Month: June 2026

Ghana has positioned itself to become one of the most surprising teams in the group stage at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup following a 0-0 draw with England on Tuesday at Boston Stadium. Two months ago, Ghana’s team was in chaos as the team was extremely poor in the March international window. The federation felt compelled to make a coaching change and went with the highly respected Carlos Queiroz. The Portugal native has now guided Ghana to a win over Panama and a draw with England to be on the verge of advancing to the knockouts. Here are my takeaways: 1. Give Credit To Queiroz For Reshaping Ghana Queiroz has coached nine national teams and this is his fifth time coaching in a World Cup. He has also managed top clubs, including Real Madrid and Sporting CP. Now 73, Queiroz is well experienced and knows the international side of the game well. When he was hired by Ghana in April, he inherited a team that kept allowing goals in the March international window (including a 5-1 loss to Austria). His priority was to improve the team’s defense extremely quickly. In the win over Panama in the opener, Ghana grew into the game and by the end, all the dangerous chances were from the Black Stars. Most importantly, the team kept a clean sheet. Against England, Ghana came into the game as the heavy underdog. Queiroz’s game plan involved having his team slow the game down and focus on closing down on the ball when England moved into the final third. That is not easy to pull off effectively, but Ghana found success early with how well its players rotated and covered for each other. It clearly frustrated the English players who struggled in the first half to pick up the pace and find space to operate in the attack. England had 78% possession in the first half, but Ghana gave the Lions nothing to show for it.  The first half ended without a shot on goal for either team, which was a success for Ghana. In the second half, it was a test of defensive discipline but combined more with the determination to block shots, make tired runs, win aerials, and engage in emergency defending. Late in the half, Ghana came close to finding a winner on a counterattack. At the start of the World Cup, Ghana was ranked 73rd in the latest FIFA World Rankings, which was one of the lowest in the tournament. Queiroz was given a near impossible task with Ghana, but he has helped to improve Ghana’s defense immensely in very little time. It is one of the most impressive coaching displays at this tournament. 2. Tuchel’s Tactics Felt Too Little, Too Late This was a very different test for England when compared with Croatia in the first game. Croatia came into that game looking to go directly at England and play them as equals. Ghana had no interest in attempting to impose itself on England. Rather, Ghana was content with sitting deep while looking to generate occasional chances on the counterattack or on set pieces. England’s head coach Thomas Tuchel had his team looking to play up the middle and find combination to open opportunities for Harry Kane or others in the box. It was somewhat surprising that he did not start wingers Marcus Rashford or Bukayo Saka after both performed well against Croatia. He also elected to start with two holding midfielders in a game where England was going to have plenty of possession deep in the attacking half. Throughout the first half, England was slow to adjust despite the opportunities not coming. Specifically, England’s first half struggles centered on the team not utilizing its wingers or fullbacks to unlock Ghana’s defense from wide areas where it could attack more in one-on-one situations. In the second half, England did not make any initial substitutions but began to attack more from out wide. In the 66th minute, Tuchel made significant adjustments when he replaced the team’s left side of the field when he took out winger Anthony Gordon and fullback Djed Spence and replaced them with Nico O’Reilly and Bukayo Saka. From there, England started to push forward more effectively. Ghanian goalkeeper Benjamin Asare had to make more saves as the half moved on. In one dramatic moment, the two subs of O’Reilly and Saka combined as O’Reilly sent a shot off the crossbar, and it was then followed by a shocking close-range miss from Kane. But the winner never came for England. Tuchel’s responses helped to generate chances, but the questions now arise about whether he waited too late and whether he got his initial gameplan correct. 