Category: News Feeds

The United States men’s national team now knows its path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and it’s not going to be easy — far from it. Although the U.S. won Group D by winning two group-stage matches for the first time since 1930, it is expected to play just one team ranked lower than it in the FIFA Men’s World Rankings through the knockout stage due to some surprises on the final days of group play. Additionally, the United States is already a long-shot to win the World Cup even after its strong start to the tournament with +3500 odds, the ninth-best odds in the tournament. Still, the Americans’ performance in the group stage has dared their fans — and themselves — to dream. Here’s everything you need to know about the United States’ path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final: This simulation of the United States’ path to the World Cup final assumes two things: This creates the hardest — and maybe most realistic — path for the U.S. to make the final. Date: July 1Location: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium Date: July 6Location: Seattle Stadium Date: July 10Location: Los Angeles Stadium Date: July 15Location: Dallas Stadium Date: July 19Location: New York New Jersey Stadium​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup reaching the knockout rounds, fans will soon see 90-minute draws turn into extra time and penalty shootouts. At each of the last three World Cups, there were at least four matches decided by penalty shootouts, but in 2026, with 32 teams advancing to the knockout rounds instead of 16, that number could increase. So what is the approach for goalkeepers defending against penalty-takers in these shootouts? And what is the approach for those who take penalty kicks? We asked former U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Brad Guzan and former Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel how they approached stopping penalty kicks. And on the flipside, we asked former U.S. men’s national team star forward Clint Dempsey what goes into making a penalty kick in a high-pressure moment. Here’s how they break down penalty kicks in a step-by-step process. Preparation Well before any penalty kicks are taken, several hours of preparation are put into stopping or converting them. However, Guzan admitted that he always felt “the pressure was on the penalty-taker.” Still, Guzan, who was on America’s roster at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups and spent nine seasons with MLS club Atlanta United after a nine-year career in England, always felt supremely prepared for penalty shootouts. Before the start of a penalty shootout, he’d meet with the goalkeeper’s coach, study his opponents and put himself in a position to succeed. “You’ve done your research, you’ve done your homework leading up to the game,” Guzan said. “You’ve got a list, a piece of paper with their names and their tendencies. That gives you that little reminder, and then, go for it.” Defending a penalty shootout is similar to being an infielder or outfielder in baseball and reading your positioning card before each batter steps onto the plate. A hitter can beat a shift, similar to how a penalty-taker can stray from their normal strategy, but following the history, the film, the research best prepares a goalkeeper. “At that point, you trust in your gut, you trust in what you’ve seen. And if you go the right way, you hope that you’ve put yourself in a position to make a save,” Guzan said. Trusting the preparation is key, Guzan explained, emphasizing that once a goalkeeper chooses a side to dive to, they have to commit. Mind Games When it actually comes time for penalty kicks, there’s another advantage that goalkeepers have, according to Guzan: playing mind games. Guzan said he wouldn’t trash-talk penalty kickers, but he would certainly ice them. “I was a delay guy. Talking to the referee, getting a sip of water. I’m touching the post over there, I’m touching the post over here.” That strategy, however, is much harder to implement at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where there are rules to ensure the game flows smoothly, where officials have awarded corner kicks when goalkeepers take too long to take a goal kick, and issued cards for wasting time. So, that’s why some other goalkeepers take their preparation and mind games to an extra level. Former Denmark and Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel shared that the teams he was a part of would seek the help of a mentalist to try and get an extra advantage in penalty kick situations. “For me, it was always about control,” Schmeichel said. “We actually used a mentalist, a guy that guesses things that you’re thinking, but they’re putting it in your head. So, we actually asked one of those to see what we can actually do to influence a taker, and it would be things like overemphasizing certain words. “In a VAR situation, when the referee is out checking, I had a chance to talk to the taker. I’d overemphasize words like over or right or left, or try to do different things that they kind of taught us to look for. Can I get some kind of influence?” Another challenge for goalkeepers is the introduction of late-game substitutes, or a penalty shootout going longer than five attempts. That can lead to penalty-takers who have few attempts on their record, and therefore, no concrete tendencies. In the end, Guzan said, it’s important to “trust in what you’ve already done,” and “commit and go.” The Run-Up Now, the ref has blown the whistle and it’s time for the taker to step up to the ball for the kick. When Dempsey would take his first steps toward the ball, there was one move