USMNT’s home World Cup ends with a thud
Belgium bounces the Americans 4-1 in the Round of 16, exposing defensive flaws and ending the U.S. run short of a quarterfinal — with all three co-hosts now out.
Good morning! The party’s over. The USMNT’s home World Cup ended Monday night in Seattle with a lopsided 4-1 loss to Belgium — no quarterfinal, and all three co-hosts now out. Closer to home, the Lakers lost Rui Hachimura to the Clippers, the Dodgers walked it off, and the Padres kept sliding. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚽ Turn out the lights. The USMNT’s home World Cup ended with a 4-1 loss to Belgium — Arash Markazi on how the magic slipped away.
🏀 Crosstown move. The Lakers lost Rui Hachimura to the Clippers on a two-year, $28M deal — Carlos Yakimowich has it.
⚾ Walk-off. Dalton Rushing’s extra-innings hit lifted the Dodgers past the Rockies — Fredo Cervantes from Chavez Ravine.
⚾ Skid city. The Diamondbacks cruised 8-0 as the slumping Padres kept sliding — Fernando Ramirez at Petco.
🏒 Offseason housekeeping. The Golden Knights signed their last remaining restricted free agent — Derek Hegna from Las Vegas.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — MONDAY
⚽ World Cup (R16): Belgium 4, USA 1 · Spain 1, Portugal 0
⚾ MLB: Dodgers 8, Rockies 7 (10 inn.) · Diamondbacks 8, Padres 0
🏀 WNBA: Storm 82, Sparks 64
⚽ THE END OF THE ROAD — AND THE MAGIC
It ended the way it too often has for the United States — undone by its own mistakes. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, Hans Vanaken punished a Matt Freese error, and Romelu Lukaku added a stoppage-time dagger as Belgium bounced the Americans 4-1 in the Round of 16. Malik Tillman’s first-half free kick was the lone U.S. answer. The run that opened with a 4-1 rout of Paraguay at SoFi ends in Seattle, short of a first quarterfinal since 2002 — and with all three co-hosts now eliminated. As Arash Markazi writes, the vibes turned when politics were injected into what had been a storybook home run. Pulisic, hobbled all tournament, was subbed off hurt and left the field without a goal to his name.
GO DEEPER
› Arash Markazi: USMNT didn’t just lose to Belgium, it lost its World Cup magic (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: For Belgium, the (Red) Devil’s in the details (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: United States 1, Belgium 4 at Lumen Field (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 HACHIMURA SWITCHES SIDES IN L.A.
The balance of power inside Crypto.com Arena shifted a little Sunday: the Lakers lost forward Rui Hachimura to the Clippers, who signed him to a two-year, $28 million deal. For the Lakers, it’s the loss of a versatile, playoff-tested wing; for the Clippers, it’s a rotation upgrade — and, per our reporting, they’re not done, still chasing restricted free agent Peyton Watson.
GO DEEPER
› Lakers lose Rui Hachimura to Clippers on two-year, $28M deal (The Sporting Tribune)
› Clippers sign Rui Hachimura, still chasing Peyton Watson (The Sporting Tribune)
🏀 SPARKS CAN’T FIND TRACTION
Coming out of the break, the Sparks needed a spark. They didn’t get one. Los Angeles came out flat and dropped its third straight, an 82-64 loss to the Storm at Crypto.com Arena. It’s a rough stretch for a team that has spent the season searching for consistency — and a reminder of how much ground is left to cover in the second half.
› Sparks come out flat against Storm, lose third straight (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — TUESDAY, JULY 7
⚽ World Cup (R16): Argentina vs. Egypt — Fox — 9 a.m. PT · Messi vs. Salah
⚽ World Cup (R16): Switzerland vs. Colombia — Fox — 1 p.m. PT
⚾ MLB: Angels at Rangers — 5:05 p.m. PT
⚾ MLB: Diamondbacks at Padres — 6:40 p.m. PT
⚾ MLB: Rockies at Dodgers — SportsNet LA — 7:10 p.m. PT
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⚾ MLB: Rockies at Dodgers — Dodger Stadium — $44
⚾ MLB: Diamondbacks at Padres — Petco Park —$29
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Belgium ended the USMNT’s tournament in the Round of 16. The last time the U.S. men reached a World Cup quarterfinal was 2002 — which country knocked them out that year?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode processes the end of the USMNT’s home World Cup and what it means for the program, digs into Rui Hachimura’s crosstown move from the Lakers to the Clippers, and checks in on a Dodgers club that keeps finding late magic. Hear it on the radio across Southern California and Las Vegas via Westwood One Sports.
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Trivia answer: Germany — which beat the U.S. 1-0 in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals in South Korea.
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