United States opens World Cup play | Knicks, Hurricanes look to clinch titles

Good morning and happy Friday! Who's ready to watch the United States kick off its quest for a deep run in the World Cup? I know I am! It's Carter Bahns with you on Day 2 of the international soccer tournament, and in today's newsletter, I'll walk you through everything you need to know before kickoff between the USMNT and Paraguay.

Tonight's match is the first leg of what is shaping up to be a massive weekend in sports. By the end of the day on Sunday, we might have a champion in both the NBA and NHL. The historic UFC Freedom 250 event on Paramount+ is just over 48 hours away. First pitch at the College World Series comes this afternoon. This is the good stuff, folks.

Let's discuss.

1. Mexico kicked off the World Cup with a win, and the United States aims to follow suit tonight. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway! Yesterday's opening ceremony in Mexico and the 2-0 victory for El Tri that followed did not disappoint from an entertainment perspective. Raúl Jiménez led Mexico to a triumph over South Africa in a match that featured more red cards (three) than goals (two). The two other host countries begin play today with Canada squaring off against Bosnia and Herzegovina at 3 p.m. and the United States battling Paraguay at 9 p.m.
2. The Knicks will play for the NBA championship Saturday night. Everyone is still shook to the core -- including Tyler Adams and many of the USMNT stars -- from the Knicks' legendary comeback in Game 4. Somehow, some way, the Spurs have to answer in tonight's Game 5, or else their season is done and New York will finally return to the NBA's mountaintop. That means De'Aron Fox has to flush the play that might have cost the Spurs a shot at leveling the series. And on the other side, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns cannot let their minds linger on the clutch plays that clinched the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
3. The Hurricanes are one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup. Hours after the NHL announced its 2025-26 award winners (including MVP Nikita Kucherov), the league watched Carolina move one step closer to its first championship in 20 years. Pavel Dorofeyev put the Golden Knights on the board first with a power-play goal about seven minutes into Game 5, but the Hurricanes flipped a switch and scored four straight in what wound up being a 4-2 triumph. Either Vegas will keep its season alive on home ice come Sunday, or Carolina will close out the weekend with the traditional Stanley Cup skate.
4. UFC Freedom 250 arrives this weekend. The landmark event unfolds Sunday night on the South Lawn of the White House, and you can watch every minute of it exclusively on Paramount+. Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira opened as the favorites in the co-main event, but Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane have become more popular picks over their respective opponents. Things have gotten personal between Topuria and Gaethje, and the former opened up to CBS Sports about the divorce that came back to light in the process. Meanwhile, Pereira has a chance to make history and become the UFC's first three-division champion.
5. There was a lot to be learned from the first 16 NFL minicamps. Half of the league wrapped up mandatory minicamp this week, and while live contact will have to wait until training camp late next month, teams still offered a look into how the 2026 season could shake out . This is the time of year when newcomers make first impressions and position battles heat up. Take DJ Moore, for example. The Bills are thrilled with what they have seen from their trade acquisition. And as far as quarterback competitions are concerned, neither Shedeur Sanders nor Deshaun Watson pulled away from the other in Browns minicamp.

The match four years in the making has finally arrived. The United States returns to the World Cup stage tonight at 9 p.m. ET, opening play in the 2026 tournament against Paraguay. Will this finally be the year the USMNT break through? Stars like Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Chris Richards, along with the rest of the so-called golden generation of American soccer talent, have a chance to shine on home soil this summer. Here's everything you need to know about the 2026 squad.

Anything less than a win in tonight's opener would be a disappointment for the USMNT, and four of the five experts on our panel are riding with the Americans to open the World Cup with a victory. In fact, our writers are all quite optimistic that the USMNT will go on to win a knockout-stage game for the first time in 24 years.

Here's why Chuck Booth thinks a trip to the Round of 16 is in store:

• Booth: "Until proven otherwise, I'm going to believe that Mauricio Pochettino's background as a club manager will pay dividends during the World Cup. He has had time with the same 26-man roster, and in friendlies, they understood attacking overlaps and the proper timing to go forward or cover for each other. In such a high-energy system, that understanding, along with the crowd, can be a difference-maker for the USMNT."

Get to know the squad a little better before tonight's kickoff in Los Angeles with these two features:

• The USMNT come of age just in time for a World Cup on home soil, but will it make a difference?
• USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino aims high, hours away from World Cup debut: 'For me, success is winning'

His last outing was the worst of his young career, but Payton Tolle showed enough over his first nine starts to earn a spot in our latest MLB rookie rankings. Cast aside the six-inning, four-run loss to the Rays. Tolle is a bright spot for the Red Sox in what has otherwise been a lost season.

Every month, we highlight the 10 best rookies in baseball. The No. 1 spot remains unchanged in June, but further down the list, you'll find Tolle and a couple of other risers.

8. Tristan Peters, CF, White Sox
9. Payton Tolle, SP, Red Sox
10. Walbert Ureña, SP, Angels

Why such high billing for a pitcher who just got touched up by Tampa Bay? Our Dayn Perry explains why the season-long numbers tell a more compelling story for Tolle.

• Perry: "The results to date have been undeniable, starting with an 11-strikeout effort against the New York Yankees in his first start for Boston this season. Through nine starts, he's got a 2.70 ERA, and he's struck out 54 batters against 14 walks. That kind of performance means Tolle will likely be a fixture in the Boston rotation even after Garrett Crochet's return."

• Tarik Skubal will return from elbow surgery on Saturday, setting the stage for a potential move at the MLB trade deadline.
• Brooks Koepka and Sam Burns headline the six-way tie atop the RBC Canadian Open leaderboard through 18 holes.
• The Big 12 is considering sanctions against Texas Tech over the Brendan Sorsby case, but the Texas Attorney General's office is not having any of it. Our Richard Johnson says the Red Raiders are prioritizing Sorsby over integrity, even though they released a 21-minute video defending his reinstatement.
• The surprising White Sox stand alone in first place in the AL Central. But is this breakout sustainable?
• Sean Payton signed a new five-year contract to remain with the Broncos through 2030.
• The College World Series begins today! These 10 stars will have the biggest say in who wins the national championship.
• Father Time might be catching up to Max Scherzer, whose spot in the Blue Jays' rotation looks tenuous.
• Mikel Brown Jr. made an appearance in the top six of Gary Parrish's latest NBA mock draft.
• Despite a massively disappointing season, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is not going anywhere … yet.
• We handed out quarter-season awards to the WNBA's biggest stars.
• Henry Ruggs III had his parole request denied and will remain in prison for at least another year.
• Here is every Power Four starting quarterback ranked by tier.
• The Farms Golf Club revoked Phil Mickelson's membership due to alleged non-consensual, inappropriate contact with an employee.
• MLB will question Dodgers team doctor Neal ElAttrache over his reported ties to Conor McGregor's PED usage.

⚾ College World Series: Troy vs. No. 16 West Virginia, 2 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ World Cup: Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3 p.m. on Fox
⛳ RBC Canadian Open, second round, 3 p.m. on Golf Channel
⚾ Marlins at Pirates, 6:40 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ College World Series: Ole Miss vs. No. 5 North Carolina, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Padres at Orioles, 7:05 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Diamondbacks at Reds, 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Braves at Mets, 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 Tempo at Mystics, 7:30 p.m. on Ion
⚾ Yankees at Blue Jays or Dodgers at White Sox, 7:37 p.m. on MLB Network
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
🏃 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, 8 p.m. on ESPN2
⚽ World Cup: United States vs. Paraguay, 9 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Valkyries at Storm, 10 p.m. on Ion
⚾ Rockies at Athletics or Cubs at Giants, 10:30 p.m. on MLB Network

⚾ Cardinals at Twins, 2:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Qatar vs. Switzerland, 3 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Yankees at Blue Jays, 3 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ College World Series: Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Alabama, 3 p.m. on ESPN
⛳ RBC Canadian Open, third round, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Diamondbacks at Reds, 4:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Braves at Mets or Dodgers at White Sox, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Brazil vs. Morocco, 6 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Fever at Sun, 6 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
⚾ Phillies at Brewers, 7:15 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Lynx at Aces, 8 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ College World Series: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 3 Georgia, 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏃 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, 8 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 NBA Finals: Knicks at Spurs, Game 5, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
⚽ World Cup: Haiti vs. Scotland, 9 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Cubs at Giants or Rays at Angels, 10:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Australia vs. Turkiye, midnight on FS1

⚾ Marlins at Pirates, 12:15 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
⚽ World Cup: Germany vs. Curacao, 1 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Padres at Orioles or Yankees at Blue Jays, 1:35 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Braves at Mets, 1:40 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ College World Series: TBD vs. TBD, 2 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Phillies at Brewers, 2:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⛳ RBC Canadian Open, final round, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏁 NASCAR at Pocono, 3 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Mystics at Liberty, 3 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ Cubs at Giants, 3:10 p.m. on ABC
⚽ World Cup: Netherlands vs. Japan, 4 p.m. on Fox
⚽ World Cup: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador, 7 p.m. on FS1
⚾ College World Series: TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Rangers at Red Sox, 7:20 p.m. on NBC
🤼 UFC Freedom 250, 8 p.m. on Paramount+
🏒 Stanley Cup Final: Hurricanes at Golden Knights, Game 6, 8 p.m. on ABC
⚽ World Cup: Sweden vs. Tunisia, 10 p.m. on FS1