The Copa America and Euro finals make you realize how terrible the USMNT actually is
There's no way USMNT will ever be this good. Sigh.
This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Gooooood morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. I hope you had a fantastic weekend.
Soccer absolutely took over the sports world on Sunday with two epic finals in the Euro Cup and Copa América.
Let’s start at Hard Rock Stadium, where absolute chaos broke out when fans bum-rushed it. They were climbing through vents, destroying escalators, and more in the building. Chaotic is probably the most kind way to describe it.
The game superseded the chaos, though. Lautaro Martinez’s late goal in extra time won it for Argentina.
Suddenly, a Colombian team that had not lost a game in two years fell. Argentina won a record 16th Copa, which also happened to be its second consecutive one. By the way, the World Cup win is sandwiched between the two of them. And did I mention that Argentina lost Lionel Messi in the middle of the game to a non-contact ankle injury? Wild stuff, man.
Couple that with what happened across the pond in the Euro final. Spain prevailed over England, 2-1, with Mikel Ozyarzabal’s stoppage time tap-in in the 93rd minute ending this one.
It was just barely onside, though. Literal inches saved Spain in this one. Here’s Andrew Joseph with more.
“Just 13 minutes after Chelsea star Cole Palmer tied the match with a 73rd-minute goal as a substitute, Spain got its late winner by way of a Mikel Oyarzabal tap-in off a brilliantly timed run. In real time, it looked like Oyarzabal could have been offside at the moment of Marc Cucurella’s pass. But VAR confirmed that the goal was good.”
That’s how Spain got it done. Ultimately, it came down to the wire. But that bit of skill, timing and luck helped it prevail.
Watching these games was so much fun yesterday, as international football usually is. But it also hit me with a pretty grim realization: I don’t think I’ll ever have a team to root for in this. Not on the men’s side, at least.
The football we watched across continents on Sunday was so good. It was just far and away better than anything the USMNT has given us in years at this point.
That’s why the Golden Generation doesn’t look so golden. It’s why Jürgen Klopp turned the job down. There’s a standard for everybody else, and it’s a standard that the U.S. Men’s side, unfortunately, just doesn’t have.
It’s just Big Me
(Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)
The last twenty years have been all about the Big Three in men’s tennis: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Those are the guys who’ve won just about everything in that span. For the first time in nearly a decade, the French Open didn’t have one of them in the final match. They’d been that dominant.
But the thing about the old days is that they’re the old days. They’re done. The time is now Carlos Alcaraz’s.
With his straight-sets win over Djokovic at Wimbledon on Sunday, he’s now 4-0 in his first four Grand Slam finals appearances. The only man with a longer streak is Roger Federer, per ESPN.
He’s also now one of six men to win back-to-back French Open and Wimbledon titles on the two different surfaces. The other five are Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Federer and Djokovic. That’s elite company.
There’s no Big 3 in Men’s Tennis right now. It’s just Big Carlos. And his reign looks like it’ll last for a while.
READ MORE: Alcaraz did sportsbooks no favors with his dominant win over Djokovic
It’s Paul Skenes season, baby
Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
It’s MLB All-Star week and the Home Run Derby is tonight, but I wanted to take a bit of time to show Paul Skenes some more love. His path to becoming an All-Star starter has been incredible.
Charles Curtis found one stat that contextualizes just how good he’s been in such a short time. Here’s more:
“The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher has made just 11 starts in his career, all of them this year after he was the No. 1 pick of the organization in the MLB Draft. And on Friday, he was named an All-Star starter. AFTER JUST 11 STARTS! HE’S JUST THAT GOOD!!!”
That’s the fewest starts for an All-Star starter and nobody is questioning it. That’s how good this guy is.
Happy All-Star week, folks. Or, should I say, happy Paul Skenes gets to strike your favorite players out week.
Quick hits: The Home Run Derby roster … The WNBA ROY race by the numbers … and more
— Charles Curtis has your full roster for the Home Run Derby today. Give me Gunnar Henderson.
— Bryan Kalbrosky put together a really good piece on the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year race. Check it out.
— Lionel Messi’s devastation after getting injured was so heartbreaking. Mary Clarke has more.
— Caitlin Clark giving a young fan her shoes was so sweet. Here’s Cory Woodroof with more.
— Andrew Joseph has more on the tortured England fans whose hopes shattered into pieces after this VAR review.
— Steve Kerr is calling for gun reform after what happened with former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. Catch us again tomorrow. Peace.
-Sykes 