3. Ghana Buckled Down And Prevailed While Queiroz deserves a lot of credit, the Ghanian players executed their gameplan brilliantly and with determination. Some of the areas where it achieved this result show up in the stats. Ghana finished the game making 22 tackles, blocking six shots, and making 39 clearances. Teams who get a result in a game with only that little percentage of possession tend to impress in these areas, but these numbers are very high. Even more impressive is that Ghana keeper Benjamin Asare only needed to make three saves. Ghana put forth a total team defensive effort. Any English player with the ball close to the box was swarmed, and the passing lanes were cut off. When England managed to have a good opportunity, Ghana players would dive to block shots. 4. Plenty At Stake In Group Stage Finales The teams next return to action on Saturday to complete group play. England remains in great shape as the Lions will once again be heavily favored in its Group L finale against Panama. A very pro-English crowd awaits the team at New York New Jersey Stadium, but the team clearly needs to play better than it did today because Panama is very likely to attempt to play in the same way. Tuchel will need to adjust and find ways to prevent Kane from being inactive for so long. As for Ghana, it now sits in great position with four points and a positive goal differential. Even a narrow loss to Croatia should be enough to send the Black Stars through to the knockouts. But a result against Croatia is not out of the question. Like against England, Ghana will be forced to defend for long stretches, but that does not seem to be a problem for Ghana either. Croatia should be the more concerned team.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Obviously, every MLB All-Star Game is filled with star players. However, the 2026 MLB All-Star Game might feature the greatest collection of pitchers that a league has ever assembled. Nine starting pitchers in the National League have a sub-3.00 ERA entering Tuesday’s slate (among pitchers with enough innings to qualify), and that doesn’t include the likes of Shohei Ohtani (1.47 ERA), Kyle Harrison (2.50 ERA) and Zack Wheeler (2.11 ERA). Which begs the question: Who will be the 12 pitchers selected in the National League? That’s just one of the many debates we tried to settle as we picked our rosters for both the American and National Leagues for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia (July 14, 8 p.m. ET on FOX). Here’s how we see the All-Star rosters so far. Starters Langeliers leads the way behind the plate, posting the highest OPS (.864) among all qualified AL catchers while pacing the position with 18 home runs. Rice has arguably been the best hitter in the AL, which is why he earns the start in the league’s most loaded position-player group. He’s slashing .291/.390/.611 with 20 home runs, 49 RBIs and 53 runs, making him the clear choice at first despite some stiff competition. First basemen Nick Kurtz (Athletics) and Munetaka Murakami (White Sox) are both deserving and should join the All-Star festivities as reserves. At second base, Clement has been a cult hero for Toronto since last year’s World Series run and has carried that momentum into 2026, leading the AL with 20 doubles and 85 hits while slashing .294/.313/.443. Witt Jr. is the obvious pick at shortstop. The 26-year-old leads all players with a 17 Outs Above Average to go along with a 128 OPS+ and 28 stolen bases in 32 attempts. Caminero leads AL third basemen with an .855 OPS, continuing his emergence as one of Tampa Bay’s brightest young stars. The outfield and designated hitter spots are anchored by some familiar names. Buxton’s 25 home runs and .930 OPS lead all AL outfielders. Trout ranks in the top five among AL outfielders in both fWAR (2.1) and home runs (17). This could be his first All-Star start since 2019, which would be a feel-good moment for baseball fans everywhere. Bellinger’s 2.7 fWAR is the highest among all AL outfielders. Alvarez leads MLB with a 1.070 OPS while trailing only Kyle Schwarber with 25 home runs, making him the easy choice at DH and arguably the AL’s most dangerous hitter this season. On the mound, Schlittler’s case for starting the All-Star Game is historically unprecedented. Through his first nine starts, the Yankees right-hander reached at least 50 strikeouts with fewer than 10 walks, no more than one home run allowed and an ERA below 1.50 — a feat not accomplished since Hall of Famer Walter Johnson did it in 1913. Schlittler is coming off a 13-strikeout start against the Reds, a career high, and he currently sits at 8-3 with a 1.72 ERA (AL best), 109 strikeouts, and a 0.89 WHIP, slotting him as the early frontrunner for this year’s AL Cy Young Award. Reserves & Pitchers The AL has struggled to match the NL in star power this season, so there are only a couple of players on this reserves list who probably deserve a shot as starters. The first is Kurtz, the Athletics’ first baseman and last year’s AL Rookie of the Year. Rice and Kurtz are neck and neck in OPS so far this year, with the former edging out the latter by just nine points. The second position-player battle was a debate over whether emerging White Sox star Vargas should get the start over Caminero at third base. Ultimately, Caminero leads Vargas in almost all offensive categories besides RBIs and stolen bases. Both of these are races worth watching between now and the All-Star Game. There were also more AL outfielders to consider with Aaron Judge out with injury, giving a clear runway for All-Star newcomer Caglianone to make the reserves list. The Royals’ right fielder is batting .275 with a .829 OPS in his first full season in the major leagues, with his .480 slugging percentage ranked third among all AL outfielders, trailing only Buxton and Judge. It’s also a good time to give Diaz more love at DH, because if it weren’t for Alvarez’s monster year, the Rays’ slugger would certainly earn a start in Philly. Diaz is slashing .326/.406/.509 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs, and his batting average leads all MLB designated hitters. It’s been an impressive season thus far for the 34-year-old, who should earn his second-career All-Star nod, and his first since 2023. There’s some real opportunity and turnover within the AL starting-pitching group this year with such established arms as Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet spending time out with injuries. (Skubal may still earn an All-Star nod after successfully, and shockingly, returning to the mound following elbow surgery at the beginning of May. But in his absence, other starters climbed the rankings.) Cease has been exactly what the Blue Jays signed up for, leading all AL starters in strikeouts while posting a 2.71 ERA in 13 starts. It’s his lowest ERA since 2022, when he finished second in Cy Young voting to Justin Verlander. It was a tough call between Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan, as both starters are major reasons why Tampa Bay owns the second-best record in the AL. Ultimately, Rasmussen’s 2.59 ERA and AL-best 0.88 WHIP gave him the edge. Now, as for deGrom, he’s making the list mostly as the Texas Rangers’ lone All-Star representative. Still, he’s been solid, ranking in the top 10 among all AL starters in strikeouts and WHIP. DeGrom’s 10.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks fourth among all qualified MLB starters, which should line him up for his sixth career All-Star honor. Soriano has fallen off since his otherworldly start to the season, which featured a 0.24 ERA through his first six starts. But he’s still among the top starters in strikeout rate while emerging as an ace for the Angels. Among the AL relievers, there were no tough cuts. Smith has been fantastic for the Guardians, with his 24 saves leading all qualified closers and should get his first All-Star nod. Varland has been exceptional as Toronto’s closer, which is good for the Blue Jays because Jeff Hoffman hasn’t been the same pitcher since he gave up the game-tying home run to Miguel Rojas in Game 7 of last year’s World Series. Finally, Chapman has somehow improved in his age-38 season and his second year with the Red Sox, posting a 0.83 ERA while converting all 14 of his save opportunities. Starters Baldwin missed a month of action, but the Braves’ catcher is slugging over .500 with the highest OPS of any qualified catcher. On a rate basis, he has done enough to get the nod behind the plate. Freddie Freeman is in the lead in fan voting at first base and has had another solid year, but Olson leads all qualified NL first basemen in homers, slugging and WAR and would be my pick to start among a number of viable candidates. Turang is lagging behind in fan voting, but the 2024 National League Platinum Glove Award winner has fully blossomed into an all-around force. He leads all qualified second basemen in on-base percentage and wRC+ while starring for a Brewers team that is once again defying expectations atop the NL Central. Shortstop was a toss-up for me between Abrams and Otto Lopez (Miami Marlins), who leads the NL in hits and batting average. But what Abrams is doing — leading all NL shortstops in homers, RBIs, runs, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS — for a Nationals team that has stunningly scored the most runs in MLB can’t be ignored. There was no question at third base, where Muncy is an easy answer in an underwhelming field. He leads all NL third basemen in on-base percentage, slugging, OPS and homers. My starting outfield is a showcase of MLB’s incredible 25-and-under talent. Wood, 23, leads all NL outfielders in homers and on-base percentage, a rare combination for a rare offensive force. Crow-Armstrong, 24, is on pace for another 30-30 season after an extraordinary June surge that has him leading all NL position players in WAR. Carroll, 25, leads MLB with nine triples and ranks in the top three among NL outfielders in slugging, OPS, WAR and wRC+. Cardinals breakout Jordan Walker, who leads MLB with 58 RBIs, was my hardest omission from the starting lineup and would be my first choice if one of those top three outfielders missed the game. Kyle Schwarber has a legit argument to start at DH, especially after a three-homer game against the Mets on June 20, but I don’t really need to explain Ohtani here. He has the highest OPS in the National League while also pitching. I wanted to put Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez as the starting pitcher for the game in Philadelphia. I really did. I think if it’s close, the hometown hero should win out. And I had it that way … until Misiorowski struck out 15 in a 95-pitch complete-game shutout against Sánchez’s Phillies. Misiorowski has just been too dominant. He’s the pitcher we’re all talking about. Reserves & Pitchers Goodman isn’t just here because the Rockies need a rep; he ranks second in the NL in home runs. Marlins slugger Liam Hicks was the toughest cut, but he has made fewer than 30 starts behind the plate. It’s impossible to envision an All-Star Game in Philadelphia without Harper, and his late surge has made him deserving of the backup spot at first base. Sorry to fellow first basemen Freddie Freeman, Alec Burleson and Jake Bauers, who were all difficult omissions, but Freeman will likely win the fan vote anyway. Second base is absolutely stacked. The Pirates’ offense is the story in Pittsburgh, and Lowe leads all NL second basemen in homers, slugging and OPS. Luis Arraez, JJ Wetherholt, Xavier Edwards and Ozzie Albies were all difficult omissions and would have strong cases to start the game at second base if they played in the AL. I would have any of those players over Chapman if I didn’t need to include a backup third baseman. Lopez is essentially playing the Arraez role on the All-Star team. He leads all NL players in hits and batting average and has an argument not only to make the team but also to start the game at shortstop. De La Cruz is back in action this week, and he will need to hit the ground running in his return from a hamstring strain to be worthy of an All-Star spot, but I think he did just enough before the injury to get in. (Also, who wouldn’t want to see that kind of talent in this environment?) If De La Cruz doesn’t look like himself upon his return, I would swap in Wetherholt. The NL outfield options are numerous, which means a ton of deserving candidates will unfortunately get snubbed. I still managed to put four backups on my roster. Walker and Soto both have legitimate arguments to start in right field, and though Pages has cooled off considerably, he still ranks in the top three among all NL position players in RBIs and bWAR. With a late charge, I added the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds as my final reserve. As of Monday, he had an extraordinary .400 on-base percentage and ranked in the top eight among all NL position players in OPS, RBIs, wRC+ and bWAR. Michael Harris II and Brandon Marsh were the toughest outfielders to leave off. The NL pitching staff is exceptional, and the battle for Cy Young will be one of the most thrilling award races to watch. I have no problem with Sánchez starting the game in Philadelphia in front of his hometown crowd if that’s ultimately what happens. He leads all NL starters in bWAR and didn’t allow a run in June. Burns has allowed two runs or fewer in all but one of his 15 starts. At 37, Sale ranks fourth in the NL in ERA and is throwing even harder than he did last year. It may be a surprise to see a 2.86 ERA for Skenes, but don’t be alarmed; his expected ERA is even better than it was last year, and his underlying numbers are sensational. He ranks in the top five among NL starters in strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ ERA. Wheeler is back and thriving once again, going 6-1 with a 2.01 ERA in his first 10 starts. What a huge lift he’s giving the Phillies. For the second straight year, Yamamoto took a no-hitter into the ninth inning. He ranks second in WHIP and opponents’ batting average, behind only Misiorowski. Harrison has the third-highest strikeout rate in the NL behind only Misiorowski and Skenes, and his 2.50 ERA would look a lot better if not for one clunker in Las Vegas (where they might as well have been playing on the moon). I’m not holding that one against him. Meyer is 8-0 and ranks fourth in the NL in strikeouts. Along with Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft (6-3, 3.18) and the Cubs’ Ben Brown (4-2, 1.85), both of Arizona’s top starters — Eduardo Rodriguez (6-2, 2.45) and Michael Soroka (8-3, 3.07) — were among the toughest starting pitcher cuts. Atlanta relievers Robert Suarez and Dylan Lee also have an argument to be there, but it’s tough to fit them in as non-closers with the way that Miller, Duran and fellow Braves reliever Iglesias are pitching.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports