Author: alaskaadmin

Earlier in June, days before the start of the 2026 World Cup, as I began to walk around the streets of New York in order to get a better sense of the energy that was building towards the tournament, I decided to head to Jackson Heights in Queens. For those who don’t know, the neighborhood is a world within itself. It is a multicultural melting pot, a micro-community where blocks become nations and diasporas tell you who they are through their shop windows or small businesses. It is Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, India and South Asia, serving you some of the best food you will ever have. It is a place that fully defines my sentiment of how diversity empowers our senses and for the World Cup. The fans are everywhere, proudly representing their people, their national team and cultural habits. My favorite Colombian bakery had a replica of the World Cup at its store window next to an image of Luis Díaz. An Ecuadorian food stall had a poster of the ageless wonder Enner Valencia. Mexican flags were not just on food trucks, they were on sidewalks and lampposts. A store selling replica World Cup shirts showed me a rainbow of what was about to come: a beautiful celebration of the greatest game. A few days later after my trip to Queens, as the World Cup was arriving, I kept walking and talking, meeting different faces and experiences. From a Senegalese chef in Harlem to a Norwegian restaurateur in Soho. From an English owner on the Upper East Side to an Egyptian family-based spot lower down in LES. All of them talked to me, happy and excited, wearing their national team shirts, about their World Cup memories and how the nostalgia of the past connects them to the hope of the present and the joy of seeing their nation on the biggest stage of all. I bumped into a Scottish family, asking me about the best places to find a bagel. I sent them to Leo’s in the financial district, and then we waxed poetically about the wonder of John McGinn. And this was just New York City. Before the tournament had even started. And that’s when I knew that this World Cup would be special. Not because of the extravagancy or the size of the stadiums. Not because of the halftime show or the celebrity sightings. Not because of the merchandise or price of tickets. Not because of VAR — or even the players. This World Cup, quite simply, was special because of you. THROUGHOUT THE TOURNAMENT, across three nations and 16 cities in Mexico, Canada and the United States, fans from all over the world traveled to not just support their team, but to be with one another. Yes, opponents on the pitch are clearly evident in this game, but outside of it — the sentiment was one of family, where sharing each other’s cultural gifts to the world was now becoming a gift to each other. Kansas City welcomed Algeria as one of its own, whilst Norway’s iconic Viking row took over the home field of the New York Mets. More than 50,000 Scottish fans drank Boston dry and this only made them become more connected to the city. The mayor held a welcoming ceremony last week for a traffic cone, which is now a symbolic gesture of appreciation after the Tartan Army faithful placed them on top of Boston statues during its run at the World Cup. Then there was the couple in Arlington, Texas, who created a lemonade stand for fans walking up to the stadium. In the end, supporters from all over the world bought a cup and left messages from around the world, thanking them for the hospitality. I met a Paraguayan family who runs a beautiful restaurant in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens where the entire community would come, watch and celebrate its team doing the almost impossible after beating Germany. Or how about Oasis’ “Wonderwall” becoming an anthem of nostalgia for England — sung from all corners of the ancient streets of Mexico City to neon-lit boulevards of Miami. Or how about the Mexican fan I connected with, who was once a server in Cancún, immigrated to the U.S. more than two decades ago and built an empire of restaurants in New Jersey. Or the Colombians in Hackensack, New Jersey. Or the Haitians in Brooklyn, Argentinians in North Miami and South Koreans in Los Angeles. Then we have the thousands of videos of pure joy, the reaction of what it meant to taste ranch dressing for the first time. The casual conversations with strangers. The commitment to learning about one another. It truly restored my faith in humanity. AS MY HERO, ANTHONY BOURDAIN once said, travel and exploration of new places and communities isn’t always graceful or pretty, but the journey changes you, leaving a lasting mark on your heart and consciousness. All of these stories, therefore, much like the Panini stickers on the World Cup album, are collected, restored and remembered for eternity. There is nothing more precious that the World Cup can give you than this: an invitation to an extended family. The fan is the blood and oxygen of a team. Without it, stadiums — as we remember during COVID-19 — have no soul. No reason to exist. But when you see a packed stadium, where voices become one singular wave of energy, it moves you. It makes you appreciate life. And so, beautiful fan, that’s why I dedicate this column to you. Because of you, this World Cup awakened us and made us feel alive. That’s what the World Cup is all about: a celebration of the people and their love for the beautiful game, the beautiful us.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

NASHVILLE Superspeedway (Lebanon, Tenn.) — Alex Palou got the track position, and then everyone knew he had the talent that makes him hard to beat. Palou was able to sneak in the pits just before the caution came out with 102 laps remaining, and then was able to keep that track position, including holding off defending Nashville winner Josef Newgarden in the final 31-lap green-flag run Monday for his fifth win of the year. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver, the three-time defending series champion, now has an 83-point lead in the standings with six races left in the season as he seeks his fifth overall title. “I’m just so happy that everything worked,” Palou said in his postrace news conference. Here are my takeaways from the race that was postponed from Sunday night because of heavy downpours on the 1.33-mile concrete oval: 1. Newgarden Frustrated Josef Newgarden, even being on the softer tires that should have allowed him to be a little faster for at least a few laps while Palou chose the hard tires for his final run, couldn’t catch Palou down the end. The Team Penske driver believed Palou would have had to make a mistake for him to get by: “The restart was what it was. Unless you have a full stint, there’s your stack right there [to the finish].” Palou felt he could be in trouble, not believing that simply track position would mean he would prevail: “I knew it was going to be very tough just because I saw how [Newgarden] was racing at the beginning of the race with Kyle [Kirkwood]. They were both flat out. … I was not confident at all.” 2. Malukas’ Big Comeback Two days after going to the hospital for X-rays and scans on his badly bruised right knee, David Malukas recovered from that crash in practice and starting 24th to finishing third. So while his teammate Newgarden was frustrated ahead of him, Malukas was excited even if he was thoroughly exhausted from the heat, which had already spurred INDYCAR officials to announce Sunday night that the event would be reduced from 300 laps to 225 laps. “I had almost no time the past few days to get fluids,” Malukas said in his postrace news conference and after his visit to to the medical center. “We weren’t even getting fluids yesterday. “After that race we knew it was probably going to be a thing. I felt really good, the adrenaline started to wear off, things started to get a little spinny there. I got fluids, picked me up on a little bit of sugar. I’m good.” 3. Schumacher’s First Top-10 Former Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher earned the first top-10 of his career as he placed eighth at Nashville. Some would say that was because it was more of a track position race, but Schumacher did consistently get track position and didn’t make mistakes. “The pace has always been good enough for a top-10,” he told me and another reporter after the race. “To actually put it on track is a great achievement — but I knew it was possible all along. … It was consistent on the communication, we had no issues in the pits, a nice, solid race.” Schumacher’s future in INDYCAR is unclear whether he will return to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing or possibly go to another team or even make the INDYCAR experience a one-year-and-done quest. Maybe finishing top 10 on an oval is just what he needed to show what he can do. “The pace overall this year has been showing that anyways,” Schumacher said. “People know what they get, and obviously, this hopefully will put it into the books that we are able to do this consistently. “I think there’s a high chance that I’ll be here next year.” 4. Dixon-Rossi Strange Crash Scott Dixon slammed into the back of Alex Rossi when Rossi slowed to pit in a strange accident. Rossi seemed flabbergasted when he talked to reporters outside the INDYCAR medical unit: “It’s insane. I love Scott. I don’t want to say anything bad. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do in that situation.” Dixon seemed just as curious about how it all unfolded. “He was kind of struggling a little bit,” Dixon told me and another reporter. “He was kind of running the high line. I had a pretty good run, went to the low—the same with the lap before, and then he kind of covered the low side. And then on the next lap, when I had a better run, I went to the low side. “Then he went low, and so I went lower, and then all of a sudden he kind of moved back up again, which I thought he was kind of letting me go. And then he slammed on the brakes to come into the pits. So I had no idea that he was coming into the pits [from the] middle of the track. It was unfortunate.” 4 ½. What’s next: Portland The INDYCAR Series takes two weeks off before racing Aug. 9 in Portland. That will start a brutal five-week stretch with six races to finish off the season: Portland, Markham (Toronto suburb), Washington D.C., Milwaukee (two-race weekend) and Laguna Seca.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Spain is the FIFA World Cup champion for the second time ever after a 1-0 extra-time victory over Lionel Messi and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday to close the largest edition of the tournament in history. With the first 48-team World Cup now complete, there were many players who put together fabulous performances throughout the tournament. But only 11 can be picked for the World Cup Best XI. So as the world looks back on an unbelievable tournament, here is FOX Sports analyst Alexi Lalas’ World Cup Best XI. Unai Simón gets in goal after winning the Golden Glove. It was a historic World Cup campaign for Simón, who kept seven clean sheets and conceded only one goal. That was the fewest goals conceded by a team on the way to winning a World Cup. Simón was pivotal with his shot-stopping, his ability to play out from the back and his sweeper-keeper role, constantly sniffing out attacks coming in behind Spain’s back line. Marc Cucurella came into this tournament widely recognized as one of the premier left backs in the world, and he showed that at the World Cup. He was defensively stable in the best defense in the tournament while also being a constant presence in attack with his energy to go up and down the pitch. Aymeric Laporte turned back the clock with a great World Cup for Spain, anchoring the back line as the experienced partner next to teenage center back Pau Cubarsí. Laporte helped lead a defense that conceded the fewest goals ever by a World Cup-winning team. His ability to play out from the back and his defensive stability were cornerstones for Spain throughout the tournament. Cristian Romero was a vital piece of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning campaign, and he continued to be one in this tournament. Not only was he willing to put everything on the line defensively, but he also made an impact in the attacking box as a goalscoring threat. That included his goal against Egypt to bring Argentina back into that match, as well as the header that was deflected in as an own goal to win the round of 32 match against Cape Verde. Pedro Porro showed his true level playing for Spain at this World Cup. After an inconsistent season at Tottenham, Porro put together a strong tournament. Spain initially started Marcos Llorente at right back, but Porro eventually earned the starting spot and became a key player throughout the tournament. He was not only solid defensively, but also a presence in attack, scoring in the round of 32 against Austria and again in the semifinal against France. Rodri won the Golden Ball as the best player on the best team, playing at a high level throughout the World Cup. He showed signs of the level he had before tearing his ACL following his Ballon d’Or and European Championship-winning campaign. Rodri’s decision-making, processing speed and defensive strength in front of Laporte and Cubarsí were massive for Spain. After this tournament, Rodri could be on his way to a second Ballon d’Or. Jude Bellingham had a monster tournament, scoring seven goals from midfield. The capacity he showed to arrive in the box was tremendous, and his clutch moments were on a different level. Every time England was in a hole and needed someone to pull it out, Bellingham seemed to be there showing his class and scoring vital goals. Michael Olise is as silky as a footballer can get, and he showed his quality and creativity at this World Cup. Despite not scoring a single goal, his tournament was fabulous because of the creativity he provided for France. Olise allowed players like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué to flourish because of how consistently he created chances. Olise finished with seven assists, breaking Pelé’s record for the most assists recorded at a single World Cup. Kylian Mbappé had 10 goals at this World Cup, won the Golden Boot and played a huge role in France’s run to the semifinals. He scored in the round of 32, round of 16 and quarterfinals, and then added two more goals in the third-place match against England. Mbappé also broke the record for most career goals scored at the World Cup, moving to 22. With what he has already done on this stage, Mbappé now has a serious case as the greatest World Cup player in history. Erling Haaland had a World Cup campaign that people will tell stories about for years. His seven goals were incredibly vital in taking Norway to the quarterfinals in its first World Cup campaign since 1998. This Norway side won two knockout-stage games, with Haaland scoring the winner in both. He scored the late winner against Ivory Coast in the round of 32, then scored twice to help Norway stun Brazil in the round of 16. At 39, Lionel Messi had about as good of a campaign as an individual in any sport can have at that age. He brought himself back into the conversation as one of the best players in the world, playing lights out with eight goals and four assists while putting Argentina on his back and taking it to the final. Even though Argentina fell short against Spain, Messi’s tournament was another reminder of his greatness.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports