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The Brendan Sorsby saga has taken another unprecedented turn. After previously being declared ineligible by the NCAA for wagering on college sports, the star quarterback was granted a temporary injunction Monday that makes him eligible to play for Texas Tech this fall — for now. The ruling sent shock waves throughout the sport and could have major ramifications within both college football and the NFL. Sorsby, scandal aside, is regarded as one of the more talented QB prospects in the country, bringing great attention to where — and if — he will play in 2026. There’s still the chance Sorsby winds up in an NFL supplemental draft this summer, which hasn’t seen anyone selected since the Arizona Cardinals used a fifth-round pick on safety Jalen Thompson in 2019. While Sorsby’s playing status appears to be far from settled, he’ll immediately return to the NFL radar should he again lose his NCAA eligibility. In the meantime, we’ve examined his biggest strengths and weaknesses, where he ranks as a draft prospect, his pro comps and his best NFL team fits. Strengths At a solid 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Sorsby certainly looks the part of an NFL quarterback. And he possesses both the arm and athleticism to star at the highest level, as well. In today’s era of simplified offenses, statistics can certainly be misleading. Sorsby’s numbers speak for themselves, however. He completed 61.4% of his passes for 7,208 yards and 60 touchdowns against 18 interceptions over 35 combined games at Cincinnati (2024-25) and Indiana (2022-23) while rushing for another 1,295 yards and 22 touchdowns. He has plenty of arm strength to make every throw in the playbook and is a gifted, creative passer who can throw from various arm slots. He has excellent touch on intermediate throws, consistently “dropping it in the bucket” on fades and verticals. Sorsby can ramp up the RPMs and fire deep crossers and deep outs with precision, as well. Frankly, the arm talent is undeniable. As his rushing totals suggest, Sorsby is also a real threat as a runner. Cincinnati and Indiana both wisely called plenty of QB runs for him, but he isn’t reliant on them to keep the defense honest. He shows patience in the pocket and looks to exhaust his downfield passing opportunities before dropping his eyes to scramble — but when he does so, Sorsby can scoot. He accelerates smoothly and has good lateral agility to elude, as well as the body armor to absorb the occasional tackle. He is a competitive runner with good vision and understanding of where he is on the field, scrambling for first downs 109 times over the past three years. Sorsby plays with a swagger that will appeal to NFL teams. He showed steady development over his three seasons as a starter and looked like a future first-round pick at Cincinnati last year. Perhaps most importantly, he showed maturity and humility in publicly admitting his gambling addiction and recently completed a 35-day inpatient rehabilitation stint at Algamus, a respected gambling treatment facility in Goodyear, Ari. Weaknesses The concerns with Sorsby are just as obvious as his talent, though most of them are off the field. The quarterback position demands leadership, accountability and selflessness. Some NFL teams may have a hard time believing Sorsby possesses enough of these to justify a draft pick. He is an admitted gambling addict who bet thousands of times, including on Indiana while he played for the Hoosiers. He used family and friends’ names as a proxies to bet, clearly attempting to evade NCAA rules. Scouts looking to vet Sorsby may find few advocates. Though Curt Cignetti and many of his coaches were not yet at Indiana when Sorsby played there, others who were there may be hesitant to sully the reputation of the defending national champion Hoosiers. The program, itself, sounded like one seeking to distance itself from Sorsby with a short, terse statement to The Daily Hoosier following the discovery of his gambling. And given that the University of Cincinnati filed a million-dollar lawsuit against him for violating the 18-month NIL contract he signed following his Indiana transfer, Sorsby may not have many Bearcats supporters, either. His former teammates at Cincinnati might feel similarly given that Sorsby opted out of the 2026 Liberty Bowl versus Navy, a Jan. 2nd game the Bearcats lost 35-13 while generating just 12 total first downs on offense. Frankly, interested NFL teams will ultimately spend more time evaluating Sorsby’s character than his weaknesses on tape. But like with any young quarterback, he certainly has flaws. Sorsby shows good accuracy to all levels of the field, but some of his deep balls do flutter a bit, providing defenders a chance to recover. A couple of his interceptions this past season came on deep balls that hung in the air, notably including one in the final seconds of Cincinnati’s season-opener at Nebraska, where Sorsby was intercepted at the goal line to seal a 20-17 loss. While I like his ability to drop his arm angle and throw around defenders as well as over them, Sorsby often needlessly resorts to more of a sling-shot, sidearm release that effectively makes him a much shorter passer and more likely to have passes batted down at the line of scrimmage in the NFL. Like most quarterbacks at this stage of their careers, Sorsby can get a touch panicky when the rush is getting home and his accuracy diminishes when his feet aren’t set. As a runner, he often carries the ball with just one hand and, despite what his statistics suggest, he has struggled a bit with fumbles. While losing “just” five fumbles over his college career, Sorsby actually put the ball on the ground 12 times on 294 career attempts, per PFF. Draft range There was not a player in the 2026 draft class with a higher ceiling and lower floor than Sorsby, so projecting where he would have been selected is a more complicated hypothetical than it might appear. Let me explain. Sorsby is a more physically gifted and significantly more experienced quarterback than Alabama product Ty Simpson. If the former didn’t come with the off-field complexities noted above, I believe he could have been drafted before Simpson, who surprisingly went No. 13 overall to the Los Angeles Rams. This isn’t to suggest that the Rams specifically would rank Sorsby over Simpson. As noted prior to the draft, I thought Simpson — an accurate and quick-thinking pocket passer — was a particularly clean fit for Los Angeles. For the record, I do not believe that Sorsby would have challenged Fernando Mendoza as the Las Vegas Raiders’ No. 1 overall selection had he declared. Sorsby’s traits and ascending game would have attracted plenty of other suitors after Mendoza, however, including perhaps the New York Jets at No. 2 overall and the Cardinals at No. 3. But, of course, Sorsby does have character concerns, and NFL clubs may have known — or at least suspected — of them prior to the draft. (Reports of him being under NCAA investigation for sports gambling surfaced just days after the draft.) So, it’s also quite possible that he would have tumbled. Ultimately, though, the upside of a cheap contract for a starting caliber quarterback would just be too tempting for some clubs. I’m guessing someone would have thrown a Day 2 dart, at minimum. As for the 2027 draft, which Sorsby is presently tracking to be included in, the competition is considerably stiffer. In my way-too-early 2027 mock, I had five QBs coming off the board in the first round, and all by the No. 14 overall pick: Arch Manning (No. 1, Dolphins), Dante Moore (No. 2, Cardinals), Sam Leavitt (No. 4, Browns), Julian Sayin (No. 12, Jets) and LaNorris Sellers (No. 14, Steelers). Also of note, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt ranked quarterbacks C.J. Carr and Trinidad Chambliss among his initial top-10 prospects in the 2027 class. There’s still obviously much to sort out with Sorsby, but as of today, I’d slot him behind most of this group and peg him as a second-round pick for 2027. Best NFL team fits My best NFL comp for Sorsby right now is a cross between Baker Mayfield and Jaxson Dart. It makes him suitable for several teams around the league. Chief among them: the Cardinals, Jets, Colts, Dolphins, Texans, Buccaneers, Ravens, Cowboys, Vikings and Steelers.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

U.S. Men’s National Team Training Base (IRVINE, Calif.) — It’s been perhaps the biggest problem for the United States men’s soccer team since the Stars and Stripes returned to the World Cup in 1990 following a 40-year absence: Scoring. The U.S. managed three goals in four games at Qatar 2022. In the 27 World Cup matches before that, they netted just 25. Compounding this problem is the fact that many of those tallies didn’t come from the American strikers, but from wingers or midfielders or even defenders. In fact, only four dedicated frontrunners — not hybrid attackers like the country’s all-time top scorers, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan — have converted for the USA at the World Cup in the modern era: Eric Wynalda, Brian McBride, Clint Mathis and Haji Wright. That’s it. There is reason to believe that this World Cup will be different. All three strikers on Mauricio Pochettino’s roster for this summer’s tourney are coming off prolific seasons in Europe. Folarin Balogun led the way with 19 goals for French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco, including five in the UEFA Champions League. Ricardo Pepi also had 19, averaging a goal every 89 minutes for Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. And Wright, the lone holdover up top from four years ago, managed 18, helping Coventry City clinch promotion to the English Premier League. The U.S. will still need goals from other places, to be sure. Christian Pulisic is still the USA’s danger man. Weston McKennie is adept at arriving in the box at the perfect moment. And as we saw in the recent World Cup warm-ups against Senegal and Germany, fullbacks Antonee “Jedi” Robinson and Sergiño Dest can also contribute offensively. Still, when it comes to out-and-out strikers, coach Mauricio Pochettino is in an enviable position compared to his predecessors, who had a lot less to work with at the tip of the spear. The 24-year-old Balogun is projected to start when the U.S. kicks off its World Cup campaign on Friday against Paraguay in Los Angeles (kickoff at 9 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One). “Being able to be able to hold the ball up and bring other players in, and then his movement in behind and getting himself into low-scoring positions is something that we’ve been crying out for a long time,” U.S. captain Tim Ream said of Balogun before Pochettino ran his squad through their paces Monday at the U.S. training base in Great Park. “He’s probably the most annoying striker for me to have to deal with in training, because he is so quick with his movements and physically strong.” Pepi, 23, and Wright, 27, offer other qualities. Pochettino recently called the former a “killer” in the box, while the latter can also drift out wide, pulling opponents with him. “The other guys are different profiles, different types of players,” Ream said of Pepi and Wright. “You saw Pepi in the Senegal game bringing Christian into the play…they all bring different challenges as defenders.” Goalkeepers, too. “All three of them are pretty good at scoring goals, I would say,” joked Matt Freese, Pochettino’s presumed No. 1 goalkeeper. “I see that every single day.” And all can be used in different situations. While Balogun will almost surely start on Friday, Pepi and Wright will feature heavily throughout the competition depending on match-ups, injuries or suspensions. Wright scored both U.S. goals in an exhibition win in October over Australia — who’ll be the Americans’ second group stage opponent this summer — while Pepi is well accustomed to a super-sub role. “My stats show that I’m an efficient player; whenever I’m on the pitch, I want to help and score goals,” Pepi said Monday in Spanish. That’s easier said than done, especially at the World Cup, where chances are notoriously difficult to come by. The U.S. must also shore things up defensively to succeed this summer, though Pochettino said on Monday that top center back Chris Richards (ankle injury) had returned to full contract and was working out normally with his teammates. Jedi also participated fully on Monday after limping out of Saturday’s match versus the Germans, though midfielder Tyler Adams was limited to a gym session for what a team spokesperson called “load management” reasons. Nonetheless, Balogun, Pepi and Wright have all proven they can take advantage of opportunities if and when they arrive. They all have developed chemistry with Pulisic and the other players behind them, and with each other. “We have a group of very talented forwards,” said Pepi, one of the final cuts in 2022. “We want the best for the national team, and we’re very excited and happy to be playing here in front of our fans. We prepare day by day; we train and spend a lot of time together off the pitch. And that really helps us when matchday arrives.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

With the United States set for its World Cup opening match on Friday, what is exactly is required from star forward Christian Pulisic in order to make an impact this summer? Expect him to let his playing do the talking. “Christian Pulisic is never going to be the personality people want him to be, the leader people want him to be. He’s going to lead by example,” FOX Sports analyst Alexi Lalas told Colin Cowherd on Monday’s edition of “The Herd.” Following a narrow 2-1 loss to Germany in the final tune-up match before the World Cup, Lalas went on to predict how Pulisic will handle his role as the focal point of the American attack. When Cowherd questioned what kind of production is mandatory from Pulisic, Lalas countered that fans and media shouldn’t wait for the star forward to transform into a vocal leader in front of the cameras. “He’s not particularly gregarious or larger-than-life when you see him interviewed. He doesn’t need to be that,” Lalas added. Instead, Lalas thinks Pulisic’s influence is completely tied to his play on the field. “He just needs to go on the field, take players one-on-one and in doing so, he’s going to draw plenty of defenders, open up space for others and then, he’s going to do what he’s so good at doing: beating players and providing the assist or finishing off the goal,” Lalas said. “He needs to be the star in the sense that he needs to dominate games. I think he can in this World Cup.” No Longer Underdogs Lalas reiterated that because this modern roster has received backing and resources from a young age, the old safety net of hiding behind the underdog label has expired. “Ultimately, when it comes to this team, we should expect more from this U.S. team than we ever have in the past. I don’t think that’s irrational or unfair to do that. Not grumpy ‘old-manning’ this, but this is a generation that’s been given absolutely everything from a very young age, and with that comes higher expectations,” Lalas said.  “America, you should expect your team to win this group.” If the U.S. takes care of business and wins Group B, which features Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye, the new 48-team tournament structure sets up a lighter path for the program in the single-elimination phase. “Now, you’re in this Round of 32, in which you’d be playing a team that you’re better than,” Lalas pointed out. “We’ve never been in a men’s World Cup where we’re playing in a knockout game against a team that we’re better than. You take care of business there, and you’re back to the Round of 16.” Should they navigate that unfamiliar territory as the hunted rather than the hunter, the unique advantage of playing on home soil could push the team into uncharted territory. “You need a little help from the soccer Gods there, but this team, especially with the magic of [home] World Cup … you’re in some rarified air.” Cowherd didn’t hesitate to drop a bold prediction of his own, projecting that the U.S. will not only advance from the group stage but win two games in the knockouts. “We’ve added [more] teams in this World Cup and they’re not powerhouse teams,” Cowherd noted. “There are some wins here potentially on the docket.” 2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch The World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX and FS1 with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports apps.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Ever wonder how World Cup players get their numbers? There are actually rules and parameters regarding how each of the 26 players on the 48 teams at this summer’s soccer extravaganza get assigned the numbers on their jerseys. Rules For Kit Numbers FIFA requires World Cup squads to be numbered from 1 to 26, with the No. 1 shirt exclusively belonging to a goalkeeper on the roster. That number is usually given to the first-choice keeper, while the other goalkeepers can wear any available number from Nos. 2 to 26. Interestingly enough, the expected starting goalkeeper for the U.S. men’s national team, Matt Freese, was given No. 24. His backup, Matt Turner (who was the USA’s starter in 2022), was given the No. 1 by USA manager Mauricio Pochettino. USA captain Tim Ream, who plays at the defender position, will wear No. 13. Players are also not allowed to switch squad numbers once the tournament begins, meaning the number assigned before the World Cup stays with them throughout the competition. Unlike club soccer, where players can often wear numbers up to 99, World Cup kit numbers are tied directly to the number of available roster spots. For the 2026 World Cup, that means 26 players and 26 numbers. Club teams usually have larger squads, youth academy players being promoted, and more movement across a season, which creates the need for a bigger pool of kit numbers. International tournaments are much more limited, so the numbering system is tighter and more straightforward. Numbers By Position Kit numbers also carry meaning because of soccer tradition. First-choice strikers typically wear the iconic No. 9 shirt, which is why Harry Kane will wear the number for England at his third World Cup. The No. 10 kit is often reserved for a nation’s biggest attacking star or most creative player, or at least the team’s most established player. Lionel Messi (Argentina), Neymar (Brazil) and Luka Modrić (Croatia) will wear the No. 10 this summer. That is not always the case, though. Cristiano Ronaldo has built his legacy wearing No. 7, the number he has made famous throughout his career. For the USA, Christian Pulisic will wear No. 10, a kit number that has belonged to him since 2016, when he was just 17 years old. Weston McKennie will continue wearing No. 8 for the United States, while Ricardo Pepi will wear No. 9. Expected starting striker Folarin Balogun will wear No. 20. 2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch The World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX and FS1 with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports apps.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Growing up in the Netherlands, Jurgen Locadia envisioned himself wearing those iconically vibrant orange jerseys at a World Cup. He played for the country’s youth national squads, was selected for the senior team a few times and started his professional career with Dutch clubs. So when peers tried to enlist him to play for Curaçao, a tiny island nation off the coast of Venezuela, he initially brushed them off. “I always had the hope to play for the Dutch squad,” Locadia, a forward for USL Championship side Miami FC, told me recently. But his friend and current Miami FC teammate, Eloy Room — who was also from the Netherlands and had already joined the Curaçao national team — was persistent. He was trying to help build something in Curaçao. Locadia remembers having conversations with Room four years ago while he was still attached to the Oranje. Room was trying to sell Locadia on the idea of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. “I was like, ‘C’mon man, it’s not realistic,’” Locadia said he told Room. “But he was convinced. And that energy rubs off when you believe in something. And he believed in it. I was skeptical, but looking back, it’s ironic how life works out.” Call it the college transfer portal meets the World Cup. Countries use recruiting-style pitches on dual-national players to bolster their chances of qualifying for the world’s biggest tournament. The strategy worked for Curaçao, which will make its World Cup debut this summer as the smallest nation ever to qualify. The approach has also helped propel more established countries, such as Morocco, which reached the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and became the first African nation to do so. Other countries, including Senegal, Ivory Coast and Egypt, have followed similar paths by recruiting players who previously represented other nations at youth levels. Cape Verde, also making its inaugural World Cup appearance this summer, initially wooed Irish-born defender Roberto “Pico” Lopes via a LinkedIn message. But Curaçao’s interpersonal approach towards its program-building has also now paid dividends. “I don’t think we realize the impact right now,” said Locadia, who ultimately committed to the Blue Wave in 2023. “Personally, I still can’t comprehend that we qualified. I think once we’re all together at our [base camp in Boca Raton, Florida], then the World Cup really starts, but for now, it’s still hard to understand that we accomplished such a big thing.” ‘More Players Kept Coming’ The Caribbean island of Curaçao was formerly a regional hub of the Dutch Atlantic slave trade, and many Curaçaoans grew up in or at some point moved to the Netherlands due to colonial and political ties. In 2010, Curaçao became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles. The population of Curaçao is around 158,000 and has a total land mass of 171 square miles — that’s seven times smaller than Rhode Island. Soccer and baseball are among the nation’s most popular sports, though locals have cheered for Brazil or Argentina during past World Cups since their country had never qualified. That was, however, until last November when Curaçao shocked the world, securing a berth to the 2026 tournament after a 0-0 draw against Jamaica in Kingston. The previous record for the smallest World Cup country was Iceland, which had a population of 350,000 when it reached the 2018 tournament in Russia. So, how did this unlikely contender reach soccer’s biggest stage? “It was my project,” former Curaçao national team manager Remko Bicentini told me. Bicentini coached the Netherlands Antilles from 2009-10 after serving as an assistant in 2008, then worked as Curaçao’s assistant from 2011-16 before being named head coach from 2016-20 and again from 2022-23. He was one of the early architects who developed a plan to attract professional players with Curaçaoan roots to represent their homeland. He gave most of the players on Curaçao’s 2026 World Cup roster their first international appearance. Bicentini — whose father, Moises, was among the earliest Curaçaoans to play professional soccer in the Netherlands in the late 1950s — used several methods to identify players for the national team. He said he communicated with coaches around the world from 2015-23 and contacted various consulates, which helped him locate players with Curaçaoan heritage. “I looked all over the world for players who can play for Curaçao, if they have a parent or grandparent who was born in Curaçao,” Bicentini told me. “I looked for many, many, many years, and I found a lot of players.” The first major commitment was Room, who was playing for Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem in 2015 before later joining PSV Eindhoven. Born to a Curaçaoan father and Dutch mother, Room was part of the Netherlands U-20 squad but wasn’t earning regular first team call-ups. Patrick Kluivert, the legendary Ajax and Dutch national team striker, was the head coach of Curaçao at that time and called Room personally to invite him to join the program. Like Locadia, Room always wanted to play for the Netherlands, but knew he could also play for Curaçao. In those days, however, Curaçao wasn’t competing at a high level, and there wasn’t much of a foundation or structure in place. Switching national teams wasn’t in his plans. “Kluivert called and said, ‘Listen, I want you as my goalkeeper. You’re my No. 1,’” Room recalls. “He also told me we have potential to go to the World Cup in the future if you help recruit players and players like me choose to play for Curaçao.” Room needed time to think. Maybe, he told himself, there was another way to get to the World Cup, and he could help pave the way for posterity. Plus, he said it was “pretty cool” to hear from a legend like Kluivert. Room ultimately took the leap, and the 37-year-old has been Curaçao’s starting goalkeeper ever since. He’s made 72 appearances, recently breaking a tie with midfielder Leandro Bacuna for most caps in national team history. But it took a real grassroots effort to scout other players. Room reached out to guys he knew growing up in the Netherlands, and some called him asking what it was like to play for Curaçao. Room told them about his experience and every camp, new players arrived on the island. Within a few years, the Blue Wave had a full squad made of professional players. “I was basically the first player who switched nationalities back then,” Room said. “And after that, more players kept coming.” Results followed. In 2017, Curaçao won its first-ever Caribbean Cup, defeating Jamaica 2-1 in the final. The victory secured a place in the following month’s Concacaf Gold Cup, though Curaçao did not advance out of the group stage. The team later qualified for the 2019 Gold Cup and reached the quarterfinals, where it lost, 1-0, to the United States. “It was important for players to see that success,” Bicentini said. “It helped recruit new players.” A ‘Nostalgic’ Feeling Tahith Chong’s first World Cup memory was watching the 2006 final between France and Italy at his parents’ home in Willemstad. He remembers Zidane’s headbutt, cheering for France and crying when Les Bleus lost. He started playing soccer after that. Now a midfielder at English club Sheffield United, Chong’s family moved to the Netherlands when he was eight years old. He came through the Manchester United academy team while playing for Dutch youth squads and kept a watchful eye on what was going on back home in Curaçao. He felt in the early days that the program was too disorganized and unstable. He saw managers and federation presidents come and go, and travel from Europe at the time wasn’t easy for him. “But once they got it sorted, I was on board because I’m from there, I was born there, my family is there. That’s where I call home,” said Chong, who is the only player on the 26-man squad born on the island. Over time, players, staff and fans alike started to believe. Bicentini created a “family atmosphere” by inviting many of the players back to each camp so they could develop camaraderie and chemistry. He stuck with consistent tactics and defined a system, so everyone was aligned. He called in so many guys who grew up playing together in the Netherlands, providing an added sense of familiarity. Together the group set goals, like going to the Gold Cup, and initially didn’t even talk about the World Cup. “Absolutely not,” Bicentini said. “But I believed that we could do that with each other. In 2016, the goal was to go to the [2017] Gold Cup, and that’s what I talked to the players about and we qualified. Then after the first Gold Cup, my goal was the 2019 Gold Cup, and we did that.” Only after that did they start envisioning something more ambitious: qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. With fellow Concacaf members the United States, Canada and Mexico already assured spots as co-hosts and the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the opportunity felt more attainable. Under the guidance of veteran Dutch manager Dick Advocaat — who has coached numerous teams in the Netherlands and abroad — Curaçao went unbeaten in its 10-match World Cup qualifying campaign. It culminated in a draw against Jamaica on Nov. 18. 2025. “It means everything,” Room said of clinching a spot in the World Cup. “This was the main reason I started to play for Curaçao because we had that dream. Back then, we were told, ‘It’s going to be a long road. It’s going to be a bumpy road.’ But I really believed we could reach the World Cup. I don’t know what it was, but I had this feeling inside of me that we can make it with Curaçao. “It’s an unbelievable feeling that you started something 10 years ago, and at the end you make it, you know? A lot of people said, ‘Nah, you’re never going to make it. It’s too difficult.’ We proved we can, so that makes it extra special.” The vibes on the team that night in Jamaica started as a party in the locker room with guys dancing, screaming and playing music. Then, when they got back to the hotel, it was more relaxed and chill. “We were soaking it all in,” Locadia said. “We accomplished something amazing.” For Chong, qualification was emotional. His grandmother, who lived her whole life on the island, had watched him play live for the first time last September. When the team drew Jamaica to punch its World Cup ticket, it was on her 97th birthday. He also thought of his father, who had played amateur soccer in Curaçao and never believed he would witness his country qualify for the world’s biggest tournament. “For me, it’s nostalgic,” said Chong. “It’s been a long process for everyone. It’s not like we showed up to the qualifiers and got lucky. It’s been a progression over the years. Progressing slowly but surely.” ‘We’re Part Of History’ There’s a lot of excitement on the island, and players can feel it whenever they return for training. The moment the team qualified, fans started looking at flights and tickets. Room said he heard people were selling their stuff to afford the trip. The Blue Wave opens Group E competition against Germany in Houston on June 14 before playing Ecuador in Kansas City on June 20 and the Ivory Coast in Philadelphia on June 25. The team is especially amped for that first game against the Germans, given the players were all raised as neighbors and rivals in the Netherlands. “Growing up in Holland, you want to win against Germany,” Room said, smiling. “So maybe that gives us an extra spark.” Beating four-time World Cup winner Germany would be the upset of the tournament, no doubt. Regardless of the result of that match or any other, arriving on the World Cup stage is a huge triumph. And, as Locadia explained, “This is a stepping stone.” In February, Curaçao expanded its scope when it welcomed a Dutch Football Federation delegation to the island. During the trip, the two federations signed an agreement aimed at strengthening football development within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The partnership will formally provide resources for Curaçao to continue growing the game by collaborating with the Netherlands in areas like training referees and coaches, football infrastructure, operating and developing youth and women’s teams and more. “We just feel like we’re part of history right now,” Chong said. “We have an obligation to represent Curaçao in a way that inspires the next generation that maybe in 15 or 20 years when Curaçao qualifies for another World Cup, kids come in and say, ‘I started playing because of the 2026 World Cup. The team that went to that World Cup inspired me to play.’ “We’re hoping this isn’t the only time we qualify. We want to do it again in four years, eight years, 12 years. You want to continue the progress.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Real Madrid’s star Kylian Mbappé has set the stage for a thrilling 2026 World Cup by making a series of bold predictions regarding the tournament’s top marksmen. The France captain, who is looking to banish the memories of a painful final defeat in Qatar, has weighed in on the eternal debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi while asserting his own dominance. Mbappé tips Ronaldo to edge out Messi before backing himself In a series of rapid-fire choices during a football challenge with content creator Finn Agostinelli and Sorare, the 27-year-old superstar was tasked with predicting the most prolific scorers for the upcoming tournament in North America. When the ultimate question arrived — choosing between the two greatest players of the modern era — Mbappe opted for his idol Ronaldo to outshine Messi in front of goal. While Messi has been the more influential figure on the world stage recently, leading Argentina to glory in 2022, Mbappé believes the Al-Nassr frontman will have the more clinical touch in 2026. However, when the final comparison pitted the Portuguese icon against the Frenchman himself, Mbappé did not hesitate to back his own ability to finish as the tournament’s top scorer. Picking the next generation of stars Before reaching the final showdown, Mbappé was asked to filter through the current crop of elite European and South American talent. He showed great faith in Spanish teenage sensation and his Barcelona rival Lamine Yamal, picking him over the likes of Florian Wirtz, Memphis Depay, and even the prolific Erling Haaland. Mbappé also showed loyalty to his Real Madrid colors, backing his clubmate Vinícius Jr to outscore Yamal and England’s captain Harry Kane. Eventually, the Frenchman leaned toward the pedigree of the veteran legends, placing Messi ahead of the Brazilian winger before finally crowning Ronaldo as the biggest threat among his peers — second only to himself. Defiant stance against ‘demons’ of the past The 2026 World Cup carries significant emotional weight for Mbappé, who suffered the ultimate heartbreak in Lusail despite scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 final. In a candid admission, the Real Madrid forward revealed that revisiting the match scenario might “awaken some demons”, leading him to avoid rewatching the showpiece entirely. Historical records at stake in North America The stakes for the 2026 edition are unprecedented, as both Ronaldo and Messi are expected to feature in a record-breaking sixth World Cup. Ronaldo heads into the tournament with eight career World Cup goals but faces the lingering statistic of never having scored in a knockout round match. In contrast, Messi boasts 13 goals and eight assists in the competition’s history. France will begin their campaign in Group I against Senegal, Iraq, and Norway, starting at the MetLife Stadium on June 16. For Mbappe, the tournament represents a chance to add to his staggering tally of 12 goals in just two tournaments, as he chases the all-time record of 16 held by Miroslav Klose and aims to fulfill his own prediction of outperforming the legends of the game.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Denny Hamlin is truly living in the world of it doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you finish. For the second consecutive week, Hamlin went from the rear of the field to Victory Lane as he won at Michigan International Speedway for his third win of the season. Hamlin, driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 car, won the pole but damage to his underbody from a flat tire in practice resulted in fixes that dropped him to the rear of the field for the start. That was no problem for Hamlin, who won at Michigan for the second consecutive year and fourth overall. “Most athletes, they get to a point where they have everything they need,” team owner Joe Gibbs said in his postrace news conference. “And they just lose the drive and passion. “And what we’re witnessing with Denny is really just the opposite of that. He’s full-blown into the simulator, works extremely hard. … He’s really helped build what we have [at JGR].” Here are my takeaways: 1. Cool Tribute To Busch Hamlin tied Kyle Busch for ninth on the all-time wins list with 63, and he celebrated by honoring Busch, who died of complications from pneumonia May 21, a day after being hospitalized. Hamlin had a flag designed for the celebration that included Busch’s stylized No. 8 that he used since 2023 at Richard Childress Racing with a No. 1 in front of it to pay tribute to his days driving the No. 18 as Hamlin’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing. “I’m thinking, do I put the 8 — I know him as the 18, I don’t know the right thing,” Hamlin said in his postrace news conference. “Then this person owns this font, that person owns this trademark. It’s like we had to have some collaboration, and I appreciate RCR letting us use the stylized 8 with the Joe Gibbs Racing 1. “It was just a happy balance that I felt good about when it all came out. … I just wanted to pay my respects to someone that I really did look up to and taught me so much as a teammate. There’s nothing we can say or do that’s going to make his family feel better, but at least during that little time, you can pay him the respects that he deserves.” 2. Bell Takes Massive Hit Christopher Bell will be evaluated for possible wrist and ankle injuries after a brutal crash where Chase Elliott unintentionally drifted up into him. Both drivers got out of their cars under their own power. “We’re going to continue [to have him treated] tonight when he gets home — we’re going to make sure that he gets everything he needs to get there, whatever it might be,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “And then we’ll just have to kind of wait [to see if he can race]. It is his wrist and his ankle.” 3. Jones surging with second Erik Jones has had progressively better results, and his second-place finish was his first top-five of the season. Like Hamlin, he also had to start at the rear. Jones now sits just 18 points behind the playoff cutoff. “Our group is rolling really well as a team, and we’re executing as well,” the Legacy Motor Club driver said. “We’ve just got to do every little thing right, and it will come. You run up front like that, it’s going to happen for you.” 4. Hocevar Causes Ire Carson Hocevar finished fifth but was the subject of ire from other drivers for causing a multicar pileup when he got into the back of John Hunter Nemechek. Hocevar said on the Prime postrace show that he was trying to avoid getting damage as the cars appeared to lift off the throttle in front of him. “It looked like they kind of accordioned a little bit and I really didn’t expect it,” Hocevar said. “I turned left. … I’m shocked that it spun him left. Ultimately, my evasiveness wrecked him and everybody there.” 4 ½. What’s Next The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the 2.5-mile triangular-shaped Pocono Raceway for its annual stop at another high-speed track. It also is one of Hamlin’s best tracks. He has seven career victories at the track, which features three distinct and uniquely shaped turns, which means a driver typically can’t be perfect in all of them.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Plenty of time still remains for last winter’s biggest names and priciest acquisitions to make a positive impact. But more than a third of the way through the 2026 season, we have a better idea now about the decisions that were wise, shrewd and prudent … and those that weren’t. For this week’s Power Rankings, we take a look around MLB at every team’s best offseason move (or moves). Shockingly, most of their many, many, many attempted reclamation projects haven’t panned out. But their acquisition of second baseman Vaughn Grissom from the Red Sox has been helpful, as the once-promising prospect is hitting slightly above league average this year. Acquired from Arizona for minor-league pitcher Josh Grosz, outfielder Jake McCarthy has been one of the Rockies’ most valuable offensive players. He’s batting .282 with 11 steals, and he’s under team control through 2028. Maikel Garcia hasn’t replicated his offensive breakout from last year, but his defense is so spectacular and reliable at third base that the five-year, $57.5 million extension he signed in December still feels like a big win for Kansas City. And given Garcia’s advanced approach at the plate, I’d expect better offensive results ahead. Almost all of their offseason moves have backfired to this point, but second baseman Gleyber Torres — when healthy — is still doing his thing offensively for a Tigers team that needs his bat. He’s registering the highest on-base percentage of his career, and his return from the injured list has provided a spark. What a year so far for Luis Arraez. He has been the most valuable player on the Giants — and for reasons beyond his .323 batting average. Arraez is taking advantage of his opportunity at second base in San Francisco, where the 29-year-old is producing the best defensive season of his career. After getting little production at the position last season, Boston has one of the top first basemen in the sport this year in Willson Contreras, acquired from the Cardinals in a December trade. He leads the Red Sox in homers, RBIs and every slash-line category. The Twins traded for reliever Eric Orze last November, and he now leads the barren Minnesota bullpen in innings pitched. Most of their offseason moves haven’t panned out, but John King’s $1.5 million deal looks worth it. The left-hander has appeared in more games than any other Marlins reliever and is 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA and one save. The Astros signed Peter Lambert to a minor-league deal in March. He’s 5-4 with a 3.55 ERA and has been one of the most valuable starters in their shorthanded rotation. He hasn’t been dominant, but Freddy Peralta has performed better than the players the Mets traded to the Brewers (Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams) to acquire him. Now, it’ll be interesting to see if Peralta (4-4, 3.63 ERA) remains in Queens through the deadline. After a rough start to the year, Mark Leiter Jr. has logged 11 straight scoreless appearances for an A’s bullpen that can use that kind of consistency. As Grayson Rodriguez struggles in Anaheim, the Taylor Ward trade is working out well in Baltimore. Oddly, Ward’s profile has completely changed — he only has two home runs and ranks in the top 10 in MLB in on-base percentage and walks — but overall he’s providing well above-average offensive value. Signed for just $1.4 million, J.J. Bleday leads the Reds with a .931 OPS. Among all MLB outfielders with at least 100 plate appearances, Bleday ranks third in OPS. The Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto deals have both worked out well. While Cease is currently sidelined, he has the highest strikeout rate among AL starters. Okamoto, meanwhile, has nearly twice as many home runs (13 total) as any other Blue Jays player. Signed for just $5.5 million after spending the past three years in Japan, Foster Griffin has been the standout of Washington’s rotation. He’s 7-2 with a 3.63 ERA. The Rangers are rolling, winners of seven of their past nine games, and once again their bullpen — composed primarily of one-year signings — is among the best in the sport. Jakob Junis, signed for $4 million in the offseason, has a 1.69 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and four saves in his 23 appearances. The Padres are sinking, having lost 11 of their last 13 games, and need offense anywhere they can get it. Surprisingly, one of their best offensive players to this point has been first baseman Ty France, who was signed to a minor-league deal before the season. After an inauspicious start to the year offensively, Pete Crow-Armstrong’s $115 million extension now looks like a prudent move for the Cubs. He has been on fire in June and suddenly ranks second in the National League in fWAR behind only Shohei Ohtani. The Pirates hoped Brandon Lowe could help lift their anemic offense, and he’s giving them everything they could have envisioned. Lowe has the highest slugging percentage and most home runs of any qualified MLB second baseman this year. Signed for $7.5 million in December, starter Michael Soroka is 8-3 with a 3.28 ERA. It’s his best season since his 2019 All-Star year in Atlanta. The rest of MLB’s hesitancy was the South Siders’ gain when they got NPB star Munetaka Murakami for two years and $34 million. Though he hasn’t played in June due to a hamstring strain, the 26-year-old still leads all first basemen with 20 home runs. Dustin May has pitched better than his 4.59 ERA would indicate. By FanGraphs’ version of WAR, he is the Cardinals’ most valuable starting pitcher by a wide margin. It has been a helpful $12.5 million one-year flier. José A. Ferrer has a 1.55 ERA in a team-high 32 appearances and has been arguably the most valuable member of the Mariners’ bullpen this year. The trade to acquire Ferrer is especially important given Andrés Muñoz’s (5.40) unexpected struggles. Signed in February for $13 million, 35-year-old Nick Martinez ranks second among all qualified American League starters with a 2.29 ERA. Unfortunately for the Rays, their offensive blemishes are starting to show while dropping 10 of their past 13 games. Signed for just $1.5 million in December, reliever Colin Holderman is 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA and a team-best 0.78 WHIP. This is what the Guardians do. Re-signing Kyle Schwarber was inarguably the most vital move of the Phillies’ offseason. Coming off a 56-homer season, Schwarber leads MLB this year with 23 home runs. A return to the Bronx always made the most sense for Cody Bellinger, and he’s giving the Yankees everything they could have hoped for. Bellinger’s .373 on-base percentage is his highest mark since his 2019 MVP season. His offensive production is even more important now with Aaron Judge sidelined. A key piece of Boston’s return in the Rafael Devers trade, Kyle Harrison is instead enjoying his breakout in Milwaukee. The Brewers acquired Harrison as part of the Caleb Durbin trade and are reaping the rewards. The former top Giants prospect is 7-1 with a 1.57 ERA in 11 starts. The Dodgers signed the top player and closer on the market, but those moves haven’t gone to plan. Kyle Tucker, who’s making $60 million a year, has hit barely above league average. Edwin Díaz, meanwhile, has an ERA over 10.00 and is on the injured list. Of course, all that matters for L.A. is October. But for now, it looks like the Dodgers’ best move was extending Max Muncy for $10 million guaranteed in 2027. He has been one of the most valuable third basemen in MLB this year. Atlanta’s signing of Robert Suarez (4-0, 0.63 ERA) and re-signing of Raisel Iglesias (0.87 ERA, 13-for-13 in save opportunities) have helped the Braves construct a bullpen with the lowest ERA and WHIP in MLB.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

World Wide Technology Raceway (Madison, Ill.) — Josef Newgarden continued his mastery of the short ovals at a place that he has conquered many times. Newgarden, still nursing an injured left foot from a crash two weeks ago in the Indianapolis 500, led the final 40 laps for his sixth career victory at the 1.25-mile asphalt oval commonly known as Gateway. It was the Team Penske driver’s fifth win in the last seven races at the track but it was far from a normal race, as this 260-lapper was suspended twice for rain. “When you have the fastest car in the field, it’s easier to win the race, and that’s more times than not what I’ve got when we roll out,” Newgarden said in his winner’s news conference. “I think that was the case today, too.” Here are my takeaways: 1. Another Short Oval Win For Newgarden The two-time INDYCAR champion won on the 1-mile Phoenix Raceway oval earlier this year and the win at Gateway kept him perfect on the short ovals this year. He won the final race of last season on the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway. In his final pass for the lead, Newgarden got by Christian Rasmussen but he didn’t realize it was for the lead. He thought Rasmussen was a lap down. “When [Rasmussen] came up to the [top-three] podium, I’m like, ‘What are you doing here? How did you get here? You were a lap down? Like, what are you doing?’” Newgarden said. “I think he got a little offended by that, but I’m so glad that I re-passed him. I was like, ‘He’s just kind of in the way.’” 2. Strange Contact For Siegel & Palou Nolan Siegel’s day ended after just 53 laps when he had contact with Alex Palou. The contact surprised Siegel, who was a lap down. “I was a little bit shocked,” Siegel told me and other reporters. “We weren’t racing each other. I felt like I left a lot of room on the inside. … Obviously, Alex is not an idiot. He knows what he’s doing. “He’s a very good race car driver. I don’t know, but I’m disappointed that it happened.” Palou, who was not penalized for avoidable contact, also was a little surprised. “I don’t know if I moved up or he’ll move down. … We were like lapping him, and I was well ahead,” Palou explained. “I think we hit on my rear tire, so I don’t know if I just moved up or he turned. It was obviously not on purpose.” 3: Palou Out Of Gas Palou tried to stretch his fuel. And then, after one of the red flags for rain, he opted to wait until the pits were open to pit instead of coming in for emergency service (which would have cost him a chance to win). He ran out of gas entering pit road, and with the last stall, he crept slowly down pit road as the rest of the field sped by. He lost two laps. “It’s not a good feeling,” Palou said. “It was so close. … It’s just sad, but at the same time, it’s OK. It’s one of those that you need to risk it to try and get the win or try and get position up there. … It doesn’t feel nice when you’re there and everybody was flying by.” The series points leader finished 17th and has a 49-point edge on Kyle Kirkwood halfway through the season. 4. Podium Finishers Needed Solid Runs Marcus Ericsson led 114 laps but settled for second, while Rasmussen ended up third. Both drivers saw a potential win slip away but they also needed those strong runs. Ericsson is in a contract year at Andretti Global, while Rasmussen entered the race 24th in the series standings out of 25 full-time drivers. Rasmussen and ECR announced earlier in the week he had signed a contract extension. “It’s definitely bittersweet after leading that many laps, having a great car underneath me,” said Ericsson in a post-race news conference. He lost the lead on a pit cycle when he pitted a lap earlier than Newgarden. “We drove all the way to the front.” 4 ½. What’s Next The INDYCAR Series, which has been on track for five consecutive weekends, will be off next week before returning to action June 19-21 at Road America, one of the most iconic road courses in the United States. The 4.014-mile course tests a driver’s skill level as well as the equipment with a series of fast turns as elevation changes. Alex Palou has won three of the last five races at the track.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Yankee Stadium (NEW YORK) – Even though baseball’s most iconic rivalry didn’t quite have the same buzz as we’re used to with Aaron Judge sidelined by injury and Boston languishing at the bottom of the AL East, the Yankees and Red Sox still delivered. No matter the circumstances, when these two historic franchises share the same field, the pressure is heightened and the excitement always draws an enormous crowd. Sure, the stakes weren’t as high. But the rivalry still felt bigger. Here are my takeaways from the series split in the Bronx: 1. Lessons Learned With Judge Out Spencer Jones, the Yankees’ top outfield prospect, returned to the lineup on Friday night with a new frame of mind. Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray found out the hard way. In his first at-bat since being called up from Triple-A to replace the injured Judge, Jones turned an eight-pitch at-bat into a 101-mph single to center field. The 25-year-old rookie gave Gray a headache all night. Gray tried to change his approach against Jones in their next meeting in the fourth inning, trying to get Jones to chase pitches outside like he did last month, when he was called up for a cup of coffee in the major leagues. But Jones didn’t bite. He waited for something better down the middle, eventually ripping an RBI double down the first-base line to right field. Hitting sixth, Jones went 3-for-3 in his return to the big leagues, showing that he had learned a thing or two during his two-week minor-league demotion. “I kind of used it as motivation,” Jones told me in the clubhouse on Sunday. “Before I got called up the first time, I always wondered if how I played was good enough.” Jones hit .167 (4-for-24) with three walks and 12 strikeouts in his brief, 10-game stint with the Yankees in May. The lefty-swinging outfielder went back down to the minors, focusing on the exact areas he needed to improve. He made subtle changes in the batter’s box, standing in different positions against certain pitchers, particularly lefties. He cleaned up his swing. He focused on being more intentional on defense and worked on getting jumps before stealing bases. He also has more confidence in his abilities this time around. Though he still hasn’t hit a home run in the major leagues, the power is there. It’s a small sample size, but his 96.9 average exit velocity and 77.6 mph bat speed are both considered elite. The homers will come, Jones said, because he no longer feels like he’s “drinking out of a firehose,” like he did the first time he was called up. “It’s only been a couple of days, but for me, I know what it feels like,” Jones said of the pressure to perform for the Yankees. “That was part of being in the minor leagues. It’s like, how do you bottle that feeling and replicate that feeling, where it’s like, I won’t let those things affect me.” 2. The Contreras Trade Is Paying Dividends For Willson Contreras, this was nothing new. The Red Sox first baseman has carried the lineup all year, so putting on a show in a visit to the Bronx was no different. In Friday’s series opener, Contreras delivered a go-ahead RBI single and a two-run home run that broke the game open in Boston’s 5-3 win over the Yankees. His two-run shot was his first-career home run at Yankee Stadium, and Contreras stopped in his tracks and admired all of it. Craig Breslow, Boston’s chief baseball officer, is known for some pretty lopsided trades — we’re coming up to the one-year anniversary of his jaw-dropping Rafael Devers’ trade — but acquiring Contreras from the Cardinals isn’t one of them. Since Contreras joined the Red Sox in December, he leads the offense in batting average, home runs, RBI, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, and walks. The Red Sox gave up three pitching prospects in the deal for Contreras, with the biggest piece being right-hander Hunter Dobbins for St. Louis. Breslow acquired Contreras for the right-handed pop from his bat, and he’s become a stabilizing, veteran force in an otherwise young and unproven Red Sox lineup. “We need to make sure we get our house in order,” Breslow said in the visitor’s dugout at Yankee Stadium on Friday. “We need to play better, and we need to win more games. … The first thing is to continue to build on the progress we’ve seen offensively over the last month.” Without Contreras, the Red Sox offense would be unwatchable right now. Even with his help, Boston is ranked 25th in wRC+ (91), 26th in slugging (.378), 25th in OPS (.694), and 27th in walk percentage (7.9%). Contreras has days when he can carry the team, like he did in Friday’s win. But even on Sunday, he was the only Red Sox hitter to put a run on the board when he lined an RBI single to left field, which extended his on-base streak to 18 games. Contreras is doing his job. What about everyone else? 3) How Is Judge’s Bat Still Getting Action? While Judge is catching bench splinters, his bat is still getting plenty of action. Jazz Chisholm Jr. used Judge’s bat to hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning of the Yankees’ 6-1 win over the Red Sox on Sunday. That was Chisholm’s second time using Judge’s bat; he tore his oblique the first time he used it, on April 29, 2025, and missed five weeks on the injured list. On Sunday, Chisholm knew not to swing as hard. “Sometimes you need a little bit more weight,” Chisholm said. “And a little bit less on your swing.” Did Chisholm ask Judge’s permission before using his bat? “Definitely didn’t ask him,” Chisholm said. “You know, it’s like a big brother, little brother thing.” The Yankees are in the early days of navigating life without Judge, who went on the injured list Friday with a stress fracture on the first rib on his right side. He’s expected to miss two months recovering from the fracture, waiting for the bone to heal before he can begin swinging again. The results have been a mixed bag, with the Yankees going 2-3 in the five games they’ve played without Judge anchoring the lineup. But there are reasons for optimism from the offense. Ben Rice homered off Red Sox veteran right Sonny Gray on Friday, hours after Judge was placed on the IL, to become the team leader in homers with 18 this season. Trent Grisham, batting fifth instead of leading off on Sunday, had an excellent day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the eighth. Cody Bellinger mashed his ninth home run of the year on Sunday with a tie-breaking solo shot to right. Paul Goldschmidt continued to pile on hits against left-handers. And after Amed Rosario and Grisham swiped a bag each in the eighth inning Sunday, the Yankees are tied with the Guardians for the most stolen bases (64) in the American League. “I think this offense is capable of a lot more than people realize,” Jones said. “I think there’s a lot of speed on this team. There’s a lot of different ways to win baseball games. And the guys are super close. All the position players are super tight-knit. Everybody’s rooting for each other. It’s such a solid unit that it’s like, obviously it sucks to have the captain go down. But I truly believe that the people in this room are more than enough to pull together wins and play good baseball without him.” 4. Suárez Outduels Schlittler Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suárez and Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler engaged in a good, old-fashioned pitcher’s duel on Sunday, though it didn’t go the distance. Schlittler gave up a run in the fifth, while Suárez threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Since April 11, Suárez has gone 2-2 with a 2.38 ERA over his last 10 starts. The southpaw has allowed one run or fewer in seven of those 10 outings. It’s too bad his bullpen blew a 1-0 Red Sox lead going into the eighth inning. Besides a couple of clunkers against Atlanta and Cleveland this month, Suárez has been solid on the mound in the absence of injured ace Garrett Crochet. “Your focus as a starter is to get deep into the games,” Suárez said after his outing on Sunday. “It was good to be out there and throw into the seventh inning. I know the past few starts haven’t been that long, but that’s what you strive for as a pitcher.” There will always be a little extra juice when Cam Schlittler takes the mound against the Red Sox, and on Sunday he was under pressure to bounce back. Schlittler recorded the worst start of his career his last time out, coughing up five runs (four earned) over 4 ⅓ innings against Cleveland last week. Against the Red Sox, his favorite childhood team, Schlittler’s fastball velocity recovered and he looked more like himself. It helped that the Red Sox are the worst team in baseball against cutters, which he used nearly as much as his four-seam fastball to blow past batters in the series finale. Schlittler cemented himself in Yankees-Red Sox rivalry lore when he gave it some new ammo last October. He pitched eight scoreless innings and recorded 12 strikeouts in Game 3 of the 2025 Wild Card Series to eliminate the Red Sox from the playoffs. After that shutout start, Schlittler revealed he was extra motivated to silence Boston because the Weymouth, Massachusetts native had been receiving inappropriate messages from Red Sox fans, comments that he said crossed a line. He used his frustration as fuel for the game. “The velo was there, and the movement was a little better,” Schlittler said of his performance against the Red Sox on Sunday. “I was still a little sloppy, but definitely better than last week and that’s all I can really take from that.” 4 ½. What’s Next? The Yankees and Red Sox will meet again in just a couple of weeks, when Boston hosts New York for a four-game series beginning June 25 at Fenway Park. The Red Sox come back to the Bronx at the end of August for what will unexpectedly be another four-game series. Saturday’s postponed game was moved to August 29 as part of a split doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports