History for the USA: 2-0 over Bosnia, and on to Belgium
The Americans won their first World Cup knockout game since 2002 — playing 26 minutes a man down after Folarin Balogun’s red card, then sealing it on a Malik Tillman free kick. Belgium awaits Monday.
Good morning! It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, but it was history. The USMNT beat Bosnia 2-0 at Levi’s Stadium for its first World Cup knockout win since the “Dos a Cero” classic in 2002 — and the first time the U.S. has ever won three games in a single World Cup. Balogun scored, then saw red; Tillman drilled the dagger. Belgium is next, Monday in Seattle. Back home, the Lakers landed Walker Kessler to anchor the Luka era, the Dodgers got tripped up 7-1, and the Cubs finished a sweep of the Padres. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚽ American history. The USMNT tops Bosnia 2-0 at Levi’s Stadium for its first World Cup knockout win since 2002 — and a first-ever third win in one tournament — Zach Cavanagh at Levi’s Stadium.
🏀 Lakers get their center. L.A. lands Walker Kessler from Utah in a four-year, $130M sign-and-trade, giving Luka Dončić the rim protector he wanted — Carlos Yakimowich reports.
⚾ Dodgers stumble. Charlie Barnes goes seven, but the offense goes quiet in a 7-1 loss to the Athletics in Sacramento — Fredo Cervantes at Sutter Health Park.
⚾ Cubs finish the sweep. San Diego’s slide hits four straight as Chicago completes a historic rout at Wrigley Field — Brady Charette at Wrigley Field.
🎓 SDSU joins the Pac-12. San Diego State’s Pac-12 era officially begins, opening a new chapter for Aztecs athletics — Eric Evelhoch in San Diego.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — WEDNESDAY, JULY 1
⚽ World Cup (Round of 32): USA 2, Bosnia 0 (at Levi’s Stadium) · Belgium 3, Senegal 2 (at Lumen Field)
⚾ MLB: Athletics 7, Dodgers 1 · Cubs def. Padres (sweep completed)
⚽ DOS A CERO, ALL OVER AGAIN
The number was familiar to anyone who lived through 2002: 2-0. Folarin Balogun buried his tournament-leading third goal just before halftime, breaking out a LeBron-style high step to celebrate. Then the night turned. A 64th-minute VAR review turned a foul into a red card, and the U.S. played the final 26 minutes a man down — a nervy stretch that, as Chris Richards put it, showed the team’s character.
Down a man, Malik Tillman answered. In the 81st minute — moments after changing boots because a cut had bloodied his right toe — he drilled a free kick over the wall and past the keeper’s outstretched hand for the 2-0 dagger. It’s the first U.S. men’s knockout win since the famous Dos a Cero over Mexico in 2002, the first win over a European side since 2021, and the first time the Americans have ever won three games in a single World Cup. The catch: Balogun’s red card suspends him for the Round of 16 against Belgium — which needed a 125th-minute penalty to beat Senegal — Monday in Seattle.
GO DEEPER
› Zach Cavanagh: USMNT shuts out Bosnia for a historic knockout win, loses Balogun to a red card (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Americans show their mettle in advancing at the World Cup (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: USA defeats Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2-0, at Levi’s Stadium (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 THE LUKA ERA GETS ITS ANCHOR
With LeBron James gone, the Lakers wasted no time reshaping around Luka Dončić — and gave him exactly what he asked for. L.A. acquired 7-foot-2 center Walker Kessler from the Jazz in a sign-and-trade, inking him to a four-year, $130 million deal (player option in year four, full trade kicker) and sending Utah unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 plus swaps in 2028 and 2030. It’s a steep price, but it ends a two-year pursuit of one of the league’s best young rim protectors.
Kessler — a career 66%-plus finisher who averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 2024-25 before a torn labrum cut short last season — gives Dončić the lob threat and paint defender the roster has lacked. Paired with Austin Reaves and this year’s athletic draft haul, the post-LeBron Lakers now have a defined identity: Luka’s pick-and-roll, Kessler’s rim, and a decade of runway.
› Carlos Yakimowich: Lakers land Walker Kessler in a blockbuster trade with the Jazz (The Sporting Tribune)
🏒 GOLDEN KNIGHTS OPEN FREE AGENCY BUSY
Vegas hit the ground running when the market opened. The Golden Knights kicked off free agency with a pair of contract extensions, showed signs of revamping their bottom six through early departures, and reshaped the staff — a typically aggressive summer from a front office that treats every offseason as a chance to reload. Derek Hegna has the moves and what they signal.
› Derek Hegna: Golden Knights free agency begins with a pair of contract extensions (The Sporting Tribune)
› Derek Hegna: Early departures indicate the Golden Knights are revamping their bottom six (The Sporting Tribune)
⚾ DODGERS TRIPPED UP IN SACRAMENTO
The best record in baseball took a rare lopsided loss. Charlie Barnes gave the Dodgers seven innings, but the bats never showed up in a 7-1 defeat to the Athletics. No cause for alarm at the season’s midpoint — but a reminder that the weekend series at Petco carries weight, with Shohei Ohtani lined up to pitch Friday against the Padres.
› Fredo Cervantes: Charlie Barnes eats seven innings as the Dodgers fall to the A’s (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — THURSDAY, JULY 2
⚽ World Cup: Spain vs. Austria (in L.A.) — FOX — 12:00 p.m. PT
⚾ MLB: Angels at Mariners — ABTV — 6:30 p.m. PT
⚾ MLB: Padres at Dodgers — SNLA —7:00 p.m. PT
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California and Las Vegas — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
⚾ MLB: Padres at Dodgers — Dodgers Stadium — $281
⚽ World Cup: Spain vs. Austria — SoFi Stadium — $1,071
🌴 TST TRIVIA
The USMNT’s 2-0 win over Bosnia was its first World Cup knockout victory since 2002. That famous “Dos a Cero” Round-of-16 win came against which rival?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode celebrates a historic American World Cup night at Levi’s and looks ahead to Belgium, breaks down the Lakers landing Walker Kessler to anchor the Luka era, and checks in on the Dodgers’ stumble and the Padres’ skid. Hear it on the radio across Southern California and Las Vegas via Westwood One Sports.
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Trivia answer: Mexico. The U.S. beat Mexico 2-0 in the Round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup — the “Dos a Cero” match — its most recent knockout win until Wednesday.
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