he would make that he thought gave the penalty kick taker an advantage. “To me, you stutter step to see if the keeper is going to go early,” Dempsey said. “If the keeper doesn’t go early, then you have to be precise. And you know in your mind where you like to go in those scenarios. There are times when you see the keeper bite, and then you’re able to change it up. I think different strokes for different folks.” With penalty takers like Dempsey admitting that they tried to get the goalkeeper to move early, Guzan admitted that stopping penalty shots was “all about timing.” “The timing to explode and the timing to go with whatever side you decide, left or right,” Guzan said. “You want to go with everything you have. When you stutter, that timing becomes really difficult to make sure you don’t go early.” The Attempt Ultimately, the vast majority of penalty kicks are determined by how the ball comes off the taker’s foot. Will the taker aim for the far posts? Will he or she aim for the middle of the net? Do you put some umph on the shot to power it past the goalkeeper or do you bounce it in? Dempsey said that the best takers have to weigh everything and be able to make penalty kicks in form or fashion. “You have to mix up how you do your penalty kicks. You have to be willing to chip down the middle and not do the stutter step,” Dempsey said, adding, “If you’re going to be the most complete penalty taker, you have to have an array of ways in which you take it.” And on the keeper’s end, Guzan continued to emphasize the importance of timing, believing that the slightest difference in reaction time could determine if the ball goes in or is saved. “The timing then has to be so precise,” Guzan said. “Even then, if the ball is far enough in the corner, it becomes really difficult to save, knowing that you’ve got to be at full extension to get even the slightest fingertip to get it on the post or around the post.” The Result Hours of preparation and studying are behind every penalty kick. Moments of intense thinking precede each try, too. All of those little things helped Dempsey make 16 penalty kicks on 21 attempts in his club and international career (excluding penalty kick shootouts). For Guzan, he saved 17 of the 71 penalty kicks he faced in his club and international career (also excluding penalty kick shootouts). But all of that time and thinking might not matter in the end, at least on the goalkeeper’s side. “We had faced a penalty against Peru in the World Cup 2018. I kept overemphasizing the word over, ‘Don’t hit this over,’ all these kinds of things, emphasizing the word over,” said Schmeichel, who saved 26 of 99 penalty shots he faced over his career (excluding penalty kick shootouts). “Whether it made a difference, I don’t know.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Croatia was able to secure a second place finish in Group L after defeating Ghana 2-1 at Philadelphia Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It was a hard-earned victory for Croatia, which began the game slowly until it found a long-range goal from Petar Sučić. After Ghana mounted a comeback to equalize, Croatia pulled ahead for good with a late set-piece goal. Here are my thoughts on it all: 1. Sučić’s Goal Set The Tone In the early stages of this game, there was very little offense for either team. That changed in the 31st minute when Mateo Kovacić found Petar Sučić in the middle of the field. The Inter Milan midfielder seemed surprised with how much space he had and opted to hit a powerful low shot inside the left post past Ghana goalkeeper Benjamin Asare. For Sučić, it was just his second goal for the national team, but he continues to be an important player for head coach Zlatko Dalić after deciding to switch his national team affiliation from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia in 2024. It was the first goal that Ghana conceded in this World Cup but the tone of the game changed. Prior to that, everything was defensive. The only other real chance for Croatia had been when Nikola Vlašić hit the post following a mistake. Following the goal, Croatia began to look more comfortable in possession. Its passes were more attack oriented through the remainder of the half. 2. Ghana Had An Impressive Second-Half Response After Sučić’s goal, Ghana was forced to chase a goal for the first time this tournament. Head coach Carlos Queiroz was only hired just before the tournament and his most important priority was to patch up the team’s leaky defense. Forced to attack, Queiroz made a series of changes at halftime, likely to seek to support the team’s attackers, including Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo, who is the team’s best offensive player. Those changes worked and at the start of the second half, Ghana began to generate more balls played deeper in Croatia’s half. In the 73rd, Ghana finally found its equalizer on a free kick from Ernest Nuamah that found central defender Derrick Luckassen. It took a long VAR review to confirm the goal, but ultimately it was given when it was judged any player Ghana had in an offside position on the free kick was not interfering with the play. 3. A Flashback Performance By Modrić In a tournament where players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are defying age, Luka Modrić also put in a performance that was reminiscent of when he was arguably the best midfielder in the world. After Ghana scored, all the momentum was in favor of the Black Stars. The game was now even and Ghana had most of the possession and scoring chances in the second half. Then Croatia quickly responded. Mario Pasalić, 31, fired a rocket of a shot in the 82nd that forced a great save from Asare. On the ensuing corner kick, 40-year-old Modrić, in his 201st cap, sent a perfect ball onto the head of Nikola Vlasic, who beat Asare. In doing so, Modrić became the oldest player on record to ever record an assist at the World Cup. Modrić continued to play extremely well. On the defensive side, Modric was at his best where he broke up a series of plays and covered a ton of ground. There were many questions about whether Modrić would have the engine to run the team’s midfield in this tournament, but this was a great performance from him. Modrić was not alone, however, as long-time veterans Ivan Perišić and Mateo Kovacić were very important late in the game when Croatia needed to find another level. It was not a pretty win, but it was a win that required experience and a lot of hard work defensively. Croatia was up for the challenge. 4. Both Teams Will Face Stern Tests In Round of 32 Ghana knew before the opening whistle that it had qualified for the knockout stages. Croatia knew it needed a result. When England moved ahead of Panama in the second half, these teams knew it was a race for second place in the group. For Croatia, it will next play the runner-up of Group K and that will very likely be either Colombia or Portugal. For Croatia, this will again where it will need to rely heavily on Modrić. Even at 40, he will be a huge asset to the team in difficult knockout games. For Ghana, it will next play the winner of Group K. Ghana will be the heavy underdog in that game and will have to raise its level above what it showed against England in a scoreless draw.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

England came to New Jersey needing only a point to win Group L. It made five changes, and spent an hour playing like a team that had already mentally checked into its knockout-stage hotel. Panama sat deep in a low block with everyone behind the ball. England passed it sideways. For 62 minutes, the scoreboard sat frozen at 0-0, and the performance barely registered a pulse. Then Jude Bellingham decided he’d seen enough. Two goals in five minutes, a clean sheet, top spot locked. Job done. Style points politely declined. Here are my takeaways from England’s 2-0 win over Panama: 1. England Win Group L. Now the Bracket Bares Its Teeth. England finished first in Group L with seven points: a 4-2 win over Croatia, a flat 0-0 with Ghana and this 2-0 win over Panama. Croatia grabbed second. Ghana slipped to third, locked firmly into place as a third-place qualifier. The reward for topping the group is a Round of 32 match in Atlanta on July 1 against a third-placed team out of Group E, H, I, J or K. Winning that match makes the road ahead progressively more challenging: co-hosts Mexico potentially waiting in the Round of 16, Brazil in the quarters, Argentina in the semis. England was expected to win the group. Now it’s time to fix the issues fans saw in their last two group stage performances. 2. The Low Block Is Still England’s Kryptonite We’ve seen this one before. Against Ghana, England huffed and puffed and drew a blank against a packed defense. Against Panama’s 5-4-1, it was the same script for an hour: 68% of the ball, endless sideways passing, nobody making the run that actually scares a back five. The first half was flat and low on energy — the kind of half that makes it hard to convince new fans of the sport to tune in for a second. Here’s the truth: England has far too much quality to look this lifeless. The talent eventually decided the game, as it always threatens to. But England’s future opponents will know very well how to neutralize Thomas Tuchel’s system. The German manager has a recurring problem to solve. When teams sit deep, England slows down instead of speeding up. Quality rescued them today. It may not be the case next week. 3. Tuchel Rotated Hard. Bellingham and Kane Made It Work. Five changes from the starting XI vs. Ghana. On came Jarell Quansah for his tournament debut, playing out of position at fullback, along with Morgan Rogers, Nico O’Reilly, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford. Out went Reece James (hamstring), Anthony Gordon, Djed Spence, Noni Madueke and — gasp— Declan Rice, England’s most creative player through two games. With the top spot nearly secure, Tuchel managed legs and yellow cards. Fair enough. The standouts were the obvious ones. Bellingham scored and assisted, becoming the youngest England player on record to do both in a World Cup match. Harry Kane headed home his 11th career World Cup goal to pass Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament. Saka’s corner made the first. Rashford’s long ball sprung the second. Going forward, expect Rice straight back in and the first-choice XI restored. Today was rotation. The knockouts won’t be. 4. So Long, Panama. You Made Them Earn It. Panama goes home with zero points, three losses, and last place in the group. On paper, brutal. In practice, they did the job they came to do, and they did it for an hour longer than anyone expected. England got a taste of a scrappy, no-nonsense CONCACAF foe. Stacked against a side worth a king’s ransom, Orlando Mosquera and his teammates sat deep, stayed compact, and turned a glamour fixture into a slog. The 5-4-1 held until the 62nd minute. Against this much talent, that’s a genuine achievement. This was only the second meeting between these nations; the first was England’s 6-1 romp back in 2018. Tonight, Panama lost by two and made England fight for every blade of grass. No point on the board, no fairytale, but no humiliation either. They came to inconvenience a giant, and for 62 minutes, they did exactly that. Buen viaje, Panama.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports