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Hello! Come in! Cristiano Ronaldo a handkerchief and take the USMNT a stretcher…
🇪🇸 Accident in the USA of Cup
🥹 Ronaldo strange fault
👕 Inside Man Utd shirt deal
💸 From Mbappé PSG wage dispute
Copa Corner: USMNT ‘must do better’
(Getty Images; graphic: Eamonn Dalton)
Suddenly, for the USMNT, The 2026 World Cup It’s a long way off. Two years away. As co-hosts, there’s no qualifying campaign to distract you in the meantime. Endless hours to think and reflect.
And boy, do they have a lot to think about. America Cup The tender, as it was, is over. Cristiano Pulisic They wanted the performance of their lives last night, but what happened was A rather lifeless 1-0 defeat against Uruguayin which the great escape occurred for the better part of six minutes before Mathias Olivera scored the winning goal in the 66th minute (below).
The United States is out before the round of 16 and there is nothing to do. A “comprehensive analysis” of its elimination in the group stage by the U.S. Soccer Federation is underwayThe first point on the agenda will be The fate of coach Gregg BerhalterIt didn’t have to happen like this in the Cup. And it can’t happen like this in the World Cup.
Berhalter says he’s the right man for the job — coaches don’t usually ask to be fired — but an all-or-nothing clash with Uruguay came down to complaints about the referee, complaints about TV camera angles and attempts to get a favor from Bolivia. As U.S. Soccer itself says: “We must do better.”
Comfort zone?
At this point, it would not hurt to say some truths. Let’s use Uruguay for comparison purposes. They have a more elitist coach than Berhalter And it shows. Pound for pound, they also have more talent on their roster. They don’t promote themselves. They just get on with it.
The U.S. national team players seem to be rooting for Berhalter. Goalkeeper Matt Turner He said he had “no problem with the direction we are taking.” Weston McKennie He said the team “feels comfortable with Gregg.” Is that a good thing? Or would a style like Marcelo Bielsa’s be better? Whip Cracking Routine Give America a healthy shake?
Berhalter has overcome a difficult situation beforeFor the second consecutive major tournament, he finds himself in another one. And in the void left by the Cup, the debate about his future is the only thing that will fill the void.
Where is Neymar?
Brazil He should avoid the same heartbreak later on, although a tricky Group D game against Colombia awaits him. Curiously, the Copa do Brasil story so far has troubled a man who is not fit to play. Neymar.
At 32, is he losing his rhythm? Not one bit. He is in the stands kicking every ball.the 12th player of the Seleção and a box-office seller until the end. Nice shirts, too.
Catch a match
(ET/UK time): Group D — Brazil vs Colombia (9 p.m./2 a.m.) — Fox Sports 1, Fubo, Premier Sports; Costa Rica vs Paraguay (21:00/02:00) — Fox Sports 2, Fubo, Premier Sports 2.
Offer Sheet 📝
It’s DealSheet Day at The Athletic. This is what we hear on the transfer front:
Eurozone: The Ronaldo Show
It is well known that there is no “i” in “team.” But there is definitely an “i” in “Cristiano Ronaldo” and no less than four in “dignified decline.”
Ronaldo would have been tailor-made for The Truman Show:He is happiest when all the lights, cameras and eyes are on him. If you saw him training Portugal from the touchline during the Euro 2016 Final — I mean, if you’ve observed him a bit, then you won’t be under the illusion that low profile is his thing.
But in this Euro, he is taking advantage. “All About Me” Routine to a new level: rage, performative tantrums, the insistence on wasting every free kick and every chance Portugal has (see visual GIF, below). Last night was really something: Ronaldo in tears Halfway through extra time for missing a penaltyalthough Jan Oblak He kept him at bay brilliantly, even though the match was still to be won.
Portugal won, knocking out Slovenia Ronaldo was eliminated on penalties, so all is well that ends well and there is no point crying over spilt milk. But there is more to Ronaldo’s behaviour than a 12-yard shot. What we are seeing is a once untouchable player diminished to the point of almost be a hindranceThat aura he had no longer exists? He knows it and so does Portugal. But no one has the courage to say it out loud.
The evening should have been Diogo Costa, after his three outstanding saves in the penalty shootoutTrue to his style, Ronaldo stole the narrative anyway. Next up, the quarter-final match against France: Cristiano vs Kylian Mbappé. France beat Belgium 1-0 yesterday It was a little smellyBut there is no doubt that they need Mbappé. Portugal and Ronaldo? Not so much. Or not as much as before.
Inside ItalyThe implosion of
Monday’s TAFC dealt with the end of Italy’s reign as European champions, but I don’t want you to miss the details of how their team ended up in a state of central paranoia.
They limped through a weak defense of their title and to the day of their elimination at the hands of SwissCoach Luciano Spalletti was willing to fight against everyone. He was irritable and quite unhinged.
Reasons for dismissal? Apparently not. Spalletti will remain in his post, which is a godsend for writers and the curious alike.
Catch a match
(Times ET/UK): Last 16 — Romania against him Netherlands (12:00 pm/5:00 pm) — Fox Sports 1, Fubo, BBC One, live blog; Austria against Turkey (3:00/8:00 p.m.) — Fox, Fubo, ITV 1
Money-making sponsor: Man Utd cash in on new $225m deal
It’s an exaggeration to say so. No publicity is bad publicityThere is some bad publicity. The worst publicity can be lethal.
A better way to put it would be to say that certain brands are incredibly resilient. Manchester United. They have been drifting and floundering.Competitively, they have fallen behind, but that has not prevented them from gaining ground. A new shirt sponsorship deal worth $225m (£178m) over three years.
That’s $75 million per season, and for this type of sponsor, it’s the most lucrative thing there is. The deal is with the American technology company Qualcomm, a subsidiary of the company. Dragon mouth will be the name that appears on the United kit, and the money is fully guaranteed regardless of things like Champions League rating. Qualcomm just wants in on the act.
Adam Crafton interviewed Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire and his comments on reach and profile, No less important in ChinaThey serve to prove that no matter how poor United are on the pitch, their commercial appeal is always rock solid.
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(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)