most of the heavy lifting. He slashed .365/.458/.674 with 30 of his 44 home runs that year with 51 extra-base hits in his first 93 games. Cabrera won his third straight batting title, capping a four-year run during which he batted .337. Rodriguez won his first Most Valuable Player award in 2003, but his 2002 season was one hell of a warm-up. A-Rod would lead the majors with 57 homers, 142 RBIs and 389 total bases — and he did all that while playing Gold Glove defense at shortstop. In the first half alone, A-Rod slashed .305/.401/.607 with 27 home runs, 100 hits and 199 of those total bases, earning him his sixth All-Star nod. And it doesn’t matter for our purposes, but he was even better in the second half, with 30 homers and a .642 slugging percentage in 75 games. Bonds hit an MLB-record 73 home runs in 2001, and it’s impossible to do that without a monster first half of the season. He was a monster before the All-Star break that year, hitting 39 of those 73 homers in his first 81 games while slashing .305/.487/.826. Yes, you read that right: Bonds had a slugging percentage over 81 games of .826. He had 18 doubles to go with the 39 dingers, as well as going 7-for-8 on stolen-base attempts, racking up 79 hits despite pitchers avoiding him — Bonds already had 88 walks by the break — and driving in 73 runs even though opponents pitched around him even more with runners on base. Judge has been on an all-time tear since 2022. At no point in his career was this more evident than in 2025, when Judge won the "Slash-Stat Triple Crown," leading the majors in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Last season, Judge slashed 331/.457/.688 with 53 homers — his fourth campaign with at least 50 dingers — and won his third American League MVP. Before the All-Star break, Judge slashed an even wilder .355/.462/.733 with 35 of those blasts, beating out other Yankees performances of the century … mostly from himself. Part of what made the idea of the Red Sox trading Betts rather than extending him so absurd was his MVP-winning 2018 season. That year, which ended with the Red Sox winning the World Series, saw the 25-year-old Betts lead the majors in wins above replacement (10.7), batting average (.346) and slugging (.640). He also played all-world defense in right field and posted a 30/30 season five years before MLB changed the rules to make thievery easier for baserunners. In the first half of 2018, Betts slashed .359/.448/.691 with 108 hits, 51 of them for extra bases. Pronk! Travis Hafner never made an All-Star team, but this isn’t a list of the best All-Stars of the 21st century, and he absolutely should have been an All-Star in 2006 anyway. Cleveland’s DH slashed an absurd .322/.461/.650 with 25 homers and 43 extra-base hits in 83 pre-break games, punctuated by a June in which he got on base 46 times for a .485 on-base percentage. Plus, he did all of this despite the fact that, at the time, Progressive Park played as a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Hafner finished the season leading the AL in slugging and OPS, he led the majors in OPS+ and finished eighth in the AL MVP race. All-Star Reserves Rodríguez was the 1999 AL MVP, and he continued that level of performance into the new millennium. Though a broken thumb limited him to just 11 games in the second half of the 2000 season, his performance in the 80 games he played before the All-Star break was pure magic. Pudge slashed .366/.393/.708 with 25 homers and 55 extra-base hits — remember, too, that catchers didn’t play every day like this as a regular thing back in 2000. That was just something Rodríguez did in the middle of his career, before injuries became more commonplace for him. Starting in 1995, Jones made the NL All-Star team in five of six seasons, and he won an MVP in the other. It would be seven years until his next All-Star nod, but boy, did Jones make that one count, slashing .376/.472/.614 in the first half while hitting 18 homers. Due to injury, he wound up playing just 128 games in the 2008 season, but that first half helped carry him to his first and only batting title. His .364 average led all of MLB. Lee played in the majors for 15 years and hit .281 with 331 homers, 432 doubles, 104 steals, 1,078 RBI, 1,081 runs, 874 walks and 1,959 hits. For context, just 29 players in the history of the game have reached 300 homers, 400 doubles, 100 steals, 1,000 RBI, 1,000 runs, 850 walks and 1,900 hits. And yet, you'd be forgiven for thinking Lee was more of a one-hit wonder, considering just how staggering his 2005 season was with the Cubs. Lee led the NL in hits with 199 and topped the majors in doubles (50), batting average (.335), slugging percentage (.662) and OPS+ (174). In the first half alone, Lee slashed .378/.452/.733 with 27 dingers and 27 doubles. Football loves its ultra-huge and ultra-fast players, while in basketball there’s an obvious advantage to height and length. In baseball? All of the above helps, sure, but you can also be 5-foot-6 and under 170 pounds and still be a star, so long as you have the hand-eye coordination to make up for it. Altuve is one of the players who best exemplifies this separation between MLB and other major sports. In 2016, he led the league in hits (216) and won the batting title (.338). In the first half, Altuve slashed .341/.413/.542 with 14 home runs, 40 extra-base hits and went 23-for-26 on stolen base attempts. When all is said and done, Ramírez might end up being one of the best players to never win a Most Valuable Player Award. In 2018, en route to his second All-Star selection, Ramírez slashed a ridiculous .302/.401/.629 with 29 home runs while going 20-for-23 on stolen base attempts. His power would drop in the second half, but part of that was because pitchers would pitch around him. Ramírez ended up drawing 106 walks in 2018 after picking up 49 in his 63 second-half games. Tejada rose to prominence with the "Moneyball"-era Athletics, but it was in Baltimore where he produced most of his high-powered offensive seasons. That includes 2005, when he slashed .304/.349/.515 with 26 homers and an MLB-best 50 doubles. Tejada earned an All-Star nomination thanks to a monster first half, when the veteran shortstop hit .329 with 30 of those 50 two-baggers and 53 extra-base hits overall. This was also the last season when Tejada was unquestionably a plus defensive shortstop, and he comfortably produced a win above replacement with his glove alone. In 2022, Acuña stole 29 bases with 15 home runs in 119 games. In the first half of 2023, he stole 41 bases with 21 home runs. Acuña took advantage of the new rules for pickoff attempts and stolen bases right out of the gate. At the same time, further removed from ACL reconstruction, his power had leveled up, too. The National League MVP led all of baseball with 73 stolen bases, 214 hits and a .416 on-base percentage. Oh, and he hit 41 homers, too, making him a 40/40 player as well as the first (and still only) 40/70 one. Bautista broke out with the Blue Jays in late 2009 after five years of replacement-level play with the Pirates. The following year, he bashed an MLB-leading 54 home runs, led the majors in total bases and finished fourth in the AL MVP vote. His 2011 season featured fewer long balls, but was better overall: .302/.447/.608 as the MLB leader in slugging, OPS and OPS+. Ohtani might have earned a spot if he were only counted as a designated hitter. In the first half of 2023, his last season with the Angels, Ohtani slashed .302/.387/.663 with 32 home runs, 15 doubles, six triples and 11 steals in 89 games. Ohtani isn’t just counted as a DH, however, and with good reason: In 17 starts and 100 ⅓ first-half innings, he posted a 3.32 ERA with 132 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .189/.293/.342 line. He hit 18 more home runs than he allowed over the same time frame, and induced more double plays than he hit into. All-Star Pitchers Randy Johnson’s first half with the 2000 Diamondbacks looks more like a season unto itself. The Big Unit threw 144 ⅔ innings with 198 strikeouts in 19 starts. He posted a 1.80 ERA, while averaging under one baserunner per inning. Opponents slashed just .193/.252/.320 against him, hitting the occasional homer but usually with the bases empty. Johnson won his second of four straight NL Cy Young Awards, a stretch during which he produced a 2.48 ERA with 1,417 strikeouts. The fewest number of batters he struck out in any one of those seasons was 334, in 2002. "King" wasn’t just a nickname for Hernández — he was about as good as a pitcher could be at his peak. And while he won his first and only Cy Young in 2010, it was the first half of 2014 that earned him a spot in this space. The Mariners’ ace limited opponents to a .201/.240/.280 line over his first 20 starts, while producing a 2.12 ERA over 144 ⅓ innings, powered by striking out 6.2 times as many batters as he walked. Hernández’s second half was nearly as good — he finished with a 2.14 ERA over 34 starts and 236 innings — which earned him a second-place finish for the AL Cy Young behind Corey Kluber. Verlander was named to the American League 2026 All-Star team as a Commissioner's Legend Pick, but in 2011 he was hitting high gear building that legend. Verlander won the first of his three career Cy Young Awards — as well as the AL MVP award — thanks to leading the majors in innings (251), strikeouts (250), and ERA+ (172) and pacing the AL in WAR while allowing less than a baserunner per inning. Before the 2011 All-Star Game, Verlander was absurd: a 2.15 ERA over 151 frames, while limiting opponents to a .188/.235/.298 line. The 6-foot-7 Wainwright was a towering force in the Cardinals’ rotation for years, and 2014 was arguably his top season as a starter. In the first half, he held opponents to a .201/.248/.282 slash line, resulting in a minuscule 1.83 ERA over 19 starts and 138 innings. In fact, that first half was so incredible that even though Wainwright’s ERA ballooned to (a still quality) 3.24 ERA over his final 13 starts, his full-season figure still came in at a career-best 2.38. The 2000 season was right in the middle of a stretch that featured the highest offensive output in the history of MLB. That did not phase or hinder Martínez even a little bit. The Red Sox ace led the majors with a career-best 1.74 ERA across 217 innings and 29 starts. He had an astonishing 291 ERA+, a stat that measures success (or failure) relative to the league average, represented as 100. Martínez’s 291 mark is the best ever for a qualified pitcher, and it all started before the All-Star Game, when he posted a 1.44 ERA over 106 innings while striking out 140 batters. Martínez would go on to lead the majors with a career-high WAR (11.7), win his second-straight Cy Young and third in four seasons, and lead the majors in ERA two more times before his peak ended. The Red Sox converted Jonathan Papelbon from starter to reliever during the 2005 season, and that decision looked brilliant in 2006. Papelbon was named Boston’s closer, and, in 46 first-half innings, he held opposing batters to a paltry .155/.200/.224 line — that’s an OPS of .424 — and an ERA of 0.59. Papelbon allowed three runs total in the first half, two on solo homers, while averaging 0.7 baserunners per inning. Smoltz is primarily in the Baseball Hall of Fame for his fantastic career as a starting pitcher, but he had a tremendous run in the Braves’ bullpen in the early aughts as well. He was never better than in 2003, when Smoltz threw 64 ⅓ innings in relief with 45 saves while producing a 1.12 ERA. Before the All-Star break, Smoltz held opponents to a .198/.118/.267 slash line while striking out 7.7 times as many batters as he walked, earning him a 0.95 ERA. His ERA climbed to a still-stellar 1.59 in the second half, during which he had 19 strikeouts against a single walk in in 18 appearances. Bautista was a revelation as a rookie on the Orioles in 2022, picking up 15 saves while striking out 12.1 batters per nine with a 2.19 ERA. But that was merely the opening act. In 2023, Baltimore’s closer held opponents to a mere .138/.242/.207 slash line in the first half — that’s four extra-base hits in 145 at-bats — and posted a 1.07 ERA. He walked 19 batters, sure, but he also struck out 84 in 42 innings. That’s twice as many whiffs as frames — and also 51% of all batters he faced. How to Watch the 2026 MLB All-Star Game The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 14, with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, live from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Watch the MLB All-Star Game on FOX One for live and on-demand streaming.]]>
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					<![CDATA[England Hasn't Won The World Cup In 60 Years. Its Best Chance To Win Again Is Now.]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/england-world-cup-semifinals-argentina-quarterfinals-norway</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/england-world-cup-semifinals-argentina-quarterfinals-norway</guid>
				<category>soccer</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[England is back in the semifinals for the second time in three World Cups — and this time, it doesn’t feel like an outlier.]]>
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				<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:59:18 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[MIAMI STADIUM — For England fans, this is always the year. Whether it's a World Cup or a European Championship, they believe in their heart of hearts that their country, the one that invented this sport and then exported it to all the rest, will finally, eventually take its rightful place as champions. Over the last almost 60 years, it just hasn’t happened. But the Three Lions have been getting closer. They were the losing finalists at the last two Euros. And with Saturday’s 2-1 extra-time win over Erling Haaland and Norway, England is back in the World Cup semifinals for the second time in three editions. This time, it doesn’t feel like an outlier. Watching England survive the crucible of Mexico City in last weekend’s thrilling 3-2 victory over World Cup co-host Mexico, it was impossible not to notice the mental fortitude of Thomas Tuchel’s team. And it was the same again on Saturday in South Florida, where Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and the rest of Tuchel’s stars won another match that was less of a soccer game than a street fight. That hasn’t always been the case for England, who over the last 30-plus years has often performed beneath its talent level. That might be good enough to survive group play consistently or win an early knockout game. Against teams that it isn't naturally superior to? No chance. There’s a reason England has been eliminated in the World Cup quarterfinals more than any other national team in history. This version of England is different. "The effort, the team spirit, the belief to overcome adversity, to dig in and find ways to win is on the absolutely highest level," Tuchel said afterward. He’s right. And that’s why England is, realistically, a bona fide World Cup contender at long last. There’s a visceral toughness to this team that, for all its ability, its pampered, high-maintenance predecessors lacked. Call it a willingness to fight for every teammate — even the ones who might represent a hated Premier League rival. That matters more than most think. Argentina isn't the reigning World Cup champ because it had better players, man for man, than France. Man for man, it didn't. La Albiceleste won because, time and again, they simply refused to be beaten. That sort of mental strength is rare. Add it to a selfless group that boasts legitimate all-world players like Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, and damned if Tuchel’s side doesn’t stand its best chance in at least half a century this time around. Facing Switzerland on Wednesday in Atlanta would’ve been easier, to be sure. But beating the best — to be the best — is a rite of passage, a requirement. And the defending champs — Argentina scored twice in extra time in Saturday’s nightcap to set up the semifinal everyone who isn’t English wants to see — are a fitting roadblock to have to somehow overcome. Should England clear that hurdle, it surely won’t fear whoever emerges between France and Spain on the stronger side of the bracket. Especially if, as Tuchel believes, England still has another gear to hit. In his post-match sideline interviews, the German manager raised eyebrows when he said he loved the result if not the performance against Norway. Asked about the exchange, it seemed to catch Bellingham off-guard. "Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those conditions," Bellingham offered. An hour later, during his post-game press conference in the bowels of the arena that the NFL's Miami Dolphins call home, Tuchel, whose previous experience has been at Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, provided some additional context. "I'm proud, and I'm happy," Tuchel said. "But I'm also a football coach, and I also have demands." He continued: "I think we can play faster and play more clinical. There were unforced errors and technical mistakes in our game … so a lot of things to do better." If England can clean up those errors and maintain the mentality that has already taken them to the final four for just the fourth time ever, they’ll be as hard an out as the other three nations — Argentina, France and Spain — still standing. England's fans have been waiting for a chance like this for decades. Now, after surviving the two toughest tests to date, those supporters could be a mere 90 minutes from seeing their team in its first World Cup final since 1966. "They spend well-earned money to come over and support us," keeper Jordan Pickford said of England’s long-suffering diehards. "All we want to do," he added, "is pay them back."]]>
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					<![CDATA[Messi, Mbappé, Bellingham And Kane Providing A Golden Boot Race For The Ages]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/golden-boot-world-cup-messi-mbappe-kane-bellingham</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/golden-boot-world-cup-messi-mbappe-kane-bellingham</guid>
				<category>soccer</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[Whoever emerges as the World Cup's top goalscorer, this Golden Boot race will go down as one for the ages.]]>
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				<pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 23:48:00 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[For a few days, this was the best Golden Boot race in living memory. Four legends, separated by two goals, all still alive. Then Saturday in Miami thinned the field in the most dramatic way possible. Erling Haaland is gone. Norway's dream ended in extra time, England winning, 2-1, and the man who had scored in every single match his country played was finally, mercifully for defenders, held quiet. Seven goals, a historic run to the quarterfinals, and now a plane home. The most efficient scorer the sport has produced never got his shootout at the top. Cruel game. His conqueror complicated things too. Jude Bellingham scored twice against Norway — including the extra-time winner — to reach six goals and pull level with his own teammate, Harry Kane. So England now carries two men on six into a semifinal. Neither is out of it. Both would need a historic run over two games to catch the leaders. Not impossible. Not likely. Because the leaders are who we always suspected they'd be. Lionel Messi has eight after being held in check in the 2–1 quarterfinals win over Switzerland. Kylian Mbappé also has eight after adding to his account in the 2-0 quarterfinals win over Morocco. The same number they finished on in Qatar four years ago, when Mbappé's hat trick in the final edged Messi by a single goal and left the Argentine without the one trophy his cabinet never held. The Golden Boot is the lone individual honor missing from the greatest résumé the game has ever seen. Four years later, here it is again, dangling in front of Messi, with the same Frenchman standing in the way. The parallels this week bordered on absurd. Both men missed a knockout penalty. Both responded by scoring anyway. Messi's spot-kick was saved against Egypt in the round of 16 clash before he dragged Argentina back from 2-0 down with an 83rd-minute equalizer. Mbappé went the same direction from the spot against Morocco, watched Yassine Bounou save it, then curled in his eighth of the tournament twenty minutes later. Great players don't dodge failure. They just refuse to let it be the headline. Here's the wrinkle that decides everything: Mbappé is technically ahead. FIFA breaks tournament ties on assists, and Mbappé has three to Messi's two. If both finish level on goals, the boot goes to France on a tiebreaker most fans have never heard of. Imagine explaining that to Just Fontaine, who scored 13 in six games in the 1958 World Cup for France with a single pair of boots and no penalties, and still holds the record no one will touch. The stakes are almost as high as the trophy itself. Messi, at 39, is the all-time World Cup scoring leader with 21 goals. Mbappé sits on 20, one behind, at 27 years old. Every goal either player scores now moves two leaderboards at once — the Golden Boot and the record book. There is no such thing as a meaningless finish for these two anymore. And the fixtures are lining up for a reunion nobody would dare script. France plays Spain in the semifinal Tuesday. If both win, Messi and Mbappé meet in the final in New York on July 19 — the ghost of Lusail in Qatar resurrected, four years and one continent later, with a Golden Boot and a World Cup on the same table. Haaland gave us the fireworks. Bellingham and Kane still lurk. But this was always going to come down to the two men who turned the 2022 final into a duel and never really stopped. Messi chasing the one award he's yet to capture. Mbappé right there with him. Fontaine's record is safe. Everything else is up for grabs. And we get to watch the same two titans settle it one more time.]]>
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					<![CDATA[France vs. Spain: Major Tournament Matchups Through The Years]]>
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				<link>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/france-vs-spain-major-tournament-matchups-through-years</link>
				<guid>https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/france-vs-spain-major-tournament-matchups-through-years</guid>
				<category>soccer</category>
				<description>
				    <![CDATA[Spain and France meet again in a World Cup semifinal after six major tournament clashes dating back to the Euro 1984 final.]]>
				</description>
				<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 13:20:18 -0400</pubDate>
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				    <![CDATA[France and Spain: two international powerhouses with rich histories and bright futures. But how have the two countries matched up against each other in major tournaments throughout the years? Let's look back at the most notable meetings between France and Spain ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal match at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday: 2024 Euros Semifinal: Spain 2, France 1 Spain's Goalscorers: Lamine Yamal, Dani OlmoFrance's Goalscorers: Randal Kolo Muani The most recent meeting between France and Spain was in 2024, again in a semifinal, but in the European Championship. A majority of the players from both squads are involved again this time. Sixteen members of Spain’s current World Cup squad were in the Euro 2024 squad that won the tournament, while 15 France players from Euro 2024 are also in this World Cup squad. Spain came into that Euro 2024 semifinal flying, having a marvelous tournament up to that point. La Roja went perfect in the group stage, winning all three matches, then beat Georgia comfortably in the round of 16 before knocking out host nation Germany in the quarterfinals. France, meanwhile, had a relatively poor start to the tournament. Les Bleus failed to win their group, managing five points in the group stage, before lackluster knockout wins over Belgium and Portugal. France beat Belgium, 1-0, in the round of 16, then defeated Portugal on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the quarterfinals. Spain came in with the momentum, but an early goal from Kolo Muani stirred the pot. Then a moment of magic from Lamine Yamal, a long-distance pearler, and a goal from Dani Olmo off a Jules Koundé deflection gave Spain a 2-1 lead going into halftime. Spain managed to hang on, winning the semifinal before going on to win the entire tournament by beating England in the final. 2012 Euros Quarterfinal: Spain 2, France 0 Spain's Goalscorers: Xabi Alonso 2 France came into this tournament managed by Laurent Blanc, trying to clean up the scraps of a humiliating 2010 World Cup campaign in which it finished bottom of its group with just one point in a group that included Uruguay, Mexico and South Africa. France started Euro 2012 better compared to 2010 by getting out of the group, but it failed to win the group after suffering an upset defeat to Sweden on match day three. That meant France had to go up against a Spanish dynasty that was coming off winning Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. Spain was firmly in the middle of being one of the greatest national teams of all time, if not the greatest national team of all time. An early goal from Xabi Alonso and a late insurance penalty from him in stoppage time allowed Spain to cruise into the semifinals. Spain went on to win Euro 2012. 2006 World Cup Round of 16: France 3, Spain 1 France's Goalscorers: Franck Ribéry, Patrick Vieira, Zinedine ZidaneSpain's Goalscorers: David Villa This was a dramatic round of 16 matchup in 2006 because France failed to win its group, finishing below Switzerland, which led to Les Bleus facing a Spain side that had won its group in dominant fashion. But Spain’s reward was having to face a France team in the last 16 that still had Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram, Franck Ribéry and many more. Those talented players got the better of a Spain team that started strong and took the initial lead through a David Villa penalty. But an equalizer from Ribéry shortly before halftime, a late goal from Vieira on a set piece and a stoppage-time insurance goal from Zidane allowed France to get past Spain. It was a tough break for a Spanish team that won its group but was rewarded with a France team that ended up going all the way to the World Cup final. 2000 Euros Quarterfinal: France 2, Spain 1 France's Goalscorers: Zinedine Zidane, Youri DjorkaeffSpain's Goalscorers: Gaizka Mendieta This Euro 2000 quarterfinal saw all three goals come in the first half. Zidane broke the deadlock for France with a free kick, before Mendieta equalized from the penalty spot. But Spain not being able to go into the dressing room at 1-1 was a blow, as Djorkaeff scored the go-ahead goal right before halftime. A young Raúl, only 23 at the time, had the opportunity to send the game into extra time from the penalty spot late on, but the pressure got to him as he blazed his penalty over the crossbar. France went on to the semifinals and eventually won Euro 2000. 1996 Euros Group Stage: France 1, Spain 1 France's Goalscorers: Youri DjorkaeffSpain's Goalscorers: José Luis Caminero This was Spain and France’s second group-stage match of Euro 1996, played at Elland Road in Leeds, home of Leeds United. It ended in a 1-1 draw behind goals from Djorkaeff and José Luis Caminero and proved to be a pivotal point for both teams in their push to move on to the quarterfinals. It was a tight battle between France, Spain and Bulgaria for the top two spots. France topped the group with seven points, Spain finished second with five, and Bulgaria narrowly missed out with four. 1984 Euros Final: France 2, Spain 0 France's Goalscorers: Michel Platini, Bruno Bellone France’s first major international tournament victory came in 1984, when it beat Spain, 2-0, behind Michel Platini, whose Euro 1984 campaign is widely recognized as one of the greatest individual international tournament performances ever. Platini scored nine goals in five matches, including one in the final, as he captained France to the trophy. Bruno Bellone also got on the scoresheet. Played at the Parc des Princes, France won as host nation in a tense, cagey affair. The opener came in the 57th minute after a mistake from Spain goalkeeper Luis Arconada on a Platini free kick, before Bellone added an insurance goal in the 90th minute with a chip. That gave France its first major international tournament title. This was Spain’s last appearance in a major international tournament final before Euro 2008, 24 years later.]]>